《Coolest Girl in Town》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Chapter 1,Coolest Girl in Town The story began in the Northwest, where a huge castle-like mansion stood on a vast stretch of grasnd. It looked so much like a kind of Shangri-La that anybody who came here couldn¡¯t help but sigh in wonder at its magnificence. At this moment, a youngdy¡¯s clear and melodious voice was heard from the mansion. ¡°What? No way! No way am I going to Athesea to get engaged!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not up to you, Elise. Your engagement had been arranged by the Griffiths and me quite a few years ago. The five sons of the Griffith Family are all very fine gentlemen, and all you need to do is pick one of them to get engaged to. Don¡¯t worry; you¡¯ll certainly find one of them to your liking.¡± Elise Sinir leaned back on the sofa, her wavy hair hanging loosely behind her neck. Her features were delicate and enchanting, and every pore in her body exuded an air that set her apart from everyone else. Having been raised by her grandfather since childhood, Elise knew the matter had been set in stone. After pondering for a moment, she replied with a meaningful smile, ¡°Fine, but I have a few requests to make, Grandpa. The Griffith siblings mustn¡¯t know who I am. Since you say they¡¯re all very fine gentlemen, I should be free to leave if I don¡¯t fall in love with any of them within a year. By then, I should get to decide on my own marriage.¡± Robin Sinir, Elise¡¯s grandfather, responded with a smile, ¡°No problem.¡± ¡­ A few dayster, four men with delicate features could be faintly seen standing at the entrance to the railway station of Athesea. They were of different sorts; one was aloof, whereas another seemed bright and cheery with a sunny personality¡­ The eyes of the passersby were glued to them. If it weren¡¯t for the bodyguards keeping the crowd back, many would havee forward and asked for their contact information a long time ago. Danny Griffith, the fifth and youngest son of the Griffith Family, comined, ¡°It¡¯s so hot today, yet Grandpa insisted that the four of use and pick up this little girl. Does he really think we have nothing to do at all?!¡± Wearing a face mask and a cap, Jack Griffith, the fourth son of the Griffith Family and a big celebrity who had recentlye to prominence as the Prince Charming of every female in the country, chimed in, ¡°That¡¯s right. To think she woulde by train¡ª that girl must be a country bumpkin!¡± ¡°I thought Grandpa was joking when he told me yesterday that one of us five siblings would be chosen to be the fianc¨¦ of someone from the countryside!¡± Brendan Griffith, the third son of the Griffith Family, joined the conversation. ¡°I¡¯m so envious of Alexander; he copped out thanks to apany meeting he had to attend.¡± Matthew Griffith, the second of the Griffith siblings, didn¡¯t say a word, but one could tell from his expression that he wasn¡¯t pleased with this either. Just then, a youngdy in red with flowers embroidered on her clothes emerged from the railway station¡¯s exit. One might as well say she was dowdily dressed. Moreover, her long bob haircut made her look dreadfully ugly. Danny patted Jack on the shoulder. ¡°Would you look at that! I wasn¡¯t aware that people still dress that way in this day and age! C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. Tsk, tsk, I¡¯ve only seen it in the movies. Haha¡­¡± Then, to the four men¡¯s great surprise, the youngdy came out and stopped in front of them. ¡°Hello. You guys must be the Griffith siblings, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯m Elise Sinir.¡± All the four men looked somewhat appalled, especially Jack, who asked in disbelief, ¡°You¡¯re Elise Sinir?¡± Is she the beautiful little fairy Grandpa talked about? he thought to himself. Not only was Elise dowdily dressed before them, but she was dark-skinned with several moles on her face. Furthermore, the bright pink Barbie lipstick she wore was downright suffocating. Elise nodded and even replied with a look of infatuation, ¡°So Grandpa didn¡¯t lie to me after all. You guys really are handsome.¡± All of you look rather in. No matter how handsome you guys are, none of you are good enough to be a match for me, she thought. Danny nearly broke out into curses. Even if shees from the countryside, she shouldn¡¯t be this ugly! he thought. ¡°How about you go back instead, Miss Sinir?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Elise blinked her eyes in confusion. Atst, it was Matthew¡ªthe vice president of the Griffith Group¡ªwho said, ¡°Let¡¯s get in the car and go back first.¡± The five of them thus left the railway station with Elise and Matthew seated in the middle row in the car. Elise nced out of the window before saying with a sigh of admiration, ¡°Wow! So that¡¯s how tall the buildings in big cities are!¡± The lips of the four other people in the car twitched at her words. What is she, a yokel new in town? Just then, Elise inadvertently caught a glimpse of the watch on Matthew¡¯s wrist from the corner of her eye. She eximed, ¡°Wow! This watch looks so pretty! It must cost quite a few hundred, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Quite a few hundred? That watch of Matthew¡¯s cost 30 million! All the four men were so speechless that they could only hope Elise wouldn¡¯t take a fancy to any of them and ask them to be her fianc¨¦. Their car drove all the way to the Griffith Residence. At the sight of the Griffith Family¡¯s mansion, Elise gave another look of surprise. ¡°Wow! Your ce sure is huge, isn¡¯t it?¡± At the same time, though, she thought to herself, This mansion is not even one-tenth the size of my family¡¯s estate. Just then, she heard Danny¡¯s voice, which sounded like he had reached the limit of his patience, beside her. ¡°That¡¯s enough, you bumpkin. Don¡¯t act like you¡¯re going out in the world for the first time. I can¡¯t stand it anymore.¡± None of the three men beside them spoke. After all, they couldn¡¯t stand Elise¡¯s behavior as well. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Chapter 1,Coolest Girl in Town The story began in the Northwest, where a huge castle-like mansion stood on a vast stretch of grasnd. It looked so much like a kind of Shangri-La that anybody who came here couldn¡¯t help but sigh in wonder at its magnificence. At this moment, a youngdy¡¯s clear and melodious voice was heard from the mansion. ¡°What? No way! No way am I going to Athesea to get engaged!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not up to you, Elise. Your engagement had been arranged by the Griffiths and me quite a few years ago. The five sons of the Griffith Family are all very fine gentlemen, and all you need to do is pick one of them to get engaged to. Don¡¯t worry; you¡¯ll certainly find one of them to your liking.¡± Elise Sinir leaned back on the sofa, her wavy hair hanging loosely behind her neck. Her features were delicate and enchanting, and every pore in her body exuded an air that set her apart from everyone else. Having been raised by her grandfather since childhood, Elise knew the matter had been set in stone. After pondering for a moment, she replied with a meaningful smile, ¡°Fine, but I have a few requests to make, Grandpa. The Griffith siblings mustn¡¯t know who I am. Since you say they¡¯re all very fine gentlemen, I should be free to leave if I don¡¯t fall in love with any of them within a year. By then, I should get to decide on my own marriage.¡± Robin Sinir, Elise¡¯s grandfather, responded with a smile, ¡°No problem.¡± ¡­ A few dayster, four men with delicate features could be faintly seen standing at the entrance to the railway station of Athesea. They were of different sorts; one was aloof, whereas another seemed bright and cheery with a sunny personality¡­ The eyes of the passersby were glued to them. If it weren¡¯t for the bodyguards keeping the crowd back, many would havee forward and asked for their contact information a long time ago. Danny Griffith, the fifth and youngest son of the Griffith Family, comined, ¡°It¡¯s so hot today, yet Grandpa insisted that the four of use and pick up this little girl. Does he really think we have nothing to do at all?!¡± Wearing a face mask and a cap, Jack Griffith, the fourth son of the Griffith Family and a big celebrity who had recentlye to prominence as the Prince Charming of every female in the country, chimed in, ¡°That¡¯s right. To think she woulde by train¡ª that girl must be a country bumpkin!¡± ¡°I thought Grandpa was joking when he told me yesterday that one of us five siblings would be chosen to be the fianc¨¦ of someone from the countryside!¡± Brendan Griffith, the third son of the Griffith Family, joined the conversation. ¡°I¡¯m so envious of Alexander; he copped out thanks to apany meeting he had to attend.¡± Matthew Griffith, the second of the Griffith siblings, didn¡¯t say a word, but one could tell from his expression that he wasn¡¯t pleased with this either. Just then, a youngdy in red with flowers embroidered on her clothes emerged from the railway station¡¯s exit. One might as well say she was dowdily dressed. Moreover, her long bob haircut made her look dreadfully ugly. Danny patted Jack on the shoulder. ¡°Would you look at that! I wasn¡¯t aware that people still dress that way in this day and age! Tsk, tsk, I¡¯ve only seen it in the movies. Haha¡­¡± Then, to the four men¡¯s great surprise, the youngdy came out and stopped in front of them. ¡°Hello. You guys must be the Griffith siblings, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯m Elise Sinir.¡± All the four men looked somewhat appalled, especially Jack, who asked in disbelief, ¡°You¡¯re Elise Sinir?¡± Is she the beautiful little fairy Grandpa talked about? he thought to himself. Not only was Elise dowdily dressed before them, but she was dark-skinned with several moles on her face. C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. Furthermore, the bright pink Barbie lipstick she wore was downright suffocating. Elise nodded and even replied with a look of infatuation, ¡°So Grandpa didn¡¯t lie to me after all. You guys really are handsome.¡± All of you look rather in. No matter how handsome you guys are, none of you are good enough to be a match for me, she thought. Danny nearly broke out into curses. Even if shees from the countryside, she shouldn¡¯t be this ugly! he thought. ¡°How about you go back instead, Miss Sinir?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Elise blinked her eyes in confusion. Atst, it was Matthew¡ªthe vice president of the Griffith Group¡ªwho said, ¡°Let¡¯s get in the car and go back first.¡± The five of them thus left the railway station with Elise and Matthew seated in the middle row in the car. Elise nced out of the window before saying with a sigh of admiration, ¡°Wow! So that¡¯s how tall the buildings in big cities are!¡± The lips of the four other people in the car twitched at her words. What is she, a yokel new in town? Just then, Elise inadvertently caught a glimpse of the watch on Matthew¡¯s wrist from the corner of her eye. She eximed, ¡°Wow! This watch looks so pretty! It must cost quite a few hundred, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Quite a few hundred? That watch of Matthew¡¯s cost 30 million! All the four men were so speechless that they could only hope Elise wouldn¡¯t take a fancy to any of them and ask them to be her fianc¨¦. Their car drove all the way to the Griffith Residence. At the sight of the Griffith Family¡¯s mansion, Elise gave another look of surprise. ¡°Wow! Your ce sure is huge, isn¡¯t it?¡± At the same time, though, she thought to herself, This mansion is not even one-tenth the size of my family¡¯s estate. Just then, she heard Danny¡¯s voice, which sounded like he had reached the limit of his patience, beside her. ¡°That¡¯s enough, you bumpkin. Don¡¯t act like you¡¯re going out in the world for the first time. I can¡¯t stand it anymore.¡± None of the three men beside them spoke. After all, they couldn¡¯t stand Elise¡¯s behavior as well. Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Chapter 3,Coolest Girl in Town Elise had a rough guess in mind. This man¡¯s probably Alexander, the eldest son of the Griffith Family. Before she could speak, though, the man continued, ¡°Open your eyes and see whose room this is.¡± Elise was startled. Only then did she notice by the faint moonlight that this didn¡¯t seem to be her room. No wonder I felt different from when I was sleeping earlier. I¡¯ve actually gotten into the wrong room?! She got up from bed and apologized in embarrassment, ¡°Uh, I¡¯m sorry. I got into the wrong room. I didn¡¯t mean it.¡± ¡°Get out,¡± replied the man in a deep voice. And Elise left in embarrassment. The next day, Elise was still feeling sleepy when she went downstairs and heard Danny say with a smile, ¡°That woman is ugly, Alexander. I heard from the servants that she entered your roomst night. She didn¡¯t scare the hell out of you, did she?¡± Elise frowned at Danny¡¯s words. As she had expected, the man she metst night was Alexander. Alexander didn¡¯t say a word. Ugly? he pondered. He didn¡¯t get to see Elise¡¯s face clearlyst night with the lights off, but he vaguely remembered the wless fair skin of the woman who wore a nightgown with her hair hanging down loosely. As they spoke, Alexander noticed Eliseing down the stairs. Even though she had changed her clothes, her skin was as ck as charcoal, and the moles on her face made her look as ugly as sin. He pursed his lips, thinking his eyes must have deceived himst night. Elise also looked at Alexander, who looked impably perfect in his ck suit. His features were so delicate as though they had been borately carved by God himself, and he gave off a powerful aura that made him look awe-inspiring. She heard him say in an attractively husky voice, ¡°I¡¯m off to my office.¡± With that, he left without taking another nce at her. Danny shot a nce at Elise before mocking, ¡°No wonder you acted ordinary in front of the four of us yesterday. Turns out you¡¯re hitting on Alexander! Tsk, tsk, I didn¡¯t expect you to be such a hard one to read, Elise!¡± Elise¡¯s lips twitched when she heard this. All I did was enter the wrong room; how does that make me such a person? she thought. However, rather than exining herself, she seated herself in the dining room and ate breakfast on her own. Exasperated at being ignored, Danny walked up to her. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, Elise¡ªAlexander will never like you. He has someone he likes, so you¡¯d better stop dreaming.¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you hit on me instead? If you please me enough, I may let you stay a few days longer in the Griffith Residence.¡± Elise shot Danny an impassive nce with a frown of disgust. ¡°You? You¡¯re still a boy.¡± Danny was the youngest in the Griffith Family. Currently, he was only 18 years old, whereas Elise was already 19. Danny flew into a rage upon hearing Elise¡¯s words. ¡°How dare you spurn me? Don¡¯t you ever fall in love with me, I¡¯m telling you. I¡¯ll kill myself right away if you choose to get engaged to me!¡± Matthew, who was seated beside the two, looked at them without saying a word. Then, he nced at Elise as she was having breakfast. She¡¯s from the countryside, yet she conducts herself with grace and has the air of ady from a rich family. Could this be an illusion? Jonah had already had everything arranged for Elise before her arrival. In public, she would be 18 years old, the age of a high school senior, just like Danny. ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone that we know each other when we get to school, you ugly monster!¡± Elise threw Danny a disdainful nce. She got into Matthew¡¯s car after breakfast. Like Alexander, Matthew wasn¡¯t much of a talker, so she couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°Why not let the chauffeur take Danny and I together? He and I are going to the same school.¡± Why would Matthew be the one escorting me? Matthew looked helpless upon hearing her question. ¡°Grandpa wants us to bond with you, so the five of us will take turns to take you to and from school from Monday to Friday and spend time with you on weekends. It should¡¯ve been Alexander who would take you to school this morning, but he has a meeting in the morning, so I took his ce instead.¡± The five Griffith siblings objected to the suggestion in the first ce.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. None of them was willing to take Elise, the country bumpkin, to and from school on weekdays, not to mention hang out with her on weekends. However, this was Jonah¡¯s suggestion, so no one could turn it down. Upon hearing this, Elise realized how unwilling the five Griffith siblings were to get engaged to her. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m willing either¡­ Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Chapter 4,Coolest Girl in Town Matthew left after they arrived at school. Elise looked at the glittering gold sign that read, ¡®Springfield High School.¡¯ This feels pretty nostalgic. I haven¡¯t been to school for a long time, she thought. After reporting to school, she followed the teacher to her ssroom. As soon as she came in, the whole ss was astir. ¡°So she¡¯s the Griffith Family¡¯s fianc¨¦e. Isn¡¯t she too hideous? How can she be good enough for the five Griffith siblings?¡± ¡°Holy cow! The way she dresses is so uncool¡ªas expected of a country bumpkin.¡± ¡°If she¡¯s from the countryside, she must be poor in her studies. Why is she ced in our ss?¡± ¡­¡­ Seeing that everyone was talking about her, Elise realized at once that she had be famous. She clicked her tongue, knowing right off the top of her head who was behind this. Danny¡¯s so childish, she thought. No one in the ss was willing to share a desk with Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Elise, but she didn¡¯t mind that. Instead, she sat alone in a corner. When it was time for recess, Elise went to thedies¡¯ room, only to be stopped outside by a few female students. Some of them had dyed hair, and some wore heavy makeup. In short, they looked delinquent. Lydia Harper threatened in an overbearing manner, ¡°You must be Elise Sinir. Be sensible and get out of the Griffith Residence as well as away from Athesea, I¡¯m telling you!¡± Elise¡¯s lips twitched. It seems I¡¯m really unwee to the people of Athesea. But I¡¯m here against my will as well, she thought. ¡°Did you hear what Lydia said, you ugly girl?¡± Elise came to her senses and replied nonchntly, ¡°Yes, I did. But I¡¯m not leaving. I¡¯m staying here no matter what.¡± ¡­¡­ Meanwhile, Danny was lying across his desk in ss 12A. He had just woken up from a nap when he heard some female ssmates talking in front of him. ¡°I heard that Lydia of ss 12F had gone to teach Elise a lesson. Tsk, tsk, she¡¯s finished.¡± ¡°She¡¯ll be roughed up, I guess¡­¡± Danny raised his eyes slightly. It was him who spread the rumors, but that was only because he wanted Elise to have a rough time at school. He didn¡¯t want to get her killed, or Jonah would definitely kill him. At the thought of this, he dashed out of the ssroom. Meanwhile, thedies¡¯ room was aplete mess. The four delinquent girls who hade to teach Elise a lesson got the hell beaten out of them, especially Lydia, who looked a sorry sight with her head held down in the sink. ¡°I, Elise Sinir, hate being threatened more than anything else. Don¡¯t ever mess with me again! Got it?¡± ¡°Yes, we got it! We were wrong! We¡¯re sorry!¡± Elise dusted her hands together and was about to leave when she saw Danny standing behind her with a look of astonishment. ¡°You¡­¡± During the past few days at school, Danny learned that Lydia had learned kickboxing. Yet she and the other three ended up like this after ganging up on Elise¡­ He had a sudden feeling that Elise might be no pushover. ¡°I trained myself by cutting trees and climbing mountains in the countryside. These people are so terrible at fighting.¡± Upon listening to Elise¡¯s exnation, Danny had an epiphany. So that¡¯s it, he thought. Coming to his senses, he followed her out of the restroom. ¡°By the way, what are you doing in thedies¡¯ room?¡± Elise stared at Danny with a peculiar look in her eyes. Danny¡¯s face instantly flushed with embarrassment. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business! I¡¯m here because I like it,¡± he replied, before quickening his pace toward his ssroom. Elise was rendered speechless. After she returned to her ssroom, her cell phone beeped on the desk. It was a text message that read, ¡®Help me, Boss!¡¯ ¡®?¡¯ Elise texted back. There would be no gooding out of this call for help, she thought. ¡®Danny Griffith of the Griffith Family¡ªmy sworn enemy¡ªchallenged me to a race at the Nightwing Circuit tonight. Please help me out, Boss.¡¯ ¡®No, I¡¯m not.¡¯ Elisey across her desk, looking totally uninterested. ¡®Did Danny not bully you at the Griffith Residence, Boss? He¡¯s such a nuisance, after all. Just help me out, Boss. I¡¯ll pay you 5 million once you win the race.¡¯ The person kept pressing her to help him out, so Elise pondered for a moment. Indeed, Danny¡¯s quite annoying. Five million isn¡¯t much, but it¡¯s decent enough, she thought. Therefore, shenguidly texted back, ¡®Okay. I¡¯m at Springfield High. Come and pick me up after school this afternoon.¡¯ After a moment¡¯s thought, she sent Matthew a text message, telling him he didn¡¯t have to pick her up after school as she had something to deal with and would be homete. They had added each other on WhatsApp this morning to make it convenient for him to pick her up in the afternoon. Upon receiving Elise¡¯s text message, Matthew merely replied ¡®Okay¡¯ without asking much. After all, he was not interested in her at all. ¡­¡­ Nightwing Circuit was a well-known race track in Athesea, and those who hung out there were all rich dandies and scions of the upper ss. When school was over, Elise got into a Lamborghini; the man in its driver¡¯s seat was about the same age as Danny. Jamie Keller frowned after shooting a nce at Elise. ¡°Who are you? You¡¯ve gotten in the wrong car.¡± Elise curved her lips into a smile. ¡°You don¡¯t recognize me?¡± Jamie¡¯s jaw dropped in astonishment at the familiar voice. ¡°Holy sh*t! Howe you¡¯re disfigured, Boss?¡± My boss is a cool and cute little fairy. Why did she be like this? I couldn¡¯t recognize her at all! he thought. Elise buckled up and said with a casual air, ¡°Let¡¯s go and find a ce to remove my makeup before we have dinner.¡± ¡°Roger that, Boss,¡± Jamie replied before he started the car and drove off. Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Chapter 5,Coolest Girl in Town A lot of people gathered at the Nightwing Circuit at 8.00PM. Today¡¯s race was organized by Danny and Jamie; the two rich dandies had been at odds in Athesea for a long time. Alexander was sitting at the entrance to the clubhouse. He had changed into casual wear, but the elegant and distant air about him made him seem somewhat out of tune with Danny¡¯s circle of friends. ncing at the watch on his wrist, he asked with a frown, ¡°Where¡¯s he?¡± Danny answered obsequiously at once, ¡°He¡¯s supposed to be here soon, Alexander.¡± God only knows how much trouble it took for me to bring the workaholic Alexander here. Jamie, that brat, is going to suffer a crushing defeat! he thought with a smile before seeing Jamie¡¯s car arrive. Jamie got out of the driver¡¯s seat first. C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. Then, the passenger door opened. Dressed in gray casual clothes, thedy slowly walked up to the two men with Jamie, her wavy, long hair hanging loosely behind her neck. Only then did everyone get to see the woman¡¯s face. Her fair skin was wless, and her almond eyes looked breathtakingly beautiful under the light, as if they could put somebody under their spell. Thedy was a stunner, but Danny didn¡¯t forget the reason they were here. ¡°Where¡¯s the expert racer you brought with you, Jamie? I¡¯ve brought my brother here today. Just wait till you lose, you brat.¡± Jamie chuckled and patted Elise on the shoulder. ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t be so sure of that. Thisdy here is my boss, and she¡¯ll race against your brother tonight.¡± As soon as Jamie finished his sentence, Danny stared at Elise in disbelief. ¡°You mean her? Your boss, you say? Are you kidding me, Jamie? I¡¯ve brought Alexander here today. How dare you look down on us?!¡± Even Jamie¡¯s friends found him ridiculous. After all, Elise seemed like a delicate and weak youngdy at first nce. They were having a sports car race here, not a toy car race! Besides, the Nightwing Circuit was famous for how difficult it was to race on it; even the slightest of mistakes could cost the racers their lives! Jamie didn¡¯t care what everyone said, though. They¡¯ll have egg on their facester, anyway. Elise raised her eyes and looked at Danny, then at Alexander. Then, she deliberately lowered her voice and said, ¡°Let¡¯s start the race.¡± After tying up her long hair with a rubber band, she picked up the helmet on the table and put it on in swift and crisp movements. When she noticed that Alexander hadn¡¯t moved yet, she asked with a smile, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you looking down on me, Young Master Alexander?¡± Alexander was indeed unwilling to race against a little girl because the oue was already predetermined. However, Danny tugged at his sleeve and whispered to him, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the expert Jamie brought with him would be a little girl, Alexander. Now that she¡¯s already here, why don¡¯t you race with her? Just don¡¯t be too harsh on her. After all, she¡¯s a youngdy, and a gorgeous one at that¡­¡± Alexander frowned a little and hesitated for a moment before picking up the helmet on the table. When the pair got into their respective sports cars on the race track, everyone present felt that the oue of the race had already been predetermined. After all, Alexander started racing at the age of eight. The rules of the race were simple. The starting line of the track was also the finishing line, and the circuit was eight kilometers long. Whoever got back to the starting line first would win the race. The two cars set out together before disappearing at the end of the hillside in just tens of seconds. Only then did Alexander realize that he had underestimated the lady. Thisdy¡¯s really something; she¡¯s risking her life for the race. It seems that I¡¯ve met my match, he thought. His lips curved up in a smile, and the look in his eyes became serious. About ten minutester, a blue BMW reached the track¡¯s starting line first. It even drifted in a stylish way before slowlying to a stop. Everyone was stunned¡ªElise was driving the blue sports car. Jamie gave a loud cheer as he jumped up from his seat. ¡°You¡¯re unbelievable, Boss!¡± His friends chimed in behind him, ¡°Holy smokes! That little fairy is awesome!¡± We¡¯ve won the bet! they thought. It wasn¡¯t until almost half a minuteter that Alexander¡¯s car came to a stop on the race track. Danny¡¯s eyes were full of disbelief. To think that Alexander would lose the race! he thought. Elise got out of the driver¡¯s seat, and Alexander did the same. She took off her helmet and said with a smile, ¡°You¡¯ve lost.¡± She had to admit that it was quite thrilling to beat Alexander. Alexander looked quite displeased, though. He shot a nce at the woman before him, saying, ¡°Let¡¯s have another race.¡± He had never been defeated in a motor race. Not only was this the first time, but he even lost to a woman. Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Chapter 6,Coolest Girl in Town Elise¡¯s lips curved up in a smile, making her gorgeous face look especially charming. ¡°Sorry, but I have no time for that,¡± she replied. Then, she dropped her helmet, turned around, and walked away. Jamie looked at Danny with a gloating smirk. ¡°Hehe, you¡¯ve lost. How does it feel, huh? Look who¡¯s eating their own words now?¡± Danny¡¯s face was livid with rage, but he was at a loss for a retort. Just then, Elise walked up to them. ¡°Take me back to my ce.¡± ¡°Gotcha, Boss,¡± Jamie replied before leaving with Elise in a servile manner. Seeing how displeased Alexander looked behind him, Danny asked in puzzlement, ¡°Did you let her win the race because she¡¯s pretty, Alexander?¡± Alexander gave Danny a dirty look before ncing at Elise¡¯s receding figure. He had a vague feeling that the figure seemed somewhat familiar to him, but for a moment, he couldn¡¯t recall where he had seen it. ¡­¡­ Elise went to sleep happily after getting the five million. The next morning, she put on her unfashionable makeup and her wig again. Meanwhile, the scene downstairs was rather lively, with all the Griffith siblings present except Alexander. ¡°Here¡¯s a photo of her. She¡¯s a real knockout, isn¡¯t she? The way she racedst night was so cool! Now that I think about it, Alexander losing to her wasn¡¯t all that bad after all.¡± The other three nced at the photo, which had been takenst night by one of Danny¡¯s friends. They discussed with great interest how Alexander had lost the race. ¡°Hahaha! How rare it is to hear that the unbeaten Alexander has actually been defeated!¡± ¡°She¡¯s a stunner indeed. How I wish I could get her to model for ourpany,¡± said Brendan, who owned a designerbel. ¡°It¡¯s a shame that she doesn¡¯t enter show business with such good looks,¡± said Jack, a Best Actor winner, with a sigh. ¡°Sigh, I forgot to ask her namest night. But Alexander has sent someone to find it out, so there¡¯ll probably be news very soon.¡± It wasn¡¯t until Elise came downstairs that the four men ended their discussion. They nced at her, thinking, Her looks are so far from being a match for thatdy¡¯s. Elise could only be thankful that her makeup skills were good enough. Otherwise, all of them will probably fall in love with me if they see through my cover, she thought narcissistically to herself. After she finished breakfast, her cell phone rang on the table with three consecutive text messages from Jamie. The first read, ¡®Boss, you know what? Danny¡¯s so shameless; he actually paid me money to get your number!¡¯ The second read, ¡®I guess he¡¯ll be pissed off if he finds out that the person he¡¯s looking for is actually living under the same roof with him.¡¯ The third read, ¡®By the way, Alexander is also tracking you down, so be careful.¡¯ Elise smiled in disdain. That depends on whether or not Alexander¡¯s able to track me down, she thought. Finally, it was Friday. It was Alexander¡¯s turn to take Elise to and from school today after Brendan and Jack. However, neither of the two spoke on their way to school that morning. To Elise¡¯s surprise, when school was over, Danny followed her all the way out of the schoolpound. ¡°Why are you following me around?¡± Danny pursed his lips and replied in disdain, ¡°I¡¯m not following you around! Ashlyn is back; she came with Alexander. I¡¯m going to meet her.¡± Ashlyn? Who? Elise thought. Seeing how puzzled she was, Danny exined delightedly, ¡°Ashlyn is the eldest daughter of the Lawson Family. She grew up with us, and we had a lot of fun together, but she¡¯s been studying abroad for the past two years. Now she¡¯s back atst!¡± Elise could tell that Danny had a good impression of thedy, but she didn¡¯t care about it. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. The eldest daughter of the Lawson Family? Never heard of her, she thought while walking leisurely out of the school gate with a lollipop dangling from her lips. Ashlyn¡ªthedy Danny spoke of¡ªwas in the passenger seat. Decked out in designer clothes, the woman wore her long, wavy hair down behind her back, and the makeup on her face was exquisite¡ªtypical of ady from a rich family. After greeting Danny warmly, she turned to look at Elise and said with a smile, ¡°You must be Elise. I¡¯m Ashlyn Lawson. I grew up with Danny and the others since I was young. Let¡¯s be friends from now on. Feel free to ask me out if you¡¯re looking to have some fun in Athesea.¡± Elise responded politely, ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°What fun will you have hanging out with her, Ashlyn? I missed you terribly. You¡¯re not leaving this time, are you?¡± Ashlyn smiled. ¡°No, I¡¯m not leaving. I¡¯ve graduated from college, so I¡¯m nning to work at the Griffith Group as an intern.¡± ¡°Really? In that case, you have to look after Ashlyn, Alexander.¡± Alexander didn¡¯t say a word as he started the car and left the school. A flicker of disappointment shed across Ashlyn¡¯s eyes before she nced at Elise through the rearview mirror. How could I possibly leave again? she thought. Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Chapter 7,Coolest Girl in Town Actually, Ashlyn didn¡¯tplete her studies. It was just that the Lawsons spent a lot of money to get her a college degree. The Lawsons and the Griffiths were old family friends. Not only did Ashlyn grow up loving Alexander, but she had been brought up by the Lawsons as the future Mrs. Griffith ever since she was a child. She didn¡¯t expect Elise to pop up from nowhere. What entitles this ugly country bumpkin to choose one of the Griffith Family¡¯s five sons to be her fianc¨¦? Ashlyn¡¯s face darkened slightly. She cany a hand on any of them¡ªbut not Alexander! ¡­¡­ The car slowly made it to the Griffith Residence. The other three Griffith siblings were at home, and they warmly greeted Ashlyn, whom they hadn¡¯t seen for a long time. Ashlyn took out the gifts she had prepared abroad and handed them to everyone. After a pause, she looked at Elise again and said apologetically, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Elise. I only got to know you¡¯re visiting the Griffiths when I came back, so I didn¡¯t prepare a gift for you¡­¡± Elise thought thisdy was quite a poser, but before she could speak, the talkative Danny cut in, ¡°What are you apologizing for, Ashlyn? You two aren¡¯t even close.¡± Then, as he opened his present, he eximed in awe, ¡°Wow, it¡¯s thetest game console¡ªand a limited edition one at that! It¡¯s too kind of you, Ashlyn.¡± Elise felt alienated from everyone else, but she didn¡¯t want to blend in either, so she went upstairs on her own. After a while, she heard a knock on her bedroom door; she opened the door and looked at Alexander before her in puzzlement. ¡°The Lawsons are throwing a dinner party tonight to wee Ashlyn¡¯s return. Grandpa asked me to attend the party with you,¡± exined Alexander. Since it was his turn to escort Elise around today, the rest of her affairs were handed over to him as well. Elise didn¡¯t feel like going at first when she heard this, but now that Jonah had asked Alexander to go with her, it would seem improper for her to not attend the party. After giving a sigh, she left for theContent is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. boutique with Alexander, as well as Ashlyn. After they arrived at the boutique, Alexander sat down on the couch and waited for the twodies. Ashlyn took Elise¡¯s hand like a big sister while saying to her, ¡°Elise, don¡¯t be too nervous at the party later. Don¡¯t worry; just ask for me if there¡¯s anything.¡± Elise could hardly stand the sight of this woman¡¯s affected manners. She replied with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s alright; Grandpa Griffith said Alexander will be my escort today. I¡¯m relieved to have him around me.¡± As Elise had expected, Ashlyn¡¯s face froze visibly, and she unconsciously tightened her grip on Elise¡¯s hand. However, she resumed her genial countenance soon afterward. ¡°You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s choose our dresses, then. We¡¯d better not keep Alexander waiting,¡± she said with a smile. Then, she continued, ¡°How about I pick a dress for you? I often study these dresses.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°How about this one?¡± Elise looked at the dress Ashlyn was holding. It was a strapless dark green evening dress totally unsuited for her age, for it was typically worn by women in theirte 30s. As expected, this woman is a goody two shoes, she thought. On the other hand, Ashlyn was certain that Elise, a country bumpkin, knew little about these things. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t like it?¡± she asked. Unsurprisingly, Elise nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll take this one,¡± Elise replied. Like hell I¡¯ll care about what I¡¯m wearing when I¡¯ve made my face look like this. Ashlyn curved her lips in a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go put on our makeup then.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m good. I¡¯ve been having skin allergiestely.¡± Ashlyn said nothing much in reply. After all, it pleased her the most if Elise looked ugly. The twodies came out of the dressing room when they were done. In striking contrast to Elise, Ashlyn seemed charmingly tender in her light blue evening dress. Alexander knitted his brows slightly, but he said nothing. The dinner party was held at the Lawson Residence, and those invited were Ashlyn¡¯s friends and some of her rtives. After getting there, Ashlyn went to greet the guests. ¡°So thatdy¡¯s Elise Sinir, huh? How¡¯s such an ugly woman qualified to stand beside Alexander, Ashlyn?¡± said Katie Moss, Ashlyn¡¯s cousin. At Jonah¡¯s request, Alexander stayed with Elise after arriving at the party, and the pair drew a lot of attention as they stood together. Ashlyn looked somewhat displeased. She¡¯s right. Not even I have ever attended a party with Alexander as his partner; what qualifies that woman to do so? Just then, Katie said viciously, ¡°Since she dares to attend the party, I must teach her a lesson, Ashlyn.¡± Ashlyn warned with a slight frown, ¡°Don¡¯t do anything reckless, Katie.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ashlyn. I know my limits.¡± ¡­¡­ At the party, Alexander ran into several of his friends in business circles, so he chatted a little with them. On the other hand, Elise wandered alone around the swimming pool in the back garden. I¡¯m bored to death. Why don¡¯t I sneak away and go hang out with Jamieter? she thought. Before she realized what had happened, someone knocked into her with great force, causing her to lose her bnce and fall into the swimming pool beside her. She struggled in the swimming pool. She wasn¡¯t afraid of anything¡ªexcept open water! As the dinner party was held in the back garden, everyone mored at the sight of what had happened. Ashlyn curved her lips in a barely imperceptible smile, but the smile froze on her face when she saw Alexander diving into the water. ¡­¡­ After being rescued from the swimming pool, Elise and Alexander were taken to separate rooms upstairs to get changed. Elise looked as ck as thunder as she stood in the room wrapped in a bath towel. That person will be dead meat for knocking me into the pool just now! Just then, she heard a knock on the door, followed by Matthew¡¯s voice. ¡°I¡¯m here to bring you some clothes, Elise. Are you alright?¡± Coming to her senses, Elise opened the door, took the clothes from Matthew, and thanked him. ¡°You¡­¡± Matthew looked astounded before her. This face looks worlds apart from her previous looks! In fact, it looks just like the photo Danny showed us before¡­ Only then did Elise realize what had happened. Her makeup had run a little back when she was rescued, and she wiped it away with a towel just now because she wasn¡¯t feeling well. Even though her wig was still intact, her face¡­ Argh, I¡¯ve let my anger get the better of me! How could I forget about this?! Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Chapter 8,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°I¡­¡± Elise felt as if a bomb had exploded in her head. She had imagined the scenario of someone discovering what she really looked like, but she didn¡¯t expect it to happen so soon! What do I do now? she thought. Matthew stared at Elise¡¯s face thoughtfully as several possibilities crossed his mind. It¡¯s her. Is she the real Elise? Did she change her appearance? Or is this what she looks like after doing so? Elise was kind of creeped out by Matthew¡¯s stare. Nevertheless, she tried to keep calm. ¡°Why don¡¯t we have a talk first, Young Master Matthew?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Well, pleasee in first.¡± Elise opened the door with a soft sigh of relief. Matthew put down the clothes in his hand while asking curiously, ¡°Anyway, may I ask you a question before we talk?¡± He doesn¡¯t mince his words. Great. I can save some effort talking to the smarter ones, Elise thought. ¡° You want to ask me why I changed my appearance, right?¡± she asked. Seeing that Matthew nodded, she curled her lips and said slowly, ¡°Because I hate the idea of an arranged marriage, that¡¯s why.¡± ¡°It seems you and I have the same goal, Miss Sinir.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Elise responded in confusion. Why would Matthew object to an arranged marriage that would do the Griffiths a lot of good? She didn¡¯t understand what was on his mind. But who cares? It¡¯s none of my business, she thought. Taking the opportunity, she said, ¡°In that case, can you help me keep this a secret, Young Master Matthew? Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let you do it for nothing. I¡¯ll help you once in return.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t help me. No one can help me with what I want to do,¡± Matthew replied in self-mockery. Nevertheless, he did her a favor, saying, ¡°Okay, I promise you.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Suddenly recalling that he was here to bring her clothes, Matthew pointed to the clothes on the table and said, ¡°Be careful next time. There¡¯d be no remedying the situation if someone else discovers what you really look like. For now, get changed. I¡¯ll be waiting for you outside. We¡¯ll be going downstairs together when you¡¯re done.¡±Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Elise thanked him again before taking the clothes into the room. She looked at the clothes in her hand in utter disgust. Such a velvety dress wasn¡¯t her style at all, but she couldn¡¯t care less about this right now. She put on the evening dress before looking smugly at herself in the mirror. Still, I look good in anything, she thought. Then, she opened the door lightly. When she saw no one else outside other than Matthew, she heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°I have to go to the dressing room. Please wait for me a little longer.¡± Matthew saw her hair loosely pulled up in a bun and the pinkness showing through her wlessly fair skin. For some reason, his heart fluttered for a moment. ¡°Okay.¡± Elise speedily ckened her face in front of the mirror and then carefully drew a few moles on it. After that, she went downstairs with Matthew in satisfaction. ¡­¡­ The room burst into roaring laughter as soon as the pair came downstairs. ¡°Geez, what does this ugly monster mean by doing this? How could she have the gall to imitate Miss Lawson?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right! The contrast makes her look even uglier than she was just now!¡± Elise roughly figured out what had happened when she saw Ashlyn¡¯s dress. Ashlyn said in a false disy of kindness, ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that. This is the first time Elise is attending such a grand party, so I picked her evening dress myself. She wasn¡¯t imitating me on purpose.¡± Then, adding fuel to the fire, she said to Elise, ¡°This is the best evening dress I¡¯ve chosen for you. Too bad it doesn¡¯t match your style, though. I¡¯ll have one tailor-made for you next time.¡± What a conniving b*tch! Who¡¯s she putting up such a charade for? Who cares about this darn piece of clothing! Elise thought. Seeing that Elise was silent, Katie felt like showing her who the boss was. ¡°What an ugly copycat you are, Elise!¡± Matthew frowned. He warned, ¡°Please watch what you speak, Miss Moss.¡± Upon hearing this, Katie was instantly ovee with jealousy. Sounding even more arrogant, she taunted, ¡°Country bumpkins like you are in a league of your own, huh? Did you put Young Master Matthew on some kind of magic drug? The Griffith siblings are out of your league, though, so don¡¯t get carried away by his kindness. Stop kidding yourself and hankering after something that¡¯ll never be yours. Know your ce!¡± Elise shot back with a sneer, ¡°I¡¯ve always known my ce. You, on the other hand, in what capacity are you saying that to me, Miss Moss?¡± Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Chapter 9,Coolest Girl in Town Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. What Elise said prompted murmurs from the crowd around them. ¡°That¡¯s right. Isn¡¯t she a bit too full of herself?¡± ¡°Who does she think she is? She¡¯s spoiled rotten by the Mosses, but the others aren¡¯t obliged to do the same.¡± This was the first time Katie was humiliated. In a fit of anger and resentment, she jumped on Elise and tried to shove thetter, only to fall to the ground with a loud thud when thetter dodged her. Elise waved her hand in a helpless gesture. ¡°Everyone saw that, right? I didn¡¯t eveny a finger on her,¡± she said. Then, she bent down and threatened in a sweet voice, ¡°I know it was you who knocked me into the pool just now, Katie. If you dare mess with me again, I promise you that your beloved Matthew will be the first to know that.¡± Then, she raised her voice and asked with a smile, ¡°Want me to help you up, Miss Moss?¡± When Katie heard this, her little face instantly turned as pale as a sheet, and she hastily stood up and fled. Meanwhile, Alexander had been silently watching all this from a distance. He¡¯d thought Elise would let herself be trampled on like a doormat, but it seemed that she wasn¡¯t as stupid as he¡¯d thought. Without him realizing it, his lips curved into a faint smile, as if he had found an interesting prey. As the farce came to an end, Elise quickly lost her newfound interest. She threw a nce at Ashlyn, saying, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Lawson, but it¡¯s almost time for me to leave.¡± ¡°Sorry for what happened just now,¡± Ashlyn replied in feigned friendliness. Inwardly, though, she was mad at Katie for making a fool of herself in trying to be clever. Elise then turned around, only to hear a loud rip behind her. The zipper¡¯s broken? Sh*t! So bad things doe in threes! She could only clutch the zipper tightly to keep her dress from falling down. Even though she had her back to Ashlyn, she could imagine the woman¡¯s gloating sneer. Seeing what had happened, Matthew, who was next to Elise, wanted to take off his suit jacket to give it to Elise. To his surprise, however, Alexander had put his suit jacket on her before he could do so. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your dress?¡± asked the man in a deep voice. ¡°My back zipper popped open.¡± Alexander seemed to have figured out who the culprit was after darting a look at Ashlyn. ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, we¡¯ll be leaving first.¡± Ashlyn restrained herself at once when she heard Alexander¡¯s chilly voice. When did he get here? she thought. The corner of her lips twitched. Unwilling to resign herself to this, she asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t you let someone else escort Elise home instead, Alexander? I¡¯ve juste back from overseas, and I haven¡¯t danced with you today!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that,¡± Alexander replied tly. Then, paying no more attention to Ashlyn, he turned to Elise and said, ¡°I¡¯ll send you home.¡± ¡°Uh, okay,¡± Elise responded. She didn¡¯t expect that Alexander would stand up for her. Seeing that Alexander was leaving the party early, Danny eximed in disbelief, ¡°Are you leaving, Alexander?¡± When he lowered his gaze and saw Elise wearing Alexander¡¯s suit jacket, he yelled, ¡°Hey, you¡¯d better know what¡¯s good for you, you ugly woman! Don¡¯t hit on Alexander!¡± Elise rolled her eyes hard. How I wish I could leave alone! It¡¯s really embarrassing to leave like this with so many people watching, she thought. Furthermore, she felt like Ashlyn was going to skin her alive with her eyes. However, Alexander kept a stern face and wouldn¡¯t respond to her, so she could only cling onto his suit jacket in embarrassment. ¡­¡­ Matthew gazed at Elise¡¯s receding figure while holding the suit jacket that he didn¡¯t get to hold out to her. An inexplicable feeling arose inside him. Why¡¯s Alexander so kind to her? Just because of Grandpa¡¯s requests? ¡­¡­ Ashlyn felt abandoned as she watched Alexander leave with Elise. Filled with bitter jealousy, she trembled all over with rage. You¡¯re nothing but an ugly and uneducated country bumpkin! What makes you think you can steal Alexander from me? You won¡¯t get off so easily, Elise Sinir! Just you wait and see! Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Chapter 10,Coolest Girl in Town After getting back to the Griffith Residence, Elise breathed a sigh of relief. So much had happened today, and she still had trouble making sense of it all. While she was in the car just now, she studied Alexander¡¯s face closely through the rearview mirror, but it was so dark in the car that she didn¡¯t get to see his expression clearly. She had thought a lot about it on their way home, but she still couldn¡¯t figure out why he would step in all of a sudden. It would have been more in character for him to just stand by and look on. Maybe he¡¯s not one to judge people by their looks? An actual good guy perhaps? Without giving it much thought, she went back to her room and changed out of the evening dress. After deliberately putting on a pair of old-fashioned pajamas, she walked into Alexander¡¯s study; ced on the desk were a tall stack of documents and several photos scattered here and there. ¡°Here¡¯s your suit jacket. C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. Thanks for helping me out just now.¡± Alexander shot a nce at the woman standing in front of his desk. Then, he replied expressionlessly, ¡°You don¡¯t need to give it back to me.¡± Elise replied, ¡°If you think it¡¯s dirty, I can send it to the dry-cleaner¡¯s.¡± Alexander raised his head to look at her. ¡°I don¡¯t want it anymore,¡± he replied slowly. Elise felt suffocated for a second before she replied with a sneer, ¡°You¡¯re leaving this to me? Then I¡¯ll throw it away.¡± With that, she threw the suit jacket into the trash can. After throwing away the suit jacket, she shifted her gaze to Alexander, who was sitting on the couch and reading the document he was holding without saying a word. Upon seeing this, she felt like she was being snubbed. At first, she had wanted to wash the suit jacket, return it, and express her thanks, but it seemed that she had read too much into his act of kindness. She turned around to leave, only to find Danny standing perfectly still at the door. ¡°Excuse me,¡± she said snappishly. Danny furiously shifted his gaze to Elise when he saw the suit jacket in the trash can. ¡°Is this your doing?¡± Confronted by his strange question, Elise replied with a straight face, ¡°Yeah, why?¡± The person before her blew his top all of a sudden. ¡°As expected of a bumpkin from the countryside! Who are you to copy Ashlyn¡¯s way of dressing? Hah! I almostughed myself to death back there. Don¡¯t you know yourself? Even the prettiest clothes wouldn¡¯t make you look any better. Alexander saved you from embarrassment today, yet you threw his clothes into the trash can after coming back. Do you know how much the suit jacket cost? Pay for it, now!¡± Having had an eventful day, Elise didn¡¯t have the energy to quarrel with Danny at first, but she could no longer stand it when he kept calling her ¡®bumpkin.¡¯ She shoved Danny out of her way, took a checkbook out of her bedroom, and tore a check off it. Then, she handed the check to Danny, saying, ¡°Here, take it. Is that enough?¡± Danny took the check and examined it over and over. ¡°This check¡¯s not a counterfeit, right?¡± Elise was utterly speechless. Thinking that he had gotten something on her, Danny said with a mischievous grin, ¡°Since you¡¯re from the countryside, I won¡¯t force you to fork out the money. How about this? We¡¯ll drop the matter if you apologize to Alexander.¡± Had anyone dared to speak to Elise like that at other times, she would¡¯ve flung the check in their face right away. But now, she was only an ordinary person from the countryside. Shooting a disdainful nce at Danny, she retorted, ¡°Why should I apologize when I¡¯ve done nothing wrong?¡± Danny bellowed, ¡°Be grateful when someone gives you an out, Elise!¡± ¡­¡­ Just then, Jonah walked out of his bedroom. He was startled by Danny¡¯s shouts of anger. ¡°Apologize? For what?¡± Elise knew that Jonah and Robin had been friends for decades, so she didn¡¯t want to make a fuss over it. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Grandpa Griffith. It¡¯s just a misunderstanding.¡± Thinking that she was wussing out, Danny said, ¡°Grandpa, this bumpkin threw the clothes Alexander lent her into the trash can. I wanted to spare her dignity, so I only asked her to make an apology. But I didn¡¯t expect her to be so shameless.¡± ¡°Mind yournguage, you brat!¡± Jonah gave Danny a noogie. ¡°Ouch! It hurts!¡± Danny uttered before turning to re at Elise. Elise returned the re. A clean hand wants no washing. I¡¯ve done nothing wrong! she thought. ¡°What¡¯s the matter exactly, Elise?¡± Jonah asked her affably. Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Chapter 11,Coolest Girl in Town Elise was momentarily dazzled by Jonah¡¯s smile as it reminded her of Robin. In an instant, her anger cooled. ¡°Alexander asked me to help him dispose of his clothes, but Danny got the wrong idea about it.¡± Danny¡¯s face showed a look of disbelief when he heard this. ¡°Is what she said true, Alexander?¡± Alexander didn¡¯t explicitly tell her to throw the suit jacket away, but he had tacitly consented to her doing so when he said the suit jacket would be at her disposal. Therefore, he answered, ¡°Yeah.¡± Jonah said in relief, ¡°Ah, so it really is a misunderstanding. Apologize to Elise now, you brat!¡± Danny knew he had been in the wrong, but he was still unwilling to ept it, and his eyes turned red with resentment. ¡°What are you waiting for? Apologize,¡± Jonah urged. Danny clenched his fists and uttered between clenched teeth, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Elise stared at him. She did nothing wrong, but for some reason, she felt as if she did. Feeling somewhat guilty, she faltered, ¡°Uh¡­ I-It¡¯s nothing.¡± Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Please get along well with each other from now on. I¡¯m looking forward to Elise bing the Griffith Family¡¯s daughter-inw,¡± Jonah said while looking at Elise earnestly. Elise¡¯s face fell when she heard this. Get along well? I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s impossible! ¡­¡­ The Griffith Residence was huge, so there were many cleaners cleaning it early in the morning. Danny yawned as he went downstairs in a daze. Just then, he heard one of the cleaners saying, ¡°Please be careful, Young Master Danny. The floor has just been mopped, so it¡¯s a bit slippery.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Danny scratched his head and walked a few steps before turning around. He asked in an obedient demeanor, ¡°Madam, could you please bring me a bucket of water?¡± The madam soon fetched a bucket of water for Danny, only to be shocked when she saw Danny pouring it down the stairs. He even said, ¡°Don¡¯t clean the stairs for now. Do it after breakfast.¡± As Danny loved ying pranks more than anything else, the madam didn¡¯t dare to ask any questions and agreed without hesitation. Elise is the only one upstairs, so there¡¯s no need to worry that someone else will slip on the wet stairs. At the thought of this, Danny burst into a guffaw; he could hardly restrain himself upon imagining what Elise would look like after falling down the stairs. ¡­¡­ Elise was about to go downstairs when she ran into Alexander, who politely stepped aside and let her use the staircase first. She thanked him and then began descending the stairs. To her surprise, she had barely walked a few steps when she stepped on a puddle of water. As she slipped on the puddle of water, her whole body fell backward. Sh*t, I¡¯m finished, she thought with her eyes shut, panic-stricken. Surprisingly, she found herself in the warm embrace of a man who had a very soothing smell on him. When she slowly opened her eyes and locked eyes with him, a red flush instantly flooded her cheeks. She quickly pulled away from him as if she had gotten an electric shock. Then, she turned around and was about to leave. Alexander felt as though thedy¡¯s scent was still lingering on his hands. Seeing that she had walked some distance away from him, he finally recalled what he had wanted to say to her. ¡°I helped you out yesterday at the party because Grandpa told me to. Don¡¯t get the wrong idea.¡± Get the wrong idea? What wrong idea? The idea that he has a thing for me? Elise thought. Taking a deep breath, she replied with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ve always known my ce very well, Young Master Alexander.¡± When she noticed a trace of emotion on his expressionless face, her smile broadened into a wide grin. ¡°But you¡¯re so kind to me. I¡¯m afraid I might lose control over myself and cross the line one day.¡± Danny was sitting at the dining table in the dining room while chatting andughing with Matthew. When he saw Elise, he put down the piece of toast in his hand and got up to leave. ¡°Sit down, Danny!¡± Jonah snapped. Then, he turned to greet Elise, saying, ¡°Hurry up and have breakfast, Elise. Alexander will take you two to school in a while.¡± Danny looked gloomy. ¡°Why? I don¡¯t want to go to school with her!¡± Jonah replied insistently, ¡°It¡¯s not up to you, you brat.¡± Danny took a huge bite off the piece of toast without saying a word. When he saw Elise turning up in one piece, he figured his n had probably failed. As if that wasn¡¯t miserable enough, he would be going to school with her from now on. At the thought of this, he took a few more bites off the piece of toast. Since that trick didn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll try another one! he thought. Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Chapter 12,Coolest Girl in Town And so, Elise¡¯s ss weed a new ssmate that day. ¡°Hello, everyone. I¡¯m Danny Griffith, your new ssmate.¡± Danny shed an innocent smile as he stood on the stage, single-handedly charming many of the female students in ss. ¡°Wow! Isn¡¯t he Danny from ss 12A?¡± The girls in ss exploded into discussions at once. Even Nicole Snyder, the number one student in school, gasped in awe and called him handsome. Elise was initially sleeping face-down at her table, but she looked up when she heard a familiar voice. Discontent filled her eyes in an instant. How unlucky! I can¡¯t seem to get rid of him no matter what. ¡°I¡¯ll just take a seat here, Miss.¡± Danny started walking forward right after that. All the girls stared at him excitedly, until their gaze finally fell on the empty seat beside Elise. How¡¯s this possible? Why her? Did Danny request for a ss transfer just for her? Everyone was in disbelief. ¡°Nice to meet you, my new deskmate.¡± Danny cocked his head with a mischievous smile on his face. Elise fidgeted with the pen and paper in her hands, feeling utterly annoyed inside. ¡°Hey, Elise! Have you gone mute?!¡± Danny was furious at being ignored by Elise. From that moment on, Elise no longer experienced a peaceful moment in ss. ¡°Hey, did you understand everything the teacher said?¡± ¡°Elise, talk to me!¡± Elise watched as Danny kept on waving his hand in front of her face, her only response being silence. It angered him so much that he couldn¡¯t sit still. His irritating behavior continued until they were having a mathematics ss one day. The teacher announced, ¡°Is anyone interested in signing up for the Math Olympiad this year?¡± Danny spun the pen in between his fingers and asked, ¡°How much Math Olympiad do you know, Elise?¡± Elise replied impatiently, ¡°Just a little.¡± ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± Danny¡¯s eyes darted around as he sank into thought. Then, an idea popped into his mind. He raised his voice all of a sudden as he said, ¡°Miss, Elise says that she wants to join the Math Olympiad!¡± The ssroom exploded into murmurs as soon as the words left his mouth. ¡°She wants to join? She¡¯s from the countryside. Has she even been to a Math Olympiad ss?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! She¡¯s biting off more than she can chew.¡± ¡°Quiet!¡± The teacher cleared her throat to stop the students from mindlessly discussing among themselves. She said to Elise in a roundabout manner, ¡°You¡¯re probably unfamiliar with the school¡¯s standards in competitions since you¡¯re new to this environment. Why don¡¯t you take some lessons and join next year instead?¡± Elise felt like she was being looked down upon. She didn¡¯t want to join thepetition to begin with; the reason wasn¡¯t because she wasn¡¯t good at math, but because she simply didn¡¯t want to be put under the spotlight. However, she no longer had a choice now that the teacher had put it this way. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Miss. Let me join this year.¡± ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miss. My math has always been pretty good back in our old school.¡± Nevertheless, no matter how good she was in the countryside, there was no way she couldpare to those who¡¯d received high-end formal education. The teacher was shocked to see how confident Elise was. She couldn¡¯t help thinking, Sure enough, she¡¯s totally overestimating herself! After ss, Danny raised his voice on purpose and said pompously, ¡°You should¡¯ve told the teacher no if you don¡¯t know any Math Olympiad! Why would you insist on joining thepetition? How embarrassing!¡± Just then, the phone in her pocket buzzed subtly. Elise pushed back her chair and walked out of the ssroom before she sneakily took out her phone. ¡®See you by the stairs, Boss.¡¯ Elise put away her phone and headed over to the staircase. She could see Jamie standing by the corner from a distance away with something in his hand. He was waving it in the air as he shouted, ¡°Boss! Boss!¡± She pressed his head down and hastily pushed him back to the front of the staircase. ¡°Shush! Keep it down!¡± Then, she looked around and made sure nobody was nearby before she asked, ¡°Is there anything you need to tell me?¡± N?velDrama.Org content. Jamie nodded and passed Elise the document in his hand. ¡°I heard that you¡¯re joining the Math Olympiad, so I prepared some exercise questions for you.¡± How did the news spread so quickly? She had just signed up a few minutes ago, and now everyone already knew about it. Come to think of it, this must be the work of Danny. Seeing that Elise was silent, Jamie asked again, ¡°Why did you decide to join the Math Olympiad, Boss? You¡¯ve already received so many academic reditations. Why would you care about getting such an insignificant prize? ¡± She initially nned to cover up her extraordinary intellectual prowess at school, but she didn¡¯t expect Danny to pull such a thing against her. Elise shrugged and said, ¡°It¡¯s a long story. One more thing, though¡­¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Jamie was all ears when he realized that there was something else he could do for her. ¡°I saw my photo in Alexander¡¯s study yesterday. Is he doing a background check on me?¡± Chapter 13 Chapter 13 Chapter 13,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°Oh, you mean that?¡± Jamie patted his chest and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Boss. I didn¡¯t expose you even the slightest. Rest assured and please carry on your disguise in peace.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Then, Elise gave him one final reminder. ¡°Let¡¯s keep in touch on the phone from now on. The Griffiths will be suspicious if they see you.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± With those words, Jamie left in a jiffy. Before Jamie could go far, Elise saw Danny going her way the moment she turned around. Her heart skipped a beat and she almost dropped the document in her hand. She stiffened up for a moment and calmly passed by Danny on the way back to their ssroom. Huh? Is this it? She didn¡¯t expect the Math Olympiadpetition to have such a low difficulty. It seems like I¡¯ve overestimated this school. Elise flipped through the questions and stuffed them into the drawer under her table after a while. Needless to say, she didn¡¯t need to worry about thepetition at all. ¡­¡­ The school started a tutoring ss specially for the students participating in the Math Olympiad, with those including Nicole and Danny. And so, Elise could see Nicole taking the opportunity to talk to Danny every day, with the excuse of asking him to help her study. However, he mercilessly turned down all of her requests. Soon, the one week of tutoring sses came to an end, and the Math Olympiad began. The students of the school were all confident for Nicole to take the win. ¡°She came in firstst year. She¡¯s definitely going to win this year as well. How uninteresting.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯d be great if someone can bring her down this time around, but probably no one can do that.¡± Elise didn¡¯t know people would be so envious of the winner! She wanted nothing more than to lie low, so she intentionally left the final question nk during thepetition. To her surprise, she still came in first in the end, which left her in dismay. Her ssmates were astounded to hear about that¡ªfor a girl who grew up in the countryside, they didn¡¯t think that she¡¯d have such good grades. Nicole had been the top student in school all along. Inparison to Elise, though, she didn¡¯t even come close. The results of the Math Olympiad came as aplete shock to the teacher. She¡¯d never seen such a talented student in all her years of teaching. Thus, she immediately went to the principal to show off the fruits of her guidance as soon as she heard the news. The principal held the matter in high regard as well and decided to specially conduct an award ceremony for Elise. ¡­¡­ At the award ceremony, the principal and the teacher spoke on and on for over an hour before inviting Elise onstage to give her speech. C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. They firmly believed that Elise would be the top scorer of Athesea in the college entrance examination and wanted to pay close attention to her studies from now on. ¡°Let us put our hands together and wee our champion of the Math Olympiad¡ªElise Sinir.¡± Elise went up the stage under the eyes of the audience. The students gave her a huge round of apuse, silently excited to see what the legendary top student of the school looked like. In the end, they watched an ugly girl with a dark and unevenplexion go onstage. That¡¯s a valedictorian for you. Studying is probably all they ever do. Appearances and presentation? Never a concern. The boys could onlyfort themselves in disappointment. The teacher felt a little embarrassed as well and smiled awkwardly as she let Elise conclude her learning experience. Elise was about to recite the script that she¡¯d prepared yesterday when she saw a familiar figure below the stage. The corner of her lips twitched. Why¡¯s Alexander here? She only heard that Jonah wanted to attend, but nobody told her that Alexander would be here as well. She spaced out for a moment. The next time her eyes came into focus, Alexander was no longer sitting there. Elise blinked a few times; perhaps she¡¯d hallucinated his presence from spending the past two days doing math exercises, so she didn¡¯t give it much thought. Soon after, she regained herposure and carried on with her speech. She spoke fluently without a word of mistake. After all, she was used to receiving prizes of all kinds, and she¡¯d attended ceremonies of all sizes before. Alexander actually zoned out as he stared at the eloquent woman who was speaking confidently on the stage. After her speech, he didn¡¯t stay for a second longer and quietly left. Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Chapter 14,Coolest Girl in Town Danny was still in disbelief of Elise¡¯s strong capability as he watched her receive the prize onstage. She clearly told him that she didn¡¯t know much! Has she been intentionally hiding her true talents?! When the never-ending award ceremony finally concluded, Elise felt sore all over; she had to stand on the stage and listen to the principal¡¯s concluding remarks after her speech. Itsted as long as an hour, and now her legs were already numb. Danny went up to her with a bunch of Math Olympiad questions to give her a challenge. ¡°Try and solve these if you can!¡± Elisezily took the papers and started writing down her answers after just a nce at the questions. Danny studied her solutions and steps¡ªshe¡¯d scored full marks for every one of them, and some of her solutions were even more efficient than the model answers given. Danny was shocked, speechless. Pointing at one of the questions, he asked, ¡°This was the final question of the Math Olympiad earlier. Why didn¡¯t you do it when you clearly know how to?¡± Elise simply didn¡¯t solve it to purposefully lose some marks, so she didn¡¯t even bother skimming through the question on thest page. ¡°I didn¡¯t have time to do it.¡± Elise decided to brush it off lightly. Deep inside, Danny held Elise in awe, but he didn¡¯t let it show on the surface. He said, ¡°I¡¯ll be as good as you in no time once I get serious, so don¡¯t you start thinking you¡¯re all that.¡± On the other hand, Jonah was overjoyed after watching the award ceremony. ¡°You¡¯ve made our family proud, Elise!¡± Elise could only smile awkwardly in response. ¡°In that case, you can be Danny¡¯s tutor and give him some extra lessons.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have anything against it¡ªas long as Danny¡¯s willing to have me as his tutor, that is.¡± Elise gave Danny thest say. Danny said confidently, ¡°I can definitely do well if I start learning seriously, Grandpa.¡± ¡°I know you can, but¡­¡± Danny tried his best to argue, but he was eventually convinced by Jonah to take Math lessons from Elise every day. ¡­¡­ ¡°New question. Solve it.¡± ¡°Tch,¡± Dannyined under his breath as he flipped open the exercise book that Elise had tossed over to him. After ncing at the question, he said leisurely, ¡°As someone who¡¯s as smart as a whip, I can¡¯t even be bothered to solve such a question after going through so much tutoring.¡± Elise shrugged and said in utter resignation, ¡°How cocky.¡± After school, Danny went up to Elise when he saw her leaving the ssroom on her own. He called after her, ¡°My brother ising to pick us up in a while. Where¡¯re you going?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I go to the toilet?¡± Elise felt annoyed when the surrounding students started to gossip in murmurs. A blessing? I¡¯ll dly give it to you if you want. However, she could only tell herself that inside. If she were to voice it out loud, she would probably be drowned to death by the spit of these fangirls who took Danny as their idol. ¡°I¡¯m heading out first, then. I¡¯ll wait for you by the school gate.¡± Elise ignored him and continued walking when she suddenly saw Nicole as she made a turn. ¡°What¡¯s up? Why did you want to see me?¡± She received a note from Nicole right before school ended, so she came to meet up with her. Nicole teared up pretentiously as she whined, ¡°I keep seeing you and Danny together recently. Do you like him?¡± Elise was a little bothered. ¡°You¡¯ve got the wrong idea.¡± Nicole choked back her tears and jolted momentarily before she replied, ¡°So you don¡¯t like Danny?¡± When she saw Elise nod in response, she put on a bashful demeanor and said shyly, ¡°Will you help me get together with Danny, then?¡± Nicole was the top student in school. If she really were to get together with Danny, Elise wouldn¡¯t have to tutor him anymore. ¡°How can I help?¡± Elise cocked her head and stared at Nicole. N?velDrama.Org content. Seeing that Elise had agreed to help her, Nicole turned around, and a cunning smirk appeared on her face. ¡°Let¡¯s go somewhere quiet. I can¡¯t tell you the details with so many people around.¡± Elise didn¡¯t catch the look on Nicole¡¯s face and followed behind her without suspecting a thing. Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Chapter 15,Coolest Girl in Town Alexander was confused to see Danny walking out alone. He asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Elise?¡± ¡°She already went home,¡± Danny replied with a smile. Alexander already knew all about Danny¡¯s mischievous little tricks. ¡°Tell the truth!¡± Danny had no choice but to speak honestly after failing to trick Alexander. ¡°She went to the washroom.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s wait for her.¡± Danny got into the car grumpily. However, there was still no sign of Elise even after he yed a few rounds of mobile games. He instinctively grumbled under his breath, ¡°What¡¯s taking her so long?¡± In the meantime, Alexander noticed the darkening sky and started to worry. ¡°Do you have her phone number?¡± ¡°I assumed a country bumpkin like her to be too poor to afford a phone. Why don¡¯t you ask someone else?¡± And so, Alexander called every one of his brothers, but no one had any idea how to contact her. Thus, he pulled some strings and did all he could to search for Elise. Usually, someone who¡¯d just arrived from the countryside would never run around recklessly in the city. She can¡¯t be in danger, can she? An uneasy feeling rose up his chest, and he started to worry about this wild young woman from the countryside. If something really happened to her¡­ ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to look after her in school?¡± Danny was shocked by his brother¡¯s sudden scolding. N?velDrama.Org content. Alexander usually had a steady temperament, but it seemed like he was quite upset today. Danny felt wronged when he saw Alexander reacting that way. ¡°I couldn¡¯t have followed her into the women¡¯s washroom, right¡­¡± Just then, Alexander realized that he had spoken a little too rashly. He said calmly, ¡°I¡¯ve already put people on a search for her. Let¡¯s hope she¡¯d simply lost her way.¡± ¡­¡­ Elise felt her surroundings go dark all of a sudden. When she came to, she was somewhere that was pitch ck. Her hands had been tied up and her eyes had been covered; there was also something in her mouth and she couldn¡¯t speak a word. She was in a spacious room, and the air around her smelled dry and dead. It was obvious that it was an abandoned space where no one had visited in a long time. Nevertheless, she managed to calm down very quickly. Luckily, her phone was still with her¡ªthey probably didn¡¯t expect that she¡¯d even have one. Right then, the voice of a girl could be vaguely heard from outside of the room. ¡°Take care of it well, and you can go abroad after this is settled. I¡¯ll help you, so just clean it up nicely.¡± Elise was wondering who the voice belonged to when the door opened with a creak. The sound of a few sets of footsteps approached her, apanied by a cold breeze of the night. ¡°She¡¯s actually pretty hot if you just look at her body,¡± the manmented with a scoff as he crouched down a little. Nicole mocked, ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re even interested in someone as lowly as her.¡± ¡°Come on, Miss Snyder. I was just kidding,¡± the man cooed pretentiously. Nicole nced at Elise who had curled up into a ball. She let out a dismissive scoff and said, ¡°How dare you try to get your hands on Danny? Who do you think you are?¡± The voice was familiar in Elise¡¯s ears. This voice¡­ Isn¡¯t this Nicole? Is she jealous of me for being close with Danny? Before Elise could recover from her thoughts, a pnded on her cheek. ¡°What makes you think you¡¯re good enough for the Young Master of the Griffith Family?!¡± Elise was caught off guard by the smack. She didn¡¯t have much time to think since her cheek was burning with a stinging pain¡ªat that moment, escaping was her top priority. She pretended to be afraid, but she was silently reaching up to grab the phone in her clothes. ¡°Who are you guys? What are you going to do to me?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to take your life, of course!¡± Nicole pinched Elise¡¯s chin forcefully as she taunted. The man beside her was shocked. ¡°Say what? Hey, murder wasn¡¯t part of the n when she asked me for help back then.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a joke. We just need to teach her a lesson on what she should and shouldn¡¯t touch.¡± Nicole snickered wickedly. Who¡¯s ¡®she¡¯? As Elise gave it some thought, Nicolended a kick on her. She took the opportunity to copse to the ground, swiftly pressing a button on her phone as she did so and sessfully sending out a help signal. Pfft, are you kidding me? Let¡¯s see who has thestugh! Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 16 Meanwhile, a notification sounded on Jamie¡®s phone with a ding. He had a feeling that something was off . After all, this alert could only mean that his boss was in danger¡­ He quickly tapped into the app on his phone, and the message clearly stated that his boss had been kidnapped. ¡°Oh, poor you, Boss!¡± Jamie stared at the pinned location on the map as he wiped away an invisible tear. Hemented, ¡°It seems like Boss has made an enemy in school! She can only count on him this time.¡± Dailytest update Just as he was about to send the location to Alexander, he recalled their grudge from before. Aside from that, he was also afraid of exposing Elise¡®s true identity, so he decided to send Danny a message with an anonymous ount in the end. ¡°Please be safe, Boss!¡± Danny was contacting all of his friends to find Elise¡®s whereabouts. All of a sudden, he received the message :from Jamie¡®s anonymous ount. He jolted and said after a short moment, ¡°Alexander, someone sent me a location and said that Elise¡®s there right now. Should we go?¡± Alexander took the phone from his brother. Even though a sliver of suspicion passed over him, he eventually decided to head over and try his luck. ¡°We will. What if she really is there?¡± Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Right now, he had to go even if it was false information! Alexander opened the car door and started running toward the pinned location while Danny hastily chased after him. They arrived at a secluded area of the school ording to the tip. This dormitory hadn¡®t been repair ed in many years and was now an abandoned building. It wouldn¡®t be surprising for no one to notice a thing if someone were to be locked up here. Alexander rushed into the dormitory and opened every door along the way, frantically searching for the fi gure of that person. Danny followed after him as he panted, a sense of guilt rising in his chest. Even though they were constantly bickering with each other on the daily, he wouldn¡®t be able to forgive himself if she was really in danger. Elise could taste the foul and metallic vor of blood in her mouth. The bitter sensation stung her throat with every word she spoke. ¡°I can¡®t say you¡®re not amazing, Miss Snyder. You actually pulled the kidnapping c ard again. I really can¡®t think of a reason for you to hate me this much, though.¡± Elise intentionally spoke loud and clear to stall for time. Nicole let out a few snickers. ¡°Elise, you stole my position as number one in thepetition and even got so close with Danny. Now you¡®re telling me that I hate you for no reason at all?¡± ¡°You¡®re the only one who cares about getting number one in that stupidpetition. I couldn¡®t care less a bout it.¡± Elise¡®s words hit Nicole right where it hurt. She instantly jumped to her feet and raised her hand, preparin g tond another p on Elise¡®s face. Before she could do so, a loud bang sounded¨C the door was pushed open, and Nicole turned around in shock. The man beside her rushed forward to block their path. ¡°Who are you guys?¡± Danny went up and mmed the man to the ground. Alexander pushed Nicole away without a word and w Elise¡®s eyes were covered and her mouth was stuffed as she cowered by the corner like a hurt little deer. A look at her couldn¡®t help but make others want to protect her and keep her safe. Danny eximed in astonishment, ¡°Look what you¡®ve done, Nicole!¡± Danny didn¡®t want to hear anything from her. He interrupted her and yelled, ¡°Don¡®t bother exining. I don to hear any of it!¡± As Alexander stared at Elise who was lying in his arms, his voice took a colder turn once more. ¡°I¡®m not interested in what happened between you and Danny, but don¡®t think you can get away with just a few wo when you¡®veid a finger on someone from the Griffith Family.¡± Danny angrily threw a few punches at the man and left with Alexander after letting off his steam. Nicole was utterly bbergasted by what happened before her. She nervously took out her phone and cal ¡°She was rescued?¡± The woman sounded quite shocked on the other end of the line, but she regained he Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 17 Alexander gazed down at Elise who was in his arms. The young woman¡®s lips were pale and her forehea d was beaded with cold sweat. Her groans sounded painful yet tender, and she seemed to be in a muddled state of mind with her eyes squeezed shut. However, her hands were still grabbing onto his shirt tightly. In fact, Elise only intentionally provoked Nicole with her words when she vaguely heard noises of doors b eing opened outside earlier. And it turned out that she was right. She.let out a long, sharp hiss. Right now, her face was still quite painful. Alexander put her down on the back seat of the car. When he spoke, his voice was surprisingly gentle. ¡°Do you¡­ need to go to the hospital?¡± ¡°There¡®s no need for that.¡± Elise was a little shocked. Alexander frowned momentarily and sent her back to the Griffith Residence without saying anything more. When she was back in her room, Elise finally whipped out the phone she hid in her clothes and saw the explosion of text messages that Jamie had sent her. ¡®Are you okay, Boss? Have you been rescued?¡¯ Elise replied, ¡®That I have, but it wasn¡®t a small price to pay in exchange for it! Jamie sent her a crying emoji along with the text, ¡®That¡®s awful, Boss! Is there anything I can help with?¡® I¡®ll handle it myself. You don¡®t need to know about it! ¡®Alrighty, Boss. Let me know if you need anything. Jamie replied cheekily. Elise made a call after taking care of her energetkey. The receiver sounded very angry when she picked up the call. It was as though she was the one who had suffered through the incident. ¡°Nicole Snyder, was it? I¡®ll take care of it right away, Ellie¡­¡± ¡°Thanks a lot, then!¡± Elise replied sweetly in a cute voice. ¡°By the way, Ellie, I¡®ll be visiting an old friend in Athesea quite soon, so I¡¯d love to see you as well the woman on the other end said in a pampered tone. ¡°Sure, sure. I¡®ll bring you around and we¡¯ll have fun together.¡± Just then, a knock sounded on her door. Elise put away her phone and curiously opened the door. What came into view was the face of a man as cold as ice. ¡°Here¡¯s the patient, doctor, Please take a look at her.¡± ¡°Miss Sinir, right? May Ie in?¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Elise didn¡¯t want to reject the family doctor when she saw him holding bags of equipment in his N?velDrama.Org content. arms, so she could only let him inside. The doctor briefly took care of Elise¡¯s injuries and prescribed her some medicine after making sure that she was fine. ¡°It¡®s nothing serious for now. You¡®ll be fine after some medicine, but we can do a full check¨C up if somethinges up in the future.¡± Elise hastily sent off the doctor. ¡°All right, thank you for the trouble. Bye!¡± The doctor then left promptly. Now, Alexander and Elise were left alone in awkwardness. He said all of a sudden, ¡°Were you on the phone with someone earlier?¡± Elise pretended to be clueless about it. ¡°Oh, that? It was just a spam call.¡± Alexander knew that he wouldn¡®t get any answers out of her and said, ¡°Give me your phone number, then. That way, I can be more efficient when you need anything in the future.¡± ¡°Sure, sure¡± Elise quickly agreed in order to make Alexander leave her room as soon as possible. Elise took Alexander¡®s phone and her slender fingers tapped quickly on the screen for a few moments. Th shoved the phone back to him. ¡°Good night, Alexander.¡± Alexander didn¡®t want to stay long when he saw her grinning face. ¡°Remember to take your medicine.¡± After being forced to leave, he went straight to his study. At the same time, he received a call from his assistant. ¡°No o could they have fled ahead of time?¡± It¡®s just been a few hours and the Snyders are nowhere to be found. Who could¡®ve gotten the news so quickly and struck first? He recalled Elise being on the phone earlier. She was speaking in such a light and cheerful tone; it was obvious that it wasn¡®t a spam call. Besides, the way she was so secretive about it meant that something was defin fishy. His assistant continued, ¡°Should we continue looking into it?¡± Alexander lowered his eyes as he replied, ¡°Don¡®t look into the Snyders for now. Do a background check on Elise Sinir insead.¡± Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 18 Elise heard Danny¡®s voice the second she woke up the next morning. ¡°The Snyders all disappeared out o f the bluest night, Alexander. They were even on the news today.¡± Elise chimed in, ¡°They probably ran away out of guilt.¡± Danny was quite a dense fellow, so he didn¡®t give it much further thought. ¡°That sounds about right. There¡®s nothing my brother can¡®t do when he puts his heart to it, after all. Alexander didn¡®t reply to Danny. He had tasked his assistant to look into Elise¡¯s background yesterday, but to no avail. Recalling that unsatisfying result, he decided to test the waters. ¡°Looks like you already knew about this beforehand, Elise.¡± Elise simply replied lightheartedly, ¡°I just found out about it too. I wouldn¡®t have spent all night tossing and turning if I had known that from the start.¡± Then, she rubbed her head to keep up the act. Alexander nced at her furtive expression; she seemed like she was hiding something. He became all the more suspicious, but he could only let it slide since he didn¡®t have any evidence. At school, everyone was astonished by the news of Nicole being expelled. As a result, no one dared to pick a bone with Elise anymore after the incident. Elise felt like she went back to the old days of being a boss-life was such a bliss when she could get everything she wanted. Days passed and she eventually had the thought of moving to the school dormitory altogether; nothing much would happen as long as she made the least amount of contact with the Griffiths. Unfortunately, her suggestion was ruthlessly rejected by Jonah. ¡°Jack and Brendan areing back soon. You should make a trip back home; I¡®ll arrange for you all to meet.¡± Elise wasn¡®t at all interested in this arranged marriage of hers, so she was about to leave without dressing up. However, she was stopped by Jonah. ¡°I¡®ve bought you many new clothes, Elise. Go ahead and dress up before you head over. I even hired a makeup artist for you.¡± Elise immediately turned down his offer. ¡°I¡®ll handle it myself, Grandpa Griffith. There¡¯s no need to trouble others.¡± She¡®d blow her cover as soon as someone touched her face. And so, she took off her disguise and put o n a foundation that had a lighter shade to brighten up herplexion just a little. Her skin condition was quite perfect by itself, but it wasn¡®t noticeable since she¡®d intentionally made her s kin appear darker. Now that she had brightened it up a bit, a fraction or two of her beauty was able to shine through the makeup. She looked slightly more pleasing to the eye than before. This should do it. The driver brought Elise to Griffith Residence after she was done preparing herself. Both Alexander and Danny felt strange to see Elise all dressed up. Even though herplexion was still dark and patchy, her facial features ap peared a lot more exquisite after her skin became a few shades lighter. Jonah was very pleased to see Elise dolled up beautifully. On the other hand, Elise didn¡®t like the feeling of attending a forced date, so she picked a corner seat an d nned to stay quiet throughout the entire gathering. To her surprise, she was arranged by Jonah to sit n ext to Jack. ¡°You two haven¡®t met, right? Come and sit closer together so you can get to know each other better.¡± Jack took a nce at Elise. What a strangeplexion¨C how ugly. She looked nothing like the female celebrities that he was used to filming movies with. A bitter smile appeared on his face, but he still greeted her politely o ut of courtesy, ¡°Hello there.¡± Elise said without even looking at him, ¡°Hello.¡± Jack was extremely unhappy with that. He was none other than a famous celebrity, his fans wouldn¡®t be able to calm down for an entire day after exchanging a word with him, but this country bumpkin wouldn¡®t even look him in the eye. Jack tried to bring up a topic that would pique her interest. ¡°Have you seen any of the dramas that I star i n, Miss Sinir?¡° Elise stared at the smug smile on his face and rolled her eyes. ¡°No, I haven¡®t.¡± Jack wasn¡®t about to relent. ¡°Do you have a favorite actor then, Miss Sinir? Perhaps I can introduce the two of you.¡± Elise was about to get a seizure from the amount of times she rolled her eyes. Her aunt was an internatio nal award¨Cwinning actress; was there even a celebrity she hadn¡®t met in person? ¡°Not interested¡± Elise spat coldly. Dissatisfaction filled Danny¡®s chest when he saw Jack acting all interested in Elise. ¡°Have you be immune to beautiful women from seeing all those gorgeous actresses every day, Jack? Since when have you be interested in ugly women? Your taste has be quite unique, I see!¡± Jack wasn¡®t nning to give up even though he was being ignored by Elise and continued talking to her. ¡°I have a fan meeting going onter. Why don¡®t youe along with me?¡± His character had always been cold and he never liked talking much; just a word or two out of his mouth was enough to make his fans shriek and cheer in glee. However, this woman was acting all high and mighty in front of him. He was eager to prove his worth as the Best Actor. He thought that his fans would definitely wow her into recogni tion. Since Elise didn¡®t have much going on these days, she took up his offer. With the kidnapping incident in mind, Jonah told Alexander to follow along just in case. ¡°Take good care of Elise. I don¡®t want the same thing happening again.¡± ¡°Yes, Grandpa.¡± ¡°Jack! Jack! Jack!¡± Amidst the ear¨Csplitting screams and cheers of fans, a figure slowly entered their view. The shing lights of cameras started going off all at once as Jack stood onstage wearing a smart¨C looking suit. Right now, he was the brightest star of all under the sunlight which illuminated him softly. ¡°Hey guys, it¡®s Jack.¡± After going through the introductions, Jack put on a dazzling and charming smile. He cleared his throat and leaned close to the mic as he said, ¡°Today¡®s my first time having a fan meeting event in Athesea, so let¡¯s have an interactive session to celebrate!¡± The fans below the stage exploded in an instant, and their high¨Cpitched cries filled Elise¡®s eardrums. ¡°I believe everybody¡¯s seen my new drama, right? I¡®d like to have a live reenactment of the most climactic scene of the series today. I¡®m going to randomly pick a few people in the audience to be my co-stars.¡± Jack then gestured for his manager toe up the stage. The manager held up a poster after being signaled. ¡°There¡®s a QR code on this poster and you can join the selection process by scanning it. After you¡®ve done that, the system will automatically select a few lucky winners to take part in the activity onstage.¡± C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. Upon hearing that, the fans whipped out their phones and scrambled forward to scan the QR code. ¡°Has everyone scanned the code?¡± The manager pointed at the QR code on the poster as the fans answered at once. He passed the poster to an assistant to put it away and started to announce the winners. In truth, the so¨Ccalled ¡°winners¡± had all been handpicked beforehand, yet they had to put on a surprised act the moment their names were announced. The manager proceeded to allocate the selected participants their identities, lines, and props. The remaining audience below the stage began to get fired up again. ¡°What about the female lead?¡± The fans¡¯ reaction was exactly as Jack anticipated it to be. He said slowly, ¡°To prevent my fans from getting jealous, I¡®m going to pick the female lead from one of our staff members.¡± Following that, he gestured toward Elise who was standing by the side and even raised his brow at her mockingly as he did so. Sure enough, Elise knew that nothing good woulde out of Jack inviting her to his own fan meeting. She stared at the triumphant look on his face as she cursed him out violently inside. The manager was unsettled when she saw the strange makeup on Elise¡®s face. After all, she wasn¡®t in the list of candidates that were supposed to go onstage. More importantly, this was none other than the role of the female lead. Thus, he leaned into her ear and said, ¡°You don¡®t have many lines, Miss Sinir. Just follow Jack¡®s lead and you¡®ll be fine.¡± Elise was very unhappy to be forced to do something she didn¡®t want to do, but she still tried her best to c During their final scene, Jack smiled with tears in his eyes and turned around. He shut his eyes slowly as he willingly weed death. This was the biggest highlight of his new drama, and his fans were totally brought into the moment¨C all of them were sobbing painfully below the stage. At that moment, one of the extras approached Jack with a dagger in his hand, wearing a malicious smile o The dagger glowed dangerously under the sunlight. Elise felt that something was off and immediately rushed forward to push Jack away. She stealthily dodged the de, but the dagger still managed to leave Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 19 Jack stiffened for a moment before quickly getting the security guard to seize the phony reporter. He frowned as he looked at her bleeding wound, ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Elise smiled, ¡°You should take care of your fans first.¡± Jack nodded and signaled his manager by giving him a look. ¡°Sorry, but today¡¯s meet and greet is canceled. See you all another time.¡± The fans screeched and shrieked. Jack¡¯s manager simply got the security to surround them. Jack then helped Elise to the dressing room, Smack! A sheaf of papers was thrown onto one of the tables in the dressing room. Papers scattered haphazardly across the surface, having been dislodged from its neatly arranged pile. The manager felt dread coursing through his body. ¡°We¡®ve investigated things thoroughly: your antis are behind this.¡± Jack was livid. ¡°And you call yourself a manager? Allowing people to smuggle a knife to a meet and greet?¡± ¡°My apologies. I didn¡®t go through the fans¡® belongings thoroughly thinking they were just props.¡± The manage r was filled with remorse. Alexander looked at the injured Elise from where he sat. His heart felt tight, as though some invisible rope had bound it up. With each step he took toward her, that rope tightened its grip on him. ¡°Enough. I¡®m going to send her to the hospital now. You handle whatever you need to do properly.¡± An un dercurrent of fury peeked through Alexander¡®s frigid tone. With that, he bent down, scooping Elise into his arms before he left the dressing room. The manager only dared to speak again once Alexander had left. He handed a cell phone to Jack. After the meet and greet had been canceled, Elise¡®s name became trending due to the obsessed frenzy of the fans. Slurs and allegations were hurled at her all across the inte. ¡®You can tell with one look that that woman¡®s in league with that perpetrator. She failed at being a stan, so she did this instead to garner sympathy.¡± ¡®She¡®s a master alright! The manager weighed the situation. ¡°How about I get a good PR agent to make an announcement?¡± ¡°You don¡®t have to.¡± Jack said as he quickly typed up a Tweet and posted it. ¡®Elise saved me. Please stop spreading false ims! And stop ruining her life! The manager took the cell phone back, but he didn¡®t understand Jack¡¯s actions. ¡°You¡®ve never mentioned anyone in your Tweets before. Why did you do such an illogical move? At this rate, your fans are going to drop you. You do realize you¡¯re in the midst of a poprity boom, right?¡± Jack¡¯s voice darkened. ¡°Don¡¯t try to boss me around just because you¡®re my manager. If my brother hadn¡¯t rmended you, I would¡¯ve long since gotten someone else.¡± It had been a long time since someone had been this kind to him. Elise had rushed over to push him out of the way, and even when she was injured, she still smiled at him. He couldn¡¯t let a girl like this to be thrown out to the wolves and suffer all that hate speech. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Once Elise was brought to the hospital, the doctor performed a full checkup on her. ¡°Fortunately, it¡¯s just a minor wound. It didn¡®t cut through your muscles or tendons. Some ointment will be enough.¡± Elise had just stepped out of the orthopedics department when she caught sight of Alexander sitting on the bench by the door. His eyes bore right into her, his expression mildly incensed. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone this idiotic.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Elise was puzzled. He¡®s angry? Hey, I¡®m the one getting injured here. Why¡®s he angry instead? ¡°Have you forgotten the amount of injuries you have? Yet you still pounced forward!¡± He froze for a moment after the words left his mouth. He seemed to have unwittingly been concerned for her. Those were clearly words said out of concern, but they sounded like they were filled with reproach. Elise felt like she had been wronged for no reason. She had no idea what to say. Fortunately for Elise, a nurse came over with the medicine that the doctor had prescribed for her, breaking the stiffness in the air. ¡°You¡®re her boyfriend, yes? This is some a nti¨Cinmmatory medication. Please help her with this.¡± Alexander frowned, but he didn¡®t speak. The nurse didn¡®t figure out the true meaning behind Alexander¡¯s expression as she put her hands on her hips and chewed him out. ¡°I could hear you two arguing when I was inside earlier. Your girlfriend is hurt. You think this is the time for fights? If that wound goes untreated, it¡®s going to get inmed.¡± Alexander still did not speak. He took the medication from the nurse, a cold look on his face. Elise watched as the nurse chastised Alexander. She felt like she had been saved, and she smiled and thanked the nurse. ¡°Thank you. You¡®re such a sweetdy.¡± Alexander showed no indication of speaking, but his maic voice boomed above her head. ¡°Sit down. I¡¯m going to apply the medication.¡± ¡°And I don¡®t want you to be the one applying it for me,¡± Elise said stubbornly. Alexander stiffened. He couldn¡®t ce the expression that he was currently wearing. When Elise noticed Alexander staring at her, she stared back at him, unwilling to show weakness. Much to her surprise, he suddenly leaned in close to her. ¡°What¡®s the big deal?¡± Elise¡¯s heart hammered in her chest as her eyes widened like dinner tes. Alexander fell into a trance when he was staring at Elise earlier, and he unconsciously leaned toward her . When he finally realized what he had done, he promptly put some distance between them again. His tone was as cold as ever when he spoke. ¡°Your mind is slow. If you keep dragging things out, that wound is going to be inmed.¡± Alexander¡®s words were intimidating yet logical. Elise obediently stuck her arm out. Alexander cut away the fabric by the wound with a pair of scissors. The skin revealed under her sleeve was milky white and striking, a few shades paler than the skin tone of her face. He smiled, and without saying another word, he continued to help her apply the medication. When he recalled the different Elise he had seen in his bedroom that night, he fell into pensive thought. Looks like something¡®s fishy her e. Elise turned her head to the side, trying to force herself to stay silent through clenched teeth. As he applied the medication, Alexander noticed Elise¡®s brows knitting together slightly. He then deliberat ely softened his movements. ¡°All right. All you need to do after this is get some proper rest. Also, don¡®t go out so often for the time being.¡± Elise was puzzled beyond belief when she heard Alexander say that seemingly out of the blue. ¡°You ruined Jack¡®s meet and greet. His fans are not going to forgive you so easily.¡± ¡°What kind of logic is that? I saved their darling idol, and they instead decided to turn around and eat me alive?¡± Elise truly couldn¡®t understand the minds of brainless stans. ¡°You¡®re going to stay at the hospital for now.¡± Clearly, Alexander didn¡®t want to keep borating. ¡°If you n eed anything during your stay, call me. Or tell Danny.¡± When Elise recalled the incident, she felt all her hair stand on end. I suppose staying at the hospital isn¡®t half bad. At least I don¡®t have to interact with the Griffiths. ¡°Hm¡­ Okay then.¡± And so, Elise ended up staying in a VIP ward that Alexander had arranged for her during her recuperation day, she woke up to the smell of antiseptic. She¡®d never hated hospitals as much as she did then. One day, the door to her room suddenly swung open while her mind was wandering. A woman with a bea figure then entered the room. Elise was still puzzled over the woman¡¯s identity until she saw the woman taking off her disguise to reveal a familiar face. ¡°Aunt Cynthia, why are you here?¡± The visitor was none other than international superstar, Cecile Sinir, or Cynthia Sinir as she was known off stage. Cynthia¡®s thick, blonde hair brushed past her shoulders in bouncy waves. Those thickshes, that seductive gaze, and those thick and sexy lips all harmonized together into a stunning, charming face that drew others in¡­ She blinked those lovely, expressive eyes of hers, and her lips parted slightly as she said, ¡°¡­Ellie?¡± Only then did Elise snap out of her daydream. Oh, right. I still have my makeup on. Of course Aunt Cynthia couldn¡®t recognize me at first nce. She only managed to exin everything that she had gone through after a lengthy exnation. ¡°I think I get it.¡± Cynthia nodded. ¡°Oh, by the way, how did you know that I was injured?¡± Has news about the incident even spread to other countries? Elise was shocked. ¡°Dad told me that you got hurt, so he wanted me toe back and see you so that he can get some peace of mind.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t seen Grandpa in a long time. I wonder how he¡®s doing.¡± Elise muttered to herself. ¡°Rx, he¡®s doing fine physically.¡± Cynthia poked at Elise and said in a pitying tone, ¡°You, on the other hand, why didn¡®t you take better care of yourself? You also got severely injured that other time when you took a knife for someone else. Don¡¯t get yourself involved in the future when there¡¯s danger.¡± Elise hugged Cynthia affectionately. ¡°Got it, Aunt Cynthia. Elise was thinking of having a nice, long chat with her aunt when someone suddenly knocked on the door Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 20 The first one to step inside the room was Danny, who walked with wide strides, all while he nagged, ¡°Can¡®t we take turns to visit her instead ofing in all at once?¡± He had just taken a few steps when his body stiffened. ¡°Holy crap. Isn¡®t that the world¨Crenowned movie star, Cecile Sinir?¡± At that, the rest of the Griffiths following behind him froze as well. Jack nearly dropped the gifts that he had brought, shocked as he was once he got a good look at the woman by Elise¡®s side. Everyone seemed to have been thoroughly shaken by this. Only Alexander¡®s expression was still as even as ever. Elise, who exactly are you? he wondered. Elise herself was also surprised. She was unsure how to break the tension. Cynthia patted Elise before she stood up and fluffed her hair. Then, she slowly spoke. ¡°Greetings, I am El ise¡®s aunt, Cecile Sinir, but off the stage, I am just Cynthia.¡± ¡°Her aunt?¡± Jack couldn¡®t believe his eyes. No wonder Elise ignored me back then. It¡®s because her own aunt is an international superstar.And there I was, brazenly telling her that I would bring her around to meet her fav orite actors. At that thought, Jack felt even more ashamed. Alexander nced at Elise, whose gaze was darting everywhere. After a moment of contemtion, he slowly walked over and extended his hand like a gentleman. ¡°Nice to meet you. You¡®re here to visit Elise too, right?¡± ¡°I happened to be in the country, so I came to visit her.¡± Cynthia extended her hand in response to his politeness. She eyed the man before her. His eyes betray nothing. And he¡®s able to maintain a level head even when faced with something like this. Such a polite gentleman. He¡®s a good match for Ellie. ¡°Are you here to visit Ellie, too? My, my, Ellie¡®s the apple of my father¡¯s eye. Everyone has been worried out of their minds ever since she got injured,¡± Cynthia said with a tone that indicated her seniority over Alexander. ¡°I apologize for making you and your family worry. It won¡®t happen again.¡± Part of the reason that Elise had gotten hurt this time was because he hadn¡®t taken good care of her. ¡°I¡®ll leave things to you, then.¡± Cynthia smiled breezily after she heard Alexander¡¯s promise. She walked over to Elise¡®s side and teased, ¡°Ellie, it seems to me the Griffith Family has some fine heirs. I think you two woul d get along well.¡± Alexander¡®s expression turned a fair bit chillier when he heard that. ¡°Aunt Cynthia, but that¡®s..¡± Elise stuttered, her words tripping over each other. The tiny room was already cramped enough with all the people squeezed into it. Now, the atmosphere h ad turned even stranger. ¡°Since your aunt is here, we¡®ll have to wee her properly as hosts,¡± Matthew suddenly said with a gen tle tone, having remained quiet all this while. He lifted his head, only for his gaze to directly meet Elise¡®s. His gaze¡­ waspletely different from Alexander¡®s; it actually had a hint of brightness in it. Matthew shifted his gaze over to Alexander, his tone still gentle and polite as he spoke. ¡°What do you thi nk. Alexander?¡± ¡°All right. You handle the arrangements,¡± Alexander replied simply. Elise gave Matthew a once¨C over. On the surface, he and Alexander were brothers. But in reality, they seemed to have more of a sup erior¨Csubordinate rtionship. It was probably because they had worked together at the samepany for a while. ¡°Would you like toe with us for lunch, Miss Sinir?¡± Matthew suddenly asked. Even his voice soun ded bright and smiley Lunch! Elise was extremely excited at that thought. Her appetite was terrible after eating several days¡® worth of nd food. Now that she got the chance to feast, she was, of course, going to take it. ¡°Of course!¡± Elise answered without another thought. However, Cynthia looked at Elise before asking, conflicted, ¡°But, can you leave your bed this soon after your injury?¡± ¡°I happened to read this book on geomancy before. It said that being in thepany of others can speed up the Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. healing process,¡± Matthew said casually. Spending time in thepany of others? Only Cynthia, who spent most of the year overseas, would believe this kind of outrageous lie. Despite that, Elise still gave Matthew a thankful look. Thanks a lot! The mood at the table soon livened up. But for some reason, Elise thought it didn¡®t seem like a wein g party for Cynthia. This feels more like a recruitment process. And Aunt Cynthia¡®s the recruiter, recruiting the perfect husband for me, ¡°Alexander, Ellie¡®s hand still hasn¡®t fully healed yet. Do you mind helping her get some of that pork?¡± And so, an extra piece of fatty meat suddenly appeared on Elise¡®s te while she was still chewing the pork that she had gotten earlier. ¡°You¡®re wee.¡± Alexander said casually. You¡®re wee, my foot! I absolutely hate meat with fat on it. How did you manage to even find such a h uge chunk anyway? Elise bemoaned internally. Elise propped her chin on one hand as she casually scanned the people around her. Other than Alexand er and herself, everyone was happily chatting. ¡°Are you feeling unwell?¡± Elise jolted. She didn¡®t expect Alexander to suddenly speak. Before she could respond, she heard Cynthia answer, ¡°Ellie¡®s injury probably hasn¡®t healed yet. Why don¡®t you send her back?¡± Or, as she was implying, she wanted to match Alexander and Elise together. Elise could feel awkward tension in her face. Why does everybody think I fancy Alexander? ¡°All right.¡± Alexander had no reason to refuse. ¡°Sorry for the bother;¡± Elise said as she gave a pained smile to Alexander, whose expression remained the same. Elise felt awkward. I appreciate the sentiment, Aunt Cynthia. But this doesn¡®t make me feel any better. They ended up getting a taxi because Alexander had drunk some wine earlier during lunch. Elise and him got into the back seat. She unconsciously scooted over to the side, and then she scooted even further¡­ Alexander¡¯s brows were slightly furrowed as he looked at her. ¡°Are you afraid of me?¡± Elise grinned awkwardly. ¡°I¡®m just worried that you¡®ll end up sitting on my clothes, haha.¡± Alexander turned his head toward her and smiled. ¡°Really now?¡± Is he actually smiling? Elise thought her eyes were ying tricks on her. Still, that smile of his did seem a little terrifying. Elise coughed, having been caught off guard by that smile. She tried to shift her thoughts to something else instead of having her mind continue to linger on Alexander next to her. Not long after that, she fell asleep. As she drifted in and out of sleep, Elise saw a familiar sign shing past her eyes. She thenpletely forgot that Alexander was sitting next to her. ¡°Stop the car here. I wanna have some beef stew.¡± By the time Elise remembered that Alexander was beside her, it was toote. He went silent for a moment, and then he said to the taxi driver, ¡°Please stop by that stew shop.¡± And so, the driver turned back and stopped the taxi by an old road sign. ¡°Sorry about that. I won¡®t take up too much of your time,¡± Elise said while she opened the car door and sp without stopping to take a breath. She rushed straight into the store. ¡°I¡®d like this and this¡­. And that one too.¡± Elise ordered everything on the menu without batting an eye, bu noticed that there was another person standing behind her. ¡°Why are you here too?¡± ¡°I¡®m hungry as well. Can¡®t I get some food too?¡± Alexander asked. ¡°Fin¨¨, fine.¡± Elise wiped the sweat off her forehead before taking out her phone to pay for her food. ¡°Please get me another one. Same as my own order.¡± The shop owner¡¯s movements were well¨Cpracticed. In the blink of an eye, he whipped up the two orders and handed them to Elise. ¡°This one¡®s for you.¡± Elise handed one of the bowls to Alexander. Alexander frowned. In all actuality, he wasn¡®t hungry. ¡°It¡®s nothing much. Just some thanks to your family for inviting my aunt out for lunch. If you think this isn¡®t enough, I¡®ll treat you to a nicer meal in the future¡± Elise exined patiently. Alexander nced at the bowl of stew that was offered to him before reaching out to ept it. ¡°You don¡¯t have to,¡± he said ndly. Elise began to dig into her food. As always, the best foods were all hidden in little hole¨Cin¨Cthe¨C wall ces. She dipped her spoon into the stew repeatedly, spooning up bits and pieces of meat and vegetables each time without a care in the world. Alexander eyed her, and the icy look in his eyes abated a little. His voice also took on a warmer tone. ¡°Can I get this to go?¡± Elise felt that he was missing the point and wasting the food. ¡°Don¡®t you know that you have to eat it while it¡®s still hot?¡± she asked. ¡°No.¡± Alexander answered in his low voice. Elise was stupefied by this, but then she turned back to her food and continued stuffing her face. After Elise was sent back to the hospital, Alexander stared at the stew she had given him andpsed into He scanned the bag before opening it. The stew was still a little warm. Half¨C confused, he copied Elise and tried a small spoonful of it, carefully chewing on the meat that he had scoo ¡°It¡®s actually quite tasty.¡± Chapter 21 Chapter 21 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 21 Alexander didn¡¯t even notice how his frown faded. He could hardly contain his exhration. Taking one bite after another, he finished the beef stew in a sh, leaving his mouth with an unfulfilled sensation. All of a sudden, the corners of his lips turned upward as the resistance that was once in his head vanished. You and your unique taste buds, Elise! The following day, Elise woke up to a familiar scent of disinfectant. When she opened her eyes, she was dazed to find Alexander seated on the chair beside her bed. He was sitting in a rather slothful posture with his legs crossed. Yet, there was a hint of dashingness on him, which left Elise staring at him for a few seconds before she hastily blurted, ¡°Why are you here?¡± He lifted his gaze and looked into her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re finally awake. Good. Pack your things and let¡¯s head back.¡± Hearing that, Elise grew joyous and even forgot to question Alexander regarding his presence. She delightfully stated, ¡°I can go back to school already? That¡¯s wonderful!¡± Only God knew how long she had stayed in the hospital. She would¡¯ve died from boredom if not for the discharge. Alexander didn¡¯t speak much despite her glee. Tactfully, he stood up and nced at the lunchbox ced on the table beside him. ¡°Tidy up and eat. I¡¯ll handle your discharge at the reception.¡± It wasn¡¯t until he finished his sentence that she noticed the lunchbox beside her. But why does it look so familiar? Is... Is this the beef stew fromst night? ¡°You..¡± Before she could say another word, Alexander had already exited the room. She then took another look at the lunchbox before feeling the warmth on its surface with her palms. With a doubtful frown, she started wondering and realized that he must have only done that because of Jonah. After packing her things up, Elise started munching on her favorite beef stew. Later, when Alexander came back from settling her discharge procedure, she followed him out of the hospital. In the rather cramped car, Elise sat in the back seat. Not long after the car started moving, her phone rang in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw it was a call from Cynthia. She merrily answered the phone. ¡°Morning, Aunt Cynthia!¡± ¡°Oh? Sounds like someone¡¯s in a good mood,¡± Cynthia eximed in a mischievous tone. ¡°What are you talking about? When was I ever in a bad mood? Every day is a happy day!¡± ¡°That¡¯s my Ellie! There¡¯s something I forgot to tell you yesterday, so I figured I should remind you now. Through my observation, among those five Griffith men, Alexander¡¯s the only one that¡¯s husband material. It¡¯s now or never, Ellie. Better seize the opportunity and win a nephew-inw for me, you know!¡± Hearing that, she guiltily glimpsed toward Alexander and revealed a helpless expression. She deliberately suppressed her voice. ¡°Gosh, Aunt Cynthia! We¡­ It¡¯s not what you think.¡± SS Cynthia cheerfully cackled. ¡°Oh, Ellie! Maybe not now, but who knows how the future will unfold? Anyhow, I, Cynthia Sinir, like that boy, so he deserves to be with my Ellie!¡± ¡°Aunt Cynthia!¡± ¡°Okay, okay. I know you¡¯re still young and you get shy talking about this. I do understand. However, the opportunity is right before your eyes. Make sure you hold tight to it. As I said, Alexander¡¯s pretty good, but I¡¯ve yet to see his mannerisms and whether he¡¯s capable of satisfying my Ellie. Other than that, I can only be your advisor, so you¡¯re ultimately the shot caller. No matter what your choice will be, know that I¡¯ll always have your back.¡± Regardless, Elise couldn¡¯t grasp Cynthia¡¯s motives. ¡°Got it, Aunt Cynthia. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯ll be busy the next couple days, so I won¡¯t be seeing you. Give me a call if you need anything, alright?¡± After hanging up, Elise put her phone back into her pocket. Meanwhile, Alexander peeked at her in the rear mirror and revealed a knowing look as the infatuation he had for her instantly dispersed. Although he didn¡¯t listen to the entire conversation, he could still hear mentions of his name from Cynthia¡¯s loud voice. Since every person was rather sensitive to their own names, he undoubtedly acknowledged Elise and Cynthia¡¯s conversation was pertaining to him. Nheless, Elise¡¯s expression seemed as if she was unwilling to talk about him. Then, he withdrew his gaze and silently gripped the steering wheel as he hit the gas and sped away. After sending Elise to school, Alexander drove away without even bidding her farewell. Watching as the car faded away, she thought, Ah, that¡¯s the Alexander I know. Without reading too much into it, she walked into the building. Due to the incident during the fan meeting, she was considered to be infamous now. Everyone in school who was a fan of Jack instantly gnarled their teeth at the sight of her. If it weren¡¯t for his tweet urging everyone not to harass her, she would¡¯ve never survived a day in school. Nevertheless, although they couldn¡¯t do anything to her, they definitely had cards up their sleeves. For instance, the students would rank Elise the ¡°Queen¡± on the newly published ¡°Ugly Bee Chart¡± on the school forum. Elise, oblivious to such a happening, cluelessly minded her own business on her seat. Nothing was out of the ordinary except some turbulence every now and then outside the ssroom and some judging eyes. ¡°Say, E-Ugly Elise, you¡¯re quite the calm one, aren¡¯t you? Or have you developed some sort of immunity to losing confidence on your face?¡± Danny bluntly scorned in a somewhat indecent posture. With a still face, Elise answered, ¡°Every strand of hair and cell on my body is a gift from my parents. There¡¯s no shame in that. A pretty vessel or a purposeful soul? I think I prefer thetter.¡± Immediately, Danny tantly burst intoughter. She must be out of her mind! A lowlife like her dares to im herself a purposeful soul! Out of all the jokes in the world! Regardless, Elise disregarded him as she took out a book of Math Olympiad exercises and started solving the questions. After getting first ce in the previous Math Olympiad, her math teacher hade to her a few times in private and suggested she participate in the City Mathematics Olympiad Competition, which she had rejected initially. However, after countless measures of goading from her teacher, she eventually gave in and agreed to take the challenge. On the other hand, seeing how his insults were going nowhere given how Elise didn¡¯t respond the way he wished, Danny was discontented. Seeing as Elise was concentrating on the math questions, he couldn¡¯t hold himself back from voicing more teases. ¡°Look at you, can¡¯t seed in beauty so you¡¯re turning into a total nerd, hoping to go somewhere. Know that it¡¯s only luck that you managed to get first ce. You actually think you¡¯re something, huh?¡± She subtly glowered at him and coldly blurted, ¡°Clown much?¡± When she said that, the me within Danny¡¯s heart surged and stormed into his head. He was infuriated, especially when he looked at her tremendously hideous face. Losing his temper, he snatched the exercise book from Elise¡¯s hands. ¡°Cut the act, Ugly Elise! You must find pretending to be a schr fun, don¡¯t you? I heard you¡¯re going for the City Mathematics Olympiad Competition. With your sh*tty standards? I should warn you: better wake up from your dream before you humiliate yourself out there. Of course, you wouldn¡¯t know anyone better than you ¡¯cause you¡¯re always living in that pathetic, little fantasy of yours!¡± All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. Chapter 22 Chapter 22 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 22 Elise found him to be childishly funny. Why does he even care whether I participate in the Math Olympiad, or if I humiliate myself? It¡¯s not like he¡¯s the one to be humiliated! ¡°Give me my book back!¡± She was angered. However, the foolhardy Danny couldn¡¯t care less about her. He then countered with a provoking face, ¡°Nope. What are you gonna do?¡± Somehow, she was amused as the vexation in her diminished. If that¡¯s how you wanna do it, I¡¯ll y along with you. ¡°How are you so sure I¡¯d be shaming myself? What if I got first ce again?¡± Upon those words, Danny couldn¡¯t contain himself and instantly chortled aloud. Despite his stupidity, he was well aware of the standards of the City Mathematics Olympiad Competitions¡¯ participants. The participants viewed studying as life, and had never rested from training themselves, which allowed them to This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. achieve such a level. You, Elise Sinir, on the other hand, are just a country bumpkin who merely got first ce in the Math Olympiad out of sheer luck. Know your ce, bumpkin!If she were to go head to head with those life-long learners, she¡¯d die from embarrassment! ¡°Don¡¯t worry about getting first ce, Elise. If you could even get a constion prize, pigs would start to fly.¡± After all, the City Mathematics Olympiad Competition isn¡¯t meant for amateurs. And with Elise¡¯s level, all she can do is be a filler. Danny was pretty confident about that. Elise proposed, ¡°Oh, is that so? Why don¡¯t we make a bet, then?¡± Upon the suggestion, Danny started hesitating. In spite of his words, he felt somewhat timid. If she somehow managed to harvest all the luck in the universe and got herself a participation prize, he would be in grave loss. Hence, he added, ¡°Let¡¯s make this clear. Participation prize doesn¡¯t count. Your choices are the winner, first runner-up, or second runner-up.¡± Elise lifted the edges of her lips and grinned, as if she had seen through his hesitation. ¡°Fine by me. So are we doing this or not? Not gonna chicken out, are you?¡± Hearing that, Danny was visibly tilted. ¡°What for? It¡¯s on, then. What do you wanna bet on?¡± Elise, seeing how her provoking was effective, raised her brows. ¡°If I win thepetition, you¡¯ll have to stay out of my way from now on. Oh, and greet me as ¡®Boss¡¯ too while you¡¯re at it.¡± The nerves she has to make such demands! Danny was still hesitating for a moment earlier, but he instantly grew resolute. ¡°Very well. It¡¯s on now. But I shall warn you now: if you lose, leave the Griffiths alone and get the hell back to your countryside.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± And so, the two reached an agreement. Danny seemed to have noticed nothing odd, confident that she would lose. When she eventually bid farewell to the Griffiths, he would never have to face such an unglorified mug any longer. How refreshing! With that in mind, he couldn¡¯t hold back the joyous look on his face. Then, he returned the exercise book to Elise and stopped bothering her. Of course, he had to spread the news. Danny: ¡®Valorous news, mine own brethrens! Elise the ugly monster is about to packeth her bags! Praise to the Lord! Jack: ¡®For real?¡¯ ¨C Danny: ¡®Trusteth in me, for the day shalleth very lief! And brethrens, thou shan¡¯t forget a mead fest for me!¡¯ Jack: ¡®Hast the hero perhaps in the monster?¡¯ Danny: ¡®Yo, what are you talking about? Am I that messed up to you? I¡¯m only making her retreat with the power of justice! Jack: ¡®The power of justice? Care to exin?¡¯ Danny was so boastful that heid out every detail about the gamble he had with Elise. Danny: ¡®Anyway, broskis, just get the celebration ready as I bring home the g of victory!¡¯ Meanwhile, Alexander, who heard the nonstop dinging from his phone, put down the documents in his hands and unlocked his phone. When he saw the message mentioning a g of victory, he hastily pressed on the message before swiping to read the conversation. His index finger ultimately stopped. A bet? Even an ordinary man could see the result of the gamble. Yet, for some reason, Alexander was rather reluctant to see Elise lose. And that was where the bet started to get interesting. In the evening after school, it was Jack who came to get Elise. As a celebrity and an idol, he disguised himself well. On the way home, he couldn¡¯t help controlling his urge and quizzed, ¡°Are you really having a bet with Danny?¡± Elise wasn¡¯t surprised by the fact that Jack was informed about the bet. She simply blurted a ¡°yes¡± in response. Seeing her calmposure, he feltpelled to remind her, ¡°You know, everyone who participates in the City Mathematics Olympiad Competition is a beast. Every one of them is extraordinary. Alexander barely managed to get first ce even with his standards.¡± And Alexander, in the eyes of his brothers, was virtually a deity. Thus, it was only natural for him to win thepetition. Meanwhile, Elise and Alexander were of different levels, so it was obvious who would prevail. Therefore, Jack assumed that she was bound to lose the bet to Danny. Elise acknowledged his point and replied, ¡°Are you saying that Alexander had alsopeted in Math Olympiad Seeing her so fascinated in Alexander¡¯s matters, Jack suggestively stated, ¡°Don¡¯t even think about making a move on him. He¡¯s not into girls like you.¡± What Her face was filled with confusion. She didn¡¯t even mention anything remotely rted to adoring Alexander. It was solely an instinctive question. ¡°Alexander¡¯s the best. Back when he was still active in the Math Olympiad, he was the city¡¯s number one. Even now, his record is yet to be broken.¡± As he proudly voiced, he could hardly contain his admiration toward Alexander. ¡°Oh,¡± Elise lightly answered. Still, it was a surprise for her to know that Alexander was once top of his batch. However, the information didn¡¯t mean much to her. Ever since having agreed on the bet with Danny, Elise had been working seriously on her exercises. To others, she was merely putting up a facade to make an impression. Nobody believed that she had the capability to even win something in the City Mathematics Olympiad Competition. ¡®What¡¯s been up, Boss?¡¯ While she was doing her exercises, she received a text from Jamie, to which she replied, ¡®Exercises Jamie then sent a string of sad-faced emoticons. ¡®Even an elite like you are so hardworking. I¡¯m truly an insult to trash! Anyway, I probably should get back to studying. By the way, Boss, there¡¯s something I forgot to tell you. Somebody¡¯s seeking you out for a car race, and he¡¯s offering a generous amount. Are you up for it, Boss?¡¯ Without hesitation, Elise rejected the offer. ¡®Tell them we have seen what happened thest time I raced. Seeing her reply, Jamie immediately acknowledged her. ¡®Got it, Boss. I¡¯ll pass it on! Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 23 Elise took a moment to appreciate Jamie¡¯s tactfulness before putting her phone away and continuing to immerse herself in the exercises. Slowly, she found solving difficult questions highly fascinating as she lost herself in the depth of knowledge. In the meantime, Alexander was in an utterly foul mood as a result of rejection. His assistant carefully reported, ¡°They rejected our invitation, Young Master Alex.¡± He immediately stopped whatever he was doing as his frown gave him a unibrow. His mind was constantly drifting to the scene during the car race back then. The woman¡¯s slender figure and her stunning posture just wouldn¡¯t leave his mind. All this time, he had been looking for that woman. However, that woman just vaporized, leaving no traces as she left. Regardless of the substantial amount of money he was willing to offer the woman to join him in a friendly race, she seemed to be uninterested about it, which led Alexander to be even more invested in finding her. ¡°Raise it to fifty million. Get her to me no matter what it takes.¡± ¡°Yes, Young Master Alex.¡± The assistant wiped the sweat off his forehead before silently leaving the room. Alexander was all alone in the spacious office then. He turned his head toward the window and started contemting. After a short while, he pulled open his drawer and grabbed a CD before inserting the disc into his With that, a clip of a car race popped up in his monitor. Three years ago in the French Grand Prix, a participant from Cittadel named Sue won the first prize and shocked the world. That time, Sue left a great impression on him. Since then, he had been trying to look for Sue, personally desiring to receive lessons on how to perform a three sixty drift. Nheless, for some reason, after the internationalpetition, Sue never appeared in the public eyes again. Despite having countless connections, he couldn¡¯t find any trace of hers. It wasn¡¯t until a week ago when the woman appeared at the car race that Alexander saw hints of Sue on her. Could she be Sue? A dash of profound sensation shed across his eyes as they were fixated on theputer screen that was reying Sue¡¯s wless three sixty drift and her steady brake. Shortly after, the car door was opened and she alighted the vehicle with a subtle smile on her face, her smile lethal to many¡¯s eyes, including his. A simple nce at her face was enough to leave him astounded for years. From the depth of his heart, he decided to search for her no matter the price. I will find you no matter what! Meanwhile, Jamie, having assumed that the other party would stop pursuing after getting rejected, dropped his jaw when he saw them upping their offer to fifty million. ¡°You¡¯re sure? Fifty million?¡± Jamie questioned to rify things up, and was stupefied when he received confirmation from the opposite party. Nheless, when he recalled his boss¡¯ words, he eventually refuted. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Maybe next time. Boss said she¡¯s busy, so she¡¯ll not have the time.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Keller. We are open to discussions if it¡¯s about the money. As long as you are willing to come to an agreement, any figure is negotiable.¡± Hearing that, Jamie could no longer contain himself. They¡¯re actually willing to pay anything just for a friendly race with Boss? As his fingers rhythmically tapped on his desk, he thought it was best that he didn¡¯t lock on a definite answer. Instead, he decided to discuss it with Elise. After all, the offer was inhumanely alluring. ¡°Very well. I shall discuss with my boss and give you an answerter.¡± At Jamie¡¯s consideration, the other party heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Great. We shall await your good news.¡± When the call ended, he had alreadye up with ns to persuade Elise into it. However, since she had Elise wasn¡¯t expecting the level of persistence the other party had. In that instance, all her concentration was ced on her Math Olympiad questions, which she had been working on every day, including during Chinese ss, and that piqued her teacher. ¡°Trante this sentence, Elise.¡± When the teacher mentioned her name, she instinctively raised her head, only to see her ssmates gazing at her. At that moment, Jasmine Anders, ss representative of the Chinese ss, couldn¡¯t help taking a jab at Elise. ¡°She¡¯s from the countryside, Miss. They must not offer Chinese sses there. Maybe you should just speak English with her.¡± Upon those words, the ssroom was filled withughter while the teacher angrily stared at Elise. ¡°Pay attention to the ss if you know you¡¯re bad! Your monthly test is near. I don¡¯t want the entire ss to fall behind because of you alone.¡± Elise revealed a scowl as she casually scanned across the content on the ckboard. She then stood up and answered, ¡°It means that if corruption bes the norm in the world, innocence itself will be a crime.¡± Her calm yet clear enunciation traveled into every ear in the room, including the teacher¡¯s. Everyone in the room was left dumbfounded, especially the teacher as she got the phrase from sources that werepletely out of the school sybus. Her intention of presenting the phrase was to keep the students¡¯ confidence in check and remind them of their ces. Little did she expect, the nd-looking Elise actually managed to trante the sentence correctly. ¡°Did I get it right, Miss?¡± Elise inquired with a straight face, to which the teacher cleared her throat to cover up her embarrassment. ¡°Yes, please be seated.¡± Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. The teacher¡¯s attitude was obviously different than before. Having seen that, the other students revealed an amazed expression. The country girl actually speaks Chinese? And that included Danny who was right beside her. ¡°Hah! Your guessing skills are getting better and better, Elise. You actually got it right.¡± Elise apathetically rolled her eyes at him. A couple of right guesses might have been luck, but every time? Do you hear yourself? Of course, Danny wouldn¡¯t have thought about that. He only felt that Elise was really good at guessing, which suddenly made him worried about the bet he had with her. On second thought, screw my worries. No one¡¯s that lucky to get everything right.Besides, it¡¯s the City Mathematics Olympiad Competition, not some entry-level test. There¡¯s no way a lowlife country girl like Elise can win. I must be imagining things! On the other hand, Elise wouldn¡¯t have expected to draw so much disconcertment from just correctly tranting a sentence. Among the people that disdained her, the one that hated her most was the Chinese ss representative, Jasmine. Before this, Jasmine was the only student that could answer even the most difficult trantion questions given by the teacher. Thus, she had always been the spotlight during Chinese sses, and that gave her a tremendous sense of pride. Unfortunately for her, Elise snatched her limelight today. Jasmine wouldn¡¯t have minded or felt any shame if it was anyone else. But it just had to be Elise, that urban b*tch! That¡¯s damn insulting! How am I supposed to live with this? Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 24 Jasmine¡¯s eyes darkened as she felt her heart drop. During the morning reading session the next day, Jasmine led the ss¡¯ Chinese reading lesson as she was the ss monitor. Halfway through the reading, she deliberately took a Chinese passage and put it in front of Elise. ¡°Please read this for uster.¡± Without even looking back at Jasmine, Elise rejected directly. ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t want to.¡± Jasmine knew that Elise would definitely not dare to do so, so she was even more determined to make Elise read Chinese. After all, Chinese was not their mother tongue. So, many students were often able to score in their examinations but were unable to speak thenguage fluently. For some, their pronunciation might not be urate while others might even face difficulties conversing in thenguage. Jasmine reckoned that Elise must be terrible in Chinese oral and didn¡¯t dare to read the passage in front of the ss lest she was embarrassed. However, that was exactly what Jasmine wanted-to embarrass her. ¡°You have no choice but to read it, otherwise I¡¯ll give you a demerit point.¡± Students would be given demerit points if they acted inappropriately. The majority of the students were afraid of getting demerit points, but Elise was an exception. Not only was she not intimidated at all, but she actually had no intention to be bothered about Jasmine. ¡°Go ahead and give me a demerit point then.¡± Annoyed, Jasmine further threatened Elise with her authority¡¯. ¡°What are you trying to do, Elise? The whole ss listens to me but you. You think you¡¯re so special, huh?¡± Jasmine¡¯s words had drawn the attention of the rest of the ss to Elise as the students stopped reading and looked toward Elise. At first, Elise did not understand why Jasmine would insist on her to read the Chinese passage. However, after seeing her relentless determination, she knew that it was because Jasmine was caught in the comparison trap. In fact, Elise had longprehended how girls tend topare with one another inwardly, and she thought that was very meaningless. Thus, she had no intention to be bothered with Jasmine, but Jasmine actually started provoking her first ¡°Since the other ssmates would listen to you, go ask them to read instead. Why do you have to ask me?¡± Jasmine snorted. ¡°You¡®re a neer and you have not read in front of the ss before, so I need to understand Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. your situation.¡± Although it was a rather awkward reason, it sounded somewhat reasonable. Jasmine then added, ¡°You just have to read once today and I won¡¯t ask you to read anymore in the future.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Elise hummed in response. In order to save the trouble in the future, Elise stopped refusing. She took up the Chinese textbook and started reading the passage seriously under Jasmine¡¯s anticipation. However, as soon as she started reading, the entire ss went silent when they heard Elise¡¯s reading because she was so fluent it was enjoyable to listen to. On the other hand, Jasmine¡¯s expression changed at once. With her face turning pale, she clenched her fists tight. Elise was reading so fluently that it was as if she was raised abroad. Her fluency was much better than Jasmine¡¯s, and she didn¡¯t seem to be a country bumpkin at all! No way. This is impossible! Jasmine refused to believe it as she stared at Elise in disbelief. After reading the passage, Elise lifted her head to nce at Jasmine and asked, ¡°Are you happy now?¡± Jasmine still wanted to say something, but she was at a loss for words. Meanwhile, because of this episode, the other students had apletely different impression of Elise. wa It turned out that although the new joiner had a rather average look, she wasn¡¯t that incapable after all. Not only was she good at Math Olympiad, but her Chinese oral was perfect. They even thought that Elise¡¯s fluency in Chinese had way surpassed Jasmine¡¯s, who was the Chinese ss representative. At the same time, little did Elise expect that this small episode would cause the others to have a different impression of her. Thereafter, she sat down again and continued practicing math questions. The competition was approaching, so she was determined to practice as much as possible. On the other hand, Danny was used to beingte, and today was no different. Since he waste to ss, he didn¡¯t know about the incident that had happened in the morning. Nevertheless, during recess, he realized that unlike normal days where everyone would ignore Elise, there were actually some ssmates who initiated conversations with her today. Besides, Elise actually got along well with them and didn¡¯t seem to be distant, This made Danny perplexed. Since when did Elise be this popr? ¡°Hi Elise, can I be your friend?¡± While Elise was solving the practice questions, a shy female voice emerged in lifted her eyes to see a small-sized girl, who was staring at her with herrge, alluring eyes. The girl¡¯s face was even filled with excitement. As Elise would dly receive a ssmate who was friendly, she replied, ¡°Of course!¡± The girl smiled brightly upon hearing Elise¡¯s response. ¡°Hi Elise, I¡¯m Mika Jameson. Nice to meet you.¡± Looking at Mika¡¯s hand which was stretched toward her, Elise was startled. Given that her looks weren¡¯t as attractive as others, it was a luxury for her to make friends. After pausing for a while, Elise shook hands with Mika and said, ¡°Nice to meet you too, Mika.¡± Mika was d at Elise¡¯s response. To be frank, she wanted to learn Chinese from Elise. Her Chinese examination results were far from satisfactory, and her oral was even rustier. Hence, she wished to learn Chinese from Elise after seeing her fluent reading in the morning. ¡°Elise, you¡¯re so fluent in Chinese. Can you teach me the Initially, Elise thought Mika was going to ask her for a huge favor, but it turned out to be a small matter, so Elise was more than willing to help out a friend. was ¡°Sure. Bring your Chinese textbook. I¡¯ll teach you¡± As such, Mika quickly brought her textbook and started learning from Elise seriously. Before this, her oral was bad, so Elise taught her ways to correct her pronunciation. Not only that, Elise even rmended some methods to learn Chinese, which benefited Mika a lot. In the afternoon when school was over, it was the first time that Elise did not walk out of the school alone. Instead, she was with Mika, and the two girls chatted happily all the way to the school gate. Soon, Elise spotted the familiar car of the Griffith Family, so she bid Mika goodbye and walked toward the car. It was Alexander who hade to fetch her today. After Elise got into the car, Alexander started the car engine slowly and departed. Elise did not take a break either while on the way as she took out the practice questions and started grinding on them again. Sitting in the driver¡¯s seat, Alexander observed Elise through the rearview mirror. He had to admit that although Elise had a rather average appearance, for some reason, she gave off an unworldly aura, which didn¡¯t seem to match her looks at all. Alexander retracted his gaze and decided to initiate a conversation with Elise, which rarely urred. ¡°Are you going to participate in the City Mathematics Olympiad Competition?¡± Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 25 Elise was chewing on her pen when she heard the question. In response, she quickly lifted her head to nce at Alexander and hummed. ¡°When¡¯s thepetition?¡± Alexander asked again. ¡°Next Friday at Athesea High.¡± As she recalled Jack had once mentioned that Alexander had taken part in a Mathematics Olympiadpetition before too, she added, ¡°I heard you participated in a Mathematics Olympiadpetition before and had even won the first prize. Do you have any tips for me?¡± Alexander lifted his brows slightly. ¡°That was a long time ago, so I can¡¯t be of much help now.¡± Elise hummed in response and said nothing else. As such, the atmosphere in the car went silent once again. Fortunately, they arrived at the Griffith Residence in no time. After the car stopped, Elise opened the door and got out of the car. Then, she walked into the living room after changing her shoes on the porch and saw Jonah having tea leisurely while sitting on the couch. ¡°Ellie, you¡¯re home!¡± ¡°Hi, Grandpa,¡± Elise addressed Jonah courteously. Joy spread across Jonah¡¯s face when he saw Elise. ¡°How are things at school, Ellie? Just tell me if you¡¯re unhappy with anything, or you canin to those few rascals too. Don¡¯t let yourself suffer.¡± ¡°Alright, Grandpa! You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re such a polite child. Jonah said with a bright smile. Then, he saw Alexander who just entered the house. ¡°Alex, please help me to look after Ellie if she needs anything. She¡¯s a girl, so we should give her more care.¡± Alexander did not refute Jonah¡¯s words but answered indifferently, ¡°Alright, Grandpa.¡± Jonah couldn¡¯t be bothered about Alexander¡¯s apathetic response. So, he diverted his attention back to Elise and said, ¡°Ellie, I heard that you¡¯re going to participate in a Mathematics Olympiadpetition. Alex is pretty good at Math Olympiad. He can tutor you.¡± Hearing that, Elise quickly rejected it. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Grandpa. I¡¯d rather not trouble him.¡± ¡°Not at all. Alex, you¡¯ll be Ellie¡¯s Math Olympiad tutor from tonight onward. Do teach her whatever you know so that she will excel in thepetition.¡± Jonah was so determined that there was no opportunity for Elise and Alexander to reject the proposal. Elise actually wanted to say something but could only bite her tongue toward the end. On the other hand, Alexander always honored Jonah¡¯s word and would never go against him, so neither did he reject the order. As such, Alexander became Elise¡¯s Math Olympiad tutor. During dinner, Jack was driven up the wall when he knew Alexander was going to give Elise tuition because Elise would most likely win thepetition with Alexander¡¯s help. If that happened, he would lose the bet. Freaked out, Jack secretly pulled Alexander to the side after dinner. ¡°Alex, I¡¯m begging you-can you please don¡¯t give Elise tuition?¡± Alexander wore a calm look and replied nonchntly, ¡°That¡¯s Grandpa¡¯s order.¡± What he meant was he couldn¡¯t defy Jonah¡¯s order. Jack became even more anxious. ¡°C¡¯mon, Alex. You can tell Grandpa that given Elise¡¯s capability, she doesn¡¯t need a tutor at all¨Cor, you can just palter with Elise, as long as she doesn¡¯t win thepetition.¡± Alexander nodded upon understanding Jack¡¯s intention and gave an ambiguous answer. ¡°I¡¯ll try to¡­¡± Jack immediately ced his hands on hisp and feigned a pitiful look. ¡°Please help me out, Alex¡­¡± Just then, Jack met Elise¡¯s eyes as she walked toward them. At once, he put on a normal look and pretended as if nothing had happened. ¡°Go ahead, Alex. I shall excuse myself first as I still have some matters to attend to,¡± he said in a serious manner and quickly slipped away thereupon. On the other hand, Elise wasn¡¯t bothered about it at all and went upstairs directly while Alexander followed right after. Upon entering her room, Elise was about to close the door when a big hand stopped her from doing so before pushing the door open. Thereafter, Alexander walked in straight. ¡°What¡¯re you doing here?¡± Elise asked. Alexander ignored her and directly walked toward her study table and answered in a serious manner, ¡°Grandpa asked me to tutor you.¡± Elise quickly rejected it. ¡°It¡¯s okay, there¡¯s no need. You may leave now.¡± However, Alexander had no intention to leave at all so he immediately sat down on the chair. ¡°I never defy Grandpa¡¯s orders. You know that. So, please bear with me.¡± Elise was rendered speechless. She wanted to say that she really didn¡¯t need a tutor, but thinking about Jonah¡¯s kind intention, she decided to stop rejecting it. Alexander took up Elise¡¯s practice questions and flipped through them. Besides her nice handwriting, her workings were very clear too, which made it pleasant for one to read. ¡°Your workings are quite clear, but you made a mistake here.¡± Alexander said while pointing out Elise¡¯s mistake. Elise walked over and took a look at her practice book. ¡°Which question?¡± she asked. Alexander pointed at the second question. ¡°Your method and form are correct, but in the second step, you¡¯ve misread the cube root as a square root, so your following calctions are all wrong.¡± Elise looked at the question. He¡¯s right. ¡°I¡¯ve attempted this question a few times and it still felt wrong. Oh, so this is the mistake.¡± With that, Elise immediately sat down on a stool beside him and started correcting her calction. She was so concentrated on amending her workings that she hadpletely not realized that the two of them were getting closer to each This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. other. ans After Elise amended her answer, Alexander pointed at another question and said, ¡°You did not solve the second part of this question because you forgot to draw a graph. If you add a graph here, you¡¯ll be able to solve this question using the Pythagoras Theorem.¡± Elise attempted the question again ording to Alexander¡¯s instruction, and sure enough, she soon solved the question. ¡°You¡¯re really awesome!¡± Elise couldn¡¯t help but praise Alexander. Then, she flipped to thest question which was the one she had a hard time solving. ¡°Please help me take a look at this one too!¡± Alexander hummed in response and started reading the question. For some reason, he was distracted by the scent of a fragrance that only young women would possess. At once, he quickly regained hisposure and shifted his focus. However, he still unintentionally caught sight of Elise¡¯s side profile and was attracted by her expression and behavior. Chapter 26 Chapter 26 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 26 Elise was so concentrated on solving the problems that she did not notice Alexander¡¯s exploring gaze. After shepleted one question, the scrap paper was already full of workings. Elise stretched while a deep voice emerged from beside. ¡°Good job. You¡®ve used the correct method and form. Continue with the next question. This question is less challenging than the previous one.¡± Elise hummed in response and continued solving the questions with high spirits. As time passed, Elise became so tired that she dozed off on the study table. The dim light shone on her ugly face, but at this moment, Alexander thought Elise didn¡¯t look that bad at all. He even thought she looked rather gentle. Standing up, he then carried Elise andid her gently on the bed. Upon being put on the bed, Elise flipped over and slept like a log after adjusting to afortable posture. The next morning, Elise woke up to see sunlight shining through the window. She flipped over and sat up from the bed. It was only then did she realize she was still wearing the school uniform from yesterday. After being in a daze for a while, she recalled that she dozed off at the study tablest night. How did I get to the bed? She thought of a possibility but quickly patted her head ruefully and got out of her bed swiftly to dress up in the changing room. Fortunately, her makeup still looked fine and her wig did note off. Elise checked her appearance in the mirror again and only went downstairs with her school bag after ensuring that everything looked fine. The car was already awaiting her at the gate. Elise quickly opened the door and got into the car. It was only then did she realize the driver was actually Alexander. At once, Elise¡¯s mind ran wild as she thought ofst night¡¯s scene. Feeling embarrassed, she pretended to be unaffected and sat quietly at the backseat. Alexander started the car engine and drove out slowly. On the way, no one spoke a word. Elise had never felt so awkward before as she could even sense the suppressed atmosphere. Inwardly, Elise kept praying that she would arrive at the school as soon as possible. When they arrived at the school, Elise couldn¡¯t wait to open the car door before the car even stopped properly. However, the door was locked from the inside. ¡°Please unlock the door, Elise said. However, at this moment, Alexander passed her a book. ¡°What is this?¡± Elise wore a perplexed look. Alexander exined, ¡°It¡¯s Math Olympiad past-year questions. You might find it helpful.¡± ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t need this.¡± Without thinking, Elise rejected immediately. However, Alexander didn¡¯t even give her the chance to reject as he insisted, ¡°I never take back things that I¡¯ve given out. If you don¡¯t need it, you can throw.it away.¡± As much as Alexander¡¯s tone was indifferent, Elise still perceived his displeasure. Oh well, anyone would be displeased upon being rejected. Elise did not want to provoke Alexander again, so she took the book from him and said, ¡°Alright then. Thank you!¡± Alexander¡¯s expression became less tense after Elise received the practice book. After humming in response, he unlocked the door and Elise got out of the car. ¡°Thank you. Drive safe.¡± Elise waved at Alexander. This time around, Alexander did not leave immediately but watched Elise enter the campus and waited until she disappeared from his sight. It was only then did he retract his gaze and drive away. Elise walked through the corridor toward her ssroom. Holding the practice book from Alexander, she couldn¡¯t understand what his intention was. Eventually, she decided to stop thinking about it. Since Alexander gave her the book out of kindness, she decided to keep it. Besides, she had almost finished the practice questions that she had. So, now that Alexander had given her some new material, she could save the trouble of buying new practice books. At that thought, Elise stopped questioning Alexander¡¯s intention. After entering the ssroom and putting down her bag, she started reading the practice questions, ¡°Hey, Elise. Good morning!¡± Mika greeted Elise the moment she arrived at the ssroom. Then, she took out her favorite lollipop and passed it to Elise. ¡°This is for you.¡± Elise lifted her head to nce at Mika, and her eyes were filled with excitement at once. ¡°How did you know that I like this vor of lollipops?!¡± Mika was surprised too as she did not expect them to have the same preference. ¡°Haha! Great minds think alike, huh?¡± Elise received the lollipop and started sucking on it after unwrapping it. At once, a familiar taste spread across her mouth. During this period, she had always disguised herself and abstained from her favorite food. She even forced herself to quit having lollipops, which she had been eating for many years. Now that she had a taste of the familiar vor, she felt ted. ¡°I still have many lollipops of different vors at home. I¡¯ll bring them for you next time.¡± Mika blinked at Elise cheerfully, and the two girls broke intoughter in spite of themselves. Meanwhile, Jasmine¡¯s eyes darkened when she saw the intimacy between Mika and Elise. Initially, Elise, the ugly girl, was not well received among her ssmates, and Jasmine had always looked down upon her. However, it turned out that Elise was very capable to the extent that even Jasmine was defeated. In just a few days¡¯ time, everyone in the ss had changed their attitude toward Elise. Furthermore, Elise¡¯s Chinese oral was so good that even Jasmine couldn¡¯t hold a candle to her. As Jasmine was the representative for Chinese ss, she felt humiliated. Ever since young, Chinese was Jasmine¡¯s forte, and she had never met an opponent before. Snorting, Jasmine clenched her fists and decided she had to think of a way to surpass Elise. ¡°Hey, Jasmine, let¡¯s go to the library togetherter;¡± Jasmine¡¯s deskmate patted her shoulder and said. Feeling vexed, Jasmine rejected her deskmate directly, ¡°I¡¯m not going. You can go ahead.¡± Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Before this, Jasmine had heard from her parents that Beter nned to head back to the country. Beter was a well-known Chinese teacher who was very experienced. Besides that, to be one of Beter¡¯s students had always been her dream. This time, she was determined to buck up in practicing so that she could be Beter¡¯s student as soon as possible and stop being surpassed by Elise. Elise was not aware of Jasmine¡¯s intention at all and was only focusing on her Math Olympiad practice questions. By the time she finished attempting the practice questions that Alexander gave to her, the day of the examination had arrived. Danny sent Elise to the examination hall personally. Although he had seen Elise practicing every day during this period, he never thought that Elise was actually talented. After all, Math Olympiad was not like any other subjects where one could score by merely putting in more effort-in this case, one needed to be talented in order to master it. Before leaving, Danny said, ¡°You can take a nap on the table if you really can¡¯t solve the question. We won¡¯tugh at you even if you only score a few marks. As for the bet, just acknowledge it if you lose.¡± Elise lifted her brows slightly and asked, ¡°Are you so certain that I¡¯ll lose?¡± Chapter 27 Chapter 27 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 27 At this moment, Danny simply showed a disdainful expression. Meanwhile, Elise didn¡¯t say much more. She simply ended the conversion with a sinct sentence. ¡°Remember. Don¡¯t be a sore loser.¡± After that, she entered the exam venue without looking back. The Math Olympiad exam was two hours. After entering the exam venue, she found her designated seat based on her exam pass and started answering the questions once the paper was handed down. As time passed, she managed toplete the paper in less than an hour. After double-checking her answer sheet, she submitted it early as she deemed it satisfactory. Upon exiting the exam hall, she heard the sound of a car¡¯s honk. At this moment, a lowkey Audi A8 came to a stop in front of Elise. The car window was then rolled down, revealing Jamie¡¯s cheeky face. He gave Elise a weing look as he said, ¡°Boss, get in the car.¡± Frankly, Elise didn¡¯t see thising. Nevertheless, she pulled the door open and got into the car. After that, the car was driven off. ¡°Boss, how was the exam?¡± ¡°Not bad!¡± Despite the simple answer, Jamie knew what she truly meant. ¡°Boss, you can at least try to be a little bit more humble.¡± ¡°Sure! To what do I owe the pleasure?¡± With a grin, Jamie answered her question with a question. ¡°Can¡¯t I just buy you a meal?¡± However, Elise knew him too well as she figured Jamie must have a reason toe to her in person. ¡°We can grab a bite,¡± she said. ¡°Sure thing! Just sit tight!¡± As Jamie announced that, he stepped on the gas and the car started to speed up on the road like an arrow shooting off a bow. He brought Elise to a high-end restaurant only essible by members, and they chose a private room that was more secluded. It was then that Elise said straightforwardly, ¡°Tell me, why are you here to see me?¡± Hearing that, Jamie cheekily poured Elise a cup of tea before giving it to her. ¡°You know me the best, Boss. There¡¯s something I have to ask of you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t beat around the bush. Shoot.¡± ¡°It¡¯s actually nothing big. It¡¯s about the previous issue. The opponent has offered a price of 50 million. It seems that this isn¡¯t even the peak price yet.¡± That made Elise freeze for a moment. Her brows furrowed as she asked, ¡°Do you know who¡¯s the opponent?¡± Nodding his head, Jamie answered, ¡°Alexander Griffith.¡± Hearing that, Elise felt her taste buds lose the sense of taste. She immediately put down the teacup. ¡°How is it him?¡± ¡°Boss, he seems to be interested in you. Why don¡¯t you go meet him? After all, we can¡¯t be rejecting money, can we?¡± Though she wanted to refute, she recalled how there were two questions from the notes he prepared for her that came out in the Math Olympiad exam. It made her feel as if she owed him one. Moreover, the orphanage at the northwest needed to be renovated. Thus, a huge amount of funds was required. The 50 million could definitely ¡°I can go, but on one condition.¡± Seeing that she finally gave in, Jamie was over the moon. He would¡¯ve agreed even if ten conditions were given, not to mention just one. ¡°Boss, just tell me your condition.¡± Closing her eyes for a brief moment, she put on a serious look before saying, ¡°I¡¯ll only race with him and him only. I do not wish for a third person to be around watching.¡± At once, Jamie understood. ¡°Sure, Boss. I¡¯ll let the opponent know your proposal. It¡¯d be great if he epts it. If he doesn¡¯t ept it, then so be it.¡±This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Hearing that, Elise hummed in agreement. Jamie and Elise then happily enjoyed their meal. As they were leaving after the meal, they coincidentally bumped into Alexander. Immediately, Jamie and Elise kept a distance between them as one of them walked ahead of the other. Looking at him, Elise forced herself to greet him. ¡°How coincidental! You¡¯re here to eat too!¡± Alexander was here to discuss a contract with a business partner. As his partner fancied the food served in this restaurant, he made a reservation here. Obviously, he didn¡¯t expect to see her here. ¡°You¡¯re here to eat alone?¡± Nodding her head, she said, ¡°I¡¯ve finished eating, and I¡¯m just about to leave.¡± As he didn¡¯t say anything, she left. After that, he looked toward the private room that she walked out from. He could clearly see two sets of utensils on the table. At once, the light in his eyes dimmed. Obviously, she had lied. However, why did it concern him? As he was amidst his thoughts, his phone in his pocket suddenly rang. He picked it up and learned that it was a call from his assistant. ¡°Mr. Griffith, the opponent has agreed to race with you, but she has a condition.¡± At once, his eyes lit up like it was Christmas. At this moment, he didn¡¯t bother to care about anything else. ¡°Try to satisfy their request no matter what it is and set a date and time.¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Griffith.¡± After the meal, Elise headed back to school. Upon arrival, she was summoned by her Mathematics teacher to the office in a secretive manner. ¡°Elise, how was the exam? Were the questions tough? Are you confident?¡± Pursing her lips, she answered truthfully, ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± When Mr. Winfrey heard that, hisst sliver of hope shattered into pieces. He then sighed as he gave her shoulder a pat as constion. ¡°It¡¯s alright. You tried your best. Go along and prepare for ss.¡± Initially, she wanted to say something, but she swallowed back her words after seeing the disappointed look on his face. ¡°Alright, sir. I¡¯ll get going then.¡± After she left, he shook his head helplessly before heaving a sigh. To be frank, he had high hopes for her as he saw her potential. That was why he rmended her to join the City Mathematics Olympiad Competition. However, it seemed that his hopes were all for nothing now. Another teacher in the same office consoled him. ¡°Mr. Winfrey, don¡¯t sigh. It¡¯s not every day you meet a Mathematics Olympiad genius like Mr. Griffith. Don¡¯t let it get to you.¡± Mr. Winfrey sounded a little disappointed as he said, ¡°Perhaps that¡¯s true. Nevertheless, I think that Elise is a great candidate. I¡¯ve seen her way of thinking when she solves questions. It was rather special. However, it seems that she will not pass with flying colors this time. I suppose it¡¯s the mentality. She has to gain more experience and practice more to excel!¡± Shaking his head, he fell silent as he headed to his next ss with a water bottle. After the Math Olympiad exam, the results would only be released two weekster. Elise simply gave herself a rough estimation of the marks she¡¯d get. Afterpleting the exam, she neither kept the thought in mind nor did she worry about the results. On the contrary, someone else was rather concerned about her results. Danny had pulled quite some strings to find out the difficulty level of the questions on the Math Olympiad exam this time. ¡°Can I trust you? Have you gotten the news yet?¡± ¡°Don¡®t worry, Young Master Griffith. I did a lot of research on Reddit. The difficulty is quite hard this time. You need not worry about it.¡± Nevertheless, Danny asked dubiously, ¡°Really?¡± ¡°You have my word. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Hearing that, Danny finally felt relieved. Chapter 28 Chapter 28 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 28 Almost all of those in the city who excelled in Mathematics would participate in the Math Olympiad competition, but only very few of them would win a prize. For someone at Elise¡¯s level, there was a slim chance to win. Hence, it was almost certain that Danny would win. Although the oue was predicted, he couldn¡¯t help but feel proud. He was finally getting rid of the ugly monster. Therefore, he had his chin up for theing few days as triumph was written all over his face. It was especially evident whenever he picked her up. ¡°Ugly Elise, it¡¯s another day less of seeing you.¡± Hearing that, she snorted. ¡°Childish.¡± She didn¡¯t feel affected by his insults at all as she waspletely invested in her race with Alexander. Jamie had already set a date and time with the other party. ¡®Boss, this Sunday at 8 o¡¯clock. ck Dragon Tunnel! Looking at the message Jamie had sent her, Elise replied with an emoticon of an OK hand gesture. That day after school, Elise used the excuse of hanging with her ssmates with the Griffiths. ¡°Grandpa Griffith, I¡¯ll be going to my friend¡¯s ce to hang out at night, so I won¡¯t being back. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± ¡°Okay. Be careful outside.¡± Jonah acknowledged before he hung up the phone. Putting the phone back into her pocket, Elise waited for Jamie to pick her up. She then removed her makeup and changed her clothes, revealing her fair, wless face. Usually, she wore a wig and had makeup on to disguise herself. She did it so often that she almost forgot how she actually looked. Now that she was looking into the mirror without her disguise, she saw a youthful young girl. With that, she couldn¡¯t help but smile. To avoid getting recognized by Alexander, not only did she have a change of clothes and makeup, she even put on a fox mask. Jamie had brought Elise to the garage leading to the Supercar C-001. Seated in the driver¡¯s seat, Elise skillfully stepped on the gas pedal to the max, bringing the car to great speed in the next second. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Soon, the night came. Fortunately, nights in the summer were not too dark. With just the right amount of wind blowing, it felt rxing. At 8 o¡¯clock sharp, she arrived at ck Dragon Tunnel punctually. She then took the initiative to greet Alexander. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯d be so punctual.¡± Elise had a very different image today as if she was another person, so he didn¡¯t notice anything off at all. ¡°You can decide on the rules.¡± At once, a smirk crept up her lips. ¡°Twops around the tunnel road. Whoever gets to the finish line first wins.¡± ¡°Sure, no problem.¡± Both of them seemed to havee to a mutual understanding. Not long after, they stepped on the gas pedal in sync before their cars sped through the spiral road ahead. Since young, she was very into car racing because she liked the feeling of speed. She dug the adrenaline that pumped in her veins as she sped through the road. However, her family had always thought that it was too dangerous, so they never approved of it. Every time, she had to secretly practice driving. She would even take part in some racingpetitions from time to time. Things had juste to a slower pace these recent years. Now that she was back behind the wheels, excitement and passion filled her eyes. With her foot fully stepped down on the gas, she was overwhelmed with the joy of speed. As she skillfully handled the wheel, it didn¡¯t take long before he was behind her. From the rear mirror, she took a nce at the car that was chasing her end before a smile was formed on her lips. At this moment, she pulled a beautiful 360-degree drift that¡¯d make one feel overwhelmed. It was such a dangerously beautiful car racing technique that was executed wlessly. Meanwhile, Alexander, whose vehicle was still behind hers, had witnessed that. At once, his eyes were filled with excitement. It¡¯s her! It really is her! He had finally found her! Happiness was stered on his face, Immediately, he stepped on the gas pedal to catch up with her. On the ck Dragon road, two speeding cars were in an intense race. In no time, the cars were side-by- side. At this moment, Alexander couldn¡¯t hide his excitement anymore and asked, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Nheless, she could only feel the wind in her ears, and not a word that he said. ¡°What did you say?¡± He then said louder, ¡°Are you Sue? The champion of the internationalpetition three years ago?¡± The car was still going at a high speed, and she couldn¡¯t hear a thing of what he said. Giving him a confused look, she decided to speed up and listen to him at the finish line. As they came to a turn, she didn¡¯t n on reducing her speed. She simply passed through with another beautifully executed drifting technique. Meanwhile, he tried to surpass her at the turn to talk to her clearly. Unexpectedly, the brake system of his vehicle had malfunctioned at the turn, and a loud bang could be heard. Alexander¡¯s car had run into the divider at the turn. Upon hearing that, she was rmed. At once, she stepped on the brake and stopped her car by the side before getting out of it. She then ran toward his vehicle. As she ran, she dialed Jamie¡¯s phone. ¡°Come over quickly. Alexander got into an ident.¡± Her tone was obviously very urgent. Before the phone call ended, she had already reached his vehicle. From the window, she could see that he had already lost consciousness. At the same time, she noted a thick gasoline smell in the air. Realizing that something bad was about to happen, she didn¡¯t think twice before she threw her fist and broke the car¡¯s window open. Despite the numbing pain on her knuckles, she disregarded it. ¡°Alexander, hang in there just a little longer.¡± As she said that, she pulled the car door open before unbuckling the seatbelt for him. She then forcefully pulled him out of the car. With the weight of a 1.8 meter tall man solely supported on her, she could only grit her teeth as she pulled him away from his car. When she had gotten them to an approximate distance of several meters away, a loud explosion sound rang in her ears. Out of instinct, she leaned down to protect him as the two of themy on the ground with their fronts facing downward. When Jamie had arrived, he couldn¡¯t consider too many factors. He quickly rushed to them before asking in concern, ¡°Boss, how are you? Are you alright? I¡¯ll send you to the hospital immediately.¡± Facing Alexander, Elise said, ¡°Don¡¯t bother about me. Go see how he is doing.¡± It was only then that Jamie noticed Alexander, who had already passed out. He then carried him into his car without much hesitation. ¡°Boss, how are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Send him to the hospital first.¡± Nevertheless, he still felt a little unsettled. After getting reassurance that she was alright, he finally left to send Alexander to the hospital. It was only then that she dusted her clothes down as she looked at the raging fire behind her. At this moment, she finally noticed that her right hand had a wound from punching the ss window open. At that point, the blood had already clotted, and she didn¡¯t really feel much pain. Her eyes were dark as they were filled with sadness. Her grandpa used to tell her that racing was very dangerous. He had even told her not to get involved in it, but she could not refrain from it. Now that it had led to an ident as such, she couldn¡¯t help but feel guilty. She could only pray that he¡¯d be fine. Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 29 The news that Alexander had gotten into an ident had rmed a lot of people. In the hospital, the Griffiths were all present, including Jonah. ¡°How¡¯s Alexander? Is his life in danger?¡± Danny asked the doctor in a very anxious tone. The doctor then answered truthfully, ¡°Aside from outer injuries, there isn¡¯t much trauma on his body. However, we will only be sure after a thorough examination. Please be patient.¡± ¡°Thank you, doctor,¡± Jonah said with sincerity. Knowing that the Griffiths are of noble backgrounds, the doctor reassured them, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll try our best.¡± reas When Elise arrived at the hospital, she had changed back to her usual look. She had even bandaged the wound on her right hand. ¡°Grandpa Griffith, is Alexander okay?¡± He then gave a few pats on the back of her hand, unsure of whether they were to assure her or himself. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯ll be fine.¡± She then acknowledged him before looking up to see the door of the operation room that was closed. Inevitably, she felt heavy in her heart. Meanwhile, Danny was full ofints. He pulled Alexander¡¯s assistant, Cameron, over, before questioning him. ¡°What happened? Why did he suddenly go racing again? He even got into such a big ident.¡± ¡°Young Master Griffith, I¡¯ve already assigned some people to investigate this matter. I believe that there will be news soon. Please don¡¯t get enraged. The most important thing right now is Mr. Griffith¡¯s health.¡± news S ¡°I¡¯m telling you, if something bad happens to Alexander, I will not let you off¡± Danny said with anger. At this moment, he was nothing less of an enraged lion. MOINE Just then, the door of the operation room opened. Following, a doctor and several nurses came out. At once, the Griffiths swarmed forward. ¡°How did it go, doctor? Is my grandson alright?¡± All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. The doctor then pulled off his surgical mask before reporting the condition of the patient. ¡°Aside from some minor injury to the basic cartge, there isn¡¯t anything major, but the collision has caused a cerebral concussion. Thus, he has to be monitored in the hospital.¡± ¡°When will he wake up then?¡± ¡°When the anesthesia wears off, he should wake up.¡± The doctor¡¯s words had made everyone feel less worried. Then, Jonah turned to look at Matthew, who had been quiet throughout the incident, before saying, ¡°Alright, since he¡¯s okay, a few of you can head back first.¡± Nheless, Matthew hesitated. ¡°Grandpa, why don¡¯t I stay here today? You all can head back.¡± Usually, Jonah wouldn¡¯t say anything, but he simply rejected Matthew¡¯s proposal today. ¡°There isn¡¯t much use for you to stay here. Just let Danny stay behind. All of us can go home.¡± Hearing what he said, Elise, who initially wanted to find an excuse to stay behind, remained silent. She then went with Jonah and the others back home with Matthew following suit. En route back home, Jonah noticed the bandage on her hand. He then asked out of concern, ¡°Ellie, what happened to your hand? How did you get hurt?¡± Out of instinct, she quickly tucked her hand into her pocket before exining, ¡°I identally tripped this afternoon. It¡¯s not a big deal.¡± ¡°Silly girl. You¡¯re always so careless. Are you alright?¡± Shaking her head, she said, ¡°I¡¯m fine, Grandpa. It¡¯s just a minor injury. Please pay it no heed.¡± Despite what she said, he still felt concerned. Hence, he told Matthew to send some medication to her once they reached home. As Matthew reached Elise¡¯s doorstep, he knocked on the door. After she opened the door, he passed a good bottle of wound recovery to her. ¡°Grandpa told me to pass this to you.¡± ¡°Huh? My hand is alright, so don¡¯t worry about it. Ry my thanks to Grandpa for me.¡± Nheless, he disregarded what she said as he pulled her wrist over. Despite it being roughly bandaged already, there were still traces of the wound splitting open. Even the gauze was tainted with some blood that seeped out. ¡°Obviously your wound isn¡¯t dealt with properly. I¡¯ll do it for you.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need¡­¡± She quickly rejected him out of instinct, but he didn¡¯t give her the chance to do so. Immediately, he undressed the gauze and applied the medication on the wound with a cotton bud. When he took off the dressing, he could see that the wound was obviously not caused by a trip. The wound was irregr as if it was caused by something sharp¨Cno, it looked like a wound that was cut by thin ss shards. Though his eyes darkened, his expression didn¡¯t change at all. He simply asked in a casual tone, ¡°How did you get hurt so badly?¡± Pulling her hand back instinctively, she did not want to interact with him unnecessarily. ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself.¡± ¡°Do all girls like to act tough? Why are you still keeping up a tough front when you¡®re already hurt? If you don¡¯t wish to talk, I won¡¯t ask.¡± ¡°No, I¨C¡± Before she could finish, she felt a painful chill run down the back of her hand. She then sucked in a deep breath before saying, ¡°Please be more gentle.¡± Hearing that, he smiled. ¡°So you do feel pain. I¡¯ll use less pressure then.¡± Matthew was fully focused on treating her wound properly, and he had done a good job with its dressing. Although she didn¡¯t want to admit it, she still said sincerely, ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it. We live under the same roof. We¡¯re more or less friends.¡± His tone sounded friendly enough to break her previous impression of him. In her mind, she guessed that he must be trying to befriend her after seeing her true facest time. Little did she know, everything she was seeing now was fake. Matthew had an ulterior motive. At 3 in the morning, Alexander, who was lying in the hospital bed, slowly opened his eyes. A dim light shone into his eyes as he stared at the ceiling above him. At once, the smell of disinfectant invaded his nostrils as he registered that he was in the hospital. Moving his arm, he was just about to get up when the ward door was pushed open. Just then, Cameron walked 1. i ¡°Mr. Griffith, you¡¯re awake?¡± Humming in response, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± At once, Cameron reported what he had found out thus far. ¡°After our men¡¯s investigation, the car that was burned had its brake damaged on purpose. It wasn¡¯t a simple ident¨Csomeone sabotaged you.¡± When Alexander heard that, his eyes darkened as they filled up with a dangerous aura. ¡°Look into it. I want answers.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Griffith. Our men will investigate it thoroughly. We will surely find the mastermind behind this. As Alexander hummed in acknowledgment, he couldn¡¯t help but recall what he had witnessed prior to the crash. He then repeated, ¡°I want his information. No matter the price. I must find this person.¡± Obviously, Cameron knew what he was referring to. Having worked for Alexander for so many years, naturally, he would know about the one thing Alexander had been persistent to find for the past years¨Cit was to find the astounding racer from Cittadel, Sue, who performed excellently in the international Grand Prix. It seemed that Alexander was very confident this time. ¡°Noted, Mr. Griffith. I¡¯ll pass on your orders.¡± Chapter 30 Chapter 30 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 30 ¡°Wait! This matter shouldn¡¯t be known by anyone else. I would be more at ease if you investigate it personally.¡± Cameron had no objections to that. ¡°Understood, Young Master Alex. I will definitely try my best to find an answer to this.¡± After he left, the huge room fell into silence. Though it was dark outside, Alexander was still quite alert. He looked out of the window as he recalled everything that happened during that day. The more he thought about it, the stronger his heart palpitated. After all, he had finally found the person he had been stubbornly looking for all this while and he believed that not long after this, they would be able to see each other again. When Elise knew that Alexander had woken up, she finally felt relieved. For the past few days, the siblings of the Griffith Family took turns to send her to school. On top of that, they also had to take turns to take care of Alexander at the hospital. Meanwhile, she had never visited him once. Just as the results of the Mathematics Olympiad was about to be released, something unimaginable happened in school. First, the headmaster suddenly received a call from one of the most well-known universities for their math degree in the city. ¡°I heard that your school has a top student in mathematics. Do mentally prepare her to consider the University of Zechria. We are quite a promising university and I¡¯m sure it would help her future a lot if she enrolls into our university.¡± The headmaster was confused upon hearing this. ¡°May I know which student you are referring to?¡± However, the person on the other end of the line merely chuckled in response. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You will know in two days. Also, do know that if the result of this student¡¯s trial exam for finals is enough to enroll in the top universities, our university is willing to ept her even if she chose not to attend the exam.¡± The headmaster was surprised to hear this, as this meant that the student would have a confirmed ce at the university. He had been working at this school for many years. Apart from the sons of the Griffith Family having simr treatment a few years back, no one else had caught the attention of a professor in the University of Zechria. Unless¡­ At that point, the headmaster suddenly recalled something. Unless someone from our school has gotten high marks for the City Mathematics Olympiad! More than a dozen students participated in thatpetition, though. Who would it be? ¡°Excuse me, but may I know which student you are referring to? Are you sure that he or she is from my school? Can you please reveal their identity?¡± ¡°Goodness, are you still beating around the bush? Don¡¯t you know the top student in your school? I have to say that this student is really impressive. Even an old man like me, who has seen his fair share of bright students, can¡¯t help but sing her praises. She has an innate talent in mathematics.¡± ¡°Come on, now; you keep arousing my interest. Perhaps you can reveal some information to me?¡± However, no matter how much the headmaster asked, the person on the other end of the line refused to say anything. The former voiced out a few top students based on his assumptions but in the end, he did not find out about anything. Over the next few days, the headmaster received a few other phone calls from various different departments, the Education Ministry, the deans of some universities, and even some headmasters of other high schools. However, the headmaster still did not know who the student was. Hence, he always tried to beat around the bush whenever he received such calls. Having no other choice, he called a meeting with all the mathematics teachers in his school. ¡°Among the This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. students who participated in the Math Olympiad this time, is there anyone who is exceptionally brilliant?¡± The few mathematics teachers exchanged nces, but they only saw nkness reflected in each other¡¯s eyes. At that point, Mr. Winfrey, one of the teachers, could not help saying, ¡°I know how my students fared in thepetition. It¡¯s already considered quite good if they can win something, but I don¡¯t see anyone exceptionally talented. However, there¡¯s a student who has quite a strong foundation and scored first ce in thest internal exam, which is why I encouraged her to take part in the Mathematics Olympiad. But girls aren¡¯t usually as talented in mathematicspared to boys, so I think it¡¯s already quite impressive if she wins a prize.¡± After hearing his words, the headmaster did not associate this particr female student with the mysterious student. ¡°What about the rest? Think carefully-do you have any outstanding students?¡± The other mathematics teachers shook their heads respectively, leaving the headmaster slightly confused. Logically speaking, the people who called him definitely would have heard of some news. If only a few called him, there was a possibility that this might be a mistake. However, he received many calls over the past few days, so he was sure that it was not as simple as a mistake. Even though he had a meeting with all the mathematics teachers, he did not get any clues at all. ¡°Sir, might it be that the reason you gathered us here and asked us these questions is that our school has a new breakthrough?¡± The headmaster pressed his lips tightly together, a worried look appearing on his face. ¡°I don¡¯t know either. But I have a hunch that we might be doing pretty well in thispetition. How many more days until the results of the Mathematics Olympiad are out?¡± ¡°I think another two to three days.¡± ¡°In that case, let¡¯s just wait for the results toe out. Then, everything will clear up. I hope it¡¯s good news that will cheer everyone up.¡± Everyone exchanged smiles as they did not take the headmaster¡¯s words seriously. After all, they knew their own students well, so they did not pay much attention to this. It was only when the results of the Mathematics Olympiad was released that the entire school was in shock. ¡°Do you know that someone in our school scored full marks in the Mathematics Olympiad?¡± ¡°What? Full marks? Who is the genius? I have to have a look for myself! I remember one of our seniors also scored full marks. What was his name again?¡± ¡°You must be referring to Alexander Griffith. He was incredible. Not only was he good at math, he was great at other subjects too. He was practically like a male celebrity in our school.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing! By the way, who is the person who scored full marks in our school?¡± In his office, the headmaster looked at the results of the Mathematics Olympiad rather incredulously. At that moment, he was unable to even fully express his joy. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that she got full marks! This is a rare talent! Mr. Winfrey, it is a great achievement on your part.¡± Mr. Winfrey, on the other hand, had not recovered from his state of shock. He could tell that Elise had a good foundation in math, which was why he encouraged her to join the Mathematics Olympiad. However, he did not expect she would be this talented to achieve first ce in a city-levelpetition. ¡°Sir, this girl is quite good! We can focus on honing her skills.¡± ¡°Have a nice chat with her once you get back. Oh-and when you register the schrship for her, you can directly give her a first ss schrship¡± the headmaster announced happily. Upon hearing such words from him, Mr. Winfrey swelled with pride. His chin lifted slightly and his chest was puffed out as he walked back to the ssroom leisurely. As soon as he entered the ssroom, he immediately saw Elise, who was sitting in thest few rows. Clearing his throat, Mr. Winfrey announced, ¡°Before we begin our lesson today, I have something to tell everyone- the results of the City Mathematics Olympiad Competition are out!¡± With that, those who participated in the Mathematics Olympiad became nervous as they looked expectantly at Mr. Winfrey. However, Danny was the only exception. He looked at Elise vindictively, as if to say, ¡°Elise Sinir, you are doomed! I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve lost!¡± Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Elise ignored his provocation and opened her textbook to look at the new topics they would be learning later, as if she was not interested in knowing the results of the Mathematics Olympiad. Danny let out a cold snort and turned around to look at Mr. Winfrey. Then, he added, ¡°Mr. Winfrey, could it be that our ss didn¡¯t score very well? Honestly, it¡¯s not a surprise, though. After all, the Mathematics Olympiad is well known for its difficulty. One has to be really talented to score well.¡± Mr. Winfrey chuckled in response. ¡°You are right, Mr. Griffith. Thepetition this time was even more difficult than before. However, Miss Sinir from our ss scored a hundred out of a hundred for the paper.¡± It was as if he threw a heavy stone in the water, sshing water in every student¡¯s heart. ¡°How is it possible? This is impossible!¡± Danny¡¯s face immediately darkened. Never in a million years did I expect to lose so terribly! Meanwhile, the other students in the ss also looked at Elise incredulously. This in-looking girl, who even pulls down the average good looks of our entire ss, actually scored full marks at the City Mathematics Olympiad Competition? She is on a whole other level! No one knew who started it, but someone started pping for her. Right after that, the entire ss boiled with excitement as they pped fervently for Elise. Only Danny sat there sullenly. ¡°Miss Sinir,e share your experience with everyone.¡± Elise expected that she would score at least 95 marks in thepetition, but she did not expect that she got it right for the secondst part of the final question. It¡¯s all thanks to Alexander¡¯s notes. Elise then stood up andmented, ¡°Thanks, everyone. Something that I do for this is to practice as many questions as I can. It¡¯s only by working on many different questions that I was able to use them as examples to find the solution. If you do this, you will definitely achieve great results in Mathematics.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the best, Elise! No wonder you did many exercises. I think you even finished ten exercise books. You¡¯re amazing!¡± Mika said earnestly. Mr. Winfrey also agreed with her. ¡°I hope everyone will learn from Elise and outperform yourself in Mathematics.¡± After Elise sat back on her seat, she subconsciously met Danny¡¯s eyes and smiled while he averted his gaze grudgingly and clenched his fists tightly next to his body. During lunch break, the rest of their ssmates surrounded Elise to ask her about study tips. At this moment, Danny pushed them away and walked directly to Elise. ¡°Ugly Elise¡­ Oh-Elise, I mean.¡± It was the first time Danny changed his nickname for her and stopped calling her ¡®ugly¡¯. ¡°I¡¯ve lost the bet this time and I¡¯m willing to concede my defeat. From now onwards, I will not find faults with you. Apart from that, I, Danny Griffith, admit that you are my boss for now. From now onwards, as soon as I see you in school, I will take another route.¡± Danny actually meant it when he said this. Before this, he had been looking down on her, thinking that she was just a country girl. After this incident, however, he learned his lesson and would not bully her anymore. ¡°It¡¯s such gentlemanly of you to concede defeat. To be honest, I¡¯m quite impressed, Danny.¡± Upon hearing that, Danny pursed his lips. Even though he was unwilling to do so, he still said obediently, ¡°Boss.¡± Seeing how unwilling he looked right now, Elise felt the anger from beforepletely disappearing. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s have peace and not antagonize each other.¡± Danny hummed in agreement to show that he understood. He looked rather sullen after he lost his bet. On top of that, Jack kept tagging him in their group chat to ask about Elise¡¯s results. In the end, Danny threw his phone aside in annoyance andpletely ignored him. This time around, he waspletely embarrassed. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. After Elise got the first ce in the City Mathematics Olympiad Competition and became the only other student who scored full marks apart from Alexander, she instantly became the favorite of other teachers. In almost every other subject, the teachers loved to choose her to answer their questions, especially her Chinese teacher, Miss Woods, who realized that Elise¡¯s Chinese was actually quite good. Thetter¡¯s spoken Chinese was good and she had perfect pronunciation. In short, Miss Woods was impressed by her. After school, she asked Elise to her office privately. ¡°Elise, did you study Chinese back in the countryside?¡± After thinking about it, Elise nodded in reply. In fact, she had been studying in private international schools that taught them bilingually. Hence, her Chinese had always been quite good since young. On top of that, she was even an exchange student and studied abroad for a year, which naturally meant that her Chinese would be better than the rest of the students. However, since Miss Woods still thought that Elise studied in the countryside before this, thetter did not find it a good idea to exin this. ¡°I guess so.¡± Miss Woods smiled. ¡°I have to say that your Chinese is way better than any other high school student and you are quite courageous too. Coincidentally, our school is hosting a Chinese Week next month and it will have a public speakingpetition. I would like to nominate you and Jasmine to represent our ss to take part in the Public speakingpetition during Chinese Week? Elise was not too enthusiastic about it, so she immediately rejected, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Woods. I¡¯m not really interested in thispetition, so I think I¡¯ll pass.¡± Miss Woods did not expect that Elise would reject her like that. After all, this was a dream opportunity for many other students. The public speakingpetition held in their school was just a preliminary round. If the students performed well, it was highly probable that they would join the state-levelpetition and if they won, they would automatically be enrolled in one of the best universities in the city that specialized in foreign languages. The lucky students would even get the opportunity to skip the finals and directly enroll into a top university. To most of the students, this was an important opportunity. Miss Woods thought that Elise definitely would not know the backstory to it, so she said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. There¡¯s some time before thepetition begins. You can think about it before making a decision.¡± Although Elise¡¯ really did not have the intention to join thepetition, she did not outright reject Miss Woods either. ¡°Alright, I understand. Do excuse me.¡± ¡°Sure thing.¡± As soon as Elise walked out of the office, Jasmine immediately blocked her way. ¡°Elise, why did Miss Woods ask to see you?¡± Upon hearing that, Elise arched her eyebrows. ¡°What does this have to do with you?¡± However, Jasmine did not n to let her go just like that. ¡°Elise, don¡¯t be cocky just because Miss Woods treats you better than others. You better tell me what she told you. Otherwise, you¡¯ll suffer!¡± Elise did not take Jasmine¡¯s words seriously at all. ¡°Whatever.¡± With that, she directly walked away, leaving Jasmine stomping her feet behind her. Just wait and see, Elise Sinir. Chapter 32 Chapter 32 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 32 After taking a deep breath, Jasmine opened the door and walked into Miss Woods¡¯ office. In truth, she was here for the public speakingpetition that would be held during Chinese Week. ¡°Miss Woods, the publicpetition during Chinese Week is going to open for registrations soon. May I know who you are nning to rmend to participate in thepetition?¡± In all honesty, Miss Woods actually took a liking to Jasmine. After all, thetter came from a good family background and her Chinese was quite good. She also helped Miss Woods in many tasks in their ss, so she was considered as the teacher¡¯s efficient assistant. ¡°I knew you would like to attend, so I will rmend you.¡± Jasmine¡¯s eyes lit up as soon as she heard Miss Woods¡¯ words, and she immediately said sweetly, ¡°Thank you, Miss Woods! I will try my best.¡± Miss Woods patted her back in response. ¡°Jasmine, your Chinese is quite good professionally. You are definitely better than the current standard that we are studying. But I think you still have a lot of room for improvement and you can improve loads. Miss Sinir in our ss also has a goodmand of Chinese. You can learn from her during your free time. Both of you can learn from each other and improve yourselves in your studies.¡± Jasmine¡¯s face immediately fell upon hearing that, but she hid her disappointment very well and immediately wiped the emotion from her face. ¡°Thank you, Miss Woods. I understand. I will learn from Elise.¡± ¡°Good. I believe that you would do well, so keep up the good work. It¡¯s almost time for ss now, so you better go back first.¡± Aftering out of the office, Jasmine was like a deted balloon. Looking back, it¡¯s obvious that Miss Woods had high hopes for Elise. This won¡¯t do! I must surpass her and defeat her no matter one! And so, Jasmine took out her phone and dialed a number. ¡°Mom,st time you told me that Mr. Beter is back. Is that true? We should pay him a visit someday=¡± After hanging up the phone, Jasmine immediately felt a surge of relief. Elise, we¡¯ll see who gets thestugh. When school ended in the afternoon, Danny sent Elise back. In the past, whenever they were together, he could not stop insulting her sarcastically, which was why it was surprising that he did not utter a word today and just sat there quietly. After they reached home, Jonah already knew that Elise got first ce in the City Mathematics Olympiad Competition. He had received a call from the headmaster personally, so he was over the moon. When Jonah saw her return, he praised her happily. ¡°You¡¯re amazing, Ellie! You actually got first ce! Come here -this is my present.¡± With that, he took out a limited edition Centurion Card that made Danny¡¯s eyes grow wide. ¡°What are you doing, Grandpa?¡± he could not help but shout. The Centurion Card of the Griffith Family was limitless. Grandpa is actually giving it to Elise? This is outrageous! She just got first ce in some lousy mathematics However, Jonah ignored him and waved to Elise. ¡°Come here, Ellie.¡± She froze for a moment, but she walked over obediently. ¡°Hi Grandpa.¡± ¡°Take this, Ellie!¡± He then ced the card into her hands. ¡°This is my present for you. I¡¯m too old to know what young people like nowadays so if you need anything, you can buy it yourself now.¡± Looking at the Centurion Card, Elise knew very well how important this was. ¡°Grandpa, I can¡¯t ept this. It¡¯s too much for me.¡± ¡°Silly girl! Nothing is too much. I only know that my girl deserves the best.¡± ¡°But Grandpa.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, Ellie. You should be happy that you got first ce. I already made arrangements to hold a Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. celebration party for you and everyone will gather to celebrate your sess. Apart from that, you can also invite your friends here so that they can also celebrate with you.¡± Danny¡¯s eyes widened upon seeing how his grandfather was treating Elise. He wanted to say something, but he could not win against Jonah¡¯s enthusiasm. In the end, he just pouted as he vented all his grievances in the group chat. ¡®I can¡¯t take this anymore! Grandpa actually gave that country bumpkin a Centurion Card (TT) Jack, who was on a film set shooting a movie, sent a series of voice messages into the chat. ¡°You were defeated this time around. Does it hurt your pride?¡± Danny then replied, ¡°I¡¯m miserable, but I¡¯m not going to cry over this.¡± At that, Jackughed out loud. ¡°Ha! In the future, you have to address Elise as your boss, yet you still call her country bumpkin now. You need to change your habits soon.¡± Matthew also chimed in, ¡°Grandpa wants to organize a celebration party for her and he invited many established people from different industries. It¡¯s quite a grand party.¡± ¡°See, this is the treatment you get if you are his biological grandchild.¡± Jack replied. ¡°It seems like us brothers are adopted by him instead. I wouldn¡¯t even be that hurt if there wasn¡¯t anyparison. By the way, I have some shows to shoot that day, so I¡¯ll go backter. Do send my regards to Grandpa.¡± Matthew then murmured, ¡°Alright, what about you? Do you have time toe back?¡± Then, he tagged Alexander. However, Jack said, ¡°Don¡¯t message him now. He has been troubled for the past few days. I bet he doesn¡¯t have time to even look at his phone. I¡¯ll tell him myself tomorrow.¡± Then, Matthew replied, ¡°Sure.¡± In fact, Alexander had already seen the messages and he knew that Elise had gotten first ce at the Mathematics Olympiad. It was just that he was not in a good mood for the past few days and he did not even congratte her. ¡°Young Master Alex, we have already investigated the matter. However, we have no clue why we can¡¯t find any traces at all. Apart from that, all the data from the surveince camera that day had disappeared. Obviously, someone has done something to it so that we can¡¯t find out about it.¡± Cameron reported the results of their investigation to Alexander honestly, but thetter merely looked out of the French windows without uttering a word. ¡°We also looked into Jamie¡¯s side, but he is keeping quiet. Apart from that, we told him before that we couldn¡¯t have any further connections, so we can¡¯t find anything that is useful from his side.¡± With that, Cameron looked at Alexander seriously. ¡°Young Master Alex, do you still want to continue with the investigation?¡± At that, Alexander narrowed his eyes slightly. Right now, he could only think of everything that happened on the day of the car race. If that ident never happened, he might be able to confirm her identity to see if she was Sue, the one whom he had been looking for. All the clues are gone now... ¡°What about the investigation on the brakes?¡± he asked. Cameron¡¯s eyes darkened at the mention of that matter. ¡°We have already investigated this. Someone did something to your brakes, but that person seemed to have disappeared from the world without a single trace. I already asked people to find out more about him in his hometown and I bet we will get some results soon.¡± ¡°Alright. After you find him, don¡¯t alert him. Find out the mastermind first. Apart from that, let¡¯s take a break from Sue¡¯s matters.¡± Since she doesn¡¯t want me to find out about her, why do I persist? If we are made for each other, we will definitely meet again. ¡°Yes, Young Master Alex. I understand.¡± With that, Cameron walked out of his office respectfully, leaving Alexander alone in therge office. The latter looked at the bright night lights outside but a part of his heart felt lonely. After some time, he retracted his gaze and took his car keys before walking out of the room. Chapter 33 Chapter 33 Chapter 33 After dinner, Elise stayed in her room to do her homework as usual. Halfway through the process, she suddenly received a call from Cynthia. ¡°What are you doing, Elise?¡± ¡°Homework.¡± On the other end, Cynthia thought she misheard. ¡°Since when do you need to do homework?¡± ¡°Aunt Cynthia.¡± ¡°Alright, my good girl, I¡¯m at MISS bar. Are you free to apany me for a drink?¡± Elise looked at the time and immediately closed her textbook. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be right there.¡± After hanging up, she tidied herself up. Only after making sure that she looked as ugly as usual did she walk out of the door with a handbag. She went to the bar by taxi. In the bar, bright lights were flickering around as they reflected off the green alcohol bottles. Amidst the loud music, Elise looked around before she found a drunk Cynthia in the corner. ¡°Aunt Cynthia!¡± Upori hearing that, Cynthia opened her eyes groggily. As soon as she saw that it was Elise, she immediately hugged her shoulders. ¡°Oh-you are finally here, Elise! Come drink a few sses with me!¡± ¡°Aunt Cynthia, you are already so drunk. You shouldn¡¯t drink anymore. Come on, let me send you home.¡± However, Cynthia got away from her immediately. ¡°I don¡¯t want to! I don¡¯t want to go back! I want to continue drinking. I want to continue.¡± With that, she took a bottle of beer and started drinking again. Seeing that she could not stop her, Elise gave up. She understood Cynthia well. Cynthia was a wise and decisive person, and Elise could feel that she was not in a good mood tonight. Hence, Elise sat down and took the bottle in front of her to drink with Cynthia. ¡°Cheers, Aunt Cynthia!¡± Cynthia chuckled in response. ¡°Here¡¯s to my good Elise. Cheers!¡± Both of them drank one ss after another. After drinking, Elise felt a bit ufortable, but Cynthia looked as though she was perfectly fine. With a ss of beer in her hand, she dragged Elise to the dance floor. Cynthia danced like no one was watching, and Elise also took the rare opportunity to let loose. Since no one knew her here, she danced along with Cynthia. Both the aunt and niece matched each other well, and they elicited screams and whistles from the people around them. They attracted the attention of almost 80% of the men there. Without a doubt, all of them were surely smittened by Cynthia. As for Elise, none wanted to get close to her after looking at her face.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡°Sweetie, can I buy you a drink?¡± one of the men asked Cynthia. In the past, she would usually shoo him away but today, she smiled. ¡°Sure!¡± With that, she let him pull her away from the dance floor. Elise wanted to chase after them, but a few men surrounded her instead. What are you guys doing? Let me go!¡± ¡°Ha! Don¡¯t worry! We won¡¯t do anything to you as long as you are smart. Don¡¯t interrupt their good time together.¡± Elise just felt like swearing as she said, ¡°Get lost.¡± ¡°My, my! You really can¡¯t tell that this ugly girl has such a bad temper. I like her!¡± Elise¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Like me? You¡¯d better get lost!¡± The few men sniggered evilly and had no intentions of staying away from her. Elise merely snorted and kicked 2/5 him. In no time, she defeated one of the men. As she was too fast, before the rest returned to their senses, they were also defeated. ¡°You b*tch! I won¡¯t let you get away with it!¡± With that, he was going to attack her. However, Elise was rather quick on her feet. She dodged his attack sideways and then kicked one of his vital organs. A shrill scream broke through the air as the man clutched his organ, his face flushed. Upon seeing this situation, no one dared to touch her for the rest of the night. Elise quickly caught up with Cynthia and the other man, only to see that he was touching her inappropriately. Elise¡¯s eyes darkened and she pulled Cynthia to her, thereafter punching the man right in his face. Swearing, he let Cynthia go due to the pain. Then, he was about to attack Elise. As Elise was protecting Cynthia, she did not pay much attention to him. Just as his fist was about tond on her face, a crack was heard in the next second, followed by the man¡¯s scream that filled the entire bar. After that, he was thrown backward harshly. ¡°Get lost!¡± The man quickly climbed up from the ground and escaped fearfully. ¡°Are you guys alright?¡± A low, attractive voice asked. Elise returned to her senses and looked at the unfamiliar man in front of her as she nodded her head instinctively. ¡°Thanks.¡± He smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Is she okay?¡± Elise froze as she looked at Cynthia, who was in her arms. Does this man know her? Wait, the way he looks at her is different! And so, she cleared her throat. ¡°Uh-May I know who you are?¡± He did not exin and instead grabbed Cynthia from Elise¡¯s arms. Then, he swept Cynthia off her feet. Elise wanted to stop him, but the drunken Cynthia winked at her. Finally, she understood that Cynthia wanted to follow 3/5 him voluntarily. ¡°Do take care of my aunt,¡± Elise reminded. Upon hearing that, the man turned around and replied, ¡°I know, my little niece.¡± He showcased his position and his power over Cynthia by calling Elise as his niece. Elise, however, merely looked at their leaving figures as she muttered to herself, ¡°Is this my future uncle?¡± After both of them left, she looked at the time. Since it was not early anymore, it was time for her to leave. When she reached the exit, a familiar figure blocked her. ¡°Elise?¡± She blinked as she looked at the man in front of her. Alexander? Why is he here? He appraised her carefully. Truth was, he had discovered that she was here long ago and he witnessed everything that she did in the bar just now. He was quite surprised to find that Elise, who was usually an obedient girl, was quite good at dancing sexily. On top of that, she was also great at fighting. It was obvious that she had been trained. ¡°What a coincidence to find you here,¡± she said calmly. Alexander nodded and asked, ¡°Do you want to have a couple of drinks together?¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m going back now.¡± She rejected him directly because her instincts told her that Alexander was quite dangerous tonight. She thought it would be better if she stayed away from him. ¡°Let me send you home.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine-¡± Before she could finish her sentence, he interrupted her. ¡°Grandpa said that taking care of you is our responsibility. You don¡¯t want me to have to answer to him, do you?¡± Since he used Jonah as an excuse, she had no excuse to reject him any further, so she relented. 4/5 On the way home, Elise rolled down the window to enjoy the cool air. After that, she was more refreshed. As Alexander looked at her, he found that she looked more mysterious than he thought. In the beginning, he thought that he could see through someone like her, but he gradually realized that what he was seeing was what Elise wanted to show him. In short, Elise Sinir was a woman with secrets. Chapter 34 Chapter 34 Chapter 34 This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Although the night was dark, the lights in the Griffith Residence were still brightly lit up. Just as Elise was about to alight from the car, Alexander suddenly called out to her. ¡°Congrattions!¡± She was confused by his sudden reaction, so he added, ¡°Congrats on getting first ce in the Math Olympiad.¡± Aftering back to her senses, she replied, ¡°it¡¯s all thanks to you for circling the main points for me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you are talented.¡± He was rather blunt as he murmured, ¡°You are quite talented at dancing too.¡± Instantly, she was rendered speechless. He must have seen me. ¡°Uh-I was just having fun. There¡¯s nothing talented about me at all. It¡¯s gettingte, so I¡¯m off to bed. You should too. Goodnight.¡± After that, she quickly got out of the car and entered the house without waiting for his reply. Her fleeing looks somehow felt a little adorable in Alexander¡¯s eyes. When Elise got back to her room, she quickly closed the door before breathing a huge sigh of relief. Then, she walked to the mirror to look at her ugly face and began to remove the makeup. Not long after, she sighed as a gorgeous face appeared in the mirror. When will this end? The next day, as soon as she arrived at the ssroom, she handed the invitation letter that she prepared to Mika. ¡°My family is hosting a banquet tonight at my home. I would like you to attend.¡± Looking at the golden invitation letter, Mika was a little surprised. ¡°Is this for me?¡± ¡°Of course it is! You are the first friend that I made when I came here. You muste to the banquet tonight.¡± After receiving her invitation, Mika nodded her head firmly. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll be there.¡± With a smile, Elise went back to her seat. 1/5 ¡°Have you heard that the Griffith Family is hosting a banquet tonight? My dad has already received an invitation from them.¡± ¡°Is that true? Does that mean we get to see the famous young master of the Griffith Family, Alexander?¡± ¡°I heard that not only is he handsome, he is rich too. I once saw him from afar and I can say that he is the most handsome man that I have ever seen. If I can marry him, I will definitely die a happy woman.¡± Listening to their words, Elise suddenly paused, a pen in her hand. I can¡¯t believe Alexander is so highly regarded among these girls. However, she didn¡¯t pay much attention to their gossip, so she continued with her school work. On the other hand, Danny saw Elise the moment he came into the ssroom. Even though he didn¡¯t want to admit defeat, he wasn¡¯t a sore loser, so he came to her and ced a cup of smoothie on her desk. ¡°This is for you, Boss. You should drink it before it melts.¡± Elise was startled at first but after staring at the smoothie on her desk, she subconsciously lifted her eyes. However, he quickly avoided her gaze and sat back on his seat. With a smile, she replied, ¡°Thanks.¡± Meanwhile, Danny was angry with himself deep down. Why did Ie up with that bet in the first ce? ¡°I really should know better!¡± he muttered and sighed to himself. As the main focus of tonight¡¯s banquet at the Griffith Residence, Elise didn¡¯t attend school during the evening. Instead, she was brought to a high fashion store by Danny. After looking her up and down, Danny couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°You have quite the figure, but it doesn¡¯t go well with your in face.¡± Elise felt speechless when listening to him, so she turned toward the designer. ¡°I just need a simple dress. I can apply my makeup by myself.¡± 2/5 After taking a serious look at her, the designer said pertinently, ¡°The curves and proportions of your body are quite good. Do you want to try this dress?¡± With just a nce, Elise was immediately mesmerized by the dress the designer was referring to, but she quickly realized that it would be a huge waste if such a beautiful dress was put next to her ugly face. ¡°What do you think, Miss Sinir? Do you like it?¡± In the end, Elise shook her head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel right. I think we should look at other dresses.¡± ¡°I feel that this dress looks quite nice. Do you want to try it first?¡± Danny asked. However, she still rejected the offer. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I don¡¯t think that I¡¯m suitable for that kind of dress. Let¡¯s try something else.¡± In the meantime, she couldn¡¯t help but take a peek at the dress but in the end, she averted her gaze and chose an unremarkable dress. Due to her small figure, she still looked gorgeous even in a normal dress, but her face was too unattractive to look at. Looking at her, Danny couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°Why did your mother give you such a gorgeous body but not a beautiful face?¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. Keep your mouth shut!¡± He wanted to say something else but after losing the bet, he couldn¡¯t afford to offend her, so he remained quiet afterward. After changing into the dress, Elise hid in the dressing room with her makeup and simply adjusted her wig to make herself look slightly better than usual. In the end, she nodded her head with satisfaction. ¡°Alright. That¡¯ll be enough.¡± At 7 PM, the lively banquet at the Griffith Residence was already filled with people. 3/5 The Griffith Family had a high status in the city, so everyone they invited was a prominent figure in the business world and the city. Presently, everyone was gathering together to chat with each other. As the main focus of the event, Elise entered the hall alongside Danny. The moment they came in, they immediately attracted the eyes of everyone else. ¡°Is that Young Master Danny? He really looks like a talented young man.¡± ¡°Who is that girl next to him? Why have I never seen her before?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with her, but she must be someone special to be able to stand next to Young Master Danny.¡± Even if Elise had an unpleasant-looking face, the people around her didn¡¯t pay much attention to it because they were all busy guessing which wealthy family she came from that enabled her to enter the hall alongside Danny. However, what they didn¡¯t expect was that not only was she able to enter the hall alongside Danny, she was also close with the patriarch of the Griffith Family-Jonah. ¡°Ellie,e here. I want to introduce you to some of my friends.¡± Jonah quickly waved at her the moment he saw her. She quietly walked over to him and said affectionately, ¡°Alright, Grandpa.¡± ¡°Come, Ellie! This is Mr. Baldwin and he is a friend of the Griffith Family.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, Mr. Baldwin.¡± ¡°This is Mr. Watson from the Watson Corporation.¡± ¡°Hello, Mr. Watson.¡± ¡°Everyone, this is Elise Sinir. She is my granddaughter and the main focus of today¡¯s event!¡± Jonah earnestly introduced Elise to everyone. Suddenly, she felt as though she was being treated as a celebrity. ¡°I heard that Miss Sinir has gotten first ce in the city¡¯s Math Olympiad at such a young age. It¡¯s really 4/5 impressive. If you work hard in the future, you¡¯ll definitely get into a good university.¡± ¡°Thank you for your kind words. I¡¯ll try my best.¡± In the end, Elise got to know a lot of people in the business world with Jonah but as she didn¡¯t want to socialize in the first ce, she quickly found an opportunity to leave the main hall and sat on a stone bench in the backyard to have a rest. Chapter 35 Chapter 35 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 35 Elise stood next to a pond in the Griffith Residence¡¯s huge garden, feeling the pleasant evening breeze blowing at her. Just when she sat down on the bench, Jamie came out of nowhere and patted her shoulder before sitting beside her. ¡°Boss, did youe here to hide?¡± She was a little surprised to find him here. ¡°Why are you here?¡± He shrugged his shoulders and answered, ¡°My old man has something else to attend to, so he sent me here.¡± The Keller Family also had a high status in the city while also having a business rtionship with the Griffith Family, so it wasn¡¯t a surprise that his family received an invitation. ¡°By the way.¡± He looked around and purposely lowered his voice. ¡°Alexander¡¯s people have stopped looking for you, so they probably won¡¯t be looking for you anytime soon.¡± SOON ¡°I hope so. From now on, I want you to reject any offer for me to join a car race no matter the price.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Boss. I understand.¡± After that, he stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯m going inside now. We shouldn¡¯t be seen together.¡± Elise hummed and he quickly went inside. However, the moment he left, another unwanted visitor came over to her. It was none other than Ashlyn. With a bright smile, she walked over to Elise. ¡°Congrats for winning the Math Olympiad, Elise.¡± Elise was not close with her, so she politely replied, ¡°Thank you.¡± However, Ashlyn smiled and sat next to her. ¡°Actually, I understand your concerns. Youe from a poor family in the countryside, so you think that it is impossible for you to marry into the Griffith Family solely based on your All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. identity even though you are lucky enough to gain Grandpa Griffith¡¯s appreciation. That is why you work hard on your studies because it is the only way for you to gain any status. Am I right?¡± Listening to her, Elise remained emotionless as she neither agreed nor refuted herments. 1/4 To her, the opinion of an outsider didn¡¯t matter at all. Besides, she didn¡¯t n to marry into the Griffith Family since she only promised Robin to stay here for a year. As long as she didn¡¯t have any feelings for the Griffiths, she could leave immediately. Seeing that she was being ignored, Ashlyn was a little annoyed inside, but she remained calm and revealed a slight smirk. ¡°If I were you, I wouldn¡¯t waste my energy studying all these pointless things. Instead, I would find myself a better cosmetic surgeon..¡± She was obviously making fun of Elise¡¯s looks. Va ¡°Ashlyn, don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a bit harsh? Why are people from the countryside inferior to others? Or are you saying having a pretty face is a nice stepping stone on being sessful? I¡¯m sorry, but our views don¡¯t align with each other, so there¡¯s no point in continuing this conversation.¡± After that, Elise stood up and was about to leave, but Ashlyn halted her. ¡°Elise, don¡¯t think that you can do whatever you want just because Grandpa Griffith favors you. I can still ruin your reputation with a snap of my fingers.¡± ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± The moment her words came out, Ashlyn saw someone from the corner of her eye. Instantly, she revealed a teasing smile and pushed herself using Elise¡¯s hand. Elise instinctively tried to grab her, but it was toote. With a ssh, Ashlyn fell into the pond. ¡°Help! Please save me! Help!¡± She kept on crying for help while struggling in the water. Before Elise could understand what was going on, someone came over, took off his jacket and jumped into the pond to save Ashlyn. ¡°Elise, I did nothing wrong to you, so why did you push me?!¡± Ashlyn immediately questioned as soon as she came up. Jack, who saved her, remained silent as he gave Ashlyn his jacket to put on. Then, he red at Elise and uttered coldly, ¡°Apologize to her.¡± 2/4 With a cold smile, Elise ignored him and stared at Ashlyn. ¡°So this is your n. How childish can you be?¡± Unexpectedly, Ashlyn lowered her head and began to cry pitifully. Even if she wasn¡¯t saying anything, she perfectly portrayed the aggrieved emotions of a victim. ¡°Apologize to her.¡± Jack grabbed Elise¡¯s wrist and ordered her to apologize again. She looked at him with a proud expression and said, ¡°I did nothing wrong, so why should I apologize?¡± Meanwhile, Ashlyn tugged on the corner of Jack¡¯s shirt. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I believe that she didn¡¯t do it on purpose.¡± ¡°No. Elise, this is yourst chance. Apologize to her.¡± Jack was growing impatient with Elise¡¯s indifferent attitude. ¡°Elise Sinir!¡± Elise, however, took a deep breath and replied, ¡°I told you that I did nothing wrong. Why should I apologize?¡± Then, Ashlyn let out a sneeze, so Jack quickly went over to help her. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you in to change your clothes.¡± She gave him a quick reply and let him help her upstairs to a bedroom. Before they left, Jack turned around and red at Elise with a strong warning in his eyes. ¡°You¡¯ll apologize to herter.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Elise shouted to halt him. She had a strong sense of principle, so she wouldn¡¯t allow anyone to nder her. ¡°Let¡¯s clear everything up before you leave.¡± ¡°Elise, what are you trying to do? Ashlyn¡¯s clothes arepletely soaked, so she must change her clothes immediately.¡± At that point, Jack had lost all his patience. ¡°That is her own fault. It has nothing to do with me. Now, I want to clear my name,¡± she announced seriously, showing no signs of backing down. ¡°You want to clear your name, right? We¡¯ll do it in front of Grandpa, then.¡± They didn¡¯t cause a hugemotion in the garden, but they still attracted the attention of many guests since 3/4 Jack was an eye-catching celebrity Gradually, the guests gathered around them. Ashlyn could feel the gazes of everyone around her, so she instinctively hid inside Jack¡¯s arms. Holding her, he was about to bring her away from the scene, but his path was blocked by Elise. ¡°I told you that you can leave when I clear my name first.¡± ¡°What are you all doing?¡± Jonah came over with the crowd. Seeing himing over, Ashlyn took the chance to speak first with an aggrieved tone. ¡°Grandpa Griffith!¡± Looking at her wet clothes, Jonah asked with concern, ¡°What happened? Why are your clothes all wet? Go and get a set of clean clothes for Miss Lawson.¡± After hearing his orders, the maid quickly went to get a set of clothes. In the meantime, Jack was staring coldly at Elise as he uttered calmly, ¡°Grandpa, it was Elise. She pushed Ashlyn into the pond. Luckily, I came here in time to prevent any idents.¡± His words immediately caused an uproar. Suddenly, everyone began to whisper among themselves while ncing at Elise. Chapter 36 Chapter 36 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 36 As for Jonah, he wasn¡¯t fazed by Jack¡¯s words at all. Instead, he looked at Elise and asked, ¡°Ellie, what happened?¡± She pouted her lips aggrievedly and exined everything to him. ¡°I didn¡¯t push her She jumped into the pond by herself.¡± Seeing her making an excuse, Jack was immediately enraged. ¡°Elise, I really don¡¯t know you anymore. How could you not admit to your own doing?¡± ¡°What did I do wrong? Did you see me push her into the pond with your very own eyes?¡± Elise countered. Her words instantly startled him. Jack was standing some distance away from them just now, so he didn¡¯t hear their conversation. However, he could see them pushing each other in the end, which resulted in Ashlyn falling into the pond. After that, Ashlyn med Elise for pushing her, so he automatically assumed that she was telling the truth. Seeing that Jack was rendered speechless, Jonah turned toward Ashlyn. The Lawson Family was also considered as old friends of the Griffith Family, and Jonah had watched Ashlyn grow up ever since she was a child, so he asked her, ¡°Ashlyn, can you tell me what happened?¡± The moment his words came out, Ashlyn began to shed some tears, which eventually dripped on the ground. If any ordinary person saw her expression, they would definitely feel sorry for her, but Jonah was an experienced man who had seen and met all kinds of people in his life, so he was able to see through her act. However, to preserve the reputation of the Lawson Family, he asked again, ¡°You can tell me anything. I¡¯ll do everything I can to make it up to you.¡± Listening to his words, she burst into tears. ¡°Grandpa Griffith, I¡¯m fine¡­ It¡¯s all my fault¡­ Please don¡¯t me it all on Elise. I believe that she didn¡¯t do it on purpose.¡± Ashlyn kept on asking Jonah not to put all the me on Elise, but her words were obviously saying that she was the guilty party. ¡°Are you saying that Ellie pushed you into the pond?¡± Without saying a word, Ashlyn gently nodded her head. ¡°Grandpa, I didn¡¯t-¡± Elise tried to exin herself, but Jonah interrupted her. Then, he said to Ashlyn, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I definitely can¡¯t allow you to be wronged. However, I must find out the truth before making a decision.¡± ¡°Grandpa, Ashlyn already told you what happened, so why are you¡ª¡±Before Jack could finish his words, Jonah red at him, causing him to swallow his words. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Everyone, I¡¯m sorry for the embarrassment. This is just a children¡¯s argument, but I would like everyone to be the judge here. If my granddaughter, Elise, actually did such a thing, I¡¯ll definitely handle it fairly and give justice to the victim.¡± Seeing that Jonah was no longer addressing her by her name but calling her the victim, Ashlyn somehow felt worried deep down, She wanted to say something else, but he didn¡¯t give her the chance. ¡°Even though there isn¡¯t much in the Griffith Residence, we still have basic security measures installed everywhere. In this back garden, we have installed several surveince cameras, so please follow me to the hall. We will understand the ins and outs of this matter together so that a fair judgment can be made for these two.¡± As soon as Ashlyn heard his words, she could feel her leg melting while her expression instantly changed. She subconsciously tugged Jack¡¯s shirt and stuttered, ¡°Tell Grandpa Griffith there¡¯s no need for that. I¡­ I know that Elise didn¡¯t do it on purpose. I don¡¯t me her.¡± Hearing her words, Jack furrowed his brows tightly but since they were friends for many years, he still chose to believe her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ashlyn. Grandpa promised that he won¡¯t allow you to be wronged, so we¡¯ll just leave it to the truth.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± She wanted to say something else but since no one was listening to her, she had no choice but to follow everyone to the hall, At the moment, the hall was filled with people staring at a big screen. Alexander, who just arrived at the scene, asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± A maid whispered to him, ¡°I heard that Miss Sinir pushed Miss Lawson into the pond, so Mr. Griffith is now checking the surveince video.¡± Immediately, Alexander raised his brows slightly. Why would Elise do such a thing? What is she plotting? After knowing what happened in the back garden, Jamie quickly went to Elise and asked, ¡°Boss, are you alright?¡± Suddenly, thetter realized that the surveince video might have captured her conversation with Jamie in the garden moments ago, so she whispered something in his ear. After understanding her orders, he quickly slipped out of the crowd. Meanwhile, everyone in the hall was staring at the big screen, waiting for an answer. Two minutester, the big screen suddenly turned ck. ¡°What happened?¡± someone asked. Looking at the big screen, Ashlyn breathed a sigh of relief, but she waspletely unaware that Jack had narrowed his eyes after seeing her reaction. About 30 secondster, the big screen was back operating as usual. The scene of the back garden was shown on the screen again, but there was no footage of Elise and Jamie together. Instead, the video jumped straight to Ashlyn¡¯s conversation with Elise. ¡°Actually, I understand your concerns. You came from a poor family in the countryside, so you think that it is impossible for you to marry into the Griffith Family solely based on your identity even though you are lucky enough to gain Grandpa Griffith¡¯s appreciation¡ª¡± Ashlyn¡¯s voice rang in everyone¡¯s ear, causing her to stumble, her face pale. ¡°If I were you, I wouldn¡¯t waste my energy studying all these pointless things. Instead, I would find myself a better cosmetic surgeon¡­ Elise, don¡¯t think that you can do whatever you want just because Grandpa Griffith favors you. I can still ruin your reputation with a snap of my fingers.¡± Listening to her own words, Ashlyn quickly covered her ears while the screen showed her pulling Elise¡¯s hand before jumping into the pond. It was at that moment that the truth was finally revealed. Jack was speechless as he stared at Ashlyn in disbelief. ¡°I-It¡¯s not what it seems. Jack, you have to believe me.¡± She went over and grabbed his arm, but he immediately shook her hand away. ¡°Does this mean everything you told me just now was a lie?¡± Tears kept on rolling down her face but now, Jack thought it was extremely fake. ¡°We¡¯ve known each other for so many years. Do you know that you¡¯vepletely betrayed my trust in you?¡± ¡°Please listen to me. It¡¯s not what it seems.¡± She was still trying to defend herself as she never thought that it woulde to this. ¡°Now that the truth is revealed, I believe that you owe Ellie an apology, Miss Lawson,¡± Jonah announced seriously, without the usual kind tone he had for Ashlyn. Chapter 37 Chapter 37 Chapter 37 After watching the video, the onlooking people couldn¡¯t help but sigh while ncing at Ashlyn with scathing gazes. At this moment, she couldn¡¯t wait to bury herself inside a hole in shame. Hugh, who was Ashlyn¡¯s father, stood in the crowd with an exasperated expression. When Ashlyn saw her father, she felt as though she was clutching to a lifeboat. ¡°Dad, please help me! Please!¡± However, Hugh was filled with rage as he shook her hand away and turned toward Jonah. ¡°Mr. Griffith, I¡¯m really sorry for this embarrassment. Ashlyn just got back from abroad, so she still doesn¡¯t understand how we do things here. Again, I¡¯m sorry for the embarrassment.¡± ¡°Mr. Lawson, do you think we¡¯ll neglect all her actions because of a simple excuse like that?¡± Alexander slowly walked toward him and said that with a calm tone, but his words instantly caused Ashlyn¡¯s expressions to change drastically. ¡°Alexander, 1¡ª¡±She bit her lower lip tightly. Not only did she shoot herself in her foot, she also left a bad impression in Alexander¡¯s mind. She was really regretting her actions, but there was no way for her to turn back time. However, Alexander ignored her and said to Hugh directly, ¡°Mr. Lawson, our family is very protective of our members. No matter how useless Elise is, she is still a part of the family. Have you ever considered what implications this incident may have on the reputation of the Griffith Family?¡± Hugh initially wanted to be the peacemaker. After all, the Lawsons and the Griffiths had been friends for many years, so Jonah would consider his reputation and not look into the incident too much. Unexpectedly, Alexander, who was infamous for being difficult to deal with in the industry, suddenly appeared to handle the situation himself. If I offend Alexander today, it¡¯ll definitely affect the Lawson Family¡¯s business in the future. After weighing drawbacks, he quickly pulled Ashlyn over. ¡°I want you to apologize to Miss Sinir right now.¡± Ashlyn, however, didn¡¯t expect that her own father would give her up. ¡°Dad, what are you doing?!¡± ¡°Apologize to her now. If she generously forgives you, this matter will end here. However, if she doesn¡¯t forgive you today, you can forget about going back home tonight.¡± At first, everyone was unfazed by his words but after listening to him carefully, they couldn¡¯t help but praise him as a shrewd businessman who had been in this industry for a long time. Every one of his words was directed straight at Elise. Indirectly, he was saying that if Elise was a petty person and refused to forgive Ashlyn, she would cause Ashlyn to be cast aside by her own family. What an intelligent move! Ashlyn didn¡¯t want to apologize but at this point, she had no other choice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Sinir! I was wrong.¡± Meanwhile, Jonah squinted his eyes and remained quiet while everyone waited for Elise¡¯s answer. Elise knew that even though Jonah wanted to protect her, he wouldn¡¯t wish to turn against the Lawson Family since the two families had many years of friendship. However, she was unwilling to allow herself to be wronged as she always had a strong sense of principle. I won¡¯t mess with others if they just leave me alone, but if they think that I¡¯ll keep quiet and ept this, I must retaliate. ¡°Miss Lawson, you don¡¯t really need to apologize to me.¡± For a moment, Ashlyn was startled as she suppressed her anger and asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Nothing. I just want to tell you that I¡¯m not the person you should apologize to Firstly, you should apologize to Jack because you betrayed his trust and friendship. Secondly, you should apologize to your father because you are not the only one being embarrassed in front of everyone. Lastly, you should apologize to everyone in this hall because not only has your little act dampened everyone¡¯s mood, you¡¯ve also wasted everyone¡¯s precious time.¡± ¡°How dare¡ª¡± Ashlyn felt ashamed, but she couldn¡¯t utter a word to refute Elise¡¯s sharpments. As for the crowd, they couldn¡¯t help but feel impressed by what Elise just said, since they didn¡¯t expect this insignificant-looking girl to be this intelligent and well spoken. ¡°Mr. Griffith, your granddaughter really is something else,¡± someone praised. Listening to their praises, Jonah smiled and said, ¡°She is still a young and na?ve girl. I hope that you all can aid her in the future.¡± With that, everyone naturally understood Elise¡¯s status in the Griffith Family. It seems like Elise¡¯s status in the Griffith Family should not be underestimated. We will need to associate with her more in the future. ¡°Alright. Ellie, it¡¯s time for us to go in.¡± Jonah pulled Elise away, leaving a little leeway for the Lawson Family. Naturally, Hugh understood his intention, so when everybody left the scene, he red at Ashlyn angrily and growled, ¡°Get the hell out of here and stop embarrassing the family.¡± ¡°Dad!¡± Ashlyn muttered, feeling dissatisfied. I did nothing wrong. Why isn¡¯t my own father protecting me? Instead, he stood on Elise¡¯s side. However, Hugh ignored her and wiped off the sweat on his forehead before following the crowd into the hall. Fortunately, Ashlyn¡¯s little incident didn¡¯t affect the banquet that much. After Elise followed Jonah into the hall, many people came over to fawn on her, and she knew that it was all because Jonah protected her just now in front of everyone. Then, she nced at Alexander, who was standing gracefully among the crowd. She couldn¡¯t help but think of what he said just now, so her eyes were locked onto him for a few seconds. Suddenly, he turned around and their eyes met, so she quickly looked away, but he still walked toward her afterward. Initially, she was stunned and wanted to leave but for some reason, she felt that her legs weren¡¯t heeding to her orders. The next second, he walked over to her and asked, ¡°Are you alright?¡± She turned around and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Thank you for what you did just now.¡± However, he remained silent and stared at her. After a pause, he asked, ¡°Do Jamie and you know each other?¡± She was startled at first, but she quicklyposed herself and exined while looking at him, ¡°I just met him at the banquet. Is there a problem?¡± Alexander shook his head. Even though she did well to hide her emotions, she still couldn¡¯t escape from his constant observation. He knew that she was lying, but he chose not to dig too deep into it. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just want to warn you that Jamie might not be who you think he is. You should avoid him as much as possible.¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Ha! What is he talking about? I¡¯ve known Jamie for many years, and I know very well what kind of a person he is. Of course, she didn¡¯t say it out loud. Instead, she gave him a simple reply, acknowledging his advice. ¡°Alex!¡± Then, Jack came over and greeted Alexander first before looking at Elise apologetically. ¡°I want to apologize for what happened just now. I shouldn¡¯t have med you without figuring out the truth first.¡± Upon hearing that, Elise epted his apology. ¡°It¡¯s fine, but I hope that you¡¯ve learned your lesson.¡± Chapter 38 Chapter 38 Chapter 38 Elise was rather generous, but Jack pursed his lips and was unable to stifle the urge to exin on behalf of Ashlyn. ¡°Ashlyn is not usually like this; she is actually a really nice person. Something must have gotten into her today and caused her to behave this way, or maybe she didn¡¯t manage to control herself and did it in the spur of the moment. Elise, please don¡¯t take it to heart.¡± Judging from his words, it was obvious that Jack treated Ashlyn as a close friend and he trusted her very much, even after that sort of an incident had happened. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As long as she doesn¡¯t mess with me, I¡¯m not going to provoke her on purpose.¡± Although Elise had no intention to meddle in someone else¡¯s rtionship, this might not be the case for Ashlyn. Upon hearing that, Jack breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Thank you, Elise.¡± ¡°You are wee.¡± ¡°Alright, then. I¡¯m performing in a concert soon, so here are two VIP concert tickets for you as a token of my gratitude.¡± Elise rejected his offer this time. ¡°I¡¯ll pass. I have no intention to get involved in your matters, especially after the incidentst time. I don¡¯t want to get killed by your fans, thank you very much. You can save it for someone else who may need it.¡± ¡°Alright, then. I¡¯ll treat you to a meal someday.¡± Elise found it a good suggestion. ¡°That¡¯s nice, but you better make sure that it¡¯s good, else it won¡¯t count.¡± Upon hearing that, Jack agreed readily, ¡°Rest assured; I definitely won¡¯t let you down.¡± Then, he turned to Alexander and said, ¡°Alex, please join us when the timees. It has been such a long time since we last had a gathering. I¡¯ll find a day to host a meal and everyone can get together.¡± ¡°Hey, how could you do this? You agreed to treat me to a meal, but why are you suddenly organizing a gathering with your brothers?¡± Feeling upset, Elise red at Jack angrily, which seemed quite adorable to Alexander. Thetter raised his eyebrows and thought to himself, Why do I suddenly find Elise pretty? ¡°Ha! Don¡¯t be upset. I¡¯ll buy you another meal separately.¡± Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. It was only then that Elise was satisfied. ¡°That¡¯s more like it. Don¡¯t forget that you owe me two meals now.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. It¡¯s only two meals; I¡¯m sure that I can afford them.¡± He then turned to Alexander. ¡°Alex, will youe?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Alexander replied. ¡°I¡¯lle if I¡¯m free.¡± ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll leave it at that, then,¡± Jack murmured. After the banquet had ended, the guests returned to their respective homes. Elise returned to her room and locked the door, then sat before the dressing table to remove the ugly makeup from her face, revealing her delicate features. After applying a face mask, just as she was about to go to bed, her phone in her pocket suddenly rang It was an unknown number. She darted a suspicious nce at it and tapped on the screen to ept the call. ¡°Hello, Elise, do you remember me?¡± Upon hearing the familiar voice, she instantly knew the identity of the caller. ¡°Is that you, Beter?!¡± ¡°I recently returned to the country and I kind of missed you, so I called you. How have you beentely? Do you have time to meet up with me?¡± Elise then replied, ¡°It¡¯s rather inconvenient for me as I¡¯m currently staying with my rtives in Athesea.¡± ¡°You are in Athesea?¡± His tone revealed that he was surprised and heughed. ¡°It¡¯s such a coincidence. I¡¯m in Athesea as well. Let¡¯s meet up tomorrow.¡± With that, he sent her a location via WhatsApp and when Elise tapped on it, she found that it was actually less than a 30-minute drive away. ¡°That¡¯s quite near.¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯lle and pick you up tomorrow.¡± Elise gave it some thought and agreed. On the following day, which happened to be a weekend, Elise left the house after informing Jonah that she was going out. Instead of getting a driver from the house to chauffeur her to where she was supposed to meet Beter, she took a cab. The moment she arrived, a ck Maybach slowed down before her and the next instant, the car window was rolled down, revealing Beter¡¯s face. ¡°Get in, Elise.¡± Elise was quite surprised that he was able to recognize her under the heavy makeup. Without any hesitation, she opened the car door and hopped in, and the car sped off. Beter drove her to where he stayed. It was an old bungalow with a historical ambience. One had to bear in mind that every old bungalow had its own story, and those who were able to live in old bungalows were either from wealthy or political backgrounds. ¡°Elise, what have you been doingtely? I heard that you returned to high school and became a high school student again. Isn¡¯t that a waste of your talent?¡± ¡°Beter, stop pulling my leg. I have no other choice.¡± She knew that Beter¡¯s reason for wanting to meet up with her was never to simply catch up and chat. Hence, she asked, ¡°Beter, is there a reason you wanted to see me?¡± He chuckled, ¡°You smart*ss! I can never hide anything from you.¡± ¡°Beter, we are not strangers, so why are you being so courteous toward me? Just tell me how I can help you.¡± Beter admired how straightforward she was and went straight to the point. ¡°Indeed. I wanted to see you because I really need your help with something. I know that I won¡¯t be able to find anyone else who could outshine you when ites tonguages. Therefore, I need your help to trante a French document into both Chinese and English. I believe you are also aware of the nature of my job-although I seem like an ordinary foreignnguage teacher on the surface, I¡¯m actually part of the General Administration. Our job is highly confidential, so you have to make sure that the document is treated with the utmost confidence. Your reward will be one million. I¡¯ll transfer the amount directly into your ount after the job is done.¡± Elise listened to what he had to say and took note of the important points. Basically, she would help him to trante a French document into both Chinese and English, which she would then be rewarded with one million. Truth be told, the amount was rather tempting. However, just as what Beter had said, the job definitely wouldn¡¯t be an ordinary, simple tranting task. It was a mutual understanding that he requested for her to not only treat the document with confidentiality, but to not mention the content of the document to anyone as well. ¡°Okay, I agree to the terms. When can I start?¡± Surprised by her prompt agreement, he answered, ¡°I¡¯ll give you the physical documents shortly. Is three days sufficient for you?¡± Elise hummed in response. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Okay, please hold on for a moment.¡± With that, he rose to his full height and went upstairs, leaving Elise alone in the living room. Just then, the doorbell rang. As Beter was still upstairs, she went to open the door. However, the moment the door swung open, she was greeted by Jasmine and her parents, who were standing at the door with expensive gifts in their hands. As soon as she saw Elise, Jasmine, who was initially wearing an expectant look on her face, was stunned before she thought of something and growled, ¡°Elise, why are you here?¡± Chapter 39 Chapter 39 Chapter 39 Elise was equally surprised by their sudden appearance, but she didn¡¯t exin and merely asked, ¡°Who are you looking for?¡± Upon hearing Elise¡¯s question, the Andres immediately prevented Jasmine from showing her an attitude. Then, they responded with another question. ¡°Is this Mr. Beter¡¯s residence? We are here to see Mr. Beter.¡± Once she heard that they were here to look for Beter, Elise uttered, ¡°In that case, please hold on for a moment.¡± However, as soon as she said that, his voice was heard from behind her. ¡°Who¡¯s at the door?¡± he asked as he walked down the stairs while holding the sealed documents in his hands. When he saw that he had guests, he kept the said documents away before he headed toward the door. ¡°You must be Mr. Beter. I¡¯m Jasmine¡¯s father; I was the one who called earlier,¡± Jasmine¡¯s parents answered in a respectful manner the moment they saw the man. Their response seemed to remind Beter of something. ¡°Yes, pleasee in then.¡± Soon after that, the family of three entered the house when Jasmine couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Mr. Beter, are you going to ept Elise as your student?¡± Instead of answering her, Beter turned to Elise. ¡°Do you two know each other?¡± Elise hummed in response. ¡°We are ssmates.¡± Now that he understood the situation, he finally replied, ¡°She is not qualified to be my student.¡± Not only was her fluency in foreignnguages better than his, she was also fluent in French, German, and Italian. In fact, she was the onlynguage genius whom he had ever known in all his years of teaching. Nheless, Jasmine mistook Beter¡¯s words as Elise being unqualified to be his student due to her poor fluency innguages, which made Jasmine ted. ¡°Mr. Beter, would you ept me as your student then?¡± Beter raised his eyebrow. ¡°I recall that I¡¯ve already told your parents beforehand that whether I ept you as my student depends on whether you have the talent. I¡¯ll certainly agree if you possess a talent for languages, but if you don¡¯t, I¡¯m afraid that I have to reject your request.¡± ¡°Jasmine has always been fluent in Chinese since she was a kid, Mr. Beter. All the other teachers have praised hernguage aptitude, so please ept Jasmine as your student.¡± Elise, who didn¡¯t pay much attention to their conversation, nced at Beter and interjected, ¡°Um¡­ Mr. Better, have you prepared the documents that I need? Can you please give them to me now? I¡¯d like to head home.¡± Then, he retrieved the documents with ease from behind the television. ¡°Here you go.¡± The two of them exchanged nces wherein she immediately understood his unspoken words. She epted the documents and expressed, ¡°I shall take my leave then.¡± ¡°Let me see you out.¡± With that, Beter headed out with Elise under the watchful gaze of the Anders Family. When the Anders Family were the only ones remaining, John whispered his question to Jasmine, ¡°What¡¯s your ssmate¡¯s rtionship with Beter?¡± Jasmine bit her lips as she was puzzled by the incident as well. She had already noticed the unusual atmosphere between Beter and Elise, especially when he handed her a mysterious document. What¡¯s that document about? While she was lost in her thoughts, he had already returned and cast a nce at Jasmine before he directly voiced his thoughts. ¡°Personally, I stress on a student¡¯s talent a lot when ites to selecting students. How about this? We will put your skills to the test.¡± As he was speaking, he casually picked up a piece of A4 paper, which was full of Chinese words, from his desk and handed it to her. ¡°I¡¯ll give you 15 minutes to trante this.¡± Jasmine collected her thoughts and instantly replied, ¡°Sure.¡± Then, she took that piece of paper to one side and carefully tranted the material. The first few sentences that she started on were as easy as pie and she managed toplete them with little effort. However, when she reached the third or fourth line, she found the words a little tough to trante. Yet, as she continued, she stumbled upon a number of professional terms, which caused her to break out in sweat as she was unable topletely trante those terms. Soon, the time was up and she handed her work to Beter. However, he had a general idea of her current level with a mere nce. ¡°Your foundation is fine, but your professional vocabry is very muchcking. Let¡¯s test your speaking skills then.¡± Then, he retrieved a book and asked Jasmine to read a passage. As a matter of fact, her Chinese pronunciation was quite alright but she had a strong ent, just like most children from their country. It was slightly different from what the native speakers spoke in After hearing that, hemented, ¡°Your child has good basics, but she won¡¯t be able to keep up with my teaching. I¡¯m afraid that learning from me would only dy her progress, so I suggest that you find another teacher for her.¡± Jasmine felt like a bucket of cold water was poured in her direction to extinguish all her hopes. Her parents were shocked by Beter¡¯s unhesitating rejection. ¡°Mr. Beter, please reconsider your decision. My child is really an intelligent kid; you really should consider again.¡± Although Beter himself was aware that being honest would hurt their feelings, he was used to speaking his mind and disliked beating around the bush. ¡°Talent ys an important role in learning a foreign language and apparently, your child¡¯s talent isn¡¯t particrly outstanding. On the other hand, I¡¯m extremely strict when ites to epting students. I¡¯m sorry, but your child doesn¡¯t meet my requirements.¡± ¡°How well do I have to be in order to meet your requirements?¡± a stubborn Jasmine asked in her persistence. He pursed his lips and replied, ¡°Elise is your ssmate, right? If your speaking skill is at her level, I would probably consider epting you.¡± After hearing Beter¡¯s reply, she was stupefied. The whole purpose of hering to him to learn Chinese was to surpass Elise in thenguage. In fact, Jasmine had personally felt that she was on the same level as Elise, but he made it clear that she was nowhere as good. ¡°Would you please give her another chance?¡± Jasmine¡¯s parents persisted, but as someone who stuck to his decision, he refused to give them even a glimmer of hope. After that, she left Beter¡¯s house with her head bowed as thoughts raced in her mind. Lastly, her gaze darkened as if she had already made up her mind on something. As she held the documents that Beter gave her, Elise headed straight for home. It was only after she locked herself in her room that she opened the document. It was a 30-page document fully written in French, which she started to trante without any further dy. After some time, she heard a knock at the door. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± The maid answered, ¡°Miss Sinir, sir has asked me to bring you drinks.¡± Elise put down her pen and used something to hide the document before opening the door. ¡°Hand me the drink.¡± Without giving the maid any chance to enter the room, Elise took the beverage and immediately closed the door. Her action was indicative of her being on guard. It was after she drank her beverage that she continued with her trantion. Although she had busied herself until dusk, she had only managed to finish tranting one-third of the said document. Then, she tucked it away before washing up and going to bed. It was a Monday morning when the air was fresh and the day was bright. As soon as Elise arrived at the schoolpound, Mika waved at her from not far away. ¡°Elise!¡± Elise smiled and approached her. ¡°Good morning, Mika.¡± Mika held Elise¡¯s hand and asked in a soft voice, ¡°Have youpleted your Maths homework?¡±Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how to answer thest two questions.¡± A pitiful look appeared on Mika¡¯s face as she whimpered. ¡°Please let me copy yours.¡± Elise rubbed Mika¡¯s head. ¡°I¡¯ll teach youter.¡± Upon hearing that, Mika¡¯s eyes lit up with excitement. ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Chapter 40 Chapter 40 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 40 Hence, the two of them chatted andughed while they headed toward the school building. Jasmine had seen them from afar and followed them all the way to their ssroom before she casually went to her seat while intermittently ncing at Elise. On the other hand, Elise attentively taught Mika how to solve the problems. As Elise¡¯s methods were clear and concise, Mika managed to grasp the concept after only listening once. ¡°Elise, you are amazing. Your method is way easier than what the Maths teacher taught.¡± ¡°Yes, just look at it from another angle and you will be fine once you understand it.¡± ¡°I might as well quit tuition since learning from you will definitely be more effective.¡± Mikamented, wearing a look of admiration on her face. At this moment, she returned to her seat as their Maths teacher had already entered the ssroom. Since Elise had mastered the high school curriculum, she set aside the mathematics textbook on the desk and continued to trante her document. The Maths teacher, who viewed Elise as a bright student who deserved extra attention, naturally kept an eye on her. As such, when she realized that Elise wasn¡¯t paying attention in ss, she was annoyed and snarled, ¡°Elise, pleasee forward to exin this question to your fellow ssmates.¡± Upon hearing her name being called, a stunned Elise nonchntly raised her eyes and cast a nce at the question on the ckboard before she stood up. Before she could say anything, the Maths teacher added, ¡°Come to the stage and show the calction to ss.¡± Elise walked up to the stage. After another brief nce at the question, she took the chalk and swiftly wrote down the steps andpleted the question in less than a minute. The Maths teacher was dumbstruck as the difficulty of the question was totally beyond the students¡¯ sybus. Yet, Elise was able to solve it without spending much time thinking about it. She then checked the steps and found no errors, which proved that Elise¡¯s ability allowed her not to pay attention in ss. ¡°Elise¡¯s method and steps of solving the question are urate. All of you should learn from her.¡± The truth was that ever since the episode, the Maths teacher never called Elise anymore to solve questions in front of the ss. Thest period in the morning was physical education. All the students changed into their sports attire in the changing room before heading to the field-except Jasmine. When her ssmates had all left, she furtively walked up to Elise¡¯s seat and opened her bag. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What are these?¡± Jasmine perused Elise¡¯s document that was all in French, which she understood nothing about. ¡°Haha, Elise surely is pretentious.¡± She contemted for a while before she made up her mind and decided that nothing could go wrong, so she took out the document. After the physical education ss, Elise and Mika returned to the ssroom together. As soon as they stepped into the ssroom, a piece of A4 paper flew toward them. ¡°Who is littering?¡± The moment Mika asked that question, Elise abruptly bent down to pick up the A4 paper and tightly clutched it in her hands while her expression instantly fell. She raised her eyes a second, only to find that her documents were scattered all over the ssroom-the one that Beter had asked her to keep highly confidential. Without a second of hesitation, she quickly collected all the A4 papers on the floor. Meanwhile, Jasmine, together with her gang, arrogantly looked down at her with a scornful smile by her lips. ¡°Elise, are these papers yours?¡± Elise ignored thement, but Jasmine was unable to stifle herughter as she picked up thest piece of A4 paper by her feet. ¡°What is written on the papers? Tell us.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I don¡¯t understand what is written on them. Could it be that you understand French?¡± Rita echoed. Elise then snatched the document in Jasmine¡¯s hand and grimly questioned, ¡°Was it you who did this?¡± Jasmine avoided her gaze. ¡°Elise, don¡¯t me the innocent.¡± Upon hearing that, Elise scoffed while appraising Jasmine from head to toe. ¡°You better pray that it was not your doing. Otherwise, you are dead meat.¡± ¡°Elise, what do you think you are doing? We are ssmates. How could you say such awful words?¡± Rita fumed, thinking that Elise was being a little aggressive. ¡°Do you really think that it wasn¡¯t too much to do this?¡± Elise responded with a question while she had an icy gaze, which made Rita shudder involuntarily. ¡°It wasn¡¯t my doing, so what does that have to do with me?¡± Rita returned to her own seat after she replied whereas Jasmine feigned that nothing had happened and calmly returned to her ce. Elise ignored them both and took out her phone to make a call. ¡°Jamie, bring myptop over here. I need it right now.¡± Jamie, who initially intended to have lunch with his friends, knew that something was wrong the moment he heard her tone, ¡°Boss, who has angered you? I¡¯lle over right away.¡± ¡°You have 15 minutes to bring myptop over. Forget about it if you arete.¡± After saying that, she immediately killed the call. With a dark expression, she organized the documents that she picked up from the floor. Fortunately, there were no missing pages. No matter who is the culprit this time, I¡¯ll make sure that this person will be dead! The speedy Jamie rushed to Elise¡¯s ssroom within 10 minutes. As he panted, he handed her the laptop. ¡°Boss, here¡¯s your stuff.¡± She took the device and quickly switched it on. Her fingers swiftly danced on the keyboard and after two minutes, she managed to retrieve the footage of the security camera positioned to capture the corridor outside the ssroom. In less than 5 minutes, she managed to identify the culprit-the security footage was paused at the very scene when Jasmine exited the ssroom. ¡°Boss, is this the girl who angered you?¡± he carefully asked. When Elise hummed in response, he immediately volunteered, ¡°Boss, let me settle this.¡± Elise swiftly rotated theptop so that the screen faced him. ¡°Sure. I shall leave it to you this time.¡± ¡°Rest assured. It¡¯s me you are leaving the matter to, after all.¡± Jamie then nced at the image of Jasmine on the screen while a hint of mischief shed across his eyes. A momentter, he started investigating her background and managed to uncover everything about her family. Meanwhile, Jasmine had no idea that her action hadpletely enraged Elise. She was currently badmouthing Elise with a few students, whom she enjoyed joking with, in a restaurant in the school. ¡°That country bumpkin acted as if she was someone special, but the moment we questioned her, she revealed her true self.¡± ¡°She did not even dare to say a word; she must be feeling guilty. However, I¡¯m quite curious as to who on earth would actually do such a thing,¡± one of the students replied. Jasmine tried to conceal her unnatural expression as shemented, ¡°Who knows? There are plenty of people who dislike her. It must have been a punishment from a righteous hero.¡± ¡°I see. Elise¡¯s gaze just now was so terrifying that it actually frightened me. I can¡¯t seem to get it out of my head.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s drop this. A mere country bumpkin like her is nothing to be afraid of. Let¡¯s not overthink this.¡± As Jasmine spoke, the phone in her pocket rang. She cast a nce at the caller ID and answered the call in displeasure, ¡°Why did you call? What¡¯s the matter?¡± Chapter 41 Chapter 41 Chapter 41 A worried John was frantic as he waited by the phone. For some reason, the value of hispany shares suddenly plunged by three hundred points before it came to a trading halt half an hourter. As a result of this, thepany¡¯s worth had instantly dropped by a few billion. Furthermore, he had also received a phone call from a stranger. The said person mentioned that the reason for hispany losing money was because of his darling daughter, which was why John was currently on the phone with Jasmine. ¡°Jas, did you offend anyone at school recently?¡± A surprised Jasmine paused for a moment before reacting indignantly, ¡°What do you mean by that?! How could I possibly have offended anyone?!¡± All of a sudden, Elise¡¯s name came to mind but shortly after that, Jasmine brushed it off and thought, Elise¡¯s just a country bumpkin, so how could our fight have possibly alerted Dad?! She then subsequently disregarded Elise. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯ve been listening to those nonsensical rumors out there?! I¡¯ve been following your advice at school and been on good terms with all of my ssmates. By the way, I¡¯m having lunch with my ssmates right now.¡± ¡°Alright then. It¡¯s good to know that you¡¯ve been behaving yourself. However, I¡¯m warning you, you must treat your ssmates nicely and maintain good ties with everyone.¡± ¡°Sure, I know that.¡± Jasmine was evidently quite annoyed at this point, but she didn¡¯t forget to remind, ¡°My pocket money for this month is running low.¡± When he heard that, John felt his head pounding, but he didn¡¯t reject her request. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll transfer you some moneyter on.¡± ¡°Thanks, Dad.¡± After Jasmine hung up the phone, she turned to her sidekicks and suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s skip this afternoon¡¯s ss to go shopping.¡± Meanwhile, Rita hesitated, ¡°P-Perhaps we shouldn¡¯t?¡± Jasmine retorted, ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. I thought that you wanted a Chanel No. 5 Eau de Toilette? How can I buy it for you if you don¡¯t join us?¡± Rita then gritted her teeth in determination. ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s go together.¡± Upon hearing that, Jasmine smiled in response and it was evident that she was in good spirits. However, she waspletely unaware of the situation that befell Anders Group. John was rubbing his temples with a pained look. Meanwhile, his secretary gingerly reported the situation, ¡°President Anders, thepany¡¯s cash flow is at a critically low level and we¡¯re on the brink of bankruptcy. There are quite a few projects that we still need to finance. The bunch of people working on it has started to kick up a fuss.¡± The moment he heard the report, John felt his blood pressure rising. ¡°What did you just say?! How could this have happened all of a sudden?!¡± ¡°Actually, this isn¡¯t a recent issue. We have faced a capital chain rupture before, but our regr customers have maintained a working rtionship with us out of trust all along. However, as the As soon as John heard that, he was so angered that he threw all of the documents onto the ground. ¡°Imbeciles! Go and discuss with the banks about the issue with our cash flow! Why are you still standing here?!¡± The trembling secretary slowly backed out of the room. As for John, he was on the verge of losing his cool, yet he still remembered to tap on his phone and transfer a sum of about tens of thousands to Jasmine. As soon as she received the money in her bank ount, she beamed widely and immediately went shopping with her sidekicks in tow. ¡°Boss, don¡¯t you worry. In less than three days, the Anders Family will be rendered bankrupt and their business will no longer exist.¡± Jamie was full of ttery. ¡°Hey, do you feel less upset now?¡± Meanwhile, Elise grunted with an indifferent expression as her anger had subsided significantly ¡°Hehe! Then, let¡¯s have lunch together. I¡¯ve heard of this newly-opened restaurant that serves great food.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. I want toplete some work. Why don¡¯t you head over to enjoy your lunch?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a good idea! Boss, food is our body¡¯s fuel, so it¡¯s not good to skip meals. Since it¡¯s my treat, you should take the opportunity to have avish meal.¡± Elise couldn¡¯t resist smacking Jamie lightly on his forehead. ¡°Okay then, I¡¯ll choose something spectacr for lunch.¡± Then, she tidied her documents and ced everything carefully into her bag. When she was done, she followed him and they walked out of the ssroom. Soon after that, he drove out of the school grounds with her in his ostentatious-looking pink Lamborghini. Anders Group was a well-known corporation in the city, but its share prices continued to plummet until trading came to a halt in merely two days. Moreover, a whistleblower came forward and revealed that the company was currently unable to service its debts. As a result, the relevant government departments came forward to take action by investigating the ims. This came as a huge blow to the Anders Group, which basically crippled them. Meanwhile, Elise was unconcerned about the oue of the Anders Group. At this point in time, she had already managed to trante Beter¡¯s entire document. ¡°Beter, this is what you were after.¡± He was quite shocked at the speed she produced the work. ¡°It¡¯s only been two days since you received this. Man, you¡¯re exceptionally gifted withnguages.¡± However, she exined, ¡°I was worried that there would be issues if I dragged things any longer. So, I rushed toplete this before the deadline. Take a look and make sure that everything¡¯s fine. However, I need to apologize to you; due to personal reasons, there¡¯s been a third party who had ess to the document. However, she¡¯s just a high school student, so I don¡¯t think that she knew what it was about. The thing is that I can¡¯t guarantee everything will be perfectly fine. As a token of my apology, you can deduct half of my pay this time.¡± Upon hearing Elise¡¯s words, Beter couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Your current words seem to imply that I¡¯m a stranger. I believe that with you around, the details of this document would definitely be kept confidential. We¡¯ve known each other for so long that there¡¯s really no need to resort to all this.¡± Meanwhile, Elise pursed her lips and promised, ¡°You have my word that the details of this document will remain confidential. If there are any issues that arise from this, I will take full responsibility for it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy enough to take your word for it.¡± Then, he took out his cell phone and dialed a number as he spoke. In less than two minutes, she received a notification that there was money being transferred into her bank ount Elise went to the bank after leaving Beter¡¯s house and she instantly transferred part of her pay to a charity organization. After she¡¯d done all that, she was just about to head home when she noticed a familiar-looking car parked by the curb as she walked out of the bank. It was Alexander talking on the phone inside the car. She initially feigned that she didn¡¯t see him and turned to leave. However, he yelled her name, ¡°Hey, Elise Sinir!¡± All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. A resigned Elise stopped in her tracks and she turned around. ¡°It¡¯s such a coincidence to see you here too.¡± At that moment, Alexander was in the midst of a conversation with his personal assistant on the phone with the loudspeaker option being activated. The personal assistant¡¯s voice rang out, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, President Griffith. I¡¯m stuck on the motorway because there¡¯s been a multiple-vehicle ident, so I reckon that the traffic will be quite congested for the time being. I¡¯m not sure when I¡¯ll be able to arrive.¡± Alexander paused for a moment to think before he responded instantaneously, ¡°Forget about it then.¡± He hung up the phone immediately after that. ¡°Elise,e over here.¡± He spoke with a demanding tone that Elise hated, but out of respect for him, she nevertheless approached and asked, ¡°Do you need something?¡± ¡°Get inside the car.¡± His blunt words were quite perplexing to her. It then suddenly dawned upon her as she asked again, ¡°Do you intend to give me a ride home? That¡¯s just nice. I guess I won¡¯t have to call for a cab.¡± Upon saying that, Elise opened the door and entered the car. Meanwhile, Alexander didn¡¯t bother to provide any exnation. The driver instantly started the ignition and drove off. She had assumed that Alexander was about to send her home, but as soon as the vehicle started to move, he immediately threw a stack of documents at her. ¡°These are the details of our negotiation with Mr. Sylvesterter. Have a look.¡± A confused Elise shifted her head to the side to look at him. ¡°Why are you showing me this?¡± Chapter 42 Chapter 42 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 42 ¡°My personal assistant can¡¯t make it on short notice, so I¡¯ll need your help.¡± ¡°Are you asking me to act as your personal assistant?¡± an uncertain Elise asked again. Alexander responded with a grunt and replied, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to bother you.¡± At that point, she couldn¡¯t think of any reason to reject him. Furthermore, she recalled the help he previously gave during the Mathematics Olympiad and naturally agreed to him. Then, she started to flick through the documents in her hands to study them. Shortly after that, the car came to a halt in front of a five-star hotel in town. She then followed behind him as they entered the ce. While they were inside the elevator, she took a look at herself in the mirror and: instinctively adjusted the ck-rimmed spectacles on the bridge of her nose. However, soon after that, he turned around and scrutinized her appearance before he noted, ¡°You should spend some time making yourself presentable next time. After all, good looks can be an advantage to females.¡± Elise was about to rebuke Alexander, but she only stifled her words as the elevator doors had suddenly opened. Nheless, she red at his back and muttered, ¡°Well, if you think that I¡¯m not presentable, then you should seek help from someone else.¡± ¡°What are you waiting for? Hurry up and get over here.¡± In response, she unwillingly headed toward him before the two of them entered arge private room. As soon as he entered the room, the other party instantly greeted him with enthusiasm, ¡°Mr. Griffith, it¡¯s great to meet you.¡± Meanwhile, Alexander made a slight gesture and lightly shook the person¡¯s hand. ¡°Mr. Sylvester, thanks for waiting.¡± Mr. Sylvester smiled. ¡°I didn¡¯t wait for too long either as I arrived not long ago.¡± As he said that, he shifted his gaze toward Elise, but it was a brief nce before he shifted his gaze. Obviously, one could sense that he wasn¡¯t exceptionally pleased with how she looked. Nheless, she was quite indifferent to his reaction and followed Alexander¡¯s footsteps before she took a seat by his side. ¡°Mr. Griffith, who¡¯s thisdy here?¡± Mr. Ford from Eureka Corporation couldn¡¯t help but question. Alexander briefly introduced, ¡°This is my personal assistant, Miss Sinir.¡± Elise tilted her head to greet them. ¡°Mr. Sylvester, Mr. Ford, nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Oh. So, she¡¯s your personal assistant, but she looks underaged,¡± Mr. Ford eximed jovially as he tantly scrutinized her. Meanwhile, she felt quite ufortable with the way he looked at her. However, as she had naturally agreed to help Alexander, she didn¡¯t reveal a hint of displeasure but responded, ¡°Mr. Ford, you must be kidding. I¡¯ve already graduated from university.¡± Although Elise was merely stating the truth, it was evident that everyone present, including Alexander- didn¡¯t believe her words. Despite that, none of them made it known. ¡°Mr. Griffith, let¡¯s discuss the contract.¡± Mr. Sylvester signaled for his secretary to hand the document that they had brought over. Everyone wore a solemn look as they started to talk about work. Elise performed her job quite well as Alexander¡¯s personal assistant and she managed to handle all of the questions directed toward her by the other party. She was exceptionally capable at her job and was even the epitome of a professional from the corporate world, which was a surprise to Alexander Finally, their food was served at a time when they were almost done with their discussion. ¡°Waiter, could you get me the wine that I have stored with you guys?¡± Mr. Sylvester asked generously and turned to Alexander with a smile. ¡°Mr. Griffith, let¡¯s confirm the contract terms. I¡¯ll ask the legal team to draft the contract once I head back and we can sign it after that.¡± Alexander responded, ¡°Sure. Thanks for all the hard work.¡± Mr. Sylvester replied humbly, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Thanks for giving me the chance and I¡¯ll make sure we won¡¯t disappoint you. I hope we can work well together.¡± As soon as he said that, he raised his ss of wine to propose a toast and downed the contents. As for Elise, upon noticing that the contract was basically a sealed deal, she heaved a sigh of relief. She was also ravenous, so she focused on her meal and even enjoyed it. After a few rounds of toasts, it was only natural for everyone to consume some alcohol. Alexander then rose to his full height to head to the washroom. As soon as Mr. Ford from Eureka Corporation noticed Alexander¡¯s absence, he became much more emboldened, especially when he had consumed alcohol. He instantly stumbled over to Elise with a ss of wine in his hand. ¡°Hey, Miss Sinir, have a drink with me.¡± Mr. Ford¡¯s breath reeked of stale alcohol, which caused her to frown ufortably. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Ford. I don¡¯t normally drink alcohol.¡± His expression darkened as Elise rejected his request. ¡°Just do as you¡¯re told and drink this! Stop giving me all sorts of excuses. Do you know that I can get Mr. Griffith to fire you just by asking him to do so?¡± Subsequently, Mr. Ford forcefully filled her ss with wine. Meanwhile, Mr. Sylvester, who was by the side, feigned ignorance. After all, to the likes of them, she was a mere personal assistant. Furthermore, she was rather ugly-looking, so it was obvious that she should feel honored to be invited to drink with them. Besides, Alexander would definitely choose to turn a blind eye for the sake of their coboration ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Ford. I really can¡¯t take alcohol,¡± Elise politely rejected once again. However, the man merely smiled and stretched out with an arm to drape it around her shoulder. ¡°Miss Sinir, you really shouldn¡¯t test my patience.¡± Elise¡¯s expression darkened as well before she abruptly pushed his arm away. At that point, she was significantly displeased. ¡°Mr. Ford, please have some self-respect.¡± As soon as she said that, he was evidently quite upset. ¡°You¡¯re just a lowly personal assistant! How dare you talk to me so insolently! You should be honored to have attracted my attention. Who do you think you are anyway?!¡± Initially, she had her reservations, but as soon as she heard his words, her temper immediately rose. ¡°I think you¡¯re the one who doesn¡¯t know your position! You¡¯re old enough to behave respectfully, yet your behavior is despicable! You¡¯re no different to a scum!¡± ¡°How dare you insult me, you b*tch!¡± Mr. Ford threw the wine bottle in his hand to the ground with such force that itnded with a resounding crash, which reverberated in the private room. As soon asThis text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Alexander heard themotion, his face was as dark as charcoal when he strode toward the room. Moments after he pushed open the door, he noticed that Mr. Ford had grabbed hold of Elise by her wrist. ¡°B*tch!¡± Mr. Ford even roared, ¡°I can¡¯t believe that you have the nerve to show your temper!¡± Meanwhile, Elise didn¡¯t expect the man toy a hand on her, but she wasn¡¯t going to suffer in silence either. With a snort, she lifted her foot and kicked him on his crotch. As a result, there was a loud, painful moan that echoed in the room. Alexander then stepped forward and stood protectively in front of her. Then, he gave Mr. Ford a cold re before asking, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Mr. Sylvester, who had remained silent all this while, hastily came forward and exined, ¡°It¡¯s just a misunderstanding. Mr. Griffith, don¡¯t take offense. She¡¯s just a lowly personal assistant, so why don¡¯t you hand her over to us?¡± §Ñ ¡°Hand her over?!¡± Alexander emphasized on those three words as his expression became thunderous. He stared at Mr. Ford, who was currently groaning in pain, before he lifted his foot and delivered a hard blow on Mr. Ford without any hesitation. As Alexander had exerted force when he kicked Mr. Ford, Mr. Ford was instantly flung into the air before hended on the ground with a loud thud. Subsequently, there was a crack¡¯ sound that was indicative of a broken ribcage. Soon after that, Alexander grabbed Elise and said, ¡°I¡¯m not that worthless to resort to taking advantage of a woman and surrendering my subordinate in exchange for a coboration! From now on, the Griffith Group will cease all operations with you!¡± Upon finishing his sentence, he grabbed hold of her and strode out of the room. A panicked Mr. Sylvester rushed after them. ¡°Mr. Griffith, let¡¯s talk this through. There are some things that we shouldn¡¯t be hasty about! Give us another chance,¡± However, Alexander disregarded the man¡¯s words and escorted Elise out of the room. While she followed closely behind him, she looked at his strapping figure and felt the warmth that radiated from his palm at the same time. At that point, she felt an inexplicable sense of security and her heart frantically racing in her ribcage. Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 43 Alexander escorted Elise into the car before he instructed the driver to immediately drive off. Meanwhile, she nced at their closely intertwined fingers and instinctively tried to withdraw her hand. While the car slowly departed, neither of them said a word. There was a somber vibe that enveloped them, which continued until the car pulled into the driveway of the Griffith Residence. She finally broke the silence and said, ¡°Thanks for standing up for me earlier. Just let me know if you need my help for any company matters in the future.¡± Elise thought, If he loses this coboration because of me, then I have topensate him for his loss. However, it never crossed Alexander¡¯s mind to turn to a woman for help, so he rejected her outright. ¡°You should go home,¡± was what he replied instead. She was aware that he needed to maintain his pride and it was also a male¡¯s basic dignity to resist, so she didn¡¯t say another word. Rather, she turned around to enter the house. Elise still didn¡¯t feel at ease with things after she entered the house, so she gave Jamie a call. ¡°Hey, Jamie. If you notice that the Griffith Group is in need of some help, be sure to lend them a hand, but do it secretly so that no one realizes that you are helping them.¡± Upon hearing her words, a stunned Jamie gaped. ¡°Boss, do you have a wrong impression of Alexander? He¡¯s well-known to be a formidable opponent in the corporate world. How else do you think the Griffith Group was able to maintain its position as the leadingpany in town? He doesn¡¯t need any help from small flies like us. You should stop worrying, Boss. It¡¯s just a minor contract that¡¯s nothing to Griffith Group. It won¡¯t result in any significant loss for them.¡± She was finally rest assured when she heard his words. That¡¯s right. Alexander¡¯s such a formidable person so obviously, he wouldn¡¯t care too much about this minor contract. Nheless, she was determined not to allow Eureka Corporation to get away with this lightly. However, before she could even mention anything, he had already made his move. ¡°He messed with the wrong person! He¡¯s going to pay for that,¡± Jamie said as his fingers whizzed furiously on the keyboard. Shortly after that, he came up with a list containing the details of all the Eureka Corporation¡¯s business partners and thereafter sent the information to thepany¡¯s opponents. How dare they mess with Elise! I¡¯m definitely going to make their life a living hell. ¡°Miss Sinir, it¡¯s time to wake up. I¡¯ve prepared breakfast for you.¡± The servant woke Elise up at the exact time. Meanwhile, she stretched while her eyes remained half-opened. ¡°Okay, sure. I¡¯lle downstairs in a short while.¡± Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Despite her words, she curled into anotherfortable position and fell into a deep sleep once again. She was wide awake most of the night as she couldn¡¯t seem to shake off Mr. Ford¡¯s sleazy expression from her mind. After tossing and turning for hours, she finally managed to sleep for the rest of the night, but it didn¡¯tst long as she had to wake up earlier for school. Elise shuffled around and took her time to get out of bed. After she freshened up and applied some light makeup, she wore her custom-made wig and made her way downstairs. At that moment, she noticed that Matthew was already seated at the dining table as he slowly savored his breakfast. ¡°Good morning.¡± She greeted him and received a grunt in reply. Then, he responded, ¡°Good morning.¡± After that, she took a seat at the dining table and asked, ¡°Are you the one sending me to school today?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± Matthew ced his cutleries aside while he spoke and lifted his wrist to check the time. ¡°You have five more minutes. I¡¯ll wait for you by the door.¡± Then, he rose to his full height and headed toward the door after saying that. Meanwhile, Elise hastily took a fewrge bites of her toast and grabbed a bottle of milk before she scrambled after him. While he waited in the car and held an iPad in his hand, he dealt with some work rted matters. He was someone with a different personality to Danny, who always behaved in a rather impulsive manner as an immature second-generation wealthy kid. On the other hand, Matthew was calm and steady in all his endeavors while being a generally quiet person who didn¡¯t have much to say. Each time he sent her to school, he would only converse with her whenever necessary and he basically didn¡¯t interact much with her. The moment Elise arrived at school and entered the ssroom, she ran into Danny holding a basketball and about to walk out. Their gazes met and although he was unwilling to do so, he dutifully greeted, ¡°Good morning, boss.¡± The boys standing behind him watched their exchange in shock. Meanwhile, she maintained herposure and replied, ¡°Good morning.¡± One of the boys behind Danny came forward and whispered to Danny, ¡°Danny, is there something wrong? Why did you just address that ugly wretch as Boss?¡± In response, Danny threw the basketball in his hands toward the boy. ¡°Who are you calling ugly?! That¡¯s my boss there. From now on, keep this in mind, you¡¯re not allowed to bully her and if anyone contradicts this, that means you¡¯re intentionally provoking me.¡± All of the boys stared at him dumbfoundedly, but none of them said a single word. After all, anyone who dared to cross Danny¡¯s path was basically digging their own grave. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Danny. You just have to say the word and we¡¯ll definitely keep it in mind. We won¡¯t act rashly.¡± It was only at that moment when Danny¡¯s expression softened slightly. Although he was quite reluctant to acknowledge Elise as his boss, he had lost the bet, so a true man would definitely honor his part of the deal. Since he had already agreed that she was his boss, then it was non-negotiable. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s shoot some hoops.¡± The group then headed off toward the basketball court and ignored the chime of a bell that signaled the start of sses. Meanwhile, Elise walked into the ssroom and sat at her spot. Soon after that, she opened her textbook to do some revision. ¡® At this moment, Mika inched closer and handed some snacks to Elise that she¡¯d brought from home. ¡°Here you go, Elise. This is for you. These are my favorite crackers.¡± Elise took the snack from Mika while replying, ¡°Thanks.¡± Subsequently, Mika conveniently took a seat by Elise¡¯s side and nced at their surroundings. Mika then whispered, ¡°I heard from my family members that Jasmine¡¯s family business is in trouble because theirpany¡¯s about to be bankrupt.¡±. She had been upset with Jasmine ever since Jasmine took the liberty to ransack Elise¡¯s bag without first obtaining permission. Generally, Mika was rather forgiving of Jasmine¡¯s rudeness and arrogance, but Jasmine had gone overboard with her actions. ¡°Well, I sure do hope that her family goes into bankruptcy. By then, she wouldn¡¯t have the nerve to be arrogant at school.¡± Elise¡¯s expression was unfazed as she listened to Mika¡¯s words before responding, ¡°I hope your wish comes true.¡± ¡°Fingers crossed!¡± While those two chatted with each other, Jasmine suddenly walked through the door. However, contrary to her normal behavior, she currently looked defeated andpletely listless. She nced at Elise and couldn¡¯t help recalling her father¡¯s words. Jas, did you offend someone at school? Is that why the person has been intently targeting us?! Although Jasmine returned to her senses soon after that, there was a sh of uncertainty across her face. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve offended anyone at school, though?! Perhaps it was Elise?! Then again, she¡¯s just a country bumpkin. How could she possibly have achieved all this? Chapter 44 Chapter 44 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 44 Jasmine suddenly shifted her gaze because she didn¡¯t think that Elise could be involved in the unfortunate events that had befallen her family. She ced her bag down and took a seat at her desk. The first lesson for the day was Chinese wherein the teacher briefly talked about Chinese Week before starting ss. ¡°Our school has started to ept registrations for Chinese Week. I hope that everyone can support this event by participating in it. This is especially so for Jasmine and Elise since you two have a strongmand of thenguage. I reckon that you can give it a shot by signing up for it.¡± After being suddenly prompted by the teacher, Jasmine took a deep breath before her lips curved upward to form a smile. Subsequently, she stood up, ¡°Miss, I¡¯ll enroll for the program and bring glory to our ss.¡± The Chinese teacher nodded with approval. ¡°That sounds great. Jasmine¡¯s enthusiasm should be noted and something that everyone should learn from as well.¡± Soon after that, the teacher nced toward Elise, whose head was lowered, and asked, ¡°How about you, Elise? Would you like to enroll?¡± Elise gradually lifted her head and met her teacher¡¯s gaze. She had intended to reject the request but as soon as she noted Jasmine¡¯s enthusiasm, Elise changed her mind. After all, life was quite boring and it would be wonderful to annoy a certain someone, so she responded, ¡°Sure, I would be more than happy to enroll.¡± Upon hearing Elise¡¯s reply, the Chinese teacher beamed widely. ¡°Awesome! I wish you guys luck and hopefully, you¡¯ll be able to attain great results in thepetition. I also have some materials at home that will help to improve your listening skills. I¡¯llpile it and give it to you soon. Once you¡¯vee up with your speech, I can proofread it for you.¡± It was quite evident that the teacher had treated Elise like her own daughter. Jasmine was initially grinning from ear to ear, but she became downcast and sat in her seat. She nced at Elise with tightly clenched fists while vowing, I¡¯m definitely going to win thispetition! No one else can stand in my way! Once their ss had ended, Jasmine¡¯s sidekicks approached her. ¡°Jasmine, you¡¯re so talented to have been selected for thepetition! I¡¯m so envious of you!¡± ¡°Yeah, Jasmine! You¡¯re the best in this subject in our ss. I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ll be able to shine and achieve a great result in thepetition!¡± Jasmine enjoyed all the ttery from the others, but she feigned humility. ¡°You guys need to stop saying that. I have an advantage because I¡¯ve been learning thenguage from an earlier age. Besides, I¡¯m not the only one from our ss to bepeting.¡± ¡°Gosh, Jasmine. You¡¯re way too humble. All of us here know that you have a strongmand of Chinese in terms of speech. As for the other person, well, it¡¯s unfortunate that she¡¯s only there to fill the space. Regardless of what happens, it¡¯ll be your treat once you win thepetition!¡± An ted Jasmine immediately agreed. ¡°Sure! That¡¯s not going to be an issue. Well, since everyone¡¯s here, how about I¡¯ll treat you guys today then? Let¡¯s head out for lunch and you guys can decide on the location.¡± ¡°Jasmine, you¡¯re awesome!¡± Her sidekicks continued to tter her, which made her forget about her current predicament. As soon as it was lunchtime, she brought all of them to a luxurious restaurant outside their school. In total, the five of them had spent three thousand on their meal and she picked up the tab by handing over her credit card to the waiter.¡¯. However, the waiter immediately informed her, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but this card has insufficient bnce on it.¡± Jasmine¡¯s expression then stiffened as she quickly took her card back. ¡°I gave you the wrong card. Give this one a try.¡± Despite the change of cards, the oue was still the same. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss, but this card has the same issue too.¡± Her sidekicks then exchanged looks with each other, but everyone maintained their silence. Meanwhile, she felt slightly awkward and tried to exin, ¡°Perhaps my daddy forgot to pay my bill. Please hold on.¡± As soon as Jasmine said that, she headed for the washroom where she immediately dialed John¡¯s number. Their family was currently facing a crisis wherein theirpany had also gone into bankruptcy. There were massive debts that were due to be cleared and as a result from all the stress, he had significantly aged. He took steps to remortgage all of the family¡¯s properties, which finally allowed him to pay off the debts. After he¡¯d cleared their debts, there was not much cash left on hand, so he was quite fretful about it. Coincidentally, he received a phone call from his daughter at that moment. ¡°Daddy, there¡¯s insufficient bnce on my card. Could you transfer me some more money?¡± John frowned and sternly questioned her, ¡°I just transferred fifty thousand to youst week! Have you already spent all of that money?!¡± Then, Jasmine wore a guilty expression as she exined, ¡°I bought some cosmetics and a bag. The money¡¯s all gone. Daddy, could you hurry up and transfer me some money? I¡¯m at a restaurant and I don¡¯t have money to pay for the meal.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that we¡¯re currently facing a crisis?! You can¡¯t keep spending your money unnecessarily! I told you to have your meals at the school cafeteria for the time being! Have you forgotten what I said?!¡± This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°No, Daddy. This is a once-off thing. I promise I¡¯ll have my meals at the school. cafeteria from now on.¡± John had always doted on Jasmine since she was a child and he had never rejected any of her requests. Although they were impoverished now, he didn¡¯t want his daughter to suffer so he thought, It¡¯s quite fortunate that I still have a thousand left. That shouldst her for quite a while. ¡°I have a thousand on my card, so I¡¯ll transfer that to you in a while.¡± As soon as she heard that he was only going to transfer a thousand, she knew that it was insufficient and quickly responded, ¡°Daddy, that¡¯s not enough.¡± That was enough to make John lose his temper. After all, one thousand was all of the cash he had right now and it should be enough for a meal. ¡°Where did you go for lunch? How can that be insufficient?!¡± ¡°Daddy, I treated some of my ssmates to lunch at a restaurant. Could you please hurry up and transfer me some money? I need three thousand to pay for lunch. You¡¯ should transfer me more because we have ns to go for karaoketer.¡±. His blood pressure immediately spiked. I don¡¯t even know whether I have enough for my next meal, but this wretched kid is still out there spending unnecessarily! He was so angered that his breath quickened as the veins on his temple pulsated. Then, he roared over the phone, ¡°Jasmine Anders! I don¡¯t have that amount of money! You should find a way to deal with it yourself! Don¡¯t call me anymore!¡± Upon saying those words, John instantly hung up the phone on Jasmine. By that stage, she was stunned into silence. Without her father¡¯s money, she wouldn¡¯t be able to foot the bill. Then, she rummaged through her bag and only found a few hundred in cash, but that was hardly enough. She hesitated for a long time before finally exiting the washroom. As she faced her sidekicks, she finally spoke through gritted teeth, ¡°I don¡¯t have enough money on me. We should pay for our own meal.¡± As soon as everyone heard what she said, they kicked up a fuss. Rita was the first to respond, ¡°What are you on about, Jasmine? Didn¡¯t you say that it was your treat today?¡± ¡°Yeah! You said that this was your treat. How can you suddenly change your mind and ask us to pay ourselves?¡± Jasmine didn¡¯t have a choice either because she didn¡¯t have the money on hand. ¡°I¡¯ll treat you guys another day. Why don¡¯t we just pay for our own meal today?¡± However, her sidekicks exchanged looks with each other where they silently agreed on something. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jasmine. I don¡¯t have that much money on me.¡± ¡°Me too. I only have fifty bucks on me. It¡¯s not enough.¡± ¡°Jasmine, why don¡¯t you give your family members a call and ask them to send some money?¡± It was at that moment when Jasmine stared at her so-called friends incredulously. She was usually generous with them and even gifted them bags worth tens of thousands without any hesitation. However, none of them was willing to take one for the team and pay for today¡¯s meal. She was just about to say something when all of her sidekicks stood up in unison. It was as if they had reached a consensus beforehand. ¡°Um, we still need to return to ss, Jasmine. We have to leave now. As we don¡¯t have enough money on us, would you mind footing the bill first?¡± . After saying that, everyone left. Jasmine tried to run after her sidekicks, but the waiter stopped her in her tracks. ¡°Excuse me, can you please settle the bill first?¡± Jasmine was close to tears; she finally fished out all of the cash in her bag, which only amounted to a few hundred bucks. In the end, she had no choice but to hand her designer bag over as payment for the meal. However, she noticed that everyone in ss seemed to look at her strangely as soon as she returned to the ssroom. Even her usual sidekicks had ignored her too. Although she wasn¡¯t used to such differential treatment, she tried to maintain a calm front as she went to her desk. Chapter 45 Chapter 45 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 45 After ss, Elise and Mikaughed and chatted as they exited the school doors. ¡°I hate parting ways with you, Elise. Wouldn¡¯t it be nice if we lived together? We could eat together, do our homework together, and sleep at the same time.¡± As she stroked Mika¡¯s head, Eliseforted, ¡°Why don¡¯t I visit your ce when I have the time?¡± In an instant, Mika¡¯s eyes brightened. ¡°Good; that sounds awesome! When the timees, I¡¯ll have my mum prepare some dishes that you like. When are youing to visit, though?¡± After a moment of thought, Elise replied, ¡°In a few days¡¯ time. I¡¯lle over after the Chinese Week competition.¡± ¡°Alright. It¡¯s set, then!¡± It was only then did Mika happily bid Elise adieu. After waving goodbye to her, Elise headed toward a familiar car waiting nearby and opened the door. Upon doing so, she greeted Matthew, who grunted in reply. After she entered the car, he took the initiative to inform her, ¡°Grandpa is having dinner tonight and wants me to bring you along.¡± ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll go together then.¡± Although Elise had no idea what kind of dinner it was, it had to be an important event if Jonah was the host. They then arrived at a private room of a restaurant. Once they passed through the doors, they saw the other young masters of the Griffith Family had already arrived, including Brendan, who rarely showed his face. When Jonah saw Elise, he waved her over. ¡°Come on over, Ellie.¡± She obediently walked up to him and respectfully greeted, ¡°Hi, Grandpa.¡± Then, with a smile, he introduced her to the person next to him. ¡°This is Ellie, my granddaughter; she¡¯s also known as my future granddaughter-inw.¡± The simple introduction was enough to cause everyone¡¯s expression to change. Even Elise was startled, but she didn¡¯t protest whatsoever. Meanwhile, out of all the Griffith brothers, the one who had the biggest change of expression was Danny. He incredulously looked at his siblings as if he questioned, Does the introduction mean Elise has decided on a marriage partner? Elise courteously greeted the stranger. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you. I¡¯m Elise Sinir.¡± The stranger nodded and introduced himself, ¡°Nice to meet you, Miss Sinir. I¡¯m Mr. Griffith¡¯s personal lawyer, Luis Sosa.¡± Seeing that everyone was present, Jonah then dered without further dy, I asked everyone here today because I wanted to announce something.¡± Since they rarely saw him being so serious and earnest, the brothers suddenly felt uncertain and felt just as mystified as Elise was. ¡°I¡¯ve thought long and hard before arriving at this decision; and now, it¡¯s time to tell all of you about it.¡± After saying that, Jonah asked Luis to produce a document from a folder. Following that, he looked at Elise and continued, ¡°After thinking about it, I¡¯ve decided that since you¡¯re now my granddaughter as well as my future granddaughter-inw, the future of the Griffith Family will eventually be in your hands. Thus, I¡¯ve taken the initiative to transfer the 30% of shares under my name to you. No matter which of my grandsons you marry, this will be my wedding gift to you.¡± All of the brothers were shocked the moment they heard Jonah¡¯s words and stared at him with incredulity¨Cwith the exception of Alexander. Jack was the first one to stand up and protest, ¡°Surely this is too rash of you, Grandpa. Even if we leave aside the discussion on whether Elise can marry into the Griffith Family, it¡¯s grave for the family for you to bequeath 30% of the shares to an outsider just like that.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right, Grandpa. Maybe you should reconsider your decision,¡± Danny added. While he might have now recognized Elise¡¯s position and was even protective of her, 30% of the Griffith Family¡¯s shares was no joke. ¡°I think it¡¯s very rash as well, Grandpa. Why are you in a hurry to do it?¡± Brendan nced at Elise before he continued, ¡°Not to mention, if we look at things from Miss Sinir¡¯s perspective, she¡¯s still young and might not be able to protect suchrge assets.¡± Nheless, there was no change to Jonah¡¯s expression as he listened to their reasoning and he simply looked at her before earnestly answering, ¡°Your concerns are the ones I¡¯ve considered as well, but I¡¯ve made up my mind and will not change it. As long as you have no objection, Ellie, you simply need to sign your name on this document.¡± A conflicted Elise pursed her lips. In truth, 30% of the Griffith Family¡¯s shares wasn¡¯t a small number and it would pose a great temptation to the average person. To her, however, it was nothing but a number, More importantly, she never thought about staying within the Griffith Family. So, she opened her mouth to reject the offer. ¡°This gift is extremely precious, Grandpa, and I can¡¯t ept it. I think you should take your offer back!¡± ¡°Ellie, I know you¡¯re a sensible child, but I¡¯ve already decided that you¡¯re my granddaughter from now on, no matter what. If you do be my granddaughter inw one day, this will be the Griffith Family¡¯s wedding gift to you. If you find your own happiness elsewhere, this will instead be my dowry for you.¡± ¡°Grandpa, I..¡± Elise choked on her reply. As she tried her best to keep her emotions under control, she dived into his arms. Jonah patted her back gently andforted, ¡°There, there. No need for such disys, huh? Just do as I say.¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡°But-¡± ¡°Why so many misgivings, my child? Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Then, he turned to Luis. ¡°Please have Ellie sign the document.¡± ordingly, Luis handed the document and a pen to Elise, where under the audience¡¯s watchful eyes, she took the pen and carefully wrote her name on the document. ¡°It¡¯s settled, then. Thank you, Mr. Sosa.¡± As he kept the document away, he answered, ¡°No worries, I¡¯m merely doing my job.¡± ¡°Alright, now that we have concluded the official matters, we should get to dinner without any further dy.¡± Jonah bade everyone to dig in. Yet, apart from Alexander, none of the brothers had any appetite. Jack left midway through dinner as he had to rush on thepletion of his work. Not long after that, Brendan had also excused himself and made an early departure. And just like that, Danny, Matthew, and Alexander were the only brothers left. Before Jonah left, he instructed, ¡°I still have some business to discuss with Mr. Sosa. The three of you should take Ellie home.¡± Upon Jonah¡¯s departure, Danny pursed his lips before exining, ¡°I¡¯m meeting up with a friend and won¡¯t being home tonight, Boss. Let Alexander see you home.¡± With that, Danny made a move to leave and left Matthew and Alexander behind. As per their custom, Alexander would be the one to send Elise home, but Matthew spoke up this time and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take you back then.¡± As a result of that, she waved goodbye to Alexander. ¡°We¡¯ll make a move now, then.¡± Alexander grunted in reply and watched as she entered Matthew¡¯s car with something buried deep in his gaze. It wasn¡¯t until the car disappeared from his sight that he looked away. Now that she was in the car, she leaned in her seat and watched the night view from her window while seemingly deep in thought. After a while, Matthewmented, ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be in a good mood.¡± His words had jerked her back to her senses, but before she could reply, he continued, ¡°Let me switch on some music for you to rx.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Ellis agreed. Thus, he turned on the radio, which yed a soft, light musical piece. ¡°This is my favorite song,¡± he exined. ¡°It was written andposed by a famousposer named H.¡± Upon hearing the familiar melody, she paused for a moment and inadvertently asked, ¡°Do you like her work a lot?¡± Chapter 46 Chapter 46 Chapter 46 ¡°Yes, her melodies are inspiring and full of artistic conception that resonates easily with the audience. It¡¯s just a pity she hasn¡¯t released any new songs recently.¡± Elise nodded gently. ¡°They are pretty lovely melodies. It just so happens that I have an exclusive EP of hers at home. I¡¯ll give it to you another dayter.¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s great! Who knew we had amon interest?¡± Then, Matthew sighed. ¡°If only she could release new songs, that would be awesome. Then, I could take you to one of her concerts to support her.¡± Inevitably, he was excited to gush over an idol of his; yet, Elise fell deep into thought again and didn¡¯t speak up again. The atmosphere returned to normal just like that. It wasn¡¯t until the car pulled into the courtyard of the Griffith Residence that she returned to her senses. By then, he was already opening the car door for her. ¡°We¡¯re home. Come on, then.¡± As she hopped out of the car, she replied, ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°No problem,¡± Matthew answered while smiling at her for the first time. ¡°That¡¯s what I should be doing, anyway. It happens to be my turn to send you to school tomorrow, so head to bed earlier and I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Elise answered. ¡°Good night. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡± After that, she returned to the room and locked the door before she started to remove her makeup. Her delicate, fresh face was revealed the moment all of the makeup was removed. As she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she pursed her lips and thought about Jonah¡¯s gift to her because it was truly too precious. If I actually leave the Griffith Family one day, won¡¯t I be disappointing him? The fact was that she already arrived at a decision to momentarily keep the shares on his behalf, but fully return it to him once she left the family. After she made peace with her decision, Elise felt much lighter as she went to bed and slept soundly until morning. The next day, she wore her makeup and dressed for school before she headed downstairs. Much to her surprise, there was no breakfast prepared at home this morning It was right at this moment when Matthew entered with freshly bought breakfast. ¡°As the cook¡¯s busy today, she didn¡¯t have time to make breakfast. Since I happened to be heading out, I bought some food as well. See if it suits your appetite.¡± With that, he ced the box he was carrying on the table. Upon opening it, Elise saw that it was filled to the brim with all sorts of exquisite breakfast dishes. It seemed he had bought an item from every avable category at the breakfast cafe. As she perused the dishes, she yanked arge bear w and told him, ¡°I¡¯ll just have this.¡± Matthew happily passed a napkin to her whereby she sat down to start eating. Yet, even though he sat opposite her, he didn¡¯t move to take his share of the breakfast. Since she was feeling somewhat difited, Elise gobbled her food and wiped her mouth with the napkin before saying, ¡°We¡¯re running out of time. I have to leave now, or I¡¯ll bete.¡± After he took his car keys, he led her out of the door as he answered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let you be late.¡± Just as he had promised, he sent her to school on time. The moment she arrived at the school campus, she realized that the atmosphere felt somewhat different today. As she headed to ss, there were girls huddled together and seemingly deep in discussion. Before Elise could even reach the ssroom, Mika rushed over with exuberance and gushed, ¡°My husband ising to our school this afternoon to film an MV, Elise. I¡¯m so thrilled!¡± ¡°Um, who¡¯s your husband?¡± Elise asked wryly, causing Mika to blush. ¡°Why, he¡¯s Jack Griffith! I¡¯m his superfan.¡± Suddenly, Elise understood why the school atmosphere was somewhat different-it was without a doubt because Jack wasing to her school to film an MV. ¡°Elise,e with me to watch my husband filmingter in the afternoon. It¡¯ll be my first time seeing him up close and personal and whenever I think about it, my heart races like mad.¡± For some reason, Elise was tempted to respond that she had dinner at the same table as Jackst night and was tired of seeing his face. However, as she saw how enamored her best friend was, she didn¡¯t have the heart to shatter her best friend¡¯s dreams and instead replied, ¡°Alright, I¡¯lle with you to see your husband if I have the time later.¡± Looking so excited that she could leap at any given moment, Mika squealed, ¡°Thank you, Elise!¡± Then, they headed toward the ssroom, arm in arm. What they failed to notice was that Jasmine had trailed behind them all along and upon seeing their interaction, she was green with jealousy. Due to the current state of her family affairs, her followers had disappeared one by one whereas Elise and Mika were merely growing closer to each other. It caused Jasmine to be furious, for what right did Elise have to be better than her everywhere she went? ¡°You¡¯re an eyesore, Elise Sinir.¡± Jasmine¡¯s fists clenched in the silence. Since the public speaking competition during Chinese Week was around the corner, it would be a pity if anything were to happen to Elise¡­ At this thought, the seeds of an evil idea began to sprout in Jasmine¡¯s mind. Today was the day that Elise discovered that Jack was indeed popr since she could hear people discussing him no matter where she went. He appeared at her school at exactly three in the afternoon. The ces that he passed by were packed with people, especially the teacher¡¯s building where he was scheduled to film. Although the building was normally not in use, it was overcrowded today and no matter how she squeezed through the crowd, Mika failed to lead Elise there. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°If I knew it was going to be so crowded, I would have arrived earlier. Now, I won¡¯t even be able to see a silhouette of him.¡± Mika felt somewhat vexed, for this was a rare opportunity to see her idol, yet she was unable to move through the crowd. As Elise stared at the throng of people before her, she couldn¡¯t help tugging at the hem of Mika¡¯s shirt. ¡°Are you sure we still want to head in?¡± Without any hesitation, Mika nodded. ¡°We must. How could we miss this rare opportunity to see my husband?¡± An unimpressed Elise stared at Mika in the silence. Yet, Mika was her only friend, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and drag Mika through the crowd. They finally reached the front row of the audience only to be notified that the shoot was closed to the public. And just like that, Mika deted like a burst balloon. ¡°If I knew that, I wouldn¡¯t have squeezed here. Now, I still won¡¯t get the chance to see him.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Eliseforted. ¡°If you really want to see him, I still have another method.¡± Instantly, Mika¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°What method? Quickly tell me!¡± ¡°Have I told you before that I¡¯m somewhat acquainted with him?¡± The moment Elise said that, Mika¡¯s face lit up. ¡°Really? Truly? You¡¯re not teasing me, are you? You and my husband know each other? That¡¯s great!¡± Under Mika¡¯s watchful gaze, Elise fished out her cell phone and gave Jack a call. Less than five minutester, his assistant appeared to personally escort them to the set. ¡°Pleasee this way with me, Miss Sinir.¡± The assistant then led them through a side entrance. Throughout their entire journey, Mika was so excited that she nearly swooned and WC passed out when she finally saw Jack with her eyes. ¡°Husband!¡± she cried, drawing the eyes of everyone on set. It was only after that when she realized what she had shouted and quickly changed her greeting. Then, she skipped over to him and introduced, ¡°Jack Griffith! I¡¯m your loyal fan, Mika.¡± Jack politely answered, ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± Then, he looked at Elise. ¡°Do you need something from me?¡± Chapter 47 Chapter 47 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 47 ¡°My friend is a fan of yours and she wanted me to bring her to see you,¡± Elise exined. ¡°You¡¯re way more handsome than on television,¡± Mika gushed; she was blushing as she stared into Jack¡¯s glimmering eyes. Her response made Jack smirk devilishly. ¡°Thank you. You¡¯re quite attractive yourself.¡± ¡°We¡¯re about to begin filming, Jack. Quicklye over.¡± As the deputy director had summoned Jack, he made his leave and returned to the set. Both Elise and Mika had a firsthand experience of watching the entire filming process. Only a few short scenes needed to be filmed multiple times before they could wrap up the shoot and call it a day. Mika couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°This is my first time seeing my husband hard at work. He¡¯s so handsome that I can burst into tears.¡± At this moment, the deputy director rushed over and he carefully regarded both Elise and Mika before finally selecting Mika. Then, he spoke, ¡°We need a supporting actress for this particr scene. Why don¡¯t you give it a shot?¡± ¡°Can I?¡± she cried out in surprise. In truth, it was Elise that the deputy director had taken note of from afar since she had an alluring figure and carried herself well. It was such a pity her face¡­ fell way short of the mark. Thus, he had to resort to his second choice and rely on Mika. ¡°Just give it a try. There are two or three scenes in total.¡± The moment she heard that she could film with her idol, nothing else mattered. So, she quickly agreed before following the deputy director to have her costume and makeup done. Elise had originallye to watch Jack film for Mika¡¯s sake and now that Mika was off to film her scene, she decided to return to ss. After bidding Mika adieu, Elise made her move to head to the ssroom. Yet, now that it was close to the end of the school day, Rita suddenly rushed up and said, ¡°Mika suffered an ident during the filming, Elise. Go and check on her!¡± Upon hearing the news, Elise felt her heart drop. ¡°What?! What kind of ident?¡± There was a flicker in Rita¡¯s gaze, but she still answered, ¡°She fell and suffered a rather bad injury while shooting the scene. She¡¯s behind Teaching Building 1.¡± After hearing that, Elise was naturally anxious and immediately rushed off toward Teaching Building 1. The moment she left, Rita went to look for Jasmine. ¡°I did as you told me to. Elise is on her way there.¡± Jasmine¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Good job.¡± As she said those words, she removed the bracelet on her wrist and shoved it into Rita¡¯s hand. ¡°What happens next will depend on you.¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Even though Rita closely stared at the bracelet, she still had her doubts. ¡°Maybe we shouldn¡¯t do this, Jasmine. What if we slip up?¡± ¡°Rx, I only wish to teach her a small lesson. Nothing bad will happen and even if something did happen, I¡¯ll take the fall for it. What are you afraid of?¡± Upon hearing Jasmine¡¯s response, Rita rxed as she tucked the bracelet into her pocket before she spun on her heel and left in the direction Elise was headed for. Meanwhile, by the time Elise arrived at Teaching Building 1, the film crew had already left. Since this building was normally not in use, it was deserted now that the crew was no longer there. ¡°Where are you, Mika?¡± Even after she searched through the entire building, she failed to locate Mika. By now, Elise started to feel like something was amiss, so she pulled out her cell phone to make a call. However, a secondter, a dark shadow approached and whacked the back of her head with a wooden club. As the pain overpowered her body, Elise¡¯s knees gave way and she copsed to the ground. In her half-conscious state, Elise heard a woman saying, ¡°Take her somewhere remote.¡± So, she tried to keep her eyes open to see who it was, but her body became weighted before she fell into an unconscious state. Now that Jasmine stood above her, she gave an evil smile. ¡°Don¡¯t me me for this, Elise. You asked for it.¡± Matthew had been waiting at the school gates for Elise at the end of the school day. While she was at school, he even dug out H¡¯s limited edition album that he had previously buried so that he could listen to it with Elise on the way home. Unfortunately, she failed to appear even after he had waited for over an hour. Feeling somewhat surprised, he took his cell and gave her a ring, only to hear the cold, automated female voice responding, ¡°Sorry, but the number you have dialed is temporarily unavable.¡± The moment he heard that, Matthew was somewhat irritated, but Danny happened to arrive at the school gates. Although they didn¡¯t have a good rtionship at home and were only cordial to each other without ever actually speaking, he knew Danny was in the same ss as Elise. So, he took the initiative to strike up a conversation for the first time in ages. ¡°Danny, have you seen Elise?¡±. Because Danny had headphones on, he didn¡¯t hear Matthew¡¯s question. And so, he removed them and asked, ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Have you seen Elise?¡± Matthew repeated. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for over an hour, but she still hasn¡¯t showed up.¡± Danny didn¡¯t seem to find it strange. ¡°Maybe she went home first. Or, maybe she¡¯s over at a friend¡¯s house. Why don¡¯t you give her a ring?¡± ¡°Her phone is switched off.¡±. It was only then that Danny frowned. In all the time he had known Elise, she had never turned her phone off. ¡°I¡¯ll help you to ask around.¡± After he fished out his phone, he had asked a few good friends before he obtained Mika¡¯s number. However, she informed him that she was also looking for Elise. By now, he had also sensed that something was fishy. ¡°She couldn¡¯t have gotten into trouble, could she?¡± However, Matthew¡¯s gaze only grew darker as there was only one possibility in his mind. Elise currently held 30% of the Griffith Group¡¯s shares in name-an amount that was enough to shake the entirety of Griffith Group. That possibly meant someone would have a reason to harm her. ¡°Let¡¯s look for her before we start worrying.¡± Yet, Danny was unable to heed Matthew¡¯s advice and only hurried to call Alexander. ¡°Elise might have gotten into trouble, Alexander. Can you send someone to help us search for her?¡± Even though Alexander was in a business meeting, he ended the meeting without any hesitation the moment he received the call from Danny. Then, Alexander asked, ¡°What happened? Give me more details.¡± So, Danny rted the sequence of events to Alexander while Alexander mobilized all of the forces that he could in that given moment. At the same time, he sent his men out and continued to speak to Danny. Alexander¡¯s men first checked the school¡¯s surveince system to locate Elise¡¯sst known position. Then, they tracked her from there and finally narrowed the area where she could be. ¡°The car that took her out of school disappeared near Silvermoon Mountain, Alexander. Could the vehicle have brought her there?¡± With slightly darkened eyes, Alexander answered, ¡°I¡¯ll head there with my men right now. No matter what, we must find her as soon as possible.¡± Since Danny never expected him to be so invested in the matter, the man added hurriedly, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± The two brothers trekked into the mountains with a group of men. Chapter 48 Chapter 48 Chapter 48 When Elise woke up again, she noticed that her surroundings were pitch ck. She slowly sat up and realized that her hands were tied with ropes, so she couldn¡¯t move. ¡°Is anyone there?!¡± Elise shouted hoarsely to her surroundings, yet the only answer she got was her own echo. Roughly guessing the situation she was currently in, she struggled with all her might. Not even hesitating to jerk her wrists so violently that the ropes cut against them, she managed to break free in the end. Already adapted to the darkness, she looked around and found that it was a shabby hut. Then, she got up and walked to the door to open it. As the frosty wind of the dark night whistled by and froze her cheeks, apanied by the howling of some wild animalsing from afar, Elise¡¯s heart sank. ¡°When I find out who did this, I¡¯ll kill them!¡± Suddenly, she saw two tall mening toward her, so she hurriedly closed the door and retreated, feigning that she was still tied up. ¡°It¡¯s tough to stay on this mountain even for a few days.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. When we finish this, we can take a good rest for a while. Hold on a little longer; it¡¯s only two or three days more. It will soon pass.¡± Elise listened to their conversation, which got louder as they got closer to the hut. Then, the door was opened, and as the harsh light hit Elise, she subconsciously stretched out her hand to shield. ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± One of the men spoke, then threw a cold bun he brought in front of Elise. ¡°Eat it; don¡¯t starve to death.¡± Elise did not look at the bun on the ground but raised her eyes to look at the two men and said, ¡°Why did you kidnap me here?¡± The man did not answer her words but just said, ¡°Don¡¯t ask what you shouldn¡¯t ask. We only did it for the money, so we don¡¯t know anything else.¡± Elise lowered her eyes and said, ¡°If you let me go now, I can give you arge sum of money.¡± The two menughed at the same time when they heard that. ¡°Girl, do you think we¡¯re such untrustworthy people? You¡¯d better stay here and shut it; don¡¯t think that what little you have can help you.¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡°How about 1 million?¡± Elise felt that once she said this, the two men would have an instant shift in attitude. They exchanged a look with each other and then said, ¡°You¡¯re teasing us! A million? In rocks, right?¡± ¡°No, real money! As long as you release me, I will leave you alone, and I will even give you 1 million in cash.¡± The man who was head of the group was already interested, but looking at Elise¡¯s cunning look, he thought better of it. ¡°Don¡¯t brag. You have a million? I¡¯m not interested. Just stay here, and when the time is up, we will naturally let you go back.¡± When Elise saw that this trick did not work, she thought of nothing more. Since the other party did not look like they wanted to hurt her, she decided to be patient and did not say anything more. About an hourter, the two people guarding her went to the door. ¡°Hey, do you think what that girl said about the 1 million is true?¡± The other man chided, ¡°What? How can you take a little girl¡¯s words seriously? Stop thinking nonsense; we should wait until thepletion of all this.¡± ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll guard this ce for the first half of the night, and then youe to rece meter.¡± With that, one of them went to rest. As Elise listened to one set of footsteps walking away, her spirits lifted a little. If there was only one person watching her, then her chances of escaping were much better. For safety¡¯s sake, she still contacted Jamie first. She took off the bracelet she wore and sent an SOS signal to Jamie. After sending it, she put the bracelet away, and only then she seriously surveyed the surroundings. Waiting until the man outside could not stay awake and was feeling utterly sleepy, Elise found a thick wooden stick and held it behind her. Then, she quietly slipped out of the wooden hut, found the man, and smashed him with the wooden stick ruthlessly. It was an unexpected move, so the man simply did not have time to react and so he flopped to the ground directly. Without the slightest dy, Elise ran down the hill to escape. At the foot of the mountain, Alexander and Danny led their men in preparation to go up the mountain. On the way here, Alexander had studied the terrain of Silvermoon Mountain and knew that there were only two roads that could reach the top of the mountain, one was the wider road that circled around the mountain, and the other was the smaller path at the back of the mountain. ¡°Danny, you go up along the wider road, and I¡¯ll go up along the trail; we will meet at the top of the mountain. If something unexpected happens in the middle of our journey, use the fire signal, as there is nomunication signal in this mountain.¡± ¡°Okay, Alex. Be careful.¡± With that, the two of themunched into action separately. The night in the mountains was extraordinarily cold, but while Elise shivered and shook, she never stopped running down the mountain. As she was too anxious to escape, she did not pay attention and tripped over some rocks, causing her to lurch forward and fall down. Rolling along the steep road, she finally hit arge tree and stopped, luckily managing to avoid falling off the cliff. Gasping, Elisey on the ground, looking at the bright moon overhead. Then, she was just about to get up when she vaguely heard footsteps gradually approaching. As her heart thumped fast, she hurriedly held her breath, not daring to make any sound. ¡°Young Master Griffith, the night is cold. Put this jacket on.¡± A subordinate handed over the jacket, but Alexander refused. ¡°I¡¯m fine, and you guys shouldyer more on. How far do we have to go before we reach the top of the mountain?¡±. ¡°We have already done two-thirds of the journey, so there is still only a little way left. But the more we ascend up the mountain, the more difficult the road is, so we have to be careful.¡± ¡°Got it; tell everyone to pay attention to safety.¡± Alexander had just finished speaking when someone suddenly rushed over. ¡°Young Master Griffith, there is a discovery ahead.¡± Hearing this, Alexander took a big step forward and rushed over. ¡°Young Master Griffith, look, there¡¯s a shoe here. It looks like Miss Sinir¡¯s.¡± Hurriedly, Alexander picked the shoe up and looked at it. It was indeed Elise¡¯s. ¡°Quick, check if there is anything else of note around.¡± ¡°Young Master Griffith, look here. It seems that someone fell; could it be Miss Sinir?¡± In a daze, Elise seemed to hear someone calling her name. She thought she had fallen and was hallucinating until a tall figure appeared in front of her and called out to her in a familiar tone, ¡°Elise?¡± Only then did Elise open her eyes and see Alexander¡¯s face. ¡°Alexander, why are you here? I¡¯m not hallucinating, right?¡± When Alexander saw that he had found Elise, the weight in his heart lifted, and he promptly helped Elise up from the ground. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Elise subconsciously shook her head at Alexander. ¡°I¡¯ll help you up.¡± Elise nodded, and she was just about to stand up when she stumbled, and her body lurched forward. At once, Alexander caught her and said, ¡°Are you all right?¡± The two of them were so close that Elise could clearly hear his heartbeat. She hurriedly pushed him away and replied, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s just that my leg hurt a little from the fall, so I didn¡¯t manage to hold my bnce just now.¡± After hearing this, Alexander hesitated for a second and then squatted down and picked her up into his arms. Chapter 49 Chapter 49 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 49 ¡°What are you doing, Alexander? Let go of me.¡± Elise struggled in embarrassment. If it weren¡¯t for the darkness, everyone could see her cheeks that had be as red as tomatoes. Alexander frowned and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say your leg hurts?¡± Elise replied, ¡°But I can walk.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a problem for me. The road is slippery in the dark, so I don¡¯t want you to fall again. It¡¯s not a long way, anyway.¡± Since Alexander said so, Elise had to swallow her words and obediently stayed in his arms. She let him carry her over to a boulder, where he squatted down to check her injuries. ¡°Luckily, they are just some superficial injuries. You¡¯ll be fine after putting on a little medicine back home.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you, Alexander.¡± Alexander got up and instructed the subordinates behind him, saying, ¡°Contact Danny and tell him to rendezvous at the foot of the mountain.¡± ¡°Yes, Young Master Griffith.¡± Then Alexander looked at Elise and said, ¡°I¡¯ll carry you down.¡± He was not asking Elise¡¯s opinion but rather only informing her, but Elise hastily refused. ¡°No need for that. I can walk by myself.¡± However, Alexander did not give her a chance to refuse. Instead, he squatted down in front of her. Elise hesitated for a moment before climbing on Alexander¡¯s back. Then, Alexander carried her down the mountain. It was the first time she was carried by a man like this, so a strange feeling surfaced in her heart, as if she was a deer caught in the headlights. Elise, what are you thinking? Retract those thoughts of yours! Chiding herself in her heart, Elise allowed Alexander to carry her along the mountain path all the way to the bottom of the mountain. Soon, he safely brought her back to the Griffith Residence, where Elise¡¯s ident had already rmed Jonah. Fortunately, Elise had already been found, but the elderly man had been waiting in the hall all this time until Elise returned. ¡°Ellie, you are back. How are you? Nothing serious, right?¡± Jonah asked with concern as soon as he saw Elise. ¡°Grandpa Griffith, I¡¯m fine! All thanks to Alexander.¡± Jonah¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Who is it that¡¯s brave enough to mess with one of the Griffiths?! Alex, you must find out for me. This matter will not be tolerated.¡± ¡°Yes, Grandpa. I will have someone look into it,¡± Alexander said with a serious face. ¡°Well, you have worked hard today, so go back to rest early,¡± Jonah said and looked at Elise. ¡°Ellie, sorry that you¡¯ve been frightened by all this, but don¡¯t you worry. I will definitely get you justice.¡± ¡°Thank you, Grandpa Griffith!¡± Initially, Elise did not want the Griffith Family to interfere. This is my own issue after all. But! No matter who they are, I will not let them go! Never in a million years! After Elise returned to her room and locked the door behind her, she contacted Jamie. ¡°Boss, are you okay?¡¯ ¡°Yes, do me a favor. Elise slowly typed out a few lines and sent them, then finally closed herputer. As she did so, the corners of her mouth raised up, apanied by an aura of danger. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. The next day, Elise took time off and did not go to school. Jasmine looked at the empty seat and couldn¡¯t help smirking in satisfaction. Without a doubt, her mood was much better now. Haha! I bet that woman is locked up in a hut on some mountain right now! When the Chinese Week¡¯s public speakingpetition was over, she would get someone to release Elise. By then, the oue would have been decided, and even with the best abilities, Elise could not change anything. However, Jasmine did not notice that in addition to Elise¡¯s absence from school, there was another person who also did not arriv¨¦. ¡°Be honest with me, and I might be able to give you a chance.¡± Rita was osted as soon as she left her house. She didn¡¯t expect to see Elise, the girl she didn¡¯t want to see the most, appearing right at this moment. Elise¡¯s voice was t but dangerous, and for a moment, Rita was so surprised that she could not even say a word. Elise looked at her with a dark face. ¡°What? Are you very surprised to see me?¡± Rita nodded, then shook her head. Finally, she dropped to her knees in front of Elise out of fear. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I was wrong, and I should not have listened to Jasmine to do that to you¡­¡± In the next few minutes, Rita immediately gave aplete ount of all that had happened. ¡°Jasmine said that she only wanted to lock you up there and not harm you. She only wanted to teach you a lesson and release you after two days. I was blinded by the money she offered and agreed. Please, let me go. We¡¯re ssmates, after all.¡± Rita¡¯s voice broke as she spoke in tears. If she had known that Elise was so capable, she would never have done the dirty work for Jasmine. ¡°I can let you go, but you have to do something for me.¡± Rita looked as if she had found a life-saving chance and hastily asked, ¡°What is it? As long as you let me go, I will do anything.¡± So, Elise leaned forward and whispered something in her ear. In the afternoon, Rita went to school as usual, and the first thing she did when she arrived at school was to return the bracelet Jasmine gave her. ¡°Jasmine, this bracelet is too worthless. It¡¯s not worth my effort!¡± Jasmine looked at the bracelet with some surprise and raised her eyes to look at Rita coldly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You think it¡¯s too cheap? This is the bracelet my father spent tens of thousands abroad to buy for me, and now it can be worth a lot of money, even in antique stores, right?¡± Without answering Jasmine¡¯s question, Rita coldly snorted. ¡°I have done such a difficult task for you, but you only give such a little thing to me. Are you serious? I don¡¯t care; you have to give me more money. Otherwise, I will tell the whole world about what you did.¡± Jasmine did not expect Rita to threaten her with this matter, so she silently clenched her fists, ¡°Rita, I¡¯ve never expected you to actually do this to me. You¡¯re so good at pretensions before.¡± ¡°Oh, just say whether you¡¯ll give it to me or not! I want 100,000, and it must be given to me within today, or¡­¡± Rita was blunt enough she just wanted money. If it were before, Jasmine would not care about such little money as 100,000, but now, her family had suffered a major change, and her father had given her much less pocket money. Therefore, she now relied on selling bags and jewelry to maintain her luxurious life. Where can I get 100,000 for Rita? ¡°I don¡¯t have that much money.¡± As expected, Rita didn¡¯t buy her excuse. ¡°Who are you kidding?! Everyone in the ss knows that you have hundreds of thousands of pocket money a month. I just want 100,000; it¡¯s not too much. If you honestly do not want to give it to me, it doesn¡¯t matter. What¡¯s the big deal? I¡¯ll just go to the police to tell them everything, and I suppose you¡¯ll just end up in prison.¡± ¡°You b*tch!¡± Jasmine was furious, but now that Rita was ckmailing her, she had no choice but to grit her teeth. ¡°Okay. 100,000, right? I can give it to you, but how do you guarantee you won¡¯te after me after taking this money?¡± Chapter 50 Chapter 50 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 50 ¡°Bring me the money first. As for the future, I can¡¯t say for sure. It depends on my mood,¡± Rita replied to Jasmine in a casual tone. ¡°Rita, you¡¯d better not go too far.¡± For the first time, Jasmine felt that she had been blind before and honestly thought that Rita was a doormat in the past. But now she realized that Rita was actually a hungry wolf under a sheep¡¯s skin. ¡°Have I? Then, do you want me to try harder? Jasmine, my patience is limited. You must give it to me today, or the consequences will be borne by yourself.¡± With these words, Rita walked away, leaving Jasmine ring after her, but there was nothing Jasmine could do. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .novelheart) Where would she get the 100,000? Jasmine took her bag of jewelry to a pawnshop and barely managed to scrape together 50,000. However, she was still 50,000 short, and when she was at a loss, a man suddenly called out to her. ¡°Girl, how about a loan?¡± Property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°A loan?¡± Jasmine suddenly brightened up. ¡°How do I do this? How much can I borrow at most?¡± The man smiled and said, ¡°This will depend on your needs. No matter how much you require, we can solve your urgent needs.¡± Thank God! The heavens have heard my plea and sent me an angel in disguise! Jasmine followed the man to find out about borrowing money. When she returned to school, she threw the bag of cash containing 100,000 directly in front of Rita. ¡°Here¡¯s 100,000 for you; don¡¯te to me again.¡± Rita was surprised to see that Jasmine had gotten 100,000 for her in such a short time, but she still epted the bag. ¡°Thanks. If you need my help again, feel free to look for me.¡± Jasmine clenched her fists; she was very unwilling to give up the money, but she still maintained a smile on the surface. ¡°Let me tell you that this is thest time. You¡¯d better hope I don¡¯t have dirt on you in the future.¡± With these words, Jasmine turned around and walked away. Rita held the bag of money, then put it away. Later, she took it to Elise and said, ¡°This is what she gave me, Elise. I also did what you said, so can we just write it off between us?¡± Elise did not even look at the bag of money as she smiled coldly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I am a woman of my word. I can let the grudge between us off, but from tomorrow onward, you should not go to school anymore. This 100,000 will be your travel expenses, and don¡¯te back in the future.¡± Hastily, Rita refused her suggestion. ¡°No, I can¡¯t take this money. I will ask my father to transfer me to another school, so don¡¯t worry.¡± Elise sized her up, feeling that the girl in front of her still had some conscience, after all. However, things were no longer under Rita¡¯s control; ording to Jasmine¡¯s nature, although the money was given to Rita, she might do something to Rita in the near future. ¡°Jasmine is not someone who will give up easily. Take the money and just save yourself.¡± With that, Elise felt that she had done her part in reminding Rita and her conscience was clear. Next, it was time to settle ounts with Jasmine. For two days in a row, Elise did not go to school, and Jasmine did not notice anything wrong. She thought that Elise was still locked up in a dark room in the mountains, so she rxed and prepared for the Chinese Week¡¯s public speakingpetition. The Chinese Week¡¯s public speakingpetition was crucial, as there would be many college professors hidden among the audience to spot good candidates for the next year¡¯s cohort of freshmen. Thus, it was no secret that this was why there were so many people who wanted to participate in this competition. The venue for the Chinese Week¡¯s public speakingpetition was booked to be held in the city¡¯s largest gymnasium, gathering teachers and student representatives from all the city¡¯s famous high schools. ¡°Jasmine, don¡¯t be nervous when you go on stageter. Just perform as usual.¡± Thenguage teacher instructed in the background. This feeling of being valued by the teacher was very much appreciated by Jasmine, who said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will work hard, and I will definitely strive to get a good grade.¡± Thenguage teacher gave her a slight pat on the shoulder. ¡°Good. Good luck then! I look forward to your performance.¡± Jasmine smiled proudly and looked toward the spotlight in the middle of the stage, where she was going to stand in just a moment to enjoy the attention of everyone present. In fact, she seemed to have imagined the scene where she was holding the gold trophy ¡°Elise is also going to participate in thepetition, but she hasn¡¯te over yet, so you sit here while I¡¯ll go outside to take a look.(This novel will be daily updated at .novelheart)¡± When the teacher mentioned Elise, at once, the expression on Jasmine¡¯s face suddenly changed. Fortunately, she hid it well, and in a sh, all the emotions on her face disappeared. ¡°She may already be outside. You go ahead! I¡¯ll be fine on my own.¡± ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll go over first. Rx!¡± As Jasmine looked at the teacher¡¯s back, her gaze deepened. Will Elise even be able toe to the competition? It all depends on her luck. In fact, Elise is probably still shivering in the cold. Then, Jasmine faintly withdrew her gaze and looked at herself in the mirror. She had always been proud of her looks. Even though she was not the best-looking girl, she was far more beautiful than the ugly Elise. Jasmine was ted to be in the middle of the order, so it took a while before it was her turn. As soon as she got on stage, she looked at the audience down the stage. Smiling, she held the microphone close to her and began fluently. ¡°Good evening, everyone. My name is Jasmine¡­¡± The eyes of the audience were collectively gathered on the stage, while even the judges were all nodding approvingly. At this moment, Jasmine¡¯s heart surged with satisfaction. However, at this moment at the entrance, Elise and Mika walked in and took their seats directly in the front row. Elise looked at Jasmine on the stage coldly and indifferently, as if she was looking at a clown. The moment Jasmine saw Elise, her face suddenly changed, and her speech became a bit slurred. Soon, she stopped speaking. The audience below nced at each other and could not help but ask, ¡°What is going on? Why isn¡¯t she saying anything?¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be that she forgot the words because she¡¯s nervous, right?¡± ¡°Her performance was not bad; I thought she would be better.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pity. Her earlier performance was quite good.¡± As the crowd gossiped among themselves, Elise looked at Jasmine on the stage with a smile. As for Jasmine, she simply opened her mouth, but her mind was nk, and no words came out. She tried hard to restrain her emotions and continue her speech, but now her mind was in turmoil, and she stuttered. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .novelheart)Finally, once she wrapped up her speech, she hurriedly ran down from the stage. ¡°I thought she would be so bold, but she¡¯s just a wimp.¡± Mika couldn¡¯t help but spit. Elise, however, pulled her. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll go and meet her.¡± So, Elise and Mika went backstage together. At this moment backstage, Jasmine hade back to her senses, but her own performance was really terrible, and she got the lowest score so far. Feeling dejected, she sat on the stool with her face stiff, but her mind was not on the public speaking competition. Instead, she was wondering how Elise appeared at thepetition? Chapter 51 Chapter 51 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 51 Jasmine¡¯s hands clenched silently as she inwardlyforted herself. Don¡®t be afraid. You¡®re not the one who did this. It¡®s Rita that b*tch who did it, so don¡®t worry about revenge. Even if Elise wants revenge, she will go after Rita. Although Jasmine felt so, when Elise appeared in front of her in the next second, she was still shocked, and she jumped up from the stool. ¡°E-Elise, how are you here?¡± Elise smirked evilly and sat down next to her. ¡°What? Surprised to see me?¡± Jasmine controlled her emotions before saying, ¡°What¡¯s so surprising about that? It¡¯s just that I haven¡¯t seen you for a few days, so I¡¯m a little surprised to see you all of a sudden.¡± ¡°Is that so? I think you¡¯d much prefer Elise to be locked up in the mountains and starve to death,¡± Mika commented bitterly. She had already cursed Jasmine in her heart a million times. Who would have thought that Jasmine, a high school student, was actually vicious enough to do such a thing? ¡°What are you talking about? I don¡¯t understand a word of it.¡± Jasmine was still trying to feign ignorance. Elise did not have that much time to spend with her though. ¡°It seems that you have amnesia and need me to remind you.¡± When Jasmine heard these words, her knees had already gone weak. She looked at Elise incredulously, but thetter only smiled slightly and recounted the whole story. Hearing the story, Jasmine stumbled and she fell on the ground. Elise looked at her from above and proimed, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid; I will settle the ounts between us one by one. But now, I just want to let you see how the thing you want most falls into my hands.¡± With that, she got up and said to Mika, ¡°Help me watch her here. It will be my turn soon for the public speakingpetition.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Elise, I will keep an eye on her. You just do your best.¡± Elise did not look at Jasmine again, and after hearing the host read her name, she walked toward the stage. As she stood on the stage, all the spotlights hit her as if she was in control of this stage. Next, she held the microphone, and fluent pronunciation came out of her mouth. ¡°Good evening,dies and gentlemen. My name is Elise Sinir¡­¡± The moment her voice flowed out, it was as if she was ying a tape of a recorded speech. The audience below the stage all held their breath, their eyes fixed on her on the stage. Even Danny was alsopletely attracted to Elise. ¡°Young Master Griffith, I really didn¡¯t expect that this ugly monster¡¯s enunciation would actually be so good.¡± The person sitting next to Danny couldn¡¯t help but speak, but in the next second, Danny shot an icy gaze over. So, that person immediately changed his tone. ¡°Sorry, I misspoke. It¡¯s Elise. Her enunciation is too good. If I didn¡¯t know who she was, I would¡¯ve thought she was professionally trained.¡± Although these words were praising Elise, Danny inexplicably had a sense of pride too. ¡°We can¡¯t judge a book by its cover,¡± he said while looking at Elise on the stage. Even if her looks were not beautiful and were even rather ugly, it was difficult to cover up her talents. In fact, he found that he could no longer look at her with the same thoughts as before. After Elise¡¯s speech, the whole audience resounded with a burst of apuse, while Elise smiled and bowed deeply to the audience below the stage before she came down. As soon as she stepped off the stage, Mika rushed forward. ¡°Elise, you¡¯re great! Your voice really sounds good and better than any of the public speaking tapes I¡¯ve listened to.¡± Moreover, thenguage teacher¡¯s eyes were full of appreciation as well. ¡°Good, Elise. Your speech was great. I haven¡¯t heard such fluent enunciation for a long time.¡± Although Elise had long been used to hearing words of praise, at this moment, she still felt a little shy. ¡°Thank you, if it weren¡¯t for you, I don¡¯t think I would havee to thispetition,¡± Elise said to the teacher very seriously. The teacher looked at her with a gaze full of pride. ¡°Good luck; I¡¯m very optimistic about you.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Elise returned backstage, and at this moment, Jasmine¡¯s face was ashen as she looked at Elise in a different light. She used to think that her Chinese level was simr to Elise¡¯s. Even if Beter said that her level was not the same as Elise¡¯s, she never believed it until today when she listened to Elise¡¯s speech. Now, she realized that Beter¡¯s words were euphemistic, and she and Elise were far too different. In fact, Elise was far above her, and she still foolishly thought that as long as Elise did not participate in thispetition, she would have a chance to win the prize. It was simply ridiculous because Elise¡¯s ability was simply impossible to surpass. ¡°I¡¯ve lost, Elise,¡± Jasmine¡¯s tone was very low and feeble. She slowly closed her eyes and continued, ¡°I did all those things. It was a momentarypse of reason that caused me to do those things that hurt you. Now you can dispose of me any way you want.¡± Elise smiled, but her smile didn¡¯t look too genuine. ¡°Dispose of you? I never wanted to dispose of you.¡± When Jasmine heard this, she thought things would turn around for her, and she opened her eyes to look at Elise. However, the next words Elise said sent her to the depths of despair. ¡°Disposing of you will only dirty my hands, and I am the kind of person who is best at never doing anything myself. Instead, I do things by the hand of others.¡± Hearing this, Jasmine panicked. ¡°What do you want? Elise, I¡¯m telling you that my daddy is very powerful. If you dare to touch me, he will not let you go¡­¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait for it. Enjoy yourst day of freedom.¡± From tomorrow onward, your nightmare will begin. With that, Elise turned and walked away. At this moment, Jasmine still did not understand Elise¡¯s words and thought that Elise was simply scaring her. But little did she know that everything was already toote. The Chinese Weekpetition came to an end, and without a doubt, Elise got the highest score overall, which caused quite a stir. The city¡¯s best foreignnguage universities were inquiring about her, and overnight, Elise became the talk of many prestigious schools. ¡°Elise, are we just going to let Jasmine go? Shouldn¡¯t she be given a serious punishment for doing something so outrageous?¡± Mika was a bit puzzled, but Elise just smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Everyone has to pay the price for what they did.¡± Mika nodded in agreement. ¡°Yes, so I always tell myself to be good.¡± The two smiled at each other and walked home together as the moonlight stretched their shadows. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Chapter 52 Chapter 52 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 52 A day had passed, and Jasmine spent the entire night in fear. When the sun rose, the Anders Residence kept getting visitors knocking at the main door. ¡°Open the door!¡± ¡°It is only right to pay up for what you owe! Stop hiding in the house.¡± ¡°Pay us back!¡± The entire Anders Residence was jam-packed and surrounded by waves after waves of people. After the bankruptcy, the Anders were barely able to survive by selling their properties. With loan sharksing over to their ce, the Anders realized that it turned out to be Jasmine who had taken on usury with a steep interest rate. ¡°You¡¯re such a disgrace to the family!¡± Angered, John pped Jasmine forcefully. Upon feeling the searing pain on her cheek, she turned on the waterworks. Still, she couldn¡¯t be bothered by it as she paid huge consequences to be able to take out a loan. Immediately, she kneeled with a loud thump. ¡°Dad, help me! Please help me! I¡¯ll be dead if you don¡¯t!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any money. Solve the problem that you created yourself!¡± Then, John rolled his sleeves and left in anger while Jasmine quickly ran after him before clinging onto his leg. ¡°Dad, I have no choice anymore. I took some pictures for them to be able to take out the loan¡­¡± When John heard Jasmine, he felt as if he was struck by lightning before he staggered a little. Withplete shock, she stared at this daughter of his whom he had been spoiling ever since she was born. ¡°Jasmine, I really don¡¯t know what to say to you anymore.¡± John was so furious he spat blood before he lost consciousness and fell to the ground. ¡°Dad¡­ Dad!¡± Still, no matter how much Jasmine shouted, her father never answered. Although she dropped out of school, rumors about her were still being spread around the school without any signs of stopping. ¡°Have you guys heard that the Anders went bankrupt?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just that! I also found out that she took a usurious loan, and those loan sharks went to her house to get their payment back. Her father got so pissed off he passed away!¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s karma for Jasmine. After all, she used to boast a lot because her family was rich.¡± Since many students weren¡¯t happy with Jasmine¡¯s attitude back then, they all gathered together to gossip about her. On the other hand, Elise also heard some rumors about Jasmine at school. Still, she wasn¡¯t bothered because it wasn¡¯t really rted to her. Moreover, she was kind of in trouble right now. Ever since Elise¡¯s outstanding performance during the Chinese Week¡¯s speechpetition, many colleges reached out to her with all sorts of schrship proposals to try to get her to enroll in their school. She had been epting calls from colleges admission offices, but she rejected all offers by telling them that she had no interest innguage majors. ¡°Elise,e over to mine tonight. I¡¯ll get my mom to prepare your favorite crawfish dish!¡± Mika leaned over with an excited look on her face and suggested when she noticed that school was about to be over. Looking at the time, Elise agreed cheerfully. ¡°Sure! I¡¯ll drop by your house after school.¡± ¡°Great! You¡¯re the best, Elise!¡± Grinning at her friend, Elise sent Matthew a text to notify him that he didn¡¯t have to pick her up from school. Although Elise had texted Matthew, she still noticed his car parked outside when she came out from the school with Mika. Then, Matthew got out of his car and walked toward them. ¡°Let me fetch you guys,¡± he suggested. Upon hearing that, Elise turned toward Mika while Mika shrugged. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll ask my driver to leave so that the three of us can head back together.¡± Thus, Mika and Elise got into Matthew¡¯s car before they headed to Mika¡¯s ce. When the auto music yer in the car started ying H¡¯s ssic songs, Matthew nced at Elise from the rearview mirror. Right when he was about to say something, Mika eximed in shock, ¡°Wow, you like H¡¯s music as well?!¡± Shifting his gaze toward Mika, Matthew hummed a little. ¡°I¡¯ve been her fan for many years now.¡± Right then, Mika felt like she had found her soulmate. ¡°Really? Me too! I took a liking to her after I heard her first song, Abandoned Sea. I¡¯ve got all of her songs on loop in my phone.¡± This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Really? I guess we all have simr interests.¡± Matthew grinned. Upon hearing that, Mika turned toward Elise in shock. ¡°Elise, do you like H¡¯s music as well?¡± At this moment, Elise coughed a little as if she was trying to hide something. Still, she nodded when she met Mika¡¯s excited gaze. ¡°I guess I do.¡±. Immediately, Mika got even happier as she started rambling about her love toward H to Elise. She could still remember every song that H had ever released ever since her debut song, Abandoned Sea. Toward the end, Mika sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve been H¡¯s fan for many years now. Still, it¡¯s too bad that she never revealed her true identity to the public even until now, so I still don¡¯t know what she looks like. Nevertheless, I¡¯ve been attracted to her music for many years now.¡± Matthew felt the same. ¡°I¡¯m curious about what a talented girl like her looks like. I wonder if I¡¯ll still have the chance to listen to her songs in the future.¡± Elise stared at those two, who looked as if they were deep in thoughts and kept quiet. Matthew¡¯s car reached Mika¡¯s ce in no time, and he entered the house along with Elise after Mika invited him in as well. Mika¡¯s mother, Heidi, was a woman of gentle nature. Upon seeing Elise, she greeted in a friendly manner. ¡°You must be Elise! Mika always talks about you. Wee to our home!¡± Elise smiled politely. ¡°Thanks for inviting us over.¡± ¡°Make yourselves at home, and drop by if you guys are free,¡± Heidi said before she went to the kitchen to prepare dinner while Mika pulled Elise to her bedroom excitedly. ¡°Look, Elise! These are all H¡¯s albums. Besides the limited first and third-edition albums, I¡¯ve already collected all of the other albums!¡± Mika eagerly introduced Elise to all of her album collections before she took one of her favorite limited edition H albums and passed it to Elise. ¡°I¡¯ll give you this as a present!¡± Staring at the album, Elise could tell almost immediately that this was Mika¡¯s favorite. ¡°I don¡¯t want to snatch my best friend¡¯s favorite album. It¡¯s better if you take care of it. Besides, I have the first and third- edition albums at home. I¡¯ll bring them over for you next time.¡± Upon hearing that, Mika was over the moon. ¡°Are you serious? Oh my God! Do you know that I¡¯ve been wanting to get my hands on the limited first and third edition albums for a really long time? I couldn¡¯t get it even though I searched through many channels. I can¡¯t believe you had them all along! Elise, I love you so much!¡± She nted a kiss on Elise¡¯s cheek while Elise wiped it off with a disgusted look. ¡°Your saliva got on my face!¡± Still, Mika wasn¡¯t offended at all. At this moment, she was on cloud nine at the thought of being able to own all of H¡¯s albums. Right then, Heidi came in with a te of fruits. ¡°What are you guys talking about? You look really happy.¡± Mika went forward and clung onto Heidi¡¯s arm cheerfully before she put on a mysterious facade. ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡± Heidi chuckled. ¡°Oh? You¡¯re keeping secrets from me now?¡± Still, she continued peeling lychees before passing them to Mika. ¡°Mrs. Lester went to the market and brought your favorite lychees again. Try it.¡± ¡°Thanks, Mom!¡± Mika gave some lychees to Elise, and the three of them started chatting Chapter 53 Chapter 53 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 53 Mika¡¯s father, Luke, came back around dinnertime. As everyone sat together around the dining room, Elise couldn¡¯t help but feelfortable around them. ¡°Don¡¯t be shy, Elise. Make yourself at home.¡± Luke then turned toward Matthew and said again, ¡°Thank you guys for being our Mika¡¯s friends and taking care of her.¡± ¡°Dad, do you know that Elise is super smart? She got first ce in both the Mathematical Olympiad and Chinese Week¡¯s speechpetition. She¡¯s literally my idol!¡± ¡°You have much to learn from Elise, then.¡± Mika stuck her tongue out in embarrassment. ¡°Of course. She¡¯s my idol, after all.¡± The warm sight of the family being chatty put Elise in an absentminded state, and to hide her emotions, she slightly lowered her head to keep her expression out of sight. After dinner, Elise and Matthew left Mika¡¯s house. On the way back, she couldn¡¯t help but lean back on her seat and close her eyes to pretend to be asleep. Nevertheless, the image of her being with her parents years ago kept shing past her mind when she closed her eyes. Despite the memories being old, the images were still crystal clear.This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Right then, Elise opened her eyes and looked out of the window before a streak of tears fell from her eye. ¡°It¡¯s the weekend tomorrow. Do you have any ns?¡± Matthew asked out of the blue, breaking her out of her thoughts. Immediately, Elise looked away and answered lightly, ¡°I¡¯ll probably work on my assignments.¡± Then, Matthew asked again, ¡°I heard that a new hot spring spa opened in the west region of Athesea. Do you want to go to the spa together?¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°Nah. I don¡¯t really like hot springs.¡± ¡°What about a movie together? There¡¯s a newedy movie that just premiered, and it¡¯s apparently really good.¡± At this moment, Matthew¡¯s enthusiasm undoubtedly changed Elise¡¯sst impression of him. ¡°Matthew, you¡ª¡±Before she could finish her sentence, Matthew cut her off. ¡°Please don¡¯t misunderstand me. I was just worried that you might be bored. Besides, my grandpa also wants us to apany you more often.¡± ¡°Thank you for your concern, but I have my own arrangements.¡± Matthew caught on to the hidden rejection behind Elise¡¯s words. I guess maybe I was indeed a little too pushy. ¡°Alright. Let me know if you want to go anywhere, and I¡¯ll bring you there.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± When Matthew fetched Elise back home, they ran into Alexander, who was descending the stairs. Then Elise took the initiative and greeted him. ncing at Matthew, who was standing behind Elise, Alexander shifted his gaze nonchntly before he spoke to Elise. ¡°Grandpa wants to see youter, so go over to the study room once you¡¯re free.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll head there right away.¡± Then she went upstairs and headed toward the study room. Once Elise left, the atmosphere between Alexander and Matthew tensed up as Alexander warned his brother, saying, ¡°Do not try to approach Elise. She¡¯s not someone you can handle.¡± Nevertheless, Matthew didn¡¯t look bothered as he smirked. ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m just following grandpa¡¯s wishes and taking care of her. How could you misunderstand my actions?¡± Then, he continued, ¡°You appear to be free, so shouldn¡¯t you focus onpany work? I heard that the company is going to start a new project, and a huge sum of money has been invested in it. You better be careful in case anything happens.¡± Although Alexander¡¯s eyes darkened, his face remained emotionless. ¡°Remember what I said to you. Do not cross the line.¡± It was clear that he was talking about Elise instead of thepany. Still, Matthew acted as if he hadn¡¯t heard him and dered in a nonchnt manner, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Alex. I won¡¯t get involved inpany matters, and I¡¯ll know what to do for the others.¡± ¡°You better.¡± Meanwhile, Elise knocked on the door to the study room. ¡°Come in¡­¡± After getting permission to enter, she pushed the door to the study room open. ¡°Grandpa, I heard you were looking for me.¡± Upon seeing Elise, Jonah smiled before waving at her. ¡°Come here, Ellie.¡± Elise walked toward Jonah obediently before he passed her a document. ¡°This is one of thepany¡¯s important meetings, and I want you to attend the meeting with me tomorrow.¡± She was taken aback. ¡°Me? I don¡¯t know anything, though.¡± Nevertheless, Jonah smiled warmly. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just pretend as if you¡¯re walking around with me.¡± Toward the end, Elise agreed to Jonas¡¯s proposal as tomorrow was the weekend, and she didn¡¯t have to go to school, anyway. Hence, off to the Griffith Group, she went with Jonas the following morning. Griffith Group was one of Athesea¡¯s most famous multinational conglomerates, and it was situated right in the most bustling part of the city. They were involved in many industries and had investments from business economics and real estate to the entertainment industry. On the other hand, this was Elise¡¯s first time entering the Griffith Tower. While trailing behind Jonas, she entered the elevator along with him to the meeting room on the top floor. Upon entering the room, everyone stood up. ¡°Wee, president!¡± Jonas greeted them before requesting for them to sit down. ¡°You guys don¡¯t have to be so uptight. Just continue with your meeting.¡± While everyone sat down, Alexander walked toward Jonas. ¡°Why are you here, Grandpa?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just here to take a look. You don¡¯t have to worry about me. I¡¯ll just listen at the back.¡± At that, Alexander had no choice but to return to the podium to continue the meeting. ¡°Our uing project for the next season will be the crude oil extraction project in Aris¡­¡± Elise wasn¡¯t interested in listening to their business meeting, so she took her phone out and started ying games. ¡°The preparation for the project in Aris has been done, and we are progressing from the discussion with the Aris government. However, we are facing another serious problem right now.¡± Frowning, Alexander motioned for the project manager to exin. Then, the project manager continued, ¡°It¡¯s not a huge problem, but the interpreter that we had with us previously wouldn¡¯t be able to work with us anymore. We have to find a new interpreter as soon as possible, or our discussion with the Aris government might take a toll. To everyone¡¯s knowledge, the Arisenguage is a lesser-knownnguage, and not many people can interpret it. It¡¯s rather hard to get a suitable interpreter for this project.¡± This is indeed an issue. Right then, Alexander instructed his subordinates, ¡°I want all of you to do your best to look for Arise interpreters. We need to get a new interpreter no matter how much we need to pay them, as the project¡¯s progression can¡¯t be dyed any longer.¡± ¡°Yes, President Griffith.¡± After the meeting ended, Alexander handed Griffith Group¡¯stest financial report to Jonas in the president¡¯s office. Nevertheless, instead of reading the report, Jonas called out to Elise, who was standing a distance away from them. ¡°Come over, Ellie. I want you to help me to read this report.¡± Elise, who was summoned, stopped ying her game and walked over. When Jonas handed her the report, she looked hesitant because a financial report was not one to be read by unauthorized personnel. ¡°Read through it and tell me what you think about it.¡± Hmm... Well, if he says so. Elise had no choice but to take the report and start reading it. Right then, she had to admit that Alexander was great at managing thepany. Through the financial report, Elise could see that Griffith Group had been profiting stably throughout the entire season. However, her gaze paused somewhere before she quickly looked away after a while. Chapter 54 Chapter 54 Chapter 54 Seeing that Elise finished reading the report, Jonas asked, ¡°What do you think?¡± Elise answered truthfully, ¡°Griffith Group¡¯s financial report is outstanding, and there seems to be almost no problem, but¡­¡± She trailed off and nced at Alexander. ¡°But I think there¡¯s a problem with one of the statistics.¡± Upon hearing her, Alexander had his eyes brightened while Jonas looked calm. ¡°Tell me about the problem.¡± Elise took the report and flipped it open to page five before pointing at one of the statistics. ¡°This project, the Genesis-although the financial report shows that it is gaining profit, you¡¯ll realize after seeing the same projects that the Genesis is gaining way too little in terms of profit¡ªthere might be a problem here.¡± Immediately, she pointed out the problem in the report. The projects got the same amount of investments but had discrepancies in profits. It¡®s not convincing to me that there¡®s nothing fishy about this project. At this moment, Jonas grinned. ¡°Not bad, Ellie! You have sharp eyes! Alex, get your men to investigate this.¡± ¡°Yes, Grandpa.¡± ¡°By the way, were you guys discussing hiring a new interpreter during the meeting just now?¡± Alexander could feel a headache rising hearing that. If they only needed a regr interpreter, they would definitely have no problem finding one by offering high pay. However, it was too hard to find an interpreter for the Arisenguage. ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯ll continue to follow up with the interpreter¡¯s case. We will surely find a suitable candidate.¡± ¡°Alright. I won¡¯t get involved in it if that¡¯s so. Still, n your steps properly.¡± ¡°I understand, Grandpa.¡± Then Jonas stood up and turned toward Elise. ¡°Ellie, you should stay at thepany for a while and return with Alexter on. I still have matters that I need to wrap up here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, Grandpa. You don¡¯t have to worry about me. I¡¯ll get back on my own in a bit.¡± Still, Alexander quickly interrupted Elise before she could say more. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa. I¡¯ll send her home.¡± ¡°Alright. Please take care of Ellie for me.¡± Then Jonas got up and left. After he left, Alexander got his secretary to bring Elise to the lounge. ¡°You can rest here for a bit. There are snacks in the drawer, and you can eat them if you¡¯re hungry. I¡¯ll take you out for dinner once I¡¯m done with my work.¡± Though feeling rather awkward, Elise nodded. ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t have to take care of me since I¡¯m not a kid anymore.¡± However, there was a serious look on Alexander¡¯s face. ¡°I already promised grandpa that I¡¯ll take care of you well, so don¡¯t make things hard for me.¡± Shrugging, Elise no longer refused Alexander¡¯s offer. ¡°Can I borrow yourptop?¡± Immediately, Alexander got his secretary to bring Elise aptop. After settling Elise down, he went back to his office to continue working. Unbeknownst to Alexander, Elise started tapping away at the keyboard after he left. She was typing at lightning speed as rows and rows of codes filled theptop screen while she analyzed the content on the screen breezily. Finally, theptop browser brought her to Griffith Group¡¯s hiring portal. Staring at the ¡®Hiring Arise Interpreter¡¯ job post, she recalled hearing that they were looking for Arise interpreters during the meeting just now. Coincidentally, Elise studied the Arisenguage and was fluent in it. Then she hit the ¡®apply¡¯ button. At the same time, Alexander¡¯s assistant eximed in the president¡¯s office, ¡°Young Master Griffith, someone just applied for the Arise interpreter job!¡± Narrowing his eyes, Alexander replied, ¡°We shall test this person¡¯s ability through the online assessment.¡± ¡°Yes, Young Master Griffith.¡± After reading the documents sent to her, Elise took less than 3 minutes to trante everything before sending the documents back. ¡°Young Master Griffith, the trantions are excellent. It seems like this person is fluent in Arise.¡± Alexander¡¯s assistant sounded really excited while Alexander said lightly, ¡°Find a way to get this person to work for us no matter how much they want from us.¡± ¡°Young Master Griffith, the candidate only does online real-time interpretation.¡± Right then, Alexander¡¯s eyes darkened. Online real¨C time interpretation without revealing their face? How mysterious! ¡°Give me theptop.¡± After handing Alexander theptop, his assistant watched as he started tapping away on the keyboard with a simr speed as Elise. At this moment, Alexander was trying to track the candidate¡¯s IP address to know their real identity. However, the candidate was too smart and actually managed to slip away with any evidence every time he was close to tracking them down. This time, Alexander knew that he had finally met his match, so he decided to just contact the candidate himself. On the other hand, Elise didn¡¯t expect Alexander to be so cautious. Thus, she had no choice but to reveal one of her frequently used IP addresses to lower his cautiousness. ¡®You don¡¯t have to suspect me of having ill intentions. If I really wanted to do something, yourpany¡¯s system would have been hacked earlier on.¡¯ Elise was being honest, and her confidence right then made Alexander believe that she really didn¡¯t have any ill intentions. ¡®Alright. I¡¯ll send you the documentster on. Looking forward to working with you! Alexander was finally willing to let Elise be the Arise interpreter for the project. A whileter, Elise received a few documents. Without any dy, she quickly started tranting while the sound of keyboard clicking could be heard from the lounge. Time passed by in the blink of an eye, and when Alexander was finished with his work, he finally remembered that Elise was still in the lounge. Upon entering the lounge, he saw Elise clutching theptop while staring at something on theptop. Nevertheless, the screen was changed to the recent hottest teen drama by the time he got closer to her. ¡°Let¡¯s go get dinner.¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. Right then, Elise pretended to close her tab with the teen drama. ¡°You¡¯re finally done with work. I¡¯m starving.¡± She closed herptop. ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± Alexander asked. At this moment, Elise pondered seriously before replying, ¡°I feel like eating beef stew again. Why don¡¯t we go to eat beef stew again?¡± Alexander raised his eyebrows. ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything else that you feel like eating?¡± Still, Elise shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve been eating it so much throughout the years, and I don¡¯t think I can stop eating it now.¡± Alexander couldn¡¯t do anything to change Elise¡¯s mind since she had already made her decision. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go eat beef stew, then.¡± Then he took Elise to the pan-European restaurant again. Upon smelling the familiar scent, a satisfied grin appeared on Elise¡¯s face. ¡°Hey, can I get one set of beef stew? Wait, hang on, please make it two.¡± ¡°Alright. Please take a seat. The food will be ready soon.¡± Chapter 55 Chapter 55 Chapter 55 Elise dragged Alexander to the seats outdoors. From his ufortable expression, she could tell that he wasn¡¯t used to eating at such ces. Still, seeing how Elise was enjoying the situation, Alexander wasn¡¯t appalled at all. Instead, he continued apanying her there. ¡°Two beef stewsing right up. Please do enjoy your food.¡± After the owner had served them their beef stews, Elise couldn¡¯t wait any longer and started digging into her food with a spoon. Upon tasting the familiar food, she felt her cravings being satisfied. ¡°Eat up! It¡¯s delicious!¡± Although Alexander really wanted to tell her that he didn¡¯t like food with gravy-like texture, he had to admit that he fell in love with how beef stews tasted after having tried the dish once. Unable to control himself, he picked up his cutleries and started eating as well. ¡°It¡¯s good, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ It¡¯s not bad.¡± While Elise ate at a fast pace,(This novel will be daily updated at .novelheart) Alexander could feel his gaze softening as he stared at her messy eating manner. Unbeknownst to them, a red Ferrari parked at the side of the road at this moment. Ashlyn, who was sitting at the driver¡¯s seat, took off her sses and looked at Alexander, who was eating outdoors, in disbelief. Initially, she thought that she had mistaken someone else for him. However, she confirmed that the person that she was seeing was Alexander after seeing Elise¡¯s ¡®appalling¡¯ face. Unable to stop herself, Ashlyn unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car before walking toward them. ¡°Alexander, it¡¯s you!¡± Upon hearing that, Elise paused before she looked up instinctively to see Ashlyn. Immediately, she felt as if her appetite was gone. Nevertheless, Ashlyn ignored her and initiated a conversation with Alexander instead. ¡°Alexander, why are you eating this food? These kinda ces are extremely unhygienic, and you might get food poisoning,¡± she exined with a disdainful look on her face. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. To her surprise, Alexander replied nonchntly, ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s nothing much.¡± Then, he turned toward Elise and asked, ¡°Are you done eating?¡± Picking up thest piece of potato in her stew, she took the time to chew on her food. ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go back, then.¡± Elise mumbled an agreement while Alexander called out for the owner to pay the bill. During the entire process, none of them bothered to acknowledge Ashlyn, who showed up out of nowhere. Right then, Ashlyn gritted her teeth in anger while her hands clenched up into fists. Then, she quickly ran after them. ¡°Alexander, how could you leave just like that?! Are you still ming me for what happened previously? I¡­¡± She looked reluctant. Still, she decided to say it after giving Elise a look. ¡°I was in the wrong previously, alright? I only did it because I was stupid. Can you forgive me, considering our friendship for so many years?¡± At this moment, Alexander raised his eyebrows. He had always seen Ashlyn more as an acquaintance, as they only interacted because of their families. In the past, he used to admire Ashlyn¡¯s strong and independent character. Moreover, since she liked the same violinist as he did, he felt as if they were simr people. However, he realized that his impression of Ashlyn might have been wrong ever since what happened previously. ¡°Calm down, Miss Lawson. Since we are not as close as you perceived, (This novel will be daily updated at .novelheart)you don¡¯t really have to care about my feelings.¡± From Alexander¡¯s tone, it was obvious that he wanted to distance himself from her. Still, Ashlyn acted as if she didn¡¯t understand what he meant. ¡°That¡¯s great. I was really worried that you would still be mad at me! By the way¡­¡± She suddenly recalled something and started digging through her bag before taking two violin concert tickets that she had prepared earlier out of her bag. ¡°Alex, this is the concert ticket to our favorite violinist, Mike! He¡¯s performing in Athesea the day after tomorrow, so I got my friend to help me get VIP tickets. Why don¡¯t we go together?¡± Truthfully, any ordinary man would have epted Ashlyn¡¯s offer right there and then, as no one would be able to resist ady like her. However, Alexander rejected her without any hesitation, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m really busy with work, so I don¡®t have the time to do so. Do enjoy the concert yourself.¡± Immediately, Ashlyn¡¯s face darkened. This is Alexander¡®s first time rejecting me. At this same time, Elise felt slightly awkward standing between the two of them. ¡°Guys, why don¡¯t I go back by myself first?¡± While this was what Ashlyn wanted, Alexander spoke up before she could say anything. ¡°Wait for me here. I¡¯ll go get the car now.¡± Elise could only nod her head while Alexander walked away. After he left, Ashlyn red at Elise before she warned, ¡°Elise Sinir, you¡¯d better be mindful of your ce and the difference between you and Alexander. You two are inpletely different worlds, and it¡¯s impossible between you two. Stop trying to delude yourself about things that would never belong to you.¡± Nevertheless, Elise retorted without any hesitation, saying, ¡°I could say that same to you! Ashlyn, you need to stop trying to delude yourself about things that would never belong to you. Can¡¯t you see that Alexander doesn¡®t even want to talk to you? Aren¡¯t you embarrassed for constantly pestering him?¡± ¡°You!¡± Agitated, Ashlyn raised her hand and wanted to p Elise, but her hand was grabbed tightly by Elise in the next second. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you trying to pick a fight with me just because you can¡¯t win verbally? Is this how youngdies are supposed to act? Where are your manners?¡± Immediately, Ashlyn pulled her hand out of Elise¡¯s grip. ¡°Just so you wait, Elise. The game has just started, and I have all the time in the world to toy around with you.¡± After saying that, she turned around and headed toward her eye-catching Ferrari before disappearing from Elise¡¯s sight. Upon getting in the car, Alexander asked Elise, ¡°What did she say to you just now?¡± Not expecting the question, Elise simply answered him, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. We chatted.¡± Right then, Alexander gave her a look. Although it was obvious that he didn¡¯t believe what Elise said, he didn¡¯t try to probe and just said, ¡°You don¡®t have to care about her next time.¡± While Elise agreed with what Alexander said, she got curious and asked, ¡°Do you like her?¡± However, she didn¡¯t expect the atmosphere to bepletely quiet after the question. Oh no! Why did I even ask him about this?! ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± The answer that Alexander gave waspletely his style. Short and sweet. Upon hearing that, Elise felt sudden happiness blooming within her before shemented, ¡°She looks like she really likes you, though.¡± She was unaware that she sounded bitter when she said that. Frowning, Alexander turned around to give Elise a look before he replied quietly(This novel will be daily updated at .novelheart). ¡°You ask a lot of questions.¡± Elise quickly shook her head. ¡°Whatever. I won¡¯t ask you questions anymore. It¡¯s nothing important, so you don¡¯t have to take them seriously!¡± Then, she quickly changed the topic. ¡°I¡¯ll rest for a bit. Wake me up when we get home.¡± At that, Alexander hummed a little as an answer to her. Chapter 56 Chapter 56 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 56 Elise leaned back in her seat and slowly closed her eyes while Alexander gazed at the sleepingdy from the rear mirror with a faint, yet heartwarming smile. As soon as Elise got home, she immediately turned on herptop and hacked into the computer in Alexander¡®s office to erase all the data trails she left behind earlier that afternoon. When Elise was done with that, she proceeded to trante Aris¡® documents for Alexander until midnight. Then, she sent the firstpleted document to Alexander, who responded with a text message not long after. ¡®You¡®re super efficient! For that, I think you should be rewarded with a pay raise.¡¯ However, Elise felt speechless with the man¡®s response because she was going to repay Alexander¡¯s favor anyway. After all, she believed everything came at a price. Therefore, while she was helping Alexander as a gesture to repay his kindness, there was still no reason for her to offer her service without charging him. ¡®Well, my efficiency depends on the pay, and you pay me well¡¯Elise replied to Alexander¡¯s message just as thetter sat in front of his monitor screen with a smile. Deep down, he began to find this mysterious trantor rather interesting. ¡®Don¡®t worry. You¡®ll be paid handsomely. Alexander responded with another text message before he sent another one. Send me your ount number. I¡¯ll make the transfer right away. Daily new chapters at .novelheart Stunned by the man¡®s response, Elise blinked in disbelief. Really? This seems easier than I thought. Although she was recently in desperate need of money, she knew she mustn¡®t let Alexander know her true identity. Therefore, she gave the man a proxy ount number not long before she received a notification. ¡°One, two, three, four, five¡­ One million!¡± Elise was c aught in a trance, wondering if Alexander was really so generous. ¡°Thank you so much, Boss!¡® Elise replied, whereupon she transferred the money from her proxy ount to her own one. After Elise was done with her business, she was about to log out of the intr, only to receive Alexander¡¯s message before she could do so. ¡®We¡®re going to do a site inspection at Aris. Would you be interested in taking on the job as an on-site interpreter by then?¡® Confused and undecided, Elise settled to pretend as if she didn¡®t see his message and went to bed right away, since she didn¡®t signify her intention. In the meantime, Alexander waited and waited until thedy went offline. Sensing the mysterious trantor¡¯s refusal to show herself, he reckoned she was likely just trying to protect her own privacy and reluctantly chose to respect that. After all, he didn¡®t think it was a big deal as long as she didn¡®t do anything that could jeopardize the company¡¯s interest. The next morning was a Monday, yet Elise happened to be runningte for ss. As she hurriedly scurried to her ssroom, her math teacher was seen to be in the middle of a lesson. ¡°Can I come in?¡± Elise braced herself to ept the teacher¡¯s scolding, as it was known among the students that she didn¡®t take kindly to anyone who waste for her ss. Nheless, the math teacher only responded with a smile and greeted her. ¡°Yes, please!¡± After hearing what her teacher said, Elise was stunned as she slowly walked into the ssroom. ¡°That¡¯s unfair. Our math teacher is obviously biased toward her. How could she be allowed to enter the ss just like that?¡± ¡°Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! Well, what do you expect? She is the teacher¡®s favorite student, so of course, she is going to enjoy all the privilege?¡± While the two students leaned closer to each other and talked behind Elise¡®s back, she hadpletely no idea what they were gossiping about. Nheless, she just went straight to her seat and sat down just when her math teacher subtly gave her a strange gesture. ¡°Well, since Elise is already here, I have something important to announce.¡± Daily new chapters in .novelheart Elise looked up, cing her gaze on the math teacher as she noticed thetter adjusting the sses on his nose bridge. Soon, the teacher happily made an announcement. ¡°Elise¡®s extraordinary result in thest Math Olympiad has been brought to the Education Ministry¡®s attention. Therefore, it has been decided that Elise will represent Athesea to attend the Math Olympiad in Northcliff City, along with the other representatives.¡± As soon as the teacher made his announcement, the whole ss cheered in surprise and excitement. After all, the Math Olympiad that Elise was going to attend was a national competition in which she would bepeting against many other tough rivals. Meanwhile, those students, who were talking behind her back a few moments ago, were instantly rendered speechless after hearing the news that Elise was going to attend National Mathematics Olympiad, as they couldn¡®t challenge her extraordinary talent. ¡°For the sake of Elise¡®s participation in the Math Olympiad, the Education Ministry will be organizing a Math Olympiad boot camp that¡®ll take about half a month. Elise, please prepare yourself before you report yourself at the venue in two days.¡± The math teacher¡¯s words were like a stone falling into the water, as it caused huge ripples on the surface. In the meantime, the entire ss turned their attention to Elise, only to notice the calm look on her face. A boot camp, huh? That means I¡®U be isted, right? This seems like a perfect reason for me not to stay at the Griffith Residence. Elise raised her eyebrows, finding the surprising turn of events interesting deep down. When the ss was over, the math teacher summoned Elise to the office. ¡°I have high hopes for you, Elise. Therefore, I sincerely hope the boot camp will help you prepare better to score a resounding triumph during the Math Olympiad. After all, this is no longer just about you, as the whole school is now counting on you to make us proud. Needless to say, I wouldn¡¯t want to pressure you too much. So, just do it as if it is your normal exercise.¡± The math teacher nagged for the next few moments before giving Elise two exercise books. ¡°Please have a look at them. You could alwayse to me if you have any questions.¡± ¡°Sure, thank you, Sir.¡± Elise carried the two books her math teacher gave her before going back to her ssroom. Daily new chapters in .novelheart ¡°That¡¯s awesome, Elise! I can¡®t believe you¡®re going to participate in the Mathematics Olympiad. Actually, I heard from Cloverfield High would be taking part in thispetition too. This news is going viral across our school forum, and there are even some students who ce their bets on your results,¡± Mika said while showing her iPad to Elise. Nevertheless, Elise only took a glimpse of the screen and asked, ¡°Who is Zachary?¡± Soon, Mika went on to answer her ssmate¡¯s question. ¡°Zachary is a top student from Cloverfield High and has always managed to score first ce every year. In fact, he won first cest year when he attended the Mathematics Olympiad; but because of you, he had up this year. However, most of the people in Cloverfield High believe that Zachary was only outmatched by you because he had a high fever back then. Therefore, he swears to do better than you do this time in the Mathematics Olympiad. That¡¯s why many of us are betting on both of you.¡± Deep down, Elise couldn¡¯t help but find what those high-school kids were doing silly. ¡°Elise, I bet on you with half of my pocket money for this semester, so you must win.¡± Mika looked Elise in the eye pitifully, but Elise only patted her head. Daily new chapters in .novelheart ¡°Silly girl. What if you lose the bet?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m going to be broke for the rest of my days.¡± Mika tried to y on Elise¡¯s sympathy. While her friend seemed speechless, Mika added, ¡°My future depends on you. So please do your best, Elise.¡± Upon hearing that, Elise helplessly nodded her head. ¡°Alright, I¡®ll do my best.¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Chapter 57 Chapter 57 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 57 In order to make it for the boot camp, Elise worked overtime every night just to get all of Alexander¡®s documents tranted. Fortunately, she managed to get her job done on the day just before the boot camp. After sending Alexander the documents he needed, she finally heaved a sigh of relief as she walked out of her room and headed downstairs. Then, she coincidentally ran into Alexander, who happened toe back from somewhere else as both of their gazes met. ¡°You¡®re back.¡± Elise greeted the man. At the same time, Alexander took off his zer and put it aside, gazing at her while casually asking, ¡°I heard you¡®re going for Mathematics Olympiad Boot Camp tomorrow, right?¡± Having told Jonah about the boot camp earlier, Elise wasn¡¯t surprised that Alexander knew about the matter. ¡°Yeah, I¡®ll set out the next morning and be away for half a month.¡± ¡°I¡®ll take you there tomorrow then.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Elise nodded and gave an affirmative reply. Daily new chapters in .novelheart The next morning, Elise left her room right after she finished packing her belongings just when she saw Alexander already waiting for her at the door. Meanwhile, the man came closer to her and held her luggage the moment he saw her. ¡°Let me take that.¡± Elise obediently handed her luggage over to the man, whereupon both of them descended down the stair s. Then, Alexander ced thedy¡®s luggage into the car trunk while thetter entered the vehicle. ¡°Where is the boot camp?¡± In response to that, Elise reached for her phone and searched for the location before Alexander hit on the gas pedal and drove off. While Mathematics Olympiad Boot Camp was a closed session that was held in the school, Alexander didn¡®t leave right away after taking Elise there. Instead, he held her luggage and w alked her to the female dormitory. On their way there, Alexander¡¯s good looks inevitably turned many heads until both of them arrived at the dorm. It was then that Elise said, ¡°Alright, I¡®ll have my luggage back. I can take care of myself from here.¡± As Alexander handed the luggage over to Elise, he went on to nag at her. ¡°Focus on your boot camp, but if there is anything, please don¡¯t hesitate to call me.¡± ¡°Okay. Okay, I heard you. You can go now.¡± Elise obediently nodded her head. Alexander had his eyes glued to Elise until she entered the female dormitory, but as soon as he turned around to walk away, he quickly found himself surrounded by a number of girls. ¡°Hello, Mr. Handsome. Do you mind giving me your number?¡± ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Alexander turned the girls down outright and strode away from them. In the meantime, the girls, although unhappy with the man¡¯s cold rejection, couldn¡¯t resist his charm, as they would die to be his girlfriend. On the other hand, Elise proceeded to approach the dorm keeper upon arrival and learned that her room was 503. Then, she went to her room and saw someone making her bed. Thus, she made the first move and greeted thedy. ¡°Hi!¡± Meanwhile, Amanda fixed her gaze on Elise¡¯s face, her eyes filled with disgust and disdain. After that, she sized Elise up and judged her for being poor from her simple outfit, showing no interest in entertaining her. Nheless, Elise only shrugged her shoulders in response before she opened up her luggage and took her belongings out of it, ready to make her own bed. At that moment, the door was open once again, whereupon another girl came into view. While she appeared to be in a fancy outfit, Amanda reckoned the former must be from a wealthy family. Therefore, she enthusiastically ttered the girl and said, ¡°Hi, nice to meet you. Wee to our hostel! I¡®m your roommate, Amanda Hudson, and I can¡¯t wait to see what excitement our future has in store for us.¡± Daily new chapters in .novelheart Samantha showed a friendly smile and replied, ¡°Nice to meet you. My name is Samantha Greene.¡± Then, she looked around the room and saw two avable bed frames, whereupon she picked the one next to Elise. ¡°I¡®ll pick this spot.¡± As soon as Samatha finished her words, the maid stepped inside the room and made her bed for her. Seeing that, Amanda deduced that Samantha was no ordinary person and decided to treat her cordially, unlike the way she did to Elise. The next moment, she offered to share some of her tidbits with Samantha. ¡°These are some tidbits my dad bought me when he went on a business trip overseas. Please try some.¡± Samantha took a glimpse of those tidbits and turned Amanda down. ¡°I¡®m sorry, but I¡®m trying to slim down recently, so I¡®m staying off tidbits. Thanks for offering! Anyway, my mom told me to bring along some fruits, so let me share some of them with you.¡± She then got up and reached for the fruits she had, grabbing two boxes of pineberries before giving each of them to Amanda and Elise. ¡°These are for you both.¡± Elise fixed her gaze on the pineberries before her and looked up with a smile. ¡°Thanks, but pineberries are not my cup of tea.¡± However, Samantha directly ced the box of pineberries on the table and said, ¡°These pineberries taste really good. You should try them out because everyone who¡¯s ever tasted them falls in love with them right away.¡± Daily new chapters in .novelheart Upon hearing Elise¡¯s words, Amanda thought she had never seen pineberries before and ironically mocked her for that. ¡°Pineberries are rare and expensive, and I doubt you¡¯ve ever tried them before. You could¡¯ve been honest with us instead of saying you don¡¯t like them because we¡¯re not going tough at you for that.¡± Nheless, Amanda¡¯s sarcastic words didn¡®t sit well with Samantha, even making her feel disgusted. Thus, Samantha shifted her gaze to Elise andforted her. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s just a box of pineberries. If you don¡®t like them, I could bring you some other fruits next time.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Elise responded with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re wee. Anyway, now that we¡¯re all roommates, I hope I could learn a thing or two from you ladies. After all, I was forced to join this boot camp by my parents even though my result during Mathematics Olympiad wasn¡®t impressive at all. Thus, I¡®m not confid ¡°You¡®re too humble, Samantha. Everyone who came for this boot camp is not to be taken lightly.¡± Amanda ingratiated herself with Samantha. ¡°By the way, have you guys heard about Elise? She scored full marks during the Mathematics Olympiad h I¡¯d learn so much from her. How wonderful that would be!¡± While Elise was surprised by Samantha¡¯s unexpected words, Amanda beat her to it and responded before she could utter anything. ¡°I heard that Elise is not just an ace when ites to Mathematics Olympiad. She was also the champion in the public speakingpetition during Chinese Week. My father was there to witness it, and when he came home, he kept nagging at me to be more like Elise. Thus, I¡¯m actually interested in meeting her myself, but I guess someone like Elise wouldn¡¯t bother entertaining lousy students like us.¡± Is she saying that I¡®m difficult to get along with? That¡®s prejudice. In response to Amanda¡¯s biased words, Elise asked, ¡°Are you friends with her? Howe you know so much about her?¡± While Amanda was rendered tongue-tied, Samantha interfered with the awkward situation and shrugged her shoulders. ¡°That¡®s okay. It¡®d still be our honor to get to know someone like her.¡± Humiliated, Amanda remained silent and red at Elise. Daily new chapters in .novelheart ¡°Let¡¯s have a revision together tonight,¡± Samantha said to Elise, who seemed surprised to hear that. ¡°Sure.¡± The twodies didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by Amanda¡¯s presence as they proceeded to leave their hostel room together. In the meantime, Amanda was left behind as she angrily watched the two of them disappear from sight amidst a pleasant chat. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. As soon as they left their room, Samantha made the first move and asked, ¡°Oh yeah, I know I should have asked this earlier, but what¡¯s your name?¡± Chapter 58 Chapter 58 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 58 Elise shed a smile and said, ¡°I¡®m Elise.¡± Samantha gaped at her in astonishment. ¡°Wait, you¡®re Elise?¡± Elise nodded. ¡°In the flesh.¡± For a moment, Samantha could not recover from her daze. She thought about what Elise had said to Amanda minutes ago, and only then did all the pieces click. ¡°That exins why you put Amanda down the way you did; if someone was badmouthing me to my face, I¡®d have pped them!¡± Seeing how serious Samantha was amused Elise. She liked that Samantha was not the stereotypically aloof heiress that one might expect, but she gave off the impression that she was kind an d approachable instead. ¡°By the way, Elise, I heard that Zachary Newman is here at the boot camp, too. Having the both of you here is like waiting for a legendary showdown to happen! I can¡¯t wait to see which of you will emerge victorious at the end of the boot camp!¡± Daily new chapters in .novelheart This was the second time Zachary¡¯s name was brought up in Elise¡®s presence. She figured he must be some kind of math whiz for everyone to praise him behind his back. Presently, Elise and Samantha came to a stop at the ssroom doorway, whereupon they saw that the room was filled to the brim with other boot camp participants. Their arrival i nstantly caught the room¡®s attention, though everyone¡¯s gazes lingered on Samantha the longest. After all, it was hard for a fine¨Clooking girl like her to keep from standing out in a crowd. ¡°Excuse me,¡± one of the boys piped up boldly, addressing Samantha. ¡°You can sit next to me if you¡®d like.¡± However, his invitation was swiftly rebuffed when Samantha, having taken one nce at the vacant seat next to him, said apologetically, ¡°Sorry, but I¡®m going to sit with my friend.¡± With that, she pulled Elise over to thest row of seats and dered, ¡°Let¡®s sit here, Elise.¡± Elise did not object to this. She had only just sat down when her phone beeped in her pocket, and she fished it out to see that there was a new message from Jamie, which read, ¡®Hey, Boss. Heard that you¡®ve gone into istion or something. Send me your location, and I¡®ll bring goodies for you some other day. You fuss over me too much, Jamie, Elise thought with a rueful smile. A few taps on the screenter, she sent her location. Once that was done, she kept her phone just as a middle¨Caged man appeared at the ssroom entryway. He was holding a thermos sk as he walked in, and a hush descended upon the room as everyone registered his presence. ¡°Good day, everyone. Wee to the Mathematics Olympiad Boot Camp. I¡®m Henry Bolton, and you may address me as Mr. Bolton. I¡¯ll be in charge of your studies for the next half a month, and as we kick off this boot camp, let¡®s hope that all of you will give it your best for as long as you¡®re here. Now, in order to keep everyone from getting distracted during camp, please hand over your phones.¡± Daily new chapters in .novelheart Upon hearing this, Samantha immediately grew reluctant. She had initially hoped that she could y a game or two that evening, but now that she was going to surrender her phone, she might very well die of boredom before tomorrow. Dread filled her as she groaned. ¡°Do we really have to hand over our phones?¡± Elise, on the other hand, was unfazed by this. She didn¡®t think having a phone would make a difference to her boot camp experience. When the student in charge of collecting everyone¡®s phones reached their row, Elise handed her phone over without protest. ¡°I¡®ll keep an eye on your phones throughout this boot camp. Should any of you have an urgent call to make,e see me privately,¡± Mr. Bolton announced. ¡°Seeing as today¡¯s the first day, I¡®ve prepared a set of exercises for all of you to get a feel of what this camp is all about. Think of it as an entry test, something that will ease you all into this boot camp experience.¡± The ssroom was charged with frenzied energy when everyone heard this. Those who were gathered here for the Mathematics Olympiad Boot Camp were mathletes in their own right, and a test was exactly what they needed to prove how strong they were. Before long, Mr. Bolton passed the exercises down each row, and silence filled the room as everyone set themselves to work. When Elise got her papers, she perused each page fervently and found that almost all the questions were doable, though thest one was tricky. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. Picking up her pen, she began writing down her workings and answers. Meanwhile, Mr. Bolton was observing the students on the other side of the door when another teacher came down the hallway and asked good- naturedly, ¡°Hey, Henry. Giving the kids a test run?¡± Mr. Bolton grinned as he exined, ¡°I figured I should see how well they cope right off the bat.¡± ¡°I heard that one of the students here got full marks in the City Mathematics Olympiad. That¡®s potential ri ght there.¡± Mr. Bolton had already gotten wind of this, but he admittedly had higher regards for another student¨C one of his own, no less¡ªby the name of Zachary. ¡°Like you said, I¡®m giving these kids a test run. It¡®s the only way for us to pick out the cream of the crop,¡± Mr. Bolton pointed out with a long sigh. There had been a make or-break question from the National Mathematics Olympiadst year, and no student had cracked it to date. Having deliberately put it to the test today, Mr. Bolton hoped that a hard blow would knock some self-awareness into these kids. ¡°Well, guess I¡®ll be waiting for your good news, Henry,¡± the other teacher quipped humorously before walking away. The two-hour test was over in a blink of an eye, and everyone looked defeated as they handed in their papers. ¡°Thest question got me beat; I couldn¡®te up with an answer at all.¡± ¡°Me, too. I couldn¡®t even understand the question, let alone work on it. I dread to think about how I did on the test.¡± A couple of students huddled together toment over the paper, and the boy who spoke first gl anced over at Zachary, who sat not too far away. ¡°Hey, Zach, what do you think of the paper?¡± Zachary pursed his lips and answered inly, ¡°I gave it my best shot.¡± The boy couldn¡®t hide his surprise at this. ¡°Humility bes you, Zach. Anyway, did you manage to crack thest question? What was the answer?¡± At the mention of this, Zachary frowned and confessed stoically, ¡°I got one- half multiplied by the square root of three for the first sub¨Cquestion, but that¡¯s about it.¡± ¡°Damn, if the first sub¨Cquestion was all you managed to crack, then what hope is there left for the rest of us?¡± Zachary offered no response to this. His own strength in terms of math olympiads had been reflected through this test, and he was painfully aware of how much more work he had to put in for the rest of the boot camp. Toward the back of the ssroom, Samantha was dejected as she whined, ¡°Elise, thest question was ridiculous! I¡®m probably going to flunk math camp.¡± She never wanted to join this boot camp in the first ce, and she had told her parents as much. But they had been so resolute that they would rather make backdoor deals than have her not join the camp at all. Now that she realized how challenging math olympiads were, she wanted to pack up and go home. Just then, Elise offered kindly, ¡°I could teach you how to solve the problems if you¡¯d like.¡± All thoughts of abandoning camp were struck out of Samantha¡¯s mind; it was as if Elise had turned into her saving grace. ¡°Really?¡± Delighted, she practically pounced on Elise, wrapping her arms around the girl¡®s neck as she eximed, ¡°That would be amazing! I love you, Elise!¡± Somewhat taken aback by the sudden disy of affection, Elise said, ¡°Okay, you can let me go now.¡± Samantha chuckled and released her. ¡°Come on, let¡®s go back to the dorm so you can teach me math.¡± They sauntered back toward the dormitories and found that their final roommate had arrived as well. ¡°Hi, I¡®m Riley Bolton.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Samantha Greene. Pleasure to meet you,¡± Samantha greeted brightly. Elise introduced herself with a smile. ¡°And I¡®m Elise Sinir. Wee to Dorm 503.¡± Riley was in disbelief when she heard Elise¡®s name and btedly asked, ¡°You¡®re Elise Sinir? As in, the Chapter 59 Chapter 59 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 59 Elise was calm as ever as she hummed in affirmation, but Riley, on the other hand, was rather overwhelmed. ¡°You¡®re, like, beyond amazing. You have no idea how much I look up to you. I never thought I¡®d actually get to be roommates with you! I go to Cloverfield High, which is next door, by the way.¡± ¡°Okay, can we save the chit¨Cchat forter? Elise, you have to help me out with those questions from the test!¡± Samantha was a little antsy as she dragged Elise toward the desk. Riley interjected when she heard this. ¡°Are you guys going through the questions? Mind if I join in?¡± Following this, the three girls huddled over the desk, and Elise went about exining the questions from earlier. By the end of the session, even Samantha-who had looked clueless throughout the entire test- managed to wrap her head around the questions. Riley, on the other hand, gained new understandings as well. ¡°I went through countless workings, and my answers came out different each time. For a minute I thought I¡®d messed up somewhere in the calction, but as it turns out, I was using the wrong method all along.¡± ¡°Elise, is there another approach we could use for this question?¡± Samantha pressed. Elise nced at the question and said slowly, ¡°Well, yes¡­ but I don¡®t rmend the other approach because of howplicated it is.¡± Daily new chapters in .novelheart Just as they were discussing this, Amanda walked in on them. At the sight of the three girls gathered by the desk, she drawled sourly, ¡°How pretentious.¡± Riley had never met or heard of Amanda before this, but she wondered how anyone could sound so unfriendly from the get¨C go. Riley shot her a frown, a little peeved by her hostile demeanor. Meanwhile, Samantha simply ignored Amanda. Instead, she tugged on Elise¡®s arm and said, ¡°Why don¡®t we go over a couple more questions before we call it a day, Elise?¡± More than happy to oblige, Elise quipped, ¡°Sure.¡± Riley wasted no time in joining them. ¡°I¡®ll stick around with you guys.¡± At that moment, there was a knock on the door, and a voice called out from the other side, ¡°Hey, Elise? There¡®s someone by the school entrance asking for you!¡± Elise couldn¡®t help but be a little taken aback. Who would be asking for me? She didn¡®t stop wondering until she reached the school entrance and saw Jamie, who was carrying two carrier bags of snacks as he eximed, ¡°So this is where you¡¯ve been hiding, Boss!¡± Heaven knows I¡®ve been calling you all day only to find that you¡®ve turned your phone off, he want ed to say. More to the point, he had pleaded with the security guard at the entrance with dire efforts before the stubborn man finally allowed him to pass. Presently, Jamie held up the bags and said, ¡°These are for you, Boss.¡± ¡°What, all these?¡± Elise gaped in shock at the inordinate amount of snacks in those bags. ¡°Come on, Boss, these probably won¡®tst you more than a day! Eat all you want. I¡¯ll bring more over if you run out.¡± A sudden thought crossed Elise¡®s mind as she took the bags from Jamie. ¡°By the way, could you log into my ount and check if there¡®s any news? Let me know if there is.¡± Daily new chapters in .novelheart Jamie made a noise of agreement. ¡°Got it, Boss! Now run along and get some rest. It¡¯s gettingte as it is.¡± He had only just said this when the sound of an approaching car came within earshot. The both of them turned simultaneously to see a familiar car pulling up at the school entrance. Elise froze, and as her heart threatened to stop beating, the backseat window of the car rolled down to reveal half of Alexander¡¯s features. Jamie rubbed his nose sheepishly. ¡°I¡®ll get going now, Boss!¡± With that, he hurried away from the scene. Following this, Alexander got down from the car and walked up to Elise. ¡°I thought you were going home,¡± Elise mumbled. Alexander said nothing, but he kept his gaze on her for a while before answering, ¡°I passed by that pan¨C European restaurant you like and figured I¡®d buy you beef stew.¡± She could hardly believe that he would actually buy her beef stew. ¡°Thank you! I¡®d buy you a meal to show my thanks, but that will have to wait, seeing as I¡¯m going to be in istion for the rest of this math camp.¡± He gave a ¡®hmm¡® in response. ¡°That¡®s fine with me.¡± A little weighed down by the carrier bags in hand, Elise said, ¡°Right. I¡®ll be getting back to the dorm now.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Alexander replied as he handed the beef stew over to her. She took it graciously, and for some reason, she felt as if she was carrying lead, even though the take- out couldn¡®t weigh much on its own. Thank heavens he hasn¡®t asked about Jamie yet. At the thought of this, she visibly rxed. Alexander did not retract his gaze until after Elise had gone into the dormitory. Then, his eyes flickered over to the direction in which Jamie had left. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Judging from their interaction earlier, anyone could easily tell that Elise and Jamie were on good terms. Alexander thought about the dinner partyst time, where he had seen Elise and Jamie together; she had said that the both of them had only met not too long ago and barely knew one another. Taking out his phone, Alexander made a call and instructed gloomily, ¡°Help me look into this guy named Jamie Keller and all those who are even remotely associated with him.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Griffith,¡± came the reply on the other line. He hung up the call after that. With onest nce at the school entrance, he turned to get into his car and left the premises. The next morning heralded the official first day of the Mathematics Olympiad Boot Camp, and Elise, along It didn¡®t take long for Mr. Bolton to show up with the test papers from the day before. Upon seeing this, everyone in ss quieted down, and not a single breath was drawn as they waited for Mr. Bolton to speak on the lectern. ¡°So, we unofficially kicked off boot camp with a test yesterday, and I spent the better part of my night going through all your answers. I think it¡¯s safe to say that this paper is challenging in its own right, but I never expected for one of you to actually get full marks for it.¡± The students buzzed with surprise when they heard this. Nearly everyone looked at Zachary in awe, but the boy was equally bewildered as he sat stiffly in the front of the room. He knew the test had started out with predictable and basic questions, but it got trickier toward the end, and he never did answer two sub- questions. In short, there was no way he had gotten full marks on the test. ¡°Way to go, Zach! You were just being modest yesterday, weren¡¯t you? You said you did fine, but it looks like you scored full marks without even breaking a sweat!¡± ¡°Yeah, Zach! You had us thinking you did poorly on the test, but who could have thought you had such an impressive trick up your sleeve? All things aside, you owe us a meal.¡± Exasperated, Zachary pressed his lips into a thin line and corrected, ¡°Look, I can¡¯t be the one to have scored full marks. My answer for thest question was iplete.¡± ¡°What?¡± The two students from before asked in unison, one as astounded as the other. Just then, Mr. Bolton pushed his sses up his nose bridge and held up the paper with the full marks. ¡°Well done, Miss Elise.¡± Everyone exchanged baffled looks at the mention of this name. Elise? Who is she and why haven¡®t we seen her before? The room was buzzing with anticipation. As Elise rose from her seat slowly, everyone turned to appraise her with interest. None of them could hide the shock on their faces when they took in her appearance; indeed, she looked like the schrly type. ¡°Miss Elise,e forward and collect your paper,¡± Mr. Bolton said. She did as told and put one foot out in front of the other,ing to a stop in front of the lectern so she could take her paper. Seated in the first row, Amanda faltered as she watched Elise with wide eyes. I can¡®t believe she¡®s Elise! Chapter 60 Chapter 60 Chapter 60,Coolest Girl in Town Samantha eximed earnestly, ¡°You¡¯re incredible, Elise! I can¡¯t believe you actually obtained a perfect score on the test!¡± While she stood at one side, Riley was in awe as she quickly pointed out, ¡°I ought to kneel before you, mdy!¡± Elise, however, kept a straight face as she took her seat. Mr. Bolton went on to announce, ¡°While Miss Elise has gotten the perfect score, there are two other students who did well in the test as well¡ªMr. Zachary, who scored 92 on the test; and Miss Amanda, who scored 90.¡± The grimace on Amanda¡¯s face waned after she learned that she had received a 90 on the test. It wasn¡¯t as impressive as Elise¡¯s perfect score, but it wasforting for Amanda to know that she had done better than the rest of her peers. ¡°The rest of you who have scored below 90 will need to put in the extra work over theing weeks.¡± When ss ended, arge group swarmed around Elise¡¯s desk in fervor. ¡°So, you¡¯re Elise. Our teacher has told us how brilliant you are. I mean, we know you won first ce in the City Mathematics Olympiad, but we never imagined you to be this good!¡± Another student piped up cheerily, ¡°You¡¯re like my role model, Elise. You know, Zachary goes to Cloverfield High with us and he¡¯s always been the one to be in first ce in the City Mathematics Olympiad. You have no idea how completely satisfying it is to see you break his records! I could never stand that high-and-mighty attitude of his anyway. It¡¯s about time he gets dethroned!¡± However, he was oblivious to Zachary¡¯s presence behind him when he said this. ¡°Excuse me.¡± Zachary had spoken up so suddenly that everyone was stunned while they fell into silence before scurrying back to their seats. Elise looked up and met his gaze. He was the first to break the silence. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve had competition. Pleased to meet you.¡± ¡°Thank you. You did pretty good too,¡± she replied steadily. Zachary had grown up with countlesspliments that were thrown his way, but for some reason, Elise¡¯s praise struck a chord in him; he could detect the sincere edge in her tone. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to surpass you the next time,¡± he said, looking resolved. She nodded as she encouraged, ¡°I look forward to it.¡± After giving her a long look, Zachary turned to walk away. The boot camp participants kept a tight schedule where they had lessons from morning until night. As tiring as the day had been, the girls in Dorm 503 continued their studies for about an hour or so after sses ended. With Elise leading them, even Samantha¡ªwho hardly paid any attention to academics¡ªwas inspired to do better. On the other hand, Amanda waspetitive by nature. She had a solid foundation to begin with, but now that her roommates had their noses buried in math olympiad exercises, she didn¡¯t want to be left behind. She might not be on good terms with them, but she was perfectly fine with studying on her own. A week flew past in the blink of an eye, and before anyone knew it, the weekend had already arrived. In a demonstration of humanity, Mr. Bolton decided to give the students a half-day break. Alexander was waiting for Elise by the school entrance. She was heading out of school grounds with Samantha and Riley, and when she saw Alexander in the distance, she said, ¡°Hey, I have to skedaddle now. I¡¯ll see you both tomorrow.¡± Samantha waved her goodbye and watched as Elise boarded his idling car. Riley couldn¡¯t help but squeal, ¡°Goodness, is that Elise¡¯s boyfriend? He¡¯s a work of art!¡± As she was unable to hide her admiration, Samantha agreed, ¡°I envy her. How can a girl be so lucky as to excel in school and have a hot boyfriend?¡± They were only making casualmentary, but Amanda overheard everything by chance. She nced in the direction of the luxurious ride that was idling outside the school entrance and thought about Elise¡¯s day-to-day wardrobe. There¡¯s no way that girles from a well-off family, so why would shee and go in such a shy car? She snorted coldly and snapped, ¡°Please. It¡¯s not as if he¡¯s her boyfriend for sure. She¡¯s probably a sugar baby or something, though it does make me wonder if all the rich men have had a change of taste recently. I mean, surely one has to be blind to want to hang out with the likes of Elise.¡± ¡°Watch your mouth, Amanda.¡± Riley bridled at this. ¡°Elise is a friend of mine and no one gets to talk about her like that.¡± Amanda was entirely unfazed as she retorted, ¡°I can talk about her anyway I like. Does Elise look like she¡¯s an heiress to you? I think both of you need to get your eyes checked.¡± ¡°I guess people like you will always try to put others down no matter what,¡± Samantha bit out. ¡°There¡¯s no point for me to waste time and energy on you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. You should really see a therapist, Amanda. All that bitter resentment can¡¯t be good for you.¡± After having spat those words, Riley looped her arm through Samantha¡¯s limb and they walked away, leaving Amanda fuming where she stood. Amanda glowered at their retreating figures and shouted, ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, then so be it! Just you wait. I¡¯ll show everyone that Elise is nothing but a lowlife sugar baby!¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± Riley was about to turn around and knock some sense into the wretched girl when Samantha stopped her. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough,¡± Samantha advised. ¡°You can¡¯t fight crazy, so let¡¯s just ignore her.¡± The anger that thrummed in Riley¡¯s veins was quelled when she heard this. ¡°You¡¯re right. She really is crazy!¡± With that, they walked away and once again left Amanda glowering behind them. She scoffed contemptuously and thought, I have to collect evidence that proves Elise is a sugar baby. To hell with her reputation as a top student; she¡¯s nothing more than a floozy who lives off men¡¯s money. She was determined to expose Elise¡¯s true colors to everyone and at this thought, she took out her phone and made a call. ¡°Find me a paparazzi who has excellent photography skills. Whatever the cost may be, I¡¯ll pay him ordingly.¡± As soon as she hung up the phone, a wicked smirk began to y on the corner of her lips. ¡­ Elise thought that they could be heading home after she entered Alexander¡¯s car, but she was surprised when he brought her to a fancy Italian restaurant instead. ¡°Why did you bring me here, Alexander?¡± He turned to give her a withering look. ¡°Why else would I bring you here at a time like this?¡± She blinked at him, and as if beating her to an answer, her stomach grumbled. She flushed and hurried to catch up with him. They staked out a table by the window and the waiter came by with the menu, which Alexander slid over to Elise as he said inly, ¡°Order whatever you want.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± she replied. She took the menu and flipped through it before she ordered a couple of signature dishes. ¡°I¡¯d like to have a mushroom ravioli, an ossobuco, the pan-seared sea bass, a Fiorentina steak and a ssic Margherita pizza.¡± She did not hold back with her order. The waiter then left and returned with all both Alexander and Elise¡¯s orders, and within minutes, the table was close to overflowing with food. As she was starving, she wasted no time in picking up her utensils to dig in. ¡°The Fiorentina steak is amazing! Here, you have to try some.¡± As she said this, she sliced a piece of the steak and ced it on his te. He frowned slightly and gave the meat a cursory nce. Surprisingly, despite his mildly obsessivepulsive tendencies, he wasn¡¯t too offended by Elise¡¯s gesture and he speared the meat with his fork and popped it into his mouth. ¡°Not bad.¡± Alexander thought two words were more than enough to form a truepliment, but Elise had an indulgent smile on her face as she protested, ¡°Not bad? It¡¯s scrumptious! I can¡¯t remember the last time I had a steak as tender as this. Whatever they serve in the school cafeteria is only good for sustenance, though the vor iscking.¡± While saying this, she grabbed another slice of pizza and took a bite. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡°If I could have pizza everyday, then life would be a cabaret.¡± Amusement glittered in his eyes when he heard this, but he quickly suppressed it as he offered, ¡°I guess I could drop by your school with a pizza or two whenever I¡¯m free¡ªif you want me to, that is.¡± She gaped; she was starry-eyed as she eximed, ¡°Really? In that case, you should definitely get more than two pizzas. I have two girlfriends to feed.¡± He hummed nonchntly. ¡°That¡¯s no problem at all.¡± It was with a beam when she answered, ¡°Thank you.¡± Elise appeared to be in a good mood today and her appetite was astonishing as well. She practically bulldozed her way through the meal while Alexander sat across from her, seemingly pleased to watch her eat. It was aplete mystery as to how a face as in and ordinary as hers could attract him. I must be bewitched, he thought ruefully. Chapter 61 Chapter 61 Chapter 61 Edgy?,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°Are you done with your food?¡± Alexander asked. Elise patted her tummy and replied contentedly, ¡°Yes I am.¡± After having heard this, he called for the waiter and made payment with the digital wallet on his phone. As they walked out of the restaurant, she was in such good spirits after the full meal that she couldn¡¯t help humming a tune. She was absent-minded as she hummed, but he was able to immediately pick up on the melody and recognized it. Then, he deliberately asked, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you liked H, too.¡± Elise froze before the tune she had been singing died down. She rubbed her head sheepishly and answered, ¡°Well, yeah, I guess I kind of like her.¡± Then, she sneaked a sideways nce at him. ¡°Do you like her, too? You recognized the tune immediately.¡± Alexander made a noise of affirmation. ¡°Her music is really well-made, and¡ª¡± He suddenly broke off and he looked like he just remembered something as he reeled in what he had been about to say. After a pause, he continued, ¡°And she¡¯s edgy.¡± Edgy? Is H an edgy person? A small smile tugged on her lips as she answered, ¡°Come on, drop me off at school. I need to work on a couple more questions this afternoon.¡± After checking the time, he replied, ¡°Very well. Get in the car, then.¡± He then dropped her off at school and she exited after uttering her thanks. However, she didn¡¯t notice there was a camera in the distance snapping photos of her as soon as she stepped out of the vehicle. Elise had only just walked through the school entrance when Alexander heard a knock on his car window. ¡°Hi there¡­¡± Amanda began to greet him boldly, but she trailed off and found herself staring at him in awe the moment her eyes fell upon his chiseled face. What a gorgeous man! ¡°Is there something I can help you with?¡± he asked in an icy drawl. This pulled her from her daze and she shed what she believed was a charming smile as she exined, ¡°Hi. You see, I¡¯m a friend of Elise¡¯s¡ªactually, I¡¯m her roommate. We stay in the same dorm.¡± Alexander told her bluntly that he wasn¡¯t interested and made to close the window, but Amanda was unexpectedly relentless as she tapped on his window. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t go yet. I¡¯m not done speaking!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± She had wanted to bait him into a conversation about Elise being a sugar baby so she could record it as evidence, but shepletely forgot about this n at the sight of his handsome face. Then, she hastily asked, ¡°Could I get your number?¡± He eyed her impassively. ¡°I don¡¯t have my phone with me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± she pestered stubbornly. ¡°Surely you know your own number by heart.¡± Upon the sight of Amanda, he was well aware of the type of woman she was. He would never have entertained her had she not imed to be Elise¡¯s ssmate; he had no interest in women like her who had desperation etched onto their features. That being said¡­ ¡°181XXXXX,¡± Alexander swiftly dictated a series of numbers, which Amanda hurriedly keyed into her phone. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll call youter.¡± She waved him goodbye and without further dy, he started the car engines and drove away. Presently, Amanda stared at the number on her phone with glee. Who could have thought that a man as good looking as him would take Elise for a sugar baby? She grew wistful at this. If only he¡¯d take me for a sugar baby, too. I wouldn¡¯t even mind paying for my own stuff if it means I get to have him. ¡°Miss Hudson, do you still want the photos from earlier?¡± It was only then that she snapped out of her thoughts. ¡°Yes. Have those e-mailed to me and I¡¯ll wire you the payment.¡± ¡°Very well, Miss Hudson.¡± The man who had taken the photos sent them to Amanda. She browsed through the shots perfunctorily and was pleased to see that Elise was clearly captured in her action of leaving the shy car. Although Alexander¡¯s face was also in the shots, Amanda figured that she would do well in blurring his face, seeing as he could be hers one day. After having done all this, she registered a fake ount and posted Elise¡¯s photos onto all the high school gossip forums. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure everyone sees your true colors this time, Elise,¡± she mumbled. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Meanwhile, Elise had been garnering fame in school ever since the Mathematics Olympiad and Chinese Week. Her photos had found their way onto a certain social media tform, and her peers were close to bing her devotees whenever school tests were around the corner. Thus, it came as no surprise that a post with Elise¡¯s name captioned in bold would spread like wildfire among all the prominent high schools, though the celebrity in question was utterly clueless about it. Riley had been the first to discover this post and she immediately called Samantha on the phone. ¡°Sam, go on Reddit right now! Someone has uploaded Elise¡¯s photo.¡± Samantha hurried to log on to Reddit and her eyes immediately fell on the number one-trending post. The bold caption which read, ¡®Erudite Elise Caught Moonlighting as Sugar Baby¡ªPictures Included¡¯ and the series of photos which followed were enough to stir up a controversy, even though most of the readers had no idea what was going on. There was no narrative attached, but that didn¡¯t stop the gossips from having a field day as they bombarded thements section with exmations and mean opinions. The person in charge of the tform apparently decided that there was nothing wrong with a good drama once in a while, which exined why the post was right at the top of the listing. After having seen the post, Samantha spat out furiously, ¡°Which son-of-a-b*tch did this?¡± Riley, on the other hand, instantly thought of Amanda. ¡°Could it be Amanda? It has to be, don¡¯t you think? That b*tch has always been picking on Elise for no reason!¡± Now that her blood boiled at an all-time high, Samantha snapped, ¡°What the hell does Amanda think she¡¯s doing? She¡¯s crossed the line this time! Come on, let¡¯s hunt her down and make her delete the post right now!¡± The air seemed to crackle as Samantha and Riley stormed out to look for Amanda and make her take down the post. While this was happening, Mika was in ss when she came across the post on Reddit. As she was seized with rage, she abruptly pushed her chair back and stood up while seething, ¡°Damn it, how dare this a*shole try to give our Elise a bad name?¡± As soon as she said this, a hush descended upon the ssroom and the Math teacher was especially affronted as he barked, ¡°Miss Mika, just what do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Now that she was close to throwing a tantrum, Mika exined angrily, ¡°Someone is trying to tarnish Elise¡¯s reputation, sir. I can¡¯t just be calm about it!¡± At the mention of Elise, the Math teacher¡¯s expression softened. He walked up to Mika¡¯s desk and asked, ¡°What is it?¡± Mika paused and slowly kept her phone. ¡°Nothing, sir. You may resume with ss.¡± An irritated look passed over the man¡¯s face once more, but he didn¡¯t want to disrupt the rest of the ss, so he responded, ¡°See me in my office after this.¡± Without another word, he returned to the lectern and went on with the lesson. Although ss had resumed, she was already far too distracted as she joined thements section beneath the post, typing away furiously on her phone. Her username was Mika, and shemented, ¡®What the hell are all of you talking about? using someone of being a sugar baby is defamation, so take care that you don¡¯t get thrown into prison soon! The car belongs to Alexander, as in Alexander Griffith. Elise happens to be a rtive of theirs and she lives with them, so all of you better shut your pieholes. As for the person who made this post without fact-checking, you should watch your back; you could get sued for ruining someone¡¯s reputation like this!¡¯ Mika was still simmering with anger when Danny, who sat in front of her, turned around and asked, ¡°Hey, what happened to Elise?¡± When Mika saw that it was Danny who had asked, she hesitated. After a pause, she decided to tell him everything. Upon learning that Elise was bing the victim of cyber-bullying, he bristled and instantly texted his friends. They rallied in support of Elise as they flooded thements section, with Danny taking the lead as he typed, ¡®I¡¯m Danny Griffith. The person who made this post must have been bored out of their minds to look for trouble like this. All these photos are a clear infringement of portrait rights; I can smell awsuiting. You should take the post down before you find yourself biting off more than you can chew!¡¯ One of Danny¡¯s friends whose username was Riversnakemented, ¡®Guess the person who made this post has nothing better to do than fabricate stories. Everyone in Eden High knows that the four Griffith boys are giving Elise a ride to and from school every day. The sugar baby trope is aplete lie! Take down the post right now; offending the Griffiths will only make your life in Athesea hell from now on.¡¯ Another friend of Danny¡¯s by the username of CryingCresentMoon added, ¡®To the unassuming audience who all live for drama, I suggest you all ignore this post. As it turns out, the person who made it is just desperate for entertainment and has resorted to deceiving everyone.¡¯ Chapter 62 Chapter 62 When Amanda went on Reddit once more, she was baffled to see the majority of thements were directing abuse toward her instead of Elise. ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± she asked in bewilderment. After clicking into the post she had made, she scanned thements anxiously and a grimace began to work itself onto her features when she arrived at the end of thements section. I can¡¯t believe Elise actually has connections with the Griffiths of Athesea! And the four Griffith boys give her a ride to and from school every day, too! ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± Amanda hissed through gritted teeth. She had always thought of Elise as some bumpkin from a below-average family, but boy, she was wrong. Clearly, Elise had the Griffiths to back her up. Does this mean that the guy from earlier was the legendary Alexander Griffith? As realization dawned upon her, Amanda quickly found the number that Alexander had given before she hit the call button. She was hoping that she could conduct some damage control before things went out of hand. However, she didn¡¯t expect a female voice to speak up on the other line when the call went through. ¡°Hi, this is the Athesea Psychiatric Hospital. How may I help you?¡± When she heard this, color drained from her face and she bitterly registered the fact that he had given her the number for the psychiatric hospital instead. A furious Samantha and Riley found Amanda at this moment and they shouted her name, ¡°Amanda!¡±. ¡°This must be your doing!¡± Samantha snapped and snatched Amanda¡¯s phone without another word. ¡°What the hell, Samantha?¡± Amanda shrieked. ¡°Give me back my phone!¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Samantha ignored her and instead tapped on the phone screen. Several clickster, she found the content she was searching for and concluded mutinously, ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s the one behind all this.¡± Upon hearing this, Riley grew outraged and immediately dragged Amanda with her. When Riley found Elise, she dered seethingly, ¡°Elise, this b*tch has been making up lies about you on Reddit. I have half the urge to punch her lights out!¡± Elise was clueless about the incident until Samantha had sent her the link to the infuriating post. After having perused the photos and the caption, Elise asked Amanda stoically, ¡°You did this?¡± Amanda pressed her lips into a grim line, obviously reticent. Rather than forcing an admission from Amanda, Elise grabbed the girl¡¯s phone and changed the password. After that, she tossed the device to Riley and added, ¡°Have fun with her ount.¡± Riley chuckled deviously. Not missing a beat, she quickly logged into the ount and made the post private before she impersonated Amanda to upload a statement admitting all the usations directed toward her. As if adding more insult to Amanda¡¯s injury, she also signed off the statement with Amanda¡¯s full name. Needless to say, Riley was seized with great satisfaction at the end of such a feat. Amanda¡¯s name immediately started trending on Reddit and the torrential abuse that followed was highlighted by an expos¨¦ on her past scandal on stic-surgery. At the sight of the scathing remarks that flooded thements section, Riley switched off the phone with a grin. Amanda, on the other hand, was stumped as she leaned into the chair, looking as if all life had been drained out of her. ¡°Amanda, I think it¡¯d be better if you asked to leave this dorm,¡± Samantha pointed out bluntly. It was more of amand than a suggestion, and she didn¡¯t sound like she was offering Amanda a chance to negotiate. As she gritted her teeth, Amanda refused to say anything. Riley then broke the tense silence and drawled, ¡°Well, if you¡¯re so shy, maybe I could help you to ask instead.¡± With that, she took out her phone and gave her father a call. ¡°Hey, Dad, you know how there¡¯s an Amanda Hudson staying in our dorm right now? She wants to switch to another dorm. Do you think you can make the arrangements?¡± Mr. Bolton didn¡¯t spare any doubt as he readily agreed to his daughter¡¯s request. ¡°There¡¯s still a vacant bed in Dorm 504. She can move over immediately.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll ry this to her,¡± Riley quipped with a smile and hung up the call. Then, she turned to address Amanda haughtily, ¡°There¡¯s still an empty bed in Dorm 504. See yourself out.¡± Bitter resentment filled Amanda, but now that she was backed into a corner, she knew she had no choice other than to pack her things and move into Dorm 504 next door. Presently, as the door fell shut after Amanda¡¯s departure, Riley and Samantha high fived each other with glee. ¡°The evil witch has been defeated!¡± Elise gazed at them and smiled, having been moved by the way they stood up for her earlier. She went over and pped one hand on each girl¡¯s shoulder before she said lightheartedly, ¡°Dinner¡¯s on me tonight. Take it as my show of thanks to the both of you being my knights in shining armor.¡± Samantha and Riley exchanged a bemused nce, then cackled. ¡°Since you offered, don¡¯t me us for tearing a hole through your wallet.¡± Elise replied good-naturedly, ¡°Bring it on. You guys can order anything you want.¡± The three of them beamed at each other and it was the first time she had ever felt lucky to have friends. They dined out that evening and it was the free period when they went back to school. Simr to what happenedst week, Mr. Bolton handed them another set of test questions to work on. Amanda was noticeably absent from free period after what had happened earlier that afternoon, but no one asked about her, given how busy they were with the test. ¡°Hey, Elise, what was your answer for thest multiple choice question?¡± Samantha asked as soon as the free period was over while holding Elise¡¯s arm with renewed desperation. Elise thought about it for a moment before she responded, ¡°I chose B.¡± Samantha grew upset at this. ¡°I got it wrong again.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright,¡± Eliseforted as she ruffled the other girl¡¯s hair affectionately. ¡°I¡¯ll help you work on it when we¡¯re back in the dorm.¡± The trio were conversing with one another while heading back to the dormitory when someone called out, ¡°Hey, Elise, there¡¯s someone at the school entrance asking for you.¡± As such, Samantha and Riley apanied Elise over to the school entrance. They immediately saw Alexander standing in the distance and Riley tugged Elise¡¯s sleeve as she asked, ¡°Elise, isn¡¯t this the hot guy who picked you up earlier? Be honest, is he your boyfriend?¡± Samantha was keen to know the answer as well. ¡°Yeah, Elise, let us in on the secret to bagging handsome men!¡± Elise, however, resisted the urge to cringe as she exined hastily, ¡°No, you¡¯ve got it all wrong. He isn¡¯t my boyfriend.¡± Samantha and Riley¡¯s eyes brightened and they said in unison, ¡°Then, he¡¯s mine.¡± As Elise gaped at her friends, she was a little astonished by the looks of interest on their faces and asked solemnly, ¡°Are you guys serious about this?¡± They nodded once in response and a smile yed on her lips as she turned to look at Alexander, then shouted, ¡°Hey, Alexander! There are a couple of girls here who are into you!¡± The awkwardness that ensued right after was suffocating and while his eyes darkened dangerously, Samantha and Riley exchanged a panicked nce. Each could tell what the other was thinking: The joke is getting out of hand! Samantha was the first to be defensive. ¡°No, no, Young Master Alex! There¡¯s been a mistake; I am completely not into you.¡± Riley jumped on the bandwagon as well. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not into you either. That would be ridiculous.¡± Elise was rendered speechless by them, but before she could react, Alexander had walked up to her and held the take-out carrier bag toward her. She nced at it and took it before she mumbled hurriedly, ¡°Thanks.¡± However, the word had barely rolled off her tongue before he turned on his heels to leave. Samantha and Riley saw this and skittered over to her. Then, they asked in hushed tones, ¡°Is he always been so cold and distant?¡± ¡°My goodness, he¡¯s like a walking iceberg.¡± Elise stared at the take-out carrier bag in her hands mutely. For some reason, she felt as if Alexander was upset, even though he had uttered not a single word. She looked up and watched the car drive further away. As she pursed her lips, she thought, Nah, you¡¯re being melodramatic. ¡°Wow, what did he get for you?¡± Riley asked curiously, pulling Elise from her thoughts. Elise gave the contents of the bag a fleeting look and saw all the dishes she had had with him for lunch. After she retracted her gaze, she announced, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go back to the dorm and feast!¡± The three girls paid no mind to Alexander¡¯s tense and non-verbal interaction with Elise and headed back to the dormitory whileughing as they went. Chapter 63 Chapter 63 Elise opened the take-out carrier bag to reveal the delicately-prepared dishes. Her stomach rumbled at the sight of the food and before long, the three girls sat on their stools and began to dig in. ¡°This is so good!¡± Samantha eximed in delight as she took a bite of one of the dishes. Upon hearing this, Riley quickly sampled a mouthful of the food as well. ¡°That¡¯s incredible. I need to know the name of the restaurant so that I can drop by in the future.¡± ¡°I could bring the both of you along next time,¡± Elise offered heartily. The two girls agreed earnestly, and as Riley ate her supper, she caught a glimpse of Samantha¡¯s wrist watch. ¡°Samantha, is that a new watch you¡¯re wearing? It¡¯s gorgeous!¡± ¡°Thanks. My daddy gave it to me for my birthday,¡± Samantha exined. ¡°It¡¯s a limited edition from Chanel; I couldn¡¯t bear to take it out of the box until two days ago.¡± ¡°It¡¯s beautiful. I should get my dad to buy me one, too,¡± Riley said. She nced over at Elise and asked cheerily, ¡°Do you have a watch that you like, Elise? I¡¯ll get it for you as a gift one of these days.¡± Elise, however, made her opinion known. ¡°I¡¯m not really into watches. I¡¯ve always thought of them as impractical essories.¡± ¡°Come on, you can tell a lot about a person from the watch they¡¯re wearing and it¡¯s scarily urate,¡± Riley argued. ¡°It¡¯s like a symbol of your status or something.¡± Samantha nodded in agreement. ¡°My daddy and his business partners all have a staple piece in their watch collection. The watches represent who they are.¡± Elise hummed in response, conceding to the argument. ¡°Well, in that case, I should probably read up on this theory.¡± They talked while they devoured the food and after they had polished the take-out containers clean, they worked through a couple more questions before washing up for bed. Elise woke earlier the next morning. She arrived at the ssroom only to find that it was empty save for Zachary, who had his head down as he scribbled furiously onto a piece of paper. It was only after she went closer to him that she noticed the crumpled papers being littered on the floor around his desk. She gingerly picked one of them up and opened it, trying to smoothen the edges. ¡°Your workings are wrong in the first ce.¡± Elise¡¯s voice rang out close to Zachary¡¯s ear and he was so stunned that he stopped scribbling at once. He looked up and met her gaze before she saw that she was staring at the test paper he had discarded. He had been trying to solve that question with all the workings he coulde up with, all to no avail. He didn¡¯t think she would show up just as he was reaching the peak of frustration. ¡°Do you know how to solve it?¡± he asked, gazing at her intently. She did not answer him as she took the pencil on his desk and drew an auxiliary line on his diagram. ¡°You should have drawn the auxiliary line here instead and used Pythogaras¡¯ theorem to determine the remaining two angles. After that, you use the same form for this side of the triangle, and finally use trigonometry toe up with the final answer.¡± Elise spoke gently but firmly and steadily, her voice calming Zachary in an instant. She had lowered her head as she exined the workings to him, drawing his attention to the diagram on the draft as she did so. He could just detect the faint scent of her shampoo lingering on her hair and for a moment, he felt like someone was pulling at his heartstrings. A somewhat embarrassed Zachary quickly looked away and responded, ¡°I¡¯ll give it a shot.¡± With that, he picked up his pen and gave her method a shot. She watched as he scribbled his workings and when she was sure he could figure it out, she sauntered over to her own seat. Meanwhile, after having followed her workings, he found himself solving the question. His eyes brightened and he turned to look at Elise with a newfound admiration. The lessons that morning were more hectic than usual, but Zachary, who had always been focused in ss, was distracted. As soon as each lesson was over, his gaze would unknowingly flicker to where Elise sat. It wasn¡¯t long before lunchtime rolled around. She was packing her things when Samantha and Riley came over. ¡°Hey, Elise, let¡¯s grab lunch at the cafeteria.¡± Elise hummed in response. ¡°Okay, give me a second to keep my stuff away.¡± After having said that, she kept her things in her desk drawer and rose from her seat to leave the room with the girls. When lunch was over, Samantha walked out of the cafeteria and absentmindedly brushed her wrist. With a start, she spoke urgently, ¡°Hey, where¡¯s my watch? It¡¯s missing!¡± Riley couldn¡¯t resist tapping the girl on her head. ¡°Dude, don¡¯t you remember removing it and putting it in your bag during thest lesson?¡± Samantha blinked at her in bewilderment. ¡°I did? Okay, let¡¯s hurry back to check on it.¡± However, when the girls returned to ss, they discovered that the watch wasn¡¯t in Samantha¡¯s bag at all. Panic instantly washed over her. ¡°I know I¡¯ve left it in my bag. It couldn¡¯t have just disappeared!¡± Upon seeing how frantic she was, Riley cated, ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry. Try searching your bag again.¡± Elise was just as taken aback by the sudden turn of events and joined in their efforts of looking for the watch. ¡°Are you sure you ced it in your bag? Maybe you dropped it in the cafeteria.¡± Samantha shook her head. ¡°No, I left it in my bag. I never took it with me to the cafeteria.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. If you¡¯re sure that you¡¯ve never brought it out of the ssroom, then it has to be here somewhere. Go around the room and look for it,¡± Elise soothed. However, try as they might, they could not locate the watch. The rest of the students were spilling into the ssroom and when they heard that Samantha had lost her watch, some of them started looking for it as well. s, their efforts did not pay off. ¡°Well, if you really can¡¯t find it anywhere, you might as well have everyone check each other¡¯s bags. Maybe someone stole it.¡± The voice that rose above the chatter made Elise frown and she turned to see that it was Amanda who spoke. She was rooted in her seat and wickedly smiling at Elise, which gave Elise the feeling that the girl was up to no good. ¡°I second that idea. Go through each other¡¯s bags, guys. After all, Samantha¡¯s watch is a designer one and someone might have stolen it.¡± In support of this suggestion, the majority of the ss began to search through each other¡¯s bags without fear, seeing as they had nothing to hide anyway. Elise walked back to her desk and picked up her bag, then rummaged through it. The next second, she nched as her fingers sped around something cold and familiar. She took the watch out, a gesture that was immediately met with an outburst from the rest of the ss. ¡°My goodness, it was her! She was the one who took it!¡± ¡°No way! Who could have thought that an outstanding student like her would do something as shady as this?¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. ¡°Consider my worldview warped. I can¡¯t believe someone would stoop to stealing from a friend even in this time and age.¡± ¡°For someone like her to show up around here is an insult to the rest of us. It¡¯s practically derogatory.¡± Everyone was piling in with disapproving remarks and it only sounded meaner than thest. Elise felt her heart sink as she looked at Samantha and handed the watch over. ¡°I don¡¯t know how your watch wound up in my bag, but I didn¡¯t take it,¡± she spoke in clear, unwavering tones. Samantha stared at the watch in mild surprise and she couldn¡¯t react in time to take it back. However, Riley was the first to say, ¡°There¡¯s no way Elise could have taken the watch; she was with us the whole time. Someone must have nted this in her bag to frame her!¡± Chapter 64 Chapter 64 Upon hearing Riley¡¯s words, Samantha pursed her lips. ¡°I don¡¯t think Elise did it. Still, Elise, as the watch is in your bag, you¡¯ll have to give me an exnation for this.¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t take it.¡± Zachary emerged from among the crowd to defend Elise. His expression was grave as he looked at the ssmates around him. ¡°If she really took it, then she must have been a fool. She would be telling everyone that she was the thief by storing the watch in her bag.¡± The crowd fell silent as no one spoke up. After a long while, a ssmate finally asked in a meek voice, ¡°If she didn¡¯t take it, then who did?¡± ¡°Yeah! If she wants to prove her innocence, she should find the real culprit! We can¡¯t tolerate such behavior in our ss!¡± The corners of Zachary¡¯s lips curled into a confident smile. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s effortless if we want to catch the culprit; we just have to report it to the police! The investigation techniques are extremely advanced nowadays, right? Anyone who touched this watch before would leave their fingerprints. Since everyone has unique fingerprints and our ss isn¡¯t huge, we can just let the policepare our fingerprints and find out who stole the watch.¡± Upon seeing that Zachary had a point, Samantha took out her phone right away. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll call the police now. No matter who it is, I¡¯ll find the culprit before the day ends!¡± He gestured for her to go ahead, so she dialed the number. The other ssmates waited patiently in the ssroom while Elise stood in silence. She had never met with such a situation before, so she was a little flustered. Not to mention, it wasn¡¯t a pleasant feeling to be used of something she didn¡¯t do. Zachary looked at her and seemed to have summoned enough courage to pat her on the shoulder. He then gave her a look of assurance. She understood that he meant well, so she quickly whispered, ¡°Thanks!¡± When the police arrived, Samantha told them a brief summary of what happened before she asked them topare the fingerprints on the watch to those present. However, this request had greatly troubled the police. ¡°Miss Greene, if various people had handled this watch before, we cannot really do anything with the fingerprints, which would have been smudged. We can extract the fingerprints on the surface, but it wouldn¡¯t be sufficient to pinpoint the culprit. To put it simply, this technique isn¡¯t reliable if you want to find the real culprit.¡± Samantha frowned before she looked at Zachary, who simply smiled. ¡°They are right, though. We cannot find the culprit by this technique alone.¡± She was puzzled. ¡°Then, why did you¡­¡± He withheld his answer as he looked toward the crowd. ¡°If my guess is correct, then there¡¯s one person missing from our ss right now. In other words, she has probably escaped.¡± As soon as they heard that, everyone exchanged nces with each other. Then, by the process of elimination, they found the identity of the missing person. ¡°I know! It¡¯s Amanda! She was here just moments ago, but she has already run away.¡± After hearing that name, Elise remembered how Amanda looked at her while realizing the truth. ¡°Amanda is a wretch! That was such a dirty move!¡± Samantha raged. ¡°She must be feeling guilty and was scared that the police would check the fingerprints, so she escaped!¡± Riley agreed. She never thought that Amanda would resort to such a thing. It was then when everyone quickly understood that this incident had nothing to do with Elise, for Amanda was the one trying to frame Elise instead. Samantha walked forward and apologized shyly, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Elise. I went overboard with my words.¡± Elise¡¯s expression was still dark. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that now. We have to find Amanda first. Sir, is it possible to prosecute Amanda?¡± The policeman then exined, ¡°If you have concrete evidence illustrating that she was the one who stole the watch, she can be charged for the crime. Her sentence will then be determined by the value of the item, so judging by the price of this watch, she could be behind bars for at least a year and a half.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a problem; we don¡¯t have evidence!¡± Riley sighed. Elise, on the other hand, smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll get the evidence we need.¡± With that, she turned and looked at her ssmates. ¡°Now, I hope everyone will cooperate with me. We¡¯ll let the facts speak for themselves.¡± Everyone present nodded their agreement, afterwhich Zachary looked at her and asked, ¡°Is there anything I need to do?¡± Although Elise had wanted to say no, she eventually thought of something and whispered in his ear. Upon hearing it, his eyes brightened. ¡°All right, we¡¯ll do as you say.¡± Meanwhile, Amanda had just arrived at the school gates when she saw a patrol car entering. Since she felt guilty, she hid before she watched as the car made its way toward the ssroom. After that, she emerged from her hideout and ran outside. Her chauffeur was already waiting for her at the gates, so she immediately jumped into the car and the car drove off. Amanda could feel her heart racing. She merely wanted to create a rift between Elise and Samantha with this incident, but failed and brought harm upon herself instead. Then, Amanda took out her phone and called her father in panic. She told him everything that happened before she sobbed, ¡°Dad, what do I do now? I don¡¯t even dare to go back to the ssroom. What should I do if they found out that I was the one who did it?¡± On the other end of the line, Eric Hudson asked hastily, ¡°Where are you now?¡± She looked at her surroundings, then ryed her location. ¡°I just left school and I¡¯m on the way home.¡± He immediately shouted, ¡°You idiot! Why did you leave just like that? Leaving right now just means that you¡¯re feeling guilty about what you did! Go back there now and pretend nothing has happened. Trust me, even the police won¡¯t be able to find you out. Even if they suspected that it was you, they can¡¯t give any solid proof that you did it.¡± Amanda was stunned to be reprimanded like that. ¡°Okay, I understood, Dad. I¡¯m going back now.¡± She hung up and asked the chauffeur to turn around. When she returned to the ssroom, everyone was seated in their own seats, as if nothing had ever happened. She sighed in relief and returned to her own seat. However, it was moments after she sat down when she overheard a ssmate behind her. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°I heard that the police are already checking the CCTV footage. They¡¯ll find the culprit soon enough.¡± ¡°We mustn¡¯t let the culprit off the hook so easily! How dare they do such things!¡± As Amanda listened to them, she felt her heart skip a beat. She excused herself to the bathroom before she ran to the security room. She opened the door to discover that the ce was deserted. ¡°You¡¯re finally here.¡± Elise¡¯s voice rang out behind her and Amanda turned to look at Elise. ¡°It¡¯s you?¡± Chapter 65 ?Chapter 65 See You at the Nationals Elise asked calmly, "Why are you surprised?" Amanda felt a little guilty, but she braced herself and mumbled, "No, not really." She then made a move to leave, but she heard Elise enunciating her words. "You''re the thief, aren''t you?" Upon hearing Elise''s question, a somewhat nervous Amanda paused in her tracks. "What nonsense are you saying? What thief?" "If you didn''t steal anything, then why did you leave when everyone was ready to have their fingerprintspared?" Elise smiled. "And why would youe here when you heard our ssmates talk about the CCTV footage?" There was denial in Amanda''s tone. "I just happened to pass by." When she heard Amanda''s reply, Elise shrugged. "I knew you won''t admit it so easily, but the evidence speaks louder than words. Tell me, what would happen if I pass this evidence to the police?" This left Amanda in a state of panic. "What evidence? How did you get it?" Elise looked at Amanda as if she was looking at a clown. "Everyone slips up sometimes. What do you think? Do I really have the evidence? Or, do I not?" Amanda''s forehead broke out in cold sweats because shepletely broke down then. "I nned to give you a chance, but since you''re so stubborn, I guess I''ll skip that stage. I''ll hand this evidence over to the police right away." "No-" Amanda unconsciously answered. Elise looked at Amanda with a wry smile, creating the impression that she was waiting for Amanda to continue with her words. Amanda wasn''t sure whether Elise really had the evidence or not, but she wasn''t ready to take any risks. If Elise had really passed the evidence to the police, Amanda would be done for. Since there were only two of them and judging by the way Elise spoke, she was trying to negotiate. "What conditions do you have then?" Amanda immediately asked. Elise gave a dry smile as she replied, "So, you''re admitting that you''re the one who did it?"Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Amanda nodded slightly. "Just tell me what you want and I''ll do everything I can to fulfill those conditions. However, I want you to give all the evidence you have to me." "How would I know if you''re lying or not?" Elise shook her head. "You said that you stole the watch, but what is your motive? Also, when did you do it?" Since Elise was the only other person there, Amanda didn''t have any intentions to beat around the bush. "I was the one who took the watch and yes, I also ced it in your bag. I merely did it to ruin the friendship between you three. As for when, I just found an opportunity and executed the deed." Elise smiled coldly. "At least you''re being honest!" Amanda clenched her fists. "You know everything now. I have no reason to hide from you, right? Tell me, what should I do in exchange for the evidence?" Elise took her time to answer. She took a while to think before she replied, "Actually... I didn''t have the evidence, but I do now." As soon as she said that, the door to the security room opened. All their ssmates walked in with Samantha and Riley at the lead. Without saying anything, Samantha delivered a p across Amanda''s face, causing Amanda to be stunned by the impact. Riley said viciously, "I knew it would be you. You were already a troublemaker before this, but you''re a thief now! Your actions are horrible!" "Right?! How could I have trained with a person like you? Unbelievable!" The other ssmates also started to voice their thoughts aloud. It was only at this moment that Amanda finally realized that Elise had set the trap. "What are you guys saying? I don''t get it-" Amanda whined. However, Samantha interrupted in a cold voice, "Quit your act. We heard everything you said." Elise also fished a recording pen from her pocket. "Our entire conversation has been recorded here. This is the evidence I was talking about." Amanda immediately paled. "How dare you!" "What, was I the one who told you to steal?" Elise retorted, to which Amanda gave no reply. At this moment, Mr. Bolton also arrived and shot Amanda a look before he sighed. "You can drop out now. We don''t wee students with sticky fingers here." She shouted, "No, I can''t! I don''t want to quit school!" He didn''t give her any chance of redemption. "If you won''t quit, then I''ll have to take the recording to the police. We''ll let them make the decision." At this moment, she had no choice but to quit school. That night, Amanda gathered her things and was about to leave the school campus. However, before she left, she went to see Elise. "I''ll remember this. You''ll pay for what you did." Elise replied, "You should''ve kept to yourself, Amanda. No matter what you do to me, I''ll pay it back tenfold." Amanda''s departure had also marked that the boot camp was finishing soon. Theirst exam finally marked the end of boot camp, which had alreadysted for half a month. Riley was a little unwilling to leave the camp. "I''ve learned so much from Elise during this time. I never thought about joining the nationals, but I think I may want to join now, after all." Samantha chimed in, "I can''t believe I could improve so much in just half a month! I used to get a headache just by looking at those questions, but now I can answer two-thirds of them! This is way beyond what I imagined! Still, I won''t join the nationals after all. You guys can go and I''ll be there to support you." Elise looked at her friends before they smiled at each other. "Even though we''ve had some idents, I still had a good time with you guys in the end. I hope we can hang out every once in a while in the future." Riley and Samantha linked their arms with Elise''s paws. "I even want to transfer schools now! Maybe I''ll transfer to your ss next semester," Riley suggested in excitement. Then, she looked at Samantha. "Hey, why don''t youe along? Then, we can have more time together! Isn''t that great?" Samantha thought for a while and deemed it usible. However, she wasn''t sure whether her family would agree to it. "I have to ask my mom first, but I think she''ll agree as long as it helps with my studies." Elise was surprised. "Wait, do you guys really mean it?" Riley and Samantha nodded simultaneously. "Of course! With Erudite Elise by our side, what do we have to fear?" Elise was so ted that she was at a loss for words. The three friends then gathered their things and walked to the school gates together. Samantha was the first one to get into the car and she waved at them as she left. Riley was the next one; she left the campus with Mr. Bolton. Soon, Elise was the only one left at the school gates. She didn''t tell the young masters of the Griffith Family that the boot camp ended today, so none of them were there to pick her up. As she was about to hail a cab to head home, Zachary walked over to her. "Elise." "Hi, Zachary." She smiled at him. "What''s up?" Zachary looked at her. Then, as if he had summoned immense courage, he broke the silence. "See you at the nationals." With that, he waved at her before walking off into the distance. Elise was confused, for she wasn''t quite sure what he wanted to say. Did he just challenge me to the nationals? Chapter 66 Chapter 66 Elise shook her head and didn¡¯t think much about his words. Then, she took out her phone to hail a ride home. When she arrived at the Griffith Residence, Jonah was engaged in a game of chess with Alexander. They were both surprised when they saw her. ¡°Ellie, you¡¯re back so suddenly! You should¡¯ve told us beforehand and I¡¯ll get Alex to fetch you.¡± Elise exined, ¡°It¡®s fine; there¡®s not much difference if I return on my own.¡± Jonah beckoned to her. ¡°Come, let me have a good look at you. I haven¡¯t seen you in half a month! Ellie, you seem to be thinner! You must be tired from all of your studying. Ste, prepare some chicken soup for Ellie, won¡®t you?¡± Ste hastily replied, ¡°Understood, sir.¡± ¡°Ellie,e have a game with me,¡± he invited. At that, Alexander, who was seated opposite Jonah, rose to his full height and allowed Elise to take over his ce. As Elise had previously learned the ropes with Robin, she was aware of the general rules since she was half a beginner herself. ¡°Alex, please watch the game for us. Don¡¯t let her lose terribly.¡± Alexander nodded. ¡°All right, Grandpa.¡± Thus, with Alexander as her support, Elise felt a little more confident. However, it was only reasonable to lose when the opponent was a master like Jonah. They yed three rounds, all of which she had lost. She was upset as she asked Alexander, ¡°Didn¡¯t Grandpa ask you to watch the game? Can¡¯t you help me win for once?¡± He simply replied, ¡°It¡¯s bad manners toment on the game from the sidelines.¡± Inasmuch as Elise wanted to say something, she found that Alexander had a point. ¡°All right, Ellie. You fought well. You were always exceptionally close to winning and I even thought you might be doing it on purpose.¡± She stuck her tongue out mischievously. ¡°I¡®m not as good as you say, Grandpa.¡± Jonah smiled, but he didn¡¯t say more. Instead, he asked Elise about her studies. ¡°Now that the boot camp is over, you¡¯re setting out to Northcliff to join the national Math Olympiad, aren¡®t you?¡± Elise nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving tomorrow. The test starts the day after and it¡®ll only take half a day to complete.¡± He nodded in understanding before he looked at Alexander. ¡°Doesn¡®t thepany have some business rtions in Northcliff?¡± Alexander reported honestly, ¡°Some, I think.¡± Jonah quickly added, ¡°Then, that¡®s the perfect opportunity! You can head to Northcliff with Elise tomorrow. Make sure she¡¯s safe and you can handlepany matters while you¡¯re at it.¡± Upon hearing that, Elise quickly rejected the idea. ¡°It¡®s fine, Grandpa, I can head there on my own.¡± However, he wasn¡¯t about to back down. ¡°Girl, don¡®t be stubborn. Northcliff is a big city and it¡¯s not safe for a girl like you to be on her own. I was thinking of your safety when I asked Alex to apany you. Also, he can settle somepany business while he¡¯s there, so you can rx and join the nationals without any worries.¡± ¡°But..She trailed off as she stole a nce at Alexander, who didn¡¯t seem like he was against the idea. ¡°But it¡®s just us two. It won¡¯t look too good either, will it?¡± she asked as she picked up from where she left off. Jonah looked like he didn¡¯t catch her gist. ¡°Don¡®t worry! Ellie, Alex is quite a steady guypared to the rest of them. I won¡¯t have to worry if he¡¯s the one apanying you.¡± ¡°He might not agree, though.¡± Elise passed the responsibility to Alexander. She thought that he definitely would reject the idea, but she underestimated the weight of Jonah¡¯s words. ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯ll ask my secretary to get the ne tickets ready in a moment.¡± A satisfied Jonah nodded. Upon seeing that, Elise could only acquiesce. Elise and Alexander arrived at the airport together the next morning with their first ss tickets. It was after boarding the ne that she finally asked, ¡°Why did you agree to head to Northcliff with me?¡± He returned her question with another one. ¡°Well, isn¡®t that what Grandpa wanted?¡± What she heard merely made her speechless. She decided to keep her mouth shut. Since it was Jonah¡®s intention, there was nothing more to question. The nended at the Northcliff Airport after two hours of flight After Elise disembarked the ne with Alexander, they found that someone was already waiting for them at the arrivals hall. ¡°Mr. Griffith!¡± the chauffeur greeted with all due respect before he took over the luggage in Alexander¡¯s hand. ¡°Get in.¡± Elise nodded, then did as she was told. As the car drove away from the airport, she asked, ¡°Where are we going to?¡± Alexander was responding to his business matters on his iPad as he replied, ¡°I¡®ll take you to the exam venue first, so you can familiarize yourself there. Then, we¡¯ll head to the house in Northcliff.¡± ¡°You have a house in Northcliff too?¡± He replied, ¡°We¡¯re staying there for the night. I looked it up and found that the house is closest to the exam venue. It only takes 5 minutes to get there, so it¡®s not that far either.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°All right, understood.¡± She went to the exam venue and printed out her admission ticket. After finding her seat, she familiarized herself with the surroundings before returning to the amodation with Alexander. As it was a detached vi, it wasn¡¯t as grand as the Griffith Residence. However,nd prices in Northcliff were extremely overpriced, so a vi in itself would¡®ve set the Griffith Family back by a hefty sum. ¡°I¡®ve already asked someone to clean the house. You¡®re getting the bedroom on the left and I¡®ll stay in the bedroom on the right. The study is in the middle and I¡®ll be working there. If you need anything, you can let me know.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°Got it.¡± With that, she went straight to the room assigned to her. Alexander watched her leave and he only looked away after she disappeared from sight, thereafter he made a call. ¡°Find someone to cook meals here.¡± After hanging up the phone, he made his way to the study and started to busy himself with work. Once she arrived in her room, she didn¡®t dally and immediately took out her phone to call someone. It was around half an hourter when she knocked on the door to the study ¡°Come in!¡± Elise opened the door and walked inside. ¡°I¡¯m taking a walk outside, so I thought I¡®d notify you. You can have dinner without me.¡± Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Alexander looked up at her. ¡°You just arrived, so don¡¯t go around on your own. I can take you wherever you want to go.¡± Elise hastily rejected the idea. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m really just walking around. I¡®ll be back at night.¡± The look in his eyes darkened as he felt that Elise didn¡¯t trust him much, which made him upset. ¡°All right, you can go. Be careful, though.¡± After she signed an ¡®OK¡®, she closed the door behind her.. As Alexander listened to the footsteps dying down, he quickly lost interest in his work even though he was originally busy. He remained in his seat for a while before he rose to leave as well. Elise hailed a cab the moment she left the vi. As she sat in the car, she watched the scenery gradually bing familiar while a faint smile graced her lips. The cab stopped at a public toilet by the road and she exited the car to head into the toilet cubicles. By the time she emerged from the ce, the ugly makeup on her face was reced by a wholly new one. She then hailed another cab, which headed toward an old alley that seemed to be forgotten by time. She walked in the alley until she arrived at the end where a row of courtyard houses silently stood. Momentster, she punched the right password on the ess control panel, thereby unlocking the door and providing her with passage. ¡°Long time no see, Julius.¡± A young man was seated on the rocking chair in the yard while enjoying the sun. The sudden female voice frightened him and when he recovered his senses, his eyes brightened. ¡°H, is that you?¡± Chapter 67 Chapter 67 Elise smiled as she answered with another question, ¡°What do you think?¡± Julius immediately jumped from his chair and ran toward her. However, when he was half a step away from her, she stopped him. ¡°Hey, calm down. There¡¯s no need to get too worked up.¡± His eyes reddened. ¡°It¡¯s been so many years and you¡®re finally back! We¡®ve looked everywhere for you¡­¡± As he spoke, his voice started choking up. Then, Elise patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Look, I¡®m back in one piece. I see that you¡¯re learning to enjoy life more now, eh? You seem to be getting by quite nicely on your own.¡± It took a while for Julius to finally calm down, albeit slightly. Then, he asked, ¡°Do Noel and the others know that you¡¯re back?¡± ¡°For now, I don¡®t think so.¡± He hurriedly wiped the tears from his eyes as he added, ¡°Noel has been waiting all these years for your return and he¡¯s the only one who insisted on waiting for you in the same ce. I heard that he¡¯s the exclusive lyricist for an artist since he still has his way with words. However, without your voice and songs, the best effect cannot be achieved no matter how good the lyrics are.¡± Elise didn¡¯t say a word as she looked around at the courtyard houses. After a while, she suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s go out for dinner tonight.¡± An ted Julius replied, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll ask them toe along.¡± She quickly responded, ¡°No, don¡®t tell them that I¡®m back. Let¡¯s just have dinner together.¡± There was hesitation on his end. ¡°I promised Noel to inform him of any news rting to you the moment I receive them.¡± After saying that, he seemed to arrive at a conclusion. ¡°Never mind, I¡®ll just keep quiet. Maybe I can show you around instead?¡± After voicing her agreement, Elise walked to the backyard where some limited edition motorbikes were parked neatly in a row. She reached out and touched one of them. ¡°It¡¯s been so long since Ist patted them.¡± While Julius grinned, he fished out a set of keys and tossed it to her. ¡°Let¡®s go for a drive.¡± She caught the keys before she quickly sat on the bike. Wearing the helmet had made her absolutely stunning. With a smile, she stepped on the ignition and brought the bike out of its parking spot. They both rode a bike each and cruised the road side by side. It was obvious that Julius was overjoyed because it felt like he had returned to the good old times with Elise and their friends. He brought her to a bar, where the two of them ordered a few ssics to sample. Then, she held the winess and clinked it with his. ¡°How have you been, Julius?¡± Julius replied, ¡°It¡¯s been a long while, H.¡± The two downed the wine before Elise finally asked, ¡°Really, how have you been these few years?¡± ¡°Ever since you left, everyone went their separate ways too.¡± He smiled. ¡°Noel is the only one who¡¯s still active in the field whereas everyone else retired. As for me, I run this bar, so Ie here at night to keep an eye on things. During the day, I sunbath in the courtyard houses. Noel is quite lucky, seeing how he gradually brought that particr artist to fame. That artist is quite the star these days, I believe. What¡¯s the name again? Right, Jack Griffith! You can look up his songs; Noel is the lyricist for some of the most notable ones.¡± The moment she heard Jack Griffith¡®s name, Elise was dumbfounded. It¡®s a small world. Way too small. ¡°I¡®ll give it a listen when I feel like it. Your bar is rather presentable.¡± Julius smiled. ¡°Why don¡¯t you make an appearance tonight? Sing a song or two.¡± She shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. I haven¡¯t sung in years and I¡¯ve already forgotten the feeling.¡± He wasn¡¯t about to throw in the towel either. ¡°Just go and sing a song! Won¡®t you grant my little wish, please?¡±. Elise didn¡¯t know whether it was her inability to win against Julius in an argument or her desire to have some satisfaction, but she found herself hesitating for a while. Then, she donned a mask as she took to the stage. ¡°A mystery guest has decided to join us in Kimi Bar tonight. She will be performing a beautiful song called Concealed Fragrance. Let¡¯s wee her with apuse!¡± As the host ended his introduction, Alexander frowned from his perch on the second floor. He sat alone at the side and he couldn¡¯t help but focus on the middle of the stage. Concealed Fragrance was H¡¯s trademark song. After she left the entertainment field, he had never heard of the song ever since. He never thought that he would chance into this song just by heading out for a drink in boredom. Elise was wearing a white dress as she gracefully walked onstage. As she wore a mask, no one could figure out what she looked like. However, the moment she opened her mouth, the audience fell silent. ¡°When petals fall away from the flower, the concealed fragrance remains. It went away in the rain, and no one knows. As soon as Alexander heard her voice, he was shaken to the core. He was ovee with disbelief, for this voice was exactly the same as H¡¯s voice in his memories¡­ The angelic voice seemed to be reciting a tale in the song and every member of the focused audience was fully immersed in the experience. Since he was the first toe to his senses, he quickly rose to his full height and strode toward the backstage. ¡°Sir, this is the backstage. You cannot enter.¡± A waiter blocked Alexander¡¯s way, but Alexander retrieved a stack of cash from his pocket and pressed it into the waiter¡¯s hands. The waiter paused for a while before he pretended to turn away, thus allowing Alexander passage. After the song was over, the audience erupted in thunderous apuse. Elise smiled as she bowed, then she proceeded to walk off the stage. However, a momentter, she saw Alexander walking toward her while saying, ¡°Wait¡­¡± He was calling out for her, which stunned her as she stopped in her tracks. Her hand had also subconsciously tugged at the mask she wore. She forced her voice into a lower pitch as she asked, ¡°Is there anything, sir?¡± ¡°I just wanted to ask, are you H?¡± N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Elise never thought that Alexander would recognize her. She was taken aback by his question, but she could never allow him to know of her identity. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not.¡± With that, she moved to leave, but he grabbed her wrist instead. ¡°What are you doing? Please let go, sir.¡± Alexander examined the woman before him and he felt that her figure was identical to someone whom he knew, but he also thought that it was impossible. After a pause, he asked again, ¡°Are you really not H? You two have identical voices, though.¡± Elise exined, ¡°I only know how to mimic her. You¡¯re giving mepliments I don¡¯t deserve, but that just means I¡¯ve improved at mimicking, so thank you for that.¡± So, I see. He seemed to be convinced by her answer as he released his grip on her. Now that she had regained her freedom, Elise refused to dy a moment longer as she quickly walked off. Julius approached her and asked, ¡°Who is that man? What did he say to you?¡± Chapter 68 Chapter 68 As a global conglomerate, the Griffith Group had maintained business rtionships with entities in various countries. On that particr day, Alexander brought Elise to an upscale French restaurant and they saw their guests the moment they stepped into the private dining hall-a group of French people. The moment Alexander entered, the French people were joyful and they enthusiastically greeted him whereas Elise shot him a nce and understood his hint. Then, she started to interpret for both sides and her fluency in thenguage was more than conversational as she had spent some time abroad. His gaze had intermittently swept past her throughout the course of the dinner. It was then he realized that she had a captivating charm. When Elise saw that the meal was almost over, she whispered to Alexander, ¡°I¡¯ll head to the washroom.¡± He slightly nodded, thus allowing her to excuse herself from the hall. After she left, the guests couldn¡¯t help but ask him in French, ¡°Alex, what¡¯s with you today? Why were you quiet during the meal? The missus was the only one speaking to us.¡± Alexander smiled beguilingly as he slowly replied in fluent French, ¡°She¡¯s my assistant. Since she¡¯s unfamiliar with the operations, I was giving her a training opportunity earlier.¡± The French guests exchanged looks with each other and grinned. ¡°So, she¡¯s only your assistant, Alex? I clearly saw how you looked at her just now, though. I thought she was your girlfriend.¡± Upon hearing the term ¡®girlfriend¡¯, Alexander oddly didn¡¯t feel repulsive because he seemed to agree that it was a suitable nickname for Elise. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. He fell silent and took a huge sip of the wine in front of him. The French were always passionate, sensual and especially open-minded when it came to rtionships. When they saw Alexander agreeing with them in silence, they couldn¡¯t help but joke with him. ¡°Alex! It looks like the missus¡¯ identity is not as simple as you said! I think you should be more courageous to meet the true love of your life.¡± The wine didn¡¯t smoothly slide down his throat because the moment he heard their words of encouragement, he choked on his wine. It so happened that Elise was back from her trip to the washroom. She could sense that something had shifted in the air the moment she entered the hall, but she quickly handed him a tissue regardlessly. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Alexander looked up and met her clear eyes that sparkled with his reflection in them. As it reminded him of the ¡®advice¡¯ from his guests, it caused him to hurriedly look away and reply, ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± She could feel that he was acting in a strange manner, but she couldn¡¯t pinpoint exactly what went wrong. The amused guests looked like they had made a new discovery. As they were about to speak, Alexander swiftly handed them the bottle of wine and smiled knowingly before he downed the contents in his ss. His abrupt action was clear-he wanted to prevent them from exposing him. Since it wasn¡¯t their first time coborating with him, they exchanged grins as they were ted to witness him losing hisposure. No one was stopping him and by the end of the event, he had already downed more than he could handle. In the end, Elise had to support Alexander as they walked out of the restaurant, which made her pant from the exertion. ¡°Why did you drink so much?¡± she grumbled as she couldn¡¯t hold back her annoyance, to which he simplymented, ¡°I haven¡¯t had so much fun in a long time. I am only feeling a bit dizzy.¡± She replied, ¡°How could you not be dizzy after all the drinking? Stand still for now. I¡¯m calling a cab.¡± He grunted and was about to stand straight when he lost his bnce a secondter, leaving him with no choice but to lean against her. It left her at the end of her wits. After hailing a cab with her phone, she brought him back to the apartment. It was with much effort that Elise finally hauled Alexander into the unit and the action of doing so had exhausted her. She leaned against the wall for a short rest and wanted to reach out for the light switch. Much to her surprise, his body fell toward her and she hurried over to hold him. As she failed to catch him, she watched as he fell t onto her and sent them crashing to the ground. She was still reeling from the pain when she heard a loud thud somewhere. A pair of warm lips pressed themselves against hers in the middle of the dark, causing her eyes to widen in shock as she stared at the erged face in front of her. Her nose was filled with a unique masculine scent, after which she shoved him away carelessly in a frantic manner. ¡°Alexander, what are you doing?¡± s, he had too much to drink and he was slumped on his side as he leaned against the wall limply. Elise quickly wiped her lips and forced herself to rise from the floor. As she left Alexander behind, she rushed to the bedroom and stared at her reflection in the mirror while regrets washed over her. ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhh! What was that?! Elise, that was your first kiss! It¡¯s gone just like that!¡±. She sounded so regretful that she badly wanted to repeatedly cleanse her lips. Even though the corners of her mouth had turned red from the rigorous wiping, she still refused to stop. After what seemed like an eternity, she took a deep breath to calm down. ¡°It will be fine. Elise Sinir, just forget what happened before. Act like nothing has happened.¡± Despite her attempts to convince herself, the earlier scene was still ying itself in Elise¡¯s mind. She finally lost her cool and cursed in desperation, ¡°Dammit! What the heck was that?¡± As she had lost her mood to care for Alexander, she left him asleep on the floor untilte after midnight when she felt a little sorry for him. She headed out of the bedroom to take a peek and found him still on the floor. Now that she was feeling sorry for him, she caved in and dragged him to his bedroom. The next morning, Elise woke up almost close to noon and rummaged for her phone. When she realized that it was already 11:00AM in the morning, she washed up and exited the bedroom. She saw Alexander seated on the couch and furiously typing away on hisptop. ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± he asked. When she heard his voice, she was instantly transported to the scenest night, which irritated her to no end. When he didn¡¯t receive any answer, he looked up at her and closed hisptop. ¡°I had too much to drink last night, so it must have been tough for you.¡± Elise then red at him sharply before she couldn¡¯t help butin, ¡°Good that you know it! Do you know how much effort I used to get you home? I was so exhausted!¡± At the sight of her animated expression, Alexander unknowingly broke into an almost unnoticeable smile that would easily be missed. ¡°My mind wentpletely nkst night. I didn¡¯t cross a line, did I?¡± Upon hearing that, she had wanted to retort, but she resisted and coldly replied, ¡°No,¡± Alexander looked reassured after hearing Elise¡¯s reply. When he first woke up, some vague memories lingered in his mind and he was worried that he had crossed a line. Come to think of it, he found his reaction after he drank the alcohol rather odd. He rarely was tipsy even after downing many sses of wine on normal asions, butst night was an exception. I totally cked out! I think I need to cut down on drinking next time. Chapter 69 Chapter 69 As a global conglomerate, the Griffith Group had maintained business rtionships with entities in various countries. On that particr day, Alexander brought Elise to an upscale French restaurant and they saw their guests the moment they stepped into the private dining hall-a group of French people. The moment Alexander entered, the French people were joyful and they enthusiastically greeted him whereas Elise shot him a nce and understood his hint. Then, she started to interpret for both sides and her fluency in thenguage was more than conversational as she had spent some time abroad. His gaze had intermittently swept past her throughout the course of the dinner. It was then he realized that she had a captivating charm. When Elise saw that the meal was almost over, she whispered to Alexander, ¡°I¡¯ll head to the washroom.¡± He slightly nodded, thus allowing her to excuse herself from the hall. After she left, the guests couldn¡¯t help but ask him in French, ¡°Alex, what¡¯s with you today? Why were you quiet during the meal? The missus was the only one speaking to us.¡± Alexander smiled beguilingly as he slowly replied in fluent French, ¡°She¡¯s my assistant. Since she¡¯s unfamiliar with the operations, I was giving her a training opportunity earlier.¡± The French guests exchanged looks with each other and grinned. ¡°So, she¡¯s only your assistant, Alex? I clearly saw how you looked at her just now, though. I thought she was your girlfriend.¡± Upon hearing the term ¡®girlfriend¡¯, Alexander oddly didn¡¯t feel repulsive because he seemed to agree that it was a suitable nickname for Elise. He fell silent and took a huge sip of the wine in front of him. The French were always passionate, sensual and especially open-minded when it came to rtionships. When they saw Alexander agreeing with them in silence, they couldn¡¯t help but joke with him. ¡°Alex! It looks like the missus¡¯ identity is not as simple as you said! I think you should be more courageous to meet the true love of your life.¡± The wine didn¡¯t smoothly slide down his throat because the moment he heard their words of encouragement, he choked on his wine. It so happened that Elise was back from her trip to the washroom. She could sense that something had shifted in the air the moment she entered the hall, but she quickly handed him a tissue regardlessly. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Alexander looked up and met her clear eyes that sparkled with his reflection in them. As it reminded him of the ¡®advice¡¯ from his guests, it caused him to hurriedly look away and reply, ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± She could feel that he was acting in a strange manner, but she couldn¡¯t pinpoint exactly what went wrong. The amused guests looked like they had made a new discovery. As they were about to speak, Alexander swiftly handed them the bottle of wine and smiled knowingly before he downed the contents in his ss. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. His abrupt action was clear-he wanted to prevent them from exposing him. Since it wasn¡¯t their first time coborating with him, they exchanged grins as they were ted to witness him losing hisposure. No one was stopping him and by the end of the event, he had already downed more than he could handle. In the end, Elise had to support Alexander as they walked out of the restaurant, which made her pant from the exertion. ¡°Why did you drink so much?¡± she grumbled as she couldn¡¯t hold back her annoyance, to which he simplymented, ¡°I haven¡¯t had so much fun in a long time. I am only feeling a bit dizzy.¡± She replied, ¡°How could you not be dizzy after all the drinking? Stand still for now. I¡¯m calling a cab.¡± He grunted and was about to stand straight when he lost his bnce a secondter, leaving him with no choice but to lean against her. It left her at the end of her wits. After hailing a cab with her phone, she brought him back to the apartment. It was with much effort that Elise finally hauled Alexander into the unit and the action of doing so had exhausted her. She leaned against the wall for a short rest and wanted to reach out for the light switch. Much to her surprise, his body fell toward her and she hurried over to hold him. As she failed to catch him, she watched as he fell t onto her and sent them crashing to the ground. She was still reeling from the pain when she heard a loud thud somewhere. A pair of warm lips pressed themselves against hers in the middle of the dark, causing her eyes to widen in shock as she stared at the erged face in front of her. Her nose was filled with a unique masculine scent, after which she shoved him away carelessly in a frantic manner. ¡°Alexander, what are you doing?¡± s, he had too much to drink and he was slumped on his side as he leaned against the wall limply. Elise quickly wiped her lips and forced herself to rise from the floor. As she left Alexander behind, she rushed to the bedroom and stared at her reflection in the mirror while regrets washed over her. ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhh! What was that?! Elise, that was your first kiss! It¡¯s gone just like that!¡±. She sounded so regretful that she badly wanted to repeatedly cleanse her lips. Even though the corners of her mouth had turned red from the rigorous wiping, she still refused to stop. After what seemed like an eternity, she took a deep breath to calm down. ¡°It will be fine. Elise Sinir, just forget what happened before. Act like nothing has happened.¡± Despite her attempts to convince herself, the earlier scene was still ying itself in Elise¡¯s mind. She finally lost her cool and cursed in desperation, ¡°Dammit! What the heck was that?¡± As she had lost her mood to care for Alexander, she left him asleep on the floor untilte after midnight when she felt a little sorry for him. She headed out of the bedroom to take a peek and found him still on the floor. Now that she was feeling sorry for him, she caved in and dragged him to his bedroom. The next morning, Elise woke up almost close to noon and rummaged for her phone. When she realized that it was already 11:00AM in the morning, she washed up and exited the bedroom. She saw Alexander seated on the couch and furiously typing away on hisptop. ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± he asked. When she heard his voice, she was instantly transported to the scenest night, which irritated her to no end. When he didn¡¯t receive any answer, he looked up at her and closed hisptop. ¡°I had too much to drink last night, so it must have been tough for you.¡± Elise then red at him sharply before she couldn¡¯t help butin, ¡°Good that you know it! Do you know how much effort I used to get you home? I was so exhausted!¡± At the sight of her animated expression, Alexander unknowingly broke into an almost unnoticeable smile that would easily be missed. ¡°My mind wentpletely nkst night. I didn¡¯t cross a line, did I?¡± Upon hearing that, she had wanted to retort, but she resisted and coldly replied, ¡°No,¡± Alexander looked reassured after hearing Elise¡¯s reply. When he first woke up, some vague memories lingered in his mind and he was worried that he had crossed a line. Come to think of it, he found his reaction after he drank the alcohol rather odd. He rarely was tipsy even after downing many sses of wine on normal asions, butst night was an exception. I totally cked out! I think I need to cut down on drinking next time. Chapter 70 Chapter 70 ¡°When are we heading home?¡± Alexander snapped back to reality and answered, ¡°Pack your stuff. Let¡¯s head back in the afternoon.¡± After hearing his answer, Elise rxed and turned around to enter her bedroom. In the afternoon, they traveled in silence throughout their journey to the airport. He could sense that she was intentionally creating distance between them. Moments after they returned to Athesea, he asked the driver to send Elise home while he himself headed to the office. Once she arrived at home, a concerned Jonah asked, ¡°Ellie, how was the exam?¡± She replied, ¡°It was fine. Not a problem for me.¡± He then gave a warm smile. ¡°I knew it! Ellie is the best! By the way, why are you home alone? Where¡¯s Alex?¡± Thest thing she wanted to talk about was Alexander, so she answered curtly, ¡°He went to the office.¡± The old man clearly sensed the change in Elise¡¯s mood and assured, ¡°Ellie, he didn¡¯t bully you in the past two days, did he? If he bullied you, just let me know. I have your back!¡± Elise focused on a particr spot on the floor before she shook her head. ¡°I-I¡¯m fine! Grandpa, I feel a little tired. So, I¡¯m going to rest in my room.¡± Now that she had greeted Jonah, she went upstairs into her room. He shed a smile of knowledge at the vanishing figure and the butler beside him interjected, ¡°Sir, you seem to be in a good mood.¡± Jonah¡¯s smile widened even more. ¡°Yeah! It looks like my trick has worked pretty well. In the future, you need to figure out ways to make them spend time with each other. I don¡¯t want to let this future granddaughter-inw escape!¡± The butler rarely saw Jonah in such high spirits. ¡°Sir, you¡¯re right! Miss Elise and Young Master Alex look quitepatible.¡± Confirmations of his greatest wish was what Jonah loved to listen to. ¡°This boy, Alex, keeps everything to himself and he is extremely calctive. Someone like Ellie by his side would only spice up his life even further!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right indeed! Young Master Alex¡¯s birthday is around the corner. Do you think we should¡­ do some matchmaking?¡± Upon hearing the suggestion, Jonah agreed and nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s observe for now. When the time is right, we¡¯ll give them a push.¡± Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Elise returned to her room, opened herptop and logged into the ount that she previously used to help Alexander with interpreter work. She found herself staring at the message he sent to her half a month ago-he asked whether she wanted to help him with interpreting on the spot at Aris. Without a second thought, she replied, ¡®No!¡¯ She instantly felt much relieved after she replied with a one-word answer. Now that she had sent the message, she closed theptop and shoved the matter to the back of her mind. Now that she was done with the National Mathematics Olympiad, she returned to school once again. Alexander should have been the one to send her to school, but she stubbornly decided to leave with Danny. Since Elise was absent for half a month, she found herself longing for school life. Mika approached Elise and gave a bear hug. ¡°Elise, you¡¯re finally back!!!¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough! You¡¯re squeezing me; I can¡¯t breathe!¡± Upon hearing that, Mika released Elise from her embrace. ¡°Do you know how badly I have missed you in your absence?¡± They interlocked their fingers in an intimate manner while heading to the ssroom. As Mika suddenly thought of something, she lowered her voice. ¡°Oh, right, I have something to tell you. Jasmine is going to be engaged. She came to school two days ago to deliver the invitation cards for her engagement party to us. Now that Elise was hearing Jasmine¡¯s name once again, it no longer evoked any reaction from her. She then replied airily, ¡°Her life has nothing to do with me.¡± In contrast, Mika looked indignant. ¡°How could someone like Jasmine live such a good life? I refuse to ept that! Shouldn¡¯t the bad receive their karma?¡± Mika looked confused, but Elise merely ruffled her friend¡¯s hair. ¡°Okay, stop overthinking! We just need to live our lives to the best of our abilities. The lives of others do not concern us.¡± After beingforted by Elise, Mika immediately cheered up and they both entered the ssroom. At the same time, Alexander was seated in his luxurious executive chair in his office at the Griffith Group. His eyes were staring at the words on hisputer screen-the reply he received regarding his request for interpreting on the spot No! He lifted a brow in surprise and finally made an internal call. Soon, an assistant came into the office. ¡°I told you to look for Arisian interpreters. Are there any candidates? Send their resume to my inbox, please.¡± Upon hearing that, the assistant responded in nervousness, ¡°Young Master Alex, we have not received any resumes so far.¡± Alexander¡¯s eyes narrowed as he fell into deep thought. ¡°Did you ask the foreignnguage college? I don¡¯t mind fresh graduates as long as they can help with basic interpretation work.¡± ¡°I have checked with a couple of colleges in Aris, but nobody has majored in thenguage since the poption of Arisian speakers is small. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t find a candidate until now.¡± As he rapped his knuckles rhythmically on the table, Alexander stared at Elise¡¯s reply before he finally decided and messaged, ¡®What¡¯s your offer? As long as you are willing to work, the pay is not a problem.¡± After sending his reply, he felt that it wasn¡¯t enough and added, ¡°If you have any issues, you can talk it out with me face-to-face. As for the pay, I can match your preferred sry.¡± This was the first time Alexander had lowered himself to beg for a favor. It was all because the company urgently needed talent, yet it was hard toe across. To be more blunt, he was running out of options. ¡°Get back to work and search for an Arisian interpreter. Once you receive an application, let me know right away.¡± ¡°Sure, Young Master Alex.¡± With that, the assistant left, but the door to the office was opened again soon after. As Alexander was buried deep in work, he thought that his assistant had returned. ¡°Anything else?¡± Jonah smiled and announced, ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Alexander looked up with a surprised face. ¡°Grandpa, why did you visit today?¡± Calmness had enveloped Jonah when he replied, ¡°You must have endured a lot this time. I¡¯m just bored at home, so I decided to swing by.¡± Then, Alexander rose to his height and handed his grandpa a couple of financial reports that he had vetted. ¡°Grandpa, these are the financial reports for this month. Take a look! I have a meeting soon, so I¡¯ll need to run.¡± Jonah epted the reports, but he ced them aside for the time being. ¡°Those aren¡¯t urgent. I need to talk to you.¡± Upon seeing his grandfather¡¯s grave expression, Alexander thought that serious matters would be discussed and he asked the assistant to close the door. ¡°Grandpa, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Much to his surprise, Jonah shed a smile. ¡°Why are you so nervous? It¡¯s nothing much. I just noticed that it¡¯s going to be your birthday soon. Do you have any thoughts on how you want to celebrate it?¡± Alexander was taken aback by the question. ¡°Grandpa, it¡¯s just a birthday. It¡¯s not that important.¡± As usual, he never liked anything ceremonial and would prefer a simple dinner with family for his birthday. ¡°Well, here¡¯s what I think. Since our family hasn¡¯t gathered for a long time, let¡¯s have everyone over to celebrate your birthday. What do you think?¡± Alexander was still in the dark about his grandpa¡¯s n and tried to reject the suggestion with the excuse of being busy. ¡°Grandpa, I have a lot of projects to work on. I even have a work trip to Aris in a few days¡¯ time. As for the birthday celebration, let¡¯s put it aside for now.¡± ¡°Look at you! You¡¯re only focused on work. If so, I¡¯ll take care of your birthday celebrations and you¡¯ll just need to focus on your work. When your birthday rolls around, all you have to do is to show up.¡± Since Jonah was insistent and even offered to help, Alexander did not reject the idea and allowed his grandfather to take charge instead. Chapter 71 Chapter 71 Matthew was already waiting for Elise at the entrance the moment school knocked off for the day. He had done so until she showed up at the gates. Then, he alighted from his car and walked toward her. ¡°Give me your bag.¡± She obliged, to which he took her bag while he held the car door open for her. Once they were inside the car, he started the engines and cruised down the street. Then, he initiated the conversation. ¡°How was school today?¡± ¡°Good,¡± she monotonously replied, ¡°Everything¡¯s fine.¡± Matthew shot a nce at her through the rearview mirror in the silence. When they arrived home, he parked the car in the underground garage and they left for the elevator together. Much to their dismay, the lights in the elevator suddenly blinked before it turned off and plunged them into darkness. A panicked Elise asked, ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± As she spoke, she reflexively reached out to bang on the elevator doors. Matthew quicklyforted her, ¡°It could be a technical error. I¡¯ll make a call now to the servants.¡± While heforted her, he fished out his phone only to realize that there was no line. He also hadn¡¯t noticed that Elise was suffering from a full-blown panic attack as sweat beads formed across her forehead while her body trembled violently. Elise¡¯s breathing was erratic and her body went limp a secondter, after which she copsed to the floor. When Matthew saw this happening, he asked in worry, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you okay?¡± What answered him was her chattering teeth, which he found to be rather odd. ¡°Are you¡­ ustrophobic?¡± At that moment, she could not hear what he was saying. Even though she was taking deep breaths, she felt that her brain had gone numb. It was only at this time when he realized that the situation was grave. Without any hesitation, he banged on the doors and yelled to anyone who happened to be outside. Soon, the servants hurried over, but they couldn¡¯t help much except to call the technician. ¡°Young Master Matthew, are you alright?¡± As he stared at the unconscious Elise sprawled on the ground, this was the first time Matthew stammered, ¡°O-Open t-the d-door! O-Open i-it right now!¡± Upon hearing the shouts from the other side, the servants then circled the ground in worry. At the same time, Alexander¡¯s car rolled in and one of the servants immediately approached him as soon as Alexander got out. ¡°Young Master Alex, something¡¯s happened! Miss Sinir and Young Master Matthew are both trapped in the elevator!¡± The moment Alexander heard those words, he knew that he couldn¡¯t afford to waste any more time and rushed over to the scene. When he confirmed that the doors were stuck, he switched off the electricity to restart the entire system. Within two minutes, the elevator started to work again. As soon as the doors reopened, he immediately noticed a pale Elise on the floor. Without further ado, he carried her in his arms and marched out. While staring at Alexander¡¯s back, Matthew¡¯s eyes darkened as he clenched his fists silently. ¡°Quickly call the family doctor and ask him toe over as soon as possible,¡± Alexander ordered the servants while he had Elise in his arms. The servants who were all at home had panicked and rushed to get the doctor. Then, he brought her back to the bedroom and ced her on the bed. Despite repeatedly calling out her name, she did not respond to him. On top of that, her hand was also twitching. Without saying any more, he firmly grabbed hold of her hand and only released it when the family doctor arrived. ¡°Here, take a look at her. What¡¯s wrong?¡± Since the doctor had hurried over to give Elise a body checkup, Alexander could only leave the room. He ran into Matthew the moment he walked out, which caused his expression to darken. Then, he questioned Matthew, ¡°What did you do to her?¡± Seeing that Matthew did not reply, Alexander continued firing shots without any mercy. ¡°I am warning you now: you better not take advantage of her. If not, I will make sure that there is no ce for you in our family.¡± Alexander¡¯s words were an obvious threat, to which Matthew did not take seriously. Rather, he sneered. ¡°You seem to care for her a lot. Have you fallen for her?¡± After that, he couldn¡¯t help but mock, ¡°An ugly girl like her might not fit your ideal type, though!¡± As he approached Alexander, the disdain in his eyes appeared to be more obvious. ¡°You better not think that I have no idea about your motive. Or, should I say that we share the same goal? If that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s not attack each other and have a fairpetition instead.¡± With a cold look in his eyes, Alexander smiled mockingly. ¡°You¡¯re letting the cat out of the bag.¡± Matthew scoffed and left without a word. Now that Alexander was aware of Matthew¡¯s advances, he believed that life would be interesting from now on. Elise was so traumatized after the earlier scare that she even ran a temperature at night. As a result, she was in and out of consciousness until the next afternoon. The moment she opened her eyes, she noticed Jonah staring at her with a concerned face. ¡°Ellie, you¡¯re finally awake!¡± Her mind was still nk as she looked at the familiar ceiling. Since her memory was still reying the scene where she was trapped in the elevator, it made her tremble in fear again. ¡°Ellie, are you okay?¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine now. Sorry to make you worry.¡± ¡°Oh, please don¡¯t say that! I did not know that you are ustrophobic. In the future, I won¡¯t let this happen again.¡± She grunted in acknowledgment. Not many knew about her ustrophobia and to be fair to her, she hadn¡¯t suffered an attack in such a long time. At first, she thought that she was sessfully in control of her deepest fears, but this incident clearly indicated that her ustrophobia would haunt her for her entire life. ¡°Ellie, tell me if there¡¯s anything that you crave. I¡¯ll have the servants prepare it for you. Since you¡¯re still recovering, you need more rest.¡± Elise replied, ¡°Okay, I got it. Thanks, Grandpa.¡± The experience had rendered her unwell for a few days and she spent most of her time in bed. During that period, the young masters of the Griffith Family took turns to take care of her. Jack had a few deadlines to meet and when it was his turn after work to look after her, he looked rather annoyed. Still, the four brothers didn¡¯t dare to go against Jonah¡¯s words and they obeyed his orders to attend to her. Regardless of how the men felt, Elise had gotten along well with young masters of the Griffith Family during her recovery period. Alexander was the only one who received a different type of treatment-she was obviously shunning him to the point where he was well aware of her change in attitude. As usual, he brought a bowl of chicken soup on a tray to her room. ¡°The servants prepared this for you. Eat it while it¡¯s hot,¡± he told her. She was in the midst of reading a book at that time and merely answered with a grunt. Then, he added, ¡°Are you going back to school tomorrow?¡± Elise replied without raising her eyes, ¡°Yeah.¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. Alexander was still confused about her thoughts and didn¡¯t probe further. ¡°Remember to finish your food. I¡¯m leaving now,¡± he reminded her. This time around, Elise didn¡¯t bother to reply to him. After he left, she finally put down the book in her hands and sighed helplessly. For some reason, the sight of him brought her back to the night where they were alone with each other. Besides, she remembered that the servant informed her that it was Alexander who brought her into her room after she had fainted in the elevator. The moment she thought about it, she felt embarrassed the person who gave her the experience of her first kiss and the first time being carried in a guy¡¯s arms¡­ was Alexander himself. Chapter 72 Chapter 72 Matthew was already waiting for Elise at the entrance the moment school knocked off for the day. He had done so until she showed up at the gates. Then, he alighted from his car and walked toward her. ¡°Give me your bag.¡± She obliged, to which he took her bag while he held the car door open for her. Once they were inside the car, he started the engines and cruised down the street. Then, he initiated the conversation. ¡°How was school today?¡± ¡°Good,¡± she monotonously replied, ¡°Everything¡¯s fine.¡± Matthew shot a nce at her through the rearview mirror in the silence. When they arrived home, he parked the car in the underground garage and they left for the elevator together. Much to their dismay, the lights in the elevator suddenly blinked before it turned off and plunged them into darkness. A panicked Elise asked, ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± As she spoke, she reflexively reached out to bang on the elevator doors. Matthew quicklyforted her, ¡°It could be a technical error. I¡¯ll make a call now to the servants.¡± While heforted her, he fished out his phone only to realize that there was no line. He also hadn¡¯t noticed that Elise was suffering from a full-blown panic attack as sweat beads formed across her forehead while her body trembled violently. Elise¡¯s breathing was erratic and her body went limp a secondter, after which she copsed to the floor. When Matthew saw this happening, he asked in worry, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you okay?¡± What answered him was her chattering teeth, which he found to be rather odd. ¡°Are you¡­ ustrophobic?¡± At that moment, she could not hear what he was saying. Even though she was taking deep breaths, she felt that her brain had gone numb. It was only at this time when he realized that the situation was grave. Without any hesitation, he banged on the doors and yelled to anyone who happened to be outside. Soon, the servants hurried over, but they couldn¡¯t help much except to call the technician. ¡°Young Master Matthew, are you alright?¡± As he stared at the unconscious Elise sprawled on the ground, this was the first time Matthew stammered, ¡°O-Open t-the d-door! O-Open i-it right now!¡± Upon hearing the shouts from the other side, the servants then circled the ground in worry. At the same time, Alexander¡¯s car rolled in and one of the servants immediately approached him as soon as Alexander got out. ¡°Young Master Alex, something¡¯s happened! Miss Sinir and Young Master Matthew are both trapped in the elevator!¡± The moment Alexander heard those words, he knew that he couldn¡¯t afford to waste any more time and rushed over to the scene. When he confirmed that the doors were stuck, he switched off the electricity to restart the entire system. Within two minutes, the elevator started to work again. As soon as the doors reopened, he immediately noticed a pale Elise on the floor. Without further ado, he carried her in his arms and marched out. While staring at Alexander¡¯s back, Matthew¡¯s eyes darkened as he clenched his fists silently. ¡°Quickly call the family doctor and ask him toe over as soon as possible,¡± Alexander ordered the servants while he had Elise in his arms. The servants who were all at home had panicked and rushed to get the doctor. Then, he brought her back to the bedroom and ced her on the bed. Despite repeatedly calling out her name, she did not respond to him. On top of that, her hand was also twitching. Without saying any more, he firmly grabbed hold of her hand and only released it when the family doctor arrived. ¡°Here, take a look at her. What¡¯s wrong?¡± Since the doctor had hurried over to give Elise a body checkup, Alexander could only leave the room. He ran into Matthew the moment he walked out, which caused his expression to darken. Then, he questioned Matthew, ¡°What did you do to her?¡± Seeing that Matthew did not reply, Alexander continued firing shots without any mercy. ¡°I am warning you now: you better not take advantage of her. If not, I will make sure that there is no ce for you in our family.¡± Alexander¡¯s words were an obvious threat, to which Matthew did not take seriously. Rather, he sneered. ¡°You seem to care for her a lot. Have you fallen for her?¡± After that, he couldn¡¯t help but mock, ¡°An ugly girl like her might not fit your ideal type, though!¡± As he approached Alexander, the disdain in his eyes appeared to be more obvious. ¡°You better not think that I have no idea about your motive. Or, should I say that we share the same goal? If that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s not attack each other and have a fairpetition instead.¡± With a cold look in his eyes, Alexander smiled mockingly. ¡°You¡¯re letting the cat out of the bag.¡± Matthew scoffed and left without a word. Now that Alexander was aware of Matthew¡¯s advances, he believed that life would be interesting from now on. Elise was so traumatized after the earlier scare that she even ran a temperature at night. As a result, she was in and out of consciousness until the next afternoon. The moment she opened her eyes, she noticed Jonah staring at her with a concerned face. ¡°Ellie, you¡¯re finally awake!¡± Her mind was still nk as she looked at the familiar ceiling. Since her memory was still reying the scene where she was trapped in the elevator, it made her tremble in fear again. ¡°Ellie, are you okay?¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine now. Sorry to make you worry.¡± ¡°Oh, please don¡¯t say that! I did not know that you are ustrophobic. In the future, I won¡¯t let this happen again.¡± She grunted in acknowledgment. Not many knew about her ustrophobia and to be fair to her, she hadn¡¯t suffered an attack in such a long time. At first, she thought that she was sessfully in control of her deepest fears, but this incident clearly indicated that her ustrophobia would haunt her for her entire life. ¡°Ellie, tell me if there¡¯s anything that you crave. I¡¯ll have the servants prepare it for you. Since you¡¯re still recovering, you need more rest.¡± Elise replied, ¡°Okay, I got it. Thanks, Grandpa.¡± The experience had rendered her unwell for a few days and she spent most of her time in bed. During that period, the young masters of the Griffith Family took turns to take care of her. Jack had a few deadlines to meet and when it was his turn after work to look after her, he looked rather annoyed. Still, the four brothers didn¡¯t dare to go against Jonah¡¯s words and they obeyed his orders to attend to her. Regardless of how the men felt, Elise had gotten along well with young masters of the Griffith Family during her recovery period. Alexander was the only one who received a different type of treatment-she was obviously shunning him to the point where he was well aware of her change in attitude. As usual, he brought a bowl of chicken soup on a tray to her room. ¡°The servants prepared this for you. Eat it while it¡¯s hot,¡± he told her. She was in the midst of reading a book at that time and merely answered with a grunt. Then, he added, ¡°Are you going back to school tomorrow?¡± Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Elise replied without raising her eyes, ¡°Yeah.¡± Alexander was still confused about her thoughts and didn¡¯t probe further. ¡°Remember to finish your food. I¡¯m leaving now,¡± he reminded her. This time around, Elise didn¡¯t bother to reply to him. After he left, she finally put down the book in her hands and sighed helplessly. For some reason, the sight of him brought her back to the night where they were alone with each other. Besides, she remembered that the servant informed her that it was Alexander who brought her into her room after she had fainted in the elevator. The moment she thought about it, she felt embarrassed the person who gave her the experience of her first kiss and the first time being carried in a guy¡¯s arms¡­ was Alexander himself. Chapter 73 Chapter 73 ¡°Don¡®t be sad, Grandma. I¡®ll try my best, so don¡®t worry about me.¡± Seeing that Elise had softened her attitude, Laura knew that she had made the right move, and she quickly added, ¡°Well, you said it yourself. I¡¯ll give you another chance, then. The next time you¡¯re back, you have to bring along your husband so I can meet him.¡± All of a sudden, Elise felt that she had fallen into a trap, but since she had already said it herself, she could only agree. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll try my best.¡± Upon getting her word, all the sadness disappeared from Laura¡¯s face. ¡°Come here. Let me take a good look at you to see if you¡¯ve grown any taller or chubbier.¡± Speechless, Elise could clearly feel that she had fallen for her trap, but even so, she had noints about it. After having dinner with her grandparents, Elise went to her bedroom on the third floor. Opening the door, she immediately saw a huge poster with the letter H printed on the bottom. Lifting her gaze, she stared at her own poster with an unreadable look in her eyes. However, very quickly, she looked away and scanned around the room. Everything in the room was exactly how it was when she left; it showed how careful Robin and Then, she paced to the storage space in her room and opened the door. The space was filled with digital albums and posters, and she found the limited edition of her own album she published back then. ¡°Since Mika likes it so much, I¡®ll bring a few albums for her. I think Matthew likes it as well, so I¡®ll bring a couple for him, too,¡± she muttered as she took out a few albums and signed the letter H with a Sharpie pen. When she was done, only then did she leave the storage with the albums in her hands, ¡°Ellie!¡± Laura suddenly called out while pushing the door open. Setting the albums aside, Elise asked, ¡°What is it, Grandma?¡± Laura walked into the room and passed her the lucky charm she got for her. ¡°Elise, take good care of yourself out there. The most important thing is your safety,¡± she said while putting on the lucky charm around Elise¡®s neck. ¡°Your grandpa and I are old, and we don¡¯t know how many remaining days we have. You¡¯re the only one that we worry about the most.¡± Throwing herself into her embrace, Elise said, ¡°Grandma, I¡®ll take care of myself, so stop worrying about me. You have to take care of yourself, too.¡± Laura stroked her head. ¡°Yeah, I know how to take care of myself at this age. Actually, I came looking for you because I have a favor to ask from you.¡± While Elise was looking at her in confusion, Laura reached into her pocket and took out an antique- looking locket. ¡°This was my dowry back then. My family was against my decision to marry your grandfather, and so many decades have passed since then, but I¡¯ve not thought of going home to take a look. So, I don¡¯t know how my family is doing now.¡± This was the first time Elise heard Laura mentioning her own family, the Richardsons, and she couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Do you have any siblings from your family?¡± ¡°I have a younger brother, but I haven¡¯t contacted him over the years and don¡¯t know how he¡¯s doing now. Previously, I heard rumors saying that his family have moved to Athesea, and since you¡¯re there as well, I wonder if you can help me out,¡± Laura said. ¡°Just tell me what I can do for you, Grandma!¡± Elise said with a rough guess in her mind. Looking at the locket in her hand, Laura sighed. ¡°Although I made the tough choice not to contact them for decades, they¡¯re still constantly on my mind. If you have time some day, please help me look for them.¡± ¡°Okay, I got it, Grandma!¡± Elise replied. Hy brother¡¯s name is Leonard Richardson. Please send him my regards if you find him.¡± After making a mental note of the name, Elise said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandma! I¡¯ll ask around Athesea when I¡¯m back there.¡± Having received Elise¡¯s assurance, Laura nodded. ¡°Great! Thank you, Elise.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so courteous to me, Grandma! If you would like to meet them some day, I can even¨C¡± Before Elise could finish her sentence, Laura interjected, ¡°There¡¯s no need to meet up. I just need to know if they¡®re doing well. That¡®s all.¡± Even though Elise didn¡¯tpletelyprehend it, she respected Laura¡¯s decision and put it on her mind to remember this matter. So, Elise stayed a night at home and said goodbye to her grandparents the next day. Before leaving, she even called for a courier service to have those albums sent to the Griffiths?. After leaving her home, Elise didn¡¯t return to Athesea. Instead, she changed into a new look with a different makeup and headed straight for the airport. With the Mesdra passport she had from years ago which was registered under the name Sare, she checked in for the flight and got her boarding pass. At the same time, Alexander had also arrived at the airport together with his assistant, Cameron. ¡°Mr. Griffith, here¡¯s your ID and passport. I¡¯ve already checked in for you, and your boarding pass is here as well. Boarding willmence in another twenty minutes.¡± Alexander nodded in reply and checked the time on his wristwatch. ¡°Did you contact the interpreter? What time will she arrive?¡± ¡°I called her, but nobody picked up the phone,¡± Cameron answered nervously. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Hearing that, Alexander knitted his dark brows tightly together and whisked out his phone to call the number that he was given before. A couple of ringster, someone picked up his call and he asked, ¡°Hello, am I speaking to Sare!¡± Recognizing that it was Alexander¡®s voice, Elise suppressed her own voice, and almost immediately, a neutral and rather hoarse voice echoed through the call. ¡°Yes, I¡®m Sare! Mr. Griffith, I¡®m already at the airport.¡± When he heard that she was already here, the expression on his face rxed a lot. ¡°I¡¯m at boarding gate number 153. Are youing over?¡± After checking the boarding pass in her hand, she exined, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Griffith, but since I¡¯m in economy ss, I won¡¯t be boarding together with you. We¡¯ll meet during the transit in Singaporeter, then.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t youe over, and I¡¯ll get my assistant to upgrade you to business ss?¡± Alexander suggested straight away. ¡°In that case, we can also discuss the job onboard.¡± Thinking that she didn¡®t have to pay for the upgrade fees herself, Elise immediately agreed. ¡°Sure. I¡®ll see you in a while.¡± After hanging up the call, Alexander waited in silence. Barely three minutes had passed when a slender figure walked toward him steadily. The woman had chestnut brown hair and was wearing ck sunsses. Although she was casually dressed, the elegance she was exuding was impossible to hide. Stopping in front of Alexander, Elise spoke first. ¡°Hello, Mr. Griffith.¡± Looking up, Alexander saw an elegant and charmingly matured woman, whom he would not associate with the ugly Elise that he remembered. He stood up from his seat and greeted her in a gentlemanly manner. ¡°Nice to meet you, Miss Sare.¡± Smiling gently, Elise extended her hand at him. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Griffith.¡± Returning her smile, Alexander shook her hand, but the moment their hands touched, he felt an inexplicable familiar feeling surging within him. With a calm expression, he surveyed the person in front of him and saidposedly, ¡°Your reputation precedes you, Miss Sare. Hopefully, we¡®ll have a pleasant cooperation during the next few days.¡± ¡°I hope so too!¡± Chapter 74 Chapter 74 After Cameron was finished with the upgrade procedure, Elise and Alexander soon boarded the flight headed for Singapore. More than ten hours of flight and transitter, they finally reached Aris. The moment Elise got off the ne, she was incredibly exhausted, but she was the only one amongst the three of them who could speak Arisian, so she was the most important person in the group; despite her sleepiness, she had to help them tomunicate with the locals until they reached the hotel. Upon contact with the bed, relief washed over her, and she fell into a deep slumber. Elise spent one whole day adjusting to the jeg and only recovered on the third day. After waking up, she saw the message Alexander had sent her earlier. ¡®Miss Sare, I¡¯ll meet you at the hotel lobby at 8.00AM. She replied okay¡¯ after reading the text and then put down her phone. Then, she quickly washed up, changed into a set of formal business attire, and put on the sses she had prepared earlier, making herself look like a professional career woman. When she reached the lobby, Alexander and Cameron were already there waiting for her. ¡°Miss Sare!¡± Cameron greeted and passed a schedule to her. ¡°This is Mr. Griffith¡¯s itinerary for the day. You¡¯ll need to apany him the whole time as his interpreter, so your workload will be very heavy today. Are you okay with that?¡± Taking a nce at the schedule, Elise thought that it wouldn¡®t be a problem and answered, ¡°It¡®s alright. I¡®m okay with it.¡± With that reply from her, Cameron breathed a sigh of relief. He had been working as Alexander¡¯s assistant for years, and he knew his work attitude very well. When it came to work, Alexander had always been meticulous, and previously, Cameron was worried that Elise might dy the progress of their work, but he could now set his mind at ease after hearing her answer. The three of them got into an MPV car, and Elise started to brief them on the culture and geographical climate of Aris. ¡°Aris is a small country with a poption of not more than ten million. Located in the Eurasian continent, it has a temperate continental climate with cold winters and warm summers. The annual temperature difference is rather huge; it is dry most of the time and it rains very little. It¡®s summer now, so the precipitation is low and the air is quite dry. So, you can bring a bottle of warm water with you to quench your thirst, Mr. Griffith.¡± ¡°You seem very familiar with Aris,¡± Alexander pointed out casually after hearing her exnation. Composedly, she answered, ¡°When I was in university, I fell in love with the fruit, mer, and thought it would be a good idea to find out more about the local culture of Aris. As for learning the localnguage, it was only because I can gain more credits in university for learning a minornguage.¡± At her reply, Alexander couldn¡¯t help but steal a peek at her. This girl looks like she¡®s only around twenty years old, so I didn¡®t think that she had already grad uated from university. ¡°Looks like you did really well in your studies.¡± ¡°I was rather bright and skipped a grade in the middle, so I managed to start university earlier,¡± Elise answered honestly. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°Where did you attend university?¡± Alexander asked next. ¡°University of Edinburgh.¡± At the mention of Edinburgh, Alexander seemed very interested. ¡°What a coincidence! I did my double degree in Cambridge back then.¡± As Elise had already seen his resume a long time ago, she was more than aware of his education background, and she didn¡¯t appear surprised to hear him mention it now. ¡°Anyone who could enter Oxbridge are talented people. It¡¯s easy to tell that you¡¯re a person who did really well in your studies.¡± Even whenplimented, Alexander didn¡®t appear ttered. ¡°You¡®re indeed a professional interpreter, Miss Sare. You¡¯re a very good conversationalist.¡± Elise smiled politely, and time seemed to pass very quickly while they were chatting. In just half an hour¡¯s car ride, they reached their destination. The project that the Griffith Group would be working with the Aris government was an oil exploration project, and hundreds of millions had been invested. Knowing that Alexander would be arriving, the Aris government had sent their representatives to await him at the entrance, and the sounds of firecrackers greeted him when he arrived. ¡°This is a local culture of the Arisians,¡± Elise hurriedly exined. ¡°Lighting the firecrackers shows that they¡¯re weing you.¡± It wasn¡¯t until the sounds of firecrackers had died down that Alexander finally got out of the car. With bright smiles on their faces, the government representatives walked toward him and extended their hands at him as they spoke in fluent Arisian. ¡°Wee to number one mining factory of Aris to monitor the work, Mr. Griffith.¡± The second Elise heard that, she immediately tranted it for Alexander and helped him to exchange some opinions with the Arisians. After that, she followed them as the government representatives led them into the mining area to observe the work. The whole while, she was serious in her job as the interpreter and managed to achieve a good flow of communication between both parties. Very quickly, it was noon, and the government representatives brought them to a restaurant which they had arranged beforehand. ¡°Mr. Griffith, the local food here is a little sweet. I¡¯m not sure if it will be to your liking,¡± Elise whispered softly into Alexander¡¯s ears. In reply, he said, ¡°I¡¯ve lived in southeast Asia for a period of time. I think I can take it.¡± When he said that, he thought that the sweetness level of the food would be simr to food from the Philippines, but little did he know that all his appetite would be gone after he tried the local cuisine. This is more than a little sweet¨Cit¡®s over¨Cthe¨Ccharts sweet! he thought. Sitting next to him, Elise noticed that he couldn¡¯t get used to the local vors. So, she made use of the time when she made a trip to the bathroom to order a bottle of yogurt drink for him from the reception. ¡°Have some yogurt to drink, Mr. Griffith. I¡¯ll take you to a restaurant which serves spicy food when this is over.¡± His stomach couldn¡¯t help but rumble at her words. Since he hadn¡¯t eaten anything the whole morning, he was already famished, but none of the dishes from the spread on the table was to his liking. Taking the yogurt drink from Elise, he said, ¡°Thanks.¡± The culture at the dining table was more or less the same regardless where they went, and as representatives from the government, the Arisians kept refilling Alexander¡¯s ss. As the locals had a liking for fruit liqueurs with a low alcohol content, Alexander didn¡®t even feel tipsy after a few sses. Next to him, Elise advised, ¡°Mr. Griffith, don¡®t have too much of this fruit liqueur because the effect of the alcohol hits very badly afterward.¡± However, he merely took her advice nonchntly. ¡°It¡®s just a few rounds of fruit liqueur. It will be okay.¡± Hearing that, Elise decided not to say anything else anymore. After all, he was the boss, and she was just his employee. When the lunch was over, she went up next to him and asked in a whisper, ¡°Mr. Griffith, are you alright?¡± Right now, Alexander¡¯s face was already blushing bright red, obviously from the reaction to the alcohol. ¡°I think I¡®m fine,¡± he muttered, but he clearly sounded unsure of himself. Hurriedly, Elise took out a box of mints and passed it to him. ¡°Have a few mints and try to sober up a little. You didn¡¯t eat much at lunch earlier. I know a rather good restaurant here; I¡®ll bring you there to give it a try.¡± Since Alexander was famished and had had quite a lot of fruit liqueur earlier, his stomach was already burning, but he had to maintain a calmposure. Hence, he pretended everything was fine until he got into the car, and his head started spinning when it drove away. Seated beside him, Elise didn¡¯t even have time to react when she heard a barf and realized that Alexander had thrown up. This scene was more horrible than thest time when he was drunk. Chapter 75 Chapter 75 Elise frowned in annoyance as she thought, I¡®ve already warned him against the effect of the fruit liqueur earlier, but he still couldn¡®t restrain himself. Re gardless, I can¡®t leave him by himself now when he¡®s in this state. Despite that, she shuddered when she recalled what happened thest time. Back at the hotel, she went straight to the hotel staff and passed them a stack of bills while requesting, ¡°Please send him back to his room.¡± Seeing the wad of cash in front of their eyes, the hotel staff didn¡¯t even hesitate for a second before he called another colleague over to help him bring Alexander back to his room. The next morning, Elise happened to run into Alexander when she stepped out of her room and saw that he had already recovered his usual energy. ¡°Morning, Mr. Griffith,¡± she greeted. His eyes were fixed on her for a few seconds before he finally uttered, ¡°Morning.¡± They got into the elevator one after the other, and the moment the doors slid shut, he said, ¡°Sare, thanks for bringing me back yesterday.¡± Then, he whisked out a cheque he had prepared beforehand and passed it to her. ¡°This is for the trouble you went through.¡± Stealing a peek at the cheque, Elise was shocked to see that it was worth 200,000! All I can say is, he¡®s a really, really generous man! she thought. Nevertheless, she felt that she didn¡¯t deserve it because she didn¡¯t do much, so she rejected it. ¡°That¡¯s alright, Mr. Griffith. It¡¯s just a small matter that¡¯s not worth mentioning.¡± Her words made him grow solemn, and when he spoke again, his voice sounded a little aloof. ¡°I don¡¯t take rejection very well. Moreover, I don¡¯t want anyone else to know what happenedst night.¡± So, he¡®s using this money to buy my silence? After thinking for a while, Elise decided to ept the cheque in the end. Why didn¡®t I realize before that Alexander has the habit of giving cheques? ¡°Thank you, Mr. Griffith. Rest assured that I won¡¯t breathe a word about what happenedst night,¡± she promised. With her assurance, Alexander was relieved, and he grunted in reply. Just then, the doors slid open, and Elise let him out first out of politeness. Today, she apanied him to have a meeting with the Arisian government until 7.00PM when it finally ended. Stretching herself, Elise was already very tired, and she returned to the hotel directly after finishing her work. In the hotel, she had a quick shower before plopping onto bed and soon drifted off to sleep. Such busy days continued for the entire week until the cooperation between the two parties reached an agreement. After the signing of the contract, it also meant that her work hade to an official end. ¡°Mr. Griffith, are we booking the flight back tomorrow?¡± she asked eagerly as she However, Alexander said, ¡°We¡¯ll go back in a couple of days. Apany me to a ce tomorrow.¡± Anxiously, she argued, ¡°The work here is finished, Mr. Griffith. How about if I go back first, and you can stay back to enjoy yourself for a couple of days?¡± Stopping in his tracks, he peered at her and asked in indifference, ¡°How am I supposed to enjoy myself when I can¡®t speak the localnguage?¡± So now you realize my importance? Elise thought in silence and rolled her eyes. ¡°Okay, I can stay a couple more days, but I have to charge extra.¡± Fixing his eyes on her, he asked, ¡°Are you in need of money?¡± Without hesitation, she nodded, thinking, That¡®s for sure! Everyone is in need of something as good as money! ¡°I¡®ll pay you extra by hourly pay,¡± he added. Elise¡®s face lit up. ¡°Sure, Mr. Griffith!¡± The next day, she woke up early in the morning, but Alexander only contacted her in the afternoon. When she saw him, she couldn¡®t help but ask, ¡°Mr. Griffith, didn¡¯t you say that you wanted to go out? Why did you contact me sote in the day?¡± Don¡®t you know that I¡®m paid hourly! This dy has caused me a big loss! Of course she could only say thest part in her heart and not out loud at him because she didn¡®t have the guts to! Despite that, Alexander seemed to have read her mind. ¡°I can save some money by using your services a few hours less.¡± Speechless, Eliseined silently, What a frustrating capitalist he is! But on the surface, she stered on a smile and asked, ¡°So, where are we going today, Mr. Griffith?¡± Instead of answering her, Alexander led her into a cab and passed the address on his cell phone to the driver, who drove the car to their destination. Aris was renowned in the world for its oil industry, but another speciality of this country was stone gambling. Thest thing Elise could think of was Alexander bringing her to a stone gambling market. In the world of stone gambling, such a saying existed: ¡°A cut could make one rich and another poor, while another cut could change one¡¯s destiny and reduce another to rags.¡± Both of them hopped off the cab, and what awaited them was a couple of historic, old streets. All along the streets, shops and stalls of different sizes selling mineral rocks with a variety of shapes and colors lined the streets. It was Elise¡¯s first time to visit such a ce. ¡°Are we here to buy rocks?¡± she asked in confusion. ¡°Yeah. Come and take a look at this.¡± Then, they took the street on the right and ventured into the path. Suddenly, Elise realized that there were not only locals here; there were also some Europeans and Africans who looked really sharp, and she reckoned they were businessmen. Alexander brought her to a street corner and stopped. With his eyes fixed on a rock, he said to her, ¡°Ask him for the price of this rock.¡± Following his orders, Elise spoke to the seller in fluent Arisian, but a bewildered look This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. shed across her face when she heard the price for the rock. ¡°A sh*tty rock like this costs 8,000?!¡± Raising his brow, Alexander asked, ¡°8,000 in which currency?¡± ¡°Of course it¡¯s in USD! The person who buys this sh*tty rock for 8,000 USD must have a hole in his head.¡± Just as the words left her lips, Alexander said, ¡°I¡¯m buying that rock. Go and buy it for me.¡± Shocked beyond words, she gawked at him in disbelief, but she was only his interpreter now, and it was none of her business what her employer wanted to buy. Therefore, she swallowed back her advice to him against buying it and spun around to negotiate with the stone seller instead. In the end, she made use of her bargaining skills and managed to get a 500 USD discount, closing the sale at 7,500 USD. Elise was at a loss for words when she held the rock in her hand, but Alexander was expressionless as he continued walking. On the way, he ended up buying five pieces of stones in different sizes, with each ranging from 5,000 to 20,000 USD. As Elise watched him hand out wads of cash, she could feel her heart wrenching. ¡°Mr. Griffith, what are you going to do with these stones?¡± Chapter 76 Chapter 76 Instead of answering her, Alexander nced at the rocks she was holding and said, ¡°Let¡¯s find a ce to cut them open.¡± And so, Elise followed him into a store, and when people heard that they wanted to cut their stones, many people in the store gathered around them. ¡°You didn¡¯t buy the stones from me, so there will be a charge for thebor fee. For every stone we cut, it will cost 1,000 USD,¡± the owner of the store said. Rich people really know ways to spend money, Elise thought in sarcasm and asked, ¡°Do you still want to cut the stones here, Mr. Griffith?¡± The next second, Alexander took out his credit card and swiped it. Since this was how the situation had turned out, the only thing left for Elise to do was pass the stones in her hands to the craftsman. At the same time, the crowd in the store stared at the stones which were about to be cut open and moved in closer. The craftsman studied the first stone, and he reckoned that it wouldn¡¯t show any signs of jadeite judging from the pattern and the color of the stone, so he asked Elise, ¡°How would you like to cut it?¡± Before she could trante, Alexander interjected, ¡°Start cutting from the left side and then cut it into half.¡± After she conveyed his message, the craftsman brought the stone to the machine straight away. People in their line had very steady hands, and they were incredibly meticulous. Therefore, the cutting process was a little slow, and as everyone watched in anticipation, the first stone proved to be a waste. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. Everyone sighed, and even Elise felt that it was a pity. Tens of thousands of dors is gone just like that! she thought. ¡°Miss, are we going to continue cutting?¡± the craftsman asked, whereupon she turned to Alexander ¡°Continue cutting the others!¡± she answered. Well, I don¡®t feel the pinch since it¡®s not my money, anyway! Immediately, the craftsman cut another of Alexander¡¯s stones, but after cutting three stones continuously, not a single shard of jadeite could be seen. The crowd were beginning to lose their interest, and amongst them, Elise sighed helplessly. On the other hand, Alexander peered at thest stoneposedly and said, ¡°There¡¯s still one stone left. Cut it as well.¡± After hesitating for a couple of seconds, Elise advised in a whisper, ¡°Mr. Griffith, let¡¯s not cut thatst one. We haven¡¯t had any luck yet so far, and we¡¯ll only make a joke out of ourselves if we continue with the cutting.¡± At her words, he looked around and asked, ¡°Do you know anyone here?¡± We¡®re in a foreign country. How could we know anyone here? she thought in confusion and shook her head in reply. Unexpectedly, he said, ¡°Since we don¡¯t know anyone here, we don¡¯t have to be afraid of being embarrassed. Furthermore, even if we do make a joke out of ourselves, it won¡¯t affect us because nobody knows us.¡± His words seem to make some sense! Elise thought to herself and realized that she could learn a thing or two from him about being shameless. The craftsman had nothing to say to their decision of cutting thest stone and simply brought the stone to the cutting machine. This stone was about the same size as the ones before, but it felt a little heavier in his hands. Could this one contain jadeite? he wondered as he started to work on the stone. Carefully, he ground the surface of the stone with the machine. Barely three minutes had passed when Alexander suddenly shouted for him to stop. ¡°Wait a minute!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Elise asked. Looking at the stone, he said, ¡°Tell him to start cutting from the bottom right, but it has to be done slowly.¡± Elise tranted his words, and the craftsman did as he was told, changing the direction of the cut hurriedly and began cutting from the bottom right. But with this cut, sporadic green started to appear on the stone. With sparkling eyes, the onlookers eximed, ¡°It¡¯s green!¡± Immediately, all eyes turned to them as someone said, ¡°This stone is not bad and looks like it will have a good jadeite.¡± Hearing that, Elise nced at the stone nervously, and slowly, the amount of green surface began to increase, but the color looked much better than regr jade. ¡°It¡¯s the imperial jade!¡± someone eximed out of nowhere, and an uproar burst out amongst the crowd. I¡¯ve been in this trade for years, but I¡¯ve never seen an imperial jade being cut. I can¡¯t believe I actually got to witness it today!¡±. ¡°Only one inch has been cut, and nobody knows how big it will end up. If it¡¯s only that small part, then it¡¯s worthless.¡± Listening to their discussions, Elise watched the stone without blinking. It¡®s just a regr¨C looking stone, but it has the imperial jade inside. While gold has a price, jadeite is priceless. If there¡®s re ally a good piece of imperial jade inside, then he¡®ll make a lot of money. ¡°Miss, does this stone belong to you?¡± a European middle-aged man asked, whereupon she hurriedly shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not mine; it¡¯s my boss¡± she exined. Then, the man turned to Alexander and asked in fluent English, ¡°Sir, will you sell your stone to me? I¡¯ll offer you three times the price you paid.¡± Three times the price! Dumbfounded, Elise remembered that this stone was bought at 20,000, and now, he could get 60,000 by selling it! However, Alexander merely answered, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t n to sell this stone.¡± Still, the man refused to give up as he added, ¡°Sir, your stone has only shown one inch of green for now, and nobody knows what lies inside. You won¡¯t make a loss if you sell it to me now, but if your stone really only has one inch of jadeite, then it will be worthless. Not even the jade it has now would be worth anything then.¡± Regardless, Alexander was unmoved and was determined not to sell his stone! Seeing how unwilling he was to sell his stone, the man couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Young man, you should stop while you¡¯re ahead. It¡¯s not easy to run into imperial jade, and you¡¯re simply lucky to have one inch of it. Judging from your stone, that¡¯s probably how much it contains. In the end, it will just be a worthless stone.¡± Annoyed by his words, Elise retorted, ¡°Since you already called it a worthless stone, why are you willing to spend so much money to buy it from us? Are you an idiot knowing that it¡¯s a bad deal but still decided to go ahead with it?¡± Her words made him flush angrily, and he red at her before leaving in a huff. While Elise was unbothered by him, Alexander couldn¡¯t help but nce at her andmented, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had such a sharp tongue, Miss Sare.¡± ¡°I was merely speaking the truth. Clearly, he was trying to take advantage of us. Does he really think that everyone else is as dumb as him?¡± Then, she turned to the stone. ¡°Do you think there¡¯s more jadeite in this stone?¡± He didn¡¯t answer her, and they looked at the stone intensely. As the cut got deeper, the amount of green grew, and the crowd cheered. For the first time, Elise felt what it was like to take part in stone gambling adrenaline pumped through her veins, and she didn¡¯t even dare to blink as she kept her eyes fixed on the stone. When one surface of the stone waspletely ground away, a piece of imperial jade with a deep green color appeared before everyone¡¯s eyes. The craftsman stared wide-eyed at the stone in his hand because this was the first time after years of being in this trade that he had encountered such a good piece of imperial jade. ¡°Sir, could you please sell this stone to me?¡± another European man stepped forward and asked. This time, Alexander didn¡¯t keep him hanging and asked instead, ¡°How much are you willing to pay?¡± Chapter 77 Chapter 77 The man contemted for a moment and said, ¡°5 million!¡± Dumbstruck at hearing the figure, Elise thought, The stone which he bought for 20,000 has a price of 5 million now! However, Alexander rejected the offer directly. ¡°This price doesn¡¯t reach my expectations. I¡¯m sorry.¡± The other party wasn¡¯t expecting that Alexander would be unwilling to sell it, and he continued, ¡°8 million. That¡¯s my final offer.¡± Still, Alexander didn¡¯t seem interested, and the craftsman stepped in to speak to Elise. ¡°Miss, this stone has a very good color after cutting one side, but I¡¯m afraid the depth of the color might not be what you would expect. If you sell it now, you can still make a killing. However, if you continue with the cutting and find out there¡¯s no more jadeite inside, I don¡¯t think you can fetch a high price for your stone anymore.¡± Looking at Alexander, Elise asked, ¡°Mr. Griffith, do you want to sell your stone now?¡± After a moment of consideration, he answered, ¡°I think I¡¯ve always been rather lucky, so I don¡¯t n to sell it for now.¡± After receiving a reply from him, Elise interpreted it to the craftsman, who decided to stay out of it seeing that Alexander had chosen not to heed his words even though he was just being kind. His years of working here had shown him all types of stone gambling scenes-some became rich overnight because of this sport, while there were also others who lost every single penny. The former were usually people with better luck, while thetter were mostly people who didn¡¯t know when to stop. Hence, he returned to his work ce without another word and continued cutting the stone with the machine. As themotion over here was too huge, more and more people started to gather, with the majority of the people watching in anticipation. ¡°Wow, there¡¯s more jadeite!¡± ¡°Imperial jade! It¡¯s really the imperial jade!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been around for so long, and it¡¯s been years since Ist saw such a fine piece of imperial jade.¡± r ¡°This guy is really lucky to have gotten such a good piece of stone.¡± Thements from the crowd came one after the other, with the most being cries of excitement, and even Elise was stunned by the scene unfolding in front of her eyes. About half an hourter, the cutting of the stone waspleted, and it turned out that two thirds of the stone was top-grade imperial jade. Based on the color and look, it was estimated that it would worth at least hundreds of millions if made into aplete jewelry set. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°Congrattions, sir. Your stone is the prettiest imperial jade I¡¯ve seen in my years of experience in this business. I know a few jewelrypanies, and I wonder if you¡¯ll be interested to know them.¡± Elise interpreted this gentleman¡¯s words to Alexander, who replied, ¡°If the price is good, I can consider selling it.¡± When Elise had tranted his intentions into Arisian, excitement washed over the crowd, and a few interested buyers came forward to ask about the price. ¡°30 million! I¡¯m paying 30 million for this stone. Will you sell it to me?¡± ¡°I can offer 35 million!¡± ¡°38 million! I hope you¡¯ll consider our jewelrypany,¡± someone offered and passed a business card to Alexander. Peering at the card, Alexander saw that the man was from the thirdrgest jewelry company in the world, and he announced his lowest price. ¡°50 million. If you¡¯re agreeable, I¡¯ll sell this jade to you.¡± The man contemted for a moment and answered, ¡°Please wait a moment while I make a call to ask for permission.¡± When the onlookers heard the astronomical price of 50 million, all of them were stunned; it was simply unbelievable that a stone could be sold at such a price¨C50 million! Meanwhile, Elise gawked at the stone. Just two hours ago, it was still a regr mineral rock, but it was now worth 50 million, and she was actually there to witness the historic moment of how this came to be. ¡°Sir, let¡¯s make the deal and sign the contract now! After signing the contract, the ountant from my company will immediately send over the money.¡± Turning to Elise, Alexander said, ¡°Miss Sare, I¡¯ll need to trouble you to draft the contract for me.¡± This was not an issue to her at all. Hence, both parties drafted the contract, and after negotiations, they signed the agreement without any problems. Within a few minutes, Alexander received the notification of the money transfer. After all was said and done, Elise left together with Alexander, but she was so shocked speechless that it took her a while before she spoke again. ¡°Mr. Griffith, I think you kinda have a little of my admiration.¡± Hearing that, he turned around and cast a look at her with a soft smirk on his face. ¡°You tter me, Miss Sare. I just got lucky.¡± Acting as though she had just discovered America, Elise chased after him hurriedly and asked, ¡°Mr. Griffith, will you teach me how to pick out stones?¡± ¡°Huh? You¡¯re interested, Miss Sare?¡± he asked with raised brows. Elise bobbed her head eagerly; her interest was in anything that could make money! ¡°We¡¯re unrted in any way, so there¡¯s really no reason for us to discuss this topic. In addition, I paid a high price to hire you as my interpreter; shouldn¡¯t you pay me some fees as well if you would like to pick up stone gambling from me?¡± I knew it¡ªnothinges free in this world! she thought to herself, then asked through gritted teeth, ¡°So tell me: How much are you charging? It¡¯s not a problem if it¡¯s within my ability.¡± Instead of answering her, he asked, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m in need of money?¡± Of course Elise knew that he wasn¡¯t, but what would he want if not money? Suddenly, she cast him a wary look and asked, ¡°What do you want?¡± Amused by her reaction, he asked, ¡°What do you think?¡± She paused and shook her head, then he told her honestly, ¡°I can teach you stone gambling, but you¡¯ll have to teach me Arisian as the tuition fees.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± she asked with sparkling eyes. Alexander gave her a knowing nod, whereupon her face lit up beautifully. ¡°That¡¯s easy. It¡¯s not a problem at all!¡± This is much better than paying him in cash! ¡°Alright. So you¡¯ll give me a lesson every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until I master thenguage,¡± he said. Dumbstruck, she thought, That means I¡®U have to dress up as Sare every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to meet him? That¡®s too nisky. What if I¡®m exposed ¡°What if I have something on? Adjust the time a little and make it two times a week at most. Also, I¡¯ll only teach you online and won¡¯t meet you in private.¡± This was a point which Alexander didn¡¯t refuse. ¡°That¡¯s fine, but at least one hour each session.¡± With the agreement achieved between ther, Elise immediately said, ¡°Since we¡¯ve already agreed on it, why don¡¯t you start teaching me stone gambling now? We¡¯re already here anyway; let¡¯s not let this amazing learning opportunity go to waste.¡± After hesitation, he replied, ¡°Not today. We¡¯ll stay another day ande back again tomorrow.¡± Elise was about to ask him for the reason, but when she saw his face, she stopped herself from saying anything. Since he¡®s said so, so be it, she thought.¡°What are we doing now, then? Are we going back?¡± Looking at her skeptically, he asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you hungry?¡± Chapter 78 Chapter 78 After his reminder, Elise realized that she was indeed a little hungry. Hence, she took the initiative to say, ¡°I know that there¡¯s a food street here. Let me take you around.¡± Alexander murmured in agreement and followed Elise to the food street in Aris. After about a twenty-minute drive, they arrived at Aris¡¯ndmarkmercial street. The ce included abination of food and shopping, so it was suitable for people to go shop and enjoy food at the same time. ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± Elise asked, then rmended several local snacks. ¡°The shrimp gnhi, skewers, casserole, and barbecue meat are all pretty good. Would you like to try them?¡± Alexander answered, ¡°Let¡¯s have some casserole.¡± However, Elise hesitated. ¡°Their casserole is known for being spicy. Can you handle it?¡± ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s give it a try.¡± So, Elise took out her mobile phone and searched for the nearest casserole restaurant. Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. When she walked in with Alexander, the Arisians gave them a warm wee and led them to the private room on the second floor. ¡°What ingredients would you like in the casserole?¡± Elise asked while referring to the menu. She listed, ¡°Ground beef, shrimp, duck, portobello mushroom¡­¡± Alexander also said, ¡°Ground beef, shrimp, duck, portobello mushroom¡­¡± The two of them spoke at the same time, and they even mentioned the four same ingredients in unison. Elise looked up at Alexander, who remarked in surprise, ¡°Miss Sare, I didn¡¯t expect that you and I would have the same preferences.¡± Elise eximed, ¡°I know, right! It¡¯s such a coincidence.¡± In the end, the two of them ordered two servings of casserole made from those four ingredients. Elise loved casseroles very much, and she had since she was a child. The casseroles in Aris were simply the best, so Elise enjoyed it very much. ¡°Do you want anything to drink? The specialty here is the soy milk,¡± Elise said, but Alexander didn¡¯t like soy milk. ¡°I¡¯ll have a can of Coke.¡± Without even thinking, Elise rebutted, ¡°Carbonated drinks aren¡¯t healthy. Let¡¯s change it. Why don¡¯t we get you fruit juice instead?¡± But, Alexander was persistent. ¡°Casserole and Coke is the ultimatebination.¡± Elise couldn¡¯t out-talk him, so she gave up and ordered a cup of soy milk and a can of Coke. While the two of them were happily enjoying their meal, two figures appeared on the street, one chasing after the other while thetter shouted, ¡°Catch the thief!¡± When Elise heard the noise, she subconsciously looked out the window and saw a fair-skinned man chasing a tan-skinned foreigner while yelling, ¡°Catch the thief!¡± However, the people around them were all unbothered, and not a single person took the initiative to help. It was as if no one could hear them. The tan-skinned man was heading their way, so Elise instinctively got up, but Alexander reached out and held her down by her shoulder. Shooting her a look, he jumped over the railing in front of the window andnded firmly on the ground. It happened so quickly that Elise didn¡¯t even have time to react as she watched Alexander stride forward in just a few steps before subduing the thief. Elise hastily ran down but was stopped by the waiter. In a rush, she took out her purse and handed over a stack of cash; only then did the waiter let her go. When she walked out, the crowd had already surrounded the thief that Alexander caught. The fair-skinned man caught up and managed between breaths, ¡°You wretched thief. How dare you steal from me!¡± The man cursed, then unmercifully extended his foot before kicking the foreigner. Even so, the man held on tightly to his wallet, unwilling to let go. ¡°Thank you for your help, kind sir. I¡¯ve called the police, and I believe they¡¯ll be here soon.¡± The fair-skinned man spoke to Alexander in their local ng, but Alexander replied in English, ¡°I¡¯m Cittadelian!¡± The Arisian wasn¡¯t expecting this, so he was surprised. ¡°Thank you so much! Who would¡¯ve thought I¡¯d bump into a fellow Cittadelian!¡± While conversing with the man, Alexander nced at the thief, who was on the ground after being subdued, thereby noticing that the thief didn¡¯t look frightened at all. ¡°Hurry up and return my wallet to me. Otherwise, I¡¯ll make you suffer!¡± said the Arisian as he reached out to grab the wallet from the foreigner¡¯s hand. Unexpectedly, the man didn¡¯t hesitate in the slightest before he bit down hard on the Arisian¡¯s hand. Alexander slightly narrowed his eyes and kicked the man, who ended up lying t on the ground while the wallet fell out of his hand. The foreigner didn¡¯t care anymore and simply got up from the ground before running away. The Arisian wanted to chase after him, but the foreigner ran away so quickly that he disappeared into the crowd in an instant. ¡°You should take a look and see if anything¡¯s missing.¡± The Cittadelian picked up the wallet and roughly nced through it. ¡°Thank you all so much. In fact, the money in this wallet doesn¡¯t matter, but my ID card and passport are in here. If I lose those two things, going back to Cittadel would be troublesome. The embassy of Aris is located so far away from here, and it¡¯s also very troublesome to go through all the procedures. So, thank you very much.¡± Alexander replied nonchntly, ¡°It was nothing. Don¡¯t mention it.¡± The man then took out a business card and handed it to Alexander. ¡°This is my business card. If you ever need anything in the future, feel free to contact me.¡± After briefly scanning through the business card, Alexander was surprised. ¡°You¡¯re from Northcliff!¡± In fact, he was the sessor of the famous Hayes Enterprise in Northcliff. This is such a small world! Frederick Hayes gave a brief exnation. ¡°My family is doing business in Northcliff, so I¡¯m getting by all right. If you encounter any difficulties in Northcliff in the future, or if there¡¯s ever a situation where I can be of use, feel free to get in touch with me.¡± Keeping his business card, Alexander said, ¡°I¡¯m Alexander Griffith from Athesea. I believe fate has brought us together.¡± Frederick¡¯s eyes lit up when he heard his name. ¡°Are you Alexander Griffith, the leader of the Griffith Family in Athesea?¡± Alexander was well-known in the industry for his resolute business methods, so his name wasn¡¯t foreign to Frederick, who didn¡¯t expect to meet the man here today. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Griffith! I¡¯ll definitely visit you when I go to Athesea someday.¡± Alexander gave a slight nod. ¡°That¡¯s kind of you, Mr. Hayes.¡± As the two were talking, the phone in Frederick¡¯s pocket rang. ¡°Mr. Griffith, I have some business to attend to, so I¡¯ll take my leave first. I¡¯ll see you again someday.¡± ¡°Hope to see you too.¡± After sending Frederick off, Elise couldn¡¯t help studying Alexander before saying, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so agile, President Griffith.¡± He was brave enough to jump from the first floor just like that. One floor was at least three meters high, yet he wasn¡¯t afraid of injuring his legs. Coming back to his senses, he answered, ¡°At that moment, I didn¡¯t think much about it and just jumped! Let¡¯s go back and continue eating our casseroles.¡± Elise withdrew her gaze and followed Alexander back upstairs to continue eating. When the two of them had had their fill, they left the restaurant. To their surprise, as soon as they walked out, they were surrounded by a group of tan-skinned foreigners. What was more surprising was that the leader was the foreigner who had just escaped! Chapter 79 Chapter 79 Elise was dumbfounded as she took in the fierce expressions on the dozen or so foreigners they were faced with. ¡°That¡¯s them! Attack them!¡± The leader ordered sternly, whereupon Elise and Alexander exchanged looks and came to a tacit agreement. Standing back to back, they stared vigntly at the group of people. ¡°What do you want?¡± Elise asked, but the foreigner ignored her and directly pounced on her. She dodged to the side, and in the next second, Alexander kicked the foreigner¡¯s stomach, causing the latter to take several steps back. They were creating a hugemotion, so all the pedestrians moved far away from them, afraid of getting involved. When one of the foreigners saw that they were attacked, he waved his hand, and four to five of them moved forward. Alexander was fast and immediately defeated two of them, but the foreigners approached them one after another, causing Elise to feel a little worried. ¡°We can¡¯t carry on this way. I think it¡¯s still better for us to run.¡± Alexander murmured in agreement before punching a man¡¯s face. He used so much strength that the man¡¯s mouth overflowed with blood, but Alexander didn¡¯t have the slightest intention of stopping. Several of the foreigners nced at each other, instantly understanding that Alexander wasn¡¯t easy to deal with, so seven to eight of them surged forward together and attacked him from different angles. When Elise noticed this, she didn¡¯t waste any time in extending her legs and kicking them. The two of them worked in perfect coordination, and they easily defeated the group of people until they were all on the ground. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Alexander said as he grabbed Elise¡¯s arm and started running. ¡°Quickly chase after them! Don¡¯t let them get away!¡± the foreigner shouted, and a few of his followers began to pursue them. Alexander led Elise as they weaved through the crowd until they managed to hide in an alley. Elise took a look around before pointing to the right side of the street. ¡°Let¡¯s go there.¡± Without even thinking, Alexander ran over to the right side. They lost track of how long they had been running and only stopped when they didn¡¯t sense anyone behind them. Elise took huge gasps of breaths. It was her first time being pursued like this. Alexander looked behind them, then realized that they were holding hands and subconsciously let go before saying, ¡°They didn¡¯t catch up to us. I think we¡¯ve lost them.¡± Looking up at him, Elise said, ¡°President Griffith, I had no idea you were so skilled at fighting!¡± Alexander turned back and fixed Elise with a profound look, and for a moment, he suddenly found her very familiar! Strangely, her silhouette was simr to the one in his memory. Elise was a little embarrassed to be stared at like that, so she hurriedly asked, ¡°President Griffith, why are you looking at me like that?¡± Alexander retracted his gaze, then shot her another profound nce. He was a little dubious, but he asked, ¡°Miss Sare, do you race cars?¡± Elise wasn¡¯t expecting him to ask this question. Has he found out? When this thought ured to Elise, her heart started to beat uncontrobly. Masking her emotions, she replied nonchntly, ¡°President Griffith, you¡¯re joking, right? I¡¯m a girl. How could I possibly know how to race cars? I don¡¯t even have a driver¡¯s license.¡± Alexander figured that he must be mistaken. How could she possibly be the girl who raced with me! ¡°Oh, it was just a random question!¡± Alexander controlled his emotions as well. ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± When Elise heard this, she was relieved. Agreeing with him, she followed beside him as the two of them walked in the other direction. After going back to the hotel, Alexander¡¯s suspicions weren¡¯tpletely eliminated, so he made a phone call. ¡°Help me investigate this person called Sare. I want all of the information about her, including her journey through life since she was young, her hobbies, and everything she likes.¡± ¡°Okay, President Griffith.¡± After hanging up, Alexander couldn¡¯t help butugh as he wondered what was going on with him. He had just seen someone with a simr silhouette as her, yet he was already trying to find out information about her. I must be under a spell. The next day, Elise followed Alexander to Jade City again. But, this time, he chose to use another street, where the stone path didn¡¯t look the same as the one they used before, and there were only a few drabby workshops around them. Feeling a little curious, Elise asked, ¡°Why did wee here?¡± Alexander exined, ¡°Few peoplee here, so we might be able to get good stones here.¡± Elise nodded knowingly. She followed Alexander into a shop selling stones, and only then did he speak. ¡°Choose the stones which you think are good first. Treat it as training.¡± Elise didn¡¯t understand what Alexander meant, but since she had decided to learn stone gambling from him, it was only natural that she had to obey him. So, she began looking around the shop and ended up choosing two stones that she found suitable. ¡°Sir, how much are these two?¡± The boss was unfamiliar with Elise, so he randomly stated a price. ¡°The left one is 200,000, while the one on the right is 350,000.¡± Elise was a little pained. ¡°They¡¯re that expensive?¡± The boss nced at Elise, then figured that she wouldn¡¯t buy the stones, so he said, ¡°The stones in our shop are of pretty good quality, and they have a high possibility of containing jadeites. If you¡¯re just taking a look, I suggest you go to another shop. Don¡¯t waste my time.¡± When Elise heard this, she undoubtedly understood that he thought she wasn¡¯t going to buy the stones. Originally, she wanted to obey Alexander and buy these two stones as practice, but now, she decided not to buy them. ¡°Forget it, then! I¡¯ll take a look at the other shops!¡± With that, Elise pulled Alexander to the stone shop on the opposite side. The owner of the first shop long expected that Elise wasn¡¯t going to buy anything, so he couldn¡¯t help sneering, ¡°Everyone thinks that they¡¯re such experts these days.¡± Compared to the surrounding shops, the stone shop on the opposite side was rather deserted. Besides the owner, there wasn¡¯t a single customer. ¡°President Griffith, what do you think of this shop?¡± Alexander cast her a sweeping nce, then said, ¡°You can see for yourself first. Choose two pieces as practice.¡± Elise couldn¡¯t stop herself from silently cursing him when she heard him say those words again, but she still walked around the store. When the owner saw that he had customers, he greeted them enthusiastically. ¡°Take a look here. We have the highest quality stones here. You can choose whatever you want.¡± Elise followed the shop owner around and learned about the several types of rough stones avable in the shop, then eventually picked two of them. ¡°Sir, please help me cut open these two stones.¡± Upon hearing this, the owner was obviously a little uncertain as his shop hadn¡¯t had any business for several days now. ¡°Are you sure you want these? Over here, we charge up front.¡± Without hesitating, Elise took out her card and swiped it, spending 100,000 in one go. Upon seeing how resolute Elise was, the owner said, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, let me get the master to cut it open for you.¡± Elise figured this was good, because she had just saved herself the money of hiring a master. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Then, the shop owner called the stone master over and retrieved Elise¡¯s stones. ¡°Miss, you have good taste. These stones look good,¡± the boss couldn¡¯t help but praise. Although there wasn¡¯t much of an expression on Elise¡¯s face when she looked at the two stones, she was still looking forward to it. The stone master carefully cut open the rough stone and slowly went deeper until he reached the center, but there was no sign of anything green at all. The owner was flustered, and sweat beaded his forehead. ¡°Why don¡¯t we try opening the other one?¡± Chapter 80 Chapter 80 Elise could ept such an oue. After all, stone gambling was also gambling, so she had to be willing to admit defeat. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s open the next piece.¡±The boss hurriedly asked the stone master to cut open the other piece of stone, and he didn¡¯t forget to remind the stone master to be careful. They didn¡¯t expect that after it was opened, it was still just a piece of junk. Elise let out a soft sigh. Having lost another 100,000, she looked at Alexander, who just gave her a soothing look. ¡°It¡¯s just a piece of stone, so it doesn¡¯t matter. You can still look around.¡± Elise, on the other hand, was a little dejected. ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s not waste any more money. Let¡¯s find something fun to do.¡± Alexander replied, ¡°You¡¯re giving up this easily? It seems like you¡¯re pretty half-hearted about this.¡± Elise couldn¡¯t quite ept this kind of judgment, so she pouted. ¡°Maybe I just don¡¯t have the talent.¡± Alexander simply reassured her, ¡°You have to keep your cool when gambling on stones; don¡¯t get distracted. And when choosing stones, you can decide based on multiple features, such as color and texture. There¡¯s even a belief that the most inconspicuous things will often produce the greatest oue. Carry on searching with this mentality and see if you can find the stone you like.¡± After hearing his encouragement, Elise nced at the stones around her. In the end, she decided to give it another try. So, she studied the stones in the shop once again. After circling two rounds, she stopped in front of a bunch of stones near the entrance. The shop owner sighed and said, ¡°Miss, these are the cheapest stones in our store. If you want them, I¡¯ll sell them to you at 3,000 per piece.¡± By saying that those stones were the cheapest, he was implying that they were simply useless. In the eyes of experts, it was impossible for them to contain jadeite. Regardless of whether it was in terms of their quality or color, they were the worst. Squatting down, Elise looked at two of the stones, which weren¡¯t big nor small. They weren¡¯t expensive anyway, as they were only priced at a few thousand, so she could just buy them for fun. ¡°I want these two stones.¡± The shop owner didn¡¯t expect that Elise would actually spend money to buy this kind of stone. As a businessman, he still had to maintain his reputation, so he couldn¡¯t help but remind, ¡°Miss, the probability of this stone containing jadeite is very low¡ªso low that it can be said to be negligible.¡± The owner¡¯s meaning was obvious. The only thing left to tell Elise was that she was wasting her money by buying these stones. Elise understood that the owner had good intentions, but she felt that these two stones weren¡¯t that terrible, so she just bought them. After she paid, the owner didn¡¯t say anything more. At this moment, Alexander, who was next to her, said, ¡°Since you¡¯ve already bought them, let¡¯s just cut them open.¡± This was Elise¡¯s n as well, so she requested, ¡°Sir, I¡¯d have to trouble your stone master to help cut these open again.¡± The owner understood and called the stone master over. Upon taking a nce at the two stones Elise bought, he knew that she was a novice, as she had chosen the stones with the worst quality. So, he said, ¡°Miss, there¡¯s a very low possibility of these two stones containing jadeite. Why don¡¯t I just cut them openpletely and save you the trouble?¡± Just as Elise was about to say something, Alexander interrupted and muttered something in her ear, causing her eyes to light up. Staring at him, she asked with uncertainty, ¡°Really?¡± After Alexander gave her a nod, Elise said to the stone master, ¡°Please help me cut the stone from the right side of the back of the stone. Cut it slowly, and be more gentle.¡± Seeing that Elise was unwilling to listen to his opinion, the stone master shook his head helplessly, but he still cut the stone ording to her request. He cut it carefully and slowly went deeper. After cutting less than a centimeter of it, his eyes lit up. ¡°It¡¯s green! It¡¯s actually green!¡± Elise¡¯s throat tightened when she heard his exims, and she stared fixedly at the stone, only to see that there was a light greenyer underneath the originally gray stone. Although the color was rather light, the jadeite looked to be pretty high quality. The corners of Alexander¡¯s lips curled up as he whispered, ¡°Ice Jadeite. You¡¯re lucky.¡± Elise smiled and asked, ¡°Is it worth a lot?¡± ncing at the stones, Alexander exined, ¡°In its natural form, it¡¯s worth around 1 million. If it¡¯s made into jewelry, the value will increase by several folds. But, this kind of jade is rare and has great collection value.¡± Elise was beside herself with joy. ¡°I wonder how much jadeite is in there.¡± She waited patiently until the piece of stone waspletely cut open, revealing about 30 cm of Ice Jadeite. ¡°Yes, this stone is indeed good,¡± the owner of the shop couldn¡¯t help but exim. ¡°I never thought that a rough stone like this could produce such a beautiful Ice Jadeite.¡± When pedestrians passing by the store heard that a jadeite was revealed, they crowded around to watch. After learning that such a good Ice Jadeite was produced from such a rough stone, all of them went in one after another. All of a sudden, a lot of customers poured in, and the store owner was instantly busy. ¡°What are you going to do with your jadeite?¡± Alexander asked. Smiling, Elise answered, ¡°Such a huge piece of jadeite can be made into a pair of bracelets. I can give it to Grandma as a present during her next birthday.¡± When Alexander heard this, he completely gave up his idea of buying the gemstone. ¡°I know a stone processingpany. They¡¯re pretty good. I can rmend them to you.¡± Elise hurriedly thanked him. ¡°Thank you, President Griffith!¡± Getting an Ice Jadeite ced Elise in a good mood. She then remembered what Alexander had told her. ¡°President Griffith, do you have some sort of special vision? How do you know that the stone I bought will definitely contain jadeite? And you even knew clearly which method to use.¡± Alexander just gave her a mysterious smile, but didn¡¯t answer her question and simply said, ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m the master, and you¡¯re the apprentice.¡± His reply rendered Elise speechless. ¡°However, I still have to remind you that stone gambling is basedrgely on luck. You can¡¯t take it as the foundation of making a fortune and get addicted to it.¡± After all, there were millions of people in the world, and too many of them lost their homes and lives due to their addiction. Elise understood what he meant, so she assured him, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Unless I¡¯m with you in the future, I definitely won¡¯te to such a ce by myself.¡± Alexander was a little relieved. ¡°That¡¯s enough fun for the day. We should go back.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± In the afternoon, Elise and Alexander took a flight back to Cittadel. After getting off the ne, they said their goodbyes. ¡°President Griffith, I hope to have the opportunity to learn more from you in the future.¡± Slightly raising his eyebrows, Alexander said, ¡°There¡¯ll be a chance soon. After all, my Arisian still requires your guidance.¡± Elise¡¯s lips curled up into a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, President Griffith. I¡¯ll do my best. After this, we¡¯ll meet online on Mondays and Wednesdays.¡± As she spoke, Elise waved to Alexander. After watching him leave, she turned around and was going to leave as well, but an ID card under her feet caught her attention. She picked it up and found that it was Alexander¡¯s, so she quickly chased after him. ¡°President Griffith, you dropped your ID card.¡± N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Alexander stopped walking and felt around his pocket. His ID card was indeed gone, so he epted the card that Elise handed to him. ¡°Thank you so much, Miss Sare!¡± Elise answered politely, ¡°You¡¯re wee, President Griffith. Goodbye.¡± After Alexander left, Elise wasn¡¯t in a hurry to leave, but took out her mobile phone instead. She just saw that Alexander¡¯s birthday was April 6th, and today was April 3rd. His birthday ising soon? Chapter 81 Chapter 81 Chapter 81 I Will Definitely Meet My Idol,Coolest Girl in Town Elise went to the bathroom at the airport, changed into a new outfit, and returned to her usual ugly appearance. After checking herself again and again to confirm that everything was in order, she finally left the bathroom. Before Elise went back to the Griffith Residence, she went to pick up her parcels. In addition to H¡¯s albums, there were also some local specialties from her hometown. Elise took these back to the Griffith¡¯s. ¡°Grandpa! I¡¯m back.¡± Elise entered the door while carrying many bags with her. Seeing that, the servant hurried forward to take the bags off her hands. Jonah was reading the newspaper when he heard her voice, then he put down the newspaper in his hand. ¡°Oh! You¡¯re back, Ellie! I missed you so much when you weren¡¯t around.¡± Elise hurriedly stepped forward. ¡°I missed you too, Grandpa. These are some things from back home that I brought for you, as well as your favorite tea that my grandparents asked me to bring to you.¡± Jonah nodded again and again. ¡°That¡¯s great! Have you been okay at home?¡± Hearing that, Elise stuck out her tongue in a guilty conscience. ¡°I¡¯m all right, Grandpa.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, then! I¡¯m sure you¡¯re tired from the trip here¡ªgo upstairs and get some rest first. I¡¯ll ask Aunty Ste to get you for dinnerter.¡± Elise was indeed a little weary from the long-distance flight. Right now, she was just barely holding on in front of Jonah. ¡°Okay, Grandpa. I¡¯ll go upstairs first, then.¡± After she finished speaking, Elise carried her things upstairs. Before she went to her room, she first went to Matthew¡¯s room and knocked on the door. After a while, the door was opened, revealing Matthew, whose eyes lit up when he saw Elise. ¡°Elise, you¡¯re back!¡± Elise nodded and gave him a copy of the album she brought back. ¡°This is the limited edition album by H that I collected before¡ªhere¡¯s a copy.¡± When Matthew heard that it was H¡¯s limited edition album, he immediately looked at it with excitement. It turned out to be the one he had always wanted! ¡°How did you get it!? This is so hard to buy! I¡¯ve searched everywhere, but I still couldn¡¯t find it.¡± Elise scratched the back of her head embarrassedly. ¡°It¡¯s nothing as long as you like it. I¡¯ll go back to my room first.¡± Matthew stopped her. ¡°Wait a minute, Elise.¡± Elise stopped and asked, ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Matthew went on to say, ¡°You gave me such a precious album, so I can¡¯t give you nothing in return. How about I invite you to dinner some other day?¡± Elise wanted to say no, but as soon as she saw Matthew¡¯s look of anticipation, she thought about it again. It¡¯s just a meal after all. No big deal, right? With that, she agreed. ¡°Okay, sure.¡± As Matthew heard her reply, he breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°I¡¯ll pick you up from campus, then.¡± Elise didn¡¯t really think too much of this. Instead, she gave a simple response and went back to her room. After returning to her room, she didn¡¯t sit still. Swiftly, she took pictures of those albums and sent them to Mika. ¡®Hey, babe. I have a gift for you. Do you want it?¡¯ She first texted her. ¡®What gift?¡¯ Mika texted back. Mika¡¯s reply was very casual, but as soon as Elise sent the photo over, she waspletely ecstatic. She immediately texted back after seeing Elise¡¯s photo. ¡®WAIT. WHAT? Isn¡¯t this my idol¡¯s album! You actually collected so many of them! They¡¯re theplete set! Gosh, do I simply envy you.¡¯ ¡®Wait, wait, wait. Hold up. You just said you wanted to give me a gift. Don¡¯t tell me this is the gift that you wanted to give me!! Oh, my God. I love you so much.¡¯ ¡®Did youe back to Athesea? Wait for me. I¡¯ll fly over to you right away.¡¯ Seeing Mika¡¯s excited replies, Elise shook her head helplessly. ¡®Girl, can you calm down?¡¯ ¡®Of course not! Wait for me!¡¯ Elise simply replied with an ¡®okay¡¯. After that, she put down the phone, took a change of clothes, and went into the bathroom to take a shower. She thought that it would take Mika an hour to arrive at the Griffith Residence. Little did she know that when she just came out of the bathroom, Mika had already arrived. ¡°Oh, my god! My H!¡± As soon as Mika arrived, she hugged those albums and kissed them right away like a lunatic. Elise couldn¡¯t stand her acting this way, so she couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°It¡¯s just a few albums. Did you need to overreact?¡± To that, Mika replied, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand¡ªI¡¯ve been thinking about these albums all day and night, and I¡¯ve stayed up all night trying to get them but I couldn¡¯t. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Now that I¡¯ve finally gotten a hold of them, it¡¯s like a dreame true, okay? Hang on, Elise. How did you manage to get so many limited edition albums?¡± Elise answered unnaturally, ¡°I just bought extra when it first came out; I didn¡¯t expect that it woulde in handy today.¡± Mika obviously didn¡¯t buy it one bit. ¡°What a stroke of luck, Elise Sinir! How did you even buy so many of them at once? Wait¡ªare they actually pirated?¡± As soon as Mika thought of this, she turned the album over. It was a fact that all genuine albums would have a golden lining which would show different colors under the sunlight at the album opening, and this was something that pirated albums would definitely not be able to replicate. Mika checked the opening, and there was indeed a golden lining, signaling that it was legitimate. Seeing that, she became even more excited. ¡°It¡¯s genuine. Good grief. I¡¯m so lucky.¡± As soon as Mika¡¯s reaction came into sight, Elise said, ¡°Hey. Watch out for your drool. It¡¯s basically spilling out at this point.¡± Mika ignored it all. ¡°Thank you, babe, for giving me all these H¡¯s limited edition albums¡ªyou¡¯re like a Goddess to me.¡± Elise couldn¡¯t help butugh and said, ¡°Wow. Did I just buy you over with just a few limited edition albums? I didn¡¯t know you were this easy.¡± Mika chuckled. ¡°Well, it couldn¡¯t be helped that H has been my idol for many years. Let me tell you, if I can meet my idol one day in the future, I will definitely¡ª¡± ¡°Definitely what?¡± Before Mika could even finish speaking, Elise cut her off curiously. Mika said with a serious face, ¡°I must ask her for a hug.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it? This is your wish?¡± Mika didn¡¯t notice Elise¡¯s expression when she said this as her eyes werepletely glued to those albums. ¡°A simple hug is enough. For a fan, it¡¯s already such an honorable thing to get a hug from their idol. I really hope that my wish wille true one day.¡± Elise looked at her and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It wille true for sure.¡± Mika thought that Elise was onlyforting her, so she didn¡¯t take it seriously and only said, ¡°Yes. I will definitely meet my idol.¡± ¡­¡­ The next day, Elise went to university as usual. Today, it was Matthew who dropped her off. When they got to the university, and when she was about to get off, Matthew stopped her. ¡°I¡¯ll pick you up after school. Let¡¯s have a meal together in the evening, okay?¡± Just as Elise was about to ask, Matthew went on to exin, ¡°You agreed before that we would have a meal together. I hope you won¡¯t reject me this time around.¡± For this reason, Elise couldn¡¯t refuse. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll see you in the afternoon.¡± Elise waved at Matthew, and then walked toward her lecture hall. ¡°Elise!¡± In the next second, Elise heard someone calling her name from afar, and before she came back to her senses, two figures rushed toward her. ¡°Oh, Elise. I missed you so much!¡± Samantha came up and gave Elise a big hug. Riley, who was standing at the side, didn¡¯t forget to say, ¡°Look how excited you are¡ªlook out for your image!¡± Elise was surprised to see the two of them. ¡°Why are you two here?¡± Chapter 82 Chapter 82 Riley raised her lips slightly and said proudly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say before that we would transfer to your university? Now that all the transfer procedures have beenpleted, from now on, we will be university mates!¡± Samantha, who was standing by the side, continued, ¡°No. We¡¯re actually ssmates! It¡¯s such a coincidence¡ªRiley and I were directly assigned to the same ss as you. We can go to ss together in the future!¡± After listening to the two of them, Elise asked incredulously, ¡°You two aren¡¯t messing with me, are you?¡± Samantha and Riley looked at each other and smiled before they continued. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! We won¡¯t joke around about something like this.¡± The three of them walked to the ssroom while talking andughing. ¡°Oh, we have to find the head lecturer first and only head to the lecture hall after that. Elise, you should go back to the lecture hall first! We¡¯ll see youter.¡± Elise waved the both of them goodbye and then returned to the lecture hall. When Mika saw Elise, she quickly greeted her, ¡°Hey, Elise! I just saw you entering the campus with two new faces. Who are they?¡± Elise exined, ¡°They are friends of mine. I¡¯ll introduce you to themter.¡± Mika was very curious. ¡°They don¡¯t look like they¡¯re from our university. How did you know them?¡± Just as Elise was about to say something, the head lecturer led Riley and Samantha into the lecture hall, and the whole ss became quiet all of a sudden. ¡°Everyone, please wee the two newly transferred students from our ss, Samantha Greene and Riley Bolton. I hope that in the future, everyone in this ss can help each other out and learn harmoniously.¡± As soon as the lecturer said this, the whole ss suddenly burst into an enthusiastic room of apuse. Samantha stepped forward with a smile. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Samantha Greene. Hope we get along well in the future.¡± Riley also followed along. ¡°And I¡¯m Riley Bolton. I¡¯m very happy to join this big family. I hope we can be good friends in the future.¡± The lecturer was very satisfied with their self-introduction, and then arranged seats for them¡ªtheir seats were just behind Elise¡¯s. Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. After ss, Samantha and Riley dragged Elise along to chat together. Seeing this scene, Mika felt a little ufortable and hurriedly walked over. ¡°Elise, did you know each other from before?¡± Immediately, Elise made a quick introduction. ¡°This is Mika¡ªmy best friend.¡± Samantha took the initiative to reach out to Mika. ¡°Hello, Mika! Nice to meet you.¡± Mika stretched out her hand and shook it shyly. ¡°Hello!¡± Elise looked at the two of them together and took the initiative to hook their hands on each side. ¡°In the future, we will be a group of four! It¡¯s a pleasure to know you all, and I hope that from now on, we can learn together, progress together, and grow together.¡± After hearing this, the other three looked at each other and smiled, and this marked the beginning of a newfound friendship. After sses ended in the afternoon, Elise walked out of the campus and saw that Matthew was already waiting there. Seeing Eliseing out, he hurriedly greeted her. ¡°Come. Hand me your bag.¡± Elise replied politely, ¡°No need. I¡¯m fine.¡± As she was speaking, she opened the door and got into the car. Matthew gave her a meaningful look, and then got into the driver¡¯s seat as well. In the car, Matthew initiated the conversation. ¡°I made a reservation for the restaurant at night; it¡¯s a newly opened western restaurant. I heard that it tastes good, so let¡¯s try it!¡± Elise only gave a light ¡®thank you¡¯ and busied herself with her assignment. When they arrived at the destination, Elise¡¯s assignment was already almost done. Seeing that they had arrived, she put her books away and got out of the car. This was a high-end restaurant with gorgeous decor, but when Elise walked in, she noticed that the restaurant was empty. Matthew took the initiative to pull out a chair for her. ¡°Take a seat first. I need to go to the restroom.¡± Elise didn¡¯t think too much of it, and she took out her phone to unlock it, only to see the message from Alexander. It wrote. ¡®Miss Sare, don¡¯t forget that we start ss at 8.00PM tonight.¡¯ Elise only realized that it was Monday after reading the message, and that she had to teach Alexander Arisian at night. She tapped her fingers on the screen quickly and replied with an OK emoji. As soon as she finished replying, Matthew returned to the table. ¡°Elise, do you have any drink or wine that you prefer?¡± Matthew asked proactively. Elise only replied lightly, ¡°I¡¯m fine with anything.¡± Matthew raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°You have ss tomorrow, so I won¡¯t order you red wine. How about a ss of juice?¡± Elise replied, ¡°Sure!¡± When the two of them were together, Elise could clearly feel that the atmosphere was a little off, but she couldn¡¯t quite tell what was wrong. Right now, all Elise could think about was to finish the meal quickly and go home. However, just halfway through the meal, the lights in the huge restaurant suddenly dimmed, which startled Elise. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Matthew reassured her, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Maybe there¡¯s a power outage.¡± Elise didn¡¯t give it much thought. About five minutester, the lights came on again. At that moment, the surroundings changed¡ªthe originally empty hall was now filled with red roses and had instantly turned into an ocean of rose petals. Elise was baffled. What is this? What¡¯s going on? Before she could even bring herself to ask this question, Matthew, who was sitting opposite her, suddenly stood up. ¡°Elise, in fact, I¡¯ve been waiting for this day for a long time.¡± Elise was stunned and could only look at him with confusion. Then, she saw Matthew walking to one side to pick up a rose bouquet and kneeled directly in front of her on one knee. ¡°Elise, I like you! I know I may be in a hurry to do this, but I can no longer restrain myself and my heart, which was why I chose to confess to you today. Will you be my girlfriend?¡± Elise blinked, thinking that she was hallucinating, but it was all so real in front of her. Elise looked at Matthew, not feeling ttered at all. She pursed her lips and asked, ¡°Is this a joke? But today isn¡¯t April Fool¡¯s Day, and your joke is not funny at all.¡± When Matthew heard her say this, his face became even more serious. He was afraid that Elise would not believe him. ¡°Elise, I¡¯m not joking. I really like you. Although your appearance is not the most outstanding, I ampletely smitten by you for some reason. I hope you can give me an opportunity to take care of you. Is that okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I think you¡¯ve made a mistake! Uhh¡­ I actually still have something to do, so I¡¯ll take my leave first.¡± After Elise finished speaking, she got up and nned to leave, but she was immediately stopped by Matthew, who held her by her wrist. ¡°Elise, I really like you, so don¡¯t reject me. Okay?¡± Elise pulled her arm back subconsciously. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I think it¡¯s just too abrupt. Besides, I don¡¯t have any romantic feelings for you, so I¡¯m really sorry.¡± With that, she pushed him away and strode away. Matthew wanted to catch up, but as if she was being chased by beasts, she ran as fast as she could¡ª in the blink of an eye, she had already ran far away. Standing frozen in ce, Matthew looked at Elise, who had already run away, while his gaze turned cold. Immediately, he threw the rose bouquet in his hand to the ground and followed after her, disregarding her rejection. Chapter 83 Chapter 83 Riley raised her lips slightly and said proudly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say before that we would transfer to your university? Now that all the transfer procedures have beenpleted, from now on, we will be university mates!¡± Samantha, who was standing by the side, continued, ¡°No. We¡¯re actually ssmates! It¡¯s such a coincidence¡ªRiley and I were directly assigned to the same ss as you. We can go to ss together in the future!¡± After listening to the two of them, Elise asked incredulously, ¡°You two aren¡¯t messing with me, are you?¡± Samantha and Riley looked at each other and smiled before they continued. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! We won¡¯t joke around about something like this.¡± The three of them walked to the ssroom while talking andughing. ¡°Oh, we have to find the head lecturer first and only head to the lecture hall after that. Elise, you should go back to the lecture hall first! We¡¯ll see youter.¡± Elise waved the both of them goodbye and then returned to the lecture hall. When Mika saw Elise, she quickly greeted her, ¡°Hey, Elise! I just saw you entering the campus with two new faces. Who are they?¡± Elise exined, ¡°They are friends of mine. I¡¯ll introduce you to themter.¡± Mika was very curious. ¡°They don¡¯t look like they¡¯re from our university. How did you know them?¡± Just as Elise was about to say something, the head lecturer led Riley and Samantha into the lecture hall, and the whole ss became quiet all of a sudden. ¡°Everyone, please wee the two newly transferred students from our ss, Samantha Greene and Riley Bolton. I hope that in the future, everyone in this ss can help each other out and learn harmoniously.¡± As soon as the lecturer said this, the whole ss suddenly burst into an enthusiastic room of apuse. Samantha stepped forward with a smile. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Samantha Greene. Hope we get along well in the future.¡± Riley also followed along. ¡°And I¡¯m Riley Bolton. I¡¯m very happy to join this big family. I hope we can be good friends in the future.¡± The lecturer was very satisfied with their self-introduction, and then arranged seats for them¡ªtheir seats were just behind Elise¡¯s. After ss, Samantha and Riley dragged Elise along to chat together. Seeing this scene, Mika felt a little ufortable and hurriedly walked over. ¡°Elise, did you know each other from before?¡± Immediately, Elise made a quick introduction. ¡°This is Mika¡ªmy best friend.¡± Samantha took the initiative to reach out to Mika. ¡°Hello, Mika! Nice to meet you.¡± Mika stretched out her hand and shook it shyly. ¡°Hello!¡± Elise looked at the two of them together and took the initiative to hook their hands on each side. ¡°In the future, we will be a group of four! It¡¯s a pleasure to know you all, and I hope that from now on, we can learn together, progress together, and grow together.¡± After hearing this, the other three looked at each other and smiled, and this marked the beginning of a newfound friendship. After sses ended in the afternoon, Elise walked out of the campus and saw that Matthew was already waiting there. Seeing Eliseing out, he hurriedly greeted her. ¡°Come. Hand me your bag.¡± Elise replied politely, ¡°No need. I¡¯m fine.¡± As she was speaking, she opened the door and got into the car. Matthew gave her a meaningful look, and then got into the driver¡¯s seat as well. In the car, Matthew initiated the conversation. ¡°I made a reservation for the restaurant at night; it¡¯s a newly opened western restaurant. I heard that it tastes good, so let¡¯s try it!¡± Elise only gave a light ¡®thank you¡¯ and busied herself with her assignment. When they arrived at the destination, Elise¡¯s assignment was already almost done. Seeing that they had arrived, she put her books away and got out of the car. This was a high-end restaurant with gorgeous decor, but when Elise walked in, she noticed that the restaurant was empty. Matthew took the initiative to pull out a chair for her. ¡°Take a seat first. I need to go to the restroom.¡± Elise didn¡¯t think too much of it, and she took out her phone to unlock it, only to see the message from Alexander. It wrote. ¡®Miss Sare, don¡¯t forget that we start ss at 8.00PM tonight.¡¯ Elise only realized that it was Monday after reading the message, and that she had to teach Alexander Arisian at night. She tapped her fingers on the screen quickly and replied with an OK emoji. As soon as she finished replying, Matthew returned to the table. ¡°Elise, do you have any drink or wine that you prefer?¡± Matthew asked proactively. Elise only replied lightly, ¡°I¡¯m fine with anything.¡± Matthew raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°You have ss tomorrow, so I won¡¯t order you red wine. How about a ss of juice?¡± Elise replied, ¡°Sure!¡± When the two of them were together, Elise could clearly feel that the atmosphere was a little off, but she couldn¡¯t quite tell what was wrong. Right now, all Elise could think about was to finish the meal quickly and go home. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. However, just halfway through the meal, the lights in the huge restaurant suddenly dimmed, which startled Elise. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Matthew reassured her, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Maybe there¡¯s a power outage.¡± Elise didn¡¯t give it much thought. About five minutester, the lights came on again. At that moment, the surroundings changed¡ªthe originally empty hall was now filled with red roses and had instantly turned into an ocean of rose petals. Elise was baffled. What is this? What¡¯s going on? Before she could even bring herself to ask this question, Matthew, who was sitting opposite her, suddenly stood up. ¡°Elise, in fact, I¡¯ve been waiting for this day for a long time.¡± Elise was stunned and could only look at him with confusion. Then, she saw Matthew walking to one side to pick up a rose bouquet and kneeled directly in front of her on one knee. ¡°Elise, I like you! I know I may be in a hurry to do this, but I can no longer restrain myself and my heart, which was why I chose to confess to you today. Will you be my girlfriend?¡± Elise blinked, thinking that she was hallucinating, but it was all so real in front of her. Elise looked at Matthew, not feeling ttered at all. She pursed her lips and asked, ¡°Is this a joke? But today isn¡¯t April Fool¡¯s Day, and your joke is not funny at all.¡± When Matthew heard her say this, his face became even more serious. He was afraid that Elise would not believe him. ¡°Elise, I¡¯m not joking. I really like you. Although your appearance is not the most outstanding, I ampletely smitten by you for some reason. I hope you can give me an opportunity to take care of you. Is that okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I think you¡¯ve made a mistake! Uhh¡­ I actually still have something to do, so I¡¯ll take my leave first.¡± After Elise finished speaking, she got up and nned to leave, but she was immediately stopped by Matthew, who held her by her wrist. ¡°Elise, I really like you, so don¡¯t reject me. Okay?¡± Elise pulled her arm back subconsciously. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I think it¡¯s just too abrupt. Besides, I don¡¯t have any romantic feelings for you, so I¡¯m really sorry.¡± With that, she pushed him away and strode away. Matthew wanted to catch up, but as if she was being chased by beasts, she ran as fast as she could¡ª in the blink of an eye, she had already ran far away. Standing frozen in ce, Matthew looked at Elise, who had already run away, while his gaze turned cold. Immediately, he threw the rose bouquet in his hand to the ground and followed after her, disregarding her rejection." Chapter 84 Chapter 84 Chapter 84 Snatcher,Coolest Girl in Town Samantha and Riley nced at each other, then looked at Elise in disbelief. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t checked your results yet.¡± ¡°What result?¡± Elise asked. Riley whipped her phone out and showed it to Elise. ¡°Log into your ount right now and check your Math Olympiad result. The results for the nationals were already releasedst night. We thought you already checked it.¡± When Elise realized the results were already out, she took her phone out and was about to check, but before that, she asked, ¡°You guys already know my results, don¡¯t you?¡± Samantha and Riley smiled at each other and urged, ¡°We¡¯ll tell you after you see for yourself.¡± The girls watched Elise as she logged into her ount. A momentter, her results popped up on the screen, and it was a perfect hundred. Elise never thought she¡¯d get a hundred in the Math Olympiad. But her friends knew all about it before her, so they went straight to congratting Elise. ¡°Congrats on the full marks, Elise. You¡¯re the only candidate who scored a hundred.¡± ¡°Honestly, I have no idea how you did it,¡± Riley praised her. All their ssmates knew about Elise¡¯s result as well, but they couldn¡¯t believe it. They thought she would flunk the exam because she was a bumpkin. However, the ¡®country bumpkin¡¯ proved them wrong. Their math teacher came in just as they were talking. He looked at Elise the moment he came in, looking pleased. ¡°Now settle down, ss,¡± he said. Unbeknownst to him, his voice was trembling. Everyone looked at him, and he took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m sure all of you know that the Math Olympiad results have been released. Three of your ssmates took part in it. Two of them are Samantha and Riley, our new transfers. Their results are good, so I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll get the prize. However, the star of our show today is Elise. She aced the contest without a doubt, and she¡¯s the only candidate who managed to score full marks so far. What a dark horse. I never saw that oneing.¡± Every student in the nation knew how tough the Math Olympiad was, especially the nationals. The questions were prepared by the top math professors in the nation, making it one of the, if not the toughest, math papers around. Even so, Elise managed to score full marks, and it was a testament to her talent. The whole ss knew about her results beforehand, but still, they were envious of her after they heard their teacher speak. ¡°You¡¯re awesome, Elise,¡± Samantha whispered. Elise, on the other hand, looked calm and collected, as if she didn¡¯t care about it. After ss was over, everyone huddled around Elise¡¯s desk, asking for some pointers. Elise generously told them everything she knew despite their previous mocking, and that made her poprity skyrocket. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. When afternoon break swung around, Elise told her homeroom teacher she would be taking the rest of the day off. She then went to the nearest mall to buy a present for Alexander. I wonder what kind of present he¡¯d like. She walked around the ce and finally stopped before a Hermes shop, intrigued by one of its neckties. Just when she was about to take it, someone else snatched it before her. When Elise turned around, she was greeted by none other than Ashlyn. ¡°Not bad. I bet Alex will like it if I give it to him on his birthday.¡± She smiled while looking at the necktie. Then, she turned to Elise, and her smile turned into a sneer. ¡°Well, well, well. Fancy seeing you here, Elise. Oh, do you want this necktie as well?¡± Elise was about to ignore her, but she was annoyed by Ashlyn¡¯s sarcasm. ¡°Didn¡¯t think you had a hobby of taking stuff that doesn¡¯t belong to you, Ashlyn.¡± Ashlyn chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m not taking stuff that doesn¡¯t belong to me. I saw this first, and have you ever seen this brand before, you bumpkin? I bet you don¡¯t, and I bet you don¡¯t even have the money to buy it.¡± Ashlyn wasn¡¯t exactly quiet, so she attracted everyone¡¯s attention, including the retail assistant¡¯s. She knew who Ashlyn was, since Ashlyn was their regr. But Elise wasn¡¯t. All the retail assistants could see that Elise couldn¡¯t afford the tie, so they went to wee Ashlyn instead of Elise. ¡°Hello, Miss Lawson. Good to see you today. Do you need anything?¡± Ashlyn enjoyed the feeling of being worshipped, and she mocked Elise condescendingly, ¡°See, Elise? Everyone knows you can¡¯t afford this. A friendly advice: don¡¯t shoot for someone way out of your league. It¡¯ll just be a waste of your time.¡± Elise ignored Ashlyn¡¯s taunt, thinking of it as nothing but a childish rant. ¡°Do you have simr neckties here?¡± she asked the retail assistant. The retail assistant looked at Elise. ¡°Yes, but are you going to buy it, miss?¡± she asked sarcastically. Elise arched her eyebrow. ¡°How many do you have?¡± That caught the retail assistant by surprise. She answered honestly, ¡°It¡¯s a limited edition, so there are only ten of them worldwide. We got lucky and managed to snag two.¡± Elise replied nonchntly, ¡°Then I¡¯ll take both.¡± Ashlynughed in toxic delight. ¡°Well, someone¡¯s trying to be a hotshot around here. Do you have any idea how much this tie costs? A bumpkin like you can¡¯t possibly have the money to pay for it. Just get out of here.¡± But Elise still ignored her. ¡°Wrap them up in a present box. It¡¯s a gift,¡± she told the retail assistant. The retail assistants were delighted that Elise wanted to buy both neckties. They quickly went to do as Elise told them to, which waspletely different to how they treated Elise earlier. Ashlyn crossed her arms, scoffing. ¡°You¡¯re really good at putting on an act, huh? I¡¯ll see if you are actually able to payter.¡± Just then, the retail assistant came over to her. ¡°Miss Lawson, this customer has purchased this necktie. Please give it to me.¡± Ashlyn¡¯s face was red with embarrassment, but she handed it over in the end. Then, the retail assistant took it and kept it in the present box. ¡°Miss, are you paying with cash, card, or your e-wallet?¡± ¡°E-wallet.¡± Elise took her phone out and showed the retail assistant her QR code. A momentter, the transaction was sessfully executed, and the retail assistant handed Elise her receipt happily. ¡°Here¡¯s your receipt, miss.¡± Elise nodded and put her receipt in her pocket before leaving the shop with two bags in hand. Of course, Ashlyn was ignored. Ashlyn was angered, annoyed, and shocked by what she saw. She never thought Elise could afford the necktie. And I called her a bumpkin? She stared at Elise in disbelief. But she¡¯s really a bumpkin. Where did she get the money? And those are men¡¯s ties. I bet she bought it for Alex. That b*tch must be trying to seduce him. I cannot let her get away with it. Chapter 85 Chapter 85 Chapter 85,Coolest Girl in Town Ashlyn clenched her fists quietly while the retail assistant came over. ¡°Do you need anything else, Miss Lawson?¡± Ashlyn was just about to vent her anger, and the retail assistanting up to her gave her a reason to do so. ¡°Anything else? You don¡¯t have anything I want. This is thest time I¡¯ming here.¡± And then she stormed off. Elise looked at her shopping bags. When she came here, she only wanted to get one as Alexander¡¯s birthday gift, but she bought an extra one now just to spite Elise. I¡¯ll give one to Jamie. The thought of that made her feel better, since at least it wouldn¡¯t be a waste of her money buying a second one. Just when she was about to go back to school, Jonah called her. ¡°Ellie, are you busy?¡± Elise smiled. ¡°No. Can I help you, Grandpa Griffith?¡± ¡°Why, yes,¡± Jonah answered. ¡°I¡¯ve sent someone to pick you up after school, so go with them then.¡± Elise agreed to it without hesitating. When she came out from school, Jonah¡¯s men were already waiting for her at the school gates. When they saw her, they quickly went up to her and took her bag. ¡°Come with us, please, Miss Elise.¡± She got into the car and asked, ¡°Where are we going?¡± The driver answered, ¡°Mr. Griffith wants us to take you to Tony. It¡¯s Mr. Alexander¡¯s birthday party tonight, so he wants you to style up.¡± Elise quickly refused. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I think I look okay the way I am, so Mr. Tony doesn¡¯t have to do anything, really.¡± The driver smiled. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Mr. Griffith has prepared everything. Just go with the flow.¡± Elise couldn¡¯t refuse further, but she was also worried her makeup might get busted. In the end, they came to Tony¡¯s shop and she simply told him she would do her own makeup, while they could pick her dress. Tony gave her a closer look and suggested sincerely, ¡°Miss Sinir, you have a great figure, so this dress will entuate all your curves. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. And your looks are exquisite, but you might want to change your makeup.¡± Elise didn¡¯t want her makeup changed. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll make do with my current one,¡± she refused. Tony sighed. He thought it was a shame but he didn¡¯t want to force her, so he chose a bolder dress to go with her makeup. After they were done styling up, Elise took a look in the mirror. When she saw her new look, she felt unreal. ¡°What do you think, Miss Sinir?¡± Elise nodded. ¡°It¡¯s great.¡± My makeup doesn¡¯t go with the dress though. In the end, she chose to get another dress. ¡°But why don¡¯t you get me a dress that is less ostentatious? It¡¯ll be better.¡± I need something that matches my look after all. Tony was put in a dilemma. ¡°Miss Sinir, it¡¯ll be better if I change your makeup. Can you let me try?¡± Elise refused politely, ¡°No. Just change the dress.¡± In the end, Elise switched into a simple dress, though it was an elegant one. It was seven in the evening, and everyone in Griffith Residence was in high spirits. The richdies who were dressed in fine evening wear were chatting with one another, while back upstairs, the servants were straightening out Jonah¡¯s clothes. Jonah looked in the mirror and asked, ¡°Is everything done?¡± The butler answered politely, ¡°Worry not, sir. Everything is in ce. Now all we need is Miss Elise and Mr. Alexander to appear.¡± Jonah nodded in approval. ¡°And don¡¯t let anyone find out, especially Alex.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Jonah smiled at his reflection. ¡°I sure do hope they can get closer this time. Better yet, they should get engaged. I really want to attend their wedding.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sir. Mr. Alexander will not let you down.¡± Jonah held his walking stick. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Time for us to make our entrance.¡± The moment Elise showed up, lots of richdies came to chat with her. After all, the whole of the upper society knew Elise was close to the Griffiths. They wanted to see if they could befriend Elise, since that would mean they were indirectly friends with the Griffiths. Elise handled them well as she had excellent social skills. She knew what to speak and what not to, and everyone was merry. When she finally could catch a break, she plopped down on a sofa and ate some snacks. At that moment, someone said, ¡°The Griffiths¡¯ young masters are here.¡± Everyone looked at the entrance and saw Alexandering in first, nked by Danny and Jack, while Matthew followed behind. The moment they came in, they caught everyone¡¯s eyes. Someonemented, ¡°They¡¯re all great people, especially Alexander. I heard he just nailed the deal in Aris and made some serious money gambling in Jade City.¡± ¡°Jack¡¯s not bad either. Yes, he¡¯s a celebrity, but the whole nation loves him.¡± ¡°Danny doesn¡¯t have much to his name, but he¡¯s still young. Sure, his brothers are more sessful than he is, but I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll make a name for himself in the future.¡± ¡°Well, as for that illegitimate son¡­¡± Everyone shut up with unison at the mention of Matthew. And then someone added, ¡°Hey, there should be a fifth guy, right? A designer called Brendan? I heard he won an international prize for his designs. Not bad.¡± ¡°Jonah¡¯s really lucky to have these kids.¡± Jonah couldn¡¯t stop beaming after hearing the praise. ¡°All thanks to you for giving them a chance.¡± ¡°Anytime, Mr. Jonah.¡± At this moment, Ashlyn came in with her brother, Jonathan. She was wearing a beautiful red dress that made her stand out among the crowd, part of it thanks to her height. When Jonathan came in and saw thedies there, he was delighted. ¡°You go around on your own, Ashlyn. I¡¯ll have to see some friends.¡± She knew Jonathan was just going to flirt, but she didn¡¯t stop him. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to take me hometer.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Jonathan answered. Jonathan went into the crowd, while Ashlyn tidied her hair and searched for Alexander. When she saw him, she walked toward him slowly. ¡°Alex!¡± Danny and Jack looked at her. They didn¡¯t really like her after what happenedst time, but they wouldn¡¯t tell her off nheless. ¡°Hi, Ashlyn,¡± they greeted. Ashlyn smiled. ¡°Hi, Danny. Hi, Jack.¡± She turned to Alexander, but he was ignoring her. However, she wasn¡¯t mad. Instead, she took her gift out and handed it to him. ¡°Here¡¯s the gift I prepared, Alex. I hope you like it.¡± Any man would kill to have Ashlyn give them a gift, but Alexander only replied coldly, ¡°Thank you.¡± Apparently, he wasn¡¯t going to take the gift. Chapter 86 Chapter 86 The atmosphere was awkward, so Danny quickly broke the ice. ¡°What did you get for Alexander, Ashlyn?¡± Ashlyn felt embarrassed, but she stayed calm. ¡°I hand picked this, Alexander. Please take it.¡± She thought he¡¯d say something, but he still didn¡¯t. Jack and Danny nced at each other. The old Jack would have stood up for Ashlyn, but tonight, he turned his head away and pretended that he saw nothing. Danny looked around to see if anyone could be of help. When he saw Elise, he quickly went up to her. ¡°Boss, are you here to give Alexander your present?¡± Elise was surprised Danny came to her. She was nning on giving Alexander the gift after the banquet, but since Danny already brought it up, she simply said, ¡°Yes.¡± Then, she took the present out. ¡°Here, Alexander. Happy birthday.¡± Alexander looked at her, then at her present. For some reason, he wanted to know what her gift was, but he had to stay calm and collected. ¡°Danny, take the gift.¡± Danny quickly took Elise¡¯s gift. He paused for a moment, then he took Ashlyn¡¯s as well. Ashlyn heaved a sigh of relief after her gift was taken. Unbeknownst to her, Alexander never wanted to take her gift. Jack asked curiously, ¡°What did you get him, Elise? Can we open it?¡± That does not seem cheap at all. Wow, she really does care about Alex. However, before Elise could answer, Ashlyn said, ¡°I got Alex a watch from Longines. Latest model, and it¡¯s a limited edition too. Only three pieces are avable worldwide.¡± Danny praised, ¡°Wow, that¡¯s a nice gift. You must have spent a lot of money on it.¡± Jack snorted. ¡°I¡¯m asking Elise, not you.¡± Ashlyn¡¯s smile froze. The old Jack wouldn¡¯t talk to her that way, but after what happened, she could feel his contempt toward her. However, she didn¡¯t flip out. ¡°I just think this fits Alexander. That¡¯s all, really.¡± ¡°You¡¯re really nice to him, Ashlyn,¡± Danny praised genuinely. But right after that, Alexander took Elise¡¯s present and looked at her. ¡°What did you get me?¡± Elise was surprised he asked her, but she answered, ¡°A necktie. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll like it though.¡± Alexander opened it and took a look. Well, this fits my aesthetics. She knows me well. ¡°Not bad.¡± It was a curt remark, buting from Alexander, it meant a lot. He wouldn¡¯t even look at most people¡¯s gifts, but now he actually opened Elise¡¯s to take a look. Ashlyn now knew Alexander never cared about her gift in the first ce, and her face fell. It was then a servant hurried over. ¡°Mr. Alexander, the ball is starting soon, and Mr. Jonah wants you there.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Alexander handed the gift box to Jack. ¡°Hold it for me.¡± He went to the hall after that It was a merry sight in the hall, for it was packed with people. The host was standing in the middle of the stage, hyping the event up. ¡°Thank you foring to the ball today. We hope you¡¯ll have a great night. The ball shall begin soon, but today, we¡¯re going to ditch the boring old ways for something fun and exciting.¡± Everyone was excited to hear that, and they looked at the host, curious about what the new thing was. ¡°Everyone will be required to wear a mask and draw numbers. Whoever gets the same number will be dance partners for the ball, so your dance partners arepletely randomized.¡± Everyone burst into cheers. The servants then distributed the masks to the guests. Elise went to take one as well, and she got a fox mask, while her number was fifty-six. Well, who¡¯s the unlucky guy? Dancing wasn¡¯t her forte after all. In fact, it was one of her worst talents. She stood silently among the crowd, a ss of champagne in hand. Everyone got their partners eventually, but her partner still didn¡¯t show up, much to her frustration. Did nobody get my number? Just when she was asking herself that, a tall man in a bear mask came up to her, and he was holding a slip that had the number fifty-six on it. ¡°May I have a dance, mdy?¡± the man said. Hey, I know that voice anywhere. ¡°Alexander? Is that you?¡± She sounded surprised, but also delighted. Alexander was surprised that he got Elise Scanned with CamScanner as well, so he chuckled. ¡°Fate wants us together, it seems. Or as some might say, plot device.¡± Elise wondered why he said that, but she didn¡¯t have the time to question him. Alexander had extended his hand, and she held it after a moment of hesitation, letting him lead her to the dance floor. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to dance, though, so be prepared.¡± Alexander assured her, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just follow my tempo.¡± The music started ying, and Alexander made the first move. ¡°Follow me. Step to the left. Take three steps back, then step to your right.¡± Elise followed his instructions and tempo, but less than a minuteter, she said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I stepped on your foot.¡± Alexander gave her an encouraging look. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Take it slow.¡± It was embarrassing for Elise, but still she followed his instructions, though guests who danced close to her swore they heard her apologizing a lot. Every time she said sorry, Alexander just reassured her patiently. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You can do it.¡± His encouragement was starting to work, and she slowly got into the tempo. Eventually, she caught up to him and made no mistakes in her dance. ¡°Not bad.¡± He gave her genuine praise. Elise felt embarrassed, but she kept dancing. They were immersed in their tempo, and everyone else didn¡¯t matter. Eventually, the guests retreated from the dance floor, leaving them alone on it, dancing to the tune. When the song finally ended, thunderous apuse rang around the hall. Elise bowed sheepishly, then Alexander took her away from the dance floor. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Once they got out, Alexander praised, ¡°Not bad.¡± Elise quickly answered, ¡°All thanks to you.¡± Alexander looked at her and continued, ¡°But that¡¯s also because you¡¯re a good learner.¡± She tucked her hair behind her ear shyly. ¡°That¡¯s the first time I ever danced to a song from start to finish. Wasn¡¯t as hard as I thought it would be.¡± Alexander agreed. ¡°We can learn if you have the time to.¡± Just when they were chatting, Matthew came over to them. He had always been trying to dance with Elise. ¡°Elise, you danced nicely.¡± Elise was surprised Matthew knew it was her despite the mask. Ever since what happenedst time, she had been distancing herself from him, but now he suddenly came up to her, not to mention in front of a crowd. ¡°I was just going with the flow. Not too shabby, but not too great either.¡± Matthew didn¡¯t give her any chance to escape because he had already extended his hand. ¡°My fair lady, may I have a dance with you?¡± There was love in his eyes, as if he had a lot of things to say to her. Chapter 87 Chapter 87 Elise was in a dilemma. She didn¡¯t want to dance with Matthew, but she couldn¡¯t find any reasons to refuse. Luckily for her, Alexander stood before her. ¡°ording to the rules, everyone¡¯s dance partner is decided by the draw.¡± In other words, there was no changing of partners once it was set. Finally finding an excuse, Elise said, ¡°Sorry, Matthew. We got the same number, so I can¡¯t dance with you.¡± Perfect. Nobody can refute me. Matthew smiled and slowly pulled his hand back. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s leave it until next time then.¡± Elise nodded. It was then the hall went dark, and everyone gasped. About a minuteter, everyone heard the sound of wheels creaking, and someone was singing Happy Birthday ¡°Happy birthday to you¡­ Happy birthday to you¡­¡± The crowd parted and made way for Danny and Jack. They were pushing a big cake on a cart, heading toward Alexander. Everyone around them also started singing as well. Once they were done singing Happy Birthday, someone shouted, ¡°Make a wish, birthday boy!¡± Everyone looked at Alexander. He put his hands together, closed his eyes, and made a wish. ¡°Together, everyone. Three, two, one¡­ Blow.¡± Everyone blew out the candles, and the guests pped. At the same time, the lights came back on again. Alexander picked up the knife and cut out a slice before handing it to Elise. ¡°Have a taste.¡± She took it from him and thanked him before popping a small chunk into her mouth. The cream melted in her mouth at once. ¡°How is it?¡± Alexander asked. Elise nodded. ¡°Not bad.¡± Alexander cut a slice of cake and popped a small chunk into his mouth as well. Immediately, his taste buds were assailed by the sweet scent of the cake, and a handsome smile appeared on his face. Jonah was delighted to see the both of them standing together. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. ¡°Sir, I think Mr. Jonah likes Miss Elise.¡± Jonah answered cryptically, ¡°Perhaps, but honestly, they do make a good couple. I just hope he¡¯ll realize that soon. You did a great job, but something is still missing.¡± ¡°Sir, you¡¯re saying we should¡ª¡± Jonah stopped him. ¡°Let¡¯s stop while we¡¯re ahead. This is a big project, and I want to take it slow. I just hope they¡¯ll start going out eventually.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sir. They¡¯ll get it eventually,¡± the butler said. A smile broke out on Jonah¡¯s lips, and he went back upstairs. Apparently, he was in a good mood. The banquet went on until eleven at night. Once the guests made their departure, the vi fell into its usual silence. Elise¡¯s stomach was acting up after she had too much to eat. Even after she had washed it down with water, she still felt bloated, so she went out to have a walk. The night was beautiful, with the moon covering everything in a silvery sheen, and the stars twinkled down upon the earth. Elise sat on the yard¡¯s swing alone, enjoying the scenery. But then a whileter, she heard the sound of the piano in the distance. ¡°Who¡¯s ying at this hour?¡± She was surprised, but she listened to it silently. The music was delightful and sad at the same time, as if these two opposites were getting merged together. Curious, she went in the direction of the sound. It wasn¡¯t until she got to the top floor did she realize where the sound wasing from. The piano room. She went over and noticed that the door was ajar. Once she stepped in, what she saw was a man sitting before the piano with his back turned to her. His fingers flew across the piano keys, ying the same tune Elise heard earlier. ¡°Not bad,¡± she praised genuinely. The moment she talked, Alexander stopped and turned around. ¡°It¡¯ste. Why are you still here?¡± Elise snickered and went closer to him. ¡°Because I heard the music. It¡¯s great.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just something I yed on a whim. Not anything great,¡± he answered. Elise didn¡¯t think so. ¡°You must have trained for years. That¡¯s gotta be around grade eight.¡± He arched his eyebrow. ¡°You y too?¡± Elise rubbed her nose, slightly nervous. ¡°Not a lot though.¡± But that intrigued Alexander. ¡°Wanna y a song together?¡± Elise didn¡¯t refuse his invitation. ¡°Sure,¡± she answered. Alexander was surprised she agreed so readily, but he freed up half of the bench for her, and she went to sit by his side. Elise put her hands on the keys, and they started ying a tune together. They worked harmoniously and grasped every beat to perfection. Alexander was surprised that Elise was so talented at piano as well. Elise thought the same about him too. Oh, I found a kindred soul. They hastened their tempo a momentter, then they slowed down. The tune was never out of sync for even a single beat. Once they were done ying, Alexander smiled. ¡°Looks like I¡¯ve underestimated you, Elise. You¡¯re a good pianist.¡± He was genuine about that praise. Elise praised him as well. ¡°You¡¯re better than I am. You moved really fluidly. You y this song a lot, don¡¯t you?¡± It was the truth, but Alexander didn¡¯t feel awkward about it. ¡°Not bad. You saw through me.¡± Elise pulled her hands back from the keys and got up. ¡°Thanks. It¡¯ste, so I¡¯ll retire for the night.¡± However, Alexander stopped her. ¡°You know, I like ying the piano with you. Can we have another session together if it¡¯s fine with you?¡± Elise smiled. ¡°Sure.¡± Then, she left the room while Alexander saw her off. Once she turned the corner, he looked back at the piano keys and closed his eyes as he recalled how they yed the piano together earlier. It was the first time anyone could match his speed and sync up with him so perfectly. A momentter, he opened his eyes, and for some reason, he got curious about Elise. How many more secrets does she have? Chapter 88 Chapter 88 As the first ray of sunshine shone through Elise¡¯s room, her annoying rm rang on time yet again, and she got up reluctantly to take a morning shower. Then, she went out and bumped right into Alexander. ¡°Morning,¡± Alexander greeted her. ¡°Morning,¡± she greeted back. They walked ahead side by side. ¡°Had a good sleep?¡± he asked. She smiled sweetly at him. ¡°Not bad.¡± They went downstairs, and Elise looked around, but Danny was nowhere to be found. ¡°Danny should be taking me to school today. Where is he?¡± Alexander answered, ¡°He was wastedst night. Probably still sleeping, so I¡¯ll give you a rideter.¡± Elise wasn¡¯t going to object to that. ¡°Sure.¡± She went to the dining room for her breakfast. It was a simple one, which was her favorite. Once she was done, she went into Alexander¡¯s car. While she was on her way to school, Elise did her extra homework, while Alexander looked at her, who was focused, in the rear-view mirror gently. When they stopped at her school, she quickly kept her stuff away. ¡°I¡¯ll be going now. You should go to work too. Bye.¡± She got out of the car and strode toward the gate, but then, a guy stopped her. ¡°Elise!¡± Elise stopped instinctively and turned around, and she was greeted by a delighted Zachary. ¡°Finally.¡± He beamed at her and showed her the breakfast he bought. ¡°For you.¡± Elise was slightly annoyed that he was here, so she didn¡¯t take the breakfast. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Zachary chose to ignore that question and only smiled at her, but then he looked sad. ¡°I thought I asked you to wait for me after the test. Why did you leave without me? I¡­¡± He bit his tongue and instead said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯lle to you anyway. Oh, I¡¯ve heard about the results. You got full marks again, huh? Congrats,¡± he congratted her. Elise noticed the passion in his eyes, and it made her feel ufortable. She pursed her lips. ¡°Do you need anything, Zachary?¡± Zachary shook his head and pointed at the breakfast he bought. ¡°Nothing. Just here to give you breakfast. Got some great egg sandwiches for you. Here, take it.¡± Elise refused, ¡°Thanks, but I already had breakfast.¡± Zachary looked crestfallen, but he still said, ¡°I¡¯ll bring you something else next time.¡± Elise looked straight at him. ¡°Zachary, we aren¡¯t as close as you think. You don¡¯t have to do this.¡± That made him blush, and he stammered, ¡°I-It¡¯s fine. I want to do this.¡± Elise kept on refusing. ¡°Please don¡¯t, Zachary. We¡¯re only highschoolers, and rtionships aren¡¯t really what we should be focusing on right now. I don¡¯t want any rumors to start, so please stop seeing me.¡± Her straightforward response caught him off-guard. ¡°D-Did I trouble you? It¡¯s fine. I won¡¯t do it if you don¡¯t like it.¡± Since she wanted to end it right there and then, she asked, ¡°Zachary, why are you doing this? What do you want from me? I¡¯m not exactly pretty. You can even call me ugly and I won¡¯t say a thing. Why are you so interested in me?¡± Zachary tried to look at her calmly, but his heart wouldn¡¯t stop pounding. ¡°You got this the wrong way. I¡¯m not interested in you. I-I like you. I like you, Elise.¡± Elise blinked at him. What on earth is happening? Why do guys keep saying they like me? Am I in a novel or something? ¡°Yes, you aren¡¯t the prettiest girl around, but you¡¯re very capable. I mean, you got full marks in the Math Olympiad nationals. That alone is already great enough. Also, you¡¯re kind and always helpful. That¡¯s why I like you. I don¡¯t care about your looks. I care about what¡¯s inside. Yes, I know it¡¯s not great for high schoolers to get in a rtionship, but I can wait. I¡¯ll start when we get into college. Just give me a chance¡ª¡± Before he could finish, someone coughed behind them. Elise snapped out of it and saw Alexander standing behind her. He smiled apologetically, ¡°Sorry for interrupting you guys, but you dropped your pen in my car, Elise.¡± Really? He just has to show up at this moment? Zachary, on the other hand, looked at Alexander suspiciously. The guy looked and felt better than Zachary in every way, and that realization crushed his confidence. Even so, he asked, ¡°And this is?¡± Elise held Alexander¡¯s arm without thinking. ¡°He¡¯s my boyfriend. I¡¯m sorry, Zachary, but I¡¯ll have to refuse you.¡± Zachary couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. The news came as a bombshell for him, and he stared at the both of them in disbelief. ¡°Is that true?¡± His voice changed. ¡°Are you her boyfriend?¡± Alexander was about to say no, but he felt Elise gripping the hem of his shirt from behind, so he smiled. ¡°We live under the same roof every day.¡± He wrapped his arm around her waist. ¡°Is that answer enough?¡± Elise was shocked that Alexander would tell Zachary about that, and she gawked at Alexander. Alexander ignored her, continuing, ¡°You have great taste seeing that you fell for my girlfriend, but my girlfriend¡¯s taste seems to be better than yours. After all, she did fall in love with a prince like me instead of a peasant like you.¡± Zachary almost tripped over himself, and he looked offended by thatment. Wow, what¡¯s the deal with this guy? Did he knock his head when he was a kid or something? He looked at Elise with sadness and determination. ¡°I won¡¯t give up no matter what.¡± Just give up. Elise wanted to tell him that, but Zachary left without giving her the chance. That was inconvenient for her, of course. Why won¡¯t he just quit? I just told him I¡¯m taken.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Chapter 89 Chapter 89 After he left, Alexander pulled his hand away and arched his eyebrow at Elise. ¡°You don¡¯t get loyal guys like that now. Sure you don¡¯t want to give him a chance?¡± Elise red at him. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that! Staying under the same roof? Now that¡¯s just cheeky!¡± Alexander replied calmly, ¡°You called me your boyfriend first. That¡¯s cheeky too.¡± Well, true. I mean, the part where I called him my boyfriend. In the end, she stammered, ¡°E-Even so, you can¡¯t tell him we¡¯re living together. What will he think?¡± He shrugged. ¡°But I didn¡¯t lie. We are living under the same roof, just not in the same room.¡± Oh god. I¡¯m never hearing the end of this. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯m going to bete.¡± She hurried away, and he saw her off. His lips curl into a smile, and his mood got better. Elise walked as fast as she could to the ssroom. ¡°Hey, why are you running, Elise?¡± Mika asked. Elise was frustrated, so she grumbled, ¡°Mika, life is hard.¡± That confused Mika. ¡°Sorry? What are you talking about? Is it a game? But that¡¯s Life Is Strange.¡± Elise took a deep breath and calmed herself. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. We should get to ss now.¡± It took Elise the whole morning to calm down and put the morning¡¯s events behind her. During the afternoon break, Samantha and Riley asked Elise to eat out together, and Elise invited Mika as well. Just when they were about to exit the gates, she saw a familiar guy standing across the street, and her heart sank. She thought she got the wrong guy, but when he took his sunsses off and smiled at her, she knew she wasn¡¯t seeing things. Elise snapped out of it and told her friends, ¡°You girls go ahead. I need to settle some matters, so I won¡¯t being.¡± Samantha was concerned, seeing that Elise was leaving so suddenly. ¡°What is it? Do you need our help?¡± Elise refused, ¡°It¡¯s fine. No big deal, so I¡¯ll handle it myself.¡± The girls said nothing more and left. Elise stared at the man across the street until he finally came up to her. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± Elise was surprised that he was here, but she smiled too. ¡°How did you find me?¡± Noel smiled at her. ¡°I met up with Julius. He told me about you, so here I am.¡± I see. ¡°Let¡¯s talk at a more private ce,¡± Noel suggested. Elise said yes, and she left with him. They went to a private restaurant. It was located in a quiet spot, and the ambience was great. Noel and Elise got a room for themselves, and the guy kept looking at her. ¡°Wow, that getup is ugly. Anyone else wouldn¡¯t have recognized you.¡± Elise took a sip from her teacup and said nothing. Since she was keeping her silence, Noel continued, ¡°How have you been doing?¡± Elise smiled. ¡°What do you think?¡± Noel nodded. ¡°Not bad, I guess. It¡¯s a pity you left. You would have been a great celebrity if you had stayed.¡± Elise didn¡¯t respond. Instead, she looked outside the window. ¡°I heard you¡¯re someone¡¯s songwriter now.¡± Noel answered, ¡°You know the guy too. In fact, I came here on his behalf today.¡± Elise knew why he came, but she would not budge no matter what. ¡°Noel, you know I would never write another song.¡± Noel interjected, ¡°It¡¯s been years. Can¡¯t you let it go?¡± ¡°Put yourself in my shoes. Can you let it go?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± Noel wanted to answer that, but he couldn¡¯t. She sighed. ¡°If you¡¯re here to ask for my help, then sorry. I can¡¯t. But if you just want to have a cup of tea and a little chat with a friend, then you¡¯re always wee.¡± Noel knew Elise wouldn¡¯t budge no matter what, though he thought it was a shame. Jack was decently popr in the industry, but he needed a good song to establish himself. A celebrity built on hype would neverst. Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. If he didn¡¯t produce anything good, it¡¯d be difficult for him to make aeback once the hype died down. Jack had been his longtime disciple, and Noel had been developing his musical talent from when he was an amateur. He didn¡¯t want Jack to lose his future just like that. ¡°Give it some thought, H. I just need one song. You can write about anything. Just one song.¡± ¡°Noel, you know where I stand on this matter.¡± ¡°I know, but this is just a simple thing for you.¡± Noel didn¡¯t want to give up. Elise said nothing, but she still wouldn¡¯t budge. Noel knew she was still offended by what happened back then, and he knew she would never change her decision. That was just how she was. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, H. I know it¡¯s a difficult decision. Since you refused, let¡¯s put this behind us.¡± He took out his card. ¡°This is my personal number. Call me if you change your mind. You¡¯re still my friend no matter what, and that will never change.¡± She took it and put it in her pocket. ¡°Dig in.¡± Noel was d she took his card. ¡°Sure. Dig in.¡± After that, Noel sent her back to school. ¡°You can call me anytime you want, H,¡± he told her solemnly before she left. Elise waved to him and went back to school. The moment she came back to the ssroom, she saw Mika typing away furiously on her phone. She sat down beside her friend and asked, ¡°What happened? Someone got on your nerves?¡± Mika answered without even looking up, ¡°I need your help, Elise. These trolls are too much. They¡¯re insulting my idol! Quick, make an ount and troll them back.¡± Elise huddled closer and saw Mika arguing with Jack¡¯s haters on Twitter. Judging from the looks of it, Mika wouldn¡¯t back down until the trolls did. Chapter 90 Chapter 90 ¡°Hurry up, Elise!¡± Mika urged Elise to help, since she was about to lose. Elise asked, ¡°What happened? Why are there so many trolls there?¡± Mika grumbled, ¡°These guys said Jack is just a talentless celebrity who only got popr because he¡¯s hot. Said he can¡¯t even act his way out of anything. Someone even called him a sissy. God, that makes me so mad.¡± ¡°Haters, huh? Ignore them. I¡¯ll help you.¡± She took her phone out, and lines of code shed on her screen. Elise hacked into Twitter¡¯s server and banned the haters from the tform. ¡°Oh, they finally stopped.¡± When the trolls stoppedmenting, Mika gushed, ¡°They must have backed off because they¡¯re scared of me.¡± Elise kept her phone and said nothing. Danny came to pick Elise up after school. The moment she came back, she heard someone ying the piano in the piano room, and her eyes lit up. She thought it was Alexander, so she put her bag down and went upstairs, but the moment she came up, the piano went silent. A momentter, she heard the sound of something getting scrunched up, and Jack came out looking frustrated. He saw Elise, but he went past her without even saying hi. ¡°Jack¡­¡± Elise wanted to say something, but she decided against it. Curious, she went into the piano room only to see it looking like a mess. The floor was littered with crumpled papers, and even the stand, which stood perfectly fine before, was now lying on the ground. Elie crouched down to pick up the crumpled papers and opened it to see what it was. An unfinished song. ¡°Ah, Miss Elise, you¡¯re here,¡± a servant suddenly said. Elise kept the paper quietly. ¡°Yes?¡± The servant said politely, ¡°Yes. Master Alexander will be working overtime tonight. Master Jonah doesn¡¯t want him to eat out, since the food outside isn¡¯t hygienic, so he asked the servant to cook something for him. But Mrs. Woods is on leave to see her sick grandchild, while Ste can¡¯t leave. In the end, I had to come to you for help.¡± ¡°You want me to take his dinner to him?¡± The servant looked worried that Elise might be offended. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you can¡¯t do it.¡± Hm, I don¡¯t have anything else to do, and the servants are busy. I might as well help them. ¡°Oh, just leave it to me. Pack his dinner up and I¡¯ll take it to him.¡± The servant was delighted to hear that. ¡°Of course, Miss Elise. I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡± After the servant was gone, she picked the paper up and kept them before leaving. Elise took both her and Alexander¡¯s dinner on her way out. On her way there, she looked through the song she picked up back at the piano room. Hm, it¡¯s okay, but it doesn¡¯t pop out. It¡¯s a bit mediocre, but if it¡¯s spiced up a little, it should work. She started changing it up, but a short whileter, she was already at thepany. ¡°We¡¯re here, Miss Ashlyn.¡± She kept the paper and pen in her pocket before going into thepany with two sets of dinner in hand. Everyone knew her as she came with Jonah before, and they greeted her respectfully. ¡°Miss Sinir.¡± Elise wasn¡¯t used to people being so polite to her, so she went up to the top floor alone using the VIP elevator. When Alexander¡¯s assistant saw her, he greeted respectfully, ¡°Miss Sinir, what brings you here?¡± She raised the lunchbox in her hand. ¡°Where¡¯s your boss?¡± ¡°He¡¯s in a meeting, but you can wait for him in his office.¡± Then, he led Elise to Alexander¡¯s office. It wasn¡¯t her first time in his office, but it was her first time taking a close look. His office was huge, and it had leather furniture as well as a luxurious desk. A big french window stood behind his chair, and it overlooked the whole city. She picked up a magazine from the book rack and read it on the sofa. Time passed. When Alexander came out of the meeting, his assistant went up to him. ¡°Sir, you¡¯re finally done.¡± Alexander arched his eyebrow. ¡°Did something happen?¡± He walked ahead. ¡°Yes. Miss Elise is here. She¡¯s in your office, but it¡¯s been three hours.¡± Alexander was obviously delighted to hear that, but he asked curiously, ¡°Why is she here though? And why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± The assistant wanted to exin, but Alexander was already hurrying to his office. He pushed the door open and was about to go in, but the next second, he stopped and put his finger to his lips. The assistant knew what Alexander meant, so he retreated. Elise was already asleep on the sofa when he came in. Alexander looked at her gently. Night had already descended upon the city, and the moonlight shone upon her silently, as if protecting her. He went to the cubicle and took a nket to cover her up, but she opened her eyes before he could do it. Their gazes met, and time stood still for a moment. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake,¡± Alexander spoke first. She sat up right away. ¡°Sorry, I fell asleep.¡± Alexander stood up. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Sorry you had to wait.¡± Oh, yeah. I¡¯m here to give him his dinner. ¡°Here you go. Your grandpa told the servants to make you this. I bet you¡¯re hungry, so dig in.¡± Alexander arched his eyebrow. Huh? Grandpa knows I usually have dinner at thepany¡¯s cafeteria whenever I have to work overtime. So why did he ask Elise toe? He knew what his grandfather was trying to do, but he didn¡¯t tell Elise. ¡°Yeah, I am. We can have dinner together if you want to.¡± Elise was hungry as well, so she took her lunchbox out andid it on the table before handing Alexander¡¯s cutlery over. They sat across from each other and had their dinner in silence. Elise was wolfing it down like an uncivilised brute, for she was starving. Alexander cocked his eyebrow and chuckled. ¡°Well, someone has a big appetite.¡± Chapter 91 Chapter 91 Elise grumbled, ¡°Yeah, because I had to wait for you. The nerve of you to mock me.¡± Alexander chuckled. ¡°So this is my fault?¡± Elise shot him a re. ¡°Of course it is!¡± Alexander quickly stopped her from talking by filling her lunchbox up with more food. ¡°Thanks for the wait. Have some more.¡± Elise ignored him and only put her cutlery down after finishing her dinner. At this moment, Alexander¡¯s phone rang. It was his rm, actually. Since it was Wednesday, it was time for his Arisian ss with Sare. ¡°Um, I might be homete. I have something to do. I¡¯ll get the driver to take you home if you want.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, just go ahead. I¡¯ll go home by myself.¡± ¡°Be careful then. Call me if you need anything.¡± He went back to his desk, booted up his PC, and tried to contact Sare. Elise¡¯s phone started beeping, and she took her phone out. When she saw his message, she realized it was time for her ss, so she nced at him and kept her phone. ¡°I¡¯ll be going home now.¡± She got up. ¡°See youter.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Then, he called his employee. ¡°Tell the driver to send Elise home.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± She went out of the office and texted Alexander, ¡®ss is dyed by half an hour tonight. Talk to youter.¡¯ Alexander gave her an OK emoji and closed hisptop, then went through his documents. Right after she arrived home, she went to her room, closed the door, and booted her PC up. It had been a while since Alexander started learning Arisian from her. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only He was a fast learner and managed to grasp a lot of the concepts with just a few pointers. The ss went by in a sh. Just when she was about to go offline, he texted, ¡®They sent me an email. I need your help with it.¡¯ Elise texted, ¡®Send it to my email.¡¯ A minuteter, Elise got a new email. She logged into her ount and skimmed through it before telling him its gist. ¡®They said the first phase went well. They¡¯re nning on sending a rep to Athesea next week to talk about the second phase and its ns.¡¯ Alexander didn¡¯t reply immediately. In fact, he was taking his own sweet time, but she wasn¡¯t in a hurry. Elise stretched her arm and went downstairs to get herself a ss of milk. When she came out of the kitchen, she bumped into Jack, who just came back. Jack wasn¡¯t looking too well and seemed tired. He seldom came back home because of his work, but he had beening home a lot over thest couple of days. ¡°Still up?¡± he asked. ¡°I was thirsty, so I came out to get some milk.¡± Jack went upstairs without saying another word. After he was gone, she remembered the song he wrote, and she rummaged through her pocket. Oh, it¡¯s still there. Then, she went upstairs and nced at Alexander¡¯s reply. ¡®Tell me the time, and I need you there to trante if it¡¯s fine with you.¡¯ Elise looked at the date. It was a Saturday, so she agreed to it. Hey, money is money. ¡®Sure.¡¯ She turned her PC off and took out the unfinished song to finish modifying it. It took her forever to get out of bed the next day. The modification had gone onte into the night, but luckily, she finished it, and she even added some lyrics into it, turning it into a new song. When she came down, Matthew was waiting for her in the living room. ¡°Morning, Elise,¡± he greeted her with a smile. Ever since he confessed to her, Elise had been avoiding him. If it weren¡¯t because of Jonah telling them to take turns sending her to school, she wouldn¡¯t even talk to him. ¡°Good morning,¡± Elise greeted back, but obviously, she was being distant. However, Matthew ignored it and pulled out a chair for her. ¡°Here, dig in.¡± She sat down and finished her breakfast quickly. Elise then took her bag and left, while Matthew quickly followed her. They said nothing to each other the whole way. Elise was doing her math questions, while Matthew was trying to find a chance to talk. However, Elise was ignoring him, so he pursed his lips and thought for a while before calling her name. After a pause, he said, ¡°Sorry. I might have been rash back then.¡± Elise smiled at him politely. ¡°It¡¯s in the past now. It¡¯s fine.¡± Matthew continued, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Elise. I never thought I¡¯d cause you so much trouble. I know you¡¯re concentrating on your studies so you¡¯re not in a hurry to get a boyfriend. Or maybe you just don¡¯t like me, but either way, can we go back to how we used to be? Just pretend it never happened, alright?¡± Elise heaved a sigh of relief after hearing that, but that also proved that Alexander was right. He is trying to get closer to me because he wants something else. ¡°Sure.¡± After a pause, she added, ¡°Thepany needs all the manpower it has right now. If you¡¯re busy, you don¡¯t have to send me to school.¡± Matthew didn¡¯t take that offer. ¡°Grandpa told us we must send you to school no matter how busy we are.¡± Dammit. Jonah was the only reason she couldn¡¯t refuse him. Fine. Since Grandpa Griffith wants this, there¡¯s no point in arguing. She got out of the car and went into the school, but someone suddenly tapped on her shoulder. When Elise turned around, she saw Samantha and Riley behind her. ¡°You were in your head. We noticed you spacing out,¡± Riley said. Elise smiled. ¡°I was just thinking about the solution for that question yesterday. Thanks to you, I finally found the solution.¡± Riley smacked her head in fake annoyance. ¡°Man, you top students are always thinking about homework, huh?¡± Samantha sighed. ¡°That¡¯s why they¡¯re top students and we¡¯re not.¡± Elise put her hands on their shoulders. ¡°Just kidding. I just wanted to motivate you two.¡± Samantha and Riley looked at each other before pouncing on Elise and went toward their ssroom. Unbeknownst to them, Mika was standing not far away. When she saw the girls looking so happy together, she felt jealous for some reason. Chapter 92 Chapter 92 ¡°Oh right! Elise, I need to tell you something.¡± Samantha suddenly held Elise¡¯s hand and lowered her voice. ¡°Fenix Entertainment was recruiting actors for a new drama set in the ancient era, so I sent in my application. But you know what? They told me to go for the audition this afternoon. I was going to ask Riley toe with me but she has some personal matters to settle, so can youe with me instead?¡± Samantha was looking at her expectantly. Since it was just a self-study session that afternoon, Elise agreed. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll take the afternoon off then.¡± That delighted Samantha. ¡°Alright. See youter.¡± After they had lunch, Samantha grabbed Elise and took a cab to Fenix Entertainment. Elise thought thepany sounded familiar, but when she came to the front door, she realized that it was Jack¡¯s agency. Just when she was immersed in her thoughts, Samantha grabbed her arm and snapped her out of it. ¡°Hurry up, Elise. It¡¯s starting in twenty minutes. We don¡¯t want to bete.¡± They went into the elevator. There was already a guy wearing a cap in there when they came in. When he saw them, the guy lowered his cap. Elise thought he looked familiar, but she couldn¡¯t remember who he was. It wasn¡¯t after she got out and saw the posters on the corridor did she realize who the man was. Hey, that¡¯s the new best actor¡ªErnest. ¡°Hi, may I know where¡¯s the audition for Truest Love?¡± Samantha asked a crew member. The crew member pointed to the right. ¡°Walk down this corridor to the end. It¡¯s in thest room.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Samantha took Elise and went down the corridor. There were a lot of people auditioning. When Samantha took her number, it was around fifty, so they had to wait for a few hours. ¡°I would havee a bitter if I knew it would drag on this long.¡± Elise calmed her down by saying, ¡°It¡¯s fine. That means you can be more prepared. Read your script.¡± Samantha looked at the script she just got. ¡°Let¡¯s go there then. You can help me out.¡± They went to the less crowded balcony, and Samantha combed through the script. At the same time, Jack was ying some games on the couch in the room next door while his manager was scrolling through some data, looking worried. ¡°Jack, your numbers have plummeted. You dropped out of the top five on Trending and the poprity ranking. You used to be in the top three. Even your songs dropped out of the top twenty on the search list.¡± Jack answered calmly, ¡°It¡¯s normal, Ronald. That¡¯s how it is with the entertainment industry. We should just ept it.¡± Ronald didn¡¯t like it that Jack was being so unmotivated. ¡°Oh, what do you know? The most important thing for a celebrity is their value. Sure, your fanbase is sturdy, but you¡¯re losing them quickly. All the newbies are starting to gain a lot of ground. If you don¡¯t work hard, you¡¯ll be a nobody in two years, tops.¡± He kept pacing back and forth. ¡°Have you beening up with a new song like I asked you to?¡± Jack answered nonchntly, ¡°Sure. I¡¯m doing it right now, so don¡¯t push me. I¡¯m gonna lose this match at this rate.¡± Ronald stopped pacing. ¡°I can¡¯t just count on you. I must call Noel and ask him to write some new songs for you. And interact with your fans on Twitter when you have time. Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Keep them interested.¡± Jack went on ying his game in silence, but after Ronald went out, he put his phone down and put on a serious look. Then, he logged into his Twitter ount to read through his fans¡¯ments. Finally, he drafted one tweet, but in the end, he deleted it. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll just leave it like this.¡± He got up and went out of the room. Every time thepany¡¯s employees saw him, they would greet him respectfully. ¡°Hi, Jack.¡± Jack nodded and went past them calmly. It was then he noticed Elise from the corner of his eye. She was on the balcony, of course. ¡°This line is hard, Elise.¡± Samantha had a deep frown on her forehead. Elise took a look and said, ¡°Hm, break this into parts and memorize them that way. That might work better.¡± Samantha did as Elise said. When she said the lines again, it sounded much smoother. ¡°Fancy seeing you here,¡± Jack blurted, shocking Samantha and Elise. When Samantha saw who it was, she jumped with delight. ¡°Y-You¡¯re Jack!¡± She sounded excited, while Jack reacted to it calmly. He was used to getting recognized, so he just smiled and said, ¡°Hello.¡± Samantha was already gushing with delight. ¡°Oh my god. I actually got to meet you. Um¡­¡± She took her phone out. ¡°Can I get a photo with you?¡± Jack nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± Samantha was already buzzing. She went up to him at once, pointed her phone¡¯s camera at both of them and snapped their photos before posting them on her social media ounts. Elise looked at him. ¡°I¡¯m here with my friend. She has an audition.¡± ¡°How did it go?¡± he asked. ¡°It hasn¡¯t started yet,¡± she answered gently. ¡°It might take a while.¡± Just when they were chatting, Ronald came over, looking happy. ¡°Oh, there you are, Jack.¡± He looked at the girls and nodded at them with a smile. Jack then told Elise, ¡°I¡¯ll have to go. Good luck to your friend.¡± He then left with Ronald. ¡°What made you so happy?¡± Jack asked. Ronald answered jovially, ¡°I just called Noel, and you know what he said?¡± Jack arched his eyebrow. Before he could ask, Ronald told him the answer, ¡°He said he¡¯s going to get a newposer for you. Do you know who it is? It¡¯s H! Yes, that famous one!¡± Jack wasn¡¯t interested in the answer until H was mentioned. ¡°H? Theposer who only wrote three songs but still managed to top the charts for a year? The one who¡¯s still the talk of the town even after her retirement? Are you sure it¡¯s the same H?¡± Ronald knew Jack would be skeptical, so he nodded quickly. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Noel said he¡¯s friends with H, so if he can convince H, the leading track of your new album will beposed by H herself! The whole nation¡¯s going to know you when that happens. H¡¯s poprity alone will jack your album up to insane heights.¡± ¡°But I thought H had retired a long time ago. Is she making aeback?¡± Jack had his own doubts, and Ronald shared that doubt too. However, he thought, Well, Noel said he can probably convince H. I bet he must have his own n. Chapter 93 Chapter 93 ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Noel said that the odds are in our favor, so all we have to do now is wait. I believe we¡¯ll hear good news soon.¡± The anticipation Jack felt earlier hadpletely disappeared since he didn¡¯t get a firm answer. H is so mysterious. None of the major media sites have managed to dig out any information about her even after so many years. How could he possibly resurface just because of me? That¡¯spletely impossible. Jack hadpletely lost all hope by the time he followed Ronald into the elevator. ¡°By the way, do you know those two girls from earlier?¡± Ronald couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°I do,¡± Jack uttered with a grunt. Ronald recalled the glimpse of Elise and Samantha that he had caught earlier. ¡°Both of them have some potential, especially the taller girl. Her body proportions are perfect¡ª it¡¯s almost as if she¡¯s made to be in the entertainment industry. Her face doesn¡¯t look that great, but she might be able to get into this industry if she does some minor stic surgery.¡± Jack knew that Ronald was referring to Elise. ¡°That¡¯s Elise, the girl that I said I used to fancy,¡± Jack uttered without any hesitation. ¡°I might have overstepped my boundaries, then.¡± Ronald immediately sealed his lips tight. ¡­ On the other hand, it was Samantha¡¯s turn for the audition. Elise waited in the corridor for about 30 minutes before Samantha came out of the room. ¡°How was it?¡± Elise asked in a concerned tone. Samantha simply shook her head. ¡°No idea. The director told me to go back and wait for their announcement.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s go back for now, then.¡± Elise attempted to comfort her. Right when the two girls got back to school, Samantha received a call from the director¡¯s team. ¡°Ah, Elise! I was chosen! The director wants me to report to them next week. It¡¯s only a supporting role, but the director said that my role is rtively important, so I¡¯ll have to film for nearly a month!¡± Samantha was euphoric, and happiness was written all over her face as she spoke. ¡°Congrattions. You¡¯re getting to do what you enjoy!¡± Elise was happy for her friend as well. ¡°In celebration of this great news, I¡¯ve decided that we¡¯re going to go for a karaoke session tonight!¡± Samantha chirped. Elise didn¡¯t want to dampen her friend¡¯s spirits, and she didn¡¯t have much to do that night, so she agreed to go. ¡°Let¡¯s ask Mika and Riley toe along! We can go as a group of four.¡± Samantha thought that it was a good idea, so she gave Riley a call while Elise dropped Mika a text. Elise gave Jonah a call after she was done inviting Mika for that night. ¡°I¡¯m going out for some fun with my friends, Grandpa. I¡¯ll being home a littleter tonight.¡± Jonah¡¯s voice was full of care for the young girl. ¡°Alright! Send me your location, and I¡¯ll get the driver to pick you upter.¡± Elise told him the address before they ended the call. ¡­ All four of them thoroughly enjoyed themselves that night at Luxor Karaoke. Halfway through the night, Elise went to the bathroom. Clunk! Someone¡¯s lipstick fell right beside Elise¡¯s leg, and Elise instinctively bent down to pick it up. The owner of the lipstick was a gorgeous and well-dressed woman, and the woman uttered a polite ¡®thank you¡¯ before she took the lipstick from Elise¡¯s hands. Elise didn¡¯t seem to mind the woman¡¯s haughty attitude. She continued staring at her reflection in the mirror, fixing her clothes and her makeup before she turned to leave. At that very moment, she heard the woman making a call. ¡°Alexander, darling!¡± the woman uttered. For some reason, the first person that popped into Elise¡¯s head was Alexander Griffith. However, after some thought, Elise realized how unlikely that would be. She therefore ignored the woman and strode out of the bathroom. Luxor Karaoke was arge ce, and its corridors were rather long and windy. Furthermore, each of their rooms were about the same size, and Elise couldn¡¯t identify the room that she had been in earlier. She had made an entire round, and she was about to give Samantha a call when something caught her attention at the corner of her eye. It was an extremely familiar figure. ¡°Alexander¡­¡± Elise muttered. He didn¡¯t hear her at all. All of a sudden, the woman who had been in the bathroom earlier appeared and hurried over to Alexander. She nted a gentle kiss on his cheek before she slipped her arm into his. Alexander didn¡¯t look like he had any intentions of pushing her away. At that very moment, Elise felt a strong forceing from behind her, and her entire body was flung forward. She pushed the door open and stumbled into the karaoke room before falling face-first onto the ground. Everyone in the room turned to look at her. ¡°Yo, does this ce provide women that will send themselves directly to your doorstep?¡± A man¡¯s voice came from inside the room. Elise was utterly embarrassed at that point¡ªshe wished she could dig a hole and stick her head into it. She hung her head low to pretend as if she didn¡¯t see anything that was happening in the room. ¡°I think you might have gotten the wrong room, gorgeous.¡± The same man¡¯s voice sounded as he strode toward Elise. Elise finally lifted her head¡ªshe knew she couldn¡¯t avoid him for much longer. The man¡¯s footsteps came to a halt as he stared at Elise. His Adam¡¯s apple moved up and down for a moment before he spoke in apletely different tone. ¡° Where the f*ck did youe from?! Get the f*ck out of here now!¡± he growled. The man¡¯s tone of voice and his attitude were theplete opposite of how he first sounded and acted. Elise was too flustered to exin herself, and she hastily scrambled to her feet without turning to look in Alexander¡¯s direction. To her surprise, Alexander¡¯s voice filled the room the very next second. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± She had no choice but to turn and smile at Alexander since he had recognized her. ¡°What a coincidence! You¡¯re here too?¡± The man beside her interrupted their conversation. ¡°Do you know her, Mr. Griffith?¡± Alexander didn¡¯t answer the man but simply gazed at Elise quietly. The woman beside him spoke up instead. ¡°She was thedy I bumped into in the bathroom earlier. She helped me pick my lipstick up. Do you know her, Alexander?¡± Alexander pursed his lips as he continued to look at Elise. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only ¡°She¡¯s Miss Elise Sinir, one of the main shareholders of Griffith Group,¡± he uttered slowly. ¡°It seems like Miss Sinir is here for work. Since Mr. Smith from Smith Enterprise is here today, we should go through some details regarding our partnership.¡± Alexander¡¯s intentions were clear¡ªhe was indicating that he was there for work, and he was indirectly hinting Elise not to misunderstand anything. However, he didn¡¯t notice that he was exining himself. The moment Theodore heard that Elise was one of the main shareholders of Griffith Group, he instantly wiped off the disdainful expression on his face. ¡°I see, Miss Sinir. Well, that was a unique entrance you made.¡± Chapter 94 Chapter 94 Elise¡¯s cheeks turned beet red. She wanted to exin herself, but she ended up going along with Alexander¡¯s words since she didn¡¯t know what else to say. ¡°Yeah. Since I¡¯m here, let¡¯s confirm some of the details regarding our partnership, Mr. Smith.¡± Tiffany Smith, who was sitting beside Alexander, didn¡¯t seem pleased by Elise¡¯s suggestion. ¡°You agreed to sing a few songs with me today, Alexander! Since we¡¯re out for some fun, let¡¯s not talk about work-rted matters, okay?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Let¡¯s not talk about work as it¡¯s pretty rare for us to spend our leisure time together. Since Miss Sinir is here, let¡¯s all have a few drinks together! We¡¯ll enjoy ourselves, just for tonight!¡± Theodore said with a wide grin. However, Alexander merely smirked after hearing their words. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know that Miss Sinir owns thergest portion of Griffith Group¡¯s shares now, Mr. Smith. Whatever Miss Sinir says should take precedence. Since she¡¯s here today, I don¡¯t think it would be right for me to use work as an excuse to enjoy myself.¡± Theodore quickly understood what Alexander meant. ¡°All of us are really busy with work in the daytime, Miss Sinir. It¡¯s such a rare opportunity for us to rx a little! Why don¡¯t we have a few drinks before we start our discussion? We can talk about our companies¡¯ partnership a whileter.¡± Theodore chuckled and nced at Elise before he reached over and held onto her arm. He led her to a spot beside Alexander. Elise was about to protest, but Theodore didn¡¯t give her the chance to say anything. He simply called for the waiter and ordered a few more bottles of alcohol. Elise shot Alexander a nce, only to see him gazing at her with a rather enigmatic look in his eyes. Something seemed to click in her mind at that very moment. ¡°Mr. Smith, don¡¯t you think we should settle our contract before having our drinks? We¡¯d be able to enjoy even more that way!¡± Ultimately, Theodore was too impatient to listen to Elise¡¯s constant talk about their partnership and the contract. He finally gave in. ¡°Miss Sinir. Will we get to enjoy our drinks and music once we sign this contract?¡± She nodded. ¡°Of course! We can only say that we¡¯ve formed a partnership once we sign the contracts, right? I¡¯ll only feel safer once we document our agreement in ck and white.¡± ¡°Fine, Miss Sinir! Hand me the contract. We¡¯ve pretty much discussed all of the details with yourpany, so I¡¯m sure the contract will look fine to me. We can sign it now,¡± Theodore uttered impatiently. Elise hadn¡¯t expected Theodore to be so compliant. After sending Alexander a nce, she pulled a contract out of her office bag and handed it over to Theodore. ¡°Take a look at this, Mr. Smith.¡± Theodore directly flipped to thest page of the contract and scribbled his signature on it. ¡°There! We¡¯re done now, aren¡¯t we, Miss Sinir?¡± The smile on Elise¡¯s face blossomed like a flower. ¡°Of course, Mr. Smith! Cheers.¡± She held a ss up and clinked it against Theodore¡¯s before she finished her entire drink. A grin spread across Theodore¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯re an independent woman indeed, Miss Sinir. I respect you for that.¡± He finished his drink before he turned to nce at Alexander. ¡°Miss Sinir is no regr woman, huh, Mr. Griffith? I hesitated for a long while as I was uncertain if I wanted to sign the contract, yet it only took her a few sentences to convince me to sign the papers. She¡¯s a specialdy indeed.¡± ¡°You must be joking, Mr. Smith. Of course, Miss Sinir is the central figure of Griffith Group, but I¡¯m sure it was her sincerity that made you so willing to sign the contract,¡± Alexander replied politely. Theodore chuckled once more. ¡°It¡¯s more than that! To be honest, one reason I agreed to this is because of my precious sister. Her feelings toward you are so obvious that even I, as her brother, couldn¡¯t bear to stand around and watch her! I had to do something!¡± Tiffany seemed rather embarrassed by his words. ¡°What are you talking about, Theodore?!¡± Theodore hastily stopped himself from saying anything else. ¡°Alright! I won¡¯t make any further comments! You know yourself best.¡± When Tiffany shifted her gaze toward Alexander, her cheeks were as red as a tomato. Herrge, shining eyes were fixed upon Alexander¡¯s side profile as she spoke. ¡°You don¡¯t need to listen to my brother, Alexander. You¡¯ve always upied arge space in my heart.¡± Alexander narrowed his eyes. ¡°Are you saying that I¡¯ve gained weight, Miss Smith? You make me sound as if I¡¯m taking up all of the space in there.¡± He spoke in a rather yful tone, and it managed to resolve the awkward atmosphere that had built up in the room. ¡°I guess you could think of it that way,¡± Tiffany said with a soft giggle. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m needed here, Elise thought. At that moment, she received a call from Samantha, which gave her the perfect reason to excuse herself. ¡°I have other matters to handle, Mr. Griffith. I should leave now.¡± Theodore stopped her the moment she finished speaking. ¡°I¡¯d feel rather offended if you left, Miss Sinir. You¡¯re asking to leave when you just sat down! Did you juste here to sign the contract? Are you ignoring me now that the paperwork is done?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood me, Mr. Smith. That¡¯s not what I meant to do at all.¡± Elise hastily attempted to clear her name. He interrupted her words. ¡°If that¡¯s not what you meant to do, then you shouldn¡¯t be in a rush to leave. Let¡¯s have a couple more drinks.¡± Elise had no choice at this point. She gave Alexander a pleading stare hoping that he would intervene, but he merely smirked at her without saying anything. In the end, Elise could only send Samantha a text exining the situation she was caught in. Minutes later, Samantha showed up with Riley and Mika beside her. The three of them rushed into the room. ¡°Are you okay, Elise?!¡± Samantha cried. The sight of three young and prettydies made Theodore¡¯s eyes widen. ¡°Could these girls be your friends, Miss Smith?¡± he asked with a broad smile on his face. Samantha simply strode toward Elise before grabbing her arm. ¡°Let¡¯s leave now, Elise.¡± Elise felt a weight lift off her shoulders as she took the first few steps to head out of the room. However, Theodore stopped them before that could happen. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only ¡°Since youdies are here, why don¡¯t you guys just join our room? It¡¯s more fun than just a few of you girls being together in a room¡ªall of us would enjoy morepany!¡± Without any hesitation, Samantha stepped forward to protect Elise. ¡°We¡¯re not interested in joining you guys! You look like someone with bad intentions!¡± Elise felt the urge to give Samantha a thumbs up. It was the first time anyone had ever criticized Theodore for having bad intentions, and for some odd reason, he found himself attracted to Samantha¡¯s personality. ¡°Hey, youngdy. We¡¯re all out here for some fun. Do you have to make me sound so bad? Since we got the chance to bump into one another, why don¡¯t we exchange our phone numbers?¡± Samantha¡¯s face darkened as she felt she was being teased by the man. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in exchanging numbers. Let¡¯s go, Elise.¡± Theodore was about to stop them again, but Alexander called him just in time. ¡°Let¡¯s have a drink now, Mr. Smith.¡± Theodore didn¡¯t wish to reject Alexander in front of everyone¡ªhe had no choice but to lift his cup for a drink with Alexander. By the time Elise and the rest of them left, only the three of them were left in the room. Initially, Tiffany¡¯s n had been to spend some quality time with Alexander. However, after the incident with Elise, Alexander only seemed colder toward Tiffany than before. Tiffany had had no choice but to ask her brother for help. All along, Theodore understood Tiffany¡¯s intentions¡ªhe had been dying the partnership with Griffith Group precisely because he wanted to create more opportunities for his sister. However, he hadn¡¯t expected to sign the contract after talking to Elise for just a few minutes. Theodore couldn¡¯t tell what was going through Alexander¡¯s mind, so he tried his luck with an invitation to drink. ¡°Mr. Griffith, we managed to sign the contract tonight, but we haven¡¯t gotten a chance to enjoy ourselves yet. Why don¡¯t we switch to another spot for more drinks? Tiffany can have a few more drinks with you¡ªhow does that sound?¡± Chapter 95 Chapter 95 Alexander got to his feet. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to join today, Mr. Smith. I have some personal matters to handle. We can make ns to drink some other day.¡± Alexander had made himself clear, and Theodore quickly understood the message¡ªAlexander wasn¡¯t interested in Tiffany at all! Theodore wasn¡¯t a petty man, and he didn¡¯t attempt to coerce Alexander into anything since he had gotten a clear answer. ¡°No worries, Mr. Griffith. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll have tons of opportunities to meet again in the future.¡± Tiffany stomped her foot, feeling annoyed. ¡°Why don¡¯t you spend a little more time with me, Alexander?¡± But Alexander merely pulled himself away from her. ¡°I have other matters to handle, Miss Smith. I¡¯ll excuse myself now.¡± Alexander strode out of the room, leaving the two siblings behind. They exchanged nces with each other before Theodore spoke up. ¡°Did you realize how Alexander¡¯s gaze shifted the moment Miss Sinir entered the room? He didn¡¯t look away from her at all.¡± Tiffany didn¡¯t agree with her brother. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You¡¯ve got it all wrong, Theodore! That woman is hideous. How could Alexander ever fall for a girl like her? You¡¯re offending Alexander by saying that.¡± Upon hearing his sister, Theodore didn¡¯t make any furtherments. From a male¡¯s perspective, I think it¡¯s extremely obvious that there¡¯s something special about the way Alexander looks at Elise. But Tiffany will probably get annoyed at me if I say anything, so I should just keep my mouth shut. ¡°Well, Alexander doesn¡¯t seem too interested in you. Perhaps you can find a new target?¡± Theodore asked meekly. ¡°No. I think Alexander¡¯s the perfect fit for me,¡± Tiffany replied in a firm tone. ¡°I have to be with him. I don¡¯t care how you do it, Theodore, but you need to make sure that we date each other in the end.¡± She¡¯s truly fallen head over heels for a man this time, Theodore thought. The most I can do as her brother is to try to bring the two of them together. ¡­ After Samantha sessfully brought Elise back into their karaoke room, Elise had lost all interest in singing. All Elise could think of then was how Alexander and Tiffany looked as they stood together earlier¡ªthe same scene kept reying in Elise¡¯s mind and refused to leave her alone. It was nearly midnight when the four of them finished singing their songs. ¡°How are you and Elise going home, Mika?¡± Samantha asked once they all stepped out of the karaoke center. Mika nced at her phone. ¡°My driver¡¯s picking me up in a bit. You guys can go ahead first.¡± ¡°What about you, Elise?¡± Samantha asked. Elise was just about to speak when a ring car horn interrupted their conversation. Elise turned around to find Alexander¡¯s car stopped by the side of the road. ¡°My ride¡¯s here, so I¡¯ll leave now,¡± she uttered while waving at the other three of them. Her ride sped past her three friends after she hopped into the car. Neither one of them said anything after Elise got into the car, and things seemed rather awkward between them for a while. Elise bit on her lower lip before she decided to break the silence. ¡°Were you waiting for me?¡± Alexander responded to her question while staring straight and steering the car. ¡°No. I ended about the same time as you did.¡± He was clearly lying¡ªhe simply didn¡¯t want Elise to know the truth. ¡°You seem pretty close to Miss Smith. Did you guys know each other before this?¡± she asked. Alexander raised an eyebrow and stole a nce at Elise in the rearview mirror. For some reason, Elise felt the need to justify her question. ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand my intentions. I was just asking a random question. You don¡¯t have to answer me if you don¡¯t want to.¡± Alexander shifted his focus back onto the road. ¡°She was my junior at university, so I have known her since then.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Elise mumbled and fell silent once she got her answer. She hadn¡¯t realized the hint of jealousy in her as she posed him the question. ¡°Thank you for tonight. Theodore wouldn¡¯t have agreed to sign the contract if it weren¡¯t for you. I¡¯m surprised¡ªyou can be pretty smart in critical situations, huh?¡± Alexander wasn¡¯t stingy with hispliments, and his words made Elise blush. ¡°I was just going along with what you said. I hadn¡¯t expected to actually help in getting the partnership contract signed,¡± Elise muttered. All along, Alexander understood why Theodore had been taking his time to sign the contract. Alexander didn¡¯t want to expose his intentions, so Elise¡¯s presence made things much easier for him. Alexander narrowed his eyes. ¡°One way or another, I couldn¡¯t have done this without you. I owe you one. You can just let me know if you need any help in the future.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Elise replied with a smile. The car sped along the highway, and Elise nced out the window as the night view of the city zoomed past them. Her spirits seemed to be lifted after that. Once she got home, Elise removed her makeup and took a shower. When she came out of the bathroom, her hair was still dripping wet. She was drying her hair with a towel when she heard the sound of a notification from herptop. She walked over, and herptop screen lit up. She read the email that had been sent from Alexander. ¡®Miss Sare, the representatives from Aris will arrive at Athesea tomorrow. I¡¯ll send my assistant to go along with you, and I need you to greet them at the airport.¡¯ Elise immediately sat upright. The clicking sounds of her keyboard came to a halt after she responded with an ¡®okay¡¯. After drying her hair, Elise returned to her room and went to sleep. She woke up early the next morning and dressed herself in the usual, worn-out clothes that she often wore. Her outfit was as unpresentable as it always was, and she simply greeted Jonah before heading out of the house. After hailing a cab, she first stopped at a public washroom. Elise then went in and changed her entire outfit before heading to the airport. ¡°There you are, Miss Sare!¡± Cameron rushed over to greet Elise once she arrived. ¡°How long do we have until the representatives arrive?¡± Elise asked. Cameron nced at the time. ¡°About 30 minutes.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go in now, then. We shouldn¡¯t keep them waiting,¡± Elise urged. Both of them stood by the gates at the airport, but nearly two hours went by before the other party¡¯s ne finally landed at the airport. Cameron held a piece of cardboard up and waved it around. Soon enough, a pale-skinned, blue-eyed blonde strolled over to them. ¡°Were you guys expecting me?¡± The woman¡¯s fluent Arisian came as a pleasant surprise to Elise. ¡°Hello, Miss Lily. You¡¯re finally here,¡± she uttered with a smile. Lily gave Elise a perfunctory handshake. ¡°My team ising out in a while. We can leave without waiting for them.¡± Elise understood Lily¡¯s orders, so she led the foreigner toward the exit. ¡°Why didn¡¯t Mr. Griffithe today?¡± Lily asked curiously. ¡°He¡¯s rather upied with some other matters at work, but he wille over to greet you personallyter. I¡¯ll escort you to check-in at the hotel first,¡± Elise replied politely. Lily chuckled wholeheartedly. ¡°Please remind Mr. Griffith to bring the red wine he promised me. I¡¯ve been craving it.¡± Elise had no idea what red wine Lily was referring to, but she responded appropriately anyway. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miss Lily. I¡¯ll make sure to pass the message to him.¡± Soon after Elise and Lily arrived at the hotel, Cameron led Lily¡¯s staff over. Elise helped all of them to check-in at the hotel, and she had just turned to leave the counter when Lily stopped her. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to ask for two room keys,¡± Lily ordered. Elise didn¡¯t understand why Lily needed two room keys, but she eded to her request and asked for an extra ess card anyway. Once Elise delivered the ess cards to the room, she took the elevator down and pulled her phone out to send Alexander a text. The content of the message was precisely what Lily had ordered her to remind Alexander. Elise didn¡¯t leave the area after that and simply stayed at the coffee house in the hotel to have a cup of coffee. About two hourster, Alexander arrived at the hotel. ¡°Mr. Griffith!¡± Elise beamed as she greeted Alexander. He gave her a slight nod. ¡°Is Miss Lily downstairs yet?¡± he asked. Chapter 96 Chapter 96 ¡°Miss Lily agreed to be here at 6.00PM, so I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be down soon,¡± Elise replied. Alexander raised his wrist to look at the time. ¡°Let¡¯s head over first, then.¡± They walked over to the restaurant, with Elise following behind Alexander. All of a sudden, his footsteps came to a halt. ¡°Oh. Please go to my car and bring the red wine over. It¡¯s the one that Lily wants¡ªI left it on my passenger¡¯s seat.¡± He handed his car keys to Elise as he spoke. She took the keys and turned to head to the parking lot. After collecting the red wine, she went back to the restaurant. By then, Lily had alreadye down and was talking to Alexander. They seem to be enjoying their conversation, Elise thought as she watched them from a distance. ¡°Mr. Griffith, Miss Lily. Here¡¯s the red wine you asked for.¡± Lily took a nce at the red wine. ¡°How generous of you, Mr. Griffith,¡± she uttered in fluent French. Elise was rather puzzled. Does Lily speak French? Alexander curled his lips into a smirk before he responded in French. He sounded just as fluent in thenguage as she was. ¡°As you like it, Miss Lily.¡± Meanwhile, Elise stood by the side until Alexander turned to look at her. ¡°Take a seat,¡± he offered. She quickly rejected him. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Mr. Griffith! I¡¯ll stand here, and you can let me know if you need anything.¡± Alexander shot Elise a rather puzzled stare. He then shifted his gaze to Lily as he recalled how he had intended to discuss some work-rted stuff with her. ¡°Miss Lily, I truly appreciate you traveling over to Athesea just to improve the work that we¡¯re doing together. I believe our partnership will be a fruitful one.¡± Before Alexander could go on, Lily interrupted him. ¡°It wasn¡¯t necessary for me to travel here, Mr. Griffith. However¡­¡± She gave him a cryptic stare that seemed rather seductive. ¡°There was something about this trip to Athesea that made me especially drawn to it. I believe we can talk about our work a whileter¡ªI¡¯d prefer if I had some time to adjust to the time differences first. Since you¡¯re the host, why don¡¯t you arrange for us to do some rxing activities?¡± Alexander responded in a serious tone. ¡°Is there anything in particr that you¡¯d like to do, Miss Lily?¡± She beamed at him. ¡°I heard about this ce called Glenwood Hills in Athesea, and that the hot springs there are pretty decent. Why don¡¯t we visit the hot springs tomorrow?¡± Elise, who had been standing by the side, nearly choked when she heard what Lily said. This woman doesn¡¯t seem like she¡¯s here to talk about work. She looks like she¡¯s just here to seduce Alexander. ¡°I¡¯ll get my assistant to arrange a trip to the hot springs if that¡¯s what you¡¯d like, Miss Lily,¡± Alexander uttered. Lily let out a shrill giggle. ¡°Perfect. Let¡¯s rx at the hot springs tomorrow, Mr. Griffith! We can bring Miss Sare along as well! She can help provide us with some suggestions if we happen to talk about work.¡± Elise, who was taken aback by Lily¡¯s sudden show of concern, stared at Alexander helplessly. His face was devoid of emotions, and Elise couldn¡¯t seem to tell what was going on in his mind. Well, I¡¯m sure there isn¡¯t a single man on Earth who can reject a gorgeous, fair-skinned blonde like Lily, Elise thought as she shifted her attention back to Lily. Alexander¡¯s a regr man after all; it¡¯s only normal that he feels attracted to Lily. For some reason, an uneasy sensation formed in Elise¡¯s chest. Throughout the night, there was a hint of contempt in her eyes whenever she gazed at Lily. Despite this, Elise didn¡¯t notice the shift that urred within her. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. The next morning, Elise arrived early at the hotel to wait for Lily. Lily was a punctual woman, and she came down with her assistant at the time they agreed to meet. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to keep you waiting, Miss Sare.¡± Elise smiled. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I just arrived as well.¡± Lily got in the car with Elise, and they traveled over to meet Alexander. However, once they got there, they realized that it wasn¡¯t just Alexander who was in the car¡ªDanny and Jack were there as well. Elise felt oddly self-conscious upon meeting the other two men, and she instinctively shied away from them. Jack had been rather moody the past few days, so he dyed his other jobs just so that he could step away for a short break to rx. He had intended to go on a short trip with Danny, but Alexander dragged the both of them to go to the hot springs with him at the veryst minute. Danny still thought about Elise every now and then. He thought of asking her along, but he also considered how it might be rather troublesome for a girl to visit the hot springs with him. Both Danny and Jack didn¡¯t know that Alexander¡¯s trip to the hot springs was rted to his business partnership, so both the brothers exchanged nces once they found out about the truth. What a waste of our good time, they both thought. ¡°Who are those two men? Do you know them, Miss Sare?¡± Lily leaned in and whispered in Elise¡¯s ear. Elise nced at Jack and Danny while she replied to Lily¡¯s question. ¡°They are Jack and Danny, both from the Griffith Family.¡± Lily raised an eyebrow as she smirked. ¡°Are they Mr. Griffith¡¯s brothers?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Elise replied dutifully. The smile on Lily¡¯s face broadened as she took a seat. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect his brothers to be of such high standards.¡± Elise had no idea what Lily meant, and she didn¡¯t think much about the woman¡¯s words either. Their ride made its way toward Glenwood Hills, which was located up in the north about an hour away from the city. Once they arrived at Glenwood Hills, Elise got out and gave Lily a brief introduction of the area. Alexander walked over with Danny and Jack following behind him. ¡°What¡¯s she doing here?¡± Danny was the first to notice Elise, and it came as a pleasant surprise to him. ¡°Who are you talking about?¡± Jack asked. Danny pointed at Elise. ¡°Her! Elise!¡± ¡°You must be blind!¡± Jack uttered after gazing in the direction of where Danny was pointing. ¡°That¡¯s not Elise.¡± Once Jack finished speaking, Elise turned around to reveal a face that was completely foreign to Danny. ¡°I thought it was Elise when I saw her from the back. It seems like they¡¯re just simr in size,¡± Dannymented after processing his initial shock. Jack chuckled. ¡°You talk as if you¡¯re possessed. Why are you so deeply in love with Elise?¡± Embarrassment spread across Danny¡¯s face as he gave Jack a light smack. ¡°That¡¯s nonsense, Jack. I just thought they looked alike.¡± Jack chuckled without exposing his brother any further, and the both of them followed Alexander toward the hot springs. They then booked two separate hot springs since there were quite a number of them. Elise went along with Lily, while Alexander went with Danny and Jack. Once they were there, Lily took her clothes off to reveal her stunning figure. She lowered herself into the water before she turned to look at Elise. ¡°Aren¡¯t youing in, Miss Sare?¡± Elise shook her head. She was worried that her makeup would fade if she went into the water. ¡°No, Miss Lily. You go ahead.¡± Lily didn¡¯t insist any further and simply enjoyed her time in the hot springs. ¡°Miss Sare,¡± Lily uttered after a long while of silence. ¡°Can I talk to you about Mr. Griffith?¡± Elise could tell that Lily was extremely interested in Alexander. ¡°What would you like to know, Miss Lily?¡± Elise asked. Lily¡¯srge, twinkling eyesnded upon Elise after hearing her words. ¡°Well, based on what I heard beforeing here, I understand that Mr. Griffith is currently single.¡± ¡°You seem to really care for Mr. Griffith, Miss Lily,¡± Elisemented. Chapter 97 Chapter 97 Lily chuckled when she realized that she could no longer conceal her actual intentions. ¡°It¡¯s true that I fancy Mr. Griffith, but I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t know him that well yet. I was hoping that you could tell me a little about Mr. Griffith¡¯s interests and hobbies, Miss Sare.¡± Elise responded with a polite smile. ¡°You must be kidding, Miss Lily. I¡¯m nothing more than a subordinate¡ªI don¡¯t think I¡¯m at liberty to discuss anything rted to my boss¡¯s matters. If you don¡¯t have any other orders, I¡¯ll step outside now, Miss Lily. I¡¯lle in once you¡¯re done.¡± Right as Elise was about to leave, Lily called out to her once more. ¡°It seems like you¡¯re not willing to tell me anything about Mr. Griffith, Miss Sare. Regardless, I think it would be a shame if you were to just walk out without listening to the rest of what I¡¯d like to say.¡± ¡°What else would you like to say, Miss Lily?¡± Elise tried to remain as patient as possible while Lily quietly scanned her from head to toe before speaking. ¡°Give me an amount! As long as it¡¯s something within my capabilities, I¡¯ll give you whatever you want. I can agree to keep it a secret¡ªyour boss will never know about this.¡± There wasn¡¯t even a slight change in Elise¡¯s expression as she spoke. ¡°Apart from our work, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much to be said between both of us, Miss Lily. I¡¯m sorry, but I think I should leave now.¡± This time, Elise no longer hesitated¡ªshe turned and strode right out of the room. Lily was left alone in the water, her expression one of fury as she red at Elise¡¯s receding figure. Elise let out a sigh after she stepped away from the hot springs. Phew. I finally managed to get rid of Lily. She¡¯s a pretty exotic woman, though. Other women might think of it as shameful to speak of such matters, but Lily didn¡¯t seem reluctant to do it at all. After stepping away from the hot springs, Elise walked to a garden opposite the area and sat down on one of the swings there. While sitting on the swing, Elise didn¡¯t notice the imminent threat creeping up behind her. She was casually swinging herself back and forth on the swing one moment, yet at the very next moment, a slippery, green object slithered over to her. ¡°Ahh¡­!¡± Elise screamed in terror. Her face was drained of color when she saw what the creature was. ¡°A¡­ s-snake¡­¡± If Elise had to pick one thing that she was the most terrified of in the world, her choice would always be the same. She was terrified of snakes, and there was a living, breathing snake just ten feet away from her at that moment. Her entire body trembled with fear. Her first instinct was to run away from the threat, but her legs felt like they were drilled into the ground. ¡°Don¡¯te¡­ Don¡¯te here¡­ Save me!¡± Elise couldn¡¯t care less about how she looked then as she shouted at the top of her lungs. She shuffled a few steps backward when the snake raised its head. Elise hastily turned to run away, but her legs gave out, and she fell onto the ground with a loud smack. ¡°Someone help me! Save me!¡± She continued to scream and shout as she watched the snake slither closer to her. At that critical point, a rock struck directly at the snake¡¯s mid-area, where its heart was located. The snake curled up into a ball as it twitched and jerked in pain. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Alexander walked over to Elise, his voice filled with concern. Before Elise knew what she was doing, she threw herself into his arms and clung to his neck. Her entire body was shivering uncontrobly. Jack saw the incident from afar, and he hastily got the security workers to catch the snake. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Griffith. You guys must have been really shocked.¡± One of the security guards delivered his apology in a fearful tone. Alexander didn¡¯t respond to the guard and simply continued to pat Elise¡¯s back gently. ¡°It¡¯s fine now, Miss Sare. Someone got rid of the snake.¡± However, Elise didn¡¯t seem to feel any better. She continued to cling tightly onto Alexander. He narrowed his eyes as he considered pushing her off of him, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to do it in the end. Meanwhile, Jack gestured for the security guards to leave before he turned and looked at Alexander. ¡°I¡¯ll head over there, Alexander.¡± Jack turned and walked off, leaving Elise and Alexander alone at the pavilion in the garden. After what felt like ages, Elise finally stuck her head out to check if the snake was still there. The uneasy feeling in her chest finally disappeared once she made sure that there weren¡¯t any snakes near her. ¡°Alright. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. You¡¯re safe now,¡± Alexander uttered. Elise shifted her gaze upward to meet his eyes, and it was only then did she realize how close their bodies were to each other. She hastily backed away from him as blood rushed up to her cheeks. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Griffith. That was embarrassing.¡± Alexander pulled his hands away from her. ¡°I hadn¡¯t expected you to be so afraid of snakes, Miss Sare. The snake you saw earlier was just a regr garter snake, and it wasn¡¯t poisonous at all.¡± Elise didn¡¯t even want to speak about the snake at all. ¡°Well, if there isn¡¯t anything else you need me to do, I¡¯ll head back to the hot springs now.¡± Alexander nodded. ¡°Go on. Please take good care of Miss Lily.¡± Elise was on her way back when she recalled the rather unpleasant conversation that she had with Lily earlier. In the end, Elise decided to stop by the bar at the entrance of the hot springs. She ordered a drink for herself. A whileter, Lily walked out of the hot springs with Alexander. Lily wore a smile that seemed to take up her entire face¡ª there was no trace of anger from her conversation with Elise earlier. ¡°The hot spring was lovely, Mr. Griffith. I really enjoyed it. Miss Sare, in particr, was really thoughtful. You have a really capable assistant¡ªit exins how you managed to dominate the markets for so many years, Mr. Griffith.¡± Alexander, on the other hand, didn¡¯t smile as he responded to the woman. ¡°You¡¯re too nice, Miss Lily. I¡¯ve told my assistant to prepare some of Athesea¡¯s most famous dishes for dinner tonight. We can head over for our meal now.¡± ¡°Sure. Thank you so much, Mr. Griffith,¡± Lily replied with a smile. She took a few steps forward, leaving Alexander behind her. Elise seized this opportunity to approach him. ¡°I won¡¯t be joining you guys tonight, Mr. Griffith. I have other matters to handle, so I¡¯ll head home soon.¡± ¡°Alright. You can leave first,¡± Alexander uttered while ncing at her. He didn¡¯t question her any further. After Elise got in the car that was heading back to the city, she couldn¡¯t seem to stop imagining scenarios of Alexander and Lily spending time with each other. Since Lily is interested in Alexander, I wonder if they¡¯ll¡­ She smacked herself on the head when she realized what she was thinking about. ¡°What nonsense are you picturing in your head, Elise?¡± she whispered to herself. She tried her best to rid herself of all the wild thoughts running in her mind. After shepleted her makeup and got herself changed, she returned to Griffith Residence. Shey on therge bed and fixed her eyes on the ceiling above her. Images and scenes of her leaping into Alexander¡¯s arms emerged in her mind, and she could still smell his fresh, minty scent at the tip of her nose. She couldn¡¯t help but long for him at that moment. Elise rolled over, but she couldn¡¯t seem to get rid of the images of Alexander hugging her no matter how much she tried to do so. What¡¯s up with you, Elise? Why can¡¯t you stop thinking about Alexander? ¡­ The next day, Elise dragged herself out of bed, her eyebags nearly extending down to her chin. She hastily covered her eyebags with some foundation when she saw her haggard reflection in the mirror. Once she walked out of the room and went downstairs, she found Alexander sitting on the couch in the hall. He had his legs crossed, and he seemed to be casually flipping through some documents. It was just a simple motion of flipping pages, yet he seemed to do it in an especially elegant manner. ¡°You¡¯re here,¡± Alexander muttered as he lowered the documents he had been reading. ¡°We¡¯ll bete if we don¡¯t get there in fifteen minutes. Let¡¯s leave now,¡± he uttered after taking a look at his watch. He parted his long legs and headed toward the door, but Elise didn¡¯t follow him. He frowned a little as his footsteps came to a halt. ¡°What is it? Why aren¡¯t youing along?¡± Chapter 98 Chapter 98 ¡°I just realized that I forgot to take something. Perhaps you don¡¯t have to send me to school today¡ªI can go on my own,¡± Elise replied hastily. Before she could continue speaking, Alexander walked over to her. Hisnky figure towered over her, and she seemed tiny in front of him despite the fact that she was five foot five. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you here,¡± he uttered. She was about to say something else, but she could sense her heart pounding against her ribcage as she stood directly in front of him. She felt as if her heart was about to leap out of her throat, so she immediately turned around and hurried toward the stairs. Thud thud thud! She sprinted up to her room and shut the door behind her with a loud bang. Her chest was heaving as she pressed a hand against it. Her insides felt like it had been attacked by waves of panic, and the odd feeling she had sensed in the past came back to her once more. When she went downstairs again, she didn¡¯t even nce in Alexander¡¯s direction and simply took long strides past his figure. ¡°Come on. I¡¯m about to bete,¡± she said. Alexander watched as Elise scampered away from him, and he curled his lips into a slight smirk before following behind her. For the first time, Elise didn¡¯t do her homework in the car. Instead, she leaned against the car seat and pretended to sleep. Yet, the slight flutter of her eyelids betrayed her act. ¡°Did you not sleep wellst night?¡± Alexander asked. Elise instinctively opened her eyes before shifting her gaze to look out of the window. She looked as if she had something to hide. ¡°No. I had a pretty good sleepst night.¡± Alexander nced at Elise in the rearview mirror, but he no longer said anything. The car gradually came to a stop in front of the school gates. Before the car fully stopped, Elise hurriedly opened the door to slide out of the car. Alexander watched as her tiny figure disappeared in the crowd of students before he stepped on the gas and drove off. Once Elise reached the ssroom, she started on her homework. She forcefully shoved aside the odd thoughts and feelings that were emerging in her. However, she was only on the second question of her homework when she heard one of her ssmates calling for her by the ssroom door. ¡°Someone¡¯s looking for you, Elise.¡± She raised her head. Despite her confusion, she put down her pen and walked out, only to find Jamie leaning against the ssroom door in a rxed manner. ¡°I¡¯m here, Boss!¡± He wore a cheeky expression on his face as he greeted Elise. Elise was obviously relieved to see him. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Jamie chuckled as he leaned closer to her. ¡°Do I need a reason toe over and visit you, Boss?¡± ¡°But do you have a reason to be here?¡± Elise looked up into his eyes as she asked. Jamie avoided her gaze and looked at his surroundings instead. ¡°Why don¡¯t we talk somewhere else, Boss?¡± Elise followed him along a walkway in school that led to a field at the back. Jamie only began to speak then. ¡°Boss, the annual French Grand Prix is happening soon. Are you interested in going over to watch the race?¡± Three years ago, Elise had obtained the title as the champion of the international racingpetition, and she had set an impossible record that hadn¡¯t been broken since. After shocking the world with her performance, shepletely disappeared from the public¡¯s eye, and there wasn¡¯t any trace of her in the rest of the international racing events. Rumors imed that new faces were emerging in the racing industry this year, so Jamie thought that he¡¯d ask Elise if she was interested in watching. ¡°Did you say that the French Grand Prix is happening soon? When is it?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Next week! Although there hasn¡¯t been a single person who broke the record that you set, I heard that there¡¯s a seeded participant called White Wolf who has been winning a lot of races. I also heard that there are a few newbies in the racing industry who have pretty sick drifting skills. I think it¡¯d be interesting to watch,¡± Jamie replied. Elise pressed her lips together as she contemted Jamie¡¯s suggestion. If I go watch the French Grand Prix, I might be able to avoid Alexander for a while. I¡¯ll also be able to organize my messy thoughts and figure out all the feelings that I¡¯ve been experiencing recently. ¡°Do you want to go, Boss?¡± Jamie asked again. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m down! You can help me book the flight tickets,¡± Elise uttered with a nod. Jamie was surprised that Elise hade to such a quick decision, and he had to swallow the rest of the script that he had prepared in order to convince her to go. ¡°Great, Boss! I¡¯ll do that immediately.¡± Elise lowered her gaze as she began to think about the trip. I¡¯ll just treat this trip to France as a break for me, and I¡¯ll watch the race just to rx a little. She was much happier after she made her decision, and the gloomy aura she gave off earlier had already disappeared when she returned to ss. She continued working on her homework. ¡°I¡¯m heading over to thepany to collect my scriptter, Elise. Do you want to go along with me?¡± Samantha clung onto Elise¡¯s arm while eyeing her pleadingly. Elise gazed at her for a moment before she seemed to recall something. ¡°Will you be going to Fenix Entertainment?¡± Samantha nodded rapidly. ¡°Yeah! I¡¯ve already signed a contract with the production team, and I¡¯ll be joining them for the shoot from next month onward. It¡¯s a minor role, but it¡¯s also my first ever production, so it¡¯s pretty important to me,¡± she exined. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go with you then,¡± Elise uttered as she pped her textbook shut. Apart from apanying her friend, Elise had something else that she wanted to do there. Once both of them arrived at Fenix Entertainment, Elise followed behind Samantha as they went up the stairs. While Samantha went to collect her script, Elise strode over to Jack¡¯s office to find that it was completely empty. After contemting for a short while, Elise decided to leave the copy of the music and lyrics that she had edited in Jack¡¯s room. After she put them on the table, she turned to leave. Elise had barely taken a few steps before Jack and Ronald walked in. ¡°Say, Jack, aren¡¯t you going to ept the job when the script is so good? This is one of the most trendy idol dramas right now. It might be a really good opportunity for you if you take the job.¡± ¡°Look, Ronald. First, you tell me to focus on learning about music, then you ask if I¡¯m epting an acting job. What exactly do you want me to do?¡± Jack interrupted Ronald before Ronald could continue. ¡°I just thought of you when I saw the script! You have a pretty empty schedule right now, so why don¡¯t you try it out? On top of that, we haven¡¯t heard from Noel so far, and we don¡¯t know when H will be able toe up with a new song for you. What would you do if H kept dying the song?¡± Ronald exined himself. Jack was starting to get frustrated. ¡°I can write the songs on my own! Give me some time, Ronald. I promise I¡¯ll write a song that you like.¡± ¡°And the script¡­¡± Ronald pursed his lips. Jack waved his arm to signal rejection. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only ¡°Just tell them I¡¯m not interested! I haven¡¯t been thinking of acting since the start of this year.¡± Ronald was caught in between¡ªhe could tell that Jack¡¯s mind was set, yet he thought that the script was too good of an opportunity to pass on. Ultimately, Ronald chose to support Jack. ¡°Alright. You can focus on your music for now!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to seed in the end if I persevere,¡± Jack uttered. Ronald nodded. ¡°I believe you.¡± Both of them exchanged nces, and they saw the trust in each other¡¯s eyes. Although Ronald felt like it was a shame to let go of a good script, he wanted to support Jack¡¯s decision more than anything. ¡°I should leave now, then. Don¡¯t stress yourself out, alright? You can go back to your music producing now.¡± Ronald stepped out, and Jack was left alone in his huge office. He nced out the window, looking as if he was deep in thought. After a while, he turned and walked to the piano room. He hadn¡¯t realized the piece of A4 paper that had been ced under hisptop. Chapter 99 Chapter 99 At night, Elise sat down in front of herptop and stared at her chat history with Alexander. After hesitating for a moment, she finally typed out the message she wanted to send him. ¡®Mr. Griffith, I¡¯ll be going overseas in a few days¡¯ time. We¡¯ll have to stop the Arisian sses for now, and I¡¯ll inform you once I¡¯m back in the country.¡¯ When Alexander received the message from Sare, he didn¡¯t get the chance to respond immediately as someone knocked on his door just then. Cameron hurried into the room momentster. ¡°President Griffith, I¡¯ve booked the flight tickets to France and the entrance tickets for the French Grand Prix. Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Here you go.¡± Alexander nodded. ¡°You can leave them there.¡± Cameron obediently ced the tickets by the side before he continued speaking. ¡°The president knows that you¡¯re going to France, and he specially requested for you to visit an old friend on behalf of him while you¡¯re there. This is his friend¡¯s address¡ªhe told me to pass it to you.¡± Cameron pulled out a piece of A4 paper that had a series of French words written on it. Alexander frowned as he nced at the French address. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard Grandpa talk about his friend in France. Well, I guess I should follow his orders since he¡¯s my senior. ¡°Just let Grandpa know that I¡¯ll be sure to visit his friend,¡± Alexander finally uttered. ¡°Got it, President Griffith! I¡¯ll excuse myself now.¡± Once Cameron left the room, Alexander shifted his focus back to Elise¡¯s message on his screen. ¡®I happen to be busy too. We can get in touch once you¡¯re done with your business,¡¯ he replied. After sending the message, Alexander picked up the flight and entrance tickets that had been left on his table. He held it tightly in his hands while he nced out of the window to look at the night sky. Fragments of the past shed across his mind, and he thought, When will I be able to see you in an international competition again, Sue? ¡­ Three dayster, Elise and Jamie boarded a flight to France. Before they took off, Elise removed her makeup in the airport¡¯s bathroom and returned to her usual self. She looked fresher and livelier once she was done. ¡°You¡¯re both pretty and cool when you¡¯re your usual self, Boss. I don¡¯t understand why you prefer making yourself look like aplete loser.¡± Jamie couldn¡¯t help but protest her actions. Elise merely smirked in response. ¡°What do you know? This is my way of experiencing life. In other words, you¡¯re also saying that I have really impressive makeup skills, right?¡± Jamie had to agree with her. As Jamie thought about their trip to France, another question popped into his mind. ¡°Boss, have you ever considered joining another international competition?¡± he muttered. Elise didn¡¯t respond to his question this time. ¡°Let the past be the past,¡± she said with a smile. After approximately ten hours, their flight finallynded in Paris. It was already past midnight when they landed, and a gust of cold wind weed them the moment they stepped out of the airne. Elise shuddered in response, and Jamie hastily took his jacket off to put it on her. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you might catch a cold, Boss,¡± he uttered. A surge of warmth filled Elise. ¡°Thanks, brother,¡± she replied. Jamie felt oddly bashful after hearing her words. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so polite with me, Boss.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hotel first! We can drop by the manor tomorrow,¡± Elise suggested. Jamie didn¡¯t have much of an opinion, so he followed Elise to the hotel. They each got a room for themselves. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to lock your door, Boss. Try not to sleep too soundly! I¡¯m worried for you since you¡¯re all alone,¡± Jamie uttered as a reminder before they parted ways. ¡°Alright. Don¡¯t worry. You should get some rest too. Goodnight,¡± Elise replied in a reassuring tone. They both retired to their rooms. After being on a ten-hour flight, Elise waspletely exhausted. She took a shower and fell asleep the moment her head touched the pillow. Elise only woke up when it was nearly noon the next day. She checked her phone to find a text from Jamie. ¡®I have some matters to handle, Boss. You can go to the manor on your own. I¡¯ll see you at the race tomorrow!¡¯ She checked the time of the message to see that it was sent at 8.00AM. It had been almost four hours since Jamie texted her. ¡®Okay,¡¯ she replied through text. Before she knew it, Jamie had responded with a series of voice messages. ¡°Why did you sleep for so long, Boss?¡± the first one said. ¡°There¡¯s a restaurant in the hotel. Don¡¯t forget to eat!¡± the second one said. ¡°Don¡¯t starve yourself. You¡¯ll get gastric!¡± the third one said. Elise was speechless after listening to all his voice notes. ¡®Jamie, since when did you get so good at nagging?¡¯ she finally replied through text. Once she sent the message, she put her phone aside and freshened herself up before ordering some food up to her room. That afternoon, Elise brought her luggage and hailed a cab to head to the manor in the tiny town of Provence. The manor was a piece of property she had purchased in France three years ago, and she had gotten professionals to care for it ever since. She hadn¡¯t visited the ce in the past three years, so stepping into the manor made her feel as if she was entering a whole new world. ¡°Miss Sinir!¡± Elise turned to the source of the familiar voice, and she curled her lips into a pretty smile when she saw an equally familiar figure. ¡°Helen!¡± Helen thought she had gotten the wrong person at first, but she finally trusted herself when she heard Elise¡¯s unmistakable voice. It¡¯s true! It¡¯s the person I¡¯ve been missing for so long. ¡°It really is you, Miss Sinir! You¡¯re finally back.¡± Helen was clearly getting emotional as she had been waiting for Elise¡¯s return for the past three years. Now that Elise is really back, I can¡¯t be happier! ¡°Are you guys doing okay?¡± Elise asked. Helen nodded rapidly. ¡°Yes, of course! We¡¯re all great! The old woman has been asking for you, and everything¡¯s going well with Linus. Prince just gave birth to a whole lot of puppies. I¡¯ll update you about everything else once youe into the manor.¡± Both Helen and Elise held hands as they strolled into the manor. All of the maids hurried over to help Elisa carry her luggage. ¡°Hello, Miss Sinir!¡± ¡°Wee back, Miss Sinir!¡± All of the maids took the initiative to greet Elise. While Elise was smiling back at them, a white dog wagged its tail while rushing over to her. Joy spread across Elise¡¯s face as she knelt down to pat its head. ¡°You¡¯re so big now!¡± she eximed. Helen smiled as she gazed at Elise. ¡°I clean your room every day, and I¡¯ve changed brand new sheets for you. You can rest for now. I¡¯ll tell the kitchen to prepare dinner,¡± Helen uttered. Elise merely nodded in response. ¡°Okay. Thank you.¡± After that, Elise lifted Prince, the dog, into her arms and strode toward the second floor where her room was. Once she was in the room, Prince iled its paws as it wanted to be put down, so Elise lowered it before she walked toward the windows. She opened a window and looked out to find stretches ofvender fields that painted the ground a sharp purple color. A warm smile found its way to Elise¡¯s face as she thought, Everything looks just the way I remember it to be. Chapter 100 Chapter 100 At the exact same moment, on the foot of another mountain in Provence was Alexander, a piece of paper in hand. He checked the address and made sure it was right before he pressed the doorbell of the manor. A maid opened the door and automatically spoke in French when she saw an unfamiliar face. ¡°Who are you looking for, sir?¡± Alexander responded with equally fluent French. ¡°Is this where Mr. Burton lives?¡± The maid¡¯s eyes lit up when she heard his question. ¡°You must be our beloved guest, Mr. Griffith!¡± The maid spoke in English this time. She led him in after he gave her a polite nod. ¡°Please get into the carriage, Mr. Griffith,¡± one of the maids uttered politely. Alexander eyed her puzzledly. ¡°Where exactly are we going?¡± ¡°Mr. Burton ordered us to bring you over once you arrive. You¡¯ll know where we¡¯re headed once you¡¯re there,¡± the maid exined. Alexander got into the carriage, and the coachman steered the horses onto a tiny pathway. This gave Alexander the opportunity to enjoy the view outside the manor. It was a huge piece ofnd¡ª he couldn¡¯t see the other end of the road even if he tried to. There were grape trellises along the way, and they were covered in green and purple grapes. There were sunflower fields that had their yellow faces pointed toward the sun. What caught Alexander¡¯s eyes the most was the purplevender fields that looked as gorgeous as a painting¡­ ¡°We¡¯re here, Mr. Griffith.¡± The coachman halted the carriage in front of a castle. Alexander felt a surge of curiosity when he saw the castle before his eyes. Who exactly is Mr. Burton? Why haven¡¯t I heard Grandpa talk about him in the past? Alexander got out of the carriage with his eyebrows raised. ¡­ Elise was wheeling her bicycle with one hand while she held onto a kite with another. She was strolling in front of the castle while her precious dog, Prince, tottered along behind her. ¡°I¡¯ll bring Prince out to y with the kites, Helen. I¡¯ll be back in a while.¡± The moment Elise finished speaking, Helen¡¯s voice came from inside the castle. ¡°Remember not to run too fast, Miss Sinir! Don¡¯te back toote!¡± Elise hopped onto her bike and held onto her kite with one hand as she cycled onto a small pathway. Alexander narrowed his eyes when he saw Elise¡¯s figure from behind. That girl seems rather familiar. He was about to say something when Elise turned to look directly at him. Alexander let out a rather exasperated sigh. I¡¯m overthinking this! How could it be possible for Elise to show up here? They just look alike, that¡¯s all. Elise, on the other hand, was utterly shocked when she saw Alexander. Her brain froze as she lost control of her limbs. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as she watched herself losing control of her bike. ¡°Get out! Get out of the way!¡± she cried as her bike charged downhill. While she was screaming, Alexander turned around to see the bike speeding directly toward him. At the veryst second, Alexander leaped forward and caught Elise in his arms. Both of them rolled on the ground a few times before they stopped. Alexander felt an odd sense of familiarity as he held onto Elise. He was about to say something when Elise shoved him aside and took a few steps back. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry! It was an ident!¡± She intentionally looked sideways to hide her face as she scrambled to her feet. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for hitting you! I¡¯m sorry!¡± After apologizing for the hundredth time, Elise hurried off to collect her bike before Alexander could respond to her. He stared at the girl in front of him. All of this feels too familiar. If it weren¡¯t for her face¡­ It¡¯s almost as if Elise had possessed this girl¡¯s body. ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡± He managed to squeeze the words out of his lips. Elise was too afraid to stay for even an extra second, and she hastily picked herrge bicycle up before walking away. Prince, on the other hand, wagged its tail as it walked to Alexander. It rubbed its head against Alexander¡¯s leg in a sincere manner, as if it were thanking Alexander. He couldn¡¯t help but pat the dog¡¯s head when he saw the adorable creature. To his surprise, the dog ran off just momentster. ¡°Are you okay, Mr. Griffith?¡± the maid asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s go in.¡± The maid led Alexander into the castle, and Elise was left dumbfounded as she watched this happen. It¡¯s already a shock for him to be here. I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s entering my castle. He can¡¯t be here to look for me, right? It doesn¡¯t seem like it! Elise pressed her lips together as she decided to observe the situation for a while longer. Helen was the first to spot Alexander when he walked into the castle. ¡°This is Mr. Burton¡¯s guest, Mr. Griffith.¡± The maid introduced Alexander to Helen. Helen responded with a warm smile. ¡°So, you¡¯re Mr. Griffith! I¡¯ve heard loads about you!¡± she uttered cheerfully. Alexander responded in a polite tone. ¡°Hello. Can I know if Mr. Burton is here?¡± ¡°Yes, he is. You came from Athesea, didn¡¯t you, Mr. Griffith? Please wait here for a while. I¡¯ll get him toe now,¡± Helen offered. She ordered the maids to prepare coffee while she hurried to the entrance to give Linus a call. At that moment, Elise sneaked out from somewhere and held onto Helen¡¯s arms. ¡°Who is he, Helen? What is he doing here?¡± ¡°He¡¯s Linus¡¯ guest,¡± Helen exined. ¡°Linus told me about him a few days ago, saying that he had a friend who¡¯d be arriving from a faraway country.¡± Elise didn¡¯t know what to do at that point. She had to ensure that she wasn¡¯t exposed. ¡°I think you guys should stop calling me Elise from now on, Helen! Why don¡¯t you call me the name I used to tell you guys about? Joy?¡± Helen didn¡¯t bother to ask for a reason. ¡°Sure, sure, my darling Joy!¡± she replied with a smile. ¡°Please help me inform everyone else as well, Helen. Please tell them not to call me Elise for these few daysN?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. and call me Joy instead. It¡¯s crucial that they do so!¡± Elise uttered. Helen found Elise¡¯s orders rather odd, but Helen had always been extremelypliant when it came to Elise. She did everything that Elise wanted her to do. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll pass the message.¡± After thanking Helen, Elise no longer had the mood to fly her kite. The main reason she traveled to France was to avoid Alexander for a while, yet fate was such a peculiar thing¡ªthey somehow ended up in the same ce even in another country. Linus noticed Alexander¡¯s unique and attractive aura once he walked in. ¡°You must be Mr. Jonah¡¯s grandson, huh?¡± he uttered with a smile on his face. ¡°And you must be Mr. Burton. I¡¯m Alexander! Nice to meet you,¡± Alexander said in a humble tone. Linus let out a heartyugh. ¡°I¡¯ve been hearing a lot about that old man¡¯s outstanding grandson. He told me he¡¯de over and introduce you to me personally. Why didn¡¯t the old mane along?¡± Chapter 101 Chapter 101 Chapter 101,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°Grandpa¡¯s health has been deteriorating for the past two years. It¡¯s really strenuous for him to be on long flights, so he told me toe on behalf of him instead,¡± Alexander replied. ¡°Oh no, that old man should take care of his health! It¡¯s fine if he can¡¯t make it; at least he still remembers that he has an old friend like me.¡± Linus urged Alexander to go into the living room as they continued their conversation. As Linus nced at the young man before him, he gradually softened his gaze as he thought, This young man is pretty decent. ¡°Since you came all the way here, you should stay for dinner tonight. You can always leave tomorrow,¡± Linus offered. Alexander didn¡¯t have the heart to reject Linus¡¯s warm hospitality, so he agreed to stay. ¡°I¡¯ll have to take up your offer,¡± he uttered. Linus immediately got the maids to prepare dinner. ¡°Miss Joy is back, and Helen has already told us to prepare dinner,¡± the maid replied. Linus was pleased to hear this. ¡°Joy¡¯s back? That¡¯s great.¡± Alexander didn¡¯t show much of a response after hearing about Joy, but Linus then patted him on the shoulder. ¡°I need to introduce you to a new friend tonight. She¡¯s the owner of this manor.¡± He turned to call the maid once more. ¡°Where did Miss Joy go?¡± The maid answered honestly , ¡°Miss Joy said that thevender fields blossomed really well this time around, so she brought Prince out to y with her kite there.¡± Linus chuckled upon hearing this. ¡°The older Joy gets, the more yful she is.¡± Alexander felt rather curious about Joy when he noticed how fond Linus seemed of her. Soon enough, it was time for dinner. The maid knocked on Elise¡¯s door. ¡°It¡¯s time for dinner, Miss Joy.¡± Elise quickly found an excuse for herself. ¡°I¡¯m still jetgged, so I think I¡¯ll skip dinner today.¡± The maid was troubled by her response. ¡°But¡­ Mr. Linus insisted that youe down for dinner.¡± Frustrated, Elise pulled her nket over her head before she threw it off and sat upright. The more I try to avoid this, the more it happens. I might as well just face my fears. With that thought, Elise prepared to get out of bed. At that moment, Helen pushed the door open and entered the room. ¡°Miss Elise!¡± Elise¡¯s gaze shot up to look at Helen, and Helen immediately realized her mistake. ¡°Miss Joy! It¡¯s time for dinner. I got the maid to prepare your favorite dishes.¡± Elise slipped her arm into Helen¡¯s as she spoke. ¡°Is the man from Athesea still here?¡± ¡°He¡¯s Linus¡¯s guest who came a long way, so Linus made him stay for a day or two. What is it? Do you know him, Miss Joy?¡± Helen asked after exining the situation. Elise instinctively shook her head to deny it. ¡°No, I don¡¯t know him.¡± When Elise appeared in the dining hall, her eyesnded on Alexander instantly. As they exchanged nces, Elise gave him a smile without looking away. She considered it her form of greeting to him. Elise had sharp and delicate features, and her dimples showed as she spread her red lips into a smile. Her distinct aura made her appear prettier and more elegant than ever. ¡°You¡¯re finally back, Joy.¡± Linus weed her. She stuck her tongue out yfully. ¡°I specially came back because I missed you guys so much, Linus.¡± Linus let out a heartyugh. ¡°You¡¯re so good at sweet-talking, you little brat. Let me introduce you to my friend¡¯s grandson. This is Alexander Griffith.¡± He quickly turned to introduce Elise to Alexander. ¡°This is my niece, Joy Sinir.¡± Elise stuck her hand out to greet Alexander. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Mr. Griffith.¡± Alexander shook her hand. The familiar feeling that Alexander had was intensified the moment their palms touched. He stared at the girl in front of him, and he was quickly reminded of Elise. It wasn¡¯t the first time he had felt that way. However, he knew that the girl before him wasn¡¯t Elise¡ªit was impossible. ¡°Hello, Miss Sinir! It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡± Alexander¡¯s deep and husky voice was unique and seductive. However, Elise merely smiled at him before taking her seat. She had to sit through the whole dinner, and when dinner was finally over, Elise decided to bring Prince out for a walk to digest all the food she ate. However, Linus stopped her before she could make a move. ¡°Hey, Joy. I heard that there¡¯ll be fireworks at the manor tonight. Why don¡¯t you help me bring Alexander over to watch the fireworks? You young people have more to talk about, anyway.¡± Elise rejected the idea before even thinking about it. ¡°I¡¯m bringing Prince out for a walk, so I don¡¯t think I can show Mr. Griffith around.¡± Linus stubbornly insisted on his suggestion. ¡°Well, you can definitely bring Prince for a walk. I¡¯m old, and my body¡¯s weak, so I need to rest earlier. Furthermore, it¡¯s better for both of you young people to stay together than for him to hang out with an old man like me.¡± She was about to say something else when she met gazes with Alexander. ¡°Do you not want to bring me around for a walk, Miss Sinir?¡± Alexander asked with his eyes fixed on her. She no longer had the energy to reject him after that. Instead, she simply led Alexander out of the castle with Prince¡¯s leash in one hand. The two of them walked side by side with a dog tagging along beside them. Their dark figures under the dim lights made them seem especially close to each other. ¡°You remind me a lot of a friend, Miss Sinir.¡± Alexander started the conversation, and Elise felt her heart skip a beat immediately. However, she couldn¡¯t stop herself from responding. ¡°Is that so? Perhaps it¡¯s just a coincidence. Your friend must be pretty decent¡­¡± Elise uttered in a yful tone as she subconsciously stole a nce at him. He curled his lips into a smirk. ¡°She is pretty decent. She¡¯s kind and hardworking. Whenever I¡¯m with her, she¡¯s always busy with her math questions.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. She even got a perfect score for some national mathematicalpetition¡­¡± Elise would have never imagined Alexander to describe her in that way. She let out a soft chuckle, but it didn¡¯t seem to conceal the awkwardness she felt at that moment. ¡°She does sound like a really outstanding person.¡± Alexander was stunned for a moment. He hadn¡¯t been thinking too much when he was speaking earlier, but he then realized that his description of Elise was full of praise. I never knew that my impression of Elise was that good. ¡°Yeah, she is! You guys look really simr. I nearly thought that both of you were the same person when I first met you,¡± he uttered. Upon hearing this, Elise felt her heart pounding against her ribcage. She forced herself to contain her emotions as she put on a calm act. ¡°If you weren¡¯t Alexander, I would¡¯ve thought that you were just using these words in an attempt to flirt with me,¡± she uttered. A sense of confusion emerged in Alexander after he heard her words. He turned to give her a questioning look. I¡¯ve only met her today, yet I feel like I¡¯ve known her for a long while. ¡°You¡¯re extremely beautiful, Miss Sinir. She¡¯s no match for you.¡± Upon finishing his words, Alexander couldn¡¯t help but recall Elise¡¯s face in his mind. At that moment, he no longer thought that Elise was an ugly girl. She might dress in a rather old-fashioned manner, but she¡¯s not ugly at all. After pausing for a while, Alexander continued to speak. ¡°It¡¯s also such a coincidence that both of you share the same surname. If we get a chance to meet again in the future, I should introduce you to her.¡± Chapter 102 Chapter 102 Chapter 102,Coolest Girl in Town Elise felt herself getting anxious, so she quickly changed their topic of conversation. ¡°Linus mentioned that there¡¯ll be fireworks tonight. Let me bring you over to watch them.¡± Alexander nodded and followed behind her as she led him onto a tiny pathway. After walking along the pathway for a while, they heard noisesing from above them. Right after that, a spark of fire shot up into the sky before erupting with a loud bang. It spread out across the sky like arge flower blooming above them. Elise couldn¡¯t help but exim when she saw the fireworks. ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful!¡± He turned to look up at the sky. ¡°Fireworks may be pretty, but they onlyst for a short moment. Yet, it only takes the fireworks one short moment to unt the most beautiful side of itself.¡± The fireworks continued shooting up into the sky, with one bang quickly following the other. There were all sorts of different-colored fireworks that painted the night skies. Once the fireworks ended, the sky returned to its usual, quiet self. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s go back,¡± Elise suggested. Alexander looked away from the skies and checked the time. ¡°Let¡¯s go! We should get some rest.¡± After they got back to the castle, Elise parted ways with Alexander and headed back to her room. The maid showed Alexander to the guest room. The next morning, Elise woke up to find out that Alexander had left early in the morning. She was rather disappointed when she first heard the news from her maid, but she quickly recollected herself. ¡°What about Helen? Where is she?¡± Elise asked. The maid responded in a polite tone, ¡°Helen¡¯s harvesting some grapes in the orchard. The grapes are all ripening now, so Helen thought that it¡¯d be a good idea to bring some back to make wine.¡± Elise¡¯s eyes lit up when she heard this. ¡°I¡¯ll go and help her!¡± She then hurried off to the orchard to find everyone busy harvesting grapes. She grabbed a basket for herself before going over to help them out. ¡°These grapes look great, Helen.¡± Helen beamed when she saw the younger girl. ¡°Don¡¯t bother, Miss Elise. Let me do the work.¡± Of course, Elise didn¡¯t obey Helen¡¯s orders. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let me help you.¡± Helen no longer stopped Elise after she saw how determined Elise was to help her. Both of them got their own scissors, and they started harvesting the grapes. ¡°That guy, Mr. Griffith, who came yesterday¡­ Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. He seems pretty decent! He looks like a noble, dignified and handsome man. I think he¡¯s not bad!¡± Helenmented as they worked. ¡°He is pretty decent.¡± Elise agreed after hearing Helen¡¯s praise for Alexander. Helen turned to look at Elise then. ¡°You¡¯re getting close to the age for marriage, Miss Elise. Perhaps you should start making some ns.¡± Elise was rather embarrassed to talk about this. ¡°What are you saying, Helen? I¡¯m still young!¡± Helen couldn¡¯t help but giggle when she saw the bashful look on Elise¡¯s face. ¡°I think you should try dating. However, it¡¯s hard for someone as perfect as you to find a man who matches your standards, Miss Elise. Only someone as handsome and outstanding as Mr. Griffith could be a good match.¡± Elise quickly held her hand up. ¡°You can talk about me all you wish, but don¡¯t drag him into this, Helen.¡± ¡°I was just making an offhandment. But I do think he¡¯s a decent guy, Miss Elise,¡± Helen uttered. Elise eyed the woman speechlessly. It looks like I¡¯m never going to hear the end of this. ¡°Regardless, I think you should bring a guy home the next time you¡¯re here, Miss Elise.¡± This time, Helen spoke in a firm and serious manner while she stroked Elise¡¯s hair. The older woman¡¯s eyes were filled with anticipation. Elise understood Helen¡¯s intentions, so she quicklyforted and reassured her. ¡°Okay! Don¡¯t worry, Helen. I¡¯ll make sure to bring a boyfriend over the next time I¡¯m here.¡± Helen spread her lips into a pleasant grin when she heard Elise¡¯s words. ¡°We¡¯ll be waiting for your good news, then.¡± After harvesting the grapes, the maids brought all of the baskets into the manor. ¡°I¡¯m leaving tomorrow, Helen. I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll being back again,¡± Elise uttered. Helen had a smile on her face before that, but the smile faded once she heard Elise. ¡°You just came back! Are you leaving already? Can¡¯t you stay for a few more days?¡± Elise gave Helen an apologetic look. ¡°I have other matters to handle here this time, so I can¡¯t stay for long. When Ie back next round, I¡¯ll make sure to spend more time with both you and Linus.¡± Helen¡¯s spirits were utterly dampened at that point, and she turned to address Elise in a gloomy voice. ¡°Miss Elise, this manor belongs to you, and Linus and I are merely here to care for it temporarily. You¡¯ll have to take over someday.¡± Elise wrapped an arm around Helen¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I know, I know. I¡¯m thankful for all the help you and Linus have given me. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to continue troubling you guys for a while.¡± Helen knew that she didn¡¯t have the power to stop Elise from leaving, so she no longer said anything else. The next morning, Elise left the manor. Jamie was already at the location of the international race, and Elise had to make her way there. ¡­ The annual French Grand Prix was about to begin. This was a widely anticipated race by racers all over the world, and it was one of thergest races in the industry. Each racer represented their own country, and most of the winners of this international race often shot to fame once they won a title. They would be famous on a global scale. The international race was held in a stadium in Paris that could fit up to 50,000 people. All of the spectators were from different countries, but they all had one thing inmon¡ªtheir love for race cars. Elise and Jamie brought their tickets to the entrance. They both had tickets for Zone A, and Jamie quickly called for Elise once he found nice spots. ¡°Over here, Boss!¡± Both of them sat close to each other as the rest of the spectators swarmed into the stadium. Soon enough, all the seats around them were taken. Therge stadium was extremely packed and lively. ¡°Today¡¯s just the preliminary round, Boss. The seeded yer that we had our eyes on¡ªthe one from Germany¡ªwill be here today. However, I heard that there¡¯s also a racer from Cittadel who registered this year. Apparently, his skills aren¡¯t that great, and he might not even get past the preliminaries,¡± Jamie said. Elise pressed her lips together. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Thepetitors from Cittadel usually only reveal their full potential at the end. Who knows what will happen? Let¡¯s just watch the race.¡± The race officially began at 7.00PM. The theme song of the race yed through the speakers, and the crowd cheered excitedly when they heard the song. Elise felt as if their excitement was contagious¡ªa smile formed on her face as she watched the crowd. She had enjoyed racing ever since she was young, and she loved speeding. Back then, she somehow got the opportunity to register for an internationalpetition while she was a transfer student in France. However, she hadn¡¯t expected herself to perform so well¡ªshe won first ce that year. Yet, the rules in her school prohibited her from joining racing activities. After they threatened to expel her, she no longer joined any public racingpetitions. At most, she would have some friendly matches with her peers. ¡°Woah! Number 7 is doing well! I knew he was good!¡± Jamie cried excitedly. Number 7 was the seeded yer that Jamie had been doing his research on. After the first grouppleted their races, Number 7 was announced as the first ce. ¡°Boss, I think he¡¯s going to win the championship! Even if he doesn¡¯t, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll get top 3,¡± Jamie cried. Elise didn¡¯t agree to this. ¡°It¡¯s too early for you to jump to conclusions. This is just the first group of racers¡ªthere are others who haven¡¯t gotten to race yet. I have a feeling that this is going to be an interesting match.¡± Chapter 103 Chapter 103 Chapter 103,Coolest Girl in Town At the same time, Alexander was backstage at the same race. He was cheering on one of the contestants that day. ¡°You¡¯ve been training for two years now; it¡¯s about time you evaluate yourself with this race. Good luck! I¡¯m looking forward to your performance.¡± The other man gave him a firm nod. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Young Master Alex. I will do my best!¡± The person was none other than Wilson DeMarco, the only representative of Cittadel that day! Alexander had spentrge amounts of money to develop Wilson as a racer. ¡°Wilson DeMarco from the fourth group, please get ready!¡± Wilson stood up once he heard his name being announced. After bidding goodbye to Alexander, he prepared to step onto the tracks. Alexander didn¡¯t stay after that¡ªhe headed to his seats in Zone A after checking his tickets. However, the moment he sat down, he saw a familiar figure sitting just three rows in front of him. Joy? That¡¯s odd. I didn¡¯t expect to bump into her here. He smirked without thinking much about the encounter. Instead, he put all of his focus on the race. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Number 6! You¡¯re the only representative of Cittadel!¡± Jamie cried at the top of his lungs. His words caught Alexander¡¯s attention, and Alexander was shocked when he saw Jamie. What a small world! But why would Jamie and Joy be together? It doesn¡¯t really make sense for them to interact with one another¡ªone lives in France while the other lives in Athesea. Judging by the way they are interacting now, it seems like they¡¯re pretty close. It doesn¡¯t look like they just met each other here. Alexander shifted his gaze away. Am I overthinking this? Something feels weird! Elise beamed when she saw Wilson. ¡°This participant seems pretty good. I think he might be a favorite to win.¡± Jamie didn¡¯t agree at all. ¡°Wilson¡¯s a new face in this scene, Boss. Furthermore, he¡¯s not from one of the nearby countries. I think it¡¯s unlikely for him to be a favorite.¡± Most of the locals here held prejudices toward people from faraway countries like Cittadel. In fact, that was one of the reasons Elise nearly lost her title as the champion back then. ¡°We¡¯ll find out soon.¡± Elise understood the rules of the race, but she genuinely thought that Wilson seemed like a promising racer. Her predictions were right¡ªWilson won first ce within his group of racers. ¡°I think he has great potential,¡± Elise uttered in a serious tone. Jamie sighed once more. ¡°Boss, although you¡¯re my boss, let¡¯s agree to disagree this time. I still think Z from Germany has better skills. I have more faith in him.¡± Elise chuckled in response. ¡°Why don¡¯t we bet on this, Jamie?¡± A bad feeling emerged in Jamie¡¯s chest immediately as he had never once won a bet against Elise. ¡°What are we betting on, Boss?¡± ¡°Since we¡¯re here at the race, let¡¯s bet on the person we think will be the champion.¡± Eliseughed. ¡°Please spare me, Boss! I¡¯ve known you for so long, yet I¡¯ve never won a single bet against you. You¡¯re going to take my entire fortune if we continue betting! Please show me some kindness and spare me for once,¡± Jamie pleaded. His yful words made Elise burst outughing. ¡°Okay! Fine! You look so pitiful when you talk that way. Let¡¯s just ce a small bet this time. Let¡¯s bet on a fancy meal.¡± Jamie was relieved to hear that they would only be betting on a meal and nothing more. ¡°A fancy meal it is. Are you betting on Wilson, Boss?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Elise replied. ¡°I¡¯ll bet on Z, then! Regardless of who loses today, we can¡¯t go back on our promises, okay?¡± Once they made the deal, both of them shifted their focus back to the race. At that moment, Elise felt someone tapping on her shoulder. She turned around to find Alexander staring directly at her. She was so shocked that her eyeballs nearly popped out of her sockets. ¡°M-Mr. Griffith! What are you doing here?¡± Alexander stared at her and Jamie for a while. Jamie was shocked by Alexander¡¯s re. ¡°What a coincidence! I didn¡¯t expect to see you here, Miss Sinir.¡± He then turned to Jamie. ¡°Are you here to watch thepetition too, Mr. Keller?¡± It took all of Jamie¡¯s brain juice for him to generate possible stories to ensure that Elise¡¯s identity wouldn¡¯t be exposed. ¡°I happened to drop by for business, and I came over to watch this race because I heard about it.¡± Jamie tried to keep his distance from Elise as he spoke. However, Alexander had already seen them interacting in a close manner previously. Why are they pretending as if they don¡¯t know each other now? How odd! He couldn¡¯t help but recall how Jamie and Elise used to spend time together in the Griffith Residence. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Images of the past were juxtaposed with scenes of the present, although Alexander didn¡¯t know what made him connect the two to each other. ¡°Do you guys know each other, Miss Sinir?¡± Alexander asked. Elise immediately felt a chilly breeze from behind her. However, she didn¡¯t seem like she had anything to hide. ¡°I got a seat next to Mr. Keller, and he happens to be from Cittadel as well. That¡¯s why I spoke to him. I guess you could say that we know each other!¡± Her narrative was wless! If it were any other day, Alexander might have bought her story. However, there had been too many coincidences at that point ¡ªsomething told him that the situation wasn¡¯t as simple as it appeared to be. His gut feeling told him that Jamie and Elise knew each other, but he didn¡¯t expose them. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect a wealthy woman like you to enjoy watching races, Miss Sinir. You¡¯ve surprised me,¡± Alexander said instead. Elise had a response prepared for this. ¡°It¡¯s just an interest. I can¡¯t say that I¡¯m a diehard fan of this sport. What about you, Mr. Griffith? Did youe to France just for thispetition?¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly right,¡± Alexander muttered. Elise was about to say something else, but the next race had already begun, so she shifted her focus onto the tracks while Alexander returned to his seat. ¡°What is he doing here, Boss?¡± Jamie whispered. Elise sat straight and maintained her posture as she hissed in Jamie¡¯s direction. ¡°Shut up and watch the show. You¡¯ll have to buy me a meal if you lose.¡± Only then did Jamie focus on the game with his mouth sealed. By the time the race was over, Alexander was long gone. Elise stole a few nces at the seats behind her, and she assumed that Alexander had left when she couldn¡¯t see him anywhere. Jamie dragged his feet gloomily. ¡°Didn¡¯t everyone say that Z was a favorite to win? He isn¡¯t even that great. I can¡¯t believe he only got third ce in the preliminaries. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s going to be the champion,¡± Jamie uttered dejectedly before turning to Elise. ¡°What sort of superpowers do you have, Boss? How on earth did you recognize the potential in Wilson? His skills are much more refined than the rest of thepetitors. If everything goes right, he might just be the champion this year.¡± After Jamie finished his long speech, he realized that he would have to buy Elise a meal. That made him feel even worse. Why am I always losing? Chapter 104 Chapter 104 Chapter 104,Coolest Girl in Town N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°I¡¯m not too sure about him getting first ce, but I dare say that he¡¯ll be in the top three.¡± After Elise provided her solid opinion on the matter, both of them walked toward the exit with Elise leading the way. As they were heading out, Elise noticed something from the corner of her eye. She saw Alexander standing beside Wilson, and she was immediately intrigued. ¡°Hey, Jamie. I need to use the washroom. Why don¡¯t you wait for me outside?¡± Jamie didn¡¯t seem to suspect anything. ¡°Go ahead, then. I¡¯ll wait for you at the exit.¡± After that, Elise made her way toward the washroom with her gaze still fixed upon Alexander. She ended up hiding in a corner where she could hear Alexander¡¯s voice. ¡°You did pretty well today. You just need to be a little more stable.¡± ¡°My condition is much better today, and it¡¯s all thanks to your advice, Mr. Griffith. I¡¯ll do my very best for the finals tomorrow,¡± Wilson replied in a humble tone. Alexander patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Go get some rest.¡± Once their conversation was over, Wilson walked off. Elise seemed to have understood something after hearing their exchange. Could Wilson be under Alexander? Does that mean that Alexander has been secretly training a racecar driver to participate in this international event? Elise figured that it was something that Alexander would do¡ªshe could tell that Alexander was a fan of racing, after all. Elise had no intention to stay any longer, so she walked toward another exit to leave the stadium. However, she had only taken a few steps when she saw Alexander walking toward her. They came face to face with each other, and Elise greeted him since she had no reason to avoid him. ¡°Hello, Mr. Griffith. What a coincidence! We meet again.¡± This time, Alexander took a long, thoughtful nce at the woman before his eyes. I just realized something. Joy gives me a strong sense of familiarity because she gives off an aura that¡¯s simr to Elise¡¯s. Furthermore, Joy¡¯s jet-ck eyes remind me of Sare! Joy is like abination of Elise and Sare! This realization came as a shock to Alexander. ¡°Are you heading back now, Miss Sinir?¡± Elise nodded. ¡°The event is over for today, after all. I¡¯ll be here to watch the finals tomorrow.¡± He nodded in agreement. ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, then!¡± ¡°See you!¡± She waved. Their shoulders brushed past each other as they both headed in different directions. Once Elise got to the exit, she looked around for Jamie, but before she could find him, she heard the sound of a gunshoting from inside the stadium! The gunshot was followed by a series of screams, and the crowd descended into havoc as everyone charged frantically toward the exit. Elise was dumbfounded. Why would there be the sound of a gunshot at a ce like this? Alexander¡¯s still in there! Upon that thought, she no longer cared about anything else. She went against the flow of the crowd as she ran into the stadium. Tons of people bumped into her yet it didn¡¯t seem to slow her down, and she continued running into the stadium. Suddenly, she tripped on something and flew forward to crash directly onto the ground. ¡°Ouch¡­¡± She cried out in pain when someone identally stepped on her. Right after that, she hastily scrambled to her feet. However, people continued to bump into her as they rushed out of the stadium. She was nearly shoved against the wall when arge hand reached out and held onto her waist. Both of their bodies struck the wall, but Alexander blocked the impact by holding her close to his body. ¡°Are you okay, Miss Sinir?¡± He had just walked out of the stadium, but he happened to see Elise falling onto the ground. He initially figured that he would mind his own business, but he had second thoughts after he recalled that Joy was his grandfather¡¯s friend¡¯s niece. He thought that it¡¯d be rude of him if he were to walk off without offering help, so he hurried over to her. Meanwhile, Elise felt her heart racing as she stared at the man right in front of her eyes. All the subconscious worries that lingered in her mind seemed to have been resolved at that very moment. I think I¡¯ve fallen for Alexander. As much as I don¡¯t want to admit this, it seems to be the truth! I wouldn¡¯t have run in to look for him in such a dangerous situation if I didn¡¯t like him! Once she realized her feelings for him, she instinctively pushed him away. ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Right after she finished speaking, the sound of a gunshot came from behind them. The crowd seemed to panic even more after hearing the second gunshot, and they all charged toward the exit. Alexander did the same thing¡ªhe grabbed Elise¡¯s arm and ran without any hesitation. She followed the crowd, and it felt like they had run for ages before they finally came to a halt. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t run anymore¡­¡± she uttered between breaths. Alexander looked at her before looking around him. ¡°I think we should be safe here!¡± Elise¡¯s legs turned to jelly after she heard his words. Her adrenaline was what kept her going for so long. ¡°Thank you for what you did earlier,¡± she said in a sincere manner. However, Alexander didn¡¯t seem to pay much attention to her words. ¡°I wonder what happened. It¡¯s legal to own guns in France, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s safe toe here anymore. You shouldn¡¯t watch the competition tomorrow. Let me send you back to the manor.¡± Elise immediately rejected his offer. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t want to go back yet.¡± He raised an eyebrow as he gazed at Elise with a look of surprise. ¡°For the sake of your safety, I don¡¯t think you shoulde again tomorrow. It¡¯s just apetition, after all. You can watch it next year if you miss it this year. There¡¯s always a next time.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°I got it. Thank you, Mr. Griffith.¡± She looked away from him after that. Ever since she realized her true feelings for him, she felt especially nervous about spending time with him when it was just the two of them. Something struck her at that moment, and she quickly reached into her pocket to pull her phone out before giving Jamie a call. However, Jamie didn¡¯t pick his phone up after it rang for a long while. She knitted her brows as she started to feel worried. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± Alexander asked. Elise parted her lips to speak, but she bit her tongue at the veryst second. Alexander noticed that she seemed rather hesitant. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to tell me about it,¡± he offered. Elise hadn¡¯t intended to tell him about her concern, but she figured that she had to do it for the sake of Jamie¡¯s safety. ¡°Jamie is still somewhere in there. I can¡¯t contact him.¡± Alexander quickly understood her concerns after he heard what she said, but he didn¡¯t do much apart from offering some words offort. ¡°He¡¯s a grown man, so he should be fine. Don¡¯t worry. You can try calling him after a while. If you still can¡¯t contact him, I¡¯ll walk around to look for him with you.¡± She nodded before making a few more calls to Jamie. After a few consecutive calls, Jamie finally picked the phone up. ¡°Where are you, Boss? Are you okay? Something happened in the stadium, and I¡¯ve been trying to look for you. Where did you go?¡± Upon hearing Jamie¡¯s flustered voice, Elise felt a surge of relief in her chest. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I managed to run out of the stadium. Don¡¯t worry.¡± A long sigh came from the other end of the line. ¡° Where are you? Should Ie over to meet you now?¡± Elise looked around her and gave him some directions before she ended the call. As Alexander watched her talk on the phone, he realized how she sounded like a girlfriend who was caring for her boyfriend. Could Joy be Jamie¡¯s girlfriend? Chapter 105 Chapter 105 Chapter 105,Coolest Girl in Town Alexander naturally believed that his assumption was correct since it seemed to make sense. ¡°I¡¯m fine now, Mr. Griffith. My friend ising in a while,¡± Elise uttered. He nodded. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll leave after your friend gets here,¡± he offered. Elise didn¡¯t reject him, so they both stood by the side of the road as they waited for Jamie. Neither one of them spoke to each other, butplicated emotions continued to surface in Elise¡¯s heart. She nced up at the sky above her as she curled her lips into a pleasant smile. From the start, Elise had intended to travel to France to rx and seek some answers of her own. Right then, she felt like she had finally gotten a clear answer for herself. I guess this trip wasn¡¯t a waste after all. Jamie rushed over to them. ¡°You scared me to death, Boss.¡± After he finished his sentence, he noticed how Alexander was standing right beside Elise. He instinctively mped a hand over his mouth. Elise understood the reason for Jamie¡¯s actions, so she quickly reassured him. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Mr. Griffith knows that we¡¯re friends.¡± It took Jamie a while to process the situation before he nodded. He no longer asked any questions. When Alexander noticed that Jamie had arrived, he announced his departure. ¡°I¡¯ll head back now, Miss Sinir. It can get rather dangerous on the streets of France, so you should watch out for your own safety.¡± He left after finishing his words. The moment Alexander left, Jamie tugged on Elise¡¯s shirt as he questioned her. ¡°What¡¯s up with you and Alexander, Boss? Aren¡¯t you afraid that he might learn about your true identity?¡± Elise shrugged. ¡°Hey, Jamie. Can you help me book tickets to return to the country? I¡¯ll head home tomorrow morning.¡± Jamie was shocked to hear this. ¡°Are you leaving before the race is over, Boss?¡± She nodded in response. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything else that interests me in the race. You can watch it on my behalf. I¡¯ve found the answer in my heart, and everything¡¯s much clearer to me now. That¡¯s why I know that it¡¯s time to head home.¡± Jamie had no idea what she meant, but he figured that it must be something too deep for him toprehend. Although he didn¡¯t know what was going on, he still had to follow his boss¡¯s orders. He therefore booked the return flight tickets for Elise, and both of them returned to the country the next morning. ¡­ Once theynded in Athesea, the first thing that Elise did was to find a public bathroom, where she transformed herself back to how the usual Elise would look. She didn¡¯t head back to Griffith Residence right after that and made a trip to school instead. Since Elise¡¯s academic results were decent, her teachers hadn¡¯t asked much even though Elise had taken a few days off from her sses. When Elise arrived in ss, Mika hastily clung onto Elise before she began to bber all about school. ¡°You¡¯re finally back, Elise. You have no idea how bored I¡¯ve been in the past few days. I don¡¯t have a single person to talk to in ss!¡± Mika couldn¡¯t help butin as she put on a pitiful look on her face. ¡°Please bring me along when you leave for a holiday the next time, Elise.¡± Elise ruffled the other girl¡¯s hair. ¡°Alright. You cane along the next time,¡± Elise replied with augh. Mika spread into a wide grin upon hearing this. ¡°By the way, Elise, did you know that my husband¡¯s releasing a new song? He just posted an announcement on Twitter this afternoon.¡± Elise was rather confused. ¡°Your husband is¡­?¡± ¡°Jack, of course! Who else?¡± Mika hastily exined herself, and Elise nodded understandingly after hearing her exnation. ¡°Did he announce the album and song title?¡± Elise asked casually. ¡°He didn¡¯t say anything. However, he mentioned that he¡¯s trying something new with this song and that it will sound extremely different from his previous style. He created a brand-new track! I¡¯m more and more impressed by my husband each day. Hey, Elise, why don¡¯t you help me ask my husband out for a date someday? I can buy him lunch.¡± Elise didn¡¯t see a reason to reject Mika¡¯s request. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll help you pass the message to him.¡± Upon hearing Elise¡¯s words, Mika looked as if she were about to erupt with joy. ¡°You¡¯re the best, Elise!¡± Elise curled her lips into a grin¡ªMika¡¯s happiness was too contagious to be ignored. Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. That afternoon, the two of them walked out of school after sses were over. Elise waved Mika goodbye as they parted ways, and she watched Mika disappearing into the distance before she made her way toward Griffith Residence. However, Noel snuck up from behind Elise right after Mika left. ¡°You were the one who wrote Jack¡¯s new song, right, Elise?¡± Noel started off with a question once he appeared in front of Elise. His tone was t and calm¡ªit didn¡¯t reveal a hint of emotion. He stared deep into Elise¡¯s eyes as if he¡¯d be able to get an answer from them. He knew that his guess had been right when he saw Elise remaining silent for a while. The general style of Jack¡¯s new song was familiar to Noel. Even the way the lyrics were written reminded Noel of Elise¡¯s style. Anyone who knew her well enough would only take a few seconds to recognize her writing. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯d stop writing music? What made you change your mind this time?¡± Noel asked. Elise hadn¡¯t expected Noel to find out about the truth so quickly. Regardless, she had already predicted such a thing to happen eventually, so she didn¡¯t bother toe up with any excuses. ¡°I wasn¡¯t the one who created this track. I simply made a few changes to it. It was no big deal.¡± ¡°But the style of this music is way too distinct. Aren¡¯t you worried that the news might get out, H?¡± Elise responded with a smile that didn¡¯t seem to reach her eyes. ¡°One way or another, I¡¯ve decided not to pursue a career in this field. I¡¯m only doing this to help a friend out.¡± As Noel nced at the girl in front of him, he realized how she seemed different from the girl in his memory. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then why didn¡¯t you give me this opportunity instead?¡± Elise held her arms open as she exined herself clearly. ¡°Look, I¡¯m sorry, Noel! All of this was a coincidence. Whatever happened in the past still feels fresh to me today, and I don¡¯t think I¡¯m able to repackage myself into a brand new person under the public¡¯s eye. This is the only time I¡¯m breaking my promise. I won¡¯t do this again in the future¡­¡± Noel frowned a little. ¡°H, I know that you suffered a great deal after that event. However, the public needs to hear the truth about that incident. I trust that you¡¯d never do such a thing, but¡­¡± As Noel continued speaking, Elise finally interrupted him. ¡°Look, Noel. You im that you trust me, but your trust is dependent on other factors, too, right? We¡¯re teammates, but you¡¯ve never shown your trust in me. You¡¯ve never chosen to believe my words over hers in the past.¡± A rather bashful look appeared on Noel¡¯s face when he realized that he had been exposed. He parted his lips to speak, but no words came out. ¡°If we can¡¯t be teammates, then we shouldn¡¯t be friends either, Noel. You can stop looking for me in the future.¡± With that said, Elise made a move to leave. However, Noel quickly held onto her arm. ¡°Charlene didn¡¯t do it on purpose, H. She has been talking about you a lot¡ªshe really wants to return to the days of glory that she had shared with you.¡± Elise scoffed as she shrugged his arm off. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have no interest in doing such a thing.¡± Right after that, Elise strode off and left Noel standing on his own. He watched her back as she hurried off. Elise took a long, deep breath as she walked. Her emotions were no longer as intense as they had been three years ago, and she finally felt like she was able to ept the past incidents she had gone through. She no longer felt trapped by those issues. Even Noel¡¯s sudden mention of Charlene¡¯s name felt like nothing more than a gust of wind that vanished as quickly as it appeared. Elise didn¡¯t know how long she had been walking on the sidewalk when she heard a loud horn beside her. She instinctively nced up to see an MPV parked by the side of the road in front of her. The car window came down before a man stuck his head out. ¡°What are you doing here all alone, Elise?¡± It was Jack. Chapter 106 Chapter 106 Chapter 106,Coolest Girl in Town Elise was rather stunned to see Jack there. ¡°I¡¯m heading home,¡± she exined. ¡°Let me send you back, then,¡± Jack offered. He hastily opened the car door, and Elise got into the car. Only then did she realize that Alexander was also sitting in the MPV. Despite the sense of awkwardness that she felt, Elise took the initiative to greet him. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were here!¡± Alexander was flipping through some documents, and he merely responded with a curt nod. Jack was the one who exined the situation. ¡°I went to pick Alexander up from the airport earlier, and I happened to bump into you here. But you don¡¯t seem to be in a good mood. You look really sad.¡± ¡°Since when did you learn to care about others? You¡¯ve never treated me this way in the past!¡± Elise teased him. Jack shifted ufortably in his seat. ¡°You should learn to appreciate my kindness toward you, Elise. I¡¯m just caring for you as a friend. Furthermore, you used to be so ugly, old- fashioned and noisy. Now, you¡¯re just as ugly and old-fashioned, but I¡¯ve finally realized that you¡¯re a pretty decent person.¡± This sounded better to Elise¡¯s ears. ¡°Thanks! My good friend told me that you¡¯re releasing a new song soon. Congrattions.¡± The smile on Jack¡¯s face widened upon the mention of his new song. He seemed especially excited even at the thought of it. ¡°Thank you! You shoulde over to hang out during the press conference for the new song.¡± Elise rejected him immediately. ¡°No thanks. I¡¯m afraid your fans might murder me. However, my friend is a pretty huge fan of yours. If you have tickets, can you give me two of them so that I can give it to her? She¡¯ll be really pleased.¡± Jack wasn¡¯t a stingy man and he immediately got his manager, Ronald, to hand him two tickets. ¡°It¡¯s next Wednesday. Make sure your friend shows up then!¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Elise uttered as she took the tickets from him. Jack raised an eyebrow before he smiled. ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Right then, Ronald spoke up from his spot in the passenger¡¯s seat. ¡°Hey, Jack. Charlene just reposted your tweet. Do you want to respond to her?¡± ¡°She can repost whatever she wishes to. It¡¯s none of my business. I can¡¯t be bothered to respond,¡± he uttered tly. Ronald was rather troubled by his response. ¡°She used to be one of the most well-known singers. In some ways, she¡¯s your senior. You should show her some respect,¡± Ronald urged. However, Jack continued to speak with the same nonchnt attitude. ¡°She got rich off of one song. Apart from that, she just tries to hop onto all of the trendiest things in the industry. If I respond to her now, the media will start writing reports about our scandal tomorrow. I don¡¯t want to have anything to do with her.¡± After wiping the sweat off his forehead, Ronald decided he would no longer insist on responding to Charlene. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s just ignore her, then.¡± As the two men had their conversation, they didn¡¯t realize the grim look on Elise¡¯s face. It was the second time that she had overheard Charlene¡¯s name that day. It¡¯s been a while, Charlene. Jack dropped Elise and Alexander at Griffith Residence. Once they arrived home, they were greeted by an overly-excited Jonah. ¡°Did you get to meet my old friend, Alexander? How is he?¡± ¡°Mr. Burton is well and healthy. He kept asking for you, and he really hopes that you¡¯ll get a chance to visit him in Provence,¡± Alexander replied. Jonah let out a longing sigh upon hearing his grandson¡¯s words. ¡°That old man still thinks about me, huh? Well, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to see him again with this weak body of mine.¡± ¡°What are you talking about, Grandpa? You¡¯re so healthy¡ªI¡¯m sure you can live to see yourself turning 100 years old,¡± Elise uttered sincerely. Alexander added, ¡°That¡¯s right, Grandpa. I can go over with you next time.¡± Jonah took a nce at Elise and Alexander before he let out another long sigh. ¡°I¡¯m old now, Alexander. There¡¯re a lot of things that I want to do, but so many things that I don¡¯t have the energy toplete. You¡¯re getting pretty old too¡ªit¡¯s about time you started your own family.¡± Alexander showed great resistance toward the topic of marriage. ¡°I have my own opinions and ns for this, Grandpa. Don¡¯t you worry,¡± he muttered with a frown. Jonah had no idea what was going on in Alexander¡¯s mind. ¡°You should focus on your future, Alexander. Let the past be the past. You need toN?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. learn to cherish those who are right in front of your eyes!¡± However, Alexander didn¡¯t seem to get the underlying meaning behind his grandfather¡¯s words. ¡°I got it,¡± he uttered simply. Elise, on the other hand, seemed to notice something. After their conversation, she excused herself and returned to her room. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve been here for six months already. Now, I might miss this ce too much if I were to leave. ¡­ Once Alexander and Elise retreated to their own rooms, Jonah picked the phone up to make an international call. ¡°Both the kids are home, Linus.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. I had been worried about them, but I¡¯m d to hear that they both got home. By the way, your grandson seems like a decent guy. I think he¡¯d be a good match for my girl.¡± Jonah was pleased to hear this, and heughed heartily before responding. ¡°I¡¯ve told you about this before¡ªI¡¯m certain that I want Elise as my daughter-inw. It¡¯s just a matter of time before this happens.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a cunning old man, eh? Well, just to make things clear, I¡¯ll never let Alexander go if he dares to mistreat my Elise, okay?¡± Jonah nodded in agreement. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do it on your own. If that brat ever wrongs my precious Elise, I¡¯ll give him a good spanking.¡± Linus seemed pleased to hear this. ¡°You¡¯d better stick to your word, old man.¡± Midway through their conversation, Jonah began to frown as he recalled his concerns. ¡°Hey, Linus. Since we¡¯re on this topic, I just realized that both the kids hasn¡¯t shown much progress despite our huge efforts to bring them together. You used to be a pro in rtionships¡ªyou were practically undefeated when it came to girls! Do you have any tricks on how to bring them together?¡± Linus chuckled upon hearing Jonah¡¯s words. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re asking me for help, old man.¡± Jonah had to maintain his pride. ¡°I¡¯m not asking for help. I¡¯m just telling you to act as the middleman who creates sparks between them.¡± Linus scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re so harsh with your words. Back when I was young, I¡­¡± Linus was about to continue when Helen entered the room. He had no choice but to swallow his words and return to his cowardly self. ¡°Okay. Teenagers mingle around better with one another, so we should get them to do that. We old men shouldn¡¯t butt in. However, you should get your grandson to feel a sense of urgency. My precious Elise is a really wonderful woman¡ªyou¡¯d never find someone as good if you let her go.¡± After finishing his words, Linus ended the call, leaving Jonah with the beeping sound of the dial tone. Jonah was determined. It seems like I have to work harder to bring the two of them together. I¡¯ll start getting worried if their rtionship doesn¡¯t go anywhere soon! Immediately after that, Jonah came up with a n. He called the housekeeper toe over, and they both whispered into each other¡¯s ears for a while. At the same time, Matthew, who had been standing by the corner of the stairs, overheard all of their conversations. His face darkened. So, Grandpa had ns of matchmaking Alexander and Elise all along. That way, he¡¯d be able to transfer the Griffith Family¡¯s shares to her. Yet, I¡¯ve been making an issue about Elise. My ns have gone wrong this time around. Matthew clutched his fists silently. If Grandpa never had any ns for me to begin with, then what¡¯s the purpose of me staying in this household? After all, I¡¯m nothing but an illegitimate son to these people. A malicious smirk formed on Matthew¡¯s face as his gaze darkened. The next day, Elise handed the tickets that she had gotten from Jack to Mika once she arrived at school. ¡°Here you go. Tickets to your husband¡¯s press conference for his new song.¡± Mika¡¯s eyes lit up immediately. ¡°Oh my gosh! I love you, Elise! I queued on his official website for hoursst night, but I still didn¡¯t manage to buy the tickets in the end. I was so close to buying it at a higher price. I can¡¯t believe you got tickets for me!¡± ¡°Jack gave them to me,¡± Elise uttered without bothering to conceal the truth. Mika was even more excited upon hearing this. ¡°Are you serious? Did my husband give them to you? He¡¯s so kind! He gave me tickets because he knew I couldn¡¯t get them!¡± Upon finishing her words, Mika gave the tickets a huge and wet kiss. Elise shook her head helplessly, then shifted her gaze back to her question paper. Ever since Samantha got into the production team and Riley stoppeding for sses, Elise was able to ce all of her focus on her studies. She was enjoying her school life. Chapter 107 Chapter 107 Chapter 107,Coolest Girl in Town On the day of Jack¡¯s press conference for his new song, Mika sessfully dragged Elise over to the event. Jack¡¯s new song was to be released at 2.00PM, but the entire hall was already filled with people at 12.00. Most of the people were Jack¡¯s fans from all over the country. With the tickets in her hand, Mika led Elise to the entrance. Jack¡¯s tickets were front-row spots, and Mika was extremely excited when she found out that she was seated in the second row. ¡°I¡¯m so close to my husband. I¡¯ll get to see him in close proximityter!¡± Elise wasn¡¯t interested in the entire event, so she simply pulled her phone out. At that moment, she saw a local news article that was rmended to her. She didn¡¯t pay much attention to it at first, but when she saw that the title of the article had the words ¡®Griffith Group¡¯, she looked at it for a second time before tapping on it. The article¡¯s title read, ¡®The Griffith Group Split-Up¡ªHave all of the core technical staff left thepany?¡¯ A bad feeling emerged in Elise¡¯s chest when she saw the article, and the look on her face only turned grimmer as she continued to scroll down with one finger on her screen. At the very same time, reporters were huddled right outside Griffith Group, and all of them had their eyes fixed on the main entrance. They were afraid that they¡¯d miss out on the exclusive news and events. Soon enough, a bunch of people walked out with Matthew leading the pack. The reporters immediately charged toward them. ¡°Young Master Matthew, is your announcement true? Are you really cutting all ties with Griffith Group? Are you going to go independent and leave the Griffith Familypletely?¡± one asked. ¡°Young Master Matthew, you¡¯re taking away all of the core technical staff of Griffith Group, and you¡¯ll cause Griffith Group a major loss. Do you feel like this is rather immoral of you?¡± another asked. ¡°Griffith Group is arge family, and you¡¯re one of them. Yet, you seem to be attempting to destroy the harmony of the family¡ªcould you be facing your own struggles that you¡¯re hiding from the public? Please answer our questions, Young Master Matthew.¡± ¡­ The reporters bombarded him with questions, and Matthew simply turned to the camera before curling his lips into a sinister smirk. ¡°I think everything that happened between the Griffith Family needs toe to an end today. Today, I am officially leaving the Griffith Group and its Board of Directors. I¡¯ll no longer y a role in this company. Aside from that, Global Trading Co. will also have its official opening today! From today onward, I hope to learn as much as I can from everyone.¡± After he finished speaking, Matthew led the rest of his men as they sauntered out of thepany. His actions were extremely bold, and the staff members of Griffith Group were all nervous because of the incident. Alexander watched the entire live stream from his office on the top floor, but his expression didn¡¯t reveal any hint of emotion. ¡°Young Master Matthew has taken away all of the core members of our technical department and a few of the best workers in our sales department. Half of the core members of the other departments have left along with them. It looks like this was nned out all along,¡± Cameron hissed angrily. They had been vignt toward Matthew all along, but they hadn¡¯t expected Matthew to act so quickly. ¡°The staff members are panicking, Young Master Alex. I think you should make an announcement before things get out of hand,¡± Cameron continued. However, there was no anxiousness to be heard in Alexander¡¯s voice. ¡°There¡¯s no big deal. I¡¯ll just treat this as a purge for thepany. I¡¯d like to see how many secret traitors Matthew has nted in ourpany throughout these years. I want you to get a sum of all the people who have left each department. Once you¡¯re done with that, you can promote our own people to take over the positions that are empty.¡± ¡°I got it, Young Master Alexander. I¡¯ll do it now.¡± Cameron¡¯s actions were quick, but he couldn¡¯t do much to stop the news articles from trending. Furthermore, even the Griffith Group¡¯s shares were impacted as they remained on a low for extended periods of time. When Jonah saw the news from his couch in Griffith Residence, he threw a massive tantrum. ¡°Go and get all of them back home now!¡± he howled. The housekeeper quickly nodded before she made phone calls to contact all of the young masters. ¡°Pleasee back now, Young Master Alexander! Your grandfather is throwing a huge tantrum¡ªwhat Young Master Matthew did was too much.¡± Alexander¡¯s gaze darkened as he picked his car keys up and headed out of his office. ¡°Try to calm Grandpa down. I¡¯ll be there soon.¡± After ending the call, Alexander tookrge strides to leave thepany. To his surprise, he was surrounded by tons of reporters the moment he stepped out. No matter how much the reporters tried to question him, he kept his mouth sealed. Thirty minutes later, all of the Griffith siblings¡ªeveryone except Jack¡ªhad arrived in Griffith Residence. Danny was the youngest child, and he had never been involved in matters rted to the business. However, he could no longer remain in the background after Matthew did such an atrocious thing that impacted the entire family. ¡°Matthew¡¯s too much, Grandpa. Who does he think we are? How could he do such a thing? Has he never considered the family¡¯s well-being? Well, I guess he¡¯s nothing more than an illegitimate child who¡¯ll never be recognized as one of us¡ªperhaps that exins it,¡± Danny uttered. ¡°Danny!¡± Brendan stopped his brother. ¡°Your words are too harsh. We¡¯re all brothers, after all.¡± ¡°But are we brothers to Matthew? If he genuinely sees us as his brothers, he wouldn¡¯t do such a thing, would he?¡± Danny retorted. Brendan knitted his brows. ¡°Regardless¡­ Let¡¯s wait for Alexander toe home.¡± Danny¡¯s blood was boiling, but he had no choice but to keep his mouth shut and bite his tongue for the time being. Pin- drop silence filled the living hall as no one else volunteered to speak after that. Soon enough, they heard the sound of a car pulling up in front of the house. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Alexander had reached home, and everyone felt a surge of relief the moment he walked into the hall. He rushed directly to Jonah. ¡°Grandpa!¡± Jonah looked up to stare at him. ¡°Were you aware of what Matthew was scheming?¡± ¡°It was too sudden. I hadn¡¯t expected it,¡± Alexander replied. ¡°This incident has a really huge impact on the Griffith Family. What are you nning to do about this, Alexander?¡± Jonah asked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa. Everything is under control. Furthermore, there are a few other things that I¡¯d like to report to you personally, Grandpa.¡± Once Alexander finished speaking, Brendan¡ªthe more mature sibling¡ªdragged Danny out of the hall before Jonah said anything. Once the younger ones left, Alexander and Jonah were the only ones in the hall. Alexander didn¡¯t say anything and simply pulled out two documents before handing them to Jonah. ¡°I got someone to check on this, Grandpa.¡± Jonah¡¯s expression grew stern after he stared at the files for a short while. His heart was still pounding long after he skimmed through the papers. ¡°Are you sure that he did all of this?¡± Alexander pressed his lips together. ¡°I had gotten someone to investigate this matter ever since I found an issue with my car during the race on the windy roads in the mountains. I found out that someone had done something to my car¡¯s brake, and I continued tracking only to find out that it was Matthew who had done it. However, I had kept this a secret and never intended to release it to the public since I figured that he might have just made a small mistake. I thought I¡¯d give him a second chance, but he¡¯s getting worse than before.¡± As he spoke, Alexander pulled out a different document. ¡°I think you should prepare yourself mentally before reading this, Grandpa.¡± When Jonah saw the serious look on Alexander¡¯s face, he knew that the documents were surely something of great importance. The old man took the file into his hands. This time, his face turned ghastly pale as he read the document. His grip tightened on the papers and he looked like he was about to be sick. ¡°D-Did he do all of this as well?¡± Chapter 108 Chapter 108 Chapter 108,Coolest Girl in Town Alexander knew that it was cruel, but it was the truth! ¡°Grandpa, you¡¯ve taught us the importance of unity ever since we were young. Unity is what makes the family grow and flourish¡ªI¡¯ve always kept those words in my heart. However, this incident taught me a huge lesson, and it nearly ended the entire Griffith Group.¡± Jonah¡¯s breaths grew even more shallow as he listened to what Alexander had to say. With the swing of his hand, he sent the teacups on the table smashing onto the ground. Clink! ng! The ss shattered on the floor. ¡°B*stards! All of those b*stards!¡± Jonah howled in anger. Alexander hastily attempted to calm him down. ¡°I only told you about this today to keep you updated on the situation, Grandpa. Right now, I already have ns to deal with this, and I hope you can trust me to follow through with my n.¡± Jonah understood what Alexander meant immediately. ¡°I have no objections. He did such a terrible thing that even I wouldn¡¯t allow him to get away with it. However, I have to remind you that he¡¯s still your biological brother. Although you guys don¡¯t share the same mother, you guys have the same blood coursing in your veins. You should know your limits¡ª that¡¯s the final piece of decency that we can extend to him.¡± ¡°I understand, Grandpa.¡± Jonah sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve never had to worry about you ever since you were a child, Alexander. I trust you a lot, and I feel safe handing apany asrge as Griffith Group to you. You can go ahead with your n, and you can always let me know if there¡¯s anything that you can¡¯t handle.¡± ¡°Alright, Grandpa,¡± Alexander replied. Jonah seemed extremely drained at that point. ¡°Okay, go on then! You should handle this matter now.¡± Alexander excused himself, and Jonah was left alone in therge hall. He gazed up at the ceiling above his head as he sighed. ¡°Karma is real!¡± When Elise got back to Griffith Residence, she instantly sensed the distinct heaviness in the household. She bumped into Alexander, who was walking out as she entered the house. ¡°How are things in thepany now?¡± She was the first to initiate conversation. Alexander gave her a look that calmed her down. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Everything will be fine.¡± ¡°Do you need any help?¡± she asked. He was about to reject her, but he surprised himself by nodding after he saw the anticipation in her eyes. Elise quickly followed him after seeing his response. Once they got in the car, Alexander handed her a stack of documents. ¡°I need you to organize these documents. I¡¯ll need it for a meeting today.¡± Elise flipped the files open and began to go through them without asking much. She put her full focus on reading the documents, and she held a pen in her hand to highlight the parts that were important. Alexander felt rather d to see her so focused. ¡°How are things at thepany, Cameron?¡± Cameron hesitated for a moment before speaking. ¡°A few of ourrger clients went off with Young Master Matthew, and they requested to terminate their contracts with us. Some of the workers in thepany are still on the fence about leaving or staying, but I didn¡¯t meddle with their business since you told me not to do anything.¡± Alexander nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s prepare for the worst. I think our shares will crash tomorrow.¡± Cameron was shocked to hear this. Many of our business partners have terminated their contracts with Griffith Group. We are about to face one of the largest challenges ever. If thepany fails to pull through, it might be destroyed by this incident. ¡°I want you to tell all the staff that they don¡¯t need to work overtime tonight. Tell them to get off work on time!¡± Alexander ordered. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that might be tough, President Griffith. If all of them end work on time, how is thepany going to continue operating? Things will get really messy,¡± Cameron replied hastily. However, Alexander seemed unfazed by his words. ¡°We can think about that when the messes to us.¡± Cameron couldn¡¯t tell what Alexander was trying to achieve, so he had no choice but to follow Alexander¡¯s orders. ¡°I got it, President Griffith. I¡¯ll make the announcement now.¡± As Elise organized the files, she went through all of the clients who were rted to Griffith Group. Many of thesepanies of various sizes once had long-term contracts with Griffith Group, yet all of them were requesting to end the contract after the incident. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Elise would never have believed such a thing to be true if she hadn¡¯t seen the papers on her own. A specificpany caught her eye all of a sudden. The Keller Group? Isn¡¯t that Jamie¡¯s family business? Are they ending their contract with Griffith Group as well? Does Jamie know something about this? Elise didn¡¯t hesitate, not even for a second, to give Jamie a call. ¡°Jamie!¡± Jamie was in the midst of ying a video game, but he didn¡¯t mind abandoning his teammates when he saw that the call was from Elise. ¡°It¡¯s sote, Boss. Are you calling me for something?¡± She got straight to her point. ¡°I have some questions for you.¡± Jamie immediately understood her intentions after hearing her words. ¡°You¡¯re calling to ask about Griffith Group, right, Boss?¡± When Elise confirmed his suspicions, Jamie looked around before getting up and walking to the balcony. ¡°If you¡¯re asking about this, I¡¯d like to tell you that I wasn¡¯t aware of it before this, Boss. However, my old man told us that the news cannot be leaked to the public. I¡¯m only telling you about this because you¡¯re my boss. Things aren¡¯t as simple as they appear to be on the surface¡ªAlexander isn¡¯t just dealing with Matthew alone. I think it¡¯s possible that Matthew¡¯s act was just a distraction. I think the Griffith Family needs to be really alert. They shouldn¡¯t ruin their sibling rtions over such matters.¡± Elise¡¯s gaze darkened as a possibility surfaced in her mind. When she noticed that Jamie didn¡¯t seem willing to share anything else, she no longer probed for more information. ¡°Thank you, Jamie.¡± After ending the call, Elise organized the thoughts in her mind beforeing to a conclusion. No matter what happens, I refuse to just stand around and watch when Griffith Group is in trouble. I can¡¯t bear to watch thepany falling apart. The next day, Griffith Group¡¯s stocks continued to stay low, and they crashed all the way down when the stock markets opened. Many of the shareholders had dumped their Griffith Group shares. Earlier that morning, many differentpanies had approached Griffith Group to end their contracts. When Elise arrived at thepany, she could tell that the whole atmosphere was different from before. There were empty seats all around the area. Her expression turned grim as she walked to Alexander¡¯s room and knocked on his door. ¡°Come in,¡± the voice said from inside. Elise let herself in after hearing Alex¡¯s voice. ¡°You¡¯re here,¡± hemented after looking up and staring at her. Elise watched the man before her eyes. He¡¯s still as powerful and high-spirited as ever. Even during such a time, he isn¡¯t panicking or losing his mind. His calmness makes me feel safe. ¡°I¡¯ve arranged all of the documents needed for the meeting. There are a few new client appointments and I¡¯ve put them into your schedule too.¡± ¡°Thanks a lot,¡± he replied with a smile. She didn¡¯t ask or say anything else, but merely gave him a smile before leaving the room. Throughout the day, Elise was extremely busy as she took many matters into her hands. She was someone who had to ensure the quality of her work, and she quickly lost track of time as she was too immersed in her work. She didn¡¯t stop to rest even after the sun went down. It was nearly 11.00PM, and most of the other people in thepany had left. The only room still well-lit was the office on the highest floor. When Alexander walked out of his office, he saw Elise with her head resting against the table as she took a nap. He instinctively slowed his footsteps to tiptoe around the office, just so that he wouldn¡¯t wake her up. He slowly made his way toward her, and he nced down at her sleeping face from above. At that moment, he felt his heart melting for her. Chapter 109 Chapter 109 Chapter 109,Coolest Girl in Town After years and years of being solitary at work, Alexander had gotten used to dealing with all the harshest matters on his own. He had never known what it felt like to have someone quietly supporting him by his side. Yet, he could sense a special sort of warmthing from Elise right then. He parted his lips and grinned before he knocked Elise¡¯s table gently. ¡°Wake up. You can sleep when we¡¯re home.¡± In a daze, Elise opened her eyes and turned to see Alexander standing behind her. She was startled¡ªeveryst ounce of sleepiness left her body as she sat upright in her seat. ¡°What are you doing here, Alexander?¡± He pointed at the clock hanging on the wall. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a look at the time? You should go home to get some rest.¡± She gazed at the clock to see that it was already 11.00PM, so she quickly shut herptop. ¡°I¡¯ll go home now.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go together,¡± he uttered with a smile. When both of them got into the elevator, Elise couldn¡¯t stop herself from asking him a question. ¡°President Griffith, thepany isn¡¯t in a good state. The loss of clients and the departure of staff members both have a huge impact on the business. If this goes on, Griffith Group might¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t bring herself to continue speaking, but she knew that he would understand what she meant. Initially, she thought that she would sound like she was bad-mouthing thepany by saying such words during such a critical period. She had assumed that Alexander would get mad at her, yet there wasn¡¯t a hint of frustration in his face. ¡°Don¡¯t you have any faith in me?¡± he asked in return. She shot him a questioning gaze. When he remained silent, she found herself getting nervous. What does he mean when he says that? Does he have a n already? ¡°Can you make your message clearer, Alexander? Stop making me guess what¡¯s in your mind,¡± she mumbled. He chuckled softly. This was the first time Elise had ever seen him smile, and she found herself mesmerized by hisugh.R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Right then, Alexander reached his hand toward her. He paused in the middle of the air for a second before he stroked her hair. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Nothing bad is going to happen to thepany. You shouldn¡¯t trouble yourself with these matters. Go home and get a good rest. Perhaps everything will be different once you wake up tomorrow.¡± Elise felt oddly secure upon feeling the warmth of his palm. She didn¡¯t bother to further analyze the meaning behind his words. The next morning, Elise woke up just before noon. She dazedly reached for her phone and checked the clock before she sat upright in her bed. ¡°It¡¯s already sote? Why didn¡¯t anyone wake me up?¡± she cried. After a quick shower and a change of clothes, she hurried down the stairs. The maid hurried to Elise when she saw hering downstairs. ¡°I¡¯ve already prepared lunch for you, Miss Elise. You can come to the dining hall now.¡± Elise wasn¡¯t in the mood to eat at all. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake me up this morning, Ste? I¡¯mte now!¡± Ste hastily exined herself. ¡°It was Young Master Alex who told me not to wake you up, Miss Elise. He said you worked too hardst night and would need more rest today. He told us not to disturb you.¡± ¡°So, Alexander was the one who told you not to wake me up.¡± Elise was dumbfounded. Ste nodded, and Elise found her thoughts running all over the ce. However, she couldn¡¯t be bothered to think about all of that then. ¡°How¡¯s Griffith Group doing today? Are the shares still crashing?¡± she asked. Ste had no idea about the state of the stock market, and Elise had no interest in having a meal. Elise hurried out of the house and used her phone to search for news rted to thepany. However, when she finally found some articles, she realized that everything had changed entirely for Griffith Group. That morning, Griffith Group announced a new partnership with one of thergest businesses in the entire nation. When the stock market opened at 10.00 in the morning, the Griffith Group¡¯s shares went up in value. Everything seemed extremely promising, so Elise was rather taken aback. How did all of this change in just one night? I need to know the truth. She hurried over to the office, and she realized that the gloomy, dejected atmosphere in thepany hadpletely disappeared. There were two unfamiliar faces waiting at the front desk, but they both greeted her the moment she stepped in. ¡°Good morning, Miss Sinir!¡± Elise gave them a polite nod before she went into the elevator. When she got to the highest floor, therge office area appeared to have returned to its usual, bustling self. She felt her insides calming down when she saw this scene. Cameron popped up behind her right then. ¡°Miss Sinir!¡± She quickly returned to her senses. ¡°Cameron.¡± ¡°You¡¯re surprised, aren¡¯t you?¡± Cameron asked. Elise nodded, and Cameron continued on with a proud expression on his face. ¡°Well, you shouldn¡¯t forget who¡¯s sitting in that office. Our President Griffith¡¯s business management skills are recognized on a national level. All we have to do is put our trust in him.¡± Cameron¡¯s words made Elise think about what Alexander had told her the night before. Her smile widened at the thought. ¡°Everyone shares the same wish¡ªwe all hope for thepany to pull through and survive. I look forward to Griffith Group¡¯s growth.¡± At that moment, the door to the president¡¯s office was flung open, and Alexander walked out from inside. He cleared his throat when he saw Elise standing nearby. ¡°President Griffith!¡± Cameron quickly greeted him. Elise turned to look at him, and he spoke once they locked eyes. ¡°Thank you for your hard work in the past few days. Let me send you back to school.¡± She quickly rejected his offer. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can go there on my own. You must have a lot of other things to handle in the office, so you should go ahead and finish your work! Also, I need to hand my work over to the new colleagues before I leave.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll help Miss Sinir with that, President Griffith,¡± Cameron said with a smile. Both Cameron and Elise went over to Elise¡¯s seat. After arranging all of the documents and handing it over, Elise got ready to leave the office. To her surprise, she found Alexander standing in front of her the moment she looked up. ¡°I-Is anything the matter, Alexander?¡± He raised an arm to look at his watch. ¡°It¡¯s lunchtime. Let¡¯s go for a meal,¡± he uttered boldly. She was about to reject him, but her belly began to rumble the moment she heard him talk about lunch. Only then did she realize how hungry she was after she skipped breakfast earlier. ¡°Okay. Since you¡¯re offering to buy me a meal, I¡¯ll have to treat myself to some good food!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, then,¡± he replied. They headed to a private restaurant that only had a few guests. It was a quiet ce, and the owner seemed really close to Alexander. She greeted him in a casual tone when he first arrived. ¡°You¡¯re here, Alex.¡± ¡°Same old, Patricia,¡± he uttered in response. ¡°I got it,¡± Patricia replied with a light chuckle. However, her gaze lingered on Elise. Patricia was a smart woman, so she headed off to the kitchen without saying much. Chapter 110 Chapter 110 Chapter 110,Coolest Girl in Town Alexander said, ¡°Patricia¡¯s my mother¡¯s friend. She¡¯s a good cook, and Ie over sometimes to have lunch. You should try her dishes.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°Sure. Any rmendation from you can¡¯t be bad.¡± Alexander arched his eyebrow and chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t me me if you don¡¯t like it though.¡± Okay? The food was served a short whileter, and Elise quickly dug into the tantalizing food. Once she had a bite, her eyes lit up. ¡°Not bad.¡± Alexander filled her te up with some fish. ¡°Here. The fish is nice too.¡± Elise started wolfing down her food. She was starving, and the food was too delicious to be passed up on. Alexander kept filling her te up, and he looked delighted seeing her eating so happily. Patricia could see that the couple would be happy with some more alone time, so she served a big bowl of soup. ¡°Here¡¯s one of our signature dishes. Have a taste.¡± Alexander took thedle. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Patricia handed thedle over to him. ¡°And I thought Alexander would grow up to be an uncaring man. Seems like I was wrong.¡± Elise looked at Alexander. At the same time, he was handing her a bowl of soup. She immediately said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can do it myself.¡± Alexander didn¡¯t let her. Instead, he put the bowl down in front of Elise. ¡°Just dig in.¡± Patricia smiled. ¡°Enjoy your meal. Call me if you need anything.¡± Elise thanked her. Alexander sent her back to school after lunch. Even though Elise kept taking days off, her teacher never scolded her. Ridden by guilt, she knew she had to work twice as hard to repay their kindness. And so, she decided to start working on a past-year exam paper. ¡°Elise, someone wants to see you.¡± Elise put her pen down. She wondered who wanted to see her, and she went to find out the answer. When she came out and saw Matthew standing at the end of the corridor, her face fell. I was nning to look for him too. Good. Now I can get this over with. She went over and asked coldly, ¡°Are you looking for me?¡± Matthew turned around. ¡°We need to talk.¡± Matthew then walked off, while Elise hesitated before following suit. He kept walking until they came to a quiet area in the school. ¡°Say what you have to say and leave,¡± Elise snapped at him. Matthew looked at her in silence for a while. ¡°You seem hostile today, Elise. It doesn¡¯t have to be this way.¡± Elise sneered. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it has to, Matthew. I was kind to you because I thought of you as a friend, but then I was proven wrong. I thought you didn¡¯t care about fame and fortune, but no. We¡¯re done, Matthew. You¡¯re not getting what you want.¡± An evil smile appeared on Matthew¡¯s face. ¡°Now you¡¯re just overreacting. I¡¯m just trying to get what¡¯s rightfully mine, but they denied me. Why shouldn¡¯t I fight for myself?¡± ¡°You should, but you shouldn¡¯t have used me for it.¡± A storm brewed within Elise¡¯s eyes, and she shot back, ¡°You were just pretending to be kind to me because you wanted to use me, didn¡¯t you? You had some sort of n. It was a bold move, but it worked. However, the problem here is that I don¡¯t like you. And I hate conniving bastards like you who would scheme and backstab your friends instead of fighting fairly. It¡¯s disgusting.¡± Even though he was insulted, Matthew only smiled. ¡°This is a misunderstanding, Elise.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call my name, Matthew. We aren¡¯t as close as you think.¡± Matthew shrugged. ¡°And how do you know I was pretending? I might just like you for real.¡± Elise stopped him before he could say anything. ¡°Hold it right there. Keep this up and you might even believe that lie yourself. The best lies are the ones that even the liar themselves believe. You don¡¯t have to go that far.¡± Matthew squinted and was trying toe up with a reply, but Elise didn¡¯t want to waste any more time with him. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you want from me, but I¡¯m telling you now that I want nothing to do with you or your ns. If you try to use me again, I¡¯ll make sure you lose everything you have.¡± Elise was speaking calmly, but Matthew could feel the ferocity hidden under her calm demeanor. She isn¡¯t kidding. At that moment, Matthew realized that he didn¡¯t know Elise that much. On top of that, he realized he had no way of convincing her. That threw a wrench in his ns. He hade up with a lot of possibilities, but none of them included Elise shutting him down so absolutely. ¡°That¡¯s all I have to say, Matthew. Don¡¯t try to use me again.¡± She was about to leave, but Matthew stopped her. ¡°Hold on.¡± She stopped in her tracks. ¡°Anything else you want?¡± Matthew stared at her back. ¡°Can¡¯t you take my side? If you work with me, I can give you anything you want.¡± Elise turned around and gazed at him. ¡°No, you can¡¯t. Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. And I don¡¯t need you to give me anything I want, because you¡¯re just a nobody to me. We¡¯re done, Matthew.¡± She strode back to her ssroom without saying another word. After she left, Matthew felt a void forming in his heart. He never had that feeling before, but now he could clearly taste it, and he clenched his fists. Why is everyone taking your side, Alexander? Am I that much worsepared to you? Will everything change if you die? Chapter 111 Chapter 111 Chapter 111,Coolest Girl in Town At that moment, Matthew¡¯s heart started falling into the depths of darkness. ¡­ Griffith Group wasn¡¯t affected in the slightest by the event. Instead, a lot of bigpanies were nning on working with them, and that raised their share prices overnight. Eventually, it doubled over the span of two weeks. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only At the same time, Jack¡¯s new song was released on all mainstream streaming tforms. Jack was a decent singer in the first ce, so once his new song was released, his fans came in droves, jacking the song up to the top of the charts. ¡®God, his new song is a banger.¡¯ ¡®Man, this thing ps. This is my jam now.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ve listened to this thing a million times now. GOAT.¡¯ ¡®The song just came out. What do you mean you listened to it a million times?¡¯ Thements wouldn¡¯t stoping in, and the ratings kept shooting up. Elise was doing her Chinese listening practice, but then Mika interrupted. ¡°Elise, you have to listen to my husband¡¯stest hit. It¡¯s so good.¡± Mika took Elise¡¯s earphones off and hooked hers up to Elise. When Elise heard the song, she knew Jack was the singer, for he had a deep voice. He was born to be a singer. Great voice, very distinct. ¡°Not bad, right?¡± Mika asked happily. Elise smiled and nodded at her. ¡°Not bad.¡± Mika was delighted to hear that. ¡°I knew it. I¡¯m going to spread his new song to my friends.¡± She then posted the song to her wall. The status garnered a lot of likes in a short while, but then someonemented, ¡®Hey, this feels like a song H woulde up with.¡¯ Anothermentermented, ¡®Huh. Never thought of it that way, but now that you said it, it does sound like the kind of song H would create.¡¯ Mika stared at thements in disbelief. ¡°Impossible! My husband wrote the song all by himself. There¡¯s no way it sounds like a song from H. They¡¯re saying Jack copied someone¡¯s work? Impossible!¡± Mika wrote back angrily, ¡®Nonsense! Jack won¡¯t copy anyone! He wrote the song all by himself! What do you guys know?¡¯ Elise noticed Mika¡¯s mood change, since her expression turned from happy to dour in a second. Elise even felt a hint of anger from her. ¡°Are you alright, Mika?¡± Mika wanted to tell her what happened, but then it wasn¡¯t something great, so she decided to hide it. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Elise. Go back to your listening practice. I¡¯ll be off now.¡± Elise thought something was off, but she couldn¡¯t put a finger on it. Hm, but Mika¡¯s a straightforward girl. She¡¯ll tell me if it¡¯s really serious. So, Elise dismissed it and went back to her listening practice. Danny was the one who came to pick her up after school that day. Ever since thepany got into trouble, a switch had flipped within him, and he was a changed man. Danny used to be more nonchnt andid back, but now he was quieter and calmer. When he saw Elise, he called her, ¡°Boss.¡± She got in the car, and it drove toward Griffith Residence. Elise was skimming through her Chinese textbook, but then she realized Danny was ncing at her. ¡°Yes, Danny?¡± Danny coughed sheepishly. ¡°You don¡¯t have to say it if you don¡¯t want to. I don¡¯t have time for this,¡± Elise grunted. Danny panicked. ¡°Wait, boss. I have to tell you this.¡± Elise looked at him. Danny mustered up all his courage and asked, ¡°Boss, how can I raise my grades and get myself into a good college?¡± Elise touched his forehead. ¡°Hm, you don¡¯t look sick to me. What happened?¡± Danny looked embarrassed but he pressed on, ¡°Your grades are awesome. You must have a way of studying, so can you teach me? The entrance exam is only five months away. How can I raise my grades enough to get into a great college?¡± Elise put her textbook down. She was surprised about Danny¡¯s sudden change, so she asked, ¡°Why do you want to get into college all of a sudden? I mean, you can still be sessful even if you don¡¯t do anything, so why go the extra mile? You came this far without doing much, so why now?¡± Danny used to think that way as well. With how rich and powerful his family was, he was already set for life. The future wasn¡¯t something to get worried about, nor did he see the need to improve himself, until his family got into trouble. It was then he realized he wasn¡¯t powerful enough to help his family. Nay, he was practically useless in the crisis, and that was a big wake up call for him. That moment of powerlessness made him realize he had to do something while he still had time. He knew he had to do something so he could stand on his own two feet. ¡°Because I want to be better.¡± That was the simplest answer he coulde up with. Elise was surprised he¡¯d say that, and she gazed at him. ¡°What were your grades like?¡± Danny started to hum and haw. He never paid any attention in ss ever since he got into high school, and he slept during most exams since he couldn¡¯t understand anything on the paper. Every time someone asked him about his grades, the answer he gave was simple. ¡°Not good.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. Just tell me a rough number,¡± Elise continued. Danny answered sheepishly, ¡°Around fifty each for English, math, and foreignnguage. And a hundred for theprehensive test, I guess.¡± ¡°Two hundred and fifty? That¡¯s not a good score.¡± She frowned. Danny didn¡¯t want to admit it, but she was right. ¡°I guess so.¡± She pursed her lips. ¡°It won¡¯t be easy for you to get into a college with that score.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why I¡¯m asking you to help me out. You¡¯re a top student, aren¡¯t you?¡± Danny looked at her expectantly, but Elise shrugged. ¡°So. What does that have to do with you?¡± Danny huddled closer. ¡°Alex said it¡¯s important that we hang out with the right crowd. Take business for example. If I hang out with a billionaire, I can at least be a millionaire. If I hang out with a millionaire, I can make more money in a year than most of the poption can in three. Same thing with my studies. If I have your help, I can get into a regr college at the very least.¡± Elise knew what he was getting at. ¡°So you¡¯re saying you want my help?¡± Chapter 112 Chapter 112 Chapter 112,Coolest Girl in Town Danny nodded violently. ¡°You¡¯re my boss, right? And ackey always needs their boss¡¯ help.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I can help you,¡± she refused. Danny panicked, of course. ¡°What do you mean, boss? Are you worried that I won¡¯t listen to you? Don¡¯t fret. I¡¯ll do anything you ask if you¡¯ll help me out. I¡¯ll quit my video games and do anything you tell me to. I swear.¡± Elise liked Danny¡¯s attitude, but it still didn¡¯t change the fact that this was a great undertaking. She never taught anyone before, so she might botch the job. And Danny might lose his zeal and quit real soon. If that was true, she would have wasted her time. ¡°Do you really want to do this?¡± she asked again. Danny nodded without hesitation. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure I do.¡± ¡°I can help you, but with a condition,¡± Elise said. ¡°We¡¯ll have to agree on a contract, and you¡¯ll have to listen to me for five months, which is until the entrance exam. If you disobey me, then the contract is voided. But if you do as I say, I promise you¡¯ll get into a college without any problem.¡± ¡°Deal,¡± Danny answered quickly. ¡°I¡¯ll draft it once we get home.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no turning back, Danny. Think it through. Take your time,¡± Elise told him. ¡°I won¡¯t turn back now.¡± Danny hurried upstairs after he came home, but Elise came in slowly. When the servant saw her, they greeted, ¡°Wee home, Miss Elise.¡± Elise took her coat off and handed it to the servant. The servant told her, ¡°All the young masters are home today and they¡¯re in the backyard with Mr. Jonah. Will you be there too, Miss Elise?¡± Elise was surprised that all four of them were home, since they spent most of their time doing their own thing. ¡°Yes.¡± She went to the backyard and saw Alexander ying chess with Jonah, while Jack and Brendan were giving tips. You don¡¯t see peaceful stuff like this every day now. ¡°Grandpa Griffith.¡± Elise went over, and Jonah looked at her. ¡°You¡¯re back, Elise. Help me out. Alex has improved a lot, and I might lose this match.¡± Elise took a look at the board, and she realized that they were evenly matched. ¡°No helpers, grandpa. I¡¯m holding you to that,¡± Brendan told him. Jonah smiled. ¡°I know. I¡¯m just getting her to help me out. Can¡¯t lose to Alex too much, can I?¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯d lose, Grandpa Griffith. Quite the opposite, actually. Just do as you do, and you¡¯ll win.¡± Jonah cracked a grin. ¡°That¡¯s what I like to hear.¡± They huddled around the table and watched happily as the chess match unfolded. In the end, Jonah won, but only barely. ¡°Sirs, Miss Elise, dinner¡¯s ready!¡± Jonah was delighted he won the game. ¡°Alright. Time for dinner.¡± They went to the dining hall, but just when they came to the porch, Danny came down and dragged Elise away. ¡°Take a look and tell me if anything needs changing, boss. I¡¯ll do it right away.¡± Elise scanned the contract. There was barely any space between each line, and she was surprised that Danny managed to write almost every single use in an hour. Efficient. ¡°So? Give me something, boss.¡± ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?¡± she asked again. Danny nodded without any hesitation. ¡°Yes, I am. Willingly.¡± Elise decided that she would give this a try as well. ¡°Fine. Give me a pen.¡± Danny handed her one immediately, and she took it. When she finally signed the contract, Danny¡¯s eyes lit up. Elise handed the contract back to him. ¡°Done.¡± Danny took it carefully, as if it was a priceless treasure. ¡°I¡¯ll be in your care now, boss.¡± Elise grunted. ¡°It¡¯s dinner time, so let¡¯s go.¡± Danny chuckled. ¡°No prob.¡± It was the first time in a long time that everyone was having dinner together. Well, almost everyone. Matthew¡¯s spot was empty. Jonah looked at everyone for a moment. ¡°I called everyone back just for dinner as it has been a while. Thanks to you boys, the family¡¯s getting better and better. d to see you boys working together as a team, just like I told you to. Keep this up, alright?¡± Alexander stared down before answering, ¡°We will, grandpa.¡± Brendan chimed in, ¡°We¡¯re a family, grandpa, and that will never change.¡± Jack nodded in agreement. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, grandpa. We¡¯ll be better.¡± Danny looked at everyone and resolved himself. ¡°I¡¯ll catch up to you guys too. I won¡¯t be a deadweight anymore. We¡¯ll work together.¡± Elise was touched to see that. So this is family, huh? Nothing can change that. At that moment, she finally understood something that had been haunting her for a long time. ¡°Good to hear that. We¡¯ll always be a family, remember that.¡± Jonah smiled. Then he remembered something, and he said, ¡°Oh, almost forgot about this. The Lawsons sent us an invitation earlier. Their family head is celebrating his sixtieth birthday on the eighteenth. They¡¯re our great friends, so we¡¯re going to attend it. More specifically, one of you is going to attend.¡± The brothers looked at one another for a moment, then Jack spoke first. ¡°I¡¯m busytely, grandpa, so I don¡¯t think I can go.¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Brendan added, ¡°I¡¯m going to a fashion show in Paris and the new designs are still in production, so I have to work on it. I¡¯ll have to decline.¡± Danny was going to work on his grades, so he couldn¡¯t go to events like these like he used to. ¡°I have something to do too, grandpa.¡± In the end, Jonah looked at Alexander and Elise. ¡°Since they¡¯re busy, that leaves the both of you. Alex, Elise, you¡¯ll be attending the celebration.¡± Elise wanted to refuse, but Alexander said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell Cameron to free up my schedule on the eighteenth.¡± Elise swallowed her refusal. ¡°Sure, Grandpa Griffith.¡± Chapter 113 Chapter 113 Chapter 113,Coolest Girl in Town The Griffiths and Lawsons went way back. The Lawsons had two brilliant sons called Donald and Darius. They were powerful men in the political scene and the business world, making the Lawsons one of the most prestigious families in the upper society. The birthday party was held for Donald, and it was set on a luxurious yacht. When they arrived at the destination, there was already a group of distinguished guests there. ¡°I heard we¡¯ll be staying on the yacht overnight. It¡¯ll dock tomorrow afternoon, so if you want to retire for the night, you can ask the waiter to give you the key card,¡± Alexander told Elise. Elise looked at the crowd. ¡°I see.¡± And they got out of the car. Alexander held his elbow out, much to Elise¡¯s surprise. ¡°Hold my arm,¡± he said. Elise hesitated, but she eventually held his arm, and they went toward the yacht. ¡°Alex!¡± Even before they got to the yacht, Ashlyn was already waving at Alexander. Then, she came up to him quickly. ¡°You¡¯re finally here,¡± she said, as if they were close friends. ¡°Yes. Thanks for the wee, Miss Lawson,¡± Alexander answered indifferently. Ashlyn noticed his distant attitude, of course, but she didn¡¯t mind. She had a big n for the night, and the mere thought of that made her grin. She¡¯d usually make snarky remarks at Elise, but not today. Her n took precedence. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here too, Miss Sinir. I hope you¡¯ll enjoy the night.¡± Elise looked at her. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ashlyn noticed her holding Alexander¡¯s arm, but she ignored that. ¡°I¡¯ll take you guys inside.¡± ¡°Please do, Miss Lawson.¡± Ashlyn led the way for them. ¡°Uncle wanted it to be a quiet celebration at the residence, but I told him to hold the party on a yacht. It¡¯s more fun that way, don¡¯t you think, Miss Sinir?¡± Elise blinked at her, wondering why Ashlyn was being so nice today. ¡°I bet the night view is going to be great on the yacht. You¡¯ve thought this through.¡± Ashlyn¡¯s smile broadened. ¡°I have a special event arranged tonight, and I hope to see you there, Miss Sinir.¡± She winked cheekily at Elise, as if she was just an innocent youngdy. If it wasn¡¯t because Elise nearly fell for her scheme in the past, Elise would have thought she was just a naive girl. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s an interesting event. Can¡¯t wait for it,¡± Elise answered politely. Ashlyn gazed at her, the grin in her eyes twinkling. It was a huge yacht that could hold five hundred guests, and it was decked out with entertainment facilities, a banquet hall, dining room, and guest rooms. Anyone could stay on the yacht for a month and they still wouldn¡¯t get bored. After they got on the yacht, Ashlyn led them to the banquet hall. ¡°My uncle¡¯s at that corner. We should go and say hi.¡± It wasmon courtesy for the guests to greet the host, so Elise and Alexander went along. Donald was already a sixty-year-old man, but he didn¡¯t look a day over forty. He looked as energetic and happy as a youngd. ¡°Hello, Donald,¡± Alexander greeted him. Donald beamed when he saw Alexander. ¡°Good to see you, Alexander. It¡¯s been a while. You¡¯ve grown a lot.¡± ¡°Yes, it has been years since west met.¡± Donald thought highly of Alexander. Once upon a time, he wanted to match his daughter up with thed, but s, his daughter ended up with a pauper. It shook their circle, and Donald was still furious about it. After all, if he could be the Griffiths¡¯ inws, it¡¯d work wonders for his political career. ¡°Still as energetic as ever, myd. Griffith Group is going strong under your leadership, I see. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll get even better. Doe over if you¡¯re free. The kids would love to see you. You¡¯ve been friends since you were little.¡± ¡°Of course, Donald,¡± Alexander answered. After that small talk, Alexander and Elise went to the hall. It was packed with guests but Elise didn¡¯t like crowds, so she let go of Alexander¡¯s arm. ¡°You should socialize with the guests. I¡¯ll get some fresh air on the deck,¡± she whispered. ¡°It¡¯s blustery out there. Be careful.¡± Elise waved at him and went outside to the deck alone. Night had fallen upon thend, and stars twinkled brightly in the heavens, basking the earth in a silvery sheen. There were only a few people on the deck, chatting away the time. Elise stood alone at one side, leaning against the guardrail as she enjoyed the night breeze. All of a sudden, someone popped up and tapped her shoulder, giving her a shock. When she turned around, she was surprised to see Zachary there. ¡°Zachary? Why are you here?¡± Zachary¡¯s eyes were twinkling as he gazed at her. He didn¡¯t want toe in the first ce, but his family thought it was time for him to make some connections of his own, so they took him along. He was bored when he came here, but to his surprise, he saw Elise in the hall. After she went to the deck, he followed along. ¡°Mr. Lawson is my father¡¯srade. We¡¯ve been friends for a long time now,¡± he exined. After a pause, he continued, ¡°Didn¡¯t think I¡¯d see you here. I thought it would be a boring banquet, but now I got all interested.¡± Elise smiled, but she said nothing. ¡°Did youe alone?¡± he asked. Elise shook her head. ¡°No.¡± All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Back then, she asked Alexander to act as her boyfriend so she could refuse Zachary¡¯s courtship. It was a good thing that Alexander had yed along, and that he was here now. Despite what Elise said, Zachary still thought she was alone. She¡¯s just trying to look good in front of everyone. I saw her coming onto the deck alone. He was delighted at the thought of that, for it was the perfect opportunity for him to know Elise better. ¡°The entrance exam is five months away. What¡¯s your dream college?¡± Chapter 114 Chapter 114 Chapter 114,Coolest Girl in Town Elise paused for a moment. She was a double degree graduate and only came to Athesea¡¯s high school because of a bet with her grandfather. She never considered any education after high school, since she had graduated from University of Edinburgh with a double degree already. Going through college for the second time was pointless for her. Elise shook her head. ¡°Not exactly.¡± Zachary said, ¡°I¡¯m aiming for Princeton.¡± The top college in the nation? Elise said, ¡°I wish you all the best then.¡± Zachary looked at her seriously and pursed his lips. ¡°Elise, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem for you to get into Princeton if you want to. You can consider it.¡± Elise didn¡¯t answer that. Instead, she said, ¡°I don¡¯t really like Princeton.¡± In other words, she would never opt for that college. Zachary was crestfallen for obvious reasons. Princeton was the top college in the nation, and his family wanted him to get into it, so he had no choice but to do it. But that meant he couldn¡¯t meet Elise, since she was not interested in it. ¡°It¡¯s fine. As long as you¡¯re in Northcliff.¡± Elise knew what Zachary was trying to say, but she had to give him a clear-cut refusal. Dragging things out was a big taboo in rtionships. She wouldn¡¯t give anyone even the slightest bit of hope if she didn¡¯t like him. ¡°I might not be going to any college, Zachary. You don¡¯t have to stubbornly cling onto me. You¡¯ll be living a great life and meeting a lot of new people. Don¡¯t be too obsessed over me. You might just meet the girl of your life tomorrow.¡± Zachary was looking at her, but he didn¡¯t seem to hear what she just said. ¡°I know, but I¡¯ll still go on.¡± In other words, he didn¡¯t mind that his love was unrequited. Even though she had no romantic interest in him, that wouldn¡¯t change how he felt about her. A frown appeared on her forehead. She never talked to him that much aside from that time in the National Math Olympiad training camp. Even then, they didn¡¯t talk about anything other than thepetition. Why on earth does he like me that much? ¡°Sorry, Zachary. My boyfriend must be looking for me, so I have to leave now.¡± She brought her boyfriend up so Zachary would give up on her, but he only smiled. ¡°Sure. You go ahead. I¡¯ll be waiting here.¡± Elise went away, but she couldn¡¯t shake the weird feeling she got from meeting Zachary. However, she couldn¡¯t put a finger on why she felt weird, so she put it aside for the time being. Right after she came back into the hall, she saw Alexander in the crowd. Before she could meet up with him, Ashlyn stopped her. ¡°Miss Lawson.¡± When Elise turned around, she saw Ashlyn, who was surrounded by a group of rich ladies,e up to her. Elise smiled mirthlessly. ¡°Anything you need, Miss Lawson?¡± No matter how many times Ashlyn saw her, she could never understand why Elise had the guts to stand among them. She¡¯s so basic and ugly. ¡°Is this thedy you told us about, Ashlyn? She looks special,¡± one of thedies said. She was Queenie, Ashlyn¡¯s friend. The moment she said that, the otherdies snickered. ¡°Don¡¯t call her that, Queenie. She might not be a pretty girl, but she¡¯s a brave one. I don¡¯t think we get that kind of people in our circle nowadays.¡± Queenie dismissed what her friend said, and she looked at Elise in contempt. ¡°She¡¯s just dragging our ss down. Now I feel all dirty knowing someone like her is breathing the same air as me.¡± Elise knew the girls were here to cause trouble at once, but she wouldn¡¯t give them the pleasure. ¡°Well, you can always get the hell out of here. You belong in the trash can anyway.¡± Queenie flew into a rage. ¡°What did you just call me, you b*tch? You¡¯re the trash here! Get a mirror for Pete¡¯s sake.¡± Anotherdy called Nelly agreed, ¡°You know, you can get first prize even without any makeup on in a Halloween costume contest. If anyone here is ugly, it¡¯s you.¡± Elise crossed her arms and stared at thedies as she replied without skipping a beat, ¡°Honestly, I might be ugly, but at least I¡¯m not a troll. You could be cast in the first Harry Potter¡¯s film and nobody could tell the difference between you and the troll in the dungeon.¡± Before they could say anything, Elise looked at Ashlyn. ¡°You think this is funny? Remember what happenedst time? Now that was funny. I can jog your memory for you if you¡¯ve forgotten all about it.¡± Ashlyn could hear the implicit threat. She came here in the first ce to embarrass Elise, but she never thought Elise would manage to shut her down so easily. Queenie and Nelly were about to retort, but Ashlyn stopped them. ¡°Let it go, girls. We don¡¯t have to waste our time with her. Don¡¯t forget what we¡¯re here for.¡± Queenie and Nelly were disgruntled. They wouldn¡¯t have been insulted by Elise if it wasn¡¯t because of Ashlyn asking them for help. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. But now, instead of helping them out, Ashlyn told them to shut up, much to their annoyance. ¡°You told us to do it, Ashlyn. How could you do this after what she said to us?¡± Queenie grumbled. Nelly shared her sentiment. ¡°You¡¯d better not use us as a means to an end. We¡¯re not stupid.¡± The sudden infighting caught Ashlyn by surprise, but she had more important matters to handle, so it wasn¡¯t the time to antagonize them. ¡°I told you she managed to one up me once, but I never thought she could handle you guys at the same time so easily. Seems like I underestimated her. Don¡¯t me me for telling you guys to stop though. She has dirt on me, and she won¡¯t hesitate to spill it if I go any further back there.¡± Ashlyn was starting to y victim. Queenie didn¡¯t like it, but it wasn¡¯t the time to be fighting among themselves, so she let it slide for the time being. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, girl. Elise is better than we thought. I¡¯ll have to teach her a lesson. You have a n tonight, don¡¯t you? Add her into the equation. The guard outside should work well enough. Let¡¯s give her a free sampling then.¡± The girls grinned at each other evilly as they concocted a sinister n for Elise. Chapter 115 Chapter 115 Chapter 115,Coolest Girl in Town Elise went back and strolled around the hall, but in the end, she took a seat on the couch, bored. A short whileter, Alexander came to sit beside her. ¡°This might take a while. You can go to the cabin if you want to.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°I know. I¡¯ll go in a bit.¡± Since Elise hadn¡¯t eaten much, Alexander went to take some snacks for her. ¡°Here, eat something. Don¡¯t starve yourself.¡± Elise looked up at him. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Mr. Griffith.¡± One of Alexander¡¯s business partners came over to talk to him. Alexander gave Elise a look that said he had to leave for a while. Elise nodded at him and told him he could go. Alexander started chatting with his business partner. ¡°We¡¯ll be in your care now, Mr. Griffith. A toast to our continued sess.¡± The business partner took two sses from the waiter and handed one to Alexander. Alexander only took one sip, but his business partner downed it all in one gulp. ¡°I look forward to the partnership, Mr. Griffith.¡± Alexander nodded. A whileter, morepany presidents went to chat with him. Alexander talked with them and kept sipping from his ss. He didn¡¯t drink much, but eventually, his ss was emptied. At the same time, Queenie was looking at Alexander smugly, then she grinned at Ashlyn. ¡°It¡¯s a powerful aphrodisiac, so be ready, girl.¡± Ashlyn looked delighted. ¡°If it means I can get my hands on him, I don¡¯t care how powerful it is.¡± Queenie knew how much Ashlyn wanted to marry Alexander, but she had to warn her as a friend. ¡°Ashlyn, he¡¯s not your regr guy. He might not marry you even if you guys had sex, so you have to be prepared.¡± However, Ashlyn didn¡¯t heed that warning. ¡°Ah, he¡¯ll marry me, I¡¯m sure. Even if he doesn¡¯t care about me, he still has to do it because of our families. And today¡¯s my dangerous day, so if this works, I might get knocked up, and his family won¡¯t allow his child to be born a b*stard. He still has to marry me one way or another.¡± Since Ashlyn had made her decision, Queenie knew it was impossible to dissuade her, so she let it go. ¡°Don¡¯t let your chance slip, and I¡¯ll be sticking to the n tomorrow. If this works, you better give me what I want.¡± Ashlyn said confidently, ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about that. I never go back on my word. Just give me the key card. I¡¯m counting on you guys now.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Nelly and Queenie said at the same time, then Queenie handed the key card to Ashlyn. ¡°It¡¯s room 2203.¡± Ashlyn took the card and waved at them before heading toward the cabin. After she left, Nelly whispered, ¡°What if they know we helped her? Alexander isn¡¯t to be trifled with. If he wants to get back at us, our families are going to be wrecked.¡± Queenie didn¡¯t think so. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They won¡¯t ever find out, and besides, so what if they did? We¡¯re the aplices, not the mastermind. No matter how powerful he is, he can¡¯t do anything to us without proof.¡± Nelly¡¯s worries were assuaged after that. ¡°So what about Elise?¡± Darkness swirled within Queenie¡¯s eyes. ¡°She¡¯s going to get a big surprise. I have just the perfect man who can be her partner for the night. Her room¡¯s right next to Ashlyn¡¯s. They might even hear each other.¡± The witches chuckled, their eyes glinting with malice. After Elise finished her snacks, a waiter came over with a tray filled with sses ¡°Our bartender just made these cocktails. Care to have a try, miss?¡± Elise took one ss and said thank you. She liked cocktails, so she took a sip, and it felt delicious. ¡°Not bad. The bartender¡¯s a decent one.¡± She took another sip before putting the ss down and went to see the receptionist. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Elise. I¡¯m here for my key card.¡± ¡°A minute, miss.¡± The staff member went to look for her key card and handed it to her a momentter. ¡°Here¡¯s your card, miss. Your room¡¯s on the right side of the corridor. Just walk straight from this side.¡± She took the key and nced at the room number on it. 2202. Then, she went along the corridor. After she reached the room, Elise swiped the card and went inside. The room was resplendently decorated, but Elise wasn¡¯t in the mood to appreciate it. She cleaned her feet on the rug before closing the door behind her. Then, she went straight to the bed. For some reason, her head was feeling heavy ever since a while ago, and her body was heating up. Thinking it was seasickness, she slid under the nket and decided to sleep. At the same time, a drunken man was wobbling in the corridor. Every inch of him screamed perversion, and he looked just like a thug. ¡°Dammit! I¡¯m not there yet?¡± the man cursed and stopped to take a look at the room number on his key card. The number on it seemed to read 2203, so he wobbled over to that room and double checked it before swiping it on the lock. Since the number matched, he swiped it, but the lock beeped, telling him he got the wrong room. He was just about to leave, but he tripped over himself and mmed against the door, inadvertently opening it. He fell face first onto the ground, and he cursed, ¡°F*ck! Did someone push me or something?¡± He got up from the ground and wobbled into the room. It was filled with the scent of roses, and the ambience hinted at a night of romance and sex. Seeing that, the man started to beam, and he picked up his pace. Ashlyn hade out of the bathroom and changed into her pajamas. She even took a dose of aphrodisiac in case she was found out. At the moment, she was lying in bed, waiting for Alexander to ravage her. It didn¡¯t take long for her body to heat up with lust, and a void started to form within her. That void demanded her to have sex with a man and she tried to resist it at first, but eventually, she started crumbling. ¡°Not a bad aphrodisiac.¡± The next moment, she heard someone opening the door, and she felt delighted, thinking that it was Alexander. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Ashlyn quickly turned the lights off without thinking and slipped under the covers. When she heard the footstepsing closer to her, the mes of lust burned even brighter within her. The man eventually pounced onto her. ¡°I¡¯ming,dy!¡± Ashlyn didn¡¯t know who the man was, but what she did know was that she could finally fill that void of lust within her. Without any hesitation, she embraced the man, and a symphony of lust started ying in the room. ¡­¡­ Chapter 116 Chapter 116 Chapter 116,Coolest Girl in Town A long, long sleepter, Elise woke up feeling even more ufortable than she was before she went to bed. Her throat felt parched, and she tried to quench her thirst with a ss of water, but it didn¡¯t help one bit. Instead, the water only fueled the mes within her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me?¡± she mumbled. Elise took another big gulp of water, but it still didn¡¯t help. Instead, she was starting to sweat. ¡°Why am I sweating? Hm, the room¡¯s probably too hot.¡± She thought that must be it, so Elise went outside. She wanted to get some fresh air on the deck, but she bumped into Alexander the moment she came out. ¡°Alexander? Why are you here?¡± At that very moment, she felt like Alexander was different tonight, and she was overwhelmed by this urge to pounce on him. ¡°Alexander, y-you look so sexy tonight,¡± Elise blurted, perhaps a bit more honest than she wanted to be, but in her defense, she had no idea what she was saying. Alexander thought something was off with her. Her face was unusually red, and when he touched her forehead, his face fell. ¡°Someone drugged you.¡± Elise looked at him dumbly. She kept gulping as she held down her urge to pounce on him. All she wanted to do was to get closer to him. ¡°Alexander¡ª¡± Before she could finish, Alexander dragged her back into the room and mmed the door shut, then he took her to the bathroom. ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked. Alexander didn¡¯t borate. He turned the faucet on and filled the tub with water. At the same time, everything started spinning around Elise. She shook her head to clear herself up a bit, but that started making her see doubles. ¡°Hey, there¡¯s like a dozen of you here. Am I hallucinating?¡± Alexander shoved her into the tub. Elise reflexively covered her face right before she made contact with water. Even when she was half- conscious, she still didn¡¯t want to ruin her makeup. When the ice cold water sshed against her skin, Elise was jolted awake. She looked up at Alexander, and the doubles were gone. ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked. Alexander stared at her and was about to answer, but he felt his belly tensing up, and his breathing turned heavier. Sh*t. I have a bad feeling about this. Just as he suspected, he started heating up a momentter. Alexander quickly turned around to keep himself from looking at Elise. ¡°Stay in the tub and don¡¯te out unless I say so.¡± Elise nodded dumbly, then Alexander went out and closed the bathroom door. He was experienced enough to know why his body was starting to react that way. Someone drugged me too. Fortunately, it was still manageable for him. He held his urges back and tried to call someone, but he realized the signal was too weak, for they were at sea. I can¡¯t even make a call. His face fell. If this keeps up, who knows what might happen? He made a decision and went back to the room to find something. In the end, he saw a rod lying around, so he took it and speared his thigh with it. A searing pain shot up from his leg, but he didn¡¯t even groan. It sobered him up, however, and the mes of lust died down a lot. He felt relieved, but that didn¡¯t stop him from calling Cameron. After countless calls, it finally went through.¡± ¡°Sir!¡± Alexander quickly said, ¡°Someone drugged me. It¡¯s an aphrodisiac, and it¡¯s going to peak¡ª¡± Before he could finish, the phone went dead. Dammit. No signal again. Left with no choice, he kept the phone and nced at his bloody leg. I have to do this. He held the rod up again and speared his leg with it. Blood flowed down his thigh, but he didn¡¯t even wince. All he hoped was to wait out the aphrodisiac this way. ¡°Open the door, Alexander!¡± Elise got out of the bathtub and banged on the door, but Alexander held it back, preventing her from coming out. ¡°Get back into the tub and don¡¯te out.¡± Elise had sobered up, but her lust was stoked the moment she came out of the bathtub. ¡°What is the meaning of this? Open the door!¡± ¡°Just get back into the tub and don¡¯te out.¡± She couldn¡¯t argue with that, and she was starting to feel ufortable again. The only way to feel better was to stay in the bathtub, so she went back. Once she slid into the bathtub, she felt much better. The both of them tried their best to endure the aphrodisiac. Once the effect peaked, Alexander kept stabbing his leg to stave the lust off. Eventually, he went numb with pain. At the same time, Elise stayed in the bathtub to keep her lust at bay. Once the effect went away, she leaned back and drifted to sleep. Time dragged on. When the aphrodisiac wore off, it was alreadyte night. Alexander¡¯s shirt was drenched with his sweat, and his leg was a bloody mess. He should have been in agony, but still he got up and hobbled to the bathroom. ¡°How do you feel, Elise?¡± He knocked on the door. But there was no response. He knocked on the door again, but there was still no response. In the end, he opened the door and saw Elise sleeping in the bathtub. She looked beautiful when she was asleep, and it stirred something within him. Alexander gulped, but he quickly looked away. ¡°Wake up, Elise.¡± He strode over to her. ¡°Don¡¯t sleep. You¡¯re going to catch a cold.¡± However, Elise was sound asleep, and he couldn¡¯t wake her up. n B then. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. He fished her out of the water and took her back to the room even though he was getting drenched. Elise drowsily wrapped her arm around his neck and leaned against his chest in afortable position. It was a silent room, but Alexander could hear his heart pounding, and he could feel a panic attack coming up. But it was not the time for that, so he put her on the bed and called a staff member with the phone on the bedside. After the staff member came, he handed her a wad of cash. ¡°Get her a set of clothes.¡± The waitress took the wad of cash at once and came back with her work attire. ¡°Sir, I only have my own clothes here. She¡¯s about the same size as I am, so can this work?¡± Alexander wasn¡¯t a picky man, so he allowed it. The staff member left after that, but the bed was already wet and not fit for sleeping. Luckily, it was a big room, so he took her to the couch. As he looked down at her, he realized that Elise didn¡¯t look so ugly. In fact, her features were decent, but they seemed out of ce together. Still, that didn¡¯t change the fact that she was pretty. The mere thought of her being pretty made Alexander avert his gaze. Since it was still a few hours away from daybreak, Alexander got a nket and slept on the floor beside Elise. This is going to be a long night. Yes, but at the same time, it was also a short one. Chapter 117 Chapter 117 Chapter 117 A Random Man,Coolest Girl in Town When Elise woke up, she felt weak, as if all strength had left her. She slowly got up, and the first thing she saw was Alexander lying on the ground. That shocked her, but then she remembered what happenedst night, and her face fell. She could remember what happened the night before vividly, and she knew what that meant. Someone set me up. She clenched her fists. I don¡¯t know who they are, but they will pay for this. Suddenly, she remembered something. Elise quickly got off the couch and went to the bathroom. After she closed the door, she looked in the mirror and heaved a sigh of relief. Good thing my makeup isn¡¯t ruined. If I¡¯m busted, there¡¯s going to be trouble. She got her makeup back in order and confirmed it was fine beforeing out. At the same time, Alexander woke up. Elise felt awkward facing him, but still she asked, ¡°Are you alright?¡± A frown appeared on his forehead. He was mostly fine, but the pain from his thigh made him gasp. ¡°Come here,¡± he said coldly. She wondered why he wanted her there, but still she went over. It was then she saw the blood caked on his pants. ¡°What happened to your leg? Are you okay?¡± She went down to give it a closer look and found out that his blood had drenched his whole pants and dried up. ¡°It¡¯s just a flesh wound. Nothing big,¡± he dismissed it. ¡°Prop me up. Once we dock, I¡¯ll get Cameron to patch it up.¡± Elise frowned. ¡°No. That looks serious. You should go to a hospital.¡± She propped him up and put him down on the couch. Elise didn¡¯t take her eyes away from the wound. Even though he was the wounded one, she could also feel the pain from it. He could have sumbed to the aphrodisiacst night, but instead of doing so, he injured himself just to keep her safe. That touched her. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± ¡°No,¡± he answered calmly. Of course it hurts. But Elise didn¡¯t say that, for she knew he was just trying to act tough. However, she had decided to take him to the hospital right after they docked. It was then they heard amotion outside, and it got louder as time passed. ¡°What happened out there?¡± Elise asked. Alexander stared down. ¡°No idea. Probably some ident or something.¡± At the same time, a big crowd was standing outside room 2203, staring at the naked couple on the bed. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. They heard that an unidentified man had infiltrated the cabin, so they came with a bunch of guards in case the guests were in danger. But when they barged in, all they saw was a naked couple on the bed instead of a suspicious man. ¡°That¡¯s Miss Lawson. What is she doing?¡± ¡°I thought she¡¯s single. When did she get a boyfriend?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen the guy. He¡¯s not one of us.¡± The crowd was whispering among themselves. They would have snapped a lot of photos if it weren¡¯t because of the fact that Ashlyn was Donald¡¯s daughter. ¡°Ashlyn?¡± Queenie blurted, but when she saw the man beside her, she was shocked. ¡°W- What¡¯s going on?¡± Nelly was dumbfounded as well. ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that¡ª¡± Queenie covered her mouth before she could finish and gave her a look. They swallowed their words and slunk into a corner, hoping nobody would see them. Donald hurried over after his servant alerted him to this, but when he saw what was going on, he had a meltdown. He had never been so humiliated before, and his face was red with fury. ¡°Wake them up!¡± he roared. Nelly and Queenie shivered in fear from the sheer anger Donald was disying. Their n was to get Alexander to sleep with Ashlyn, but another guy had taken his ce instead, while Alexander was nowhere to be found. Queenie tugged on Nelly¡¯s shirt, whispering, ¡°What now? She¡¯ll kill us.¡± Nelly was terrified as well. She turned around to look at Queenie, stammering, ¡°W-We couldn¡¯t have predicted this. How should we know she¡¯s this thirsty? Sleeping with a rando¡ª¡± Before she could finish, Ashlyn¡¯s scream overwhelmed her. Naturally, Ashlyn was shocked when she found out what happened as well. She was confused and didn¡¯t know what to do. Everyone was staring at her in contempt, and she wondered why. When she looked at the man beside her, she shrieked, ¡°W-Who are you?¡± She could never imagine herselfing face to face with a total stranger. After all, she was expecting Alexander in her bed. To make things worse, she was now a public spectacle, and that realization broke her down. She pulled the nket over to cover her face. ¡°Get out! Everyone get out!¡± Donald looked like he would yell at her again. Over all these years in the political scene, never once did he get embroiled in a scandal. However, his track record was now ruined by his own niece. ¡°You b*tch!¡± Ashlyn¡¯s father showed up and gave her one tight p. ¡°You humiliated us!¡± he growled. Ashlyn couldn¡¯t believe her father just pped her. Darius looked at Donald carefully. ¡°Terribly sorry for this, Donald. This is all my fault.¡± Then Darius looked at everyone coldly. They knew what he was getting at, so they excused themselves. ¡°We had no idea about this, Mr. Lawson. Oh, look at the time. We should be leaving now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m leaving too, Mr. Lawson.¡± ¡°She is still young, so it¡¯s normal for her to do something like this. Don¡¯t yell at her, please.¡± ¡­¡­ Most of the guests were his colleagues and friends. Even though they were trying to calm him down, he felt humiliated for some reason. On the other hand, Ashlyn felt a chill running up her spine. The p hurt, but the realization that her future was doomed hurt her even more. This is it for me. The man had woken up as well, but he too was shocked to see what was happening. ¡°M-Mr. Lawson. What happened?¡± Chapter 118 Chapter 118 Chapter 118,Coolest Girl in Town Donald red at the man. If looks could kill, the man would have died ten times over. However, he wouldn¡¯t yell at him just yet, for he was reluctant to air any dirtyundry. Even so, he wanted to salvage his reputation, or what was left of it. ¡°Everyone, if it¡¯s possible, can you keep this a secret?¡± ¡°Sure, Mr. Lawson. I saw nothing.¡± ¡°Same here. I got here for some reason, but I see nothing here. Let¡¯s leave, guys.¡± All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to see here. We should go.¡± In the end, Queenie and Nelly were the only outsiders left in the cabin. Donald shot them a cold re, and Queenie took off with Nelly. ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving now, Mr. Lawson.¡± And they made a run for it. Once everyone was gone, Darius said, ¡°Ashlyn only did this on impulse, Donald. She doesn¡¯t know better.¡± ¡°That does not mean she can dishonor our family.¡± Darius didn¡¯t argue. He might be a man in his fifties, but he was still scared of his older brother. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll make sure she doesn¡¯t do this again. And everyone¡¯s keeping this a secret, I swear.¡± ¡°You make it sound so easy. Do you think they¡¯ll really listen just because you tell them to? They aren¡¯t stupid, you know?¡± Donald was starting to get annoyed by his brother¡¯s stupidity. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. I promise I¡¯ll handle this.¡± Darius red at Ashlyn. ¡°Well, don¡¯t just stand there. Cover yourself with something.¡± Ashlyn was shivering in fear, but she said nothing. Donald snorted and left, while Darius followed suit. In the end, only Ashlyn and the man were left in the room. The man was still groggy from his hangover. All he could remember was that he had funst night, but he never thought his partner would be one of the Lawsons. Now that he already had sex with her, there was no way to take it back. He whispered, ¡°I-I didn¡¯t know it was you, Miss Lawson. You started itst night, and I was forced to go along.¡± Ashlyn pulled the nket down and yelled, ¡°You b*stard! Say one more word and I¡¯ll tear you apart!¡± She had been holding her tears back, but now they were streaming down her cheeks. This isn¡¯t how it was supposed to go. What happened? Why isn¡¯t Alex here with me? Now everyone saw me in bed with another guy. There¡¯s no way Alex would date me anymore. She hit the bed as an outlet for her anger. Finally, she started crying out loud, much to the man¡¯s shock. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Miss Lawson. Actually¡ª¡± ¡°Out! Out, I say!¡± Ashlyn hurled a pillow at the man, sending him tumbling out of the bed. Unbeknownst to her, he was naked, and the moment she saw his dangling bits, she shrieked. Elise and Alexander were justing out of their cabin when they heard Ashlyn¡¯s scream. Elise frowned in confusion, then the door of room 2203 burst open, and a half-naked man came out with nothing but a towel covering his privates. From the looks of it, he was escaping something or someone. Elise ignored that. She kept propping Alexander up, asking, ¡°Are you alright?¡± He grunted. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Elise didn¡¯t think so. She was frowning in worry as she tried to hurry Alexander to a hospital so he could get his leg looked at. Just when they were going through the hall, they heard anothermotion happening. A momentter, Ashlyn pped Queenie right in front of everyone. ¡°You did that, didn¡¯t you? You b*tch!¡± Ashlyn growled, ring at Queenie as if thetter killed her father. Queenie clutched her face, but she didn¡¯t say anything. She couldn¡¯t believe she was pped after helping Ashlyn out so much. Ashlyn was angered even further, and she pped Queenie once more. By then, everyone¡¯s eyes were on them. Nelly stopped Ashlyn. ¡°What are you doing, Ashlyn? This has nothing to do with Queenie.¡± But Ashlyn didn¡¯t listen to her. Instead, she looked at Nelly coldly. ¡°So that means you¡¯re behind this.¡± Ashlyn pped Nelly this time, and Nelly clutched her face in pain. She was going to exin herself, but after that p, she changed her mind. ¡°You can¡¯t change anything even if you kill me, Ashlyn,¡± Nelly snapped, for she had nothing to lose. Ashlyn was extremely triggered by that reply. She pounced on Nelly like a rabid dog that would bite anyone who so much as looked at her the wrong way. ¡°You b*tch! You did this to me! I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Nobody went up to help. In the end, the guards had to step up and pull them apart. But that didn¡¯t stop Ashlyn from spitting at Nelly. Nelly¡¯s face was scratched, and her whole body throbbed in pain. Oh, so this is how it¡¯s going to be, huh? Since Ashlyn humiliated her, Nelly wouldn¡¯t let it slide so easily. ¡°Don¡¯t get so riled up, Ashlyn. You did this to yourself.¡± The guests were visibly interested when they heard that. They could smell a gossip brewing, and they listened closely. After all, everyone knew Ashlyn had slept with a random man in her cabin by that point, so any insider detail was sure to be something they wanted to hear. ¡°You b*tch! I knew it! You¡¯re the one behind this!¡± A smile tugged at Nelly¡¯s lips. ¡°You asked me to help you, Ashlyn. But now you¡¯re ming me? So ungrateful. And to think you¡¯re one of the Lawsons. How far you have fallen. You¡¯d do anything to get your hands on Alexander, including getting yourself knocked up so he¡¯ll be forced to marry you. Pity your ns failed due to the ident. Nobody could have predicted that, so don¡¯t vent on us for your own fault.¡± Queenie looked at Ashlyn in contempt. She never imagined Ashlyn to be so savage and brutish. Since she threw the first punch, Queenie didn¡¯t have to hold back either. ¡°Hey, you gave us the aphrodisiac, and you told us to spike his drink. We did as you said, but we had no idea why you ended up sleeping with a different guy.¡± Everyone gasped in surprise. Wow, this is one big drama. No, wait. This is a conspiracy! Chapter 119 Chapter 119 Chapter 119,Coolest Girl in Town Ashlyn pounced on Queenie like a crazed woman. ¡°What did you say, you b*tch? I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Queenie faced Ashlyn¡¯s assault head on, but it quickly devolved into a brawl. Even then, nobody went ahead to stop them, worried they might get hurt themselves. In the end, Donald had toe over with his men to stop the fight. Ashlyn¡¯s eyes were red with anger, and she was glowering at Queenie. ¡°You¡¯re not getting away with this so easily, b*tch. This isn¡¯t the end.¡± Donald finally snapped at that point, and he pped Ashlyn again. ¡°Enough! You¡¯ve humiliated us for thest time!¡± That p finally made her calm down, but that didn¡¯t stop Queenie. ¡°You brought this on yourself, Ashlyn. Honestly, I thought that was a low blow even from you. Good thing your n didn¡¯t go through, or it¡¯d be a bad day for the Griffiths. If Alexander was really forced to marry an evil b*tch like you, it would be the end of their family.¡± That was the first time someone ever insulted Donald that way. To be fair, he wasn¡¯t the target of that insult, but he still felt humiliated. ¡°Take her away!¡± he told his bodyguards. A momentter, they propped Queenie up and took her away. But even so, that didn¡¯t stop her from cursing. ¡°You can¡¯t let her go, Uncle Donald! You can¡¯t!¡± Ashlyn frothed at the mouth. If she leaves, I¡¯ll be finished! She has to die, or I won¡¯t be able to survive in this circle! But Donald didn¡¯t listen to Ashlyn and told his guards to bring Ashlyn away as well. Eventually, the crowd calmed down. The guests didn¡¯t say anything since Donald was there. However, they had told everyone about Ashlyn¡¯s actions when he wasn¡¯t looking. Embellished it, even. At the same time, everyone was ncing at Alexander. They would have said something, but Alexander was too imposing for them to do so. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Alexander said curtly. He was about to leave, but then Donald came up to them. ¡°Can you give me a minute, Alex? I need to talk to you.¡± Alexander answered indifferently, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Lawson, but I don¡¯t think we need to talk about anything.¡± It was a slight change in how he was addressed, but it set off Donald¡¯s rms. He knew Ashlyn had crossed the line, but he secretly thought it would have been great for the Lawsons if she actually seeded. Well, he couldn¡¯t say that out loud, so he pretended to look sad. ¡°I know Ashlyn crossed the line and it¡¯s over between her and your family, but that doesn¡¯t change the fact that our families are still friends. I¡¯ll teach her a lesson, I swear. She won¡¯t forget about it anytime soon.¡± Before he could finish, Elise sneered. ¡°Well, that¡¯s putting it lightly, Mr. Lawson. You think you can end this with just a simple apology? We¡¯re not stupid, you know.¡± Donald never even cared about Elise. Now that she had spoken up, he finally looked at her, but his gaze was not friendly. ¡°She¡¯s still my family. Furthermore, her n didn¡¯t seed, did it? That¡¯s what matters in the end,¡± he said brazenly. How disgusting. ¡°So you¡¯re saying it¡¯s okay to drug someone as long as their n fails in the end? And here I thought public servants should know more about thew, but it seems like I¡¯m proven wrong. Or are you trying to say you¡¯d rather protect your niece even if that means you¡¯d get demoted?¡± Donald was struck with fear after Elise said that. The whole reason he managed to climb up this high on the socialdder was because of his political status. If he were to be demoted, his family would be ruined. ¡°You¡¯re a great debater, aren¡¯t you, miss?¡± Donald wiped the sweat off his forehead and backed down. ¡°How about this? Tell me what you want me to do with Ashlyn, Alex? I¡¯ll do as you say.¡± Alex didn¡¯t say a word until that point. After all, Elise was cute when she butted heads with Donald. Also, he could feel that she was protecting him, and he liked that feeling, so he wanted it tost a while longer. ¡°Is that so, Mr. Lawson?¡± Donald nodded. ¡°I want to end this here. After all, I still want to be friends with your family.¡± Elise crouched down and pulled Alexander¡¯s pants up, revealing his wound under the fabric. ¡°We¡¯ll take that offer, Mr. Lawson. So how about you start with this thing here. Sure, the wound¡¯s healing up, but that doesn¡¯t mean it won¡¯t leave a scar. I¡¯ll make sure Ashlyn gets a painful reminder about this.¡± Elise was talking calmly, but she managed to scare Donald for the first time in his life. She might look ugly and young, but she was more imposing than him, who had worked in the political scene all his life. ¡°I¡¯ll hand her over to you, Alex. You can do whatever you want to her, but just keep her alive.¡± Just what I wanted, Elise thought. Alexander knew what she was thinking, so he agreed to it. ¡°Sure. I can work with that.¡± That¡¯s a yes. Whew. Donald heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°That looks serious, Alex. Why don¡¯t you go to our hospital? I¡¯ll get the best doctor to treat you.¡± ¡°No,¡± Alexander refused. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that. This is just a small wound. Just dock the yacht so that we can get off.¡± Donald quickly told the staff to dock the yacht. It was only after Elise and Alexander left did he realize his back was drenched with sweat. ¡°I want to know everything about the woman who was with Alexander,¡± he told his underling. Then he mumbled, ¡°I did my best, Ashlyn. It¡¯s all on you now.¡± ¡­ Cameron had been waiting at the pier for a while. When Alexander and Elise disembarked, he quickly weed them. ¡°How do you feel, sir?¡± ¡°Just a scratch. Let¡¯s go back to thepany,¡± he answered calmly. Elise refuted that suggestion. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°No. To the hospital first.¡± That put Cameron in a tough spot. Who should I listen to? Miss Sinir? The young master? ¡°Sir, what should I do?¡± Chapter 120 Chapter 120 Chapter 120,Coolest Girl in Town Alexander was about to say something, but Elise didn¡¯t give him a chance to speak. ¡°Do you seriously think that you¡¯re made of steel? How can you still work when you¡¯re hurt like this? Go to the hospital!¡± she instructed without any room for negotiation. Upon hearing this, he felt a sense of warmth in his heart. He was not offended at all as he could sense the concern in her voice. Meanwhile, Cameron held his breath. Finally, Alexander said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital first.¡± Relieved, Cameron answered, ¡°Yes, Mr. Griffith! Please get into the car with Miss Sinir.¡± After getting into the car, Alexander and Elise sat next to each other as the car sped off toward the hospital. Sitting in the passenger seat, Cameron eyed the two of them. Though the two did not say anything, Cameron could clearly feel that they were acting differentlypared to before. However, he couldn¡¯t point out exactly what was different. Hence, he didn¡¯t put too much thought into it and sent Alexander to the hospital. Alexander¡¯s wounds were simply superficial, and he seemed to be doing fine after the doctor treated them. ¡°Remember to rest well, avoid direct contact with water, and come back in time to get your dressings changed,¡± the doctor reminded as he prescribed Alexander some medicine. For the first time in forever, Alexander did not refute but conceded. As soon as Alexander came out of the doctor¡¯s office, Elise stood up from the chair immediately. ¡°How did it go? Are you alright?¡± Tossing her the medicine, he replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just need to take my medicine and get my dressings changed on time.¡± Hearing this, she sighed in relief. ¡°Don¡¯t go to thepany today. Go home and have a good rest.¡± Immediately, this stopped him in his tracks and made him turn around to look at her. At that moment, she couldn¡¯t help but feel embarrassed to meet his re. ¡°W-Why are you staring at me like that?¡± Softly, he questioned, ¡°Why are you making decisions for me, Elise?¡± Stunned, she came back to her senses after a few seconds. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m only doing this for your sake,¡± she stuttered as she tried toe up with a good excuse. After acknowledging her, he told her, ¡°There are still some matters I need to settle back at thepany. I¡¯ll ask Cameron to send you home.¡± However, she was unwilling to just leave it at that. ¡°Look at your leg. Can¡¯t you just stop working for a while?¡± ¡°Are you going to take care of me if I stop working?¡± He raised his eyebrows. She was dumbfounded. Meanwhile, Cameron, who was listening, was also stupefied by such a weird conversation. ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± she stammered, struggling to find the right words for a long time. In response, the corner of Alexander¡¯s mouth lifted as he smirked evilly when no one was looking. Then, Cameron interjected at the right time. ¡°Mr. Griffith, I think you should listen to Miss Sinir. After all, she¡¯s a major shareholder of the Griffith Group. Besides, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem for her to take care of you.¡± As soon as Cameron said this, Alexander and Elise turned to give him a cold-eyed stare. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Elise fumed. ¡°I was simply going along with what you said, Miss Sinir. I¡¯m only doing it for Mr. Griffith¡¯s sake!¡± Understanding his double-edged remark, she thought that what Cameron said made sense. Yet, she felt that something was wrong. Why do I need to take care of Alexander? ¡°Whatever. Do whatever you want.¡± She left at once after saying this, ignoring the questions she had. She had only suggested it out of concern anyway. She didn¡¯t know that it would raise so many questions. Watching as she left, Alexander couldn¡¯t help but feel a little happy. He realized that she was actually pretty adorable. ¡°Cameron, is there anything urgent back at thepany?¡± Cameron came back to his senses and thought about it for a moment. Basically, there was nothing much to do except for some trivial matters that the subordinates could handle even if Alexander was out of office. ¡°You can rest assured and take a break at home. You have us at thepany!¡± Hearing this, Alexander raised his brows lightly. ¡°I¡¯ll head back home since you said so. Take care of thepany¡¯s matters.¡± Then, he patted Cameron¡¯s shoulder and continued, ¡°Do your best. I trust you. Whether or not you get promoted to special assistant in the future depends on your performance.¡± Motivated by Alexander¡¯s encouragement, Cameron reassured him, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll do my very best!¡± With that, Alexander acknowledged Cameron¡¯s reply and limped after Elise. After coming out of the hospital, Elise booked a taxi, which arrived soon after. Quickly, she opened the door to get into the car. Just then, Alexander hurried into the car first. ¡°What are you doing? Get out!¡± Turning to look at her, he told her in a serious manner, ¡°I want to go home too. It¡¯s on the way.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± She wanted to say something, but he had moved in willingly to make space for her. Biting her lip, she got into the car without saying anything. Then, the taxi driver started the car and drove away slowly. Along the way, the radio yed Jack¡¯s song that was making a big hit online. It was undeniable that his low and mellow voice gave away a maic feeling and seemed recognizable to many listeners. Together with the beautiful lyrics, it was very pleasing to the ears. Alexander was also fascinated by this song, mainly because of its melody and style, which were surprisingly simr to his memory of H. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Though he was puzzled, he didn¡¯t suspect anything. After all, Jack never bothered to giarize or imitate anyone, so he figured it must be a coincidence. Momentster, the taxi driver parked his car at the entrance of the Griffith Residence. As Elise and Alexander made their way out of the taxi, she had intended to ignore him, but he stopped her all of a sudden. ¡°Hold on!¡± ¡°What?¡± she turned her head and asked irritably. Seeing the unfriendly look on her face, he replied immediately, ¡°I can¡¯t walk really well. Please help me.¡± In truth, she wanted to reject him, but after giving it some thought, the reason why his leg was injured was because he didn¡¯t want to hurt her under those circumstances. That was quite admirable. Thus, she walked toward him. ¡°Take it easy. I¡¯ll hold you.¡± He wasn¡¯t kidding when he said he needed her help; he leaned partially on her and limped toward the door. The servants who saw this knowingly moved away and acted as if they didn¡¯t see anything. A busybody servant even reported seeing this to Jonah. Jonah¡¯s face brightened up instantaneously as soon as he heard this from the servant while he was watering the nts upstairs. ¡°Really? They were hugging each other when they came in?¡± It¡¯s inurate to say that they were hugging, but it¡¯s true that Miss Sinir and Mr. Griffith seemed close. Besides, he had his arms around her shoulders. With that, it really looked like he was hugging her, the servant thought. So, the servant nodded. ¡°Yes, sir. I think they¡¯re dating.¡± Upon hearing this, he couldn¡¯t hide the smile on his face. ¡°I feel relieved hearing you say that! Thank God! Things are finally going as expected. You did well. I¡¯ll double your bonus this month.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± the servant uttered excitedly. Chapter 121 Chapter 121 Chapter 121,Coolest Girl in Town Elise helped Alexander into his room and to his bedside. ¡°Take a rest.¡± After saying this, she had intended to leave, but he stopped her and uttered, ¡°I¡¯m thirsty.¡± Acknowledging him, she poured him a ss of water without any hesitation. ¡°Here you go.¡± As he looked at the ss of water in front of him, he reached for it and took a sip. The temperature is just right. ¡°Thank you!¡± With a smile, she replied, ¡°No problem. Rest well. I¡¯ll be going back now.¡± This time, he didn¡¯t try to stop her and instead watched as she left the room. As soon as she closed the door, the expression on his face went back to normal. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Images of her kept popping in his mind as he gazed at the ss of warm water in his hand. For example, images of her apanying him as he overcame difficulties with the Griffiths, organizing his documents at thepany, and openly defending him in the public eye. All these memories of her were deeply imprinted in his mind. When did I start caring about her every move? And when did I start getting concerned about how she felt? He couldn¡¯t find the answer to this question, nor could he get her out of his head. ¡­¡­ As night fell, Alexander had a long dream. In it, he found himself at a festive scene with guestsing and going. Curious, he moved through the crowd and arrived at a hall. ¡°Mr. Griffith, will you take this woman to be yourwful wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, till death do you part?¡± Hearing the master of ceremonies¡¯ voice, he was perplexed. I¡¯m getting married? When was this decided? And who¡¯s the bride? With all his might, he wriggled through the crowd to the front and finally saw clearly who the bride was this time. Elise? Why¡¯s it her? Then, in his dream, she looked toward him all of a sudden and gave him a sweet smile. ¡­¡­ With a loud gasp, Alexander woke up from his dream. ¡°Phew! It was all just a dream!¡± he blurted out and stared outside the window to find that it was pitch ck. Then, he looked at the clock on the wall. It was 3.00AM! Stunned, he couldn¡¯t believe that he would have such a dream. It must have been because she had often been appearing before him recently that he started having hallucinations. For the rest of the night, he had trouble getting back to sleep, so he decided that he might as well settle some of thepany¡¯s matters until daylight. As soon as the morning sun shone into the room, he changed into a tracksuit and went out. Meanwhile, Elise had a good night¡¯s sleep. After getting out of bed, she drew the curtains to let the sunshine in. ¡°What nice weather!¡± Then, she gave her body a good stretch. The next moment, she saw Alexander jogging outside. Are his legs all better? Though she was puzzled, she looked away. Right after, she washed up and changed into a set of new clothes before going out. As soon as she stepped out, she bumped into Alexander. ¡°Good morning!¡± she greeted. Unlike before, where he would greet her back politely, he ignored her and walked past her back into his room. Confused, she didn¡¯t give it much thought and headed downstairs. After shutting the door, he realized that his heart was racing furiously. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Why am I getting more excited than before when I see her? ¡°When are youing down? I¡¯m going to bete,¡± she knocked on his door and said impatiently. Immediately, the door opened and revealed half of his body. ¡°My legs aren¡¯t well. I¡¯ll ask Danny to send you.¡± After saying this, he was about to close the door when she stopped him. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything wrong with your legs! I saw you jogging in the morning,¡± she grumbled. However, he insisted, ¡°My legs haven¡¯t fully recovered yet. It¡¯s really inconvenient.¡± Knowing that he was a hard-headed man, she brushed off her suspicion and said, ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll leave, then.¡± With that, she turned to leave and went to school with Danny. The lush greeneries of the school yard gave off a youthful and vibrant energy. As Elise got out of the car, she waited for Danny before entering the school. ¡°Boss, could you exin the trigonometric functions to me? I took a look at the textbookst night, but I still don¡¯t really get it.¡± Upon hearing this, she conceded. ¡°The textbook only covers the basics. For the final revision, doing practice questions would be more helpful. I¡¯ll lend you my exercise bookter. It might be of help.¡± Happily, he beamed. ¡°Thank you, Boss!¡± Then, the two walked into the ssroom in unison. Previously, Danny had always been the perfect example of a student who was ignorant and ipetent, causing many problems to teachers. However, all the teachers turned a blind eye to his behavior as he was a Griffith. But recently, the ignorant and ipetent Danny started to take his studies seriously. He would pay great attention in ss no matter what subject it was. Initially, the teachers thought that he was simply putting on a show, but this actually went on for a week, so the teachers were greatly impressed. ¡°Danny,e and solve this problem.¡± Mr. Winfrey, the mathematics teacher, called him. At once, everyone turned to stare at Danny with a look of disbelief. ¡°Why did Mr. Winfrey ask Danny to answer the question?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a student from the last row. Teachers have usually given up on them. How did Mr. Winfrey notice him?¡± ¡°Maybe Mr. Winfrey called Danny by mistake. Besides, Danny might not be able to answer the question even if Mr. Winfrey really did call him.¡± The other students gossiped softly, but Elise overheard it all. With her brows raised, she looked at Danny and cheered him on silently. At first, Danny didn¡¯t want to go up to the podium, but he stood up as soon as she encouraged him. With the other students¡¯ astonished gazes on him, he walked up the podium. ¡°It¡¯s alright if you can¡¯t solve it. You¡¯re remarkably brave foring up here.¡± Mr. Winfrey handed him the chalk. Taking over the chalk, he looked at the question on the ckboard. In less than two minutes, he had alreadye up with a solution. With that, he started writing it so smoothly and without hesitation that the other students watched with their eyes wide open. The ssroom fell silent instantaneously as they stared at him. Chapter 122 Chapter 122 Chapter 122,Coolest Girl in Town After finishing, Danny handed the chalk to Mr. Winfrey. ¡°Here you go. I¡¯ve solved it.¡± Looking at Danny¡¯s mathematical solution, Mr. Winfrey couldn¡¯t help but feel amazed. He couldn¡¯t believe that Danny could improve so much in just a week. He even suspected that Danny had been acting ignorant and stupid all this while. ¡°Well done! Your steps and answer are correct. It looks like you¡¯ve improved a lot, Danny. Other students should learn from you.¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Immediately, the corner of Danny¡¯s mouth tugged upwards as he made his way down the podium with his head held high while he enjoyed the attention that the other students were giving him because it was something that he had never experienced before in his 18 years of life. ¡°You did great,¡± Elise whispered to him. Right then, he smiled even brighter and whispered into her ear, ¡°That¡¯s because you taught me well, Boss.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be glib. The end is yet toe. We still have to work hard.¡± Hearing this, he gave her a formal salute. ¡°Yes, Boss! I¡¯ll keep up the good work!¡± With a smile, she resumed reviewing her practice questions and wrote in her book. During recess, he stayed in his seat and did revision exercises instead of doing what he would usually do. He even rejected his friends¡¯ invitation to y basketball. That day, what he said most was, ¡°Boss, how should I answer this question? Could you exin question 17? How should I draw the force analysis diagram for physics? Can you teach me?¡± Even Mika was surprised by his sudden change of behavior. ¡°Elise, why do I feel like Danny¡¯s be a totally different person? Is he still the Danny I know?¡± Elise wasn¡¯t sure how to answer this question, so she turned to nce at Danny and said, ¡°I guess he¡¯s really changed. After all, he can¡¯t stay at 250 forever.¡± Confused, Mika asked, ¡°250? What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°His grades! His total score has always been at the edge of 250. Perhaps he came around and decided to stay away from such an unlucky number,¡± Elise exined. Upon hearing this, Mika couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Now that you mentioned it, Danny seems so inspirational all of a sudden. Besides, I admire you even more right now for training your apprentice so well without spending much effort.¡± Unconvinced, Elise smiled and scratched her head. ¡°This actually means that he¡¯s talented. I didn¡¯t really do much.¡± After all, a teacher would show the way, but the oue depended on the student¡¯s own effort. Elise knew this very well. After school, Elise waited at the school entrance for quite some time, yet Alexander still had not arrived. Even when most of the students had left, she still did not see his car. So, she took out her phone and called him. As soon as the call went through, she couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Look at the time. Why are you not here yet?¡± However, it was Cameron who answered the phone. Staring at the tightly shut meeting room door, he exined, ¡°Miss Sinir, Mr. Griffith¡¯s still in a meeting. I¡¯m afraid that he won¡¯t be able to pick you up. Why don¡¯t you call a taxi?¡± Biting her lip, she replied, ¡°Never mind, then. I¡¯ll go home on my own.¡± Though she had said so, a sense of disappointment overwhelmed her as soon as she hung up the phone. ¡°Whatever. I¡¯ll just call a cab.¡± Just as she was about to book a cab, a cool-looking Porsche stopped right in front of her. The window was wound down, revealing Danny¡¯s charming face. ¡°Get in!¡± She looked up at him. Without any hesitation, she kept her phone and hopped into the car. ¡°Alex sent me a message saying that he can¡¯t pick you up today and asked me to do so instead. And I happened to be looking for you,¡± he said with a smile on his face. Humming a tune, he seemed to be in a good mood. Not paying attention to what he said, she looked down and opened her textbook. Then, she realized that they were not taking the road back home, so she raised her eyes and questioned, ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll find outter.¡± He smiled sheepishly. In truth, she felt that he had been acting really weird that day, but she didn¡¯t ask much until he brought her to a library. ¡°Why did you bring me here?¡± she asked curiously. Rubbing his head embarrassedly, he told her, ¡°Hahaha¡­ To do revision, of course. This library¡¯s owned by the Griffith Group, and it¡¯s not open to the general public. I only found out about it after hearing it from Alex. Come, let¡¯s immerse ourselves in the inescapable sea of knowledge.¡± Hearing this, she went speechless. Right after, the two walked into the library. It was huge and had seven floors in total. All the books were organized ording to their genres. There was a librarian on each floor. When they saw Danny, they stood up and greeted him respectfully, ¡°Young Master Griffith.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. Just do your stuff. We¡¯re just here to do our homework.¡± He waved at them. Seeing this, they retreated. Meanwhile, Elise¡¯s gaze never left the books as soon as she came in. ¡°Danny, go ahead and do your homework. I¡¯m going to take a walk around.¡± ¡°Sure, go ahead! I¡¯ll look for you if there¡¯s something that I don¡¯t understand,¡± he replied. With that, she walked along the bookshelf and realized that there was a wide range of books here, including out-of-print books. It was like a paradise to avid readers. Just then, a book caught her attention. It was a thick, ancient book in Traditional Chinese. She took it off the shelf and started flipping through it. Time passed very quickly. Soon, night had fallen, but she was so absorbed in the book that she didn¡¯t realize it. Finally, Danny found her. ¡°Turns out you¡¯re here, Boss. It¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s go home.¡± It was only then that she came back to her senses. It was already 7.00PM when she checked the time. Wanting to read more, she nced at the book in her hands and folded the corner of the page before putting it back in its original ce. ¡°Are weing again tomorrow?¡± she asked. Smiling, he gazed at her and nodded. ¡°Of course. I realized that my head¡¯s clearer when I do my homework here. It¡¯s as if I¡¯m being influenced by these books.¡± ¡°Reading can take you ces.¡± She couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. Chapter 123 Chapter 123 Chapter 123,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± At that moment, Danny was regretful. Why didn¡¯t I realize that reading and studying were so pleasurable? ¡°Let¡¯s go home. We¡¯lle again tomorrow.¡± With that, Danny and Elise made their way out of the library. Then, he started the car and drove them home. It was already prettyte when they reached home. Just returning from work, Alexander bumped into Elise and Danny, who were chatting happily as they came in. ¡°Alex, you¡¯re home!¡± Danny greeted. After acknowledging Danny, Alexander nced at Elise, who was standing next to Danny, and asked, ¡°Where did you go? Why did youe back sote?¡± ¡°We just went for a walk,¡± she answered with a chuckle. It was obvious that Danny didn¡¯t want Alexander to know about his current situation, so she didn¡¯t expose him. Instead, she waved at them. ¡°I¡¯ll go upstairs first.¡± ¡°Goodnight, Boss!¡± Danny waved back. After watching her go up the stairs, Alexander asked softly, ¡°When did you two be so close? Didn¡¯t you find her annoying before?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t! We¡¯ve always been close. What happened before was just a little misunderstanding.¡± Danny snickered. Alexander was quite surprised to hear so because he knew what kind of person Danny was. Danny woulde up with a thousand excuses if he hated someone; on the contrary, he would put his heart on his sleeve if he treated someone as his friend. ¡°It¡¯s nice to know that it was just a misunderstanding. It¡¯ste. You should rest too.¡± ¡°Okay. Goodnight, Alex.¡± With that, Alexander made his way up the stairs. The next morning, Danny knocked on Elise¡¯s door. Half-awake, she got up reluctantly in a daze. ¡°Danny, what are you doing so early in the morning?¡± Then, he handed her a pair of headphones. ¡°It¡¯s a good idea to listen to Chinese listening comprehension in the morning. ¡± Upon hearing this, she was at a loss for words. Staring at him, she asked unhappily, ¡°You¡¯re not crazy, are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just sharing a good way to study Chinese with you. Besides, I¡¯m not taking up much of your time. I just woke you up ten minutes earlier than usual.¡± He laughed. Thinking he must have gone mad, she chided, ¡°Don¡¯t wake me up next time. I just want to sleep ten minutes more.¡± Right after, she closed the door with a loud bang. In spite of that, he wasn¡¯t annoyed at all. Whatever. I¡¯ll listen to it myself if she doesn¡¯t want to. With that, he turned to leave. Just then, Danny saw Alexandering out of his room, whereupon he greeted, ¡°Good morning, Alex!¡± Seeing that Danny was wearing his headphones, Alexander asked curiously, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing. I came to wake Elise up.¡± He giggled. Alexander was slightly upset seeing Danny¡¯s unusually enthusiastic attitude toward Elise. However, he had no right to say anything. ¡°Let¡¯s have breakfast. You need to go to school in a while.¡± Danny agreed, and the brothers went downstairs to have breakfast. Halfway, Elise finally came down with an exhausted look on her face. As she pulled the chair out, she said to Danny, ¡°Don¡¯t wake me up so early in the morning next time.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Danny conceded. Then, like a littleckey, he handed her a ss of milk. ¡°You should drink more milk. It¡¯s a rich source of protein.¡± Instinctively, she reached for the ss and took a sip. ¡°Hmm¡­ Not bad.¡± Alexander put on a poker face as he watched the interaction between the two. Putting down his cutleries, he told Elise, ¡°I had something going on yesterday. I¡¯ll take you to school today.¡± Just as Alexander finished, Danny quickly replied, ¡°There¡¯s no need. I can go with her, so there¡¯s no need to trouble you since there¡¯s so much to do at thepany. Go ahead and settle thepany¡¯s matters.¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll just go to school ourselves,¡± she concurred. Looking at both of them, Alexander had no choice but to refrain from what he was about to say. Instead, he responded, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll leave first.¡± The servant hurriedly handed him his briefcase when he stood up and headed toward the door. Taking it, he left without the slightest hesitation. Yet, he didn¡¯t leave at once aftering out of the house but waited in his car instead. He waited until Danny and Elise came out and watched as they got into the car happily. Finally, he started the car and drove away after they left. In the car, Elise suggested, ¡°Today¡¯sst period is a self-study session, so let¡¯s head to the library earlier.¡± ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll wait for you at the school gate,¡± Danny replied. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. She couldn¡¯t stop thinking about the ancient book that she had not finished reading yesterday, while he found that the library¡¯s environment was perfect for studying. Hence, with a tacit understanding, they slipped out of ss during thest period. When they reached the library, they proceeded to do their own things with unspoken understanding. She was reading on the second floor while he was revising on the first floor. Neither of them bothered each other. With that, both of them stayed in the library until 9.00PM before they finally left reluctantly. It was already 10.00PM when they reached home. All of a sudden, Elise realized that it was Wednesday¡ªthe day that she was supposed to teach Alexander Arisian. Quickly, she typed on herptop, then she sighed in relief as it turned out that he was offline. At the same time, she was surprised as he was usually on time for the lesson. What happened today? Meanwhile, the lights of Maybach in the Griffith Residence¡¯s yard had been turned off. Yet, Alexander sat rigidly in the car with no intention to get out. With a cigarette between his index and middle fingers, he took a long drag and exhaled circles of smoke while he recalled the sight of Danny and Eliseing home together earlier. Frowning, he stubbed out the cigarette and pulled out his car keys before getting out of the car. It was also then that he realized that it was Wednesday, and he was supposed to learn Arisian. He almost forgot. Immediately, he went into his room and turned on hisptop. After going online, he sent Sare a message. Elise had been waiting for him online all the while. When she saw his message, she typed on the keyboard swiftly and replied to him. After receiving her message, he got up and took off his coat before going into the bathroom, then the sound of water rushing came from the bathroom. Ten minutester, he walked to hisptop while drying the drops of water from his hair before sitting down and starting his Arisian lesson with Sare. An hour passed by very quickly. After their lesson, he sent her a private message: ¡®I heard that there¡¯s a batch of good stones that had just arrived in Athesea. Are you interested?¡¯ Chapter 124 Chapter 124 Chapter 124,Coolest Girl in Town Ever since Elise learned about stone gambling from Alexander in Aris thest time, she couldn¡¯t stop thinking about it. Of course, she wouldn¡¯t miss such a great opportunity now that he had brought it up voluntarily. ¡®Of course! Where?¡¯ Seeing her response, he sent her the coordinates. ¡®Let¡¯s go take a look at 10.00AM tomorrow.¡¯ With that, she sent him an okay emoji. Then, he closed hisptop and stretched his back. Gazing at the starry night sky outside the window, he got up and walked to the balcony. At that moment, he didn¡¯t know what was happening to him. Every time he had nothing to do, he would think of Elise. His chest would ache a little as he recalled how she and Danny talked andughed happily. Narrowing his eyes, he tried to get it out of his head. It seems that I¡¯m not busy enough. I should find more things to do. The next day, Elise and Danny headed to ss together. In her mind, all she could think of was checking out the new batch of stones with Alexander at 10.00AMter. Hence, she came up with an excuse to ask the teacher for a day off. Mr. Winfrey looked at her and advised earnestly, ¡°Though your foundation¡¯s good, it isn¡¯t good asking for days off so frequently. You should focus more on your studies.¡± Cheekily, she replied, ¡°I know, Mr. Winfrey. I¡¯ll take note of that.¡± In truth, he had high hopes for Elise, and he could see that she was losing focus. However, he couldn¡¯t do much about it, so he warned, ¡°This will be thest time I approve your application for leave this semester.¡± We¡¯re halfway through the semester already, so I only have another half left that I can¡¯t apply for leave. It shouldn¡¯t be a problem, she thought. Hence, she agreed unhesitatingly. Right after, she exited the campus with the leave application. This time, she was fully prepared with a spare set of clothes. She changed into them in a public washroom, and by the time she came out, she had apletely new look. She was now Sare. Staring at her reflection in the mirror, she checked if everything looked alright before booking a taxi to meet Alexander. Athesea¡¯s stone gambling market wasn¡¯t big, and there was only one street that had a stone shop. As soon as she arrived, she sent Alexander a message. In less than two minutes, a ck Maybach stopped right in front of her. ¡°Get in.¡± Though she was puzzled, she opened the door and hopped into the car. ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to check out the stones? Where are we going?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t be able to find any good stones here. I¡¯m taking you to an exclusive seller.¡± Alexander drove along another path and passed by the stone gambling street. After a five- minute drive, the car finally stopped at the entrance of an old-fashioned courtyard. ¡°Come. Let¡¯s get out of the car.¡± Confused, she unbuckled her seatbelt and looked around. There was barely anyone there, making the ce seem deserted. ¡°Go in,¡± he walked up to her and said. Then, she pointed at the mansion and asked, ¡°There?¡± After humming a reply, he led the way. In spite of her perplexity, she ced her trust in him and followed along. The mansion was huge, with a pond in the foyer. After walking toward the end of the corridor along the pond, they finally reached the living room. ¡°Wee, Mr. Griffith,¡± the servant greeted respectfully. With a slight nod, he informed, ¡°I¡¯m here to take a look at the stones. Is Mr. Jordan here today?¡± ¡°He¡¯s in the backyard; so are the stones. I¡¯ll escort you there,¡± the servant responded. With that, Elise and Alexander followed the servant to the backyard. When they reached, the quiet mansion had suddenly turned lively. Many people were gathered in the backyard, carefully examining and choosing the stones. ¡°This stone seems nice. What¡¯s your price, Mr. Jordan?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t worth much. I¡¯ll sell it to you for half a million dors if you like it.¡± Hearing this, the customer seemed satisfied. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll take it! Please ask the craftsman to open it.¡± ¡°Please make your payment this way, Mr. Lewis. I¡¯ll find a skilled craftsman to have it opened for you.¡± Jordan nodded. After escorting Mr. Lewise out, Jordan made his way toward Alexander and Elise and weed them. ¡°Wee, Mr. Griffith. Who¡¯s this?¡± ¡°She¡¯s my friend, Miss Sare,¡± Alexander introduced. She greeted Jordan, ¡°Nice to meet you, Mr. Jordan.¡± ¡°This way, please, Miss Sare!¡± Jordan brought them over to a batch of stones and introduced, ¡°These stones were just shipped over this morning. They¡¯re in good condition, and the probability of containing jadeite is pretty high. You¡¯re a regr customer here who knows the market, and we¡¯ve gotten used to your practice. What kind of stone are you looking for today?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take a look first,¡± Alexander said instead. Knowing Alexander¡¯s temperament, Jordan replied, ¡°You two take a look around. Call me if you need anything.¡± As soon as Jordan left, Alexander turned to Elise. ¡°Give it a try. Let¡¯s see if you have a good eye.¡± Understanding that the stones here would cost at least 300,000, her mindset shifted. It would be a waste to buy a 300,000-dor stone for practice. ¡°Let me take a look first since I¡¯m not in a hurry to buy,¡± she responded as she examined the stones. The stones were in different shapes and sizes, with distinctive shades of color. She didn¡¯t dare to choose because she knew very little about stone gambling. Thus, she pulled Alexander over and asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t you choose one?¡± He turned and gazed at her. ¡°I have a rule when picking stones here. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only I only choose once and will not choose a second time no matter what.¡± She had heard of this rule before. Though some stone gamblers loved stone gambling, they were good at self-control and would never make another reckless purchase after buying an inferior stone. They would also never throw money just because they found good stones containing jadeite. Instead, they would trust their instincts and buy the stone that they fancy at first nce. ¡°Did you find a stone that you like?¡± Taking a look at the stones, he answered, ¡°No.¡± She bit her lip upon hearing this and took him to another pile of stones. After looking around, she found a stone with a slightly darker color. Thinking that it was a good choice, she asked, ¡°What do you think of that one?¡± With a quick look, he stated, ¡°It looks dull. Besides, the chances of it containing jadeite is low since it¡¯s ced at such an isted spot. Stones like this are generally quite cheap.¡± Chapter 125 Chapter 125 Chapter 125,Coolest Girl in Town Hearing that, Elise suddenly lost all interest. ¡°Mr. Griffith, I¡¯m getting dizzy from looking at so many stones.¡± ¡°You have to be calm when picking out stones, and never be impulsive. If you really want to understand stone gambling, you¡¯ll have to learn to keep your patience in check,¡± Alexander said. Looking as though she understood what he said, Elise answered, ¡°Alright, Mr. Griffith. I got it.¡± After making another round, Alexander suddenly came to a stop, his eyes fixed on a very huge stone. Seeing that, Elise asked anxiously, ¡°Mr. Griffith, do you have your eyes on this stone?¡± Instead of answering her, he walked closer and studied the stone carefully. ¡°This stone is not bad.¡± Right after the words left his lips, Jordan walked over. ¡°You have sharp eyes, Mr. Griffith. This is the best stone from its batch.¡± Raising his brow slightly, Alexander ordered, ¡°Tell me the price.¡± The smile on Jordan¡¯s face widened. ¡°Are you thinking of buying it, Mr. Griffith?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a good piece of stone. If the price is alright, I¡¯ll buy it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good piece of stone, indeed, but the price is on the high end. If you¡¯re really sincere about buying it, I¡¯ll sell it to you for this much,¡± he said anxiously and opened up his palm to show Alexander the figure five. Confused, Elise asked, ¡°5 million?¡± Jordan chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s 50 million.¡± Stunned, Elise thought, He¡¯s asking for 50 million for a regr stone? That¡¯s way too much! What if it turns out to be a useless stone after cutting? We will make a huge loss, then! ¡°Mr. Griffith, you really n to buy it?¡± Instead of answering her, he turned to her and asked, ¡°What do you think, Miss Sare?¡± This question ced her in a tight spot, but she believed that Alexander must have his own ideas. Hence, she answered, ¡°Mr. Griffith, any decision you make is fine.¡± An attractive grin spread across Alexander¡¯s face at her reply, and he said to Jordan, ¡°I¡¯m buying this stone.¡± Delighted, Jordan said, ¡°Mr. Griffith, you really have a keen eye. This is really a good piece of stone, and you won¡¯t make a loss with it for sure!¡± Taking out a ck card from his pocket, Alexander said, ¡°I¡¯ll pay by card.¡± Hurriedly, Jordan sent his employee to make the card payment and immediately asked, ¡°Mr. Griffith, would you like to have your stone cut right now?¡± ¡°Yes. Get your best craftsman here to do it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Griffith. I¡¯ll make the arrangements for you right away,¡± Jordan replied. The news that a stone was sold for 50 million created a huge uproar in an instant, and everyone was curious as to who bought a stone for that price. After asking around and finding out that the person was Alexander, they didn¡¯t find it such a surprise anymore because everyone knew just how wealthy the Griffith Group was. Despite that, they were still curious what sort of jadeite was inside this stone, which was worth 50 million. Hence, when they knew that Alexander was nning to cut the stone on the spot, they all gathered around and wanted to see for themselves. ¡°Mr. Griffith, how would you like to cut this stone?¡± the craftsman asked. Taking a look at the stone, Alexander replied, ¡°Start from one third of its width.¡± The craftsman nodded. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m going to start, then.¡± With the help of a few people, the stone was ced on the cutter with all eyes focused on it. Meanwhile, Elise waited while holding her breath, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her shirt on both sides. While the machine was working, she didn¡¯t even dare to blink her eyes as she kept staring at the stone, worried that she might miss a thing. The entire process of cutting a stone was a lengthy one, and every step was especially important. Suddenly, someone from the crowd cried out, ¡°There¡¯s green! There¡¯s jadeite¡­¡± Hearing that, Elise couldn¡¯t help but feel happy. However, the green surface was only as wide as a finger, and it made everyone a little disappointed because it was a very small green surface for a stone this huge. Even though the color looked good, it was considered a massive loss as the stone was bought for 50 million. ¡°Be patient. Only a small part is cut, and not even one third of the stone is cut through yet. Maybe there¡¯ll be more greenter.¡± ¡°The surface of this stone looks good. I think it has more green than this, so there¡¯s probably still hope.¡± As the onlookers spected amongst themselves, Elise felt that her heart had already leaped to her throat; never in her life had she been this nervous before. On the other hand, Alexander appeared calm andposed the entire time without any emotions on his face. ¡°Mr. Griffith, you¡¯re just way too calm,¡± Elise pointed out, feeling a little envious of his composure. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m alright,¡± he said tly. Pursing her lips, Elise thought, Looks like I really need to learn to beposed and calm. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. The person who spent 50 million is so rxed, so why am I so nervous when it wasn¡¯t my money spent? After thinking it through, she rxed quite a lot and wasn¡¯t as nervous as before. Still, her eyes were glued to the stone. As the craftsman cut deeper and deeper, the cut soon reached one third of the stone, but there was no more jadeite. Even the craftsman¡¯s hands were mmy; this was a prized stone from his employer¡¯s store, and he was worried that the reputation of the store would be affected if there was no jadeite in this stone. ¡°Hang on.¡± Just then, Alexander suddenly called for him to stop, whereupon the craftsman paused immediately, asking, ¡°Mr. Griffith, do you have any instructions?¡± After taking a look, he answered, ¡°Cut it right in the middle.¡± His instructions shocked the craftsman. ¡°Mr. Griffith, it¡¯s very risky to cut it in the middle. If¡ª¡± Before he could finish, Alexander interrupted him, ¡°It¡¯s alright. Just cut it in half.¡± Seeing how determined he was, the craftsman couldn¡¯t say anything else and returned to the machine before asking some men to change the position of the stone until the cutting edge was right in the middle. After making sure the edge was on the middle spot, he began to cut it slowly. Even the crowd was stunned that such a huge stone was going to be cut in the middle. What would happen if the jadeite in it was destroyed? And so, after the cut in the middle, aplete stone was sliced into half, but both parts had no signs of green. Disappointment washed over the crowd, and even Elise was stunned, thinking, So, he lost 50 million? ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that a stone with such an astronomical price only has jadeite the size of a finger. Looks like Mr. Jordan¡¯s goods aren¡¯t worthy at all.¡± ¡°I was even thinking of buying a stone from him, but from the looks of it, there¡¯s a high chance I¡¯ll lose my money.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t buy any for now. This batch of stones must be bad. Let¡¯s browse a little more¡­¡± Listening to their conversations, Elise peered at Alexander with a worried expression. When she was about to say something, Alexander said to the craftsman, ¡°Take a look at the left edge. What¡¯s that?¡± At his reminder, only then did the craftsman notice that there was a little shade of red on the left edge. Reaching out his finger, he felt the edge and cried out in surprise, ¡°Hurry, continue to cut it. There¡¯s jadeite in here!¡± Chapter 126 Chapter 126 Chapter 126,Coolest Girl in Town The situation took a hundred eighty degrees turn with the craftsman¡¯s words, and there was also a deep, hidden meaning when he said there was jadeite. Usually, people would say that there was green whenever jade was discovered at the cutting of the stone. However, the craftsman said that there was jadeite instead. Just one word difference could change the meaning entirely. In hurried but careful moves, the craftsman ground the stone, and the red spot gradually became more obvious. Seeing that, everyone eximed in shock, ¡°Blood jade! It¡¯s a blood jade!¡± With just that, the entire ce broke into an uproar, and even Elise stared at the stone in disbelief. ¡°H- How is this possible? It¡¯s actually blood jade, which is no less expensive than imperial jade!¡± ¡°You¡¯re so lucky to have gotten the blood jade, Mr. Griffith. This blood jade is incredibly rare, and if you have it made into jewelry, it will be priceless.¡± ¡°Congrattions, Mr. Griffith! I wonder if you¡¯re willing to sell your stone to me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m interested as well, Mr. Griffith. Why don¡¯t you sell it to me?¡± ¡­¡­ The change of attitude from the crowd was so swift that Elise didn¡¯t even have the time to react to the situation. Then, Jordan came over with a wide smile on his face. ¡°Congrattions on the blood jade, Mr. Griffith!¡± Returning his smile, Alexander answered, ¡°You¡¯re too kind, Mr. Jordan.¡± Jordan added, ¡°Honestly speaking, I got this stone back six months ago, and it was justying there as a stockpile. Many people had also asked me about the price before this, but they all backed off when they heard the price. Unexpectedly, you had the courage to buy it straight away, and it turned out that there¡¯s actually blood jade in the stone. You wouldn¡¯t be able to make a loss even if you wanted to!¡± Everything ordan said was true; ording to the market price of blood jade right now and the total surface of blood jade Alexander had in his stone, he was guaranteed to earn 50 million. If there was more jade after further grinding and cutting, then it would be a different price. While they were speaking, the craftsman cried out in surprise again, ¡°The entire stone is made up of blood jade!¡± Another round ofmotion broke out from the crowd; it was already really rare to have found the blood jade, but it turned out to be an entire piece. It was now beyond their estimation just how much this stone was worth. ¡°Mr. Griffith, I have to say that you¡¯re really lucky to have such a huge piece of blood jade,¡± Jordan said earnestly, excitement rushing through him the entire time. Meanwhile, after the people saw that the stone had blood jade, they all wanted to buy some stones as well. All of a sudden, they started to pick and buy stones, and the shop started to get busy. ¡°Mr. Griffith, you have my admiration even more now,¡± Elise admitted in a serious tone. Maintaining hisposure, Alexander answered, ¡°Miss Sare, do you know which kind of stone you should buy now?¡± Elise pursed her lips. Although she didn¡¯t want to admit it, she had to say that he was really talented when it came to stone gambling. ¡°Mr. Griffith, I believe that I was right about you. I¡¯ll definitely pick up something by learning about stone gambling from you.¡± The edges of his lips curled upward into a gentle smile. ¡°You¡¯re too modest, Miss Sare. I gained a lot by learning Arisian from you, too.¡± There was no awkwardness when they tradedpliments. In contrast, it was harmonious. ¡°So, do you n to sell this blood jade, Mr. Griffith?¡± ¡°I would like to use it as a publicity stunt for the anniversary of Griffith Group next month. I think it will be a good selling point,¡± Alexander answered. Understanding what he meant, Elise said, ¡°You¡¯re a very smart businessman, Mr. Griffith.¡± In fact, Alexander had his own selfish idea! When he saw that the stone contained blood jade, he already had a thought in his mind, which was something he really wanted to get done for now. Despite that, he didn¡¯t tell any of that to Elise. After the entire stone was finished with the cutting, a huge piece of blood jade stood before everyone¡¯s eyes. Almost everybody on the scene had never seen a blood jade before, and the color of this piece was very pure; it could be considered one of the top grades amongst blood jade. Many people who were interested came forward to ask about the price, but they were all turned down by Alexander. A dedicated team was assigned to deliver the blood jade, and after the cutting was completed, Alexander and Elise didn¡¯t hang around much longer. They said their goodbyes to Jordan and left immediately. ¡°I¡¯ll send you back, Miss Sare.¡± However, something popped up in Elise¡¯s mind, and she turned down his offer. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Mr. Griffith. I¡¯ll just get a cab back by myself.¡± Alexander didn¡¯t try to change her mind and said, ¡°Be careful then, Miss Sare. I¡¯m leaving first.¡± After Elise saw that he had left the ce, only then did she get herself a ride back. ¡­¡­ Elise changed into her usual ugly appearance when she got back to campus, and the moment she stepped into the ssroom, Danny hurriedly paced up to her. ¡°Boss, where did you go? Do you know that I¡¯ve been looking for you?¡± Before she could answer, he added impatiently, ¡°Boss, exin this question to me.¡± As she had expected, Danny¡¯s biggest current interest was learning, and she didn¡¯t turn him down either as she exined the problem to him. After school, they left the ssroom together. Although Danny had been engrossed in studies recently, he felt a little yful today and wanted to y online games. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. ¡°Boss, let¡¯s not go to the library today. I¡¯ll get a few guys tonight to form a team and y a few rounds of games online.¡± His words stopped Elise in her tracks. ¡°If you y today, all your efforts before this will go down the drain.¡± Dismay washed over him at her reminder. ¡°Forget it, then! I love to study. Let¡¯s forget about gaming and head to the library instead.¡± A gentle smile spread across Elise¡¯s face, thinking that Danny¡¯s seriousness toward studies made him seem rather adorable, and she said, ¡°How about this? If you can make it to the top five of the ss in the monthly test, I¡¯ll spend a day gaming with you.¡± Unexpectedly, he startedughing out loud right after she said those words. ¡°Boss, a good student like you, gaming with me? Don¡¯t try to pull my score down with your inexperience. I¡¯m not falling for that.¡± While Elise was speechless and looking helpless, he asked curiously, ¡°Boss, do you really know how to game?¡± Smacking her lips, she then answered, ¡°I gamed before.¡± This sparked his curiosity even further. ¡°How are your skills?¡± After a short moment of hesitation, she replied, ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Patting her on the shoulder, he said, ¡°With your mediocre skills, it¡¯s better if you don¡¯t y with us. My teammates and I are all experts who are famous yers on the leaderboard. Besides ¡®Ellimane¡¯, who¡¯s the number one on the tform, the other top five expert gamers are in my team. At least until now, I¡¯ve always remained on the top three spots of the board. You¡¯re just asking for a hard time if you choose to y with us.¡± His words and tone of voice were more provocative than usual. Elise cast him a thoughtful look, saying calmly, ¡°You don¡¯t have to care about how well my skills are because you¡¯ll only earn your right to y with me once you make it to the top five in the monthly test. Are you up for the challenge?¡± Chapter 127 Chapter 127 Chapter 127,Coolest Girl in Town Thinking that Elise was only throwing this challenge at him because she wanted to encourage him to make it to the top five of the ss, Danny agreed to it because he figured that she was just being kind. ¡°Sure, but I¡¯m not doing it because I want to y with you. I¡¯m doing it because I want to prove myself,¡± he rified proudly. ¡°Okay, I look forward to your performance. I¡¯ll fulfill my end of the promise then as well.¡± In fact, Danny didn¡¯t take her promise seriously at all because he just wanted to do well in the monthly test to examine the results of his hard work during this period. The minute both of them walked out of the school gate, they saw a familiar-looking Maybach outside. ¡°What brought you here, Alex?¡± Danny asked in surprise. In fact, Alexander didn¡¯t know it himself what came over him. He should have returned to the office, but instead, he found himself here and even waited until sses were over. ¡°I happened to pass by here and thought that I could give both of you a lift home since school was ending.¡± Danny had never been one to doubt anything Alexander said, so he quickly opened the door and let Elise in first. When both of them were seated, he said, ¡°Alex, we¡¯re not going home but to the library first. I still have some homework left to finish.¡± Startled, Alexander asked, ¡°Have you had a personality changetely?¡± Danny chuckled sheepishly. ¡°Stop teasing me, Alex. I¡¯m just trying to catch up on my studies.¡± ¡°Okay. Do your best,¡± Alexander encouraged. ¡°I look forward to your progress.¡± ¡°Thanks, Alex. I¡¯ll put in my best effort,¡± he answered happily. After that, Alexander started the car and drove away. Danny was the first to hop out of the car when they reached the library, and he thought that Alexander would leave. Unexpectedly, the door of the driver¡¯s seat opened, and he got out of the car as well. ¡°I haven¡¯t been to the library in a long while, so I¡¯ll read a book as well.¡± His exnation didn¡¯t strike Danny as odd, and so thetter started working on his homework with full attention after he found himself a spot in the library. Meanwhile, Elise went to the second floor and went through the bookshelves. Finally, she picked a foreign novel and sat down. Something unexinable came over Alexander, and he followed Elise upstairs subconsciously. Then, he grabbed a book about economics and took a seat in a corner. However, his attention today wasn¡¯t on the book at all; he would sometimes casually raise his gaze at Elise, who was seated nearby. It was fine for the first couple of times, but Elise noticed his eyes on her after a few more times, and she couldn¡¯t help but look back at him with her brows knitted tightly in confusion. When their eyes met, Alexander didn¡¯t look away, and just when she was about to say something, he spoke first. ¡°I¡¯ve read the book in your hands before. It¡¯s not bad, but the author ended the story a little hastily, leaving many things unexined.¡± Elise was already halfway through the book, and when she heard him say that, she lost all interest to continue reading. ¡°I¡¯ll get another book, then.¡± Standing up, Alexander walked over. ¡°I¡¯ll help you to pick one out.¡± To Elise, he seemed a little odd today, but she couldn¡¯t exactly put it into words. ¡°Do you preferedy or tragedy?¡± ¡°Comedy.¡± She said the first thing that came into her mind. Looking through the bookshelves, he then picked out a book which used a more humorousnguage and passed it to her. ¡°This book is not bad. You¡¯ll be entertained and happy while reading.¡± Taking it over, she uttered, ¡°Thanks.¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. After she started reading a couple of pages, a grin spread across her face unintentionally. Seeing that, Alexander rxed the knot between his brows as he casually plopped himself in a seat next to her, asking, ¡°Do you usuallye here with Danny to read?¡± ¡°Yeah, but it only started recently. I¡¯m usually upstairs while he¡¯s downstairs.¡± For unknown reasons, he felt much better when he heard her reply. ¡°This ce is nice. I¡¯ll drop by whenever I have the chance.¡± On the other hand, Elise stopped replying and seemed focused on the book. For unknown reasons, he felt especially at peace seated next to her at this moment. In contrast, Elise was unable to read another word. She didn¡¯t know why, but she became nervous the second he sat next to her, and even her breathing quickened. Startled by her own reaction, she hurriedly stood up and wanted to leave. However, she was in such a hurry that she slipped and fell forward. Fortunately, Alexander had quick reflexes, and he caught her around the waist. Then, she heard his deep, husky voice next to her ear. ¡°Are you alright?¡± All of a sudden, she felt her heart galloping, and she pushed him away, saying, ¡°I¡¯m fine! Thanks for catching me.¡± Disappointment washed over Alexander when he felt the emptiness in his hand, but this feeling vanished very quickly, leaving no trace of it on his expression. ¡°You¡¯re wee. Be careful next time.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± she muttered and left in hurried steps. However, only she knew that she was running away in fear right now. ¡°What happened to you, Boss? Why is your face flushing?¡± Danny asked in concern upon seeing hering downstairs. Stunned, she felt her face. ¡°Really? Maybe it¡¯s because it¡¯s a little stuffy here.¡± Instantly, he instructed the librarian, ¡°Open up all the windows for some fresh air.¡± While the librarian scurried away to carry out his instructions, he turned back to Elise and beckoned. ¡°Boss,e over quickly and exin this question to me.¡± Jolted back to her senses, Elise gradually calmed herself down before pacing toward him to exin the question to him. Her voice was steady, and her exnations were clear as Danny listened to her very attentively. Unbeknownst to them, Alexander was standing behind a bookshelf nearby. As he listened to her voice, something sprouted within him, and he seemed to have figured out something at the same time. After that, he didn¡¯t stay around any longer but left the library by himself and jumped into the car. In the car, he whisked out his phone and made a call. ¡°Cameron, have the chief jewelry designer of the company meet me in my office tomorrow at 10.00AM sharp.¡± ¡°Yes, Young Master Alex.¡± After hanging up, he put his phone away and narrowed his eyes as the answer in his heart slowly became clear to him. I may have fallen for Elise, but I¡¯m not sure whether it¡¯s just a moment¡¯s infatuation or I love her for real. His heart had no answer to that. Chapter 128 Chapter 128 Chapter 128,Coolest Girl in Town The next day at 10.00AM, Lily was waiting in the office of the Griffith Group¡¯s president office punctually. Upon seeing Alexander, she greeted him politely, ¡°Hello, President Griffith.¡± Alexander plopped into the real leather couch and crossed his legs before saying casually, ¡°Hi, Miss Lily. Actually, I asked you over today because I acquired a piece of blood jade recently, and I have a few ideas which I would like to share with you.¡± Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Of course Lily knew how important this was, and she said, ¡°Please tell me what you would like me to do, President Griffith.¡± Alexander leaned in, and they both slipped into a deep discussion. About an hourter, she left his office and returned to the design department. The other designers gathered around her and asked, ¡°Miss Lily, did President Griffith look for you because of a new project?¡± ¡°Yeah, share it with us quickly.¡±¡¯ Giving them a soft smile, she answered, ¡°There¡¯s no new project. Let¡¯s finish the work at hand and don¡¯t gather around me.¡± Although nobody was convinced by her words, they had no one else to ask if she didn¡¯t want to reveal anything to them. So, they returned to their work spaces. After everyone had left her alone, Lily opened the file in her hands and stared at the picture of the blood jade on the first page with wavering eyes. Did President Griffith fall for someone? With this blood jade as the raw material, he had asked her to design aplete jewelry set with a lover¡¯s theme. She didn¡¯t dare to let her thoughts run wild and therefore made up her mind that she would finish this design with all her heart. ¡­¡­ ¡­ Early in the morning, Elise arrived at school, and a person came running toward her. Giving her a bear hug, Samantha said, ¡°I missed you so much, Elise!¡± Looking at Samantha, whom she hadn¡¯t seen in a long while, Elise noticed that she had gotten tanned. ¡°How¡¯s it like, living on the set? You¡¯re so tanned now.¡± With a cheerful look, Samantha held her arm. ¡°I¡¯ve been very happy this month, and I realized how meaningful it is to do something which I enjoy.¡± ¡°Congrattions on finding your path in life,¡± Elise said happily. With a chuckle, Samantha replied, ¡°This is my first piece of work, and the director said that I¡¯m very talented. Really, I¡¯ve already made up my mind to be an actress, and the director has also introduced me to another movie so that I can attend the audition tomorrow. That¡¯s why I took this chance to visit you and Riley at school today.¡± She lifted her head and looked into the ssroom but didn¡¯t see any sign of Riley. ¡°Where¡¯s Riley? Why isn¡¯t she here yet?¡± ¡°Maybe she¡¯ll arriveter,¡± Elise said. ¡°Okay,¡± she uttered and dragged Elise into a seat while they continued chatting. A few minutester, Danny arrived and wanted Elise to exin another question to him, which made Samantha very unhappy. Danny, what are you doing? Can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m chatting with Elise?¡± Without lifting his gaze at her, he said, ¡°I¡¯m just borrowing her for a while; I¡¯ll return her in a bit.¡± Although annoyed, Samantha decided to let it go, and when Elise returned after solving the problem, she grabbed her arm, asking, ¡°Elise, it hasn¡¯t been that long since Ist saw Danny, but why has he changed so much? Wasn¡¯t he always cking in his studies? What came over him today?¡± Elise giggled. ¡°It¡¯s true that he¡¯s a changed person. He even told me confidently that he¡¯ll make it to the top five for theing monthly test!¡± ¡°He must have lost his mind!¡± Samantha gasped. Right after the words left her lips, Danny was already standing behind her without her realizing. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not nice to speak about others behind their backs.¡± Although she was called out, she wasn¡¯t embarrassed at all and said casually, ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything wrong. In the past, you were a loser and didn¡¯t have the least motivation to improve yourself, but all of a sudden, you say that you would like to make it to the top five in ss. What are you, if not crazy?¡± While Danny decided to ignore her, she continued, ¡°It¡¯s impossible for you to make it to the top five in ss.¡± Expressionless, Danny turned to her, but all that came up in his mind were the scenes from before, when he was squabbling with Elise. Only then did it hit him how annoying he was back then. ¡°Samantha, don¡¯t think that you can make it big in the entertainment industry just because you have a pretty face. There¡¯s nock of pretty girls in that industry, and there¡¯s nothing special about your face at all. Even if you can find jobs as an actress, you¡¯ll be a D-list actress at most,¡± he said without holding back, whereupon Samantha¡¯s face fell. ¡°What nonsense are you speaking about, Danny Griffith? Who are you calling a D-list actress? I¡¯ll definitely make it to the A-list to show you what I¡¯m capable of! Just hold your jaw tight so that it doesn¡¯t fall when it happens!¡± Unbothered by her, Danny turned and left, leaving Samantha stomping her feet in anger. I must be an A-list actress and get so many awards that I¡¯ll bury this annoying Danny with it! she vowed silently. Nevertheless, both of them didn¡¯t expect that this joke and jape would bind their destinies tightly together. But of course, this was a story forter. Seeing how mad Samantha was, Elise quicklyforted, ¡°Just do your best. I still think very highly of you.¡± Elise¡¯s words diminished Samantha¡¯s anger greatly, and she said, ¡°Elise, keep your eyes peeled. I won¡¯t allow myself to be a D-list actress.¡± Elise agreed. ¡°Yes, so don¡¯t be mad anymore, superstar.¡± After Samantha calmed herself down, something else popped into her mind suddenly. ¡°By the way, Elise, I almost forgot to share a piece of gossip with you: Jack is in trouble now¡­¡± Hearing that Jack was in trouble, Elise felt her heart drop as she asked, ¡°What happened to him?¡± Then, Samantha told her everything she knew in detail. ¡°I heard it¡¯s because there¡¯s a problem with his new song. Previously, he was really popr in the industry and received a lot ofpliments when his new song was published online. It was even pushed to the top of the chart once, but someone found out that this new song of his had the same music style with another singer, H, who was very popr before this. Immediately after that, H¡¯s fans used him of giarizing, and the issue just blew up. There¡¯s been no response from his managementpany, and the hashtag #CancelJackGriffith has more than three hundred million tweets online already.¡± Her words sent Elise into a deep thought, and she could no longer listen to Samantha anymore. At the same time, in Jack¡¯s managementpany, Ronald was pacing around anxiously. ¡°Jack, what¡¯s up with your new song this time?¡± Jack decided to keep his mum and didn¡¯t say a thing. The original draft of this new song was discovered under theputer on his desk, and he was startled when he saw this song. The first half of the song wasposed by himself, and someone had made big changes to the second half, which greatly enhanced the originally boring song. When he showed this song to professionalposers, they all said that the song was really high in quality, and that was why he decided to release this single. Who would have thought that this giarizing incident would blow up from it. ¡°Ronald, I didn¡¯t write this song.¡± Chapter 129 Chapter 129 Chapter 129,Coolest Girl in Town Hearing this, Ronald immediately barked, ¡°Jack, why didn¡¯t you tell me about this earlier? This is a serious matter!¡± Jack also felt a little annoyed and replied, ¡°I found this song under theputer desk. I wrote the first half.¡± Ronald shouted, ¡°A scheme¡ªthis is all part of a scheme! Jack, it must be someone¡¯s evil n! What they are trying to do is to involve you in this dispute. Damn, this person is truly vicious.¡± Jack pursed his lips. During his many years in the entertainment industry, he had been minding his own business, and he had never offended anyone. Who would actually do such a thing to him? ¡°Let¡¯s go and check the surveince footage of my office¡¯s door¡ªI want to see just who ced this thing there.¡± However, Ronald stopped him and said, ¡°Oh, darling! Now is not the time to find out the truth, but to give the public an exnation. I will get someone from the public rtions department to control the damage and to minimize the impact of this incident.¡± With that, Ronald took his phone to make a call. Seeing Ronald on his phone, Jack¡¯s heart sank. No matter who framed him, he would go to the ends of the world to find the culprit. However, at this moment, the door of the office was pushed open, and Noel walked in. ¡°This song is not giarized.¡± He spoke at once. Immediately, Jack and Ronald looked at him at the same time. ¡°Noel, what the hell is going on?¡± Noel replied, ¡°This piece was written by H.¡± Both Jack and Ronald were obviously surprised, and Jack immediately uttered, ¡°But the first half of this song was written by me.¡± The question was¡ª how could H have possibly helped him improve the second half of his song? When Noel heard Jack¡¯s question, he couldn¡¯t exactly connect the dots, but he could roughly guess why Elise would help Jack. It just seemed that Jack didn¡¯t know Elise¡¯s true identity, so Noel didn¡¯t want to be the one to tell him. ¡°Well, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to ask H herself for the answer to this question,¡± Noel said. Ronald also added, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then this matter is much easier to handle. Let H personally rify the misunderstanding, then the usation of giarism will be eliminated.¡± Jack took a deep look at Noel. ¡°I¡¯m afraid this matter is not so simple.¡± T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Noel smiled slightly. ¡°It may not be thatplicated after all¡ªshe probably just wanted to help you.¡± Jack was still confused and didn¡¯t understand the meaning of Noel¡¯s words, but Noel continued, ¡°Leave this matter to me. I will try to convince H and let here forward to rify this issue. However, you also need to do some damage control because H¡¯s fans are very powerful¡ªwe should still think of a way to minimize the impact of this incident.¡± Ronald nodded in understanding. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will handle this.¡± Soon after that, Noel turned around and left. After Noel and Ronald had both left the office, Jack was the only person left. He looked out the window, thinking about what Noel had just said. Why did Hpose a song for me? Are we rted in any way? And the most important question is: How did H get the first half of my song? It felt like he was in abyrinth with no way out. ¡­¡­ Elise didn¡¯t expect that it would bring Jack such a big trouble from just modifying his tune at random, and there was only one way to solve this trouble¡ªshe had toe forward as H to rify the misunderstanding. However¡­ She took out her mobile phone but was afraid to log in to H¡¯s official ount. After so many years, she had never logged in to this ount. She was afraid of seeing the messages from her fans who were eagerly awaiting her return, and she was also afraid of remembering what happened to her before. In fact, she didn¡¯t want to face the past that she wasn¡¯t brave enough to look back on, let alone face those bits and pieces. ¡°Elise, school is over. Why haven¡¯t you left yet?¡± Mika asked curiously. As soon as Elise heard her, she quickly put away her mobile phone and got up. ¡°I¡¯m leaving now. Let¡¯s go together.¡± Mika gave her a nod, and after Elise had packed up, the two of them left the ssroom together. ¡°Mika, did you know that Jack Griffith is currently facing a giarism scandal?¡± Elise couldn¡¯t help but ask, but Mika answered curiously, ¡°Elise, you¡¯ve never mentioned Jack before. What¡¯s wrong with you today? Why are you suddenly interested in his affairs?¡± Elise exined, ¡°I just happened to read about it on the hot search, so I asked.¡± Listening to what Elise said, Mika didn¡¯t doubt a thing. She knew about Jack¡¯s giarism scandal, but she was very optimistic about it, and it didn¡¯t seem to bother her much. This was because she trusted Jack and believed that he would notmit giarism, and she believed the truth of this matter was bound to be uncovered some day. ¡°He¡¯s not one to giarize.¡± Mika¡¯s words were full of trust. Elise turned her head to look at her and asked, ¡°Do you trust in him that much?¡± Mika nodded without hesitation. ¡°He is my prince charming, my idol. After I¡¯ve chosen to be his fan, I¡¯ll support him wholeheartedly, and the premise of supporting him is trust. His character is impable, so I have always believed in him.¡± Mika¡¯s words echoed in Elise¡¯s ears, and at this moment, she suddenly envied Jack. At least he had someone who believed in him without reservation. ¡°You¡¯re right. He really isn¡¯t that kind of person.¡± After Elise finished speaking, she already had an idea in her heart. It was at this point that the two of them had arrived at the gate, and Mika waved at Elise. ¡°Elise, I¡¯ll take my leave first. See you tomorrow!¡± Elise replied with a smile, ¡°See you tomorrow!¡± After parting, Elise took out her mobile phone. This time, she did not hesitate to log into her previous ount. As soon as she entered, countless messages flooded in¡­ Elise didn¡¯t n to read those messages. Instead, she directly clicked into the edit box and tapped her fingers quickly on the screen. ¡°H, I¡¯ve been waiting for you for a long time.¡± Noel¡¯s voice rang in her ears all of a sudden. Subconsciously, Elise raised her eyes, and then pressed the lock screen button. With that, her phone screen went dark. ¡°Is this about Jack Griffith?¡± Elise asked. Noel looked at her and then said, ¡°Right now, you¡¯re the only person who can help Jack get out of this situation.¡± Elise¡¯s hand clenched on the phone silently while she said, ¡°It¡¯s my fault. I did this without thorough consideration¡ªI will help him rify matters.¡± Noel was surprised that Elise agreed so readily. He thought that he would have to spend some effort this time. ¡°Thank you, H!¡± Noel said sincerely, but Elise told him bluntly, ¡°I¡¯m not doing this for you.¡± Noel was obviously surprised that she said this, but he still covered it up very well. ¡°I know.¡± Chapter 130 Chapter 130 Chapter 130,Coolest Girl in Town Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°Whatever happened between us has nothing to do with Jack Griffith. I didn¡¯t think carefully about my actions, which led to what happened today, so I¡¯m cleaning up my own mess,¡± Elise went on to exin. Even though she knew that such an exnation was meaningless in front of Noel, she still didn¡¯t want him to misunderstand. Noel looked at her. ¡°H, you¡¯re still the same as before¡ªyou haven¡¯t changed at all, and you¡¯re always so considerate of others.¡± Elise pursed her lips and didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, she took out her phone and turned on the screen. She looked at the words she had previously edited and finally clicked the post button. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ve posted on Twitter.¡± After Elise finished speaking, she put away her phone. ¡°I should go back. Bye.¡± With that, Elise turned around and left. Noel looked at her back and opened his mouth to speak, but he then decided to swallow his words back. In the next second, he took his phone out and looked at H¡¯s post on Twitter. ¡®Hello, everyone. I am H. I¡¯m here to rify one thing today. It is about Mr. Jack¡¯s new song. The song was actually co- created by me and Mr. Jack. I apologize for the inconvenience caused.¡¯ Little did she know, her action caused a huge ripple on the Inte. Firstly, when H¡¯s fans discovered that H had logged into Twitter, thousands of fans flooded to her Twitter homepage and sent her private messages. After seeing hertest post on Twitter, the number of comments had reached 10,000 in under 1 minute, and it didn¡¯t stop there. In just 15 minutes, the topic ¡®H admitted she worked with Jack Griffith to write his new song¡¯ went directly to the top of Twitter¡¯s trending list! Cat<3fishmented: ¡®OMG! My goddess is back! I¡¯m so happy! I¡¯ve been waiting for this day for a long time!¡¯ StarsDontBlinkmented as well: ¡®And here I was, thinking why the style of Jack¡¯s new song is so simr to H¡¯s. Turns out it wasn¡¯t giarism; it¡¯s actually her new song.¡¯ NoneOtherThanYou alsomented: ¡®No matter what, I will support my goddess! Let¡¯s all listen to the new song!¡¯ HowDoYouD0mented as well: ¡®Get this song trending and popr! I want this to be the top 1!¡¯ As a result, countless H fans flocked over to download and listen to Jack¡¯s new song one after another. In no time, they sent Jack¡¯s new song to the top of the music chart and set a record for the song with the most number of downloads. After reading H¡¯s Twitter, Jack was stunned, but Ronald said with a sigh of relief, ¡°Jack, I can¡¯t believe you didn¡¯t tell me that you and H had such a personal rtionship. If I had known that you knew H, I would have asked you to get me an autograph.¡± Jack was also stunned, and he immediately said, ¡°But I don¡¯t know her!¡± Needless to say, H¡¯s position in the music circle was unmatched so far, and he was 100% sure that he had never crossed paths with H. Ronald was dumbfounded. ¡°Jack, are you serious? But if you don¡¯t know her, why would she post on Twitter to rify on your behalf? Look, the attention that H has brought to you is simply incredible! Look at the top 3 on Twitter¡¯s trending list; they are all rted to this matter. If she had nothing to do with you, why would she do such a thing? You should know that this is the first time she has spoken out after so many years ofying low. Is it possible that you missed something?¡± Jack raised his eyes to look at Ronald and said seriously, ¡°I really don¡¯t know her!¡± Ronald looked over and realized that he didn¡¯t look like he was lying at all, then his gaze dimmed. Finally, the two of them only thought of one possibility. ¡°Noel!¡± the two of them said in unison. Everything seemed to make sense now. Noel had said before that he had a personal rtionship with H, so it must be due to Noel! ¡°It seems that Noel must have gone to H, and that was why H came forward to rify this issue. We really have to thank him this time,¡± Ronald said with a smile, wondering in his heart how to thank Noel. Jack nodded in agreement. ¡°If it really was Noel who helped me, it is really a big favor. But more importantly, I now owe H a favor as well, and should H ever need help in the future, I will definitely return this favor back to her.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Look at H¡¯s current status in the music industry: Even after so many years of radio silence, there are still so many die hard fans following her. Hence, it is unlikely that you will be able to return her favor anytime soon.¡± Ronald dampened Jack¡¯s hope. Hearing that, Jack immediately wanted to p him, but Ronald hurriedly smiled and leaned over. ¡°But this kind of thing is uncertain. Who knows if there is really something that we can help her with one day!¡± These words immediately improved Jack¡¯s mood. However, at this moment, Ronald¡¯s cell phone rang, and he answered the call quickly. Not knowing what the other party said, Ronald agreed again and again with a smile on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Jack has time. Right. Yes, yes. We will try our best to cooperate.¡± After Ronald hung up the phone, he said to Jack, ¡°Fashion Bazaar just asked us to do an exclusive interview, and they¡¯ve decided to have you as the cover character of the next issue of the magazine¡­¡± As soon as Ronald finished his sentence, his phone rang again. And after that one ended, Ronald¡¯s phone continued to ring non-stop. All kinds of parties came forth to offer jobs to Jack. For a long while, Ronald became very busy with Jack¡¯s new job opportunities. Elise, on the other hand, never imagined that her post would be so popr. Rted topics immediately upied the top three of Twitter¡¯s trending list, and thements on that post had exceeded 1 million in just one hour. Looking at thements that kept pouring in, she felt her initially extinguished heart rekindled little by little. After returning home, Elise locked herself in the room by herself. For the first time, she opened thement section and flipped through it. ¡®When are youing back, H? We¡¯re still waiting for your new song!¡¯ ¡®After so many years, you are still the goddess in our hearts. We love you!¡¯ ¡®No matter when, we will wait for you! No matter how long, we will keep waiting for you.¡¯ After Elise finished reading thements, she silently clenched her phone. She couldn¡¯t calm her racing heart for a long time. Finally, she turned off the phone, got up, and stood by the window alone to look at the sky outside the window. Soon, she drifted into her own thoughts. After an unknown amount of time, a pleasant ringtone rang. Elise came back to her senses, picked up the phone, and answered the call. ¡°Long time no see, H.¡± Julius¡¯ voice rang from the other side of the phone. Elise¡¯s eyes sank and she said, ¡°Julius, was it a wrong decision? Since I have already decided to stay away from this circle, I should be silent forever and not suddenly appear out of nowhere like this.¡± Julius listened to her words and said, ¡°H, I know you actually still love music like you always did, don¡¯t you?¡± Elise fell silent. Chapter 131 Chapter 131 Chapter 131,Coolest Girl in Town Julius, who hadn¡¯t gotten a reply from Elise for a long time, continued, ¡°Whatever it is, I¡¯m d I got to witness the day you re-enter the music scene. I also listened to your song with Jack Griffith. The style of the song is marvelous, and your talent is as good as before without the slightest hint of wavering. If you are willing to return to this circle one day in the future, I will definitely stand behind you and support you till the end.¡± Elise smiled happily after hearing what Julius said. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Remember, you¡¯re not alone¡ªthere are countless people behind you who support you, and they have been waiting for you. No matter how long, they will always wait for you. Okay?¡± Elise hummed in reply and hung up the phone. Even she herself was not sure when she wouldpletely reconcile with her past self, but she hoped that that day wouldn¡¯t be too far away. ¡­¡­ Jack¡¯s new song was really popr¡ªcrazily popr. No matter where one was, one could hear the familiar melody ringing in their ears: On the subway, in the park, on the bus, and even on campus radio¡­ The poprity of this song was unprecedented, and it went viral. Even Alexander yed it on loop dozens of times at once before he finally said, ¡°It really is H¡¯s style¡ªshe¡¯s really back.¡± Cameron also knew that Alexander liked H¡¯s music. He previously kept H¡¯s albums in the drawer of the office, so he naturally understood Alexander¡¯s excitement. ¡°I bet we will be able to hear a lot of H¡¯s new songs in the future.¡± Alexander hummed a reply, seemingly in a good mood. ¡°I hope so too.¡± After he finished speaking, he looked at the time¡ªit was almost 5.00PM. He remembered that Jack was supposed to pick Elise up today, so he simply took the car key and went out. ¡°I have to go somewhereter. Cancel all my meetings in the evening.¡± Cameron quickly replied with an ¡®Okay¡¯ and watched Alexander walk into the elevator. After sses ended in the afternoon, Elise walked to the gate as usual, but after searching for a long time, she could not find Jack¡¯s car, so she called Jack. ¡°Jack, when are youing to pick me up?¡± ¡°I¡¯m busy with my schedule and will be a few minuteste. Can you wait for me at the gate for a bit?¡± Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Jack¡¯s tone was a little impatient. If it wasn¡¯t for Jonah¡¯s forced request, he wouldn¡¯t want to pick up Elise at all. Now, he had no choice¡ªeven if his schedule was packed, he still had to pick her up on time. Elise pursed her lips and said, ¡°Got it.¡± With that, she hung up the phone before waiting for Jack¡¯s reply. After all, she was not in a hurry, so she walked over to the gate and sat alone on the stool. After a while, a familiar Maybach stopped by, and the window slid down, revealing Alexander¡¯s face. ¡°Elise Sinir.¡± Hearing someone calling her name, Elise raised her eyes subconsciously and saw Alexander. This surprised her. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Alexander then asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Jack? Not here yet?¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°I guess it will take a while more.¡± Alexander said directly, ¡°Then get in the car. I¡¯ll take you home.¡± Elise hurriedly opened the car door and got into the car. At this moment, Jack also arrived. He saw Alexander first and took the initiative to say hello to him. ¡°Alex!¡± However, just when he made a sound, the eyes of many people around looked over, and after discovering that it was Jack, all of them seemed to have gone crazy as they rushed up to him immediately. ¡°Jack Griffith! It¡¯s really you, Jack! Oh, my God! I¡¯m in the presence of Jack Griffith!¡± ¡°Ahhh! Jack, can you sign my¡­¡± When he noticed that he had been recognized by fans, Jack quickly opened the door to Alexander¡¯s car and got in. ¡°Alex, drive!¡± Alexander started the car and drove out just to get rid of the swarming fans. Jack looked back, and after seeing that the fans did not manage to follow, he was finally relieved. ¡°Thank God you were here, Alex. If we ended up being surrounded by those fans, I don¡¯t know when you¡¯d be able to escape.¡± Alexander looked at him. ¡°You¡¯ve be quite poprtely, huh?¡± Jack sighed. ¡°Man, I¡¯m so tired. There are more than a dozen meetings arranged on my schedule in a day, and a lot of business performances as well. I¡¯m exhausted! Oh! How about this, Alex¡ªwhen it¡¯s my turn to pick up Elise another day, can you just do it in my stead please?¡± Alexander did not refuse and simply replied, ¡°Sure.¡± Jack looked happy from hearing Alexander¡¯s answer. ¡°Really? Thank you so much.¡± Immediately, Jack looked at Elise again. ¡°Elise, you have to forgive me. I¡¯m really busy, so I¡¯ll have Alex pick you up for me, and we¡¯ll discuss other arrangementster when I¡¯m done with all this work on my schedule.¡± Elise agreed. After all, it didn¡¯t make any difference who came to pick her up. Immediately after, Alexander uttered, ¡°Your new song is good. I heard H wrote it for you.¡± Jack knew that Alexander liked H¡¯s songs, and he was even considered H¡¯s partial fan at one point, so he quickly said, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not exactly clear about this either. I don¡¯t even know H, and we don¡¯t have any acquaintances in common that I know of. It¡¯s just a friend of mine who knew H and asked her to do me this favor.¡± Jack was telling the truth, but Elise still silently lowered her head and said nothing. Alexander nodded in understanding and continued to drive. Jack hurriedly leaned forward. ¡°Alex, if you really like H, I can ask my friend to help you y cupid and let you two meet¡ªI heard that H is a beautiful woman; maybe she doesn¡¯t have a boyfriend yet. How about you tie her down and make her my sister-inw?¡± As soon as Jack said what he said, Alexander floored the brakes. This caused serious friction between the tires and the road, and the three of them flung forward because of inertia. ¡°Alex, I was just saying this casually. You don¡¯t have to be this excited,¡± Jack said with a sullen face, but Alexander replied sternly, ¡°Don¡¯t ever talk about this kind of thing again. I just appreciate H¡¯s talent in music. Liking her songs has nothing to do with my personal feelings.¡± Alexander spoke while the corner of his eyes nced at Elise in the back seat. He didn¡¯t even understand why he was so nervous, but he was afraid that Elise would misunderstand. Seeing that Alexander was being so serious, Jack retracted the mocking smile on his face and quickly exined, ¡°Alex, it¡¯s just a joke, okay?¡± Alexander¡¯s expression turned brighter, and then he continued to drive. ¡°But Alex, you haven¡¯t been with anyone for so many years. I¡¯m almost doubting your sexual orientation. Or¡­ do you like men?¡± Alexander¡¯s face sank again, and he shot over with cold eyes. ¡°You seem to be very talkative today.¡± Feeling a dangerous aura, Jack shook his head quickly. ¡°Hey, hey, hey. I¡¯m just curious; that¡¯s all. There is absolutely no other meaning¡­¡± However, Alexander¡¯s expression still did not improve in the slightest. Jack instantly knew that he had caused a disaster, so he went on to say, ¡°Alex, your sexual orientation is not a problem. I¡¯m the problem here. I talk too much¡­¡± ¡°Shut up,¡± Alexander scolded coldly. However, the next second, Elise couldn¡¯t help but burst outughing, and the two of them looked at her in unison. Elise looked up innocently at the two of them and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s nice to see two brothers caring about each other. But Alex, do you really like men? Otherwise, why did you react so greatly?¡± Chapter 132 Chapter 132 Chapter 132,Coolest Girl in Town This time, Alexander¡¯s face was darker than the sky during a thunderstorm. The air pressure dropped instantly, and even Jack shuddered. In the next second, Alexander enunciated, ¡°I. Don¡¯t. Like. Men!¡± With a few simple words, Elise could hear that he was almost hissing it out between his teeth, so she then nodded quickly. ¡°Oh, I see!¡± The heaviness in the air gradually lightened, whereupon Jack exhaled deeply and blinked at Elise, as if telling her that they couldn¡¯t simply joke about this with Alexander. Noticing that, Elise stuck out her tongue yfully and then withdrew her gaze. After returning home, Elise opened the car door first and got out of the car, while Jack was still chatting with Alexander about H. ¡°Oh, by the way, Alex, I forgot to ask you: Why are you so obsessed with this H anyway?¡± Alexander originally didn¡¯t want to answer such a naive question, but if he didn¡¯t answer, his sexual orientation would be judged again, so he still said what was in his heart. ¡°After so many years, I still owe her a concert ticket, so I have to find a chance to return it to her.¡± ¡°Oh? That¡¯s it?¡± Jack asked in disbelief. Alexander frowned slightly and asked, ¡°What else do you think there is?¡± Jack shook his head. ¡°No. I¡¯m just curious; that¡¯s all.¡± Alexander graciously said, ¡°Curiosity killed the cat. And stop talking nonsense in the future.¡± Jack nodded again and again with a serious look. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will never doubt whether you like men or women in the future, because I think you are more likely to like women after all¡­¡± After Jack finished speaking, he ran away without waiting for Alexander¡¯s reply. Alexander shook his head helplessly while looking at Jack quickly escaping to safety, then he walked into the house. T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Elise, on the other hand, went back to her bedroom and did her homework first. At 9.00PM in the evening, she took a shower and changed out of her clothes. However, at this moment, there was a knock on the door of the room. Elise looked at her face with makeup removed and panicked. Hurriedly, she asked, ¡°Who is it?¡± Immediately afterward, Danny¡¯s voice came from the door. ¡°Boss, it¡¯s me!¡± When Elise heard it was Danny, she hurried toward the door but didn¡¯t open it. ¡°What do you want?¡± As a matter of fact, Danny didn¡¯t have any major issues at all. He was only a little nervous because the monthly exam was approaching, so he came to Elise to calm his nerves. ¡°The monthly exam is tomorrow, and I¡­¡± Danny was a little embarrassed to say that he was nervous. After all, this was the first time in his student life that he was nervous before an exam; he never took any exam this seriously before. ¡°Are you nervous?¡± As if she could tell what was on Danny¡¯s mind, Elise asked directly. Danny, who was exposed by Elise, lost all the nerves in an instant. With a sigh of relief, Elise said across the door, ¡°It¡¯s going to be okay. First, have a good sleep and calm yourself; don¡¯t think too much about it. When you take the exam tomorrow, just do your best to answer.¡± After hearing Elise¡¯s words, Danny knew that he should adjust his emotions. ¡°I see. Okay, Boss! Then I¡¯ll go back to my room first.¡± Listening to Danny gradually walking away, Elise was finally able to let go of her dangling heart. She then slowly walked to the dressing table and looked at herself in the mirror after she had restored her original appearance. With her current effort of trying to hide her own identity, she was about to forget what she looked like. Subsequently, Elise put a sleeping mask on her face and then drifted into sleep. On the next day. The monthly exam was held as scheduled. Elise walked into the examination room without any pressure. One exam after another, it was obvious that the students¡¯ mental state wasn¡¯t taking it very well. After thest mathematics exam, all the students were relieved. Elise sorted out her school supplies and walked out of the examination room. Just as she walked around the corner, she ran into Danny. ¡°How was the exam?¡± Elise asked. Danny frowned. ¡°It wasn¡¯t perfect. I couldn¡¯t do thest few questions in the mathematics paper.¡± However, Elise said, ¡°I have told you about the difficult questions before. The way they structure the questions may change, but the way they¡¯re solved remains unchanged.¡± Danny sighed. ¡°It seems that I¡¯ve not worked hard enough. Forget it; it¡¯s just one test. I¡¯ll go back and revise these questions again.¡± As Danny spoke, he already turned his body quickly and went back to the ssroom to do exercises seriously. When there were questions that he didn¡¯t understand, he took the initiative to ask Elise for exnations. After Elise had finished solving thest difficult question, Danny immediately felt astonished. ¡°So that¡¯s how you solve it. I didn¡¯t think of it at all during the exam.¡± Elise reassured him, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Just work harder next time.¡± Right then, Samantha walked up to both of them, then she looked at Danny¡¯s test paper and said unceremoniously, ¡°This question is very simple!¡± Danny didn¡¯t like Samantha¡¯s tone, so he immediately asked, ¡°You know how to solve it?¡± Samantha used to participate in mathpetitions, which meant her math foundation was good. Besides, she had also studied with Elise for a while, so the big, difficult questions in this monthly exam were really just a breeze to her. ¡°For questions this simple, of course I do!¡± Danny obviously didn¡¯t buy it, so Samantha took the pen and started to solve it while exining it to him. After the calction, Danny¡¯s eyes sank, whereupon Samantha said arrogantly, ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t lying, was I? It really is that simple.¡± Danny hurriedly took his paper and did not speak. Seeing this, Samantha quickly added, ¡°Danny, it seems that you still need to work harder.¡± Danny continued to reply, ¡°Don¡¯t you worry. I will definitely work hard to surpass you.¡± Samantha hooked her lips to reveal a beautiful smile, looking polite and graceful. ¡°Game on, then!¡± In fact, Samantha¡¯s words had no other meaning, but Danny felt aggrieved. He resolved himself to work hard to surpass Samantha the next time. After school, Elise, Samantha, and Riley walked down the corridor together. Jack¡¯s new song was ying in the school¡¯s studio yet again, whereupon Samantha said impatiently, ¡°Damn. They y this song every day¡ªmy ears are tired of hearing it!¡± Riley said, ¡°Well, what can we do? This song is currently on the top of the major charts, which basically shows how influential H is.¡± Samantha shrugged. ¡°Yeah. H is like a God. She only showed up in a tweet, but she made the whole music circle quake. When will I be able to reach this state, where as soon as I appear, everyone will lose their heads from the amazement?¡± Elise put an arm around Samantha¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Come on. I¡¯m sure that day wille. I¡¯m still waiting for you to win the Best Actress award and sit on the throne as the Best Actress.¡± Hearing Elise say this, Samantha suddenly became high-spirited as she spoke to Elise and Riley. ¡°Just you two wait for me. In the future, I will definitelye back with the Best Actress¡¯ trophy and present it to you!¡± Elise and Riley looked at each other with a smile and said in unison, ¡°We look forward to that daying sooner.¡± Chapter 133 Chapter 133 Chapter 133,Coolest Girl in Town When the three of them walked out of the school while chatting andughing, there was a lively crowd at the school gate. Several middle-aged people in yellow leather jackets were holding posters of Jack and promoting. ¡°Come and get H and Jack¡¯s fan-meeting tickets! Firste first serve! It¡¯s not an opportunity to be missed! Students who want these tickets should hurry up. It doesn¡¯t cost 3,000; it doesn¡¯t even cost 1,000. At only 299, you can get the chance to meet H. At only 299, you can get close with your idol, Jack¡­¡± When Riley heard this, she eximed excitedly, ¡°Oh, my God! Is H making aeback? She¡¯s actually holding a fan meeting? I want to go too.¡± With that, she went forward. Although Samantha wasn¡¯t a fan of H, she quite enjoyed her music, so she said, ¡°Help me get one too.¡± Upon seeing this, Elise¡¯s face sank. With furrowed brows, she stepped forward to stop Riley and Samantha before walking toward the two men selling the tickets. ¡°Are you sure these are H and Jack¡¯s fan meeting tickets?¡± The man selling the tickets thought that Elise wanted to buy a ticket, so he quickly answered, ¡°Miss, with only 299, you can meet H. It¡¯s better to act now and get a ticket.¡± Elise¡¯s expression darkened even more. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s H herself? If what you said is false, you can be suspected of fraud. In that case, you¡¯ll be jailed.¡± When the ticket seller heard Elise¡¯s remarks, his expression changed, and he immediately shoved her away while saying in a nasty voice, ¡°Little girl, what nonsense are you spewing? You¡¯re clearly here to create trouble. If you can¡¯t afford a ticket, then go away. Don¡¯t get in the way of other students who want to buy the tickets.¡± Elise immediately took out her phone. ¡°We¡¯ll know if I¡¯m talking nonsense after the policee here. If you guys are suspected of fraud, you¡¯ll be sent to jail.¡± Seeing this, the man selling the tickets stepped forward and grabbed Elise¡¯s phone. ¡°I¡¯m warning you¡ª don¡¯t cause trouble. We¡¯re not as nice as we look.¡± Elise sneered, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you pissed because you were exposed in broad daylight?¡± The ticket-sellers saw that more and more students had begun to crowd around, and they knew that the matter could not be escted. ¡°You¡¯d better watch out.¡± With that, the man left with his group. As soon as they left, Samantha and Riley were dumbfounded. ¡°Are they really frauds?¡± Samantha couldn¡¯t help but exim, and Riley was relieved as well. ¡°Luckily we didn¡¯t buy the tickets.¡± Then, the two of them asked curiously, ¡°Elise, why were you so sure that they¡¯re frauds?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Elise. You were so brave just now! You actually dared to confront them directly. I¡¯m sure you know that these frauds will do anything for money. I¡¯m quite afraid of what they¡¯ll do to you.¡± Elise knew that she had been a little too emotional, but this kind of obvious deceit was absolutely uneptable. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be fine. Tickets for Jack¡¯s fan meetings are usually sold on his official website, so how would they organize targeted sales at schools like this? Not to mention, H would never hold fan meetings.¡± Samantha and Riley agreed with the front part of her statement. As for the part about H never holding fan meetings, they were rather curious. ¡°Elise, how are you so sure? Do you know H?¡± Elise had let slip her tongue, but she still found a good reason. ¡°With H¡¯s character and her status in the music industry, she would definitely be trending if she were to hold a fan meeting, but do you see any news on the Inte? ¡° Samantha and Riley shook their heads simultaneously. That was when they realized that not only did Elise have strong observational skills, she was also extremely clear-headed. ¡°Elise, you really are a genius. I¡¯m beginning to admire you more and more,¡± Samantha praised unceremoniously. ¡°Okay. Don¡¯t think about it too much. Go home now.¡± Elise bid farewell to Samantha and Riley, then stood on the side of the road and waited. However, after waiting for quite a while, Alexander, who was supposed to pick her up today, didn¡¯t show up. There were fewer and fewer people at the gate, and gradually, almost all the students had scattered. At this moment, the few ticket sellers who had left returned and surrounded Elise. ¡°Ugly b*tch. You¡¯re so ugly, yet you dared provoke me. You really do have a death wish.¡± The leader of the group was unceremoniously rude. As Elise looked at him, her eyes darkened. ¡°What are you guys doing?¡± ¡°What are we doing? People like you won¡¯t learn unless we teach you a lesson. Guys, attack her. I don¡¯t care even if she¡¯s crippled.¡± The moment he gave the order, the few men surrounding her surged forward. Elise stood in ce, not moving at all. Her eyes turned a little gloomy, and she saw a man throwing a punch her way. When he was less than a fist away from her, Elise turned sideways to dodge, then kicked the man¡¯s calf. She was quick, ruthless, and urate as she kicked him, sending him onto the ground and screaming. The other men saw this, but they weren¡¯t afraid at all. When they stepped forward again, Elise let out a coldugh, then dealt with them with ease. After a while, all of the burly men had fallen to the ground until only the leader was left. The man stared at Elise in fear. ¡°You¡¯d better look out. I¡­ I¡¯m skilled too.¡± However, as soon as he said that, he turned around and sprinted to escape. In an instant, he was nowhere to be seen. When the few men on the ground saw this, they got up and scurried off as well. Elise pped her hands, not bothered by them at all. But when she turned around, she was dumbfounded. Unbeknownst to her, Alexander was standing not far away, and he was fixing her with a profound gaze, making her flustered. When did he arrive? Did he see what happened just now? Alexander strode toward her. ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect you to be so skilled.¡± As soon as he said this, Elise knew that Alexander had witnessed the entire scene earlier. Since that was the case, there was no point in hiding it. ¡°I learned Taekwondo when I was young, but it¡¯s all just for show. I don¡¯t have any real skills.¡± Nevertheless, Alexander didn¡¯t think so. Elise had a good grasp of her movements, strength, and speed, so it would be hard to believe that she had never practiced it. But since Elise wasn¡¯t willing to tell him, he didn¡¯t ask either. ¡°I had some business to handle at the office, so I ran a littlete. Get in the car.¡± Alexander changed the subject. Seeing that he didn¡¯t ask any further questions, Elise breathed a sigh of relief and followed him into the car. After getting into the car, Alexander wasn¡¯t in a hurry to start the car at all. Instead, he leaned toward Elise. She widened her eyes and was frozen to the spot, not daring to move. When he was less than ten centimeters away from her, she jerked backward and asked, ¡°W-What are you doing?¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Chapter 134 Chapter 134 Chapter 134,Coolest Girl in Town Studying Elise up close, Alexander found that she had applied a thickyer of foundation on her face. He never noticed before that she had on such heavy makeup. Nheless, he simply said, ¡°I¡¯m fastening your seat belt.¡± Feeling embarrassed, Elise quickly uttered, ¡°T-There no need for that. I can do it myself.¡± After saying that, Elise hurriedly fastened her seat belt. Upon seeing this, Alexander moved away from her, then immediately started the car and drove off. ¡°My brothers and I are having a party tonight. Do you want to go have a drink with us?¡± Elise knew that the brothers he meant were all the Griffith brothers except for Matthew, so she refused without even thinking. ¡°I¡¯m not going. Just send me home.¡± Alexander slightly raised his eyebrows and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t want to hang out with us?¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not that. You¡¯re thinking too much.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go have a drink together.¡± Alexander seemed to be hinting that he wouldn¡¯t ept her refusal. Elise figured that she had nothing to do at night anyway, so she agreed. Brendan was the one who organized the party, and it was mainly for the brothers to get together and rx. Usually, on such asions, they wouldn¡¯t bring any female companions and would all go on their own. Hence, today, when the door of the private room was pushed open before Alexander and Elise appeared together, the other three Griffith brothers suddenly stopped what they were doing and stared at Elise in disbelief. Jack was the first to speak. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Danny was quite protective of Elise, so he trotted forward and asked, ¡°Boss, you¡ª¡± Before he finished speaking, Alexander said, ¡°I brought her here.¡± As soon as he said this, the Griffith brothers exchanged looks, but all of them remained silent. Elise felt that the atmosphere was a little weird, so she quickly said, ¡°What do you guys want to drink? I¡¯ll go get them for you.¡± Danny took the initiative to make a request. ¡°I want a ss of whisky.¡± Elise acknowledged him, then looked at Jack and Brendan. ¡°What about you guys?¡± Smiling, Brendan replied, ¡°Whiskey.¡± Jack cast her a meaningful look. ¡°A mojito.¡± Elise made a mental note of each of their drinks, then finally asked, ¡°Alexander, what would you like to drink?¡± Alexander¡¯s lips twitched slightly as he replied, ¡°Orange juice.¡± When his brothers heard this, their eyes widened. When did Alexander start drinking orange juice? However, none of them dared to question him, so they watched as Elise helped him order a ss of orange juice. After she walked out of the private room, Jack hurried over. ¡°Alexander, what¡¯s the matter with you! Why did you bring her here? We never brought women to our brothers¡¯ night out!¡± Brendan¡¯s lips curled into a smile as he turned to Alexander before saying slowly, ¡°We¡¯ll never know what Alexander is thinking, but one thing is certain¡ªhe¡¯s letting Elise get familiar with us.¡± Danny stared at his brother in disbelief. ¡°Alexander, are you interested in my boss?¡± As soon as he asked the question, the room instantly fell silent, and three pairs of eyes turned to look at Alexander, but he just said calmly, ¡°Why are you making a fuss about such a small thing? I just felt like she¡¯d be bored at home all alone, so I brought her here. Don¡¯t think that far.¡± Alexander¡¯s answer made the three of them feel relieved at once. They thought that he was actually interested in Elise! It seemed that they were just overthinking it. At this moment, Elise pushed open the door and walked in. ¡°I¡¯ve already ordered everything for you guys.¡± The strangeness in the atmosphere earlier waspletely gone. Danny smiled and immediately moved forward. ¡°Thank you, Boss. Since everyone is here today, let¡¯s have fun together.¡± Brendan weed Elise as well. ¡°We¡¯re all family, so there¡¯s no need to be so formal. Elise, do you know how to y cards?¡± Elise nodded. ¡°A little.¡± So, Brendan said, ¡°All right. Let¡¯s y cards, then.¡± He called for a waiter to bring over a new set of cards, then the five of them sat down. Elise had yed cards before, but her skills were mediocre; she wasn¡¯t excellent at it, but she was still quite proficient, so after ying only one round, she had already won a lot. ¡°Boss, why are you so good at this? You won so many chips after just ying two games.¡± Danny looked at the remaining chips in front of him, which were only half of what he originally had, then looked at Alexander. ¡°Alexander, can¡¯t you go easy on me?¡± Alexander replied nonchntly, ¡°ying games requires sportsmanship. If I go easy on you, then what would be the point of ying?¡± Danny was close to tears. He found that Alexander was eager to excel in everything, and it seemed that he and Elise were a strong team that no one could beat. ¡°I can¡¯t do this anymore. Jack, Brendan, do your best.¡± As Dannyined, Jack and Brendan looked at each other and shook their heads. ¡°After so many years, when have we ever won a card game against Alexander?¡± Brendan sounded a little distressed, so Elise couldn¡¯t help ncing at Alexander. ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought that you¡¯re actually so good at this!¡± Alexander¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change at all. ¡°I¡¯m just ying for fun.¡± Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. However, Elise disagreed. The five of them continued to y cards until about 11.00PM when Danny called for them to stop. ¡°I really can¡¯t do this anymore. I have sses tomorrow. Why don¡¯t we end it here today?¡± Jack didn¡¯t have any objections. ¡°All right. That¡¯s all for today, then.¡± Elise didn¡¯t have any opinions either. At this moment, Brendan stood up. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s call it a day. I¡¯ll go settle the bill.¡± With that, Brendan walked out, then Elise set down the cards and got up as well. Looking at the time, she found that it was ratherte, so she followed Alexander out of the room, and the few of them walked to the hall while chatting and sharingughter. All of a sudden, their footsteps came to a halt, and they watched as Matthew walked toward them with his arms wrapped intimately around a beautiful woman with a curvy figure. This was Elise¡¯s first time seeing Matthew after he left the Griffith Family. She hadn¡¯t seen him for only half a month, yet it seemed as if he had changedpletely. Danny was about to say something, but Jack stopped him and said, ¡°Forget it. Don¡¯t bother. Let¡¯s go home.¡± Danny pouted, but they understood Matthew¡¯s current situation; they heard that in order to get the company¡¯s resources, he went out of his way to marry a rich and beautiful woman. ¡°He¡¯s just degrading himself, and he¡¯s simply embarrassing the Griffith Family.¡± Danny spoke with disdain, so Jack advised him, ¡°His affairs have nothing to do with the Griffith Family anymore, and we shouldn¡¯t interfere too much either.¡± Chapter 135 Chapter 135 Chapter 135,Coolest Girl in Town Brendan retracted his gaze. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. We¡¯d better go back and have a good rest. Alexander, you go ahead and send Elise back. The three of us will go back together.¡± Alexander agreed, then watched the three of them leave. However, Matthew saw them and walked over. He stared at Elise and only looked away after about three seconds, then said to Alexander, ¡°We haven¡¯t seen each other for a long time, but you guys didn¡¯t have to hide from me.¡± Alexander remained calm. ¡°You think too much. Everyone¡¯s just tired from the night out.¡± Smiling, Matthew looked between Elise and Alexander, then hugged the woman in front of him. ¡°No matter what, we used to be a family, so now that we¡¯ve met, let me introduce you: This is my fianc¨¦e, Heather Langford.¡± Giving him no face, Alexander ignored Matthew and turned to look at Elise instead. ¡°Wait here for me. I¡¯ll go get the car.¡± Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Elise nodded, then Alexander turned around and left, not bothering about Matthew and Heather, who were standing there awkwardly. However, Heather was unbothered as sheforted Matthew, ¡°Matt, don¡¯t pay attention to them. I¡¯ll always stay by your side.¡± The corners of Matthew¡¯s mouth curled up into a reluctant smile, but he still ced a kiss on Heather¡¯s forehead. ¡°Babe, will you wait for me in the car?¡± Heather smiled and nodded before walking away. After she left, only Elise and Matthew remained. Matthew looked at Elise, and for a moment, he felt as if he was living in a different timeline. After a pause, he said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to get together with Alexander.¡± There was a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone. Elise wasn¡¯t exactly well disposed toward Matthew because she was rather disgusted with men like him, who would make use of other people¡¯s feelings to achieve his goals. ¡°My affairs are none of your concern.¡± Elise¡¯s tone was so cold that it gave Matthew a bone-chilling sensation, causing him tough at himself. ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s none of my concern, but I have to remind you that Alexander isn¡¯t such a simple person. If you¡¯ve really gotten together with him, you¡¯d better keep an eye out. Nobody knows what might happen to you one day.¡± Elise¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°I have eyes, and I know how to judge people. I know who¡¯s worthy of my friendship and who I should keep away from. Unfortunately, Mr. Matthew, you¡¯re one of the people that I must stay away from.¡± Her remark choked him off, and he was about to say something when Alexander drove over in his car. Without saying anything else, Elise walked over and got into the car. Matthew stood there and watched as the car drove off and disappeared from his view, and only then did he withdraw his gaze. In the car, Alexander asked, ¡°What did he say to you?¡± Staring at the night scenery shing past outside the window, Elise replied, ¡°Nothing much. Just some random remarks.¡± Upon hearing this, Alexander didn¡¯t ask any further questions. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. You can rest for a while. I¡¯ll wake you up when we arrive.¡± Elise gradually closed her eyes, but Matthew¡¯s words couldn¡¯t help but emerge in her mind. She clearly told herself not to bother about him, but his warnings subconsciously appeared in her mind, so she was a little frustrated as she turned and leaned sideways against the seat. After arriving home, Elise washed up and went straight to bed, falling asleep almost immediately after lying down. The next day was the day when the monthly test results were announced, so Danny woke up early and waited in the dining room for Elise. However, when Elise didn¡¯te downstairs after he had waited for a long time, he ordered a servant, ¡°Help me get Elise. We¡¯re going to bete.¡± The servant was just about to go upstairs when Elise came down while yawning involuntarily. Seeing that, Danny hurried over and said, ¡°Boss, you¡¯ve finallye downstairs. Let¡¯s go to school after we¡¯re done with breakfast.¡± Elise raised her eyebrows. ¡°Why are you so excited today?¡± Danny answered a little abashedly, ¡°They¡¯re announcing the results for the monthly test today. I want to know how I did in the test this time, so Boss, could you please hurry up?¡± It was Elise¡¯s first time seeing Danny care so much about his grades. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll satisfy your wish. Pack up our breakfast. We¡¯ll eat along the way.¡± Danny immediately asked the servant to pack up their breakfast, then he and Elise went to school. Their first session was Chinese ss, and the teacher looked delighted when she entered the ssroom. ¡°Our ss did well in the monthly exam this time, especially Elise, who once again got full marks.¡± As soon as she said this, all eyes turned to Elise, and even Danny couldn¡¯t help but look at her with admiration. ¡°Boss, you really are amazing.¡± ¡°Our ss¡¯s performance this time has improved a lot compared tost month¡¯s test. One student in particr whom I¡¯d like tomend is Danny. This time, Danny has made great progress. He failedst time, but he got 80 marks during this test. Let¡¯s all apud his improvement.¡± The ss burst into a round of warm apuse. It was Danny¡¯s first time being praised by the teacher, so his cheeks turned red from embarrassment, but he rather enjoyed the feeling of being praised. As soon as their Chinese grades were announced, the grades of the other subjects were also announced one after another. Besides mathematics, which Danny didn¡¯t perform that well in, his grades for the other subjects were quite good, and he was considered to be above average. When the rankings were revealed, Danny was tied for fifth in the ss with another ssmate. Danny stared incredulously at the report card. ¡°I¡¯m actually ranked fifth in the ss. I¡¯m not dreaming, am I?¡± Elise pinched him without reservations. ¡°How does it feel? Does it hurt?¡± Danny nodded repeatedly. ¡°It hurts. It hurts. This is real.¡± Seeing that he was so happy that he was forgetting himself, Elise suddenly remembered the promise she had made to himst time, whereupon she pursed her lips and said, ¡°I promised youst time that if you get into the top five during this exam, I¡¯ll y online games with you. Pick a time. I¡¯ll y two rounds with you.¡± Games were Danny¡¯s strong suit. Before this, he thought that Elise had said that just to give him confidence. Now that he had really gotten into the top five in the ss, Elise made good on her word. ¡°Boss, are you sure you can do it? If your skills are really bad, then forget about it. I don¡¯t want to bring you along when I know you¡¯ll drag the team down. It¡¯ll just be a form of torture.¡± Elise didn¡¯t know whether tough or feel offended. ¡°Do you look down on me that much?¡± Danny, however, denied it. ¡°It¡¯s not that I look down on you. It¡¯s just that I haven¡¯t seen you y games before, so I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll drag me down.¡± Elise was neither humble nor arrogant. ¡°Whether or not I¡¯ll drag you down, you¡¯ll only know after you y with me, right? If you haven¡¯t yed with me before, how would you know if I¡¯m bad at it?¡± (Dear Readers Latest Chapters Uploaded Everyday on novelheart Do not miss out for Reading.) Chapter 136 Chapter 136 Chapter 136,Coolest Girl in Town Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Danny figured that she made sense, so he immediately took out his phone and handed it to Elise. ¡°How about you y first, Boss? Let me see how strong you are.¡± Elise was speechless, but she gave him a smile. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Go online. I already have an ount.¡± Upon hearing her say that, Danny scratched his head sheepishly, then took back his phone and logged in to his ount. However, when Elise was about to log in to her ount, which hadn¡¯t been essed for a long time, she realized that she had forgotten her password. Hence, she simply signed up for a new ount and logged in. ¡°I¡¯ll add you as a friend,¡± Elise said, then asked for Danny¡¯s username. After a while, he received a friend request. Although he already had the conception that Elise was just a rookie, when he saw that her ount was still at the lowest level, the corners of Danny¡¯s lips twitched. However, he didn¡¯t think it was nice to destroy Elise¡¯s enthusiasm, so he figured that he could help her a littleter when they formed teams so that she wouldn¡¯t lose so terribly. ¡°How are we ying?¡± Elise asked. Danny thought that she didn¡¯t know how to y and was nning to exin it to her, but she continued, ¡°Are we ying 1 vs 1, 3 vs 3, or 5 vs 5?¡± Danny was stunned. He usually yed the 5 vs 5 version with his teammates. After taking a look, he found that those teammates were all online, so he answered, ¡°Let¡¯s y 5 vs 5. It¡¯s more exciting. I¡¯ll ask my friends to join.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, he sent a message to his group. When his friends heard that they were teaming up with a novice yer, they lost interest. ¡®Young Master Danny, you¡¯re not trying to trick us, are you? I don¡¯t want to y with someone who knows nothing and who will only hold us back.¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s right, Young Master Danny. You should at least find someone with simr strengths as us. Everyone will be more interested then.¡¯ Danny knew that he was forcing them with his request, but Elise was his boss nheless. She only agreed to y games together to motivate him to study, so he couldn¡¯t disregard her kindness. Danny¡¯s fingers flew across the keyboard. ¡®If you guys join this game today, I¡¯ll send each of you a full set of skinster.¡¯ He could be so capricious simply because he was rich. After a few seconds of silence, his teammates replied in unison, ¡®All right. Let¡¯s y one round.¡¯ Danny breathed a sigh of relief when he saw this and hurriedly called Elise, ¡°Boss, they¡¯re here.¡± Elise hadn¡¯t yed this game for a long time. Fortunately, she didn¡¯t have any issues navigating it and was still as good as before. The five of them quickly formed a team to match their opponents before entering the game. ¡°Boss, you can just follow meter. Your movements aren¡¯t that fast, so don¡¯t run around.¡± Elise didn¡¯t speak, but her fingers quickly moved her character in the game so that she was running forward with huge strides. As soon as she met an opponent, she quickly settled them. Her movements were natural and smooth, not at all sluggish. The moment she attacked, she defeated the opponent¡¯s main force. ¡°Wow, well done,¡± Zedd, one of Danny¡¯s teammates, marveled. Even Danny was caught by surprise. ¡°Boss, that trick was amazing! You don¡¯t seem like a rookie at all. ¡° Elise said nothing as she continued to pursue their opponent, and Danny hurriedly followed. The opponent¡¯s movements were stable, and it could be seen that his skills were average. However, Danny didn¡¯t pay attention and was attacked by the other party. ¡°Damn it!¡± Danny couldn¡¯t help but curse as his character died and fell to the ground. At this moment, Elise came over to give him blood, then she chased after the opponent without saying a word. Her movements were so fast that the opponent didn¡¯t even see how she attacked before they were finished off. Danny was stunned when he saw this, and hepletely forgot to operate his own character. Elise hurriedly ran to his side and nned to wipe out any yers who were going to attack him. ¡°Boss, lead the way!¡± Danny finally realized how good Elise was and followed her. Not at all bothered by this, Elise led Danny as theypletely demolished their opponents. In the end, they won the game with an absolute advantage. After the match was over, Danny stared at Elise in disbelief. ¡°Wow, Boss, you handled it so smoothly. You¡¯re simply amazing. It¡¯s hard to believe that you¡¯re a rookie.¡± Setting down her phone, Elise raised her eyebrows and asked, ¡°Who told you that I¡¯m a rookie?¡± Danny widened his eyes in shock, then looked at Elise before murmuring, ¡°But your ount is obviously a new one¡­¡± Elise was ashamed to tell him that she had forgotten her password, and so she randomly gave a reason. ¡°I¡¯ve yed too much on my main ount, so I¡¯m just practicing on this extra ount.¡± Only Danny would believe such statements. Afterward, his other teammates added Elise¡¯s ount one after another. ¡®KK wants to add you as a friend.¡¯ ¡®Fortuner wants to add you as a friend.¡¯ ¡®Wilder wants to add you as a friend.¡¯ When Elise saw the friend requests, she asked, ¡°Who are they?¡± Danny took a nce and answered, ¡°We y games together. They¡¯re the top ten yers on the leaderboard, and they¡¯re all my friends.¡± After hearing this, Elise epted their requests. At this moment, KK sent her an invitation message: ¡®This user has invited you to join the group chat.¡¯ When Elise saw that the group picture was one of four stickmen, she couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Danny, that¡¯s quite a unique group picture. What do the four stickmen represent? Does it mean that all four of you are bachelors?¡± Danny didn¡¯t expect that Elise would expose them so straightforwardly, so he hurriedly tried to redeem himself. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with being bachelors? Bachelors have dignity too. We even have a really nice name¡ª¡®The Aristocratic Bachelors¡¯.¡± Eliseughed, then epted the invitation to join the group chat. When KK saw that Elise had joined them, he took the initiative to greet her. ¡°May I know what¡¯s your name, Miss?¡± Elise subconsciously typed ¡®Ellimane¡¯, but felt it was inappropriate. After all, the title was given to her by other people and not self-penned, so she simply used the one she was used to¡ª¡®Elli¡¯. Unexpectedly, after she typed out that word, KK said, ¡®Elli, can you change your name? Your name oveps with my idol¡¯s name.¡± KK¡¯s idol happened to be Ellimane. Danny quickly piped up, ¡®That¡¯s okay. You can still call her Elli.¡¯ Immediately afterward, Fortuner greeted her as well. ¡®Hello, Elli. I¡¯m Fortuner.¡¯ Elise replied with a smiling emoji. ¡®Nice to meet you.¡¯ Thest member, Wilder, hurriedly wrote, ¡®Elli, you were amazing. It¡¯s been a long time since Ist saw a girl ying games so well. Your skills are almostparable to Ellimane¡¯s.¡¯ KK was dissatisfied with this statement. ¡®Elli is indeed amazing, but she¡¯s still not as good as my idol.¡¯ (Dear Readers Latest Chapters Uploaded Everyday on novelheart Do not miss out for Reading.) Chapter 137 Chapter 137 Chapter 137,Coolest Girl in Town Upset, Wilder answered, ¡®We know. We know. Your idol is the most powerful one; no one can break the record she had set back then. But there¡¯s been no news about your idol for so many years. When do you think she¡¯ll start ying games again?¡¯ As soon as he said this, the group fell silent. After a while, KK said, ¡®My idol is just resting. When she¡¯s done resting, she¡¯ll definitelye back.¡¯ KK was absolutely certain of this. He believed that his idol, Ellimane, would definitely return. ¡®I still have something to do, so I¡¯ll go offline first. Let¡¯s y together another day.¡¯ After Elise sent the message, she immediately quit the game. Danny, who was beside her, was dissatisfied. ¡°Boss, if I had known you were so good at ying games, I would¡¯ve asked you to y a few more rounds with me. I haven¡¯t had enough of it yet, yet you¡¯re already going to quit?¡± Elise wrapped her arms around her chest and looked at him. ¡°You still want to y games with me?¡± Danny nodded without the slightest hesitation, so Elise agreed and said, ¡°Okay. When you get into the top three in the ss during the final exam, I¡¯ll y with you for an entire night.¡± Danny¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Boss, are you serious?¡± Smiling, Elise replied, ¡°Dead serious.¡± Danny was as excited as a kid in a candy store. ¡°Boss, just wait and see. I¡¯ll definitely get into the top three. When the timees, don¡¯t forget to y games with me all night as you promised.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t forget.¡± Having gotten her word, Danny didn¡¯t have any interest in fooling around anymore. He went back to get his homework done, vowing to study hard, improve every day, and work hard to achieve his goals. ¡­ Elise returned to the Griffith Residence. The house was extraordinarily lively today because Robin and Laura were there. Jonah was in the living room, greeting Robin and Laura. ¡°Thanks foring all the way here. This time, stay here for a while longer before going back.¡± Robin gave him a bright smile. ¡°I¡¯ll say, Jonah, when I sent my granddaughter over, you swore to me that you would definitely bring the two children together. It¡¯s been more than half a year, but there¡¯s still no news. Both of us old bones are still waiting for a grandchild.¡± Hearing this, Jonah repeatedly patted his head. ¡°Robin, the children¡¯s rtionship matters can¡¯t be rushed. Besides, I think those two have some feelings for each other, but someone just needs to give them a little push. Only then will they take it a step further.¡± As soon as Jonah finished speaking, the servant came over. ¡°Miss Sinir is back.¡± In an instant, the three elderly people in the hall looked at each other, and it was as if something had sparked inside them. ¡°Since Ellie is back, we need to carefully sound her out to find out what¡¯s going on,¡± Robin said in a low voice, and Laura chimed in as well, ¡°Let¡¯s get this straight first: No matter what, we¡¯ll respect Ellie¡¯s choice. We can¡¯t interfere too much.¡± Robin reassured her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that! As long as Ellie likes him, as her grandfather, I¡¯ll give my full support no matter what. I¡¯ll never cause them additional trouble.¡± Laura dropped the subject, while Jonah said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you two. I¡¯m concerned and have been watching whatever¡¯s happening between those two. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. But I¡¯ll admit that I¡¯m at my wit¡¯s end too.¡± As he spoke, Elise came in. Upon seeing Robin and Laura, she was instantly surprised. ¡°Grandpa, Grandma, what brought the two of you here?¡± Striding forward, she threw herself into Laura¡¯s arms. ¡°Grandma, I missed you so much.¡± As Laura studied her granddaughter, she couldn¡¯t stop her eyes from turning red. ¡°My lovely Ellie.¡± Robin, on the other hand, pretended to be calm. ¡°Ellie, have you gotten used to living here yet?¡± Elise nodded. ¡°Yes, everything is well here.¡± When Robin and Laura heard this, they felt like a heavy weight had been lifted. The family continued chatting, and after a while, the servant came over again to report, ¡°Sir, the young masters are back.¡± Immediately afterward, with Alexander leading Jack, Danny, and Brendan, the four young masters of the Griffith Family entered the hall. Jonah called out, ¡°Come here. This is Mr. Robin, and this is Madam Laura.¡± The brothers greeted in unison, ¡°Mr. Robin. Madam Laura.¡± Robin and Laura swept their gazes over them one by one before finally stopping on Alexander. ¡°Such good boys! Jonah! Your grandsons are all marvelous young men.¡± Jonah replied with a smile, ¡°You don¡¯t have to praise them. Compared to Ellie, they¡¯re not even worth mentioning.¡± ¡°Robin, Laura, it isn¡¯t often we get you two here, so let¡¯s enjoy the evening together.¡± Jonah invited them all into the dining hall. The whole family sat together, and the atmosphere was extremely lively. Robin looked at Elise, then said to Jonah, ¡°Actually, we made this trip here to bring Ellie back. She¡¯s been here for so long that it must be causing you trouble.¡± As soon as he said this, the Griffith brothers exchanged looks. Danny was the most anxious one. ¡°Elise is leaving already?¡± Robin nodded. ¡°It¡¯s time for her to go back.¡± Elise was confused about this too, because Robin had never mentioned this to her. Now that he had announced it in front of so many people, Elise felt a strange sense of reluctance. ¡°Can¡¯t she stay for a while longer?¡± Danny asked in a somewhat pleading tone as he looked at Elise with a pitiful look. Elise¡¯s lips curled up into a smile. ¡°Why? You can¡¯t bear not having me around?¡± Danny nodded without hesitation. ¡°Boss, if you leave, who¡¯s going to teach me math? Who¡¯s going to y games with me? And who¡¯s going to look out for me?¡± Elise slightly raised her eyebrows. ¡°But sooner orter, I¡¯ll have to go home.¡± This upset Danny even more. He didn¡¯t even realize that amongst his brothers, he was the most reluctant to let Elise leave. Alexander didn¡¯t say a word throughout the entire meal, and he had a calm expression on his face, as if this matter had nothing to do with him. At this moment, Jonah said to Robin, ¡°Ellie has brought a lot of joy to our family during this period. Now that you¡¯re taking her home so suddenly, I¡¯m quite unwilling to let her go.¡± Looking up at Jonah, Elise said in a mncholic tone, ¡°Grandpa Griffith, I¡¯lle visit you often.¡± When Jonah heard this, he was rather relieved. Despite that, he couldn¡¯t help but nce at Alexander, only to realize that his grandson had no reaction whatsoever, which caused the anger inside him to rise. Just then, Alexander set down his cutleries. ¡°Grandpa, Mr. Robin, Madam Laura, I¡¯m done eating, so I¡¯ll excuse myself to go upstairs first.¡± With that, he got up and left the dining hall without a second thought. (Dear Readers Latest Chapters Uploaded Everyday on novelheart Do not miss out for Reading.) Chapter 138 Chapter 138 Chapter 138,Coolest Girl in Town Elise watched his departing figure as her eyes revealed a shade of inexplicable sensation, which she covered up perfectly as no one noticed it. After dinner, Elise and her grandparents took a stroll around the yard. Aware that she was obviously distraught, the senile couple peered at each other. Laura then quizzed, ¡°Ellie, you don¡¯t wanna go home yet, do you?¡± Elise pursed her lips when she was so easily seen through. Yet, she remained wordless. Laura suggestively eyed Robin, who then stretched his back and hastily imed, ¡°It¡¯s getting cold. I should go get my coat.¡± Finished, he went into the house. Right when he reached upstairs, he coincidentally bumped into Alexander. ¡°Care for a game of chess, Mr. Robin?¡± Robin was visibly delighted at the invitation. ¡°Sure! It¡¯s been a while since myst game.¡± And so, he headed to the games room under Alexander¡¯s lead. Meanwhile in the yard, Laura was goading her granddaughter into a heart-to-heart. ¡°Now, Ellie, be honest with me. What¡¯s troubling that mind of yours?¡± After ncing at her, Elise embraced her grandmother¡¯s arm. ¡°Can I stay a little longer for now, Grandma?¡± Laura smilingly looked at her. ¡°It¡¯s that Griffith boy, isn¡¯t it?¡± Although Elise never intended to hide it from her grandmother, she was certainly astounded by her keen observation. ¡°I may be feeling something, Grandma.¡± A sentence so simple, yet was able to convey all in her heart. Laura was overjoyed to hear that, but she showed not even a tinge of her ecstasy. ¡°Oh, dear Ellie, are you sure? That it¡¯s not just a heat of the moment?¡± Elise took a deep breath. ¡°That¡¯s the thing, Grandma. I¡¯m not even certain whether it¡¯s real or simply infatuation, which is why I wish to stay a bit longer to make sense of my feelings. Aren¡¯t you all always worried about my love life? This time, I wish to take things into my own hands.¡± Elise was always an opinionated girl, and Laura knew that very well. Thereupon, Laura held Elise¡¯s hand. ¡°I trust you, Ellie. But I do have to warn you that often in love, it¡¯s the girl that¡¯s always blinded. Therefore, when you get anxious about it, I hope you¡¯ll be able to stand your ground and not lose sight of everything. Don¡¯t drown yourself and blindly allow yourself to be vulnerable.¡± ¡°Thanks, Grandma.¡± Laura heaved a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s about time, huh. If you truly want to stay, Ellie, I won¡¯t stop you, but there¡¯s a catch.¡± Having said that, Laura whispered something else in Elise¡¯s ear, to which thetter flickered her eyes before staring at her grandmother and sternly nodded her head. Comforted, Laura stated, ¡°My baby Ellie has turned into a full-grown woman. Sure, you¡¯ll make your decisions yourself. No matter what answer you find yourself with, your grandfather and I will always be here for you.¡± Elise shoved herself into her grandmother¡¯s embrace. ¡°You¡¯re the best, Grandma.¡± Meanwhile, Robin and Alexander were ying chess in the games room upstairs. The two were exceptional, and their levels were indistinguishable. It had been a while since Robinst yed someone on par with him and he couldn¡¯t help but be thrilled by Alexander¡¯s moves as they yed the game. ¡°Say, Alex, I¡¯m sure chess isn¡¯t the only reason you called for me.¡± Robin broke the silence. Despite that, Alexander grabbed a chess piece and brushed it off, slowly voicing, ¡°Say, Mr. Robin, you¡¯re very good at this.¡± Robin raised his line of sight to Alexander and chortled. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing this for decades. Guess that¡¯s only natural. You, however, are still so young yet you¡¯re already putting me on edge. What a prodigy!¡± ¡°You tter me, Mr. Robin.¡± Robin calmly smiled as he pondered before making another move on the chessboard, to which Alexander countered with another move shortly afterward. Eventually, the former opened up, saying, ¡°Ellie has been through a lot ever since she was a kid. Her parents died in a car crash when she was eight, and she¡¯s been living with us since. I still remember the first time I saw her after her parents were gone. She was all devastated and not even a trace of energy was left in her, like a spiritless body that purposelessly existed. She didn¡¯t cry nor blurted a sound. It pained us to see her like that.¡± Upon those words, Alexander¡¯s eyes sank. At that moment, he didn¡¯t know where to position the chess piece that was in his hand. Robin continued, ¡°That time, she was so petite. It wasn¡¯t until I carried her that she started crying her heart out in my arms. Instantly, my heart was crushed and I couldn¡¯t help but wonder why God would punish the little girl so mercilessly. And that was when I swore to protect her and provide her a happy, healthy life.¡± Alexander ced down the chess piece and replied, ¡°She grew up very well.¡± It was a simple answer, but it was enough to reassure Robin. He nodded his head and agreed. ¡°Yes. She has never let us worry about her. She was always independent in her studies and in life overall, though a few headaches is only inevitable. However, her grandmother and I are almost at the end of our chapters. Who knows how much more time there is for us to be by her side? N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. So, we deeply wish that someone else cane and look after her in our stead when we eventually leave.¡± As those words wereid out, Robin¡¯s message became pretty much apparent. On the other hand, Alexander, who was hesitating on his chess move, seemed to have calmed down also. ¡°It¡¯s your turn, Mr. Robin¡­¡± Alexander reminded Robin. Seeing how the young man had no response to his message, Robin felt as if he couldn¡¯t grasp his thoughts, clueless whether he had heeded his words as he was so focused on the game. Robin then gazed at the chessboard in front of him, feeling a little dispirited. Little did he expect, Alexander suddenly proposed, ¡°Elise is indeed a finedy. I was thinking, perhaps she could stay for a little longer?¡± After having expressed that, he felt a minor tremble in his heart. All the things he faced in life could never shake him even for a little. Yet, something else that day was able to stagger him. Regardless, there wasn¡¯t a hint of joy on Robin¡¯s face. He strictly red at the young man. ¡°Do you mean it? You better not joke about this.¡± Chapter 139 Chapter 139 Chapter 139,Coolest Girl in Town Alexander gazed back at Robin and said earnestly, ¡°We wouldn¡¯t be discussing this if I weren¡¯t. I wish to take care of her. For as long as I can.¡± Every single word that came out of his mouth clearly traveled into Robin¡¯s ears. Robin then grinned. ¡°So you¡¯re into our Ellie, huh?¡± Before Alexander could reply, he added, ¡°You best think this through. Although our Ellie doesn¡¯t possess the most repent face, she¡¯s not exactly a beauty either. All the provocations in the outside world, are you sure Ellie is the woman you want?¡± Hearing that, Alexander started to wonder. Elise¡¯s appearance never stood out in the crowd, and her face wasn¡¯t what he was attracted to in the first ce. Nevertheless, for some reason, he was captivated by her. He couldn¡¯t even trace back to when it was that he started paying attention to her. ¡°Rest assured, Mr. Robin, I responsibly promise you that I like Elise for what she is and not for her appearance nor her family background. I genuinely adore her for her being.¡± Robin was satisfied with his answer. Regardless, it pertained to his granddaughter¡¯s future, so it was nothing to joke about. Thus, he did not make any promises. After all, their destiny belonged to them, so it should be up to them to fulfill it. ¡°Understood. Now, it¡¯s all up to you whether you can keep her. Either way, her grandmother and I will not influence her in her decision- making.¡± With that, Alexander acknowledged that Robin had expressed his position in the matter. As for the result of their rtionship, it still solely depended on him. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Robin. I know what I should do now.¡± Robin then started to cackle. ¡°Time shall tell!¡± ¡­¡­ It waste at night. Nothing but silence filled the Griffith Residence¡ªexcept for the living room on the second floor. In the merry space, Robin and Jonah were gregarious exchanging insights. ¡°Splendid indeed! Your kid Alex finally opened up with me. It seems our wish for a great-grandchild is nearing!¡± Excited, Jonah could not hide the grin on his face. ¡°Haha! We were messing around back then. Who would¡¯ve known things are getting set in stone!¡± ¡°Hold your horses, buddy! We¡¯re not supposed to rush these youngsters¡¯ affairs. Sometimes, things need time to develop or it¡¯ll fall apart. Whether they can make it work entirely depends on them. And if it doesn¡¯t work out, I¡¯m sure we can help mend things by then.¡± Having reached an agreement, the two grandfathers were rapturous. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. The next morning, it was only Alexander left in the dining room when Elise walked down the staircase. Subconsciously, she slowed down her steps and took a nce at him. Strangely, she felt rather agitated. Thereupon, she took a deep breath and collected her feelings before greeting, ¡°Good morning!¡± In response, Alexander raised his head and looked at her. His brows obviously rxed. ¡°Morning.¡± Then, Elise went over and pulled her chair out before sitting down. Seeing all her favorite breakfast foodsid down in front of her, she took a couple of bites. Suddenly, Alexander stated, ¡°Your grandparents had me ry to you that they have something to take care of, so they left first and wille back to visit you another time.¡± Despite hearing that, Elise showed no surprise, as if she had already gotten used to Robin and Laura¡¯s tricks. She simply blurted an ¡°oh¡± in acknowledgment before cing down her cutleries. ¡°I¡¯m done. I¡¯m off to ss now.¡± Unexpectedly, Alexander stopped her. ¡°Hold up. I¡¯ll send you.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Elise replied. She casually walked in front of the line while Alexander closely followed beside her. And so, the two exited the house in a line. After sending Elise to school, Alexander wasn¡¯t in any hurry to leave. He took out his phone and made a call. ¡°Lily, are you done with the draft I had you dost time?¡± ¡°Good morning, President Griffith. It is finished. I¡¯ll send it over to your office shortly after.¡± After taking a glimpse at the school gate, Alexander started his car and drove off. Meanwhile, Elise had just walked into the schoolpound when her phone started vibrating. She pulled it out from her pocket and saw a blinking red dot, which made her eyes sink. The red dot was a secret signal between her and Jamie. Therefore, she hurriedly picked up her phone. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± With haste, Jamie said, ¡°Boss, somebody has breached our security system. They¡¯ve broken through the fourth wall. If they were to break the fifth, all of our confidential information will be leaked!¡± Elise revealed a frown. ¡°How did this happen?¡± Jamie knew nothing about the attack, except for the fact that it was toote when he realized it. ¡°Hurry over, Boss! I¡¯m on the 16th floor of Ferry Building.¡± Right after Jamie divulged the address, without any hesitation, Elise stormed out of the school gate before stopping a cab and hurried over to Ferry Building. At that moment, the entire 16th floor of Ferry Building was in turmoil. Jamie and the rest of the team were doing all they could to fend off the attack. Unfortunately, the offenders were too strong, and the team was in grave disadvantage. Immediately, Jamie voiced an ultimatum, ¡°Whatever it costs, hold them off, just for 15 minutes more!¡± Drops of sweat were wetting the foreheads of the team¡¯s technicians, fighting hard to defend their territory. On the other hand, Elise started triangting the location of the attackers while en route to Ferry Building with her phone that was always with her. Sadly, apart from a cell phone¡¯s technological deficiency, the attackers were cunning enough and slipped out of Elise¡¯s grasp. When she finally arrived at Ferry Building, she sat down before a computer. Her fingers rapidly tapped across the keyboard. Beside her was Jamie who held his breath as if the storm had passed. The attackers seemed to be deliberately waiting for Elise with how they sent a series of digits to the team, to which hermissures lifted as she brutallyunched a counterattack toward the opponents¡¯ security system and instantly prated through sevenyers of defense. Jamie silently clenched his fist and revealed a delighted face. In that instant, the screen in his eyes turned blue. Shocked, Elise furiously mmed the keyboard. ¡°F*ck! We got yed!¡± For the first time since forever, Elise found a rival in hacking, who appeared to have no intention to spar with her. Rather, they simply wanted to fool around with her. When the computer reactivated, it functioned properly as usual, as if the blue screen never urred. Elise speedily ran a check, only to find out that the offenders had vanished without a trace. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Boss?¡± Elise red at Jamie, exining, ¡°We were targeted, but they don¡¯t seem to be very hostile. Weird. Based on the skills they possess, they could have demolished our security system with ease, but they chose not to. It¡¯s as if they¡¯re doing this to draw our attention.¡± Jamie was stunned. ¡°But who could it be?¡± Who else in this world could possess hacking skills that were even greater than Elise¡¯s? Chapter 140 Chapter 140 Chapter 140,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°No matter who it is, we¡¯ll have to be on guard. Upgrade our security system right away and set up firewalls around our connectivity to the inte. Then we¡¯ll be able to track their IP down the next time they attack.¡± At once, Jamie answered, ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll do it right away.¡± Then, Elise ran another check on the internal system and repaired some loopholes before giving it a final check. The attackers must have been well prepared with how they left no traces after the breach. Having been preupied by the incident until afternoon, she proceeded to leave the building. She took the elevator and descended to the first floor, only to find out the building was crowded by someone¡¯s fans. Baffled, she halted her steps and read the sign in the fan¡¯s hand¡ªCharlene Rivers. Many memories from the past shed across her mind when she saw that name. They lived in the same world, yet Elise had always managed to neglect her. What a small world! ¡°Charlene! Charlene!¡± The fans, cramped in one space, chanted Charlene¡¯s name in unison. Shortly after, Charlene walked up the stage under her bodyguard¡¯s escort. She grabbed a microphone and smilingly greeted the audience, ¡°Hello, everyone. I¡¯m Charlene Rivers. It¡¯s an honor to see you here.¡± Elise, standing amidst the crowd, watched as the elegant, dashing Charlene walked up the stage. There was an indescribable emotion in her eyes. Now, Charlene had be an A-list singer who had published numerous albums that topped charts and received multiple music awards. She had be a musical icon of the era. Regardless, Elise had no interest in her, so she simply turned around and left. Unexpectedly, not far away stood Noel, who saw Elise and hurried over to her, grabbing her by the wrist. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Immediately, Elise scowled and turned her head, gazing at her constricted forearm. ¡°Do I need to report everything I do to you?¡± Quickly, Noel let go of her. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that. I¡¯m just surprised to see you attending Charlene¡¯s fan meeting.¡± Elise¡¯s face was rather emotionless, even when it came to the person who she once was the closest to. Monotonously, she answered, ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it. I¡¯m only here by chance. I have no interest in her affairs¡± Noel was visibly unconvinced. The Elise that was currently in front of him was as stubborn as the one he knew in the past. ¡°Nevermind. Charlene said she misses you very much and wishes to exin to you what happened back then. Why don¡¯t I arrange a meeting for the two of you?¡± Elise gave him a mocking smirk and pursed her lips. ¡°Do you think there¡¯s still a need for that now?¡± Hearing that, Noel assumed that she was still holding grudges on the incident many years back, but Charlene was innocent in the matter as well. They could¡¯ve sat down together and had a proper discussion about it. If they had done that, perhaps Elise would have given up on the resentment and returned to her singing career, which was the dreams of many music enthusiasts. ¡°H, in spite of everything, you¡¯re old friends. Just see it as a reunion, can you?¡± Elise remained silent. All of a sudden, a familiar tune was yed on the stage, and she heard Charlene saying, ¡°Next up, I¡¯ll be presenting a hit of mine¡ªStargazing.¡± It was Charlene¡¯s most popr song since her debut. After so many years, it was still one of the top songs in pop music charts¡ªone that was familiar to many. And so, once the song¡¯s prelude yed, every single fan that was present started chorusing. ¡°Be itposition or lyrics, this song of Charlene is recognized as an all-time ssic. Thus, it¡¯s always everyone¡¯s go-to song despite having been published after so many years,¡± Noel generously praised as he failed to notice Elise¡¯s tensed fists. Originally, she just wanted to pass by Charlene without having to recall anything from the past with her. Nevertheless, having heard the song, she couldn¡¯t help questioning, ¡°If she¡¯s that talented, why does everyone only remember this one song of hers?¡± Her statement dazed Noel Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Indeed, although Charlene had released countless albums and singles after the hit, none of them could surpass Stargazing. Despite her questioning, Noel said, ¡°It¡¯s impossible to turn every song into ssics. It¡¯s already difficult to have even one.¡± Elise knew that Noel had always unconditionally believed in Charlene, so she didn¡¯t attempt to argue, though his words were rather irritating to hear. ¡°Then is there a possibility that this one ssic of hers is a product of giarism?¡± At that, Noel chose to remain wordless. Memories started flushing in his mind. He opened his mouth as if he was about to refute, but knowing further debate would be pointless, he simply replied, ¡°Charlene is a talented singer. She would never do such a thing.¡± Elise raised her gaze toward Charlene, who was smiling sweetly on the stage. She, too, once believed in what Noel just said. But sadly, humans were prone to make mistakes, including judging others. ¡°I¡¯m leaving,¡± Elise blurted and immediately walked away. Watching as she walked into the distance, Noel blurted, ¡°Even if I knew what you said was the truth, there¡¯s nothing I can do to change it. I¡¯m sorry, H.¡± Withdrawing his stare, he walked toward backstage. After Charlene was done with the song, she went backstage to get changed. When she saw Noel, she trotted to him. ¡°How was the performance? Was I good?¡± He soundlessly looked at her. After hesitating for a while, he eventually revealed, ¡°H was here.¡± Surprisingly, upon the information, her brows tensed. Even her voice clearly shivered. ¡°Really? H? She came? W-Where is she? I wanna meet her¡­¡± Noel stared at the familiar expression. At his stare, Charlene felt somewhat embarrassed and quickly looked away. ¡°Why are you staring at me like that, Noel?¡± He answered, ¡°She left already.¡± Visibly, Charlene let out a sigh. Noel, however, observed every gesture and word of hers assiduously, yet he didn¡¯t attempt to confront her. ¡°Didn¡¯t she quit music? Why is she here? Oh, by the way, what¡¯s her rtionship with Jack Griffith? Why did she write a song for him?¡± Although she was feeling uneasy, she appeared to be concerned about Elise. At that moment, her behavior made Noel feel as if she was a stranger to him. ¡°Ask her yourself if you wanna know. I¡¯m heading back.¡± Charlene hastily called for him, ¡°Wait! The event¡¯s not over yet. Then¡ª¡± However, this time, Noel didn¡¯t even care to turn around as he marched away, leaving her standing still, biting her lips. All the gentleness in her eyes instantaneously dispersed as it was reced with darkness. Then, she pulled out her phone and made a call. ¡°I want you to look into a person for me. I want hertest details. Every single one.¡± (Dear Readers Latest Chapters Uploaded Everyday on novelheart Do not miss out for Reading.) Chapter 141 Chapter 141 Chapter 141,Coolest Girl in Town Having walked out of Ferry Building, instead of going home, Elise walked alone along the side of the road. Her mind was cramped with dilemmas as she was perturbed. It wasn¡¯t until a car suddenly appeared and honked nonstop beside her that she came to her senses. She turned her head to the side and saw a familiar car pulling up beside her. Alexander pushed open his car door and got out of the car. He headed straight for Elise. ¡°What are you zoning out for? Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s dangerous to dream and walk along the roadside?¡± His intonation was as serene as ever, yet Elise was able to find concernment within his words. She lifted the corners of her lips and forced a smile. ¡°I was contemting something and missed your horn. Why are you here?¡± Alexander, too, was surprised by the coincidence as he was merely out to sign a contract. However, to actually bump into her was quite dazing. ¡°And why are you here? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be in school?¡± He came back with a question of his own instead of answering hers. In response, Elise shook her head and remained silent. Somehow, she was behaving way differently than on other days. ¡°Bad mood?¡± Alexander furrowed his brows, pondering how he could cheer her up. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t quite possess the experience tofort a woman, so it proved to be somewhat of an inconvenience. Havinge up with some activities girls would usually like, he inquired, ¡°Wanna go shopping? Or get something to eat? Or we can go for a simple stroll if you want.¡± After he said that, Elise gawked at him in confusion. Her heart that was tainted seemed to be affected as well. ¡°Hmm¡­ Let¡¯s go shopping then.¡± For some reason, Elise didn¡¯t feel like rejecting him, so she epted his suggestion. After scanning their surroundings, Alexander remembered Griffith Group¡¯s biggest mall that was nearby. ¡°Shopping it is. Shall we?¡± And so, Elise got into his car. While she was staring out the window, Alexander sent a text message to Cameron. A few minutester, the biggest, most opulent mall in Athesea was cleared out before the staff members respectfully queued up in two lines at the main entrance. ¡°Greetings, President Griffith, Miss Sinir!¡± Alexander nodded his head in response. Very soon, a shopping guide came forth to serve Elise. ¡°Miss Sinir, what do you wish to see? Is it garments of thetest fashion, essories, or perhaps you¡¯re into beauty and skincare?¡± Initially, Elise assumed they were only doing some casual shopping. Little did she know, Alexander had arranged such an extravaganza for her, making her feel somewhat awkward. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll just take my time.¡± The shopping guide replied, ¡°Other than that, we¡¯ve also just received a new batch of bags that are limited edition. Care for a look?¡± Before Elise could say anything, Alexander whispered into her ear, ¡°Just get anything you want. Don¡¯t overthink it.¡± Thinking she was just too embarrassed to select any product, he decided to reassure her not to worry about anything ¡°I¡¯ll look around. You don¡¯t have to follow me.¡± Hearing that, the shopping guide turned to Alexander, who then waved his hand at her, signaling her to retreat, to which she heeded the instruction. Thereupon, Alexander apanied Elise as she walked from one shop to another. Every single worker in the shopping mall tactfully approached to guide them. Even the manager of the mall, after hearing the news, consequently hurried over to see them. ¡°If there¡¯s anything you need, President Griffith, just give me a call and I¡¯ll send it over,¡± the manager warily informed. On the other hand, Alexander returned to his usual, cold mannerism. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m just passing by and looking around. There¡¯s nothing important here. You may leave.¡± The manager hastily wiped the sweat off his forehead. Despite Alexander¡¯s statement, he stayed around, serving them with utmost care. Meanwhile, as Elise didn¡¯t expect to see such an empty mall, she didn¡¯t carry any purpose with her when she agreed toe. However, after walking around the mall, she noticed there were many things that piqued her interest. Thus, she decided to spoil herself by splurging. When she was about to pay for the items, Alexander notified the shopping guide, ¡°These are all on me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can pay for myself,¡± Elise hurriedly refuted. Nheless, the shopping guide didn¡¯t dare to take Elise¡¯s card. Eventually, everything Elise acquired in the shopping mall was afforded by Alexander. ¡°Do you feel better now?¡± he quizzed. At that moment, let alone feeling better, it was as if she had visited the paradise every woman could only dream of, and thevish spending was the best stress relief ever. ¡°You¡¯re quite the womanizer, Alexander. T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Going all out sure feels good!¡± Seeing she was not as moody as before, he revealed a subtle grin. ¡°As long as you like it.¡± His words carried a huge hint of adoration, but Elise, who was still dwelling on her excitement from shopping, failed to acknowledge it. As they were about to finish shopping, a number of staff members helped them to carry bags of their purchase, following Alexander and Elise out the mall. However, as fate would have it, they ran into Ashlyn. Ever since the incident on the cruise ship, Ashlyn¡¯s reputation among the socialites was utterly shattered. Furthermore, with Alexander pulling some strings from behind the scenes, the Lawsons quickly fell to their demise. Besides, somebody reported her uncle¡¯s deeds, pinning down the family entirely. Hence, she was no longer the illustrious missy as she was in the past. For the sake of advantages, the Lawson Family had arranged a marriage between her and a local real estate owner. Right then, Ashlyn was seen with her fiance. Upon seeing Alexander, she instinctively stopped her feet and pursed her lips. In a pitiable tone, she shouted, ¡°Alexander!¡± Baffled, Alexander tensed his brows and turned around, only to see Ashlyn. Regardless, there wasn¡¯t a trace of emotion on his face as hepletely disregarded her. Seeing that, Elise muttered, ¡°Isn¡¯t that Ashlyn?¡± He extended his hand and patted her head. ¡°Let¡¯s head back. There¡¯s no need to waste our time on irrelevant people.¡± Murmuring in agreement, Elise withdrew her gaze. In regard to the incident back then, she didn¡¯t manage to y her cards as the dispute was quickly resolved by Alexander¡¯s men. Thus, she had decided to let Ashlyn go for the time being However, Elise was a vengeful woman. In other words, to her, forgoing was by no means forgiving. Meanwhile, Ashlyn watched as Alexander and Elise, interacting amiably, walked past right in front of her without responding to her. In that instant, her heart was filled with tremendous indignation. Had the incident not happened, the woman beside Alexander now would have been her. Catching Ashlyn¡¯s eyes fixating on Alexander, Ashlyn¡¯s fiance stomped over to her. ¡°What the f*ck are you looking at, you wh*re? Have you forgotten you¡¯re now my woman? If you dare to even think about cheating on me, I¡¯ll f*cking kill you.¡± In fear, Ashlyn swiftly withdrew her stare and forced a chuckle. ¡°You¡¯re reading too much into this, honey. I only have you in my heart.¡± Upon those words, the frown on the man¡¯s face was slightly relieved. Despite that, he wrapped his arm around her waist in one swift move and gave her a vigorous pinch. ¡°If I ever catch you looking at any other guy again, I¡¯ll plow you dead.¡± Chapter 142 Chapter 142 Chapter 142,Coolest Girl in Town Ashlyn didn¡¯t say another word andpliantly followed behind the man, but her eyes showed a hint of underlying dissatisfaction. How? How does an ugly duckling like Elise manage to live so vivaciously, and yet I have to suffer in such a way? ¡­¡­ When they arrived home, Alexander carried all the newly bought things to Elise¡¯s room. This was his first time in her room, and he could detect a slight fragrance in the air as he entered. ¡°Let me know if there¡¯s anything else you need. I¡¯ll have Cameron bring it over to you,¡± Alexander said. Elise nced at the pile of shopping bags in front of her and was a little shocked that they¡¯d actually bought so many things today. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary for now. We¡¯ve already bought a lot, actually.¡± Alexander nodded and asked, ¡°What do you want to eat for dinner? I¡¯ll pass the word to the kitchen.¡± Elise¡¯s eyes moved around as she pondered. She thought of something all of a sudden and said, ¡°I want sticky pork ribs and roasted chicken.¡± Alexander made a mental note of her cravings. ¡°Sure, get some rest and juste downstairs when it¡¯s time for dinner.¡± As he spoke, he left her room with wide and brisk steps. Elise cupped her face with one hand as she stared at herself in the mirror. Strangely, she felt like a girl who was being pampered by her boyfriend. Elisey on her huge bed and stared at the ceiling above her; an image of Alexander surfaced in her mind and she couldn¡¯t help but smile sweetly. Then, she rolled over and gradually fell asleep. Night approached steadily outside her windows. It wasn¡¯t until a knock sounded on her door that Elise stirred. She stretchedzily and checked the time¡ªshe was surprised to find that it was already over 7.00PM. ¡°Dinner¡¯s ready, Miss Sinir.¡± The housekeeper¡¯s voice came from outside her room. Elise quickly replied, ¡°All right,ing.¡± Lifting her nket, she hopped off her bed before putting on her slippers and leaving her room. On the way down, she bumped into Danny who was ying mobile games on his phone. He instinctively hid his phone at the sight of Elise and greeted her nervously, ¡°Boss!¡± Elise looked at him and asked, ¡°Have you been gaming again?¡± Danny admitted sheepishly, ¡°Yeah¡­ I only yed for a while, though¡ªit was only a round.¡± Elise nodded in response. ¡°Okay. Have you done your homework? Is there anything you don¡¯t understand?¡± To that, Danny quickly said, ¡°Yeah, there are a few questions I don¡¯t understand. Can we please go over them after dinner?¡± Elise hid the cunning look in her eyes as she stared at him. She replied readily, ¡°Of course, but I have a condition.¡± Danny had a bad feeling right away. ¡°W-What is it?¡± Elise extended a palm in front of him. ¡°Give me your phone. No more mobile games until you make the top three on your next exam.¡± Danny felt like he was being controlled, but as he gave it some thought, it was indeed his own goal to pay attention to his studies in the first ce. He wouldn¡¯t be able to study well if he continued to give in to his desires and yed mobile games without restraining himself. Thus, he happily handed Elise his phone. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°Here, Boss.¡± Elise said with a chuckle, ¡°Good boy. Listen, you can y your games all day all night when you get into college. I won¡¯t stop or bother you anymore then.¡± For some reason, Danny felt a little bummed out when Elise said she wouldn¡¯t bother him. It was almost as if he enjoyed being constantly supervised by her. The two of them went down the stairs one after another. The housekeeper said the moment they arrived downstairs, ¡°Mr. Griffith has business to attend to this evening, so he won¡¯t be having dinner at home. Young Masters Brendan and Jack also said that they won¡¯t being home tonight.¡± Elise nodded in acknowledgment and went straight to the dining hall. ced on the middle of the dining table was the sticky pork ribs and roasted chicken that she¡¯d mentioned earlier. A warm feeling flooded her heart instantly and her mouth curved up into a sweet smile. ¡°Wow, we¡¯re having sticky pork ribs?¡± Danny hastily pulled out a chair and sat down. Then, he immediately picked up his fork and knife as he prepared to dig in. At that moment, Alexander seemed to appear out of nowhere and bellowed, ¡°Danny!¡± Danny froze on the spot as soon as he heard that and quickly put down his cutlery. He looked up at his brother and greeted, ¡°Alexander¡± It was obvious that Danny was still rather afraid of crossing Alexander. Thetter responded lightly and turned to Elise. ¡°Here are the sticky pork ribs and roasted chicken that you were craving. Why don¡¯t you give them a try?¡± Danny realized then that the food on the table was specially prepared for Elise. It was no wonder his brother reacted in such a way. Thus, he quickly pulled out a chair for Elise and politely said, ¡°Take a seat, Boss.¡± Elise sat down with a smile on her face. Even when the housekeeper had finished bringing out all the dishes, neither Alexander nor Danny started eating. Alexander turned to Elise and said, ¡°Give it a taste.¡± Elise cut a piece and took a bite. Instantly, the rich barbeque sauce melted in her mouth; it tasted no different from what she remembered. ¡°It¡¯s delicious. Please, dig in.¡± Danny had been itching to start eating the moment he saw the food, so he began to stuff his face as soon as he was allowed to. ¡°These ribs are so good, Alexander.¡± Alexander instinctively hid his hand under the table as he watched them enjoy the food¡ªthere was a small but noticeable band-aid around his finger. ¡°Eat more if you like it.¡± Elise thought that the sticky pork ribs were pretty tasty, but she could taste a hint of charred residue on the meat. She assumed that the chef must¡¯ve been careless with the fire as he was cooking it. Other than that, she didn¡¯t give it much further thought. At that very moment in the kitchen, however, Ste was staring at quite a few bs of pork ribs lying in the trash can,pletely burnt and inedible. It was her first time seeing Alexander cook after serving in the Griffith Family for so many years At the thought of that, she couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. Seems like Young Master Alex has fallen for that young woman. After dinner, Elise went to the study to teach Danny his homework. Just then, her phone rang. She took it out of her pocket and realized that it was an rm that she¡¯d set for herself. Today was Wednesday, the day she had to teach Arisian to Alexander. ¡°Have you understood everything? Do you have any other questions?¡± Danny shook his head. ¡°Nope. I¡¯m all good.¡± Elise then left the study and returned to her room. After locking the door behind her, she turned on herputer and noticed that Alexander was already online. She couldn¡¯t help herself and sent him a message. ¡®Quite on time, aren¡¯t you?¡¯ Alexander simply replied, ¡®Yeah.¡¯ Immediately after that, he said, ¡®Let¡¯s start, then. What¡¯s the topic for today?¡¯ Elise was surprised at how fast Alexander could learn. In just over a month, he¡¯d already mastered the basic Arisian sentence structures and grammar. He practically had no problem engaging in simple conversations as of now. ¡®Let¡¯s practice situation dialog today,¡¯ said Elise. Then, she swiftly began to create a scenario in which they could have a conversation. Though Alexander was usually very efficient in learning Arisian, he seemed a bit off today. In truth, he felt like Sare¡¯s way of speech was quite simr to Elise¡¯s. Have I gone crazy? Why does everything I do have something to do with Elise? Chapter 143 Chapter 143 Chapter 143,Coolest Girl in Town Elise couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡®Did something happen today? You don¡¯t seem too well.¡¯ Alexander stared at the band-aid around his finger as he replied, ¡®It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just that you suddenly seem a lot like a friend of mine.¡¯ Elise¡¯s heart shuddered. She almost immediately assumed that Alexander was trying to expose her identity, but she was also quite certain that her disguise was wless, and that he wouldn¡¯t have seen through it so easily. ¡®Am I? In what way are we simr?¡¯ A slight frown formed between his brows. He felt ridiculous all of a sudden; Sare and Elise were clearly two different people, so how did he end up linking the two of them together? ¡®It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m probably just overthinking it.¡¯ Elise let out a breath of relief. ¡®Since you¡¯re not feeling the best, let¡¯s postpone our lesson.¡¯ Alexander didn¡¯t reject her suggestion. He replied with an ¡®OK¡¯ emoji and went offline right after. On the other end, Elise stared at the darkened profile icon of the man, and her subconscious pictured the figure of Alexander at this moment as he sat in his room. Her lips curved into a sweet smile. The next morning, Jack was quietly waiting downstairs. When there was still no sign of Elise after some time, he called out, ¡°What are you doing, Elise? You¡¯ll bete if we don¡¯t leave soon!¡± Elise finally came downstairs in a rush. She had trouble falling asleepst night and didn¡¯t doze off until past midnight, which was precisely why she¡¯d woken upte today. ¡°I¡¯ming!¡± Elise got into the car in a hurry and Jack immediately drove away. He seemed to be in quite a good mood today and was humming his new song all the way to school. ¡°Elise,¡± Jack suddenly called her name. She looked up and asked, ¡°Yeah?¡± Jack studied her face for a moment before he finally let out his question. ¡°You and my brother¡­ Is there anything going on between you guys?¡± Elise blinked stiffly. She was unsure why he¡¯d ask such a question, but she instinctively denied his im nheless. ¡°Like what?¡± Jack thought that she didn¡¯t understand what he meant, so he tried again and asked, ¡°Tell me honestly, Elise. Have you fallen for Alexander?¡± Elise let out a light cough to mask her true feelings. She quickly averted her eyes and answered as she stared out the window, ¡°Nonsense.¡± Jack was obviously unconvinced. ¡°Are you sure? Why do I feel like there¡¯s something unusual going on between you two?¡± For instance, Alexander would take her along even when he hung out with his brothers. Also, the condescending air around Alexander which could be sensed from miles away would disappear without a trace whenever he was with Elise. ¡°What are you talking about? There¡¯s nothing unusual going on between us! T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Stop imagining things and focus on your new song.¡± Jack stopped probing since Elise was visibly upset. Regarding his new song, the music and lyrics that were bothposed and written by H was amazing. The song wouldn¡¯t have blown up the way it did if it wasn¡¯t for H. In fact, he wanted to personally pay his thanks to H, but he couldn¡¯t contact them no matter what; even Noel couldn¡¯t help him secure an appointment with H. ¡°Forget it. I won¡¯t ask anymore if you don¡¯t want to tell me. You know what, though, Elise? You should make your move soon if you really are interested in him. After all, it¡¯s not easy to bag a man as brilliant as Alexander.¡± If he got it right and Elise had really fallen for Alexander, it¡¯d be great if she ended up as their sister-inw. After getting along with her for some time, he¡¯d found Elise to be a lot less of a nuisancepared to when they first met. She was instead an easygoing and approachable person who could be naturally casual with each of the brothers; she was never too over the top with ttering them or putting up a cold front. Most importantly, he could feel that Alexander treated Elise rather differently. ¡°Since you have time to pry into someone else¡¯s privacy, why don¡¯t you think about your own life?¡± With those parting words, Elise opened the door and got down from the car. Jack watched her furthering figure and muttered under his breath, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my life? I¡¯m doing fine, except I don¡¯t have a girlfriend¡­¡± His heart ached a little. Was she roasting me for being single? Nheless, he brushed it off with a scoff and didn¡¯t think much of it before he started his car and sped off. At that moment, though, his phone rang. He reached out and tried to retrieve his phone from the passenger seat, but he identally dropped it underneath. Thus, he hastily bent down to pick up his phone. Just then, a loud bang sounded in the air and he mmed on the brakes immediately. The inertia sent his body crashing forward, and his head knocked into the windshield. It was then that Jack noticed a person lying on the ground. He panicked and scurried down from his car at once. ¡°Are you okay? You good?¡± However, when he realized who the victim was, he was stunned. Isn¡¯t this the girl who¡¯s always with Elise? ¡°Hey, are you okay? Wake up.¡± But Mika simply lay motionlessly in Jack¡¯s arms. He didn¡¯t have time for much consideration and carried her straight into his car and gave Ronald a call as he rushed to the hospital. ¡°I hit someone, Ronald. I¡¯m on the way to themunity hospital¡­¡± Ronald was stunned when he heard those words. ¡°You¡¯re okay, right?¡± Jack quickly replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine, but she got hurt pretty bad.¡± ¡°Okay, listen to me¡ªdon¡¯t panic. I¡¯ll be there right away. Be careful and don¡¯t let the paparazzi catch any of this¡± Jack hung up and stepped on the gas all the way. At the hospital, the doctor came up to them and quickly pushed Mika into the operating theater. Jack stood outside and waited as he panted for air. Before long, Ronald came rushing up to him. ¡°How¡¯s things? How¡¯s the person doing?¡± Jack replied, ¡°She¡¯s still in the operating theater.¡± Ronald didn¡¯t care much about that, though. ¡°This can never get out no matter what. We¡¯ll have to impose a media ckout at once. Listen up, you leave ahead. I¡¯ll take care of things here¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Come on, no buts. Please, Jack, don¡¯t forget who you are. It¡¯ll be messy if the media gets a hold of this.¡± Ronald spoke in a rushed manner as he whipped out his phone to call the driver. ¡°Come over to the back door. Jack will be waiting for you there.¡± Then, he hung up and made Jack leave in a hurry. Even though Jack felt quite helpless, he could only leave for the sake of preserving his reputation. Jack returned to thepany, but his mind was obviously somewhere else. Just as he approached the elevator, Charlene, who was heading in his direction with a smile, gave him a warm greeting. ¡°Jack!¡± Jack nodded absent-mindedly and walked past her with a poker face before stepping into the elevator. The smile on Charlene¡¯s face froze in an instant. Jack had never taken her seriously; no matter how many times she¡¯d tried to cozy up to him, he¡¯d brush her off like she was nothing. ¡°Your phone¡¯s ringing, Charlene,¡± her assistant said in a low voice when she saw the unhappy look on her boss¡¯ face. Charlene took the phone and put it to her ear. After hearing what the caller had to say, the look in her eyes darkened. ¡°You didn¡¯t find anything? How¡¯s that possible?¡± Chapter 144 Chapter 144 Chapter 144,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°Yes, my people have looked into it for quite some time but they didn¡¯t find anything.¡± Charlene¡¯s expression darkened even more. ¡°I understand.¡± As she hung up on the call, her grip tightened around her phone. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Charlene? Are you okay?¡± Charlene let out a scoff and shot her assistant a sharp re. The one look was enough to send a shudder up her spine. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, you say? Are you hoping for something to go wrong for me?¡± The assistant quickly exined herself, ¡°No, Charlene. I didn¡¯t mean it like that.¡± However, the woman wouldn¡¯t give her a chance. ¡°Just pack your things and leave now. I don¡¯t want to see you ever again.¡± With those words, Charlene lifted her chin high and stomped away pompously. As she boarded her minivan, all she could think about was the fact that her people had failed to find even the slightest information on H. After all, H was clearly back in the industry, and she had to do something about it. Wait a minute. Since H wrote a new song for Jack, that means they¡¯re acquainted. If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll be able to find H as long as I keep an eye on Jack. An idea popped up in Charlene¡¯s mind as soon as she thought of that. If she couldn¡¯t find anything on H, she¡¯d definitely seed if she kept an eye on Jack. Meanwhile, Elise, who was still in ss, had no idea about what happened. Seeing that her friend had been absent for the whole day, she sent Mika a text message after ss. However, she never got a reply even after some time, and she didn¡¯t think much of it either. Just then, her phone buzzed with a call. ¡°Boss, they¡¯re back at it again¡± Jamie¡¯s voice rang in her ear. He was trying his best to track the other party, but they were too cunning indeed, so much that even someone as skilled as Jamie fell short to them as a rival. ¡°Just hold them back for now. I¡¯ll be there right away.¡± Elise hung up and told Danny to fill the teacher in on her early leave before she rushed to Ferry Building. Jamie had been dealing with them for the timeBelongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. being up until Elise¡¯s arrival. After sitting down, Elise didn¡¯t immediately begin to track them down. Instead, she tried to contact them. ¡®What do you want?¡¯ Elise wrote and sent it over. Then, she waited patiently for a reply. Not even two minutes passed when the other side responded with a smiley face emoji. Jamie couldn¡¯t hold back from cursing out loud, ¡°Who the f*ck is this dumb*ss?!¡± Elise knitted her brows. Her fingers ran across the keyboard as she typed, ¡®I know you don¡¯t mean any harm. Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t have continued talking to us for this long, am I right?¡¯ The reply was yet another smiley face. This time, Elise was all out of patience. ¡°Boss, let¡¯s just end it right now¡± Elise stared at the emoji replies; her eyes darkened as she sunk into thought. She continued the conversation as sheunched another tab and started writing some code. ¡®Do you know me?¡¯ wrote Elise, but the other side didn¡¯t reply for a long time. At the same time, Elise hadpleted her code which she immediately nted into the other party¡¯s system. A short moment later, their IP address was already in her hands. Just then, the other party replied, ¡®I¡¯ll be waiting for you.¡¯ The reply was simple, and Elise instantly knew what it meant¡ªthey had done that on purpose. They¡¯d clearly figured out her actions and had intentionally exposed their IP address for her benefit. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you, Boss,¡± Jamie suggested. However, the moment he said that, a line of words appeared on the screen. ¡®I want you toe alone.¡¯ Jamie felt like they were definitely nning something. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t risk going alone, Boss. You¡¯re a girl, after all. We should just ignore this dumb*ss.¡± Elise pursed her lips before she said, ¡°No worries. I¡¯ll go and meet them alone.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± The next moment, Elise stood up. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Even so, she didn¡¯t know if she was reassuring Jamie or herself with those words. Strangely, though, she had a faint feeling that the unknown person behind the screen was someone she knew, and that they had no intention of harming her. And so, Elise wanted to give it a try and meet them in person. ¡°I¡¯ll send you a message every 30 minutes. Call for back-up if you don¡¯t hear from me for an hour.¡± Jamie was still worried, but he knew that Elise was never one to turn back once she made a decision. Thus, he could onlyply. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Boss. I got it¡± ¡°Give me your car keys.¡± Jamie quickly took his car keys out of his pocket and gave it to Elise. She took it and turned around without another word. The IP address pointed toward the outskirts of town. Elise started the engine and drove straight toward the location. An hourter, she nced at the pin on the map of her phone and looked around. She was quite literally in the middle of nowhere, but she was sure that this was the ce. However, she couldn¡¯t find anyone even after looking around. Elise started to suspect if she¡¯d gone the wrong way, so she slowed down and drove down the path. Just then, she saw a huge and extravagant mansion hidden behind a forest of trees. Elise¡¯s eyes darkened at once. She got down from the car after parking it by the roadside. As she walked up to the pond in the front yard of the mansion, two ck German shepherds came running up to her. Elise looked down at the two dogs and her eyes were instantly filled with glee. ¡°Potato! Tomato!¡± The dogs stopped next to her legs and excitedly wagged their tails as they stared up at her. Elise crouched down immediately and patted their heads affectionately. ¡°Oh my god! What are you guys doing here? Papa can¡¯t be here, can he?¡± At that exact moment, the booming deep voice of a middle-aged man came out of nowhere. ¡°Ellie!¡± Elise instinctively looked up when she heard the familiar voice. She called out cheerfully, ¡°Papa!¡± When Quentin Fassbenderid his eyes on Elise¡¯s strange appearance, though, he couldn¡¯t help but tease, ¡°My goodness, are you really my sweet daughter? What happened to your face?¡± Elise scratched her head a little awkwardly, but the next second, she boldly jogged up to him and wrapped her arm around his. ¡°Aren¡¯t I pretty this way, Papa?¡± A deep frown formed between Quentin¡¯s brows as he stared at Elise. ¡°Why did you do this to yourself? It hurts to see you looking like this.¡± She stuck out her tongue and said, ¡°Hehe! Just for fun.¡± ¡°What¡¯s so fun about this? Go and take this ridiculous makeup off your face right now¡± To his surprise, Elise shook her head. ¡°Nah, I¡¯d rather not. I think this is great for a change. Besides, everyone around me thinks I look like this now. It¡¯d be troublesome if I go back to normal all of a sudden.¡± Quentin knew that Elise had her own way of doing things, but she was truly too ugly to look at right now. ¡°Alright, sure. As long as you¡¯re happy.¡± Elise simply replied with a scoff and said, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me you¡¯re visiting, Papa? You didn¡¯t need to lure me over in such a manner.¡± Quentin startedughing loudly when she mentioned that. ¡°What do you think, Ellie? Wasn¡¯t it a great surprise?¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°A great surprise? More like a great scare.¡± However, Quentin put on a mysterious smile. ¡°What I mean is¡­ Were you surprised by the skills of the person who was battling against you behind the screen?¡± Chapter 145 Chapter 145 Chapter 145,Coolest Girl in Town Elise became somewhat curious when the subject was brought up. ¡°Where did you find this guy, Papa? His skills are actually better than mine!¡± Quentin¡¯s smile broadened when he heard Elise say so. ¡°I just knew you would say that. That¡¯s why I brought him here specially to introduce him to you,¡± he replied, before asking one of his bodyguards to call the person over. Elise¡¯s curiosity was piqued. About a few minutester, a dashingly handsome man came up to them with a gentle smile on his lips. ¡°Owen, this is Elise whom I told you about,¡± said Quentin to the man. Owen Morgan looked at Elise. Apparently, he never expected her to look like this; she seemed far from the stunning beauty as described by Quentin. A peculiar look shed across his eyes, and Elise was perceptive enough to notice it. He said, ¡°Nice to meet you, Miss Ellie.¡± Elise nodded politely with a smile. ¡°Nice to meet you too. I¡¯m Elise Sinir.¡± Seeing how the pair introduced themselves in a stiffly formal manner, Quentin said with a smile, ¡°You young people should be more energetic. It¡¯s been so long since west met, Ellie. You¡¯ve changed a lot.¡± However, Elise pouted her lips with a troubled expression. ¡°Have youe to the point of loathing me, Papa?¡± ¡°Hahaha! What are you talking about, you little girl? I¡¯d never loathe you.¡± Owen chimed in, ¡°Mr. Fassbender has always sung your praises in front of me, Miss Ellie. In his eyes, you¡¯re undoubtedly the best person to ever exist.¡± ¡°You hear that, Ellie? I¡¯ve been thinking about you all the time. You, on the other hand, havepletely forgotten about me long ago, haven¡¯t you? You heartless little girl.¡± Elise stuck out her tongue in embarrassment. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare do that, Papa.¡± Luckily, Quentin merely meant his words as a joke that he definitely didn¡¯t take seriously. ¡°How are you doing these days, Ellie? Anything interesting to talk to me about?¡± Elise held Quentin¡¯s arm and told him about the interesting things that had happened recently. The two walked into the mansion as they chatted, whereas Owen followed closely behind them. Before this, Owen had only learned of Elise¡¯s existence from Quentin, so he knew nothing about her looks and disposition. All he knew was that Quentin was very fond of this goddaughter of his, and that she had amazing skills as a hacker. After the previous two encounters, he had gained a fairly thorough understanding of her capabilities as a hacker. ¡°Owen!¡± Suddenly, Quentin called out to him. ¡°At your service, Mr. Fassbender.¡± Quentin replied with augh, ¡°Spare me the formalities, you. I just have something to discuss with you. Do you remember what I told youst time?¡± Owen knew that Quentin wanted to fix him up with Elise, but he really had no feelings for her at all. Therefore, he yed dumb by replying, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t.¡± Quentin didn¡¯t mind his response, though. He merely suggested, ¡°Elise, you¡¯re no longer a little girl, so it¡¯s time for you to be dating someone. What do you think of Owen?¡± Elise was stupefied right away by the blunt, straightforward, and concise manner in which Quentin said those words. ¡°What are you talking about, Papa? I¡¯m only 18!¡± However, Quentin replied, ¡°Which makes you an adult. Besides, your godmother was about your age when I married her, so now¡¯s the right time to be in a rtionship.¡± Elise was utterly speechless. Despite finding it embarrassing to say something in Owen¡¯s presence, she declined tactfully, ¡°I don¡¯t feel like dating someone, Papa. I¡¯m still a student.¡± Quentin replied with a deep frown, ¡°Why are you still attending school when you¡¯ve got a double degree? You should listen to me and take over my company.¡± Inevitably, Owen was surprised when he heard this. Has thisdy done a double degree at such a young age? I couldn¡¯t tell at all. How incredible. Just then, Quentin asked, ¡°What do you think, Owen? Elise is my only daughter. Though she¡¯s not my own daughter, I love her more than I love my own daughter. It¡¯ll be a huge load off my mind if you two can get together.¡± Owen didn¡¯t find himself drawn to Elise, but he didn¡¯t turn Quentin down at this moment. ¡°A romance takes time to grow, Mr. Fassbender. This is the first time I¡¯ve met Miss Sinir, so there¡¯s nothing romantic between us to speak of yet.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. But we can spend more time with each other from now on.¡± Quentin was very satisfied with Owen¡¯s reply. ¡°Owen is a nice kid. Trust me, Ellie; he¡¯s a good match for you.¡± Elise didn¡¯t expect this meeting to be a blind date. After rolling her eyes for a moment, she could only reply, ¡°Sorry, Papa. I didn¡¯t know you were trying to fix me up with someone. I¡¯m already in a rtionship¡­¡± Silence filled the air right away as soon as she said those words. After a few seconds, Quentin replied in a tone of apparent disbelief, ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me, Ellie. Why have I never heard you mention before that you¡¯re in a rtionship?¡± Elise blushed with embarrassment, but she, of course, couldn¡¯t take back what she had said. Therefore, she could only lie, ¡°We¡¯ve just started seeing each other, so our rtionship isn¡¯t steady yet. I¡¯ll definitely bring him to meet you next time.¡± Quentin couldn¡¯t help but doubt whether Elise was telling the truth when he saw how serious she sounded. He had always thought highly of Owen, so he hoped that thetter and Elise could be a couple. However, if Elise already had a boyfriend, he couldn¡¯t force her to break up with him. ¡°Are you serious about it?¡± Elise nodded vigorously. Quentin turned to look at Owen apologetically, but thetter gave him a smile of relief. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Mr. Fassbender. I¡¯m already honored to get to know Miss Sinir. Perhaps she and I aren¡¯t meant to be together.¡± Quentin wasn¡¯t convinced, though. ¡°Ellie, if you really have a boyfriend, you should bring him to me and let me check on him for you.¡± Elise was about to say something in reply when the bodyguard outside suddenly came in and reported, ¡°Sir, someone forcibly broke into our turf, but we¡¯ve sessfully subdued the intruder. What are your orders?¡± Quentin was not in the mood to deal with such things, of course. ¡°Just leave him there for a while first. We¡¯ll talk about itter.¡± However, Elise suddenly recalled something and hurriedly stopped the bodyguard. She asked, ¡°Is he a young man in his early 20s named Jamie Keller?¡± The bodyguard answered, ¡°He¡¯s indeed in his early 20s, miss. As for his name, we haven¡¯t had time to ask him about it.¡± Elise checked the time. Figuring that it had to be Jamie, she then said to Quentin, ¡°Please let him go at once, Papa. He¡¯s my friend.¡± Chapter 146 Chapter 146 Chapter 146,Coolest Girl in Town Friend? Obviously, Quentin didn¡¯t believe what Elise had said since the man was a youngd in his early 20s. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Tell me the truth, Ellie¡ªis he the boyfriend you talked about?¡± Elise quickly exined, ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it, Papa. He¡¯s just a friend of mine.¡± Seeing how serious Elise looked, Quentin believed her somewhat. He then ordered the bodyguard, ¡°Go and bring him here.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± With that, Jamie was brought in by the bodyguard. At the sight of Elise, he immediately trotted up to her with a look of worry. ¡°Are you all right, Boss?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Come. I¡¯ll introduce you to my godfather.¡± Jamie was still confused upon hearing this. He then turned to look at Quentin, and a nce was all it took for him to find that the man looked very familiar. He felt like he had seen him somewhere before. ¡°Hello, sir,¡± he immediately greeted. Then, his face showed a look of surprise, as if he had recalled something. ¡°Y-Y-You¡¯re¡­ the, uh¡­¡± He was so thrilled that he couldn¡¯t say anything for a long time. Elise patted him on the shoulder. What a wimp, she thought. ¡°Boss, h-he¡¯s Quentin Fassbender, the richest man on earth who topped the Forbes¡¯ list of the world¡¯s richest billionaires, isn¡¯t he?¡± Jamie asked excitedly. ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Elise responded softly. Jamie became even more excited as he hurriedly stepped forward and extended his hand. ¡°Nice to meet you, sir. I¡¯m Jamie Keller. I didn¡¯t expect to actually meet you one day. It¡¯s such a great honor.¡± Quentin was amused by Jamie¡¯s series of actions. This youngd¡¯s quite interesting, he thought. ¡°You¡¯re a friend of Ellie¡¯s?¡± Jamie nodded repeatedly before adding, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m herckey. She¡¯s my boss.¡± Quentin turned to look at Elise with a slightly raised eyebrow. ¡°So our Elise is also a boss now, huh? That¡¯s pretty good. At least you didn¡¯t make me look bad.¡± ¡°Jamie only barged in out of concern for my safety, Papa,¡± Elise exined. Quentin reassured her with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s fine. This youngd looks decent. Please stay by Ellie¡¯s side and take good care of her on my behalf in the future.¡± Jamie nodded vigorously. ¡°Please rest assured, sir. I¡¯ll definitely take good care of her.¡± ¡°Good to hear. Join me for a mealter, Ellie,¡± Quentin said as he took Elise into the mansion. Then, he seemed to think of something and suggested, ¡°Ellie, since you have a boyfriend, it¡¯s time that you bring him over for me to take a look at him.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ How about we put this off untilter, Papa?¡± Elise was at a loss for what to do. Where am I supposed to get a boyfriend on such short notice? ¡°No, that won¡¯t do. I think now¡¯s the best time to do that, so let¡¯s do that today. Just bring him overter.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± Elise still wanted to say something. However, Quentin seemed to have seen through her. He leaned over to her and whispered, ¡°Ellie, just tell me right away if you really don¡¯t have a boyfriend. I won¡¯t me you for that. Besides, Owen¡¯s a really nice guy, and you should believe in my judgment. You¡¯re my daughter, so there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll do you harm.¡± Elise gritted her teeth before she promptly replied, ¡°Papa, I¡¯ll bring him over to see youter. As for Mr. Morgan, I think we¡¯d better be friends.¡± Her words were pretty straightforward. Seeing that she still insisted on iming to be in a rtionship, Quentin couldn¡¯t help but wonder if she really had a boyfriend. Still, it¡¯s nothing to worry about. So what if she does have a boyfriend? Everything is subject to change as long as she¡¯s still unmarried. Moreover, even a married couple can get divorced these days if they find their marriage to be an ill- suited match, so I¡¯ve never worried about such a problem, he thought. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s settled then. Bring him over tonight so that I can get a good look at him.¡± Elise had no choice but to say yes. Inwardly, though, she was in a fret. Where could I find a boyfriend? She thought of the Griffith siblings. Danny¡¯s definitely out of the question. He¡¯s not mature enough, so Papa may frighten him with just a few casual remarks. Brendan is also out of the question; he¡¯s too busy since he spends almost every single day in his design studio.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Besides, he and I aren¡¯t that close yet. Jack, on the other hand, is okay, but how should I ask him for help? As soon as Elise and Jamie came out of the vi, Jamie went up to her. ¡°Since when have you been in a rtionship, Boss? Why didn¡¯t I know about it?¡± Elise quickly covered his mouth and signaled him to stop talking about it. Taking the hint at once, Jamie immediately shook Elise¡¯s hand off and said, ¡°Boss, did you¡ª¡± Elise silenced him with a look before he could finish his sentence. Jamie nodded vigorously. ¡°I got it, Boss. Let¡¯s go back first.¡± Jamie then drove Elise home. On their way back, he asked, ¡°Boss, are you gonna have someone pose as your boyfriend?¡± ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Elise responded somewhat irritably at the mention of this. Jamie then asked, ¡°And who¡¯s the lucky guy you¡¯ve chosen?¡± Elise pursed her lips. ¡°What do you think of Jack?¡± Jamie was naturally surprised to hear Jack¡¯s name. ¡°So you like men of his sort, Boss?¡± Elise replied, ¡°He¡¯s a suitable candidate. It¡¯s just that I have no idea how to talk to him about it.¡± Jamie shook his head, though. ¡°I don¡¯t think Jack¡¯s the right man to do this, Boss. You¡¯re looking for someone to pose as your boyfriend, so I think someone like Alexander is probably more suitable,¡± he suggested in all sincerity. However, Elise backed off when she heard Alexander¡¯s name, mainly because she felt guilty and thus passed him over in her mind right away. ¡°Just forget about him.¡± Jamie was puzzled. ¡°Why, Boss? He¡¯s the Griffith Family¡¯s eldest son, as well as the family¡¯s best heir. With his reputation in the business world, he can definitely win Mr. Fassbender over. Besides, I think he¡¯s the only one who¡¯s good enough for you, Boss.¡± Elise hemmed and hawed before she spoke. ¡°Forget it. Jack¡¯s more suitable, after all.¡± At the very least, she thought of Jack as a friend. But for Alexander, she couldn¡¯t; she couldn¡¯t see him as just a friend. ¡°Alright! Whatever you say. So are we gonna go to Jack right now?¡± Elise checked the time and said, ¡°I¡¯ll call him first and see whether he¡¯s free tonight.¡± As she spoke, she took out her cell phone and called Jack. In the meantime, Jack was pacing around in the hospital lobby with his body muffled up from head to toe. When he took the elevator and reached the ward, Ronald was still there. Ronald asked, ¡°Why are you here, Jack? Didn¡¯t I tell you to leave this to me?¡± Jack frowned slightly. ¡°I¡¯m worried. How¡¯s she? Is she okay?¡± Ronald immediately answered, ¡°She¡¯s okay. It¡¯s just a slight concussion. She¡¯ll be fine after a few days¡¯ rest.¡± Jack let out a sigh of relief. ¡°I¡¯ll check on her and apologize while I¡¯m at it,¡± he said as he opened the door to the ward. Meanwhile, Mika was already awake for quite some time, though she didn¡¯t know it was Jack who had knocked her over. She was only put on an intravenous drip as instructed by the doctor. Bored stiff, she was watching Jack¡¯s drama on her cell phone. He looks so dashing! She was acting all fangirl while staring at Jack¡ª her Prince Charming¡ªon her phone¡¯s screen. Just then, the door to her ward was opened, and a heavily disguised man walked in, which really frightened her. ¡°Who are you?¡± Chapter 147 Chapter 147 Chapter 147,Coolest Girl in Town Jack took off his face mask, revealing his face, of which even women were envious. When Mika saw that, she thought her eyes were deceiving her. ¡°Why are you here, hubby?¡± she blurted out before immediately covering her mouth. Then, she apologized with an apologetic smile, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m used to calling you that¡­¡± As soon as she finished her sentence, she wished she could bite her tongue off. What do you mean, ¡°I¡¯m used to calling you that,¡± Mika? Wouldn¡¯t that make it obvious that I¡¯ve been fantasizing about him for a long time? she thought. ¡°What brings you here, Jack?¡± she asked curiously. Jack stepped toward her, asking, ¡°Are you feeling better?¡± Is my husband caring about me? Mika felt like she was going to die of happiness. Even though she was still on an intravenous drip at this moment, she felt this was the happiest moment of her life. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just some scratches and bruises,¡± she answered. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Only then did she realize something peculiar. How did Jack know that I got wounded? And why does he care so much about me? We¡¯ve only met each other at school before. Well, I did y a role in the filming of his music video. Has he always remembered me since then? Jack was finally relieved when he saw that Mika was all right. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re alright. Sorry, I got distracted while driving and knocked you over. If you needpensation, just tell my assistant the specific amount.¡± Mika was dumbfounded. So I was actually knocked over by Jack? What a stroke of luck this is! she thought. ¡°I¡¯m fine. You don¡¯t have to worry about it, Jack. I believe that you didn¡¯t do it on purpose. As for compensation, I have no need for that,¡± she replied magnanimously, with no intention of ming Jack at all. Jack was somewhat at a loss when he heard Mika say so. It was the first time he ran into such a thing. Thedy seemed to be a fan of his, and she even idolized him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to hold back. It was my fault for knocking you over, so feel free to tell me whatever you want.¡± Mika couldn¡¯t help If you really feel bad about it, how about I add you on WhatsApp and send you a message if there¡¯s anything?¡± Jack thought that Mika¡¯s request was very reasonable. Without giving it much thought, he took out his cell phone right away and shared his WhatsApp QR code with her. Mika scanned his code right away without a moment¡¯s dy. Just as she finished doing so, his phone rang. She nced at the phone¡¯s screen and noticed that it was a phone call from Elise. ¡°Elise is calling you, Jack.¡± Jack retracted his arm and looked at his phone with a slight frown. Elise would never call him on her own initiative unless it was his turn to pick her up from school. However, it wasn¡¯t his turn to do so today. He looked up at Mika, asking, ¡°Did you tell her?¡± He was referring to the incident where he had knocked her over. Mika immediately shook her head. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. I only learned just now that it was you who knocked me over, so I couldn¡¯t have told her about it. She must have something else to talk to you about.¡± ¡°Mm-hm,¡± Jack responded. ¡°Well then, have a good rest and tell Ronald if you need anything,¡± he said while turning around. After walking out of the ward, he picked up the phone and asked, ¡°Anything?¡± Upon hearing Jack¡¯s voice on the other end, Elise cut to the chase. ¡°Where are you now?¡± Jack¡¯s eyes darkened as he nced at the ward¡ªthe door of which was tightly shut¡ªbehind him. He answered, ¡°I¡¯m at the hospital.¡± Elise was surprised. ¡°Are you ill?¡± Jack denied, ¡°No, I¡¯m here to visit a friend.¡± When Elise heard him say so, she didn¡¯t question him about the reason he was at the hospital. Instead, she merely asked, ¡°Are you free tonight? I¡¯d like to ask you a favor.¡± Recalling that he still had work to do tonight, he replied straightforwardly, ¡°If you have anything to talk about, just tell me on the phone. I have work to do tonight, so I¡¯m afraid I already have my hands full.¡± His reply shattered the only hope left in Elise¡¯s heart. ¡°Forget about it, then. I¡¯ll find a way on my own,¡± she said before hanging up. Jamie hurriedly asked, ¡°How is it, Boss? Did he agree?¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid he can¡¯t make it. He¡¯s busy tonight.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Jamie responded. Then, he casually suggested, ¡°In that case, let¡¯s ask someone else instead. Alexander is definitely more suitable for the job. Why don¡¯t you give it a try, Boss?¡± Elise was somewhat hesitant. In the end, however, she let out a sigh in helplessness. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give it a try.¡± Jamie drove Elise to the Griffith Group right away. The immacte marble floor reflected Elise¡¯s slender figure. Since it wasn¡¯t the first time she came to the Griffith Group, those in thepany knew her to a certain degree. When they saw her, they respectfully greeted her, ¡°Miss Sinir.¡± ¡°What can I do for you, Miss Sinir?¡± asked an assistant. Elise pondered for a moment before asking, ¡°Is Alexander here?¡± The assistant answered with a smile, ¡°President Griffith is in the office. I¡¯ll inform Cameron right away.¡± Then, the assistant hurriedly called Cameron. Cameron hurried downstairs to pick Elise up when he learned of her arrival. ¡°Miss Elise, you should¡¯ve told us beforehand that you would being. President Griffith is now having a video conference, which will take a while.¡± He led Elise to the lounge on the top floor. ¡°Please wait here for a moment, Miss Elise. I¡¯ll let you know when President Griffith¡¯s done.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Elise replied. Cameron then left the room. Elise felt somewhat nervous now that she had arrived at the Griffith Group. Now I¡¯m here, but what if Alexander turns me down? After all, pretending to be someone¡¯s boyfriend is really quite embarrassing, she thought. She randomly picked up a magazine and flipped through its pages, but her attention wasn¡¯t on it at all. After a long time, the door to the office was pushed open, and Alexander strode in. When he saw Elise, a strange look crept into his originally expressionless eyes. With feigned composure, he stepped forward and asked, ¡°Is there something you wanna talk to me about?¡± Elise tightened her grip on the magazine upon hearing his voice. Raising her eyes subconsciously, she asked, ¡°Are you done with work?¡± Only then did Alexander notice the magazine she was holding. He couldn¡¯t help but remind, ¡°You¡¯re holding the magazine upside down.¡± Elise promptly lowered her eyes to look at the magazine she was holding. Then, she hastily put it aside while concealing her embarrassment. ¡°Do you have anything onter?¡± Alexander felt Elise was somewhat weird today. Still, despite him being as busy as a bee, he said, ¡°Not really.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Elise replied without saying anything else. Inwardly, though, she was deliberating how to ask him the question. However, Alexander seemed to have seen through her. He said, ¡°If you¡¯ve got something to talk to me about, just say it.¡± Elise looked up and met his eyes. After a long time, she said, ¡°Indeed, there¡¯s a favor I¡¯d like to ask of you.¡± Alexander fixed his eyes on her while waiting for her to continue. Elise gritted her teeth. Finally, she said, ¡°Alexander, can you pretend to be my boyfriend just for one night?¡± Silence reigned over the air the instant she finished her sentence. Chapter 148 Chapter 148 Chapter 148,Coolest Girl in Town Alexander thought he had misheard her, but he clearly felt his heart beating wildly in his left chest. ¡°Okay, I promise you. When is it?¡± He agreed so readily that Elise didn¡¯t get to say anything else. ¡°Tonight,¡± she blurted. Alexander didn¡¯t ask her any further about it. ¡°Alright. Just wait for me here. I¡¯ll be right back,¡± he said before walking out of the room. After the door closed, he couldn¡¯t help but take a deep breath. Cameron stepped forward, asking, ¡°What can I do for you, President Griffith?¡± Alexander said, ¡°Pinch me.¡± Cameron was perplexed by Alexander¡¯s words. However, seeing how serious Alexander looked, he slowly pinched Alexander on the arm. Alexander¡¯s lips curled into a faint grin as he sensed the pain. At the sight of the scene, Cameron was horrified. ¡°Did I pinch you too hard, President Griffith? Sorry¡­ I¡¯m¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Alexander sounded rxed. ¡°Cancel my schedule for tonight. I have something private to deal with,¡± he ordered. With that, he walked away, leaving a stupefied Cameron standing there in bewilderment. Cameron pushed his sses up his nose. Something told him that Alexander was rather strange today, but he had a vague feeling that Elise had something to do with the reason behind it. Call it a man¡¯s hunch. Alexander had changed into a brand-new suit when he returned. He went to the lounge room and said to Elise right away, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Elise was a little surprised by how he had returned so quickly, but she felt somewhat guilty upon remembering that it was her who had asked him for the favor. ¡°Alexander, you agreed without asking me why I need you to do so. You wouldn¡¯t go back on your promise at thest minute, would you?¡± Alexander raised his eyebrows before asking, ¡°Is it difficult?¡± Elise pondered for a moment before shaking her head. Alexander then said, ¡°Why would I go back on it when it¡¯s not?¡± Elise was lost for words. She thought that Alexander¡¯s words made sense. Still, feeling a sense of responsibility for him, she told him everything about the situation as they left thepany. Alexander was expressionless after hearing her story. He merely looked into her eyes for a long time before saying, ¡°I don¡¯t have much experience in posing as someone¡¯s boyfriend, but I¡¯ll try my best to go along with you.¡± Elise breathed a sigh of relief when she heard him say so. ¡°Thank you so much! Don¡¯t worry, Alexander. I¡¯ll keep in mind the favor you¡¯ve done me.¡± Alexander curled his lips into a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s get in the car.¡± Elise hurriedly got into the car and sent him the mansion¡¯s location on WhatsApp. To her surprise, rather than heading for the destination right away, Alexander went to a shopping mall first and bought some gifts. Elise was stunned when she saw the trunk stuffed with gifts. ¡°What are you doing, Alexander?¡± Alexander replied, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that we¡¯re going to meet your godfather? We can¡¯t possibly go to his ce empty-handed, can we?¡± Elise was lost in thought upon hearing what Alexander said. We¡¯re just pretending to be a couple; why do I have a feeling that Alexander is taking it seriously? This must be an illusion, she thought. Meanwhile, Quentin was sitting in the rocking chair in the courtyard of his mansion, drinking tea made using the Earl Grey tea leaves that he had just purchased this year. Owen, on the other hand, was sitting beside him. ¡°There¡¯s no need to overthink it, Owen. I think Ellie probably made that up on a whim. She doesn¡¯t have a boyfriend at all. If she really has one, she would¡¯ve told me before, so you have nothing to worry about.¡± Owen came to his senses. In reality, he didn¡¯t worry about it, for he neither liked nor hated Elise. He onlyplied with his family¡¯s wishes and went on the blind date with Elise because of Elise¡¯s identity, but whether the blind date worked out or not didn¡¯t matter to him. ¡°Mr. Fassbender, I think I¡¯m fine with it if Miss Sinir has found a good match for herself. After all, only remarkably talented and capable young men are good enough for someone as outstanding as her.¡± Quentin felt the same way; his daughter was a finedy no matter how he looked at it.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Even though Elise wasn¡¯t his biological daughter, he didn¡¯t consider her any different from a daughter of his own. ¡°Ellie is clever and beautiful. She was pursued by countless men two years ago, and I only helped her keep those men away because she was still a teenager at the time.¡± Owen was surprised upon hearing this. Elise is far from attractive; what¡¯s so outstanding about her in Mr. Fassbender¡¯s eyes? Not only that, but he even said that she¡¯s very beautiful, he thought. ¡°There must be something extraordinary about Miss Sinir that people are obsessed about.¡± Quentin gave him a meaningful look before exining with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m afraid you don¡¯t have a good grasp of the situation, Owen. Ellie is full of ideas, and she can be very imaginative. Sometimes, not even I could figure out what she¡¯s thinking about. She¡¯s absolutely good-natured, though,¡± he said, before instructing one of his men to bring his cell phone over. ¡°Let me show you what Ellie really looks like.¡± After finding a photo of Elise that was taken two years ago, he handed his cell phone to Owen right away. Owen¡¯s eyes were full of surprise when he took a nce at the photo. There was a trace of youthfulness in the features of the youngdy in the photo, but it wasn¡¯t difficult to tell from her stunning features that she was drop-dead gorgeous. But the Elise I saw was¡­ Owen thought, before a sudden realization hit him. So that¡¯s what¡¯s going on. ¡°Miss Sinir is very gorgeous indeed. One can¡¯t help taking a fancy to her at a nce.¡± Quentin seemed satisfied with this answer. ¡°You have to work hard if you want to win her heart, Owen,¡± he said with a hint of encouragement. Owen¡¯s eyes darkened. At first, he didn¡¯t have much interest in Elise and only agreed to go on a blind date with her out of respect for Quentin. But now, she had sparked his interest. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best, Mr. Fassbender.¡± The two were chatting when the bodyguard outside came in and reported, ¡°Miss is back with a stranger, sir.¡± Quentin was startled. ¡°She¡¯s back so soon?¡± he eximed while putting down his phone. Then, he said to Owen, ¡°Let¡¯s go and take a look.¡± Owen followed Quentin closely as they walked along the hallway all the way to the living room. Quentin sat down in the living room on his own, holding the finance and economics newspaper he had read this morning as he pretended to read it. Elise somehow tensed up when she and Alexander arrived at the mansion¡¯s main gate. Nevertheless, she said to Alexander, ¡°Just do as we agreed on earlier.¡± Alexander¡¯s eyes softened as he stared at her. ¡°Okay.¡± The pair got out of the car at the same time. Upon seeing them, the bodyguard hurriedly walked up to them and greeted Elise respectfully, ¡°Wee home, Miss.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Papa? Take us there.¡± The bodyguard extended his hand as a gesture of wee. Just as Elise was about to go in, Alexander stepped in front of her and signaled to her to hold his arm. Elise felt somewhat embarrassed, but then it urred to her that she had to y out the drama tonight. Therefore, she stretched out her hand and took his arm. Somehow, the pair looked like a match made in heaven as they stood side by side. Elise¡¯s heart kept pounding as she held Alexander¡¯s arm. Owen was the first to see them, and he greeted her first. ¡°You¡¯re here, Miss Sinir.¡± Chapter 149 Chapter 149 Chapter 149,Coolest Girl in Town Elise gave Owen a nod. Then, she walked up to Quentin, saying, ¡°Papa, this is Alexander Griffith, my boyfriend.¡± Only then did Quentin raise his head and look at Elise. His eyes were full of scrutiny when heid them on Alexander, but it took him just a nce to sense something extraordinary from the majestic aura Alexander gave off. This young man is no ordinary man, he thought. ¡°Nice to meet you, Mr. Fassbender. I¡¯m Alexander Griffith,¡± Alexander said slowly. The instant he spoke, he gave the feeling of a man born to be king, which surprised Quentin greatly. This youngd seems to be in his early 20s, yet he gives off such an impressive aura. Also surprised was Alexander, who surely never expected Elise¡¯s godfather to be Quentin Fassbender, the richest man on earth who topped the Forbes list of the world¡¯s billionaires. ¡°You look like a fine man, young lad,¡± Quentin replied with a smile. However, the smile didn¡¯t reach his eyes, which were full of scrutiny as he sized Alexander up. Elise asked Alexander to take a seat and then said to Quentin with a grin, ¡°Papa, now that I¡¯ve brought him to you, please have a good look at him. I believe my dear Alex will not disappoint you.¡± Her words filled Alexander with immense pleasure, not least because the words ¡®my dear Alex¡¯ made him feel like he and Elise had been married for years. Quentin replied, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t. I have no problems as long as he¡¯s someone you like, Ellie. Besides, even if I disapprove of him, you won¡¯t break up with him, right?¡± Elise replied with a helpless smile, ¡°You must be joking, Papa.¡± ¡°Haha, look at this daughter of mine! She¡¯s already so protective of him right now; what will be of her in the future?¡± Owen kept smiling the whole time without saying a word, but only he knew how affected his smile was. He had no interest in Elise at first, but he changed his mind after seeing what she really looked like. However, he didn¡¯t expect Elise¡¯s current boyfriend to be Alexander¡ªthe all-powerful head of the Griffith Family. Quentin had lived abroad for many years and thus knew little about Athesea, but Owen was well aware of Alexander¡¯s status and family background. He didn¡¯t expect Elise to be Alexander¡¯s girlfriend at such a young age. This was something he couldn¡¯t sniff at. But who cares if Alexander is her boyfriend? As long as it¡¯s something I want, there¡¯s nothing I couldn¡¯t get my hands on, he thought. ¡°Since our distinguished guest has arrived, why don¡¯t we seat ourselves?¡± he suggested. Quentin agreed at once. ¡°Good idea. Let¡¯s have a talk after dinner,¡± he replied. With that, the group went to the dining room. Elise held Alexander¡¯s hand while whispering in his ear, ¡°My godfather is easy to please. It¡¯s fine as long as you make it look like we¡¯re faithfully devoted to each other. He definitely won¡¯t give us a hard time.¡± Alexander turned to look at her. He asked, ¡°Elise, why didn¡¯t you tell me before we came that your godfather is Quentin Fassbender?¡± Elise frowned. ¡°Does it matter?¡± For a moment, Alexander was at a loss for a reply. Does it matter? Of course it does. It¡¯s your godfather that we¡¯re talking about, after all, he thought. However, he couldn¡¯t say that to Elise since they weren¡¯t really dating at present. Seeing how intimately Elise and Alexander interacted with each other, Quentin said, ¡°Ellie,e over and sit on my left. Owen, you¡¯ll sit on my right.¡± Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Since Quentin said so, Alexander could only sit next to Elise. Just then, Quentin asked, ¡°What do you do for a living, Alex? Do you have anyone else in your family? Are they in Athesea?¡± A background check already? Elise thought. She quickly asked, ¡°Are you doing a background check on him, Papa?¡± Quentin immediately replied, ¡°Ain¡¯t I trying to learn about Alex¡¯s family?¡± Worried that Quentin might say something that displeased Alexander, Elise replied baldly, ¡°If there¡¯s anything you¡¯d like to know, Papa, just ask me. I¡¯m staying at his ce, anyway.¡± As soon as she said that, the air turned heavy right away, and the atmosphere in the spacious dining room changed at once. Quentin cleared his throat. Obviously, he didn¡¯t expect the young couple to have already reached this point in their rtionship. I suppose it¡¯s toote for me to stop them now. Alexander is a fined, though. His looks, the way he carries himself, and his upbringing are those of an upper-ss man, so he totally deserves my dear daughter, he thought. Deep down inside, though, he was a bit reluctant to part with Elise. He felt like he had painstakingly grown a pot of flowers, only to have the flowers taken away along with the pot. Alexander knew that everyone had gotten the wrong idea. If it were someone else, they would definitely not exin anything; since he and Elise were both adults, it was no big deal even if they shared a room. Nevertheless, to save her reputation, he exined, ¡°Please don¡¯t get it wrong, Mr. Fassbender. Elise is only staying at my ce for the time being for my grandfather¡¯s sake. We live in our own rooms, so we never crossed the line.¡± Quentin¡¯s inner displeasure vanished without a trace when he heard Alexander say so. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard Ellie mentioning it before. It¡¯s all my fault. I guess I was too caught up with my work before and didn¡¯t care much about her.¡± ¡°Elise is a nice youngdy. Not only is she hardworking, but she¡¯s also kind and lovely. I¡¯m lucky to have her as my girlfriend,¡± Alexander replied, not forgetting to turn his head and give Elise an affectionate look. In the eyes of outsiders, they looked totally like a young couple madly in love with each other. Upon seeing this, Quentin became a lot more satisfied with Alexander. ¡°Your family is also running a business, right, Alex?¡± he said in the indicative mood, despite what he said being a question. Obviously, he had roughly figured it out. ¡°Yeah,¡± Alexander replied, ¡°I¡¯m the one managing the Griffith Group at the moment.¡± Naturally, Quentin knew that the Griffith Group was one of thergest conglomerates in Athesea. Seems that my Ellie does have good taste in men, he thought. ¡°Still, you¡¯ve made such great achievements at such a young age. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll do well,¡± he said, before finally noticing Owen sitting next to him. He then said, ¡°It¡¯s rare for you young people to gather together. How about this? Alex, Elise, why don¡¯t you two stay the night and go horse riding with us on the ranch tomorrow?¡± Startled by his sudden proposal, Elise quickly replied, ¡°Uh, I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to pass, Papa. Alex still has lots of work to do tomorrow, so it¡¯s really inconvenient for him to do so. Why don¡¯t we go some other day?¡± Quentin turned to look at Alexander. ¡°Is that so, Alex?¡± To his surprise, Alexander replied in all calmness, ¡°However busy I am, I still have time to go horse riding with you, sir.¡± Quentin was very satisfied with Alexander¡¯s answer, and his lips curved into a smile. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s settled then. Let¡¯s go horse riding together tomorrow,¡± he said, before turning to look at Owen. ¡°Owen, you¡¯ll go with us. Let¡¯s have a race together.¡± Owen replied, ¡°Sure, Mr. Fassbender.¡± They had a great time over dinner, and Quentin became more and more satisfied with Alexander as they chatted. As he hadpletely regarded Alexander as his future son-inw, he totally forgot about Owen, who had previously been his favorite. Naturally, Owen noticed all this. Chapter 150 Chapter 150 Chapter 150,Coolest Girl in Town After dinner, Quentin suggested a round of chess. Having no interest in chess, Owen declined to y. And so, Alexander followed Quentin to the study to y some chess with him. Owen felt a little lonely as he headed outside of the house for a smoke by himself. From a distance, he looked lost and left out with the clouds of smoke shrouding him. His lonely figure was the first thing his assistant, Neil, saw when he went outside as well. Neil quickly approached Owen. ¡°Young Master Owen, what happened to you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Owen replied. Neil already knew what had transpired that day, and he knew Owen¡¯s thoughts. After he looked over his shoulder, he whispered, ¡°If you truly are interested in Miss Elise, I have an idea that you can try.¡± Owen raised a brow slightly at Neil¡¯s words. After a pause, he finally answered, ¡°Tell me what it is.¡± Neil then lowered his voice to whisper his n. Owen¡¯s expression shifted before his face lit up radiantly. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s do that.¡± ¡°Then, I shall get someone to start working on it. I¡¯ll be sure to surprise you greatly tomorrow.¡± Owen was pleased. ¡°Be discreet. Do not let anything slip.¡± ¡°You can be assured that I will be careful, Young Master.¡± With that, Neil turned and left. Owen stubbed out the cigarette in his hand, a profound look lying hidden within his eyes. The next day, Elise was startled when she woke up and saw that she was in an unfamiliar ce. Her mind slowly came back online before she finally thought of wondering where she was. After she was done washing up, she picked up her cosmetics bag to apply her makeup. She only left the room pleased once she had returned to her usual ¡®ugly girl¡¯ look. The guest rooms that Elise and Alexander were staying in were both on the third floor, and the two of them stepped out of their rooms at practically the same time. Their eyes met, and Alexander¡¯s lips curved up into a smile. ¡°Morning!¡± Elise returned his greeting before hastily approaching him. ¡°Did you sleep well? You didn¡¯t feel ufortable sleeping in a strange bed, did you?¡± Alexander looked at her as he answered, ¡°No, everything was fine.¡± The worry stuck at the bottom of Elise¡¯s heart instantly disappeared when she heard him say that. ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s go down together.¡± After they had breakfast, everyone headed for the horse ranch. This horse ranch was a private one that Quentin bought years ago. He had quite a few handsome horses here, and these horses had specialized workers tending to their needs. The ranch was huge. It encircled a hill, and thend was vast, vast enough for people to freely ride to their hearts¡¯ content. The moment Elise arrived at the horse ranch, she immediately rushed to the changing rooms to change into her riding attire. The handsome set of clothes she wore was rather fetching, and she looked absolutely bright and gant when she paired the outfit with a set of riding boots. ¡°The outfit looks good on you.¡± Alexander did not skimp on his praise. Elise smiled. ¡°You should get changed too. We¡¯ll go riding soon.¡± Seeing how excited Elise was, Alexander then headed into the changing rooms as well to change into his riding clothes. When he exited the changing rooms, he bumped into Owen. Their eyes met, and both men could read the dark feeling ofpetition in the other¡¯s eyes. Alexander had already noticed since yesterday the feeling of enmity radiating from Owen. Initially, he hadn¡¯t thought much about it, but he seemingly understood somethingter on. ¡°You look great in that outfit, Mr. Griffith, though I wonder if your riding skills can match up to it.¡± Alexander had taken riding lessons before, but he merely treated those lessons as a hobby. He rarely went horse-riding in his daily life. ¡°They¡¯re okay, I guess. I know the basics.¡± Upon hearing Alexander say that, Owen decided to give him a reminder. ¡°This horse is quite the wild one. He¡¯s not easily tamed. I¡¯m worried that an ident will happen if the rider¡¯s skills aren¡¯t up to par.¡± Alexander knew what Owen was insinuating, but he ignored it. ¡°We shall meet at the grounds soon, Mr. Morgan.¡± Owen made a sound of affirmation. A calcting glint streaked across his eyes once he sawContent protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Alexander¡¯s figure disappear into the distance. For just a moment, when Alexander stood before Elise in his riding clothes with a handsome steed¡¯s reins in hand, Elise was head over heels for him. Alexander was a fine man, be it his face or figure. The riding attire he wore highlighted his aura. ¡°Alexander Griffith, do you know just how good you look in those clothes?¡± Elise asked honestly from the bottom of her heart. With his looks and aura, Alexander would be sure to rocket to stardom if he decided to get into the entertainment industry. He would have legions of fangirls. It was Alexander¡¯s first time beingplimented by Elise like this. He then said, ¡°As long as you like it.¡± His words had a different tone to them, but Elise seemingly didn¡¯t pick up on it. ¡°Let¡¯s head on over.¡± Alexander and Elise led their own horses over to the ranch. Meanwhile, Quentin and Owen had already gotten onto their horses. ¡°Alex, let¡¯s ride twice around this hill.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Alexander said. He then helped Elise onto her horse before getting onto his own. The four of them took their reins and snapped them against the horses¡¯ back. The horses galloped off, having been hurt by the snapping reins. It had been ages since Elise had ridden a horse, so she made her horse go slow. Soon, she was left behind in the dust by the other three. She was in no rush either as she chased after them at her slow pace. ¡°You¡¯re not a bad rider, Mr. Griffith,¡± Owen said to Alexander as they rode. ¡°You¡¯re not half-bad yourself too. It¡¯s just that your horse doesn¡¯t seem like it can keep up,¡± Alexander answered. With that, Alexander smacked his horse¡¯s back. Instantly, the horse sped up. Owen¡¯s eyes darkened. After he nced at the hill ahead, he followed Alexander. Elise soon lost sight of everyone. Having lost interest in riding, she decided to find a nice, shaded ce to rest and wait for the others toe back. For some reason, however, her horse suddenly went berserk and charged forward madly. The change in the horse¡¯s demeanor was too sudden. Elise instinctively tightened her grip on the reins as she attempted to slow the horse down, but the horse waspletely out of control. It continued its mad charge ahead. Elise was constantly jostled and jolted atop the horse as it galloped. The horse kept going faster and faster, and Elise¡¯s stomach felt awful, as though there was a roiling ocean inside her. ¡°Stop¡­ Please, stop.¡± Elise pulled on the reins, never stopping in her attempt to rein in the horse, but the creature absolutely refused to heed hermand. In fact, it kept opposing her, its body constantly twisting and turning as though it wanted to throw Elise off its back. ¡°Someone! Please¡­¡± Elise yelled, but there was no one around to hear her pleas for help. Meanwhile, her horse kept galloping, its body still twisting and turning this way and that. All Elise could do was press close to the horse¡¯s body and wrap her arms tightly around it to avoid being thrown off, letting the horse continue its berserk charge. The wind whistled past Elise¡¯s ears. A burning, biting pain rose from her cheeks. Meanwhile, Alexander felt a little bothered when he noticed that Elise hadn¡¯t caught up. After he greeted Quentin, he turned back. But then, he lost control of his horse as well. A mad neighter, the horse charged forward, berserking. Owen¡¯s lips quirked up into a handsome smile when he saw this, but what came out of his mouth was, ¡°Mr. Griffith, what¡¯s up with your horse? Wait for me! You¡¯re going too fast¡­¡± His voice grew more and more distant. Alexander¡¯s eyes darkened. He had ridden horses before, but he had never experienced something like this. Chapter 151 Chapter 151 Chapter 151,Coolest Girl in Town He wrapped his arms around the horse¡¯s neck, letting it continue to run freely. His eyes, however, were observing his surroundings. Right at that moment, he saw a grassy patch up ahead. Instantly, an idea wormed its way into his mind, and he promptly leaped off the horse¡¯s back and rolled onto the grassy patch. He only stopped after several rolls. ¡°Alexander, out of the way! Quick!¡± Elise¡¯s frantic voice hit him. Alexander looked up, only to see Elise¡¯s horse charging straight for him, and then the horse was right above him. At that moment, he forgot how to move. ¡­¡­ Elise was also startled by this. She could no longer stand by. She gripped the reins tightly and gave a hard kick to the horse¡¯s abdomen. Then, she dropped from the horse¡¯s back, her own body pressing down onto Alexander¡¯s. At the sight of this, the horse lifted its head and neighed at the sky. However, Elise continued to shield Alexander as she closed her eyes in defeat. The pain that she had anticipated never came though, as the horse had galloped off in a different direction. Elise cracked her eyes open then. Her brain still hadn¡¯t caught up with reality as she took in everything when Alexander quickly spoke up. ¡°Are you okay? Did you get hurt?¡± When Elise saw Alexander in front of her, she reflexively reached out and buried herself in his chest for reasons unknown to her. That incident earlier had been far too much of a close call, and during that moment as she hugged Alexander, she seemingly felt secure. Some part of Alexander¡¯s heart was touched when he felt the soft body in his embrace, for hepletely forgot to push her away. ¡°It¡¯s all right. Everything¡¯s over now.¡± After a while, Alexander consoled her. It was only then that Elise returned to her senses, and she quickly let go of him. ¡°I¡¯m d that you weren¡¯t hurt. I have no idea what was going on with that horse. Why did it go berserk all of a sudden?¡± As Elise spoke, she attempted to stand up, but her right leg suddenly gave out on her, and she fell forward. Fortunately for her, Alexander grabbed her in time ¡°Are you okay?¡± Elise lowered her head to look at her leg. She could clearly feel the paining from her ankle. ¡°I think it¡¯s sprained.¡± Hearing her say that, Alexander promptly crouched down to check her foot. ¡°Where? Does it hurt? Can you walk?¡± Alexander pressed his hand against her ankle as he spoke. Elise gave a pained hiss. ¡°Gentler, please.¡± He quickly withdrew his hand. ¡°That sprained ankle seems bad. You need to get to the hospital now.¡± Tears sprang up in Elise¡¯s eyes after she heard that. I¡¯m out of luck today. What did I do to deserve this? Alexander, on the other hand, didn¡¯t say anything else as he crouched down in front of her. ¡°Get on. I¡¯ll carry you over.¡± Elise paused for a moment, but in the end, she got onto his back. Alexander carried her toward their starting point. Right then, Owen came cantering over on his horse. His forehead creased tightly when he saw that Elise was injured. ¡°Miss Sinir, what happened to you?¡± Elise pursed her lips. She was a little hurt. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened, but my horse suddenly got really agitated, and it threw me off its back.¡± Owen¡¯s face took on an unsightly expression. He had clearly only ordered his men to sabotage Alexander¡¯s horse. He had never once thought about doing anything to Elise¡¯s horse, but now¡­ Now that things hade to this, Owen immediately reined in his expression as he asked in concern, ¡°Let¡¯s not worry about the horse for now. Why don¡¯t you get on? I¡¯ll send you over¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to. Alex can carry me,¡± Elise quickly declined. At that, Owen hurriedly took out his phone and made a phone call. Every time they went horse-riding, there would always be medical personnel on standby. Soon after that, two medics in white came rushing over. ¡°Hurry and check Miss Sinir¡¯s foot,¡± Owen said. At the same time, Alexander put Elise down so that the doctors could check her. ¡°Her foot isn¡¯t terribly injured. She¡¯s in no danger; she just twisted her ankle. Her bones were unaffected.¡± The doctor¡¯s words made Elise let out a breath. ¡°Is that twisted ankle serious?¡± ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. You¡¯ll be fine after I apply some ointment for you. It should heal by tomorrow.¡± As the doctor said that, he pulled out a bottle of ointment from the medical kit he had brought with him and applied the ointment on Elise¡¯s foot. Then, he helped Elise with the rest of her symptoms. Soon, Elise¡¯s ankle didn¡¯t hurt as much as it did before. ¡°Miss Sinir, please watch out for yourselfter and rest. As long as you don¡¯t put too much strain on your foot, you should be fine.¡± Elise thanked him. ¡°Got it.¡± Alexander then once again carried Elise on his back to the lounge. Having caught wind of Elise¡¯s injury, Quentin rode back to the lounge. The moment he got off his horse, he made a mad dash over. ¡°Ellie, what happened to you?¡± Elise poked her tongue out, somewhat embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just fell off my horse¡± Quentin¡¯s expression twisted up at those words. ¡°Why would a perfectly fine horse suddenly do that?¡± The stableboy was terrified by Quentin¡¯s question, and he promptly wiped the sweat from his forehead. ¡°Mr. Fassbender, we tend to the horses carefully with all our attention every day. We have never dared to let something slip us by.¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s right, Mr. Fassbender. Even with all the courage in the world, we¡­ we wouldn¡¯t dare to do anything to the horses,¡± another stableboy stuttered. Quentin nced at them and said, ¡°It is difficult to assume that you have nothing to do with this when the horse suddenly disyed unusual behavior. I will get the others to investigate this matter thoroughly. You should leave.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Fassbender.¡± After the stableboys left, Quentin asked Elise about her condition, concerned. He only rxed and left once he had ascertained that Elise¡¯s ankle was okay. Not long after that, Quentin met with his most trusted subordinate and ordered, ¡°This horse was definitely acting strange. I¡¯ve been here so many times, but nothing like this has ever happened. Investigate the situation for me and see what the cause is.¡± ¡°Understood, sir.¡± Quentin¡¯s eyes darkened slightly. This incident¡­ I hope it¡¯s not what I¡¯m thinking. Due to Elise¡¯s ankle, their horse-riding session came to an end. Elise¡¯s sses would start again soon, so after she exined things to Quentin, she returned to the Griffith Residence with Alexander. Owen also came up with an excuse of his own and left Quentin¡¯s house after Elise had departed. ¡°How did things turn out like this?! I told you to only do this to Alexander¡¯s horse! Why did Elise fall from hers?¡± Owen interrogated, his expression stormy. Neil hastily exined, ¡°Sir, that wasn¡¯t my intention. It¡¯s true that we only drugged the horse that Alexander selected, but it was onlyter that I found out that those two horses had mated before. Who would have thought that this beast would have feelings as well¡­¡± ¡°You moron.¡± Owen¡¯s face went dark at those words. ¡°What a bunch of ipetent fools. You ruined my ns.¡± ¡°My apologies, sir. The fault lies with me, but I¡¯ll be sure to do better next time.¡± Owen, however, had run out of patience. ¡°You think there¡¯ll be a next time? Leave! Do not ever show yourself in front of me again.¡± ¡°Sir, I¡­¡± ¡°Did you not understand what I said? Get out of my sight! And I¡¯m telling you, if this gets out, I will not show you any mercy.¡± ¡°Sir, we were very discreet with our actions. No one will discover this.¡± Owen¡¯s expression lightened up, but he still did not let Neil stay. He did not revoke his order for the other man to leave. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Although his ns didn¡¯t work out after all that had happened today, Owen could see that Elise and Alexander were quite close. It seems I have my work cut out for me if I¡¯m going to make this work. Too bad for them, though. I love challenges. The corners of Owen¡¯s lips curved up as a calcting look streaked across his eyes. Chapter 152 Chapter 152 Chapter 152,Coolest Girl in Town Elise¡¯s ankle injury wasn¡¯t all that serious. By the next day, she recovered. Coincidentally, it was Alexander¡¯s turn to send her to school today. ¡°Thanks for yesterday. I owe you one. I¡¯ll be sure to pay you back in the future when I get the chance to.¡± Alexander gave an evil smile as he looked at her. Those bottomless eyes of his were seemingly filled with boundless admiration. ¡°Elise, I didn¡¯t help you because I wanted something out of it. Why don¡¯t you consider making this act real?¡± Elise was stupefied by that. It felt like something was stuck in her throat, and she began to cough violently. Her face was soon a brilliant red. ¡°W-What kind of joke was that?¡± Alexander¡¯s initially tense heart rxed at her words. He just wanted to test the waters, but it seemed that she didn¡¯t feel that way toward him, so he followed the flow of the conversation. ¡°Just teasing. If you really feel like you owe me, just leave that debt be for now.¡± Alexander strode out as he spoke. Elise¡¯s forehead was beaded with sweat from confusion. She just had the feeling that Alexander was being weird today. Right at that moment though, her heart also calmed down from its frantic hammering after she heard his words. No one knew just how bewildered she had been just now; she even thought that her ears were ying tricks on her. Fortunately, she had good self-control, or she would have ended up making a scene. She muttered to herself, ¡°This guy¡­ He¡¯s actually learned how to crack a joke.¡± When they arrived at school, Elise got out of the car and waved at Alexander. ¡°I¡¯m going in. See youter.¡± Alexander made an affirming sound, only leaving once he had seen her head inside. Not long after that, however, Jack parked his car in the same exact parking spot. Mika hurriedly undid her safety belt. ¡°Dar¡ª¡± She nearly called him ¡®darling,¡¯ but she ended up holding her tongue right before she said it. ¡°Thanks for sending me to ss, Jack, but I¡¯m fine now. You don¡¯t have to worry about this matter either.¡± Jack hummed. ¡°So long as you¡¯re okay. If you don¡¯t feel well, text me. Don¡¯t force yourself to weather through it. If you feel sick, you must go to the hospital immediately.¡± Mika¡¯s heart was overfilled with joy as she listened to his instructions. ¡°Got it. I¡¯m going to ss then.¡± Although she was a little reluctant, Mika still opened the door and alighted from the car. She ended up looking back several times with each step she took before she finally set foot on campus, still reluctant to part with Jack. The moment she stepped inside the ssroom, she caught sight of Elise, and she made her way over to her. ¡°Elise, I¡¯m sorry, but my phone was broken earlier. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t text you back.¡± Elise looked up and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡± But right after that, she noticed something different about Mika. ¡°What happened to your face?¡± Mika touched the tiny wound that still remained as she exined, ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. I just had a small ident. Everything¡¯s okay now.¡± Elise sighed at that. ¡°What are the odds? We even got into idents at the same time.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡± Mika quickly asked. Elise let out another sigh. ¡°I went horse-riding yesterday and got thrown off my horse. Luckily for me, it wasn¡¯t anything serious. I¡¯ve recovered from the fall already.¡± Having heard Elise say that, Mika promptly sat down. ¡°Actually, I got hit by a car,¡± she whispered. Elise was startled. ¡°Wait, what? You got hit by a car? When did that happen?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s all in the past now. But, do you know who hit me?¡± Mika had excitement written all over her face. It boggled Elise¡¯s mind. This was the first time Elise had seen someone not feel angry at all toward the person who hit them with their car. In fact, Mika actually seemed rather happy. ¡°Who was it?¡± Mika giggled. ¡°My husband, Jack.¡± Elise stared at her in bewilderment. ¡°He was the one who hit you?¡± Elise suddenly recalled that day when she called Jack. He had said that he was at the hospital dealing with something. Was he there because he went to see Mika after he hit her? ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay? You¡¯re not pulling my leg?¡± Elise asked in concern, but MikaContent protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m perfectly fine. I¡¯m doing great! In fact, I¡¯m pretty happy. My body aches a bit, but I¡¯m still happy. After all, I got closer to my husband because of this.¡± Groupies¡­ They¡¯re beyond saving, Elise thought. ¡°As long as you¡¯re okay, I guess. Nothing else matters then.¡± Mika didn¡¯t share her opinion though. After spending thest few days with Jack, she felt that Jack was a nice person. Not only was he handsome, but he was also an absolutely patient man. Most importantly, he had a sense of responsibility. He could have handed the situation off to his assistant or his manager, but he didn¡¯t. He even kept a close eye on her injuries, and he would take time off to visit her in the hospital. In any case, Mika felt that Jack was an amazing man. I wonder who¡¯ll be lucky enough to marry him in the future. At that thought, her heart soured. She was already beginning to be jealous of the girl who would marry him. ¡­¡­ Meanwhile at Orbis Entertainment, a fleet-footed man entered the room where Charlene was resting. ¡°These are the photos that were obtained while trailing Jack.¡± The man tossed an envelope to Charlene. Her lips curved up into a smile, her interest piqued. ¡°Did you manage to snap anything useful?¡± The man shrugged. ¡°I made a huge discovery. Jack seems to be dating.¡± Charlene couldn¡¯t stop her hands from stiffening the moment those words were said. She then asked, ¡°You¡¯re serious?¡± The man gestured for her to open the envelope. ¡°The proof is in your hands. The girl¡¯s still a high school student too. She most likely isn¡¯t of age yet. Jack¡¯s tastes are rather special.¡± Charlene opened the envelope. It was filled with photos of Jack during his time with Mika at the hospital, and there were also photos of him dropping Mika off at school. ¡°Were these photos taken at¡­ a hospital?¡± The man smiled maliciously. ¡°Exactly. A hospital. Tell me, what would an unmarried man and girl be doing at a hospital?¡± Charlene¡¯s gaze met his. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡ªan abortion?¡± The man waved a hand after those words left her. ¡°I don¡¯t know the reason, but the media might be interested in probing deeper. No one can control exactly how rumors spread, but public opinion? That can bepletely controlled, no? Who knows. Maybe this bit of info would be enough to destroy Jack.¡± Charlene smirked. ¡°That¡¯s how the entertainment industry works. We can certainly make good use of this, but that¡¯s not the main thing I wanted. Did you not manage to snap anything else?¡± The man leaned forward and smiled. ¡°Charlene, I¡¯ve only been trailing him for a short while before I managed to drop off such juicy info. You¡¯re not even giving me any credit for my legwork. You gottapensate me for this, no? Some ¡®motivating¡¯pensation so that I stay motivated to keep digging.¡± All at once, Charlene understood. She got up and reached a hand out, pulling the man closer by his neck and kissing him. The man had a look of enjoyment on his face. Instantly, he stopped being a passive enjoyer and took control of the situation. Soon, the room got steamier¡­ Chapter 153 Chapter 153 Chapter 153,Coolest Girl in Town After everything was over, Charlene calmly got up and put her clothes back on. ¡°Don¡¯t tell anybody about this just yet. I have my own ns.¡± Satisfied with their earlier entanglement, the man was obedient. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Your word goes. I¡¯ll help you continue keeping an eye on him. If I dig up something else, I¡¯ll be sure to inform you immediately.¡± Charlene was pleased by his answer. ¡°All right then. That¡¯s all for today. You can go back first.¡± The man got up, his reluctance obvious as he wrapped his arms around her waist. ¡°How I wish I could be with you every second of the day. I don¡¯t want to part with you for even a moment.¡± Charlene chuckled. ¡°There will be plenty of time for that.¡± A pleased look came over the man¡¯s face when he heard that. After he leaned forward and kissed Charlene¡¯s cheek, he left. Charlene looked at the bundle of photos after the man left, an idea already in her mind. She walked straight out of the room and headed to the reception counter. ¡°Is Jack here at the agency today?¡± ¡°He is. ording to the schedules, he should be rehearsing in the singing practice room today,¡± said the receptionist. Having gotten the information she wanted, Charlene thanked the receptionist. She then took the elevator up. Jack was currently rehearsing for amercial performance. Right at that moment, the door to the practice room swung open. Charlene stood by the door and watched Jack practice, fascinated, but she didn¡¯t interrupt him. Once Jack finished singing, she finally pped. ¡°Nice singing chops. No wonder you¡¯re the most popr singer out there now.¡± Jack¡¯s brows furrowed slightly. He didn¡¯t show any indication that he was delighted about Charlene¡¯s sudden appearance. Instead, he coldly asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡± Charlene didn¡¯t mind his dismissiveness toward her though as she strode over to him. ¡°I came to see you, of course. After all, thepany has ns for us to coborate and release a single together. I think it¡¯s a good n. Why don¡¯t we give it a try?¡± Jack immediately refused. ¡°Sorry, not interested. If you have nothing else to say, please leave. Don¡¯t bother me while I¡¯m practicing.¡± Charlene wasn¡¯t miffed by his answer. Instead, sheughed and followed him. ¡°Who said that I¡¯m done? I never just show up without a reason.¡± Jack was already at the end of his patience. ¡°If you have something to say, say it. Otherwise, get out.¡± She wasn¡¯t in a hurry. Instead, she smirked. ¡°I heard that you¡¯ve been dating someone recently, and your partner is even a high school student. Is that true?¡± At those words, Jack¡¯s eyes promptly darkened. Although he had no idea where Charlene had gotten this ridiculous, made-up rumor, her words would definitely harm a girl¡¯s reputation. ¡°You heard? Do you have proof?¡± Jack asked. The smile on Charlene¡¯s face widened, for she realized that Jack had gotten nervous. This was a good sign. It proved that the events in the photos were most likely real. ¡°Don¡¯t get yourself too worked up. I may have heard a rumor, but the informant was there at the scene. The informant even said that you two went to a hospital recently¡­¡± Jack could no longer bear to hear her continue. ¡°If you¡¯ve got anything to say, say it all at once. But I¡¯m warning you¡ªdefamation is a crime.¡± Charlene hadn¡¯t expected Jack to bristle this much, but she hadn¡¯te here to pick a fight with Jack. ¡°Young Master Jack, how heavy your words are. I came looking for you today because for one, I have definite proof. That¡¯s why I¡¯m even talking to you like this. And secondly, I actually haven¡¯t nned about releasing anything even though I do have proof. I just have a teeny-tiny request that I want you to fulfill. Can I interest you with a deal, using the proof I have?¡± Jack wondered if Charlene had a few screws loose. ¡°I don¡¯t know what proof you¡¯re talking about, but that won¡¯t threaten me. As for the deal you mentioned, sorry, but I¡¯m not interested. Go look for someone else.¡± Jack had shot her down very directly. Charlene hadn¡¯t expected him to not give her the time of day at all. Initially, she thought of using the material she had to strike a deal with Jack and manipte her current position in the entertainment industry. But now, it was evident that she couldn¡¯t use Jack for that n. Charlene watched him, still unwilling to let things slip. ¡°Are you sure? If the proof I have on hand gets leaked, your reputation might end uppletely in the gutter. Are you not at all worried?¡± Jack couldn¡¯t bear listening to her anymore. He thought that Charlene didn¡¯t just have a few screws loose in her head; even her mentality was unhinged. Haven¡¯t I made things clear enough, or can she not understand human speech? ¡°What should I be worried about? Miss Rivers, if you have the time to talk about unsubstantiated rumors and attempt to make underhanded deals, then you have the time to spend on working on your craft. Other than a single song released when you debuted years ago, have you had any other works? As entertainers in showbiz, at the end of the day, we need skills to back up our words. Is there any point when you keep talking about things that may or may not be true?¡± Charlene¡¯s face oscited between red and white from anger after Jack rebuked her. Her expression was not at all a pretty sight. To top it off, Jack¡¯s words struck Charlene in all her critical spots, ripping open her old wounds that she didn¡¯t want anyone to see. In all actuality, she didn¡¯t have any other works to show for herself. Her solo release had also been something that she had stolen from H years ago. Charlene quietly clenched her fists. She wanted to say more, but Jack didn¡¯t want to continue to humor her. When he saw that she still hadn¡¯t left, he picked up his jacket and left the practice room instead. Instantly, Charlene was the only one left in the massive practice room. She looked at herself in the mirror, feeling like a joke. So that¡¯s how you want to y it, Jack? If you won¡¯t give me an easy time, you can forget about living well too. Charlene took out her phone and dialed a number. ¡°Andrew, I have a huge scoop that I¡¯d like to sell to you¡­¡± Upon hearing that Charlene had a scoop for him, Andrew scrambled to ask, ¡°Who¡¯s the unfortunate soul you set your sights on this time?¡± Charlene¡¯s eyes darkened as she said, ¡°Jack Griffith.¡± However, she hadn¡¯t thought that Andrew would immediately refuse after he heard that it was a member of the Griffith Family. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°I don¡¯t have the guts to spill anything about him. Their PR team is a wall. And besides, with the Griffith Group backing them, I¡¯m going to be in seriously hot water if they decide toe after me for payback.¡± Charlene¡¯s expression began to scrunch up. ¡°What? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re scared too?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of being scared. You have to know, there are some dos and don¡¯ts in my line of work. Still, I¡¯m rather curious about what kind of earth-shattering, juicy info you have in hand.¡± When she heard him say that, Charlene knew that Andrew was seriously interested in the information she had. Instantly, sheposed herself. ¡°What I have here is enough to destroy Jack Griffith. I just wonder if you have the courage to expose him.¡± Now that Charlene had said that, Andrew was no longer simply interested in the information she was sitting on. ¡°Sounds like really valuable material. Name your price.¡± Shortly after their negotiation, Charlene received a notification from her bank informing of an iing fund transfer. She then sent her backup copies of the photos to Andrew. 8 p.m. was when office workers were free after work. After grinding through a day¡¯s work, they would scroll through Twitter and other social media tforms. Right at that hour, however, a series of photos that no one expected were published as sponsored posts. Soon after that, ¡®Jack Griffith Exposed For Dating,¡¯ ¡®Jack Griffith Solicits Underage High School Student,¡¯ ¡®Jack Griffith Forced Girlfriend Into Abortion,¡¯ and other simr phrases shot their way onto Twitter¡¯s trending page. The top three trends were all rted to the photos of Jack. Whenizens saw the photos, they were all taken aback. SentimentalBean: ¡®Are these pics real? Who would have thought that Jack would be the kind of person to hurt minors? That¡¯s disgusting.¡¯ I¡¯mYourFrog: ¡®Gotta reevaluate how I view the world now. Why does showbiz have someone like him? Quit your job.¡¯ HappyPrince: ¡®He¡¯s practically like the grossest of scumbags. I¡¯ve got no idea how someone like him still has fans.¡¯ JustAWolf: ¡®I just pity the girl. So young, yet already forced into things like this. It¡¯s in to see that Jack was just toying with her. This is just so harmful toward her, especially since she¡¯s underage.¡¯ Instantly, Twitter was riddled with Tweets and replies about the photos. Out of ten posts, nine of them would be criticizing ormbasting Jack. Charlene couldn¡¯t stop the smug look on her face as she watched the posts stream in. This is what happens when you go against me, Jack. Chapter 154 Chapter 154 Chapter 154,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°Charlene, bad news. Something has happened.¡± Charlene¡¯s manager, Corrine, blurted out as she arrived in a haste. As she tried to catch her breath, she continued, ¡°Something bad has happened to Jack Griffith.¡± Hearing that, Charlene seemed nonchnt. If anything, there was a trace of triumphant look on her face. ¡°Why are you so surprised over that?¡± Thinking that Charlene might be unaware of the whole incident, Corrine borated to her as she tugged on her arm. ¡°I wonder who¡¯s so daring to expose Jack. Not to mention, the information disclosed was shocking. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. If things continue to go south, his acting career maye to an end soon.¡± Charlene then raised a brow at her manager. ¡°Isn¡¯t it a good thing if his career ends? That way, it will give me a chance to shine.¡± Upon hearing that, Corrine could feel that something was off with Charlene. ¡°Wait, Charlene, you¡¯ve always been nice to Jack. Why the sudden change?¡± You sound like you¡¯re happy that he¡¯s in this difficult position. Corrine didn¡¯t dare to say her thoughts out loud. Nheless, she was suspicious of her. ¡°Really? Since we¡¯re all adults, Jack should pay the price for his actions. Moreover, a person like him isn¡¯t worth any pity.¡± ¡°No.¡± At that moment, Corrine had a sudden realization. Staring at Charlene, she put on a serious look before asking, ¡°Charlene, tell me the truth. Do you have something to do with this incident?¡± Since Corrine was on her side, Charlene didn¡¯t bother to lie to her. ¡°I¡¯m teaching him a lesson. It¡¯s his fault for looking down on me.¡± Corrine was dumbfounded to hear that. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she only sighed. ¡°You¡¯ve caused trouble. Do you know what consequences will entail?¡± Nevertheless, Charlene seemed unbothered. ¡°It¡¯s true that he did all of this, so why should I be afraid? Not to mention, I¡¯ve had enough of people sh*tting on me. I¡¯ve endured it all. How dare he look down on me? Just for that, he deserves to rot in hell!¡± It was at that moment that Corrine realized the person before her wasn¡¯t the Charlene that she knew previously. Charlene wasn¡¯t like this in the past. However, Corrine had more things on her te to worry about. What could she do to salvage the situation now? After all, Jack wasn¡¯t simple to deal with because he had the support of Griffith Group. If Griffith Group was to intervene in this issue, not only Charlene would be down, but her entire company as well. ¡­¡­ Some hical mediapany went to the extent of exposing Mika¡¯s school. It didn¡¯t take long before the school was swarmed with reporters. Needless to say, everyone wanted first-hand information from her. As it was her first time dealing with something as such, the mere unfriendlyments online were sufficient to make her break down. Tugging on Elise, Mika started to weep. ¡°What do I do now? Elise, why are the people online spreading rumors? Nothing happened between my husband and I. Why would these hical reporters spread lies?¡± A frown was evident on Elise¡¯s forehead. Although most of the verbal attacks online were directed toward Jack, it still caused significant harm to Mika. ¡°Elise, what should I do? How could these people hurt my husband?¡± Even until now, she was more worried for Jack than herself. Looking through the comments online, she could not help but worry for him. Elise could only console her now. ¡°It¡¯ll be alright, Mika. Things will be sorted out. However, you should change your nickname for him. If someone hears it, they may make something out of it again.¡± At once, Mika covered her mouth with her palm. She then looked at Elise through a thinyer of fog as she asked, ¡°Elise, what can I do now? I can¡¯t possibly sit back and watch everyone frame my hus¡ªJack.¡± Pursing her lips, Elise answered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. Now, there¡¯s a way to solve this. You can tell the truth yourself. However, I think this incident isn¡¯t as simple as it seems. I think that someone¡¯s behind it, and the person wants to ruin Jack.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Mika was stupefied. ¡°This¡­ This¡­¡± Stuttering, she couldn¡¯t even make up aplete sentence. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The truth will prevail.¡± Hearing that, Mika felt a little reassured. No matter what, she was determined to face the public and tell them the truth. She wanted to help Jack. Meanwhile, Jack was frowning as he read the comments online. There wasn¡¯t any other expression shown, and Ronald couldn¡¯t help but feel concerned for him. ¡°Jack, stop reading them. We¡¯ve already executed our emergency public rtions, but this issue has a big influence. Hence, we have to exin the truth to the public. Otherwise, it will leave a huge impact on your image and your future acting career.¡± Obviously, Jack knew that too. He then said, ¡°Send some people to protect Mika at the school. Don¡¯t let anyone harass her.¡± ¡°Even in this situation, you¡¯re still concerned about other people. Why don¡¯t you save that for yourself?¡± Ronald said, exasperated. Jack then pocketed his phone before he looked up at Ronald. ¡°I¡¯m innocent and I will stay so. I¡¯ve not done anything, and that¡¯s the truth.¡± Ronald knew that too, but the fans andizens were not buying it! ¡°The direction of this issue is looking bad for us.¡± Standing up, Jack brushed his jacket before saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Dumbfounded, Ronald asked, ¡°Where to?¡± ¡°Solve this problem.¡± As soon as Jack came out of thepany building, he was surrounded by reporters at the entrance. ¡°Mr. Griffith, did you really have an illegitimate rtionship with a high school student, impregnated her and made her get an abortion? ¡°Is she underaged? Did you do that to escape from your responsibility?¡± ¡°Mr. Griffith, please answer our questions. Will you leave the entertainment circle because of this?¡± Halting his footsteps, Jack didn¡¯t avoid the cameras. He then looked up and stared into the cameras as he said firmly, ¡°Regarding the untruthful reports online, I will publish a legal statement soon. As for the people who created the rumors, please look forward to summons from the court.¡± His voice was loud and clear, but the reporters didn¡¯t n on letting him off so easily. ¡°Mr. Griffith, based on what you have just said, do you mean that you were not in a romantic rtionship with the student?¡± ¡°What¡¯s your rtionship with her? Can you exin the intimate interactions you¡¯ve shared with her in the hospital?¡± ¡°Can you answer our questions straightforwardly?¡± Looking at the reporter who asked the question, Jack said, ¡°You guys are good at making up a story with pictures. However, the truth is very unlike the rumors you¡¯ve spread. You can be sued for defamation. Which media corporation are you from? I¡¯ll remember your name so I can sue you at any time.¡± That had rendered the reporter speechless. After all, everything had just been a rumor spread online. There hadn¡¯t been any evidence thus far. ¡°But Mr. Griffith, you need to exin to the public. They need to know the truth¡­¡± As the reporter¡¯s voice died down, Mika suddenly popped out and said something loud and clearly. ¡°The truth is, all of you have misunderstood Jack.¡± Chapter 155 Chapter 155 Chapter 155,Coolest Girl in Town Immediately, everyone¡¯s attention was attracted by the source of the voice. At this moment, Mika walked forward from the crowd before she came to a stop next to Jack. As their eyes met, he wanted to stop her, but she simply gave him a look of assurance. She then told the reporters, ¡°Mr. Griffith and I are not in the kind of rtionship that you are talking about. The truth is, he is a good person. He identally hit me, so he sent me to the hospital and visited me often. The pictures that you people took were taken when he came to visit me at the hospital. As for the so-called intimate interactions, please take a closer look. You¡¯ll see that it¡¯s because of the angle.¡± ¡°Are you saying that this is a big misunderstanding? You didn¡¯t go to the hospital to get an abortion?¡± one of the reporters continued to ask. At this point, Mika found the situation funny. She then pulled out her hospitalization papers and showed it to the reporters. ¡°Are these sufficient to prove it? You reporters are always trying to make something out of nothing. Do you know how big of an impact you¡¯re causing on the people used?¡± At once, everyone fell silent. She pursed her lips before she added, ¡°What I said earlier is the truth. As for the rumors spreading online, they¡¯re all made up. Please stop spreading false news. Thank you.¡± ¡°Mr. Griffith, is that true? Why didn¡¯t you exin earlier? Not even yourpany said a word about this issue. Can you exin why that is the case?¡± Hearing that, Jack offered them a light smile that didn¡¯t reach his eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s be frank, the truth isn¡¯t that important to you guys. All you seek is the topic and views. Truth or not, it doesn¡¯t matter at all. Initially, I intended to protect this young girl, so I didn¡¯t bother to engage with the media. Now that she has stood up and cleared the air herself, I hope that the rumors will hereby die down. Aside from that, I hope that you will not disturb her daily life in the future. If there¡¯s any issue, you can After apanying Mika over, Elise didn¡¯t expect that Mika would end up cking out. Immediately, she rushed forward, but Jack beat her to it. He then picked Mika up and brought her to the infirmary. Seeing this scene unfold before them, the reporters started snapping pictures without thinking twice. Elise halted her footsteps when she saw what they were doing. She then threw them a cold re, making them shudder. Just how cold this girl¡¯s gaze was? ¡°Please refrain from taking photos. It¡¯s an emergency.¡± After she said that, some of the reporters put down their cameras at once before giving each other a look. At this moment, Ronald finally arrived. It was only then that Elise left the scene to follow Jack. Outside the infirmary, the doctor briefed Jack after checking on Mika. ¡°There¡¯s nothing severe. She was just too anxious. She¡¯ll be fine after a good rest¡± Hearing that, Jack heaved a sigh of relief. He then proceeded to ask, ¡°When will she wake up then?¡± Taking a nce at her, the doctor answered, ¡°The earliest will be in an hour, but it may take up to several hours.¡± After getting an answer, Jack let the doctor leave. It was only after the doctor left that Elise spoke up. ¡°This incident isn¡¯t as simple as it seems¡­¡± Hearing that, Jack looked up at her. At that moment, he seemed to have recalled something as a cold look shed in his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know how to handle this issue.¡± After getting his reassurance, Elise didn¡¯t want to intervene anymore. After all, it was his private matters, and she had no right to pry. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of Mika. You can head back first.¡± Humming in acknowledgement, he then replied, ¡°Take good care of her for me.¡± After saying that, he left. Nheless, he didn¡¯t expect to see Corrine waiting outside the door for him. ¡°Jack, Charlene didn¡¯t do it on purpose. Please forgive her.¡± As soon as she saw him, she started to beg for his forgiveness. He scoffed before asking, ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°Jack, this is something she identally did without thinking much. You¡¯ve worked with her for many years. Please don¡¯t mind her.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask again. Where is she?¡± Feeling a chill run down her spine, Corrine stuttered. ¡°S-She¡¯s not here.¡± He didn¡¯t seem bothered after hearing that. He then said in a light tone, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will definitely mess with her until she¡¯s done for. Tell her to look forward to it.¡± After saying that, he walked off. Though Corrine tried to catch up and persuade him, he didn¡¯t listen to her no matter what she said. Meanwhile, Elise¡¯s eyes darkened at this moment. So Charlene was the one who caused all themotion. Looking at Mika, who was lying in bed, she decided to teach Charlene a lesson in her ce. As Mika¡¯s condition was not severe, she woke up within an hour. However, the first thing that she said after she regained consciousness left Elise dumbfounded. ¡°Elise, how¡¯s my husband?¡± To say that Elise was speechless was an understatement. ¡°All you¡¯re concerned about is your husband!¡± Mika then cheekily spat her tongue out. She seemed to have recovered and was now back to her cheerful self. ¡°My dearest Elise, thank you for everything. Now please tell me, how is he?¡± Giving a pat on her head, Elise said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s fine. What about you? How are you feeling?¡± Hearing that he was alright, Mika felt relieved. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine as long as he is. Thank you, Elise.¡± ¡°Silly girl. Don¡¯t mention it!¡± Though they said that, Elise was still worried about Mika¡¯s health. Hence, Elise insisted on sending her home. After sending Mika back, she was about to go home herself, but nobody was here to pick her up today. Therefore, she took a cab back. When the vehicle passed by Times Square, she suddenly told the driver to stop. ¡°Sir, please drop me off here.¡± AfterN?velDrama.Org holds ? this. paying the fare, she opened the door and got out of the car. She then headed toward a pan-European restaurant. ¡°Hi, I¡¯d like a beef stew please.¡± As she ced her order, she simply pulled a chair and sat down. ¡°Sure. Do you want chili in it?¡± With a smile, she replied, ¡°A little bit will be fine.¡± ¡°Got it. Please wait for a moment. It will be ready in a jiffy.¡± After taking her seat on the chair, she fished out her cell phone before downloading a software named File Encryptor. She then logged into an ount that hadn¡¯t been active in quite a while. It was an application that she had designed, and there were a number of files of hers kept within. The files included things that could be used against Charlene. In no rush, she simply sent the content of the file to several mediapanies via email. Looking at the emails that were sessfully sent, she smiled. It seemed that the show was about to begin. ¡°Your beef stew is ready.¡± At this moment, the boss of the restaurant served her a te of beef stew. Looking at the delicacy before her, she was about to drool. She then briefly thanked the server before she picked up the single-use utensils and started eating. Her mouth was then filled with the fragrance of the beef stew that left her utterly satisfied. Just then, someone took a seat next to her the next moment, catching her off guard. ¡°W-Why are you here?¡± Chapter 156 Chapter 156 Chapter 156,Coolest Girl in Town Alexander thought that it was rather coincidental. Frankly, he initially nned to head out to just find something to eat, but somehow ended up walking into this pan-European restaurant. At a nce, he saw Elise sitting in front of one of the tables. ¡°Out on ate night food hunt huh?¡± When he asked that, his gaze was trained on her te of food. Anyone would think that he himself had the desire to eat it too. Noticing that, she quickly protected her bowl. ¡°This is mine. You can get your own if you want to.¡± With a chuckle, he called for the boss. ¡°I want what she¡¯s having. The exact same one.¡± The boss then smiled before saying, ¡°Alright, please wait a moment.¡± In no time, the boss came back with another serving of beef stew. ¡°Enjoy your meal.¡± Looking at the beef stew before him, he thought to himself, I¡¯ve never eaten this kind of cuisine before. Under Elise¡¯s influence, I got to try it for the first time today. The taste is actually pretty good. Now, he started to like the taste of it. He then picked up his utensils and dug in. His actions were slow andposed like a textbook example of the royals¡¯ etiquette. Elise couldn¡¯t help butment in awe, ¡°Watching you eat sure is enjoyable.¡± After finishing the meal, he took the initiative to pay the bill. He then asked after exiting the restaurant, ¡°Are you going home?¡± Patting her bloated tummy, she nced at Times Square before telling him, ¡°I¡¯ll go back after digesting the food a little. I ate a little too much earlier.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. He then mimicked her actions and looked around their surroundings. ¡°Sure.¡± The two then took a stroll down Times Square. At this moment, a girl carrying a basket full of flowers approached them. ¡°Sir, do you want to buy a flower for this beautiful girl?¡± Hearing that, Elise mentally facepalmed herself. She quickly interrupted, ¡°No thank you! We don¡¯t need it.¡± Who knew, the little girl then looked toward Alexander. ¡°Sir, get her one. All girls like flowers.¡± Raising his brows in amusement, he smiled as he took out some cash and handed it over. ¡° I¡¯ll take all of your flowers.¡± At once, the girl¡¯s face lit up like it was Christmas. ¡°Really? That¡¯s fantastic! Thank you, kind sir! Stay sweet, you two.¡± After saying that, the little girl left the basket full of flowers behind in exchange for the money. At this point, Elise was flushed as she stood right there, watching Alexander carry those flowers. He then passed them to her. ¡°Do you like them?¡± Seeing the basket full of scarlet red roses, Elise thought that it¡¯d be pretentious to say that she didn¡¯t like it. However, what did he mean by gifting her red roses? Did he not know that he shouldn¡¯t be giving out red roses just to anyone? ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. We should head back.¡± Elise neither replied to him, nor did she take the flowers from him. She simply changed the topic. Noticing that, he quickly said, ¡°Though it may be a little sudden, I just felt sympathetic for the little girl selling flowers sote at night. That¡¯s why I bought them from her.¡± Hearing his exnation, she realized that she had misunderstood the situation. Hence, she took over the flowers and said, ¡°The flowers are pretty.¡± As she said that, she hugged the flowers. Seeing her reaction, Alexander couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°You can have them since you like it.¡± Without replying, she continued walking. When out of Alexander¡¯s sight, she secretly smiled to herself as joy crept up her eyes. When the two of them returned home, the maids saw Elise hugging a basket of roses as she returned home with Alexander. Seeing that, the maids felt happy for them. It seems that Young Master Alex and Miss Sinir¡¯s rtionship is getting stable. Having waited for Elise for so long, said, ¡°Boss, where did you go?¡± Just as he finished his sentence, he noticed the roses she was holding and Alexander, who was following behind her. At once, he looked stumped. ¡°Alexander, Boss, you two¡­¡± At this moment, Alexander shot him a look, making him stop his sentence right there. Danny then chuckled and said, ¡°Boss, there¡¯s a question that I got stuck at. I¡¯ve been waiting for you toe back and teach me.¡± Humming in response, she said, ¡°Bring it over. I¡¯ll take a look.¡± Hence, Danny quickly made a beeline to his room. It was only then that Alexander said to Elise, ¡°Don¡¯t stay up toote. Rest soon.¡± She then acknowledged him. In a few moments, Danny was back with his question. ¡°Boss, this is the question.¡± Taking a look at the question, she said, ¡°Haven¡¯t I taught you the method to tackle questions like these? You should do this¡­¡± She exined it to him clearly, and he listened attentively as she borated. After she finished exining the solution, she asked, ¡°Do you understand?¡± Nodding, he replied, ¡°I understand it now.¡± As he said that, he kept his book before asking, ¡°Boss, it¡¯s almost the semester¡¯s final exam. You didn¡¯t forget what you promised me, right?¡± Of course she remembered. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As long as you get top three in this exam, I¡¯ll pull an all- nighter to y with you. However¡­¡± Suddenly, she thought of something and continued, ¡°I have yet to find the password of my previous gaming ount, so I¡¯ll just y with you with my backup ount.¡± Though he knew that she was good at gaming, he didn¡¯t think that her main ount was anything special. Thus, he didn¡¯t think much about it. ¡°Alright, as long as you remember. I¡¯ll do well in my exam.¡± After saying that, Danny headed back to his room while Elise smiled as she shook her head. She then turned herputer on. As she hadn¡¯t been using her gaming ount for a few years, she didn¡¯t remember the password. Fortunately, she had set a security question that enabled her to retrieve her ount back. As soon as she logged in, her profile picture in the game lit up along with the level badges. If one looked closely, they¡¯d see that she was at the Grandmaster level, and her ranking was 1. After logging into her ount for a moment, she logged off in a few minutes. Little did she know, her small action had caused a stir in the gaming world. As usual, KK was taking a look around the global channel. However, he saw a profile picture that he hadn¡¯t seen for a very long time light up. Initially, he even doubted his eyes, so he rubbed on them to make sure that his eyes were not ying a trick on him. At once, he got a little excited and quickly sent Danny a text message. ¡®Come to the game quickly. Ellimane is online.¡± As Danny was working on his assignment, his mood to continue doing his work had flown out of the window the moment he saw the news. Immediately, he logged into the game. ¡°It really is Ellimane. She hasn¡¯t been on for two to three years now.¡± Chapter 157 Chapter 157 Chapter 157,Coolest Girl in Town KK was extremely agitated. Without hesitating, he immediately sent a private message to Ellimane. However, shortly after he sent the message, Ellimane went offline again. With that, KK sighed in resignation. ¡°Ellimane just went offline. I wonder when she¡¯ll log in again.¡± Danny knew how important Ellimane was to KK, so heforted him. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be online again. We just have to be patient until then.¡± Feeling reassured by Danny¡¯s words, KK took a deep breath. Since he had already been waiting for so many years, there was no harm in waiting just a little longer. Just then, Fortuner sent KK a message. ¡®Hey, guess what? I saw Ellimane online just now! I hope it wasn¡¯t just my eyes ying tricks on me.¡¯ KK replied, ¡®You¡¯re right. It¡¯s her¡ªshe¡¯s back.¡¯ At this moment, Fortuner was extremely excited. ¡®Really?! That¡¯s amazing!¡¯ Nheless, the two of them were not the only ones who followed Ellimane¡¯s status as many other yers did the same. After all, Ellimane was ranked first in the entire server. So, every yer would see her once she came online. As such, every post in the game¡¯s forum was discussing about Ellimane, and it had be a trending topic. Meanwhile, Elise waspletely clueless about this. Currently, she was scrolling through Twitter, which was trending about another topic¨C¨Csomeone exposed Charlene, who always had a sweet and gentle image, had once worked as a club hostess. The person also leaked all sorts of sexy pictures of Charlene during that time which caused a sensation within theizens. Those pictures of Charlene spread like wildfire in the Twittermunity to the point where it was impossible to remove all her pictures from the inte even after her celebrity agency had hired people to do so. The situation was already uncontroble asizens started swarming into Charlene¡¯s Twitter page to leave nastyments about her. Charlene knew Jack would get his revenge after she provoked him. However, she did not expect it to happen so fast. She had a feeling this incident was caused by Jack, and her expression instantly turned extremely gloomy when she saw those pictures. ¡°N-No way¡­ This is impossible!¡± Panic-stricken, Charlene stuttered while denying it. Sadly, nothing else could be done as the attention of the passersby was all focused on her. Covering her head with her hands, Charlene refused to believe it was true. ¡°How is this possible? Those pictures can¡¯t possibly be exposed¡­ No way¡­¡± Nevertheless, no matter how she denied it, the pictures were still being spread rapidly. Despite there being a minority of fans who defended her, Charlene¡¯s reputation was severely damaged as most people were rebuking her. Elise¡¯s expression remained indifferent after she saw the news. This was merely a lesson for Charlene. If she still remained arrogant, Elise would definitely send her to hell personally. On the other hand, Jack had not even made his move, yet Charlene¡¯s pictures had already been spread. ¡°Young Master Jack, these pictures are rather close to the bone. I¡¯m afraid Charlene might not be able to make a turnaround this time,¡± Ronaldmented in an apathetic tone as he had no sympathy toward someone like Charlene at all. However, Jack frowned and asked, ¡°Who do you think is the mastermind behind this?¡± Of course, Ronald would not know, so he answered casually, ¡°She has offended so many people over the years, so someone might have just seized this chance to expose her past. Anyhow, she is the cause of her own destruction.¡± Jack sneered, ¡°You¡¯re right. Since someone has already taken action, we shall join in the fun! Make her beg. Leave no opportunity for her to survive in showbiz again.¡± Ronald naturally understood Jack¡¯s intention. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even if we don¡¯t do anything, those scandals are enough to doom her. By the way, Young Master Jack, I¡¯ve heard of a rumor before this that Charlene¡¯s hit song during her debut was a result of giarizing H¡¯s song. Currently, H¡¯s fans are searching for evidence. Given the capability of H¡¯s fans, once the rumor is proved true, Charlene would certainly face dire consequences even if we don¡¯t go after her.¡± Slyness shed across Jack¡¯s eyes. ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, we should add some fuel to the fire and escte the storm.¡± ¡°Yes, Young Master Jack. You can leave it to me.¡± The next day, the issue about Charlene giarizing H¡¯s old songs was exposed. H¡¯s fans exploded in anger when they heard the news. How dare Charlene giarize H¡¯s songs?! We¡¯ll not let her off! Following that, H¡¯s fans swarmed into Twitter and bombarded Charlene¡¯s page. In no time, #BoycottCharlene had be a trending topic. Not only that, more and more scandals were being exposed thereafter. All of a sudden, Charlene became a scumbag who was detested by all. ¡°Oh no¡­ We¡¯re doomed¡­¡± Charlene¡¯s manager was devastated to see the scandals being spread across the inte. Meanwhile, all business partners called and asked to terminate the contracts with Charlene. The investors too hadpletely pulled out while Charlene was faced with an astronomical amount of compensation. Her manager¡¯s phone rang non-stop as all the calls were to ask for termination of coboration with Charlene. When Charlene became aware of the news, she slumped onto the ground. She knew that she was totally doomed this time, and no one would be able to save her. During that night, some could barely sleep a wink while others had sweet dreams. After waking up, Elise stretched and saw a warm bright sun out of her window. Looking at the roses which had fully bloomed on the balcony, she smiled brightly. Thereafter, she washed up, changed, and headed out. ¡°Good morning!¡± Elise greeted Danny while thetter came up to her and said, ¡°You seem to be in a good mood, Boss.¡± Grinning from ear to ear, Elise replied, ¡°Of course! You better hurry up or we¡¯ll bete.¡± Danny looked at the time and quickly stuffed some food into his mouth beforeying down the cutleries. ¡°I¡¯m done. Let¡¯s go.¡± With that, the two got into the car. On the way, Danny couldn¡¯t help but tell Elise about Ellimane. ¡°Boss, do you know that Ellimane actually went onlinest night? All the posts in the forum are discussing her now. I wonder when will she be back so I can see her y in thepetition again.¡± Flipping a book in her hand, Elise showed no change in her expression as she pretended to be nonchnt and asked, ¡°Do you like her a lot?¡± Danny answered, ¡°Not really, but I look up to her a lot. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. After all, she¡¯s the only person who achieved a grand m so far, and no one has been able to break her record until now. Anyway, KK is a super loyal fan of hers.¡± Elise hummed in response and asked, ¡°Do you wish to y with her?¡± Danny nodded non-stop. ¡°Of course. It¡¯s an honor to know a legend like her.¡± Elise lifted her head and looked at Danny, but she didn¡¯t say anything else thereafter. It was only when they almost reached school did she blurt, ¡°Gear up for your final examinations then. Who knows? Your dream mighte true.¡± Danny was dumbfounded hearing that and still wanted to ask something, but Elise had already gotten out of the car. At this moment, he felt that there was some hidden meaning behind Elise¡¯s words¨C¨Che even had a weird hunch, but he just couldn¡¯t figure out what it was. Chapter 158 Chapter 158 Chapter 158,Coolest Girl in Town Danny decided to stop thinking about it and yelled as he watched Elise leave, ¡°Wait for me, Boss. Also, please help me take a look at my Chinese essayter!¡± With that, Danny quickly caught up with Elise and the two entered the ssroom one after another. Not long after Elise put down her bag, a student yelled from the ssroom entrance, ¡°Elise Sinir, you have a parcel at the school gate. Remember to im it.¡± Elise was surprised. Who would send her a parcel using the school¡¯s address? Nevertheless, Elise did not bother about it and only went to take the parcel from the security guard¡¯s room in the afternoon when sses were over. When she retrieved it, she saw it was a tightly wrapped box. However, Elise did not open it in a hurry but just brought the box back to the ssroom. ¡°Boss, what new stuff did you buy?¡± Danny couldn¡¯t help asking. Hearing that, Elise only just pressed her lips. I¡¯ve not bought anything online recently. What could it be? ¡°Let¡¯s take a look.¡± Saying that, Elise took a pair of scissors and opened the parcel to see a fancy race car model. Danny eximed, ¡°Wow, Boss, this race car model is so cool! Where did you buy it from?¡± With that, he reached out his hand to touch the model. ¡°This model is a limited edition. The finishing of it is so smooth.¡± Elise frowned slightly. It was only then did she notice there was a letter in the box. After taking it out and seeing the receiver written on it was ¡®Sue¡¯, she quickly kept the letter away. This parcel is for Sue. Immediately, Elise closed the box and said, ¡°It¡¯s just an ordinary race car model. I¡¯ll get you one next time if you like it.¡± Danny giggled. ¡°Thanks, Boss! I¡¯m surprised that you actually like car racing because girls normally won¡¯t be interested in it. But let me tell you a secret¡ªAlexander is a great car racer. I shall arrange a meetup someday so that he can show off his skills to you.¡± Elise patted Danny¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Have you finished your homework? How do you even have time to think about car racing?¡± Danny pulled a long face. ¡°I¡¯m just thinking of getting you some good shows since you like car racing. If you don¡¯t like it, then forget it.¡± Elise did not respond but sank into deep thoughts as she looked at the parcel. Who sent this parcel? That person seems to have known my identity¡­ After school in the afternoon, Elise and Danny went home together. As soon as Elise ced the parcel in her bedroom, her phone rang. ¡°Boss, have you received the parcel?¡± It was Jamie. Elise lifted her brows and asked, ¡°Did you send it?¡± Jamie quickly denied it. ¡°Nope, it¡¯s sent by a new domestic car racing society. There should be an invitation card in the parcel. They¡¯re going to organize their first auto racingpetition in Tissote on the 3rd of next month and have specially invited you to participate in the race. The parcel was originally sent to my office, but I sent it to your school afterward.¡± I see. ¡°Are you going to join the race, Boss?¡± Elise rejected it directly. ¡°Nope.¡± Jamie seemed to have expected this response as he quickly replied, ¡°I heard it¡¯s a really big event and they¡¯ve even invited many famous car racers in the country. So, I bet it¡¯ll be very exciting. Let¡¯s not miss out on the fun! I heard that the cash prize for the champion this time is 1 billion!¡± Hearing that, Elise wavered a little. ¡°Do you want to try it out, Boss?¡± Nheless, Elise still rejected it. ¡°Nah.¡± N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Seeing how determined Elise was, Jamie decided to give up. ¡°Alright, Boss. Just let me know if you change your mind. I still have some matters to attend to. Talk to you again soon.¡± As soon as the call ended, Elise kept away her phone and opened the invitation letter in the box. After ncing through it, she kept it away in the storage box together with the race car model. At the same time, at Griffith Group, Cameron walked in with a parcel. ¡°President Griffith, you have a parcel.¡± Alexander did not lift his head but continued reading the documents in his hand. ¡°What is it?¡± he asked. Cameron nced at the delivery slip and said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure. It¡¯s not written on the slip.¡± ¡°Open it and take a look.¡± Cameron hummed in response and quickly opened the parcel to see a race car model, which was exactly the same model as the one Elise received. ¡°It¡¯s a race car model, President Griffith.¡± It was only then that Alexander lifted his head and gazed toward it. At the same time, Cameron noticed the invitation letter. ¡°And there¡¯s an invitation letter.¡± After saying that, he passed the letter to Alexander, who then opened the letter and perused it. ¡°It¡¯s an invitation from a domestic car racing society to take part in apetition. Are you going, President Griffith?¡± Being reminded of thest time he went to France to watch the auto racing competition, Alexander rejected it. ¡°I¡¯ll opt out.¡± Hearing that, Cameron stopped asking questions. ¡°I¡¯ll help you to keep this away then.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. You can pass it to Danny. He¡¯ll love this,¡± Alexander ordered, to which Cameron hummed in response. ¡°I¡¯ll put it in your car so that you can bring it back later.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± After reaching home at night, Alexander went to Danny¡¯s room with the parcel in his hands. He opened the door to see Danny studying, which made him ask, ¡°Since when did you be so hardworking?¡± Danny lifted his eyes as he was a little surprised. ¡°Hey, Alex! What brings you here?¡± Alexander ced the box on the table. ¡°I just got a new race car model. I know you¡¯ll like it, so I brought it back for you.¡± Danny¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Really? Guess what¡ªtoday, I saw Boss receive a super cool limited-edition car model. I was so envious of her, but who knew I¡¯d get one too!¡± Danny babbled while opening the box. The moment he saw that the car model was the same exact one as Elise¡¯s, he thought his eyes were ying tricks on him. ¡°Alex, are these car models produced by batches? Why is this model exactly the same as Boss¡¯?¡± Alexander asked in shock, ¡°Are you saying that Elise has the exact same car model?¡± Danny nodded. ¡°Boss received a parcel today, and the car model is exactly like this one. Little did I expect you¡¯ll have one too. What are the odds!¡± At that moment, suspicion shed across Alexander¡¯s eyes. As Danny saw his expression, he thought that Alexander did not buy his words, so he quickly said, ¡°If you don¡¯t believe it, I¡¯ll go get the car model from Boss so that you can take a look at it. They are really exactly the same. It makes me wonder if both of your minds actually think so alike that you guys even bought the same item!¡± Alexander pondered for a moment and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t buy this. It¡¯s a gift from a domestic car racing society.¡± Danny didn¡¯t notice anything wrong at first, but he was shocked after digesting Alexander¡¯s words. ¡°What?! So Boss¡¯ car model is from the car racing society too? How is this possible? Boss is a girl¡ªit¡¯s unlikely for her to be a car racer!¡± What Danny said made a lot of sense. However, it made Alexander sink into deep thoughts. Is Elise a car racer too? Elise opened her room door and so happened to bump into Alexander, who came out from Danny¡¯s room. They met each other¡¯s eyes for two seconds before Elise quickly averted her gaze. ¡°Have you eaten?¡± Elise asked casually. However, Alexander stared at her for quite a while before answering, ¡°Not yet. I just reached home.¡± Elise hummed in response and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go downstairs for dinner then.¡± With that, the two went downstairs one after another. In the dining room, the servants had already served the food to the table. While eating, none of them initiated a conversation as Elise quietly finished her dinner. After finishing her meal, Elise put down the cutlery and said, ¡°I¡¯m done. I¡¯ll head upstairs first.¡± With that, Elise stood up and went upstairs while Alexander simply watched her leave without calling on her in the end. Chapter 159 Chapter 159 Chapter 159,Coolest Girl in Town Elise felt Alexander was behaving a little weird today. The way he looked at her was as if he had something to tell her, but he had not spoken up even after the dinner was over. As such, Elise thought she might have overthought. After going back to her room, Elise switched on theputer and a new email notification popped up. Then, she clicked into it and saw it was an email from the director of the children¡¯s home. The email provided an update of the children¡¯s situation and the previous month¡¯s statement of cash flow was also attached in it. Elise nced through it and thought everything looked fine, so she closed the mailbox thereafter. At the same time, she received a call from the children¡¯s home. ¡°Hi, Miss Elise, the children are missing you. It¡¯ll be great if you can make some time toe and visit them.¡± Elise had not gone to visit the children over this period when she was at Athesea. She nced at the calendar and realized it was the weekend tomorrow, so she agreed dly. ¡°It¡¯s my day off tomorrow. I¡¯ll be there.¡± The director was ted to hear her response. ¡°I¡¯m sure the children will be overjoyed to know this. We¡¯ll see you tomorrow then, Miss Elise.¡± The next morning, Elise put together a casual outfit. ¡°Miss Elise, are you heading out?¡± a servant asked thoughtfully. Elise didn¡¯t want Robin to worry about her, so she answered, ¡°Yeah, I have some matters to attend to. If Grandpa asks about me, please tell him that I¡¯ve gone to Angel Children Home at Downtown North, and that I¡¯ll be back by afternoon.¡± ¡°Alright. Please take care, Miss Elise.¡± After leaving home, Elise first hailed a cab to the supermarket to buy some toys, snacks and books for the children. She bought so many things that the car boot was filled up to the max. Then, the cab driver sent Elise to the welfare home. The moment the children saw Elise walk in with bags of supplements in her hands, they ran up to her in excitement. ¡°Hi, Elise. I¡¯ve missed you so much!¡± ¡°You¡¯re finally here, Elise!¡± Looking at the children, Elise beamed from ear to ear. ¡°I¡¯ve missed y¡¯all too. Come and look at what I¡¯ve bought for you.¡± Elise distributed the snacks and toys to the children, who were all overjoyed to receive the gifts. While they thanked Elise, the director came out. ¡°Oh, Miss Elise, you¡¯re too kind to always bring us so much stuff whenever youe.¡± Elise held the director¡¯s arm intimately when she saw her. ¡°Not at all, Madam Ruth. These are just some small gifts for the children.¡± Back then when Elise¡¯s parents passed away, it was Ruth who took her in kindly until her grandparents came and fetched her home. She had always remembered Ruth¡¯s kindness toward her, so she would contribute some money to the children¡¯s home ande back to visit them every year. ¡°We really appreciate your thoughts. Thanks to your support for these past years, these kids are able to live in such a decent environment. I thank you on behalf of the kids.¡± ¡°Hey, Elise,e and y with us!¡± Just then, two children came to grab Elise, and so Elise went to y with them. Little did she know that at this moment, Alexander was winding down his car window slowly outside the children¡¯s home. Looking at Elise who was having a good time with the children, he felt surprised and bizarre. Normally, he only saw her being both serious and yful, but he had never seen her this joyful before. He couldn¡¯t help but be moved by the bright smile on Elise¡¯s face and her genuine joy. ¡°Shall we go in, President Griffith?¡± Cameron asked. Alexander retracted his gaze and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need. Let¡¯s head back to the office. Next time, send some supplies to this children¡¯s home in the name of our company.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Thereafter, the car was driven away. Elise, who was ying with the children, lifted her eyes suddenly, but all she could see was a car that was disappearing. As such, she was not bothered by it and continued ying with the children. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. On the other hand, joy spread across Ruth¡¯s face as she watched Elise and the children having a great time. Later, she had a chat with Elise and told her about the recent situation at the children¡¯s home. ¡°Winter ising soon. I¡¯m afraid the heating supplies here are not enough¡ªthis winter might be a hard one for the kids.¡± Hearing that, Elise quickly said, ¡°Please buy more equipment if the heating supplies are insufficient. We can¡¯t let the children suffer.¡± Ruth nodded but seemed to have something else to say. Seeing that, Elise spoke up, ¡°Madam Ruth, please, feel free to tell me if there¡¯s any concern. I¡¯ll surely do my best to help.¡± Ruth answered in all honesty, ¡°Miss Elise, frankly speaking, you¡¯ve helped so much that I can¡¯t bring myself to ask for your help anymore, but the current expense of the children¡¯s home is just too much and I really can¡¯t afford to upgrade the heating supplies.¡± Elise more or less understood Ruth¡¯s meaning. She pulled Ruth¡¯s hand over and said, ¡°Please don¡¯t worry and leave this to me. I¡¯ll try my best to get the heating supplies before winteres.¡± Ruth¡¯s eyes became red- rimmed as she heard that. ¡°Miss Elise, words can¡¯t express how grateful I am toward you. I thank you once again on behalf of the children for your kindness to them.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all going to be fine, Madam Ruth.¡± After leaving the children¡¯s home, Elise went back to the Griffith Residence and checked the bnce in her bank ount. There were only tens of thousands in her ount, which was definitely not enough to upgrade the heating supplies. Elise caught a glimpse of the Centurion Card that Jonah had given her, but she directly ignored it as she had no intention of using it. Then, she kept away the card and thought she should think of a way to earn some money before winter came so that she could upgrade the heating supplies for the children. At this thought, Elise was reminded of the national racingpetition which Jamie mentioned before. She was rather moved by the cash prize of ten million. If she could win the prize, all the problems would be solved. And so, Elise quickly gave Jamie a call. ¡°Hey, Jamie, please send me all the rted information about the national racingpetition which you mentionedst time.¡± Jamie had not expected that Elise would actually ask for the information about thepetition. ¡°Boss, do you n to participate in thepetition?¡± he asked. Elise hummed in response, hearing which Jamie was overjoyed. ¡°Sure! Give me a minute. I¡¯ll send the information to you via email immediately.¡± Shortly after the call was hung up, Elise received a new email. She quickly opened the email and nced through the details of thepetition. The structure was rather straightforward¡ªevery participant would take part in a total of three rounds of the competition. The overall champion would be awarded the cash prize of ten million. Nevertheless, when Elise continued reading the content, she was surprised to see Alexander¡¯s name in the list of racers invited, which was appended at the bottom of the email. ¡°What?! Is he entering thepetition too?¡± Elise murmured. Then, she called Jamie and asked, ¡°Hey Jamie, what¡¯s wrong with Alexander?¡± Chapter 160 Chapter 160 Chapter 160,Coolest Girl in Town Jamie exined, ¡°Not everyone invited on the namelist will attend. As Alexander is rather well-known in the racing industry, it¡¯s normal for us to invite him. What¡¯s wrong, Boss? Don¡¯t you want topete with him?¡± Elise had no qualms to do so, but she was only worried that Alexander would recognize her. If that happens, how should I exin myself? ¡°Are you able to obtain the list of people who have confirmed that they are participating?¡± she asked. After looking at the list, Jamie replied, ¡°I can¡¯t give a confirmed answer now. We will only know on the day of thepetition itself. However, Alexander seems to be quite busy with hispany, so I assume that he doesn¡¯t have time to joinpetitions like these.¡± What he said made sense to Elise as well. As long as she did not run into Alexander, she was willing to give it a shot. She would treat it as helping the kids at the children¡¯s home. ¡°Alright, then. Please help to reply to the organizer that I¡¯ve confirmed participating in thepetition. Don¡¯t forget to keep it a secret.¡± ¡°Okay. Don¡¯t worry, Boss. I know what to do.¡± Even though Jamie had discreetly done as told, the news that Sue was going to participate in the current racingpetition still leaked out. Everyone wondered whether it was deliberately done to increase thepetition¡¯s poprity or to make it more impressive. Nevertheless, once news of her participation spread in the racing industry, a rather huge storm broke out in the industry and caused those racers who initially nned to be bystanders to register for the race as well. N?velDrama.Org content rights. After all, it was a good opportunity topete with the internationally renowned racer, Sue, and they didn¡¯t want to miss the chance. ¡°Alexander, breaking news! There¡¯s breaking news!¡± A breathless Danny quickly located Alexander. ¡°Sue is going to participate in the national racingpetition this time!¡± As soon as Alexander heard this, he immediately stopped what he was doing and looked at Danny while asking again, ¡°What did you just say? Sue is participating in the racingpetition this time?¡± In response, Danny nodded profusely. ¡°I just received the news and it has already spread throughout the entire industry.¡± Alexander couldn¡¯t help but be tempted by this piece of news. He calmed down before saying, ¡°Help me reply to the organizers that I¡¯ll be joining as well.¡± Danny was delighted to hear this. ¡°Sure thing, Alexander. I¡¯ll send an email to the organizer right now. However, I have a secret question for you¡ªare you there for the competition or just for Sue?¡± The moment Alexander heard the question, he couldn¡¯t help but recall the expression in Sue¡¯s eyes when she turned to look at him three years ago. It was a simple gaze, yet it was forever etched in his mind. Now that she was returning to the industry, he would never miss such a good opportunity. When Danny was met with silence, he automatically understood what Alexander¡¯s answer was. ¡°Aha! I bet you are there for Sue. To be honest, I wonder how attractive she is to make you remember her for the past three years! Alexander, you are a weird fellow, though. Why do you like people who have hidden identities? It¡¯s the same with the singer you fancy, H¡ªshe is just as mysterious. Sue is the next one. Even though she has participated in many international racingpetitions, there¡¯s no report on her personal life whatsoever. Even if we resort to special techniques, we still can¡¯t locate any information about her. Both of them are weirdos, but apparently they are your cup of tea, Alexander.¡± As Danny mumbled his words, Alexander wasn¡¯t in the mood to listen and instead said, ¡°Also, help me to book a flight ticket as soon as possible.¡± Danny pursed his lips. ¡°Alright, got it. I¡¯ll ask Cameron to book itter.¡± With that, he retreated. However, an obvious excitement was shown on Alexander¡¯s face. Sue, it¡¯s been so long. Are you finally returning to the racing arena? ¡­ Although the racing industry had been developing locally, it was the first time a nationalpetition at this scale was organized. On top of that, the organizer even managed to sessfully invite important guests like Sue and Alexander. It was two days before thepetition when many racers, famous and unknown, arrived in Tissote from all corners of the country. Elise swapped her public look with that of her original appearance andplimented it with a pair of sunsses on her head. After handing over the boarding pass, she boarded the ne. ¡°Miss, would you like a ss of juice or coffee?¡± the flight attendant in the business ss asked. ¡°Juice, I suppose,¡± Elise casually replied. Upon hearing her reply, the air stewardess passed a ss of juice to Elise, who epted it before asking, ¡°How long do we have until we arrive at Tissote?¡± ¡°If there are no interferences from the air traffic control center, we will bending in about an hour.¡± Elise thanked her before she took a sip of the juice. Unbeknownst to her, Alexander, who was seated a row in front of her, thought that her voice sounded exceptionally familiar. He was obviously surprised when he turned and saw her before greeting, ¡°Miss Joy, I didn¡¯t expect to meet you here.¡± His voice caused her to choke on the juice even before she could swallow it. As a result, she started to cough violently, but she was relieved that he only recognized her as Joy and didn¡¯t discover anything else. ¡°You are¡­¡± Elise said pretentiously before she suddenly remembered something. ¡°Mr. Griffith.¡± Alexander gave a slight nod. Although Joy gave him a sense of familiarity, he didn¡¯t recall seeing her elsewhere apart from their only encounter in France. With a frown, asked, ¡°When did you return, Miss Joy?¡± Umm¡­ She smiled and replied, ¡°Not long ago. Where are you going?¡± He replied, ¡°Our destination should be the same.¡± Elise looked like she thought of something. Could it be that he is going to Tissote because of the racingpetition? Even though it was still just her spection, she continued to ask, ¡°Are you on a business trip to Tissote?¡± If an average person asked him this, he would¡¯ve nodded in response. However, he was unsure why he didn¡¯t hide his true reason from Joy, a person whom he had just met twice. ¡°I¡¯m participating in a competition that¡¯s held in the city. What about you?¡± Of course, Elise could not tell him that she was going to the samepetition as well, so she simply found an excuse. ¡°I¡¯m going to Tissote to visit an old friend.¡± They casually chatted with each other until the airnended in Tissote. Then, they disembarked from the ne one after another and out of courtesy, Alexander asked, ¡°My driver will be here soon. Do you need me to give you a ride, Miss Sinir?¡± She quickly rejected him. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Mr. Griffith. I¡¯ll see you around if fate allows us to do so.¡± With that, she quickly turned to walk in the opposite direction as him. As he observed her leaving figure, Alexander couldn¡¯t help twitching his lips into a smile. Meanwhile, he also thought that Joy was quite an interesting woman. After all, it was the first time that a woman avoided him like he was a cobra. He retracted his gaze and walked toward the lobby where his driver was already waiting for him. As soon as the car that picked Alexander left, Elise gingerly walked out and called Jamie on his cell. ¡°Jamie, I¡¯m already here. Send the hotel¡¯s location to me so that I can head over right now.¡± ¡°Sure thing, Boss. By the way, I forgot to inform you that I looked into Alexander¡¯s flight information. He has already flown to Tissote and it seems that he is on the same ne as you.¡± She hummed in agreement before she replied, ¡°I already met him.¡± Chapter 161 Chapter 161 Chapter 161,Coolest Girl in Town It was Jamie¡¯s turn to be shocked this time around. ¡°Boss, he didn¡¯t recognize you, did he?¡± Elise replied, ¡°No, but I guess we will definitely meet during thepetition, but it¡¯s not a big issue.¡± After all, in Alexander¡¯s eyes, she already had a new identity as Joy, so she assumed that he would not rte both women as one. She immediately headed to her room after taking a cab from the airport and checking into the hotel. Spending two hours on the flight had rendered her exhausted, after which she immediately crawled into bed and fell sound asleep after a shower. Her napsted until the evening. Elise reached out for her phone and unlocked the screen. However, she saw two missed calls from a local number that she was extremely familiar with, which shocked her. My schedule this time is aplete secret. Who would have called me? However, she did not take it seriously and ced her phone aside. It was at this moment when the doorbell of her room rang. ¡°Hi, room service,¡± the voice greeted. Elise then opened the door and allowed the waiter to push a tray of scrumptious dinner into her room. After that, he borated, ¡°Miss Sinir, Mr. Keller has prepared this dinner for you. Please enjoy this.¡± As she looked at the scrumptious food in front of her, she couldn¡¯t help but think, Jamie is such a good assistant since he settles everything nicely for me. ¡°If you need anything, feel free to call us anytime. See you.¡± It was after the waiter exited the room that she walked over to close the door. The room opposite her coincidentally opened at the same time and Alexander¡¯s tall, slender figure entered her line of vision. As they locked eyes with each other, they saw their shock being reflected in the other¡¯s sight. She was growing slightly anxious by now. What kind of room did Jamie book? Forget the fact that we¡¯re staying in the same hotel, but I can¡¯t believe that our rooms are directly opposite to each other! ¡°Hi, Mr. Griffith!¡± Elise greeted with a perfunctory smile. People who knew her well were definitely aware that it was a forced smile. Alexander slightly frowned. He had never believed that there were such coincidences in the world; not only did they board the same ne, they even booked the same hotel. On top of that, they even stayed in opposite rooms. It was exceptionally unlikely for such urrences to happen, but it did in real life nevertheless. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to meet you again in such a short time.¡± His voice was neither slow nor quick and it was void of all emotions. She couldn¡¯t tell whether he was happy or exasperated by the coincidence. As such, Elise could only bite the bullet and said, ¡°It¡¯s a coincidence indeed.¡± Then, she added, ¡°Mr. Griffith, you haven¡¯t eaten anything, have you? I have just ordered dinner. Would you like to have some together?¡± However, Alexander directly rejected her invitation. He was already used to such obvious tactics and to him, Joy was no different from the other women who wanted to get closer to him. To think that I thought she was quite special! I guess I overestimated her. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m heading out anyway.¡± It was just a casual invite from Elise as she didn¡¯t have any intention to have dinner together with him. Hence, she waved and responded, ¡°In that case, goodbye for now, Mr. Griffith.¡± With that, she directly closed the door. Alexander¡¯s gaze slightly darkened, but he didn¡¯t utter another word. After closing his room door, he walked along the corridor to the elevator and took it to head downstairs. Meanwhile, Elise returned to her room and had dinner before she went out alone. She immediately hailed a cab to Julius¡¯ pub. Since it was only 9:00PM, there weren¡¯t many customers in the pub. Then, she walked around the main hall before she sat down to order a ss of whiskey, after which she popped Julius a text. He walked out of his rest area almost immediately. Although he was quite surprised, he had more or less expected it. He had already heard the news in Tissote¡ªit was breaking news that Sue was returning to the industry by participating in the racingpetition. ¡°You really are here.¡± Elise hummed in agreement. ¡°Julius, I remember that I left something at your ce. So, I¡¯m here to pick it up today.¡± After he sat down, he responded, ¡°I¡¯ll bring you to retrieve it ¡°Your business is not as good as usual.¡± Although she attempted to change the topic, he raised his eyes and maintained his gaze on her. ¡°Did you cause the matter that befell Charlene?¡± Even though it was a question, his tone was normal. Elise hummed in agreement and didn¡¯t deny his words. Julius nodded. ¡°H, I know she was in the wrong for the incident back then. However, do you know why Noel chose to defend her even under those circumstances?¡± It was the same question that Elise was puzzled on too. However, certain things became much clearer the moment the past incident appeared in her mind. The knowledge led to her eyes lighting up. As she met Julius¡¯ gaze, he broke into a smile. ¡°I have no right to ask about Charlene¡¯s matters, but I hope you can do this favor for me.¡± It was something that Elise understood. ¡°As if I¡¯m doing this for Noel?¡± Julius nodded. ¡°He has liked her for many years now. He has always taken care of her, protected her, and spoiled her. Even though I don¡¯t understand why he¡¯s loyal to her, I can¡¯t say anything about it.¡± She felt that she had neglected something. ¡°Forget it, let the past be in the past. We all have to move on, don¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Thank you, H,¡± he answered earnestly. After a pause, he continued, ¡°It has been so long since that incident happened. When are you going to return? I listened to the new song you wrote for Jack. The quality of your work hasn¡¯t declined at all. Could it be that I¡¯ll see you around in the industry in the near future?¡± Elise frowned before replying in a calm tone, ¡°Maybe¡­¡± That simple word was enough to reveal her attitude. As Julius held the ss in front of him, joy surged through him. ¡°H, this is a toast to you. I hope that you will return and dominate the industry soon.¡± She gently brought her ss to cling with his beer ss in the silence. Then, she gulped the alcohol and rose to her full height. ¡°Let¡¯s get back my stuff.¡± Then, Julius brought her out of the pub and took another elevator upstairs where they finally stopped at the 18th floor. Then, he took out a key and opened the door. Elise walked into the room and saw the scene that she was once familiar with. She kept her emotions grounded as she directly walked to the bedroom. After opening the door, she headed for the wardrobe in front of the French windows and utched it to take out a box from within. There were a few car keys and items in the box. N?velDrama.Org content rights. She took out one of the keys and wore a ck cap before she raised her eyes to look at herself in the mirror. In that instant, she seemed to catch a glimpse of her previous self. ¡°I¡¯ll take these with me.¡± Elise held the box in her arms as she walked out of the bedroom. Julius shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m just keeping them on your behalf. They will eventually return to you.¡± Chapter 162 Chapter 162 Chapter 162,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°Thank you, Julius,¡± Elise answered earnestly. However, Julius merely smiled. ¡°We are good friends, so there¡¯s no need to be so polite.¡± Right after they walked out of the room, she locked the room from inside before walking to the elevator. ¡°I still remember thest time I left and even quietly thought that I would never be here again. Less than two years have passed and I¡¯m here once again. It¡¯s quite emotional,¡± she said slowly. He gently looked at her. ¡°Actually, from the beginning, I already knew that you¡¯d return. It¡¯s all a matter of time. Fortunately, I waited until this moment. All the best for thepetition tomorrow. I will be there to cheer you on and I look forward to seeing your performance.¡± Elise grunted. ¡°Thepetition tomorrow will be among small groups and I will do my best.¡± After she walked out of the elevator, she directly headed for the garage that stored her favorite car. Even though it had been parked here for around two to three years, there wasn¡¯t a lot of dust on it because Julius had asked people to regrly maintain it. Elise sat on the driver¡¯s seat where she seemed to have discovered the familiar past. The moment she started the car, she floored the elerator to drive the vehicle out. As the fancy sports car sped on the road, it had attracted many people¡¯s attention. However, she ignored them and drove all the way to the hotel. After she removed her cap, she casually left it on the passenger seat whereupon she started to tidy her hair before exiting the vehicle. The moment that she walked into the lobby of the hotel, she ran into Alexander, who was engaged in a call. It seemed that they had entered the elevator one after another, which now resulted in her standing right next to him. ¡°Settle this matter first. If there are any problems, contact me again.¡± With that, he immediately hung up. When he looked at the reflection in the mirror, he was slightly repulsed by the coincidences he had with Joy. What he never expected was the woman to actually attract him and subconsciously made him desire to be closer to her. What the hell? ¡°Did you just return, Miss Sinir¡± Alexander broke the silence by asking. Elise initially nned on feigning that she didn¡¯t notice him. Now that he had taken the initiative to speak to her, she hummed in reply. There was no further exchange of words after her response. When the elevator doors opened, she walked out first before they both returned to their respective rooms. As soon as she returned to her room, Elise entered the bathroom to take a shower. When she reemerged, she grabbed a towel to dry her wet hair before she stood in front of the French windows to gaze at the city¡¯s night scenery. The bright neon lights and the exciting night life were indeed difficult to resist. Ding dong! It was at this moment when her doorbell rang and aroused her curiosity about the person who rang the bell. Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. Who would look for me at this hour? She walked to the door and asked, ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me!¡± Upon hearing those two words being spoken in a familiar tone, she froze. Then, she opened the door with slight incredulity. ¡°Mr. Griffith, why are you here?¡± Alexander asked, ¡°Do you have hot water here? My kettle is spoiled.¡± Elise blinked before answering, ¡°Yeah, I do. Give me your cup and I will fill it up for you.¡± Then, he passed the ss in his hands to her. After she took it from him, she went inside to fill it with hot water while he waited quietly by the door. ¡°Here you go, Mr. Griffith.¡± Elise handed the full ss to Alexander as he stretched out with his hands to ept it. When he did so, his gaze involuntarily fell on her hands and saw a ck mole on the back of her hand that was quite conspicuous. Without thinking much about it, he took the ss and responded, ¡°Thanks!¡± After that, she closed the door and returned to her room without thinking too much about the encounter. Somewhere deep in the night, Elise woke up with a violent cough after choking on the thick smoke. However, the smoke seemed to get thicker and made her realize that something was amiss, which forced her to immediately open her eyes. Smoke was already permeating the huge room at this stage; it was as if the ce was on fire. ¡°There¡¯s a fire here¡­¡± The fire rm rang outside along with the cries of men and women. She couldn¡¯t stop coughing because of the smoke and quickly snatched the towel to cover her nose and mouth while stumbling to the door. As soon as she opened it, she saw that people were fleeing for the safety exit along the corridor. Upon seeing this, she joined them. All of a sudden, many people from the hotel gathered together and ran down the stairs. Elise had no idea who pushed her, but she lost her bnce and leaned forward against the wall. She stopped walking for a moment as she inhaled deeply. As the crowd had been leaving one after another, there were only a few people behind her. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Alexander¡¯s voice suddenly rang in her ears. She quickly nodded. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Why are you still here? Quickly head down¡­¡± There was slight anxiety in Elise¡¯s tone as she subconsciously tugged his elbow while running downstairs. However, he was stunned to the point where he froze for a second, which gave rise to a familiar feeling when he saw such a sight. He didn¡¯t have the time to think it through and merely ran downstairs with her. As he did so, he quietly held her hand. Both of them ran all the way to the ground floor from the tenth floor. She was panting for breath, feeling as if she had narrowly escaped death while the crowd chattered noisily. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Are you alright?¡± Alexander and Elise spoke at the same time, thereafter staring at each other. It was only at this moment when they realized that they had interlocked their fingers and released their hands almost instantaneously. ¡°What is going on? Everything was fine. Why is there a fire?¡± Elise asked as she still panted. She wasn¡¯t the only shocked person; those around her were questioning the same thing as well. He raised his head and looked at the fire above them. ¡°When I was running downstairs, I saw the room next to us on fire. The fire was so massive that it nearly affected all ten floors of the hotel¡­¡± Meanwhile, the fire brigade quickly drove to the venue one after another to extinguish the fire. As many voices were mixed together, it led to a rather chaotic scene. ¡°What would happen to us for the rest of the night?¡± Elise asked as many people around her demanded a solution from the hotel. The hotel employees quickly attempted to pacify the crowd and said, ¡°Please don¡¯t be anxious. We will think of a solution for everyone.¡± The fire was too sudden and it had happened during the middle of the night. After the firemen had spent around half an hour extinguishing the fire, the situation was finally under control. Fortunately, it was caused by electrical appliances and no one died in the ident. ¡°Please be patient. We have already arranged a new ce for everyone to stay, but there are limited rooms. Two people need to share a room together. If you have any friends or know anyone, you can share the same room. You can request the room keys from me now.¡± The moment the manager finished his words, many customers went to him in pairs to get their card. Since both Elise and Alexander were on their own, they wanted to look for another person to share the room. However, everyone had already left by the time they waited, which left them as the only remaining people there. They stared at each other before concurrently asking, ¡°W-What should we do, manager?¡± Chapter 163 Chapter 163 Chapter 163,Coolest Girl in Town Upon noticing the current situation, the manager was just as troubled. As the fire had been too sudden, they were forced to request for empty rooms from the neighboring hotels, so the number of rooms avable were limited. Not that only Elise and Alexander, a single man and woman, were the ones left, it was difficult to make sleeping arrangements for them. ¡°Miss, please don¡¯t be anxious. We will think of another way out for you two¡­¡± Elise hummed in agreement and waited for further arrangements whereas Alexander¡¯s eyes darkened as he maintained his silence. The manager approached them with an apologetic look after making a few calls. ¡°Sir, madam, I¡¯m very sorry. We really don¡¯t have any other rooms.¡± At this moment, Alexander decisively answered, ¡°Give the room to her instead! I¡¯ll think of another alternative.¡± Upon hearing his approval, the manager quickly passed thest room card to Elise. ¡°Madam, why don¡¯t you head to the room first?¡± Elise epted the room card from him. If she hadn¡¯t known Alexander, she would¡¯ve taken the key card and left the scene. However, she had known him for a long time and he even helped her out before. Hence, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to leave just like that. After she thought about it, she asked, ¡°Mr. Griffith, since other rooms are unavable, would you like to stay in the same room as me for the time being?¡± However, Alexander rejected her almost subconsciously. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I will find another hotel to stay at.¡± When she heard his answer, Elise was slightly disappointed for the weirdest reason. She was actually looking forward to sharing the same room as Alexander and once she realized her thoughts, she abruptly knocked on her head. What the hell were you thinking, Elise? On the other hand, Alexander was shocked by her sudden movement. ¡°What are you doing, Miss Sinir?¡± She quickly exined, ¡°Nothing. Mr. Griffith, it¡¯s just that it¡¯s highly unlikely that other hotels will still have vacant rooms at this hour. Are you sure you want to leave?¡± He slightly narrowed his eyes. ¡°Miss Sinir, is this an invitation?¡± Elise had the urge to bite her tongue off and immediately denied his question. ¡°Mr. Alexander, you have misunderstood me. I just feel sorry that you have nowhere else to go; it¡¯s pitiful. It¡¯s only 2:00AM, so how are you going to spend the rest of the night?¡± The manager, who was standing beside them, finally realized that these two were acquainted with each other. Apart from that, she was extending a warm invitation to Alexander, which was an obvious indication of her interest in the man. The guy is handsome whereas the girl is beautiful. When they stand together, they lookpatible with each other. Hence, the manager also wanted to help these two out, so he couldn¡¯t help himself from saying, ¡°Sir, the hotels near us are all fully booked right now. Only this hotel has thest room. I really think you should put up with it for one night.¡± Elise was shocked that he would say something like this, but she could only turn her attention to Alexander to see his reaction. Alexander raised his head to meet her gaze and when they locked eyes, he actually thought he saw a glimpse of his fiancee when he looked at Joy in front of him. He had no idea what had possessed him, but he gently hummed in agreement. As a result, both Elise and Alexander brought the room card to the hotel next door with one trailing after the other. No one had uttered a word throughout the entire journey; it was only until they arrived at their new hotel room that he suddenly returned to his senses, but he had no way out at this moment. ¡°You should enter first,¡± she broke the silence as she opened the door. His eyes narrowed slightly before he started to walk into the room. Once the door was closed, she pointed at the two beds in the room. ¡°You¡¯ll sleep on the bed closer to the door while I¡¯ll sleep on the inner one.¡± Then, a self-conscious Elise climbed into her bed and tucked herself under the nket so that she was tightly wrapped in the sheets with only her head being revealed. ¡°Let¡¯s go to bed soon.¡± It was as though she was trying to say aloud that she wouldn¡¯t do anything to Alexander. He was amused upon seeing her reaction; even his facial complexion was much betterpared to the moment when he had entered the room. He looked at the bed in front of him and casuallyy on it. After the long night, Elise was suddenly wide awake after her initial tiredness. She looked at the ceiling above her as she quietly counted sheep in her head. However, even after she had done so, it wasn¡¯t enough to make her fall asleep. ¡°Mr. Griffith?¡± She tried to gently call him, to which a soft reply came. Although Alexander¡¯s voice was soft, she knew that he was still not asleep yet. ¡°You can¡¯t sleep as well? Me too¡­¡± she said as she turned around to face him. He had no idea what had possessed him. For a man who was used to sleeping alone, he was unable to fall asleep now that another person was in the same room as him. ¡°If you can¡¯t sleep, just close your eyes and rest. You will fall asleep in no time,¡± he whispered before he immediately closed his eyes. However, Alexander had no clue why he had suddenly remembered a scene from the party at the Lawson Family where he slept on the same bed as Elise. The familiar scene was forever etched in his mind, causing him to suddenly open his eyes a secondter. Then, he looked like he was searching for an excuse when he uttered, ¡°I¡¯m heading to the balcony to have some fresh air.¡± Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. With that, he immediately cast the nket aside and got up to walk to the balcony. As Alexander stood on the balcony to gaze at the city deep in the night, he suddenly took out his phone. While staring at a familiar number, he actually had the urge to call Elise at this very moment. It is already sote, though. She is probably asleep. He tightly clenched his phone and paused before he returned to the room. ¡°Mr. Griffith, is this your first time sleeping with a woman?¡± a curious Elise asked casually while awaiting his reply. Alexander replied without thinking, ¡°No.¡± It was only one word, but it was enough to make her feel jealous. He said ¡®no¡¯. It means that he has slept with other women. Maybe he even had intimate behaviors with them. As soon as Elise thought about this, she felt that even her breath became uneven. ¡°Is it with your girlfriend?¡± As soon as she blurted out the question, she wanted to bite her tongue off again. However, Alexander replied coolly, ¡°Miss Sinir, you ask too many questions.¡± Elise couldn¡¯t help specting about this. The embarrassment she felt earlier had nowpletely disappeared and in fact, it was reced by her guesses on the woman who slept with him. Although Alexander looked at the ceiling above him, his mind was filled with Elise¡¯s face. Unexpectedly, a part of his body became slightly warm and his breathing became heavier. He was shocked by his reaction, so he quickly took a deep breath and cleared his messy thoughts. It was only after he had done so that his body gradually returned to normal. ¡°Miss Sinir, sleep well.¡± With that, he turned his back to her; when Elise saw this, she did the same and closed her eyes. She was sound asleep for the remainder of the night. When she woke up the next morning, Alexander was nowhere to be seen, which disappointed her as she looked at the wide room. The weather was perfect as sunlight poured through the window into the room. Then, she stretched before she got out of bed to brush her teeth. As a result of the sudden firest night, the hotel suffered quite a huge amount of loss. Luckily for them, the fire was extinguished just in time to stop it from spreading¡ªpossibly something good out of the misfortune. As Elise¡¯s room was not impacted by the fire, she took her luggage and decisively checked out after she returned to her original hotel room. Then, she directly drove her ostentatious sports car to the racingpetition arena. Thepetition in Tissote would be held here tonight and she was looking forward to it for the weirdest reason. She parked her car in the basement parking lot and switched off the engine. However, she couldn¡¯t locate her keys at this moment and looked everywhere. As she couldn¡¯t locate them, she thought that she had left it somewhere else. Since she figured that she had a spare key at home, she stopped searching for it. Unexpectedly, she heard a man¡¯s voice just as she was about to exit the car. ¡°Are you sure that Alexander is also here?¡± he had asked. Elise frowned when she heard Alexander¡¯s name and subconsciously stopped all of her movements. ¡°He¡¯s here and my men have already obtained his schedule. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll appear at the racing arena tonight. We just have to do something to his car by then to ensure that he never returns.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t our boss say that he just wanted to break Alexander¡¯s leg, though? He never mentioned wanting Alexander¡¯s life.¡± Chapter 164 Chapter 164 Chapter 164,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°Hehe. We get his money in exchange for helping him put out a fire. It¡¯s such a dangerous racing competition that everyone has signed a death waiver. Even if there¡¯s an ident, it has nothing to do with us. Why should we take this opportunity to do the man a favor?¡± Several people agreed with this sentiment whereas Elise felt a chill run down her spine when she heard it. As she continued to watch, the group entered into their vehicles and zoomed off. Yet, her fists were silently clenched. Never had she expected that she would hear such news simply by arriving earlier at the arena and walking around. Not only was their target Alexander, but it was also obvious that someone else had instigated them. Who was the real mastermind then? As Elise thought about it, she realized that no matter what, she had to warn Alexander. So, she pulled out her cell phone from her pocket to give him a ring. ¡°Are you participating in a racingpetition in Tissote?¡± she asked without beating around the bush. There was an audible pause at the other end of the line before he grunted in acknowledgment and asked, ¡°How did you know?¡± For a split second, Elise considered rying the conversation that she overheard without omitting anything, but she realized that she would only be digging a hole for herself since she was supposed to be in Athesea at the moment. Instead, she quickly rified, ¡°Does Griffith Family have any enemies, Alexander? Or, did you offend anyone?¡± Alexander naturally could already tell that something was going on. ¡°What do you mean by these questions, Elise?¡± As her gaze darkened, she answered, ¡°I¡¯m worried that someone will try to harm you while you¡¯re at the race. Please take care of yourself.¡± Upon seeing how worried she was for him, his heart softened. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± she answered. ¡°Have a good race and I look forward to your sess.¡± In the end, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to tell him the truth. It was a good thing that she had nced at the license te and remembered its number before the group of men drove off. Unfortunately, it was a fake number and even after searching for ages, she failed to locate anything. It was Elise¡¯s first time feeling defeated, but she didn¡¯t intend to throw in the towel. No matter what, she couldn¡¯t allow anything to happen to Alexander tonight. She had to foil the opponent¡¯s plot. This was Tissote¡¯s first time holding a national racingpetition and it was undoubtedly a boon to those who liked racing. The entrance tickets had been sold out a long time ago; the area was already packed like sardines with spectators an hour before the race. Elise had changed into her disguise and was dressed in a ck-and-white casual wear that was complimented by a pair of Doc Martens, an old baseball cap, and a mask to obscure most of her face. Only after looking at herself in the mirror and determining that she didn¡¯t resemble her usual self did she feel safe enough to enter the arena. She bypassed the amphitheater and headed straight for the waiting area that was full of racers prepared to join the race tonight. Upon noticing her, the stunned crowd stared at her before they finally burst into an uproar. ¡°Sue? I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s here! I can¡¯t believe that she¡¯se topete! I always thought this was a gimmick by the organizer.¡± ¡°What kind of luck am I having to run into Sue today of all days? And I¡¯m in the same group as her! Can I simply admit defeat now?¡± ¡°Sue, will you sign my autograph?¡± One of the contestants rushed up and handed a pen to Elise. With an apologetic smile, Elise apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t like giving out autographs.¡± Yet, the person wouldn¡¯t give up. ¡°You¡¯re my idol, Sue. The drifting skill you demonstrated in the French competition three years ago was amazing. It¡¯s been years and I haven¡¯t found anyone who¡¯s been able to drift better than you, or even as beautifully as you did.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you leave the racing industry, Sue?N?velDrama.Org content rights. Why have you suddenly returned?¡± someone else asked. Elise answered calmly, ¡°For private and confidential reasons.¡± Such an answer from someone else would have seemed arrogant, but it was simply par for the course from Sue. At this moment, Alexander walked in through the entrance and he was favored to win since he was a familiar face in the industry. His gaze darted around the moment he entered and his eyes brightened when he finally caught sight of Elise. Then, he headed in her direction with visible excitement. ¡°Participants, pleasee over to draw lots,¡± a staff member called out. When Alexander heard those words, he paused in his steps but decided to disregard the call in favor of approaching Sue. He joyfully watched as the person in front of him and the figure from his memory ovepped with each other. ¡°It¡¯s so nice to see you, Sue,¡± he greeted. Unfortunately for him, Elise simply lowered the visor on her cap and she grunted in reply without saying anything else. Yet, the excitement on Alexander¡¯s face couldn¡¯t be hidden. The only reason why he had participated in thepetition was that he knew Sue would be in attendance as well. While he assumed that there would only be a slim chance of her actuallying topete, she was actually here against all his expectations. All of a sudden, he felt like a humble fan meeting an idol. ¡°Which group are you in, Sue?¡± he continued to ask. Instead of answering the man, Elise simply held up two fingers. Alexander smiled gently as he encouraged, ¡°Good luck, then. I¡¯lle to look for you after thepetition.¡± With that, he headed in the other direction. The thing was that Elise never expected that Alexander would be interested in Sue as well. While she was initially worried for his safety, she found it much more convenient now that he was paying attention to her. ¡°For the first group of participants, please get ready to enter the arena,¡± the same staff member announced, to which several participants headed out as a result. Not long after that, several cool sports cars lined up neatly at the starting line and raced at top speed like an arrow shooting from a bow when the gunshot rang out in the air. Thepetition in this group was fierce; the top three cars were neck and neck with each other and refused to give way to the other. As Elise watched the race, her eyes narrowed as the burning familiar feeling of excitement started to return to her. ¡°To the second group, get ready.¡± Upon hearing those words, she turned, but instead of heading to her own supercar, she walked to Alexander and handed her keys to him. ¡°Use my car instead. I¡¯ll use yours.¡± While he was slightly surprised by her request, he was hard- pressed to ask any questions in his idol¡¯s face. Thus, without concealing any of his awe, he took the car keys from her and handed his own to her thereafter heading in the direction of her car. While Elise clutched the keys, she entered his car without any hesitation. She elerated and tested the brakes after she activated the throttle. The basic functions seemed normal and the car was performing rather well. Immediately after she stepped on the elerator, the car picked up speed and headed toward the starting point. The moment she readied her car in Track 4, the audience went into an uproar as one wave of cheers washed over the other, making it easy to see how popr she was. ¡°Wow! It¡¯s Sue! She¡¯s here! She¡¯s making an appearance!¡± ¡°What a blessing for the racing industry to be able to witness Sue¡¯s return during our lifetime!¡± ¡°Well, now the race will be interesting. Quickly stream it! Let everyone witness this momentous asion.¡± With that, many of the audience members pulled out their cell phones as they were ready to do a live broadcast. The majority of their lenses were focused on Elise. She clutched the steering wheel and focused on the finishing line. As the cars raced off in unison after the gunshot, she maintained her gaze on the route ahead of her. Any thoughts of distraction vanished from her mind as she headed in the direction of the finishing line¡­ Chapter 165 Chapter 165 Chapter 165,Coolest Girl in Town Elise¡¯s ranking quickly increased to the top three of her group. As it stood at the current moment, Alexander was ahead of her. Since this was the preliminary stage where groupspeted, she only needed to be in the top three to qualify for the final round. Thus, she maintained her steady speed and had no thoughts of racing toward the finishing line. As she drove, she listened to the hum of the car engine where everything seemed normal and the fear in her heart was finally lifted. As the car crossed the finishing line, cheers erupted around her once again. In the end, she came in first for the group stage and he followed behind her at a close second. Her gaze slightly darkened as she sat inside the car. Then, she alighted from the vehicle and upon noticing the on-site car mechanics, she waved her hand at them. ¡°Please help me take a look to see whether the car is malfunctioning.¡± Although she wasn¡¯t speaking loudly, the surrounding employees had heard her and began to look at her one by one. The lead mechanic quickly responded and started to inspect Elise¡¯s car. ¡°Is something wrong with your car, Sue?¡± ¡°There can¡¯t be anything wrong with it, can there? You came in first! You¡¯re going to enter the final round. What are you going to do if something has happened to the car?¡± The crowd chattered, but Elise only pursed her lips silently and waited for the lead mechanic¡¯s confirmation after he was done with the inspection. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with this car.¡± It was such a simple sentence, yet it was enough to cause her heart to sink. If the car wasn¡¯t in trouble, did that mean the other party hadn¡¯t made their move yet? If so, the final event¡­ ¡°I see. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Thank you,¡± she replied before closing the car door. After that, Alexander made his way over to her while simpering, ¡°Your keys, Sue.¡± Now that he was facing Sue, he no longer had his usual attitude and instead gave off the appearance of a humble fan. His kind of uncharacteristic behavior had immensely surprised her. Nheless, Elise didn¡¯t reach out to ept the car keys; she only coughed lightly as she intentionally altered her voice before saying, ¡°I still intend to use your car for the final round. Is that okay?¡± While Alexander had no idea why Sue fancied his car so much, he was only all too willing to concede to her request. ¡°Of course! You can have it for as long you want.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± she replied as she turned to leave. Then, he quickly gave chase. ¡°Your return to the racetrack has left me surprised, Sue. I wonder if I may have the honor of inviting you out to dinner.¡± Upon hearing his invitation, Elise frowned. She never thought that he¡¯d chase after her only to ask that question. s, if she were to have dinner with him, he would see that Sue was actually Elise since she only wore a cap and mask today. Thus, she rejected him off the bat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Griffith, but I have to leave right away as I¡¯m busy.¡± This time, Alexander was the one to be surprised. Sue actually knows my name. As he was caught up with that thought, she went farther away. He couldn¡¯t help letting out a small smile while watching her silhouette disappear into the distance. It was after many years that he finally had the chance not only to meet her but to converse with her in person. To him, it was a lucky day indeed. After leaving the race, a brooding Elise sat in the car. She had clearly heard the other party expressing that they intended to make their move today. Yet, nothing had happened at all. That thought itself made her frown deeply, but the sound of her cell phone ringing in her pocket interrupted her at that moment. ¡°Coming to the bar, H?¡± ¡°Yup,¡± she answered. ¡°Give me 10 minutes.¡± Julius understood what she meant. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll wait for you here then.¡± Once Elise arrived at the bar, she headed into the room upstairs, whereupon he immediately snubbed out the cigarette in his hand. ¡°Your performance at the race today was excellent. While I didn¡¯t get to witness it in person, I could tell from the live stream that you¡¯ll have no problem winning this championship. The only thing I¡¯m curious about is why you would want to switch cars on the spot when you went through so much trouble to get a vehicle from me.¡± Without exining anything, she merely answered, ¡°It looked good, so I wanted to give it a try.¡± Of course he didn¡¯t think she was telling the truth since he had watched the race and saw Alexander driving her car. Moreover, from what he knew, she was currently staying at Griffith Residence. Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t expose her lie and only quipped, ¡°It¡¯s a pretty good car, but it doesn¡¯t perform as well as yours does.¡± With a grunt, Elise gently answered, ¡°I don¡¯t rely on performance to win my races.¡± What she relied on was her skill. Nothing else mattered. As Julius appreciated her confidence, he acquiesced and began to look forward to the race tomorrow. ¡­¡­ The final round of the racing competition was even grander than the preliminary one. There were around 20 to 30 thousand audience members in attendance to the point where even Julius had secured a VIP ticket. As a result of his ticket, he was directly ushered into the auditorium to await the beginning of the match. Over at the backstage, Alexander waved to Elise and held a bottle of water toward her the moment she arrived. Then, she epted the bottle with a word of thanks before sipping it. There were only seven competitors for the final round, all of whom stood out during the group stage for their considerable skills. ¡°Competitors, the race will begin in five minutes. Please head to the waiting area to get ready,¡± a staff member stepped forward to announce. As Elise stood up, she informed Alexander, who was next to her, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He grunted in acknowledgment and closely followed her. There was thunderous apuse from the audience the moment those two appeared. Everyone was so focused on her that he became nothing more than an essory, yet he felt extraordinarily honored. ¡°Good luck, Sue!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll always support you!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be waiting for you at the finish line!¡± The united cheers of Elise¡¯s fans brought the atmosphere to a climax and she scanned the audience with a small smile, finally locating Julius sitting at the front row and watching her expectantly as if in encouragement. ¡°Get ready, contestants!¡± With that, each contestant went up to their own race car with Elise in Track 3 and Alexander in the neighboring Track 4. As they all climbed into their cars, she tightly gripped the steering wheel and looked ahead. The moment the gunshot rang, she floored the elerator and sped forward. It took less than half a mile for her to ce in the lead, but despite the cheers from the audience that grew louder, her expression remained cid and her heartbeat steady. She focused on the driving instead and steadily elerated so that she could finish the race in one go. Meanwhile, Alexander was also driving quickly and in second ce, he had remained behind her but in front of the other races. By now, they were almost neck and neck, yet his car shuddered minutely at this moment. As he narrowed his eyes, he tightened his grip on the steering wheel, but the shaking only increased. He quickly mmed the brakes only to discover that there wasn¡¯t the slightest bit of use. Instead, the car only continued to gain speed. ¡°F*ck!¡± he shouted. By now, he had figured out that something was wrong with his car. Yet, he only had one concern, for he knew that he would lose control of the car sooner orter if he had no way of braking. As his car quickly caught up to Elise¡¯s, he forced open his car door and fought against the bite of the wind that hit his cheeks while shouting at her, ¡°Get away from me! My car¡¯s malfunctioning!¡± Chapter 166 Chapter 166 Chapter 166,Coolest Girl in Town Alexander spoke in a panicked tone, for he was deeply scared of crashing into Elise¡¯s car. Yet, although she hadn¡¯t heard him, she also suspected that something was amiss. How was it possible that even after switching cars with him, her car was alright but his was malfunctioning? Meanwhile, the audience around them was also shocked by the scene. All held their breaths as they stared into the arena. However, Elise couldn¡¯t care less at this moment. She tightened her fingers around the steering wheel almost in the same second and made a hard turn to directly crash into Alexander¡¯s car. The two cars collided with a loud bang; the impact sent her body flying forward with the momentum before she was restrained in her seat by her seatbelt. The horrified audience stood up at such a scene. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°What has happened to Sue?¡± ¡°Did she actually just drive into that car?¡± As the audience gasped around him, Julius also stood up in horror; his heart sank when he caught sight of the mangled cars on the racetrack. The thing was that Elise was neither an impulsive person nor one who would simply run her car into others. Whatever the reason was, there was something more than what had just happened. Meanwhile, over in the arena, she opened her car door and emerged from the vehicle before she yanked open Alexander¡¯s door. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Due to the impact from the collision, it took a dazed Alexander a moment to lift his gaze to meet hers. ¡°I¡¯m okay¡­¡± It was only after saying that did he realize his legs were trapped. ¡°Can you move your legs out?¡± she asked again, to which he shook his head. ¡°No.¡± The sudden turn of events had left the racetrack employees a little bit at a loss, but fortunately for them, there was already a medical personnel on-site who quickly dashed forward to pull an injured Alexander out of the car. ¡°He has severe leg injuries and needs to go to the hospital at once,¡± the doctor ordered before arranging for his nurse to wheel him off-site. Meanwhile, Elise found someone to tow the car and check it for faults. Before he left, Alexander deeply gazed at her. He knew that if it weren¡¯t for her colliding her car into his to forcefully stop it, he would be in an even dire straits now. ¡°Thank you, Sue¡­¡± he murmured. The race ended prematurely as a result of that. Due to the collision, she lost the opportunity to win the championship and was instantly eliminated with the championship going to someone else. ¡°What happened to the car?¡± Elise asked. As he lowered his eyes, the car mechanic answered, ¡°The brakes were cut.¡± It was a disgrace to the organizers that such a problem arose during apetition. There were many media outlets on the scene as well, which made it impossible for the organizers to prevent them from reporting about the news. Meanwhile, Elise was incensed to learn that her knowledge that someone would tamper with Alexander¡¯s car didn¡¯t serve any purpose. Even though she had switched vehicles with him, it wasn¡¯t enough to prevent the ident. ¡°Our apologies, Sue. It was our fault for overlooking something so major,¡± a staff member sincerely apologized. N?velDrama.Org content rights. They dared not offend her without a doubt. ¡°We never thought someone could be so bold as to tamper with a contestant¡¯s car and cause such inconvenience to you. We are deeply sorry.¡± As Elise¡¯s gaze darkened, she sniped, ¡°If there was any use in apologizing, we wouldn¡¯t be needing the police. I¡¯m going to need you to ount for what has actually happened here.¡± While wiping the sweat off his forehead, the man answered quickly, ¡°Of course, of course. Don¡¯t worry, we will investigate this incident thoroughly.¡± She ignored him in response. Although Alexander was fine, the car was wrecked. No matter what, she had to find out who the real culprit was or his life would be in danger. Elise strode away and left the arena to head toward the exit where Julius was already waiting for her. Without any hesitation, she opened the car door and climbed into his car. ¡°To the hospital.¡± He didn¡¯t ask anything; he merely started the car and sped off. After arriving at the hospital, she learned that Alexander had only experienced superficial injuries and that there were no severe wounds. ¡°You¡¯re lucky to have only suffered contusions. If the crash had been more severe, it would have threatened your life instead,¡± the doctor exined. Then, he advised, ¡°Racing is dangerous. It would be for the best not to treat your life so cavalierly and to avoid participating in such dangerous events instead.¡± Upon hearing the doctor¡¯s words as she stood at the door, Elise finally rxed. Nheless, she didn¡¯t enter the room and only turned to leave. When she returned to the car, Julius looked at her and asked, ¡°Are you worried about this man?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go home,¡± she told him without answering the question. He pursed his lips and maintained his gaze on her as he probed, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You¡¯ve never been one to beat around the bush, H. Why are you avoiding my question now?¡± ¡°What do you want to know?¡± she asked. ¡°What¡¯s your rtionship to him?¡± His smirk broadened. ¡°We¡¯re friends.¡± The answer was stoic, but it was clear that he didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°Just friends?¡± Elise raised her eyes and stared straight at him. ¡°What kind of rtionship do you think we have?¡± Julius slowly pointed out, ¡°If you¡¯re just friends, you¡¯re surely treating him too well to be sacrificing the championship without any hesitation for his sake. Is he your lover, H?¡± ¡°You assume too much, Julius.¡± Her response naturally made things clearer to him and he couldn¡¯t see any amusement to be gained from pursuing the matter any further. ¡°Alright, keep your secrets. You don¡¯t have to say anything for me to figure it out.¡± As he said that, he started the engines and began to drive off to the hospital. ¡°When will you return to Athesea?¡± ¡°In a couple of days after I have visited Suthend,¡± she responded, watching the scenery sh by her window. The news pleasantly surprised Julius. ¡°You¡¯re finally going there? You might have not known this, but he¡¯s constantlyining about how much he¡¯s taking on and how tired he is. He has been hoping to shift the responsibilities back to you.¡± ¡°No one is more suited than him to this role,¡± Elise refuted. ¡°Asking him to manage the entirepany was the best choice.¡± ¡°Let me say, H, this is a business empire that you created with your bare hands. Don¡¯t you worry at all?¡± He didn¡¯t understand what she was up to, but she only smiled in response. Upon seeing that she wasn¡¯t going to borate further, he texted Arthur Suthend. Right at this moment, inside Rise, the most prestigious office building in the prosperous district in Tissote, Arthur had only just ended a meeting and he was rubbing his temples while remaining seated in his chair. He was about to rx for a bit when his cell phone chimed. Upon reading its contents, he sprang up from his seat and eximed, ¡°My god! Boss ising back!¡± It was a day he waited for many years that he was now on the verge of tears. After all, Elise had left thepany in his care for a few years now and he finally could catch a breath. Arthur immediately rang Julius and asked, ¡°When will Boss be here?¡± As Julius nced at Elise in the passenger seat, he answered calmly, ¡°After an hour.¡± ¡°Tell her that I¡¯ll be waiting here,¡± Arthur said and nearly leaped with joy. Chapter 167 Chapter 167 Chapter 167,Coolest Girl in Town After hanging up the phone, Arthur hurried to gather everyone in the office. An hourter, the foyer was fully crammed with staff members, most of whom craned their necks to look outside the door. As the car slowly arrived at the familiar ce, Elise felt her heart growing conflicted. Once the vehicle stopped at the entrance, a security guard immediately stepped forward to open the car door for her. ¡°We¡¯re here. Go down and have a look,¡± Julius gently said and she did as told. The moment she stepped down from the car, Arthur sprinted forward and eximed tremulously, ¡°You¡¯re finally here, Boss.¡± Behind him were herpany employees, who began to greet her warm- heartedly one by one. ¡°Wee back, President Sinir!¡± As she watched her employees weing her, Elise suddenly remembered how easily and carefree it was to pass the burden to Arthur all those years ago. Yet, even now that she was back, she had no intention of taking over this burden. ¡°Thank you, everyone. You may return to your work now,¡± she told her employees, upon which they hurriedly dispersed. Meanwhile, he was still updating her with excitement on the changes that thepany had undergone during these past few years. He didn¡¯t even stop talking during their elevator ride to the top floor. It wasn¡¯t until she sat down behind the president¡¯s desk that an emotional Arthur questioned, ¡°Are you back now to give me a long vacation, Boss? You may not know this, but I¡¯ve even postponed my wedding a few times throughout the years for thispany.¡± When Elise saw his pitiful look, she couldn¡¯t help saying, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give you a month-long vacation.¡± ¡°Only a month?!¡± His expression instantly fell. ¡°Quit while you¡¯re ahead. Don¡¯t forget that I¡¯ll have to look for your recement during your month-long vacation,¡± Julius reminded. Although Arthur was still a little unhappy, he meekly epted what was given since a month was better than nothing. ¡°Of course, Boss. I¡¯ll do as you say.¡± Nheless, he couldn¡¯t refrain from asking, ¡°When are youing back to manage thepany? I can¡¯t handle things by myself here.¡± The problem was that Elise hadn¡¯t actually considered that question; she was only here because the loss of a cash prize from the racing competition meant that she needed to take money from herpany. ¡°Transfer ten million to this ountter,¡± she informed Arthur, to which he agreed without looking at the information. ¡°I¡¯ll have the Finance Department do it in a bit,¡± he informed. ¡°It¡¯s best that you return, Boss. Thepany needs you.¡± She gently shook her head. ¡°You have to keep going. I believe in you; you can do it.¡± However, he would no longer be satisfied with this titude. After all, that was what she had told him all those years ago, yet she was being simrly evasive more than two yearster! ¡°One year!¡± Arthur held up a finger. ¡°One year at most thereafter you muste back.¡± Upon realizing that her words couldn¡¯t cate him, Elise could only agree to his request. ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll talk about it after a year then.¡± Her words significantly made him rxed, but he stillmented his misfortune. Nheless, with no recourse in sight, he could only roll up his sleeves and continue to work hard. ¡°I feel better with that promise of yours, but you should still have a look at this quarter¡¯s financial statements.¡± Arthur quickly instructed the secretary to bring the relevant reports to him. The mountainous pile only made Elise want to slink away as there were so many documents that it would take her an eon to finish reading them. ¡°I trust whatever you¡¯ve seen, so I don¡¯t think I need to inspect it again.¡± After Elise said that, she stood up. ¡°I¡¯m here today just to take a look. Thepany has been growing under your leadership while business has been booming, which makes me feel at ease to leave thepany in your hands.¡± With that, she nced at Julius, who immediately understood her intention. Then, he offered Arthur a polite smile before saying, ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving now.¡± For a moment, Arthur was tempted to stop Elise from departing, but he knew he would never be able to do so and decided not to give it a shot after all. As she stood at the entranceway and took in the familiar surroundings after exiting thepany, she inhaled deeply. When she founded thepany all those years ago, it was nothing more than a small workshop¡ªhis contributions were inseparable from how much thepany had grown these few short years. She gave thepany to him as she trusted in him, but more than that, she believed in his ability to bring thepany to greater heights. Her cell phone rang at that moment, which shattered her thoughts. ¡°I found the information you need, Boss,¡± Jamie announced at the other end of the line. As he continued to speak, her gaze darkened. ¡°I see,¡± she told him. ¡°I¡¯ll be back as soon as possible. Don¡¯t make any rash decisions before that.¡± Upon hanging up the phone, she looked at Julius. ¡°It looks like I can¡¯t stay here. I¡¯ll have to head back to Athesea.¡± Julius agreed, ¡°I¡¯ll send you to the airport then.¡± ¡­¡­ By the time she returned to Athesea, she had already swapped her disguise for the ordinary, unremarkable, and unbing Elise. The moment Elise exited the airport, she noticed that Jamie was already waiting at the gates. Upon seeing her, he alighted from his car and called out, ¡°Boss!¡± After grunting, she instructed, ¡°Get into the car before we talk about anything else.¡± They entered the vehicle one by one, after which he handed her a document. ¡°I looked into the rival families that had grievances with the Griffith Family but couldn¡¯t find anything. Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. However, one person stood out to me as a suspect more than anyone else.¡± As she flipped through the document, her gaze darkened. ¡°It¡¯s him?!¡± ¡°Yup,¡± Jamie said. ¡°I was surprised as well. One would really have to be ruthless enough to try and kill their own brother. I don¡¯t know why he held back the first time, but the investigation shows that this matter is rted to him.¡± The conclusion made her tightly knit her eyebrows. Never did she expect that the person who would try to kill Alexander was Matthew himself. ¡°Watch him covertly for now. See whether he makes any new movements. I imagine he¡¯ll try again now that he has messed up, so we need to stay ahead of the game and keep him under our control.¡± ¡°Understood, Boss. Leave this to me. It¡¯s gettingte and you must be tired from the flight. I¡¯ll send you back.¡± Without further dy, Jamie sent Elise to the Griffith Residence, whereupon she was greeted by the sight of Jonah and Danny having a conversation in the living room. Then, she said, ¡°Hi, Grandpa!¡± Jonah lifted his gaze and gave a broad smile. ¡°You¡¯re back, Ellie! Where were you these past two days? I haven¡¯t seen you at all.¡± ¡°I had some business to attend to,¡± she could only exin. ¡°The good thing is that I¡¯ve finished attending to it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± He nodded. ¡°By the way, the shareholders¡¯ meeting for the Griffith Group is this Friday. Come with us.¡± She stammered, ¡°M-must I?¡± Next to Jonah was Danny, who stared at her. ¡°You¡¯re a major shareholder who owns 30% of the stock in Griffith Group. What do you think?¡± A somewhat embarrassed Elise rubbed her head. ¡°Alright. Of course, Grandpa, I¡¯lle with you on Friday.¡± Chapter 168 Chapter 168 Chapter 168,Coolest Girl in Town After Elise said that, she went upstairs. Winter was approaching and it was rather chilly in the room upstairs, so she had to switch on the heater to warm up the room. The news that Alexander had sustained an injury when he had been in Tissote was well-hidden from the Griffith Family. He returned from Tissote a couple of days after that incident and immediately buried himself in work, so Elise didn¡¯t see him for several days in a row, up until Thursday evening. When she had barely finished her dinner and was about to leave the dining table, she heard the sound of a caring from outside. Thereafter, the maid announced, ¡°Young Master Alex has returned.¡± Upon hearing that, Elise subconsciously slowed down her footsteps as she waited for Alexander to enter the house. Pretending to run into him, she murmured, ¡°You are back.¡± The weary look on Alexander¡¯s face was rather obvious as he had been working tirelessly for the uing shareholders meeting. However, the moment he saw Elise, he felt as if the fatigue in his body seemed to have dissipated. In the end, he hummed in response. ¡°Have you had your dinner?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve just eaten. How about you?¡± He hummed again, but the maid chimed in from the side, ¡°Young Master Alex, you didn¡¯t inform us that you would be back for dinner, so we didn¡¯t prepare enough food. I¡¯m afraid you may have to wait for a while.¡± Upon hearing that, Alexander replied, ¡°I¡¯ll go upstairs to attend a meeting first, then. Call me when dinner is ready.¡± With that, he turned on his heel and walked up the spiral staircase, while the maid hurried into the kitchen to prepare dinner. Upon seeing that, Elise followed the maid to the kitchen. ¡°Ste, let me help you.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, Miss Sinir. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. I¡¯ll be fine on my own. Young Master Alex loves noodles, so I¡¯ll make that for him.¡± Nevertheless, Elise insisted, ¡°It¡¯s not difficult to whip up some noodles, so let me help you with that. You have been busy for the whole day and you should take some rest.¡± Ste initially wanted to reject her kindness, but Elise¡¯s enthusiasm reminded her of Jonah¡¯s words, so she changed her mind and handed the task to Elise. ¡°Do take your time, Miss Sinir. Let me know if you need anything.¡± In the end, Ste left the kitchen. Thereafter, Elise looked at the ingredients in the refrigerator and took out a tomato and an egg. She then skillfully made a bowl of noodles with just those two ingredients. As she looked at the tomato and egg noodle that looked wonderful, she felt the corners of her lips etch upward into a sweet smile. In the end, she brought the bowl of noodles upstairs. Currently, Alexander was in his study. When she walked closer to the door that was left ajar, she heard his voice and learnt that he was having a video conference. As it would be inappropriate to disturb him at that moment, she stood outside until the meeting ended before she knocked on the door. ¡°Come in.¡± Alexander¡¯s voice was heard from inside, and Elise pushed the door open to enter the room. ¡°I¡¯ve made you a bowl of noodles. Dig in.¡± Alexander was surprised when Elise entered the study with a bowl of noodles, so he quickly rose up to take the bowl from her. However, after a nce at the bowl of noodles, he immediately knew that it wasn¡¯t Ste¡¯s cooking. ¡°You made this?¡± he asked and she nodded, feeling astonished by his observance. ¡°Come and try it out. I¡¯m not sure if it has be soggy, though.¡± Alexander then used a fork and tasted the noodles. He found that it was quite delicious, so he praised, ¡°It¡¯s tasty. I never expected you to be so good a cook.¡± Seeing that he was eating the noodles, Elise murmured, ¡°It¡¯s just ordinary noodles. I¡¯m d that you like it, though. I shall take my leave if there¡¯s nothing else.¡± Alexander hummed in response and Elise exited the study. The next moment, Alexander was left all alone in the study. Looking at the bowl of noodles, he felt warm inside and the corner of his lips curved upward into a pleasant curvature. Then, he guzzled the noodles and soon finished it. The portion wasn¡¯t exactly filling, but he considered himself lucky to have an opportunity to taste Elise¡¯s cooking. The next day was the day the shareholder meeting of the Griffith Group was held. Elise, who had taken leave from school in advance to attend the meeting, woke up and specially changed into a formal attire before heading downstairs. In the dining hall, Jonah was seated at the main seat, while the other young masters of the Griffith Family were seated at both sides. ¡°Grandpa, I have other business to attend to, so I won¡¯t be joining the shareholders meeting,¡± Jack started, and Danny chimed in, ¡°I won¡¯t be going as well. I have to prepare for the uing semester exams.¡± Upon hearing that, Jonah didn¡¯t force them to be present. ¡°Alright. You all can go about your work. Just leave thepany matters to Alex.¡± Alexander, who had been quiet, raised his eyes and caught sight of Elise, who came from around the corner. ¡°Good morning, Grandpa!¡± Elise greeted Jonah and thetter responded with a grin. ¡°Ellie, quickly come over to have your breakfast. Follow me to the officeter.¡± ¡°Sure, Grandpa!¡± She then sat down. Meanwhile, Jack, who had finished his breakfast, stood up. ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯ll head over first. You all enjoy your meal.¡± With that, he left the scene. Just then, Alexander took a piece of jam sandwich and handed it to Elise. ¡°Try this out.¡± Jonah, who saw what was happening, was so d that he was unable to conceal the smile on his face. It seems like Alex is finally enlightened. Elise, on the other hand, took the sandwich and thanked him. Then, she took a bite and found that it was actually her favorite strawberry jam sandwich. She cast a deep nce at Alexander, wondering how he knew that she loved strawberry jam. ¡°Alex, would you mind taking Ellie to the office? I will head over slightlyter.¡± Unable to grasp Jonah¡¯s intentions, Alexander replied, ¡°Grandpa, I have some work-rted matters that I need to report to you.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no rush. We can talk about it at the office,¡± Jonah suggested. Alexander, however, persisted because it was a rather urgent matter. ¡°Grandpa, let me talk to you about it on the way there.¡± Upon seeing how serious he was, Jonah was able to guess what he wanted to talk about. ¡°Alright, then. We will talk on our way to the office.¡± As this wasn¡¯t something Elise should know about, Alexander turned to Elise and said, ¡°I¡¯ll get the driver to take you there. I¡¯ll head over with Grandpa first.¡± Elise naturally agreed since she wouldn¡¯t be ying any important role during the shareholder meetingter. ¡°Okay, no worries. You may make a move with Grandpa first.¡± Hence, Jonah and Alexander rose to their feet and they left the house together, leaving Elise alone in the spacious dining hall. After she finished her breakfast, the maid had already prepared her bag. ¡°Miss Sinir, here is your bag.¡± Elise took the bag and thanked her before heading out. As the driver had been waiting for her at the door, Elise immediately got into the vehicle, then grabbed a pen to do her homework. Thirty minutes later, the car arrived at the Griffith Group. Upon seeing the vehicle of the Griffith Family, Cameron, who had been anxiously waiting at the entrance, thought that Alexander had arrived. Hence, he stepped forward to greet him, only to find that it was Elise who alighted from the car. ¡°Miss Sinir? Where¡¯s President Griffith?¡± Elise was rather surprised by his question and she countered, ¡°He departed together with Grandpa before me. Hasn¡¯t he arrived?¡± Upon hearing that, Cameron furrowed his brows. ¡°I tried to call him a few times earlier but his phone was switched off. The shareholder meeting is about to begin, but I can¡¯t reach him.¡± Puzzled, Elise fished out her phone to call Alexander, but thetter¡¯s phone was still switched off. ¡°Miss Sinir, please head toward the lounge first. I¡¯ll wait for them for a little longer.¡± Without giving it much thought, Elise took the lift up to the penthouse. Nheless, for some reason, she felt rather uneasy and her eyelid twitched hard. At that moment, an urgent ringtone was heard¡ªit turned out to be a call from Jamie. ¡°Boss, there¡¯s bad news. Matthew has struck again. A major road ident happened on the southern part of the Riverwell Highway and Alexander was in the car.¡± Chapter 169 Chapter 169 Chapter 169,Coolest Girl in Town At that moment, Elise felt as if her world was spinning out of control and her face instantly nched. ¡°What did you say?¡± She staggered as the four words escaped her lips, but Jamie continued, ¡°Three vehicles collided and it was a total mess at the scene. I heard that Alexander has been rushed to the hospital.¡± Elise could feel her hands trembling. ¡°Which hospital? I¡¯ll go there right away.¡± Jamie told her the hospital¡¯s address and Elise immediately rushed out of the building. When Cameron, who still had no clue about the incident, noticed Elise¡¯s pale face, he asked, ¡°Miss Sinir, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Elie grabbed his arm and she struggled to squeeze out even a few words. ¡°Angelove Hospital. Take me there now. Something¡¯s happened to Alexander.¡± As Cameron was completely clueless about the incident, he was left struck by her words. At that moment, he received a call that instantly caused the color to be drained from his face. After he hung up the call, he uttered in a hoarse voice, ¡°Miss Sinir, I¡¯ll take you to the hospital right now.¡± Cameron and Elise rushed to the hospital. At the hospital, Elise bumped into Alexander, who was sitting in the hallway with his clothes stained crimson and his face covered with bruises. At that moment, he seemed disheveled and dejected. ¡°Alexander, are you alright?¡± Elise stepped forward and asked. At the same time, Cameron questioned, ¡°President Griffith, how are you?¡± Alexander raised his eyes and met Elise¡¯s. At that instant, he had a sense of despondency in his eyes, an emotion she found unprecedented on him, which reminded her of something. ¡°Where¡¯s Grandpa? How is he?¡± Alexander then opened his mouth and muttered in a dry, hoarse voice, ¡°He is undergoing emergency treatment inside.¡± It was merely a few simple words, yet saying them used up all his strength. Upon hearing that, Elise felt that her heart skipped a beat. She raised her eyes and looked at the illuminated sign hanging above the emergency treatment room while inwardly praying for Jonah.N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, President Griffith. Mr. Griffith will be fine,¡± Cameron murmured, although he himself knew how futile it sounded. Alexander looked up at the ceiling while his mind kept reying the moments when the ident happened earlier, and the scene when Jonah protected him. At that thought, he felt his eyes redden and tears coursed down his face from the corner of his eyes. He tried to wipe it away with his hands. ¡°Grandpa will be fine. I¡¯m sure that he will be fine.¡± Even Alexander was unsure whether he wasforting Elise or himself, but he could at least find some peace in those words. Just then, the lights above the door to the emergency treatment room were switched off and the doctors exited the room. Alexander and Elise quickly went up to them. ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s my grandfather?¡± Alexander asked as he gripped on the doctor¡¯s arm. The doctor removed his mask and sighed. ¡°We¡¯ve tried our best, but the patient¡¯s injury is too serious. He is going to take hisst breath, so you may enter the room to bid him farewell.¡± Upon hearing that, Elise felt her legs go weak while Alexander rushed into the room. ¡°Grandpa!¡± Jonah, who had lost his usual vigor, seemed to be breathing hisst few breaths. Upon seeing Alexander, he reached out a trembling hand. ¡°Child, don¡¯t be sad. I¡¯ll be fine¡­¡± Alexander immediately grabbed his hand. ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯m sorry! It was all my fault!¡± ¡°Silly child, why are you apologizing? Thepany is now in your hands. You have to run it properly. I¡¯ll leave the responsibility of leading the Griffith Family to sess in your capable hands.¡± Alexander looked at Jonah with reddened eyes, but he tried his very best to keep his tears in check. ¡°I understand, Grandpa. Rest assured, I¡¯ll make sure that the Griffith Group thrives.¡± His words made Jonah feel much relieved. ¡°I have something I wish to say, and I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t be able to say it anymore if I don¡¯t do so now,¡± Jonah uttered, coughing vigorously as he spoke. Upon hearing that, Alexander immediately responded, ¡°Grandpa, you can tell me anything. I¡¯ll definitely fulfill your wish.¡± Jonah nodded, feelingforted by his words. ¡°Child, I know that you are good. This is also a decision that I made after much consideration.¡± ¡°Tell me; I¡¯ll always bear it in mind.¡± Instead of replying to him, Jonah looked at the door and asked, ¡°Is Ellie here?¡± Alexander nodded. ¡°Yes, she¡¯s just outside. I¡¯ll ask her toe in now.¡± He then rose up to go find Elise. ¡°Come in quickly. Grandpa wants to talk to you.¡± And so, Elise entered the room. The moment shey her eyes on Jonah, she couldn¡¯t hold back her tears any longer. ¡°Grandpa¡­¡± She never thought that something like this would happen to Jonah, who had been as healthy as a horse when they had had a conversation this morning. ¡°Ellie, don¡¯t be upset. I¡¯m fine¡­¡± Upon hearing that, Elise ran up to him and kneeled down. ¡°Grandpa!¡± ¡°Good girl, I know that the both of you are good children. I know that I won¡¯t be able to pull through this, but I have a wish that I need the two of you to help me fulfill.¡± Puzzled by his words, Elise exchanged nces with Alexander, and the two of them reached a mutual understanding. ¡°What is it, Grandpa? Just tell us.¡± A slight smile appeared at the corner of Jonah¡¯s lips as he gently ced both Elise and Alexander¡¯s hands together. ¡°I hope that the two of you can be together and run the Griffith Family. Ellie, I¡¯ll leave both Alex and the Griffith Family to you.¡± ¡°Grandpa!¡± Elise sobbed, but Jonah smiled and mumbled in a trembling voice, ¡°Alex is a fine young man. I¡¯ll be relieved if the two of you are together.¡± Then, he turned to Alexander and said, ¡°Alex, you have to treat her well and never let her down. I¡­ wish the best for the two of you¡­ even after I¡¯m gone.¡± As Jonah said that, he was obviously at the verge of drawing his final breath. Tears drenched Elise¡¯s face. ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t leave us¡­ Please, Grandpa!¡± Alexander¡¯s vision blurred too, but he still looked at Jonah and dered firmly, ¡°I promise you, Grandpa. I¡¯ll promise you this!¡± After Jonah heard Alexander¡¯s reply, he no longer had any regrets. His eyes slowly closed and hisrge hands lost its strength and fell. ¡°Grandpa!¡± ¡°Grandpa¡­¡± Cries of grief echoed in the emergency treatment room. At that moment, Jack and Danny, who had finally arrived at the scene, looked at the door to the emergency treatment room in disbelief. The former then asked Cameron in a hoarse voice, ¡°What exactly happened?¡± Cameron replied as he wiped away the tears at the corner of his eyes. ¡°Mr. Griffith has left us¡­¡± Those few simple words made Jack stagger. He instantly rushed into the room and the next moment, he got on his knees with a loud thud. ¡°Grandpa!¡± Danny came in after him and the scene made him sink into an abyss. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Grandpa. We came here toote.¡± ¡­¡­ Jonah¡¯s passing was so sudden that it caught everyone off guard. The news of his death spread all over Athesea, and everyone knew that the head of the Griffith Family had passed away due to an ident. The moment Matthew received the news, he couldn¡¯t ept the fact and muttered to himself like a deranged man, ¡°Why did it turn out this way? Why? Why was it Grandpa who died but not Alexander? Why?¡± Chapter 170 Chapter 170 Chapter 170,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°Young Master Matthew, it¡¯s no use crying over spilt milk since things have happened. Instead, we should contemte our next step, especially on how we should handle Alexander in case he finds out about us.¡± At that, Matthew wore a vicious smile. ¡°You asked me to think of what we should do, but what can we really do? And what can Alexander do even if finds out about us? The blood of the Griffith Family still flows within me. Don¡¯t tell me he would choose to destroy his blood kin just to uphold justice?¡± Deep down, the assistant feared what Alexander would do, so he remained quiet for a moment before he responded, ¡°Young Master Matthew, we should withdraw. There¡¯s still a chance to turn things around if we manage to save ourselves.¡± However, Matthew shook his head. ¡°No, I¡¯m not going anywhere; I will stay here and wait for him.¡± Seeing that he was unable to change Matthew¡¯s mind, the assistant gave up. ¡°Please take care, Young Master Matthew. We¡¯ll cross paths again if fate permits.¡± With that, he left the room, leaving Matthew to sit alone in his office. Matthew slowly closed his eyes as he knew that whatever that was meant toe woulde. ¡­ Jonah¡¯s funeral was held three dayster, in which almost all the rtives of the Griffith Family attended. In these three days, Elise kept Alexanderpany in the mourning hall. Thetter had been depriving himself of water and food for three whole days, which made him seem utterly haggard. ¡°Alex, please eat something. You will copse if you continue to act like this.¡± Danny came over to try to talk some sense into him, but Alexander kept quiet. Upon seeing that, he tried to get Elise to persuade Alexander instead. ¡°Boss, please talk to Alex! Grandpa has passed away, so please let him leave in peace! Life still goes on for the living.¡± Looking at Alexander, Elise understood how devastated he felt at the moment and any words said to him would be in vain. She gestured to Danny to leave, then said to Alexander, ¡°Please eat something. Your body will break down if you carry on like this.¡± Her words evoked some response from him. He raised his eyes and looked at Elise with eyes so deep that nobody could tell what was going on in his mind. ¡°Let me go somewhere first. I¡¯ll eat when I get back.¡± Then, he rose to his full height and marched out of the hall. Elise immediately called out to him in an attempt to stop him, but it was to no avail, as Alexander strode off without looking back. Cameron, who was already outside waiting for Alexander, walked up to him the moment he caught sight of him. ¡°Young Master Alex!¡± Alexander got straight to the point. ¡°Did you manage to find out what I asked you to investigate?¡± At that, Cameron immediately handed him a document. ¡°Yes. Everything is stated here.¡± Alexander flipped through the document and the corner of his lips etched upward into a vicious curve. ¡°It¡¯s him! Let¡¯s go and meet him. Also, send these to the police and get the bestwyer. I want him to rot in prison.¡± ¡°Roger that, Young Master Alex!¡± After that, Alexander opened the car door and hopped inside, then the car sped off. When Alexander rushed to Matthew¡¯s office, there was nobody around save for Matthew, who stood alone before the floor-to-ceiling windows while looking into the distance. ¡°You are finally here.¡± Matthew¡¯s voice rang out and he turned to face Alexander. ¡°You came earlier than I expected.¡± Alexander marched forward and stood right before him. As their eyes met, the former exuded an imposing aura. ¡°Was that your doing?¡± Matthew didn¡¯t deny and stated, ¡°Yes.¡± The next second, Alexander reached out his hand and threw a punch at Matthew¡¯s left cheek. However, the stinging pain failed to provoke any response from Matthew, as he merely gazed at Alexander without even a hint of fear in his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s right. It was all my doing. Yet, Alexander, what I wanted wasn¡¯t Grandpa¡¯s life but yours. Grandpa died for you.¡± As soon as he said that, Alexander punched him again. ¡°You b*stard!¡± Matthew grinned at him in response. ¡°Go on, then. Hit me! I dare you to hit me to death!¡± As soon as Alexander heard that, his expression darkened and he threw punches after punches on him.N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Matthew, on the other hand, didn¡¯t even try to avoid the strikes, as if epting the pain would make him feel better inside. ¡°Alexander, you can beat me to death, but what¡¯s next? Grandpa is gone and this is a fact that won¡¯t change, even if you kill me.¡± Matthew¡¯s words instantly put a stop in Alexander¡¯s attack. Alexander looked down at the other man from his height and scoffed, ¡°You¡¯re right¡ªit¡¯s a fact that won¡¯t change even if I wallop you to death. In this case, I¡¯ll make your life a living hell. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t allow you to die so easily. I¡¯ll make sure that you will live the rest of your life in misery.¡± It was only then that Matthew started to feel fear. ¡°Alexander, what are you nning to do?¡± Alexander, however, sneered without replying. The next moment, two men in uniforms walked into the room and used a pair of handcuffs to restrain Matthew. ¡°Mr. Griffith, you are suspected of intentional homicide. Come with us.¡± Matthew tried to break free but his efforts were futile. ¡°Alexander, what are you doing? Don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m also part of the Griffith Family. Don¡¯t you think that this is too much?¡± Alexander ignored him and watched as thetter was escorted into the police car. It was only when the police car left the scene did he avert his gaze. Matthew wasn¡¯t sent to the police station directly; instead, he was sent back to the Griffith Residence. Looking at the familiar surroundings, he struggled non-stop. ¡°Why did you bring me here? I don¡¯t want to be here! Let me go!¡± However, the policemen took him straight to the mourning hall, as though they heard nothing. In the hall, Matthew trembled involuntarily when all kinds of gazes were directed at him. He didn¡¯t even dare to look at Jonah¡¯s photo, instead keeping his head bowed the whole time. ¡°Matthew, you b*stard! How dare you show your face here?¡± Danny was the first to dash out from the crowd, but he was stopped by Jack. ¡°Danny, don¡¯t do anything rash.¡± Danny, however, couldn¡¯t care less. ¡°It was him who caused Grandpa¡¯s death. He¡¯s a murderer!¡± Upon hearing that, Matthew trembled even more and shook his head non-stop. ¡°It wasn¡¯t me! It wasn¡¯t my intention. I didn¡¯t mean for things to turn out this way.¡± Elise peered at him with cold eyes, her fists tightly clenched by her sides. ¡°Kneel and beg for forgiveness before Grandpa,¡± she uttered, her voice filled with intense hatred. Just as Matthew was about to get on his knees, someone kicked him on his calf, and he slipped before landing on his knees with a loud thud. Alexander¡¯s voice was then heard behind him. ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯ve brought him here. You used to tell us to care for our brothers, but who would have thought that it was him who caused your death? Please forgive me for I won¡¯t be able to listen to you this time.¡± After Alexander said that, he pressed his hand to the back of Matthew¡¯s head and forced him to kowtow at Jonah three times. Yanking him up, he thundered, ¡°Take him away!¡± And so, the police took a devastated Matthew away. Before he left, he cast a deep nce at Elise beside, then slowly shut his eyes. ¡­ After that, Jonah¡¯s funeral regained its peace and everyone returned to their daily lives, but Elise still felt ufortable with the sudden absence of a person in the family. For instance, after she returned from school, she would subconsciously look toward the living room where Jonah used to sit and watch television or y chess. However, the area now became empty and she could never again see Jonah who had always loved and cared for her. At the thought of this, she felt a lump in her throat, but she soon averted her gaze and walked up the stairs. Chapter 171 Chapter 171 Chapter 171,Coolest Girl in Town Ever since Jonah passed on, Alexander became exceptionally busy. In the past, he had time to send Elise to school but nowadays, he couldn¡¯t even spare that ten minutes of his time. Just then, it was Danny¡¯s turn to send Elise to school again. ¡°Boss, it¡¯s nearly time for our final exam. Let¡¯s go and study together at the library in the afternoon.¡± Elise, however, stared at the bare trees outside the window and pondered, I can¡¯t believe that winter is almost over. ¡°Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, right?¡± Elise mentioned in passing. Just then, Danny quickly looked at the calendar and replied, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s the twenty-fourth tomorrow and it¡¯ll be Christmas the day after tomorrow. It¡¯s been forecasted that it¡¯ll snow on Christmas. I wonder whether we¡¯ll be able to experience a white Christmas this year?¡± Meanwhile, Elise retracted her gaze. ¡°I checked the weather forecast and it seems that there will be snow this year. Let¡¯s wait and see.¡± They exited the car and walked side-by-side toward the school. As soon as they arrived at the ssroom, they noticed everyone crowded around talking amongst themselves. ¡°Apparently the TV program that Samantha starred in is going to be aired on Mango TV tonight. We must show our support tonight.¡± ¡°Samantha has good acting skills. I¡¯ve seen the trailer and it piqued my interest, so I¡¯m definitely going to watch the program tonight.¡± Meanwhile, Elise pulled out her chair and took a seat. Just then, Mika rushed forward and said, ¡°Samantha¡¯s TV program will be aired tonight. Let¡¯s celebrate the asion with her.¡± Elise hummed in response. ¡°This is the first show she¡¯s starred in and she has done a great job. I¡¯ll arrange for some flowers to be sent to herter.¡± ¡°Okay! I¡¯m going to get her a present too,¡± Mika chimed in. At that moment, she scrutinized Elise carefully before murmuring, ¡°Elise, does Jack have any new eventstely?¡± Just then, Elise lifted her head and stared at Mika. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re unaware of your husband¡¯s schedule?¡± Upon hearing that, Mika was slightly embarrassed. ¡°H-How would I know his schedule?! Well, I heard that he seems to be quite busy lately.¡± Meanwhile, Elise could kind of sense that there was something wrong behind these words. ¡°Mika, what¡¯s up with youtely? You seem to care a lot about Jacktely, don¡¯t you?¡± She¡¯s never behaved this way before. Just then, Mika¡ªwhose inner thoughts were revealed¡ªhastily tried to cover it up. ¡°What are you rambling on about? I just wanted to find out his schedule, that¡¯s all. It¡¯s not as complicated as you think it is.¡± Elise could somehow sense that something was off, but she noticed that Mika was reluctant to talk about it so she didn¡¯t persist. After all, it was winter right now and spring wasn¡¯t too far away, so the season of love was beckoning too. ¡°Let¡¯s spend Christmas Eve together tomorrow,¡± Elise suggested. However, Mika immediately rejected her suggestion. ¡°I¡¯m busy tomorrow. I-I have something else on.¡± Elise had intended to ask Mika out for some shopping and to catch a movie. Since thetter had something else on, she could only let it slide. ¡°Alright, then. You should go along with what you have nned. I¡¯ll be fine celebrating by myself.¡± Upon hearing that, Mika stuck her tongue out and had a slightly guilty expression on her face. Well, I can¡¯t possibly tell Elise that I have a date with Jack, can I? ¡­ Christmas Eve this year was exceptionally cold. One could see the snowy white scene outside upon pushing open the window. Elise put on a thick down jacket before going down the stairs. After Jonah¡¯s passing, she had hardly seen Alexander. Unexpectedly though, today, he was eating breakfast at the dining table. Stunned, Elise went forward and made the move to greet him. ¡°Good morning!¡± He merely grunted in response before adding, ¡°I¡¯ll send you to schoolter.¡± She didn¡¯t say anything further, only pulled out a chair to take a seat. Just then, she scrutinized his face as she ate breakfast. ¡°Is there something on my face? Why are you staring at me like that?¡± Alexander said while lifting his head, his eyes meeting hers. Meanwhile, Elise was slightly embarrassed and she quickly shifted her gaze. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just haven¡¯t seen you in so long and I noticed that you seemed to have lost some weight.¡± Alexander was indeed too busy over this period of time. Since Jonah passed away, there had been some issues at thepany and some of their old employees started to be quite restless and raring to make a move. It had taken him quite some effort to handle thepany matters and finally, after sorting out everything, he could now gradually rx after being in a tense situation for such a long time. ¡°How is schooltely?¡± Elise nodded and replied, ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m about to sit for my final exam so I¡¯m busy with revision.¡± ¡°You¡¯re in your final year so it¡¯s quite normal to be more stressed out, but I have faith in your abilities. I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ll be fine.¡± In response, Elise pursed her lips and smiled. After finishing her breakfast, she ced down her cutlery and announced, ¡°I¡¯m full. I¡¯ll wait for you outside.¡± As she said that, she got up and immediately headed toward the door to walk outside. Shortly after that, Alexander came out too. Both of them got into the car but neither of them said a word. As soon as the car came to a stop in front of the school entrance, Elise unbuckled her seat belt and murmured, ¡°I¡¯ll head to school now.¡± Suddenly, Alexander called out her name and mentioned, ¡°Do you have time tonight? Let¡¯s have dinner together.¡± Elise blinked her eyes repeatedly and hesitated for a few seconds before finally replying, ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pick you up in the afternoon.¡± She then nodded and got out of the car. Meanwhile, the atmosphere in school was full of cheer and festivity. As soon as she entered the ssroom, many of her ssmates rushed forward and handed her apples that were wrapped prettily. ¡°Here you go, Elise. HappyN?velDrama.Org content rights. Christmas Eve!¡± Elise received the apples with an abashed look on her face. ¡°Thank you!¡± she replied. Unexpectedly, each of her ssmates started to give her apples one after the other soon after that. In no time, her drawer was filled to the brim. ¡°Wow! Boss, you really are popr! That¡¯s a lot of apples that you¡¯ve received.¡± Danny said with an envious tone. He then looked down at his drawer and there were merely around five apples inside. Just then, Elise was slightly surprised too. ¡°The act of eating an apple on Christmas Eve symbolizes peace and serenity, so you should eat as much as you can.¡± He grunted in response and shortly after that, he took out a nicely wrapped box from somewhere and handed it to her. ¡°Happy Christmas Eve, Boss.¡± Meanwhile, Elise was quite surprised that he had prepared an apple for her too and she swiftly took it from him. ¡°Thanks!¡± Danny smiled and replied, ¡°It¡¯s part of my job as your underling but then again, I hope you haven¡¯t forgotten about your promise from before, Boss.¡± Just then, Elise was clearly quite confused but Danny continued, ¡°It¡¯s nearly time for our final exam and we really need to find some time for the game.¡± Oh¡ªthat¡¯s what he meant! Without his reminder, Elise had nearly forgotten about that. There had been so many things that happened recently and she was quite flummoxed by everything. ¡°Sure. You need to work harder, then.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Boss. I¡¯m quite confident that I¡¯ll be able to achieve one of the top three positions in ss,¡± Danny vowed. Elise was also quite encouraged by his motivated spirit and she became much more focused in ss. Before ss ended, she received a text message from Alexander and once she clicked into it, she saw that he merely stated, ¡®I¡¯ll wait for you at the school entrance.¡¯ As soon as Elise saw that sentence, she shuddered and in the end, she decided to skip herst period of self-study and sneaked out of the room. Chapter 172 Chapter 172 Chapter 172,Coolest Girl in Town As soon as Elise walked out of the school gates, she noticed the familiar-looking car parked in front and walked toward it immediately. Then, she tapped on the car window, which was then gradually wound down. Alexander was slightly surprised as he asked, ¡°Have your sses ended?¡± Without batting an eyelid, Elise nodded right away. ¡°Where are we headed?¡± she asked. However, there was an air of mystery to Alexander as he murmured, ¡°You¡¯ll see soon enough.¡± And so, he drove the car and brought her to a vintage-looking restaurant. Furthermore, the waiter was dressed in a traditional costume. The both of them then headed directly upstairs to the private room. ¡°The atmosphere here is quite pleasant,¡± Elise said sincerely. Soon after that, Alexander pulled out a chair for her as he offered, ¡°Have a seat.¡± Both of them sat facing each other and shortly after, the waiter came in with two apples for them. ¡°It¡¯s Christmas Eve tonight. This is for you and I hope that you will enjoy your night.¡± Meanwhile, Alexander raised an eyebrow. ¡°Christmas Eve?¡± Elise exined, ¡°It¡¯s just a simple asion. We don¡¯t need to make a big fuss about it.¡± Alexander didn¡¯t realize that today was Christmas Eve so he didn¡¯t prepare a present for her. However, after further consideration, he turned to her and said, ¡°I¡¯ve been too busy with worktely and I haven¡¯t had much time to go out.¡± Elise, too, was quite considerate. ¡°You must be quite tired from all the work-rted matters that you need to deal with.¡± He lifted his head and shot a look at her, but his face remained impassive and he mentioned calmly without any emotion, ¡°Actually, I asked you out today because I wanted to talk to you about something.¡± Humming in response, Elise took the teacup on the table and poured some water into it before handing it to him. ¡°Why did you want to see me?¡± Alexander looked at the teacup in her hand and reached out for it. Then, he took a sip of water and hummed softly. Meanwhile, Elise mentioned once again, ¡°What is it?! Can you just tell me?¡± At that moment, Alexander lifted his head and their eyes met. They gazed at each other for a moment before he finally replied slowly, ¡°Let¡¯s get married.¡± Although he merely mentioned those few simple words, Elise was significantly shocked. Just then, the water in the cup spilled all over the table due to her trembling hand. ¡°W-What did you just say?¡± Alexander noted her surprise, so he decided to exin. ¡°I want to fulfill my promise to Grandpa, so will you marry me?¡± Elise¡¯s heart thudded frantically but she quickly came to her senses soon enough. ¡°Are you doing this just to fulfill Grandpa¡¯ste wish?¡± Alexander nodded in response. I can¡¯t use any other excuse other than this, can I? Upon hearing that, Elise looked slightly dejected but she randomly replied, ¡°I just turned eighteen and I¡¯m not past the legal age to get married.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Alexander replied. ¡°We can get engaged first and then hold the marriage ceremony a few yearster.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Elise was about to say something else but Alexander interjected right away, ¡°No buts. If you disagree, then just say so outright. Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. I won¡¯t force you.¡± Elise pursed her lips but before she could get a word across, he continued, ¡°Grandpa¡¯s doted on me the most since I was a kid and he has the highest expectations from me. This is his only wish, so I would like to fulfill it and live with no regrets.¡± His words made Elise recall the memories she had with Jonah. Grandpa had always been so kind to me, so I really shouldn¡¯t disappoint him. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s fine with me. We can get engaged first.¡± Alexander hummed in agreement, but there was no hint of excitement on his face and he seemed like he was discussing something irrelevant. ¡°I¡¯ll arrange for someone to get started on the engagement preparation. What sort of ceremony would you prefer?¡± The sudden mention of an engagement ceremony caught Elise by surprise. Meanwhile, Alexander was quite calm. ¡°It¡¯s alright. You can let me know about the details once you¡¯ve given some thought to it.¡± Just then, Elise had a surreal sensation and she pinched her thighs hard. Ouch! That hurts, which means this is real! Soon after that, she lifted her head and stared at Alexander, who was sitting right in front of her. She blinked while she considered the situation. Is it a good idea to get engaged?! This has happened way too suddenly, though! After the two of them finished their meal, Alexander footed the bill and they made their way out of the door. Just then, they were about to walk out of the door when they saw Jack and Mika walk in together. The four of them looked at each other and Mika was quite startled by the scene. ¡°Elise? W-Why are you here?¡± Elise nced at the duo in front of her and her first instinct was that there was something unusual going on with the pair, but she didn¡¯t reveal anything despite being aware. In the end, she merely replied, ¡°I came over for a meal.¡± ¡°Enjoy your meal! We¡¯ll be on our way now.¡± Elise waved at them as she said that and followed Alexander out of the restaurant. After turning a corner, Alexander couldn¡¯t help raising his eyebrows. ¡°Are they dating each other?¡± Elise raised both of her palms into the air to signal that she had no idea as well. However, Mika and Jack looked quitepatible together. It would be great if the pair actually got together. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Let¡¯s head home.¡± Just then, Alexander agreed. ¡°Let Cameron know if you have any suggestions regarding the engagement ceremony and he¡¯ll sort everything out.¡± Elise realized that Alexander didn¡¯t care too much about the engagement upon hearing his words and she couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly upset. However, she was also well aware that he would never mention a word about getting engaged if it wasn¡¯t for Jonah. ¡­¡­ As soon as the Griffith siblings got the news that Alexander nned to get engaged with Elise, Danny was the one who felt the most shocked. ¡°Alex, are you pulling a prank on us? Are you actually going to get engaged with my boss?! That means she¡¯ll go from being my boss to being my sister-inw!¡± Meanwhile, Jack, who was standing by the side, was also quite surprised. ¡°Alex, marriage is quite a sacred thing. Although this is Grandpa¡¯s last wish, there¡¯s really no need to force yourself into anything. After all, Elise¡¯s looks¡­¡± Jack gave out a slight, intentional cough as he tried to mask his awkwardness while he brought up that topic. ¡°Whatever it is, she came from the countryside, after all. Even if we overlook her appearance, you¡¯re still worthy of someone much better than her.¡± Brendan was usually the least outspoken sibling among them but right now, he chimed in as well, ¡°Alex, I know that in our family, it¡¯s not a big deal even if we marry someone of unequal family status, but you should at least be in love with each other. If you don¡¯t love her, then you really shouldn¡¯t waste her time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true! Alex, I think there¡¯s no need to enter into a marriage. After all, everyone knows that a loveless marriage is basically like being in a lifeless tomb¡ª¡± However, before Danny could finish his sentence, Alexander slowly replied, ¡°I¡¯ve made up my mind. I don¡¯t care about what you guys have to say but I¡¯ve decided to marry Elise. Brendan, I¡¯ll need you and your team¡¯s help to sort out our attire. Also, there¡¯s no need for you guys toment about anything else because I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± All three of them obediently kept theirments to themselves as soon as they heard him say that he knew what he was doing. They were fully aware that Alexander had always been quite opinionated since young. As such, they stopped sharing their opinions with him, but they couldn¡¯t help feeling worried about his and Elise¡¯s marriage. After all, how long could a marriage devoid of lovest? Chapter 173 Chapter 173 Chapter 173,Coolest Girl in Town It was Christmas the next day. Elise woke up, only to find that the outdoors was nketed in snow. She released a warm breath of air and noticed that there was some white fog that appeared in front of her eyes. It¡¯s actually quite cold. She then dressed in a heavy down jacket and she wrapped herself up warmly before going downstairs. She saw that the servants had already moved the Christmas tree out of storage and ced it in the most prominent spot in the hall. ¡°Miss Elise, you¡¯re up!¡± Elise looked at the Christmas tree in front of her and she happily eximed, ¡°This tree¡¯s quite pretty. Where did you find this?¡± ¡°This was bought by Young Master Dannyst Christmas. At that time, Mr. Griffith¡­¡± The servant suddenly turned silent upon the mention of Jonah and merely said, ¡°Ever since Mr. Griffith passed away, the whole ce has been so somber, so I wanted to take this opportunity to decorate the house and add some sparkle to the ce.¡± ¡°Let me help you, then,¡± Elise offered. However, the servants hurriedly rejected, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, Miss Elise. We can handle these things ourselves.¡± However, Elise didn¡¯t heed their rejection and she reached out for the decorations to start decorating the tree. Just then, Brendan brought his team back home and he walked in to see such a scene. Unexinably, he felt a warm, fuzzy feeling within him. However, he still harbored a slight grudge against Elise as he grumbled deep down, She¡¯s a country bumpkin, so how can she be a worthy match for Alexander?! ¡°Elise, Alex sent me over to get your measurements for the engagement gown,¡± Brendan said in a t voice, sounding as if he waspleting a task that he was quite unwilling to do. Just then, Elise paused in her movement and she replied thereafter, ¡°Hold on. I¡¯ll be there shortly.¡± The servants were seemingly confused about what was going on but being servants, they would never question their masters¡¯ matters. ¡°Miss Elise, I¡¯ll take over from here.¡± Elise handed over the decorations in her hand and then she walked toward the direction of Brendan. Meanwhile, Brendan scrutinized Elise from head to toe and signaled for his female assistant to take her measurements. As soon as the female assistant saw Elise¡¯s rather hideous face, the former started to scheme deep down. Apparently, this is the woman who¡¯s about to get engaged to the head of the Griffith Family. She¡¯s so ugly, though. What¡¯s wrong with Alexander?! Why did he pick such an ugly-looking woman?! ¡°Raise your hands,¡± the assistant coldly instructed. Then, she half-heartedly picked up a measuring tape and started to take Elise¡¯s measurements. However, the assistant¡¯s expression became increasingly bitter as she proceeded. She looked at the figures she had jotted down on her notebook and her eyes dimmed. I can¡¯t believe this woman has such a great figure. But it doesn¡¯t mean anything, though! Her awesome figure doesn¡¯t quitepensate for her ugly looks anyway! ¡°Mr. Griffith, I¡¯ve taken all of her measurements,¡± The female assistant then turned to Brendan. Meanwhile, Brendan merely grunted and kept his notebook aside before asking, ¡°Do you have any style preferences? You can let me know and I¡¯ll include that in my design.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with everything. You can have free reign. Once you¡¯vee up with the design, just let me have a look at it.¡± The female assistant was quite scornful upon hearing Elise¡¯s words and the former instantly said without paying heed to the current setting she was in, ¡°Our boss is very talented and his designs are exceptional. There have been so many youngdies from reputable families in town who have worn our designs, and none of them have presented anyints!¡± The assistant¡¯s words had an underlying meaning and Brendan immediately reprimanded her, ¡°ire, you should head back to the office first. You¡¯re not needed here.¡± ¡°But Mr. Griffith!¡± ire was evidently quite displeased, but Brendan was a no-nonsense person so she had no choice but to adhere to his words. Subsequently, she shut up andN?velDrama.Org (C) content. left with the equipment kit. ¡°Don¡¯t mind her. I¡¯ll bring over the design once everything is ready. Let me know if you have any ideas.¡± Elise nodded in response. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Thanks for your hard work.¡± ¡±Well, since there¡¯s nothing else important, I¡¯ll head back now.¡± Brendan turned around and left with his belongings upon saying that. Meanwhile, Elise retracted her gaze but suddenly, she seemed to recall something and she swiftly turned around to go upstairs. She went back to her room and opened the luggage she had brought with her. There was a sketchbook inside and on the first page of it was a design of an outfit for a groom. She had casually sketched that a year ago but she was quite pleased with the style. It would be great to be able to wear this gown, Elise thought to herself but she subsequently shut the sketch book. I¡¯ll definitely wear a wedding gown of my own design during my wedding. Well, it¡¯s just an engagement ceremony this time, so it¡¯s alright to make do with whatever is avable. ¡­¡­ In the evening, Alexander reached home after a long day at work. As soon as he walked into the foyer, he suddenly stopped in his tracks and he felt a warm, fuzzy feeling swell within him as he checked out the newly put out decorations in the living room. There was a strong festive feeling in the air. Just then, Elise walked out of the kitchen with some food she had just prepared. Noticing Alexander had just arrived back from work, she quickly greeted him, ¡°Hey, you¡¯re back! Wash your hands and we can have dinner soon.¡± There was a slight smile on her face and she seemed to be like a wife waiting for her husband to get back home from work. The thought of this evoked a warm, homey feeling within Alexander. However, he hastily hid his emotions in order not to lose his composure. Then, he handed over his work bag to a servant and said, ¡°Do you need any help?¡± Elise looked at the crockeries ced neatly on the table and replied, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Everything¡¯s ready.¡± He took a seat at the head of the table and as he looked at the delectable dishes in front of him, he felt his empty tummy rumble and he couldn¡¯t wait to tuck in. ¡°Jack said that he¡¯s scheduled to record a special Christmas program tonight, so he won¡¯t be back for dinner. Danny also mentioned that he won¡¯t be back for dinner, so it looks like it¡¯s just the two of us at home tonight.¡± Elise held a serving spoon and served him a helping of food as she spoke. ¡°Try this¡ªthis was all prepared by Ste and they¡¯re very delicious.¡± Elise held a fork and spoon in her hand and served some food onto his te. Meanwhile, Alexander ced the food into his mouth quite naturally. ¡°It tastes great.¡± ¡°Ste mentioned that you love this. Looks like she knows you very well.¡± Just then, Alexander lifted his head to look at her and he casuallymented, ¡°Are you about to have your term break soon?¡± Elise blinked her eyes in response. ¡°It¡¯s almost the New Year, so we have a couple of days of holiday.¡± ¡°Do you want to go for a trip?¡± Alexander asked. Shocked, Elise shot a quick look at him. ¡°What are you¡­¡± ¡°I heard that there¡¯s been some snowfall in Switzend recently. Why don¡¯t we go skiing?¡± Suddenly, Elise felt her heart race. Is this an invitation from Alexander? ¡°I¡­ Let me consider it,¡± she replied while shifting her gaze. However, Alexander didn¡¯t give her a chance to reject. ¡°I¡¯ll get Cameron to make arrangements and we can depart shortly.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Elise was about to say something, but he raised his brows and looked at her quizzically. ¡°Do you have an issue with that?¡± Chapter 174 Chapter 174 Chapter 174,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°Alright, but there¡¯s something I have to tell you first,¡± Elise said. Upon hearing that, Alexander put down his tableware and looked at her seriously. ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°I want our engagement to be simple,¡± she quickly mumbled. ¡°A meal with our families will be enough.¡± ¡°Is this what you want?¡± After Elise nodded her head, he continued, ¡°Since it¡¯s what you want, that¡¯s settled, then. Is there anyone in the family that you want to invite other than your grandfather and grandmother?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just them. I¡¯ll invite the others to our wedding.¡± ¡°Okay, that settles it, then. We¡¯ll do it after the New Year.¡± N?velDrama.Org (C) content. When they finally came to an agreement, Elise secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Every girl more or less hoped for a perfect wedding once in their life, but since Jonah passed away not long ago, it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate for them to have a grand ceremony, so they decided to keep it simple. After their meal, she went back to her room and sat in front of the window alone. As she gazed outside the window thinking about something, someone knocked on the door. ¡°Who is it?¡± The moment she said that, Alexander opened the door and entered. ¡°Why are you here?¡± she asked. When she saw the exquisite box in his hands, she walked over to him. ¡°Here you go. It¡¯s for you.¡± Upon seeing that, Elise felt rather confused. ¡°And this is?¡± ¡°Your Christmas present.¡± She received the box in disbelief and as soon as she opened it, she was shocked. ¡°This¡­¡± She wanted to say something, but words just couldn¡¯te out of her mouth for some reason. ¡°It¡¯s the blood jade that we found from the mine before. I asked thepany¡¯s designers to turn it into a bracelet. It looks quite good.¡± Elise knew all of this and at the same time, she knew that it was very valuable. All this time, she thought that Alexander would use the blood jade for like you.¡± ¡°But he is quite nice to me. It¡¯s just that we never got to that point yet,¡± Mika quickly replied. She could feel that Jack was fond of her, but she didn¡¯t wish to rush their rtionship. ¡°Look at yourself¡ªit¡¯s obvious that you know what you want.¡± Elise could finally see the problem between the two of them, but Mika was still oblivious about it. The problem is that Mika is always the one calling the shots in their rtionship. ¡°Then, is there any way to know about his feelings?¡± After giving it some thought, Elise answered, ¡°Why don¡¯t we ask Jack to go skiing with us in Switzend? Maybe you¡¯ll learn something new afterward.¡± Mika, on the other hand, was surprised by her reply. ¡°Switzend?! That sounds quite nice, but will hee?¡± Elise also didn¡¯t know whether he would come, but she felt that he probably would if Alexander asked him to. Looks like I need to ask Alexander for a favor, but it¡¯ll be all worth it for my best friend¡¯s happiness. Unexpectedly, after Elise told Alexander about it that day, he immediately agreed without any hesitation. Therefore, they were set to travel to Switzend. After midnight on New Year¡¯s Day, the new year began rather quietly. Early in the morning on the first day of the year, Alexander, Elise and Jack rushed to the airport. Seeing that there were only the three of them, Jack was displeased. ¡°Alexander, why did you ask me toe along? I don¡¯t want to be your third wheel!¡± Alexander remained silent while Elise put on a mysterious expression. ¡°Calm down. We prepared a surprise for youter on.¡± However, Jack wasn¡¯t interested in the surprise at all, because he was dragged along to go skiing with them after finally getting a break from work. Not only that, he now had to watch the two of them being affectionate with one another as a singleton. Even so, after secretly ncing at them, Jack breathed a sigh of relief because it seemed like their rtionship hadn¡¯t reached that point yet. When they arrived at the airport, the trio received their boarding passes and entered the waiting lounge. However, the moment they came in, they could see Mika waving at them from not far away. ¡°Over here, Elise!¡± Meanwhile, Elise said to Jack with a smile, ¡°There you go! What do you think about your surprise?¡± Chapter 175 Chapter 175 Chapter 175,Coolest Girl in Town Jack was confused at first but after staring at Mika, he finally understood what was happening. Elise is trying to match both of us together, right? She really doesn¡¯t know what she is doing. Mika and I are just friends. ¡°Elise, you guys are finally here,¡± Mika said before turning toward Jack. ¡°You¡¯re here as well.¡± However, he only gave her a simple reply without saying anything while putting on an indifferent expression. His reaction immediately left Mika confused because this wasn¡¯t how he would usually react when they were alone together. Then, the four of them boarded the ne and arrived at Switzend a dozen or so hourster. At the moment, it was nighttime in Switzend, so they quickly rushed to the hotel. Elise and Mika were staying in one room, while Alexander and Jack stayed together in another. Due to tiredness, the two girls immediately fell asleep the moment theyy down on their beds. Meanwhile, Alexander and Jack seemed to still have some energy left so after arriving at the hotel, they took a bath before going downstairs to have a drink. Jack was still surprised that Alexander would suddenly bring Elise along on a skiing trip, so he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Alexander, do you really like Elise?¡± Listening to his words, Alexander remained emotionless, making it difficult for others to read his mind. Instead, he took a huge gulp of his wine ss to conceal his true emotions. However, Jack read his actions as him being distressed, so he patted his shoulder and said, ¡°Alexander, I understand that you are doing all this because of Grandpa¡¯s last wish. Actually, you don¡¯t need to force yourself. Grandpa has passed away and I believe that he wants all of us to live a happy life. If he knows how reluctant you are to be together with Elise, he definitely won¡¯t force you to do so.¡± With a faint smile, Alexander murmured, ¡°I didn¡¯t get engaged with her because of Grandpa.¡± Jack thought he had heard him wrongly at first, but Alexander¡¯s words afterward immediately caused his eyes to widen. ¡°I did it because¡­ I found out that I seem to like her.¡± Listening to his words, Jack couldn¡¯t help but pinch himself. ¡°Alex, are you joking?¡± ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m joking?¡± Jack quickly nodded his head. He was still in shock after Alexander personally admitted to him that he liked Elise, which was why the former immediately thought that Alexander was joking with him. ¡°Are you sure? She looks so¡­¡± As an admirer of good-looks, Jack kept on bringing up her appearance because he believed that no one would care how beautiful you were inside if there was nothing appealing on the outside. ¡°What is it about her that you like?¡± Alexander himself couldn¡¯t answer his question, as he believed that there shouldn¡¯t be a reason for a person to fall in love. If something like love can be exined rationally, does that even count as true love? ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe it¡¯s temporary or maybe I really like her. However, before I figure out my true feelings for her, I hope that you can keep this a secret for me.¡± Jack was still processing what he just heard but seeing Alexander¡¯s serious expression, he felt that perhaps he wasn¡¯t joking this time. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. You should go to sleep. We are going out together tomorrow, so please don¡¯t look so sulky as you were today.¡± Quickly, Jack refuted, ¡°I wasn¡¯t. I¡¯m just getting used to the ce.¡± ¡°You better be. Mika is a nice girl. If you like her, you should act fast.¡± Listening to him, Jack was frightened as he kept on refuting, ¡°Alexander, there¡¯s really nothing going on between the two of us. I only see her as my friend.¡± ¡°Even so, everyone starts out as friends.¡± Upon hearing that, Jack was rendered speechless. He felt that there was nothing he could do to convince Alexander, so he kept quiet and ignored him. After returning to their room, Jack took a shower before falling asleep on the bed while Alexander remained awake. He was obviously tired, but he just couldn¡¯t fall asleep. Therefore, he stood alone outside the window, gazing at the strange city in front of him. As the confusion inside his heart seemed to be fading away, he realized that some things just required him to find the answer himself. ¡­ The next day, Elise woke up during the afternoon due to the jetg she experienced the day before. When she woke up, Mika was already gone. After stretching her body, she took a look at the note on the table and found out that Mika had gone out for lunch. After cleaning herself up and changing her clothes, she decided to leave the room. However, the moment she opened the door, the door on the opposite side also opened at the same time, and it was as if she had had a telepathic conversation with Alexander in the other room. As the two of them stared at each other, he took the initiative to invite her for lunch. ¡°Do you want to go down to eat together?¡± She nodded her head, so they closed their doors and went down in the same elevator. The restaurants in Switzend were mostly based on western cuisines. After reading through the menu, Elise ordered her favorite steak and foie gras. Listening to her fluent French, Alexander couldn¡¯t help but praise, ¡°Your French is quite good. You even have their local ent. Have you stayed abroad before?¡± ¡°I went on a student exchange programme for a year,¡± she replied. That is possibly the happiest time in my life. Thinking about it right now fills me with beautiful memories. ¡°I see.¡± He didn¡¯t ask her any more questions. After they ordered their food, the waiter took the menu and left. ¡°I heard that you went to Ennd to pursue your MBA, right?¡± she asked, to which he answered, ¡°Ipleted my undergraduate and postgraduate degree in Cambridge University within 3 years.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you are a schr.¡± ¡°You are not bad yourself too. It¡¯s not like anyone could win first ce in the city¡¯s Math Olympiad.¡± He quickly followed up her words. At that moment, the waiter came over with their steaks. ¡°Enjoy your meal!¡± Just as Elise was about to pick up her tableware afterN?velDrama.Org owns all content. thanking the waiter, Alexander acted first and helped her cut the steak before handing it back to her. ¡°Try it¡ªthe taste should be authentic here.¡± Looking at the neatly cut steak in front of her, Elise felt a strange feeling surging inside her heart. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you are this good at cutting steak. You should teach me in the future.¡± The moment her words came out, she could hear the mumbling voices of two foreigners sitting next to them. Even though their voices were soft, she could still hear their every word clearly. ¡°Why does that handsome man have the appetite to eat with such an ugly girl?¡± Chapter 176 Chapter 176 Chapter 176,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°What are you worrying about? It doesn¡¯t seem like he minds.¡± ¡°Ha! I¡¯m just feeling bad for the guy. After all, it¡¯s a pity for a handsome guy like him to be paired with a girl like her. He is exactly my type. I¡¯ll be happy if I can date him myself.¡± With a wine ss in hand, the girl with the blonde hair couldn¡¯t help but walk over to Alexander and Elise. ¡°Sir, can I buy you a drink?¡± It was true that Western women were more enthusiastic and bold. Experiencing it upfront, Elise was displeased but just as she was about to speak, Alexander opened his mouth and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but my fianc¨¦e won¡¯t allow that.¡± N?velDrama.Org (C) content. ¡°What? She¡¯s your fianc¨¦e?¡± the woman repeated in disbelief. It was only then that she walked away reluctantly after ncing at Elise. ¡°Alexander, don¡¯t you mind how I look?¡± Elise asked carefully. She knew that the first thing a man saw was always a woman¡¯s appearance. Even so, she was still hoping that she would get a different answer from him. ¡°Does it matter? To me, looks and status are all unimportant to being my wife. I don¡¯t focus on these.¡± ¡°But if you and I get together, there will be many people talking behind us.¡± An example would be the two foreigners just now. He could tell that she was not confident with herself, so he patted her head and said, ¡°Why do you have to care about the opinions of others? We should live for ourselves and not for others.¡± Immediately, his answer made her heart flutter. She never thought that one day she would get suchments from a man despite her ugly looks. And so, she thanked him from the bottom of her heart. ¡°Thank you, Alexander.¡± Although she had always been carefree about her image, a girl would still be vulnerable to criticisms that were directed to her looks. ¡°Quickly eat your food before it gets cold.¡± And so, she lowered her eyes and began to hesitate deep down. Should I tell him the truth that this face of mine is just a disguise? Will he be able to ept it? ¡°Alexander, can I ask you something?¡± She paused for a second and continued, ¡°If one day you found out that someone you trusted deceived you, what would you do?¡± Just as the sentence came out of her mouth, she could feel the atmosphere turn icy. As she lifted her gaze to meet Alexander¡¯s eyes, she felt the coldness exuding from him. ¡°There are two things I will never ept¡ªone is betrayal and the other is deception,¡± Alexander replied with a light tone as if it was something trivial but deep down, Elise knew that these were his boundaries. ¡°I was just asking. Don¡¯t take it too seriously.¡± She tried to change the topic, but Alexander was still staring at her as hemented, ¡°As long as you don¡¯t do something uneptable, our marriage willst long.¡± She was so startled that it felt as though there was something stuck in her throat. Therefore, she turned away and started coughing vigorously, but Alexander was quick to respond by giving her a cup of water. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m fine.¡± She shook her head as she had lost all her courage to tell him the truth. Now, all she could do was to take it one step at a time. After the meal, they walked out of the restaurant. At the same time, Mika and Jack also came back. ¡°Elise, you such a deep sleeper! It was already noon but I still couldn¡¯t wake you up, so I went and got you some local delicacies. Would you like to have a taste once we¡¯re back?¡± Mika asked as she quickly locked arms with Elise. Looking at the takeaway containers, Elise felt a bit embarrassed as she mumbled, ¡°We already ate.¡± Mika was clearly surprised but she still replied, ¡°It¡¯s okay. You can eat themter when you are hungry.¡± Then, the four of them took the elevator upstairs. When Elise and Mika returned to their room, the former sat alone in front of the windows in a daze thinking about something, so Mika came over and waved her hand in front of her. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Elise lifted her eyes and looked at her. ¡°Mika, are you able to ept being deceived?¡± ¡°It depends on where the lie ising from. I can ept it if it¡¯s a white lie but if it¡¯s a tant lie, I don¡¯t think I can. I might even cut ties with the one who lied to me,¡± Mika answered after giving it a serious thought. Elise found it hard to ept that almost everyone couldn¡¯t ept being lied to. However, she didn¡¯t have a choice back then because she didn¡¯t want to be engaged to one of the young masters of the Griffith Family, so she disguised herself. She never expected herself to fall in love with one in the end. ¡°Elise, are you okay?¡± Upon hearing that, Elise snapped out of it and said hurriedly, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I was just thinking about tomorrow¡¯s skiing n.¡± As soon as she mentioned it, Mika became worried. ¡°Elise, I don¡¯t know how to ski. What should I do? It seems like I can only look at all of you skiing tomorrow.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll hire a trainer to teach you tomorrow. It¡¯s quite easy. You¡¯ll be able to learn it.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Mika questioned, feeling still unsure. ¡°But I¡¯m a slow learner. I always fail to learn anything.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll be alright.¡± Seeing Elise¡¯s confidence in her, Mika felt as though she was actually capable of learning it. Yet, she really overestimated herself in the end. Even after being guided by the trainer several times, she still couldn¡¯t figure it out. Several times falling downter, she finally gave up. ¡°You guys can continue skiing. I can¡¯t do this anymore.¡± Dressed in a ski suit, Elise looked at her and said, ¡°Let¡¯s try a few more times. I will hold you.¡± However, Mika declined her offer without hesitation. ¡°No, I really can¡¯t figure it out. I¡¯ll wait for you guys at the lounge.¡± Seeing her situation, Jack also joined her. ¡°I won¡¯t go skiing either. The two of you can go without us.¡± With Jack by Mika¡¯s side, Elise continued skiing with Alexander. The Swiss Alps were enormous and many people from all over the world gathered here for holiday. Elise only knew the basics of skiing, so her skill was not refined. Thankfully, she had Alexander following her by her side as the two of them skied at the same pace with their poles. ¡°Honestly, I think the two of them are quite a match,¡± Mika said while looking at the two of them skiing. Listening to her, Jack couldn¡¯t help but add, ¡°Hopefully they both feel the same thing and it¡¯s not just a fling.¡± Mika felt as if his words meant something more, but she didn¡¯t ask him much. Knowing that she didn¡¯t have any talent in skiing, she had a sudden idea when she saw people gathering at the ski site to have a snowball fight. ¡°Why don¡¯t we have a snowball fight?¡± Chapter 177 Chapter 177 Chapter 177,Coolest Girl in Town Jack thought that the idea was incredibly childish. ¡°You go ahead. I think I will pass.¡± Well, if you say so. It¡¯s impossible to do it alone, though¡­ Mika could only proceed with the snowball fight, but just as she was frustrated, she was approached by a few foreigners. ¡°Hey lovely, are you alone?¡± Immediately, she looked at them warily and nned to leave, but she was stopped by one of the girls. ¡°Join us! It¡¯s more fun than ying alone.¡± When she met their friendly gazes, she changed her mind and agreed to join them because she would be bored, anyway. Meanwhile, Elise and Alexander skied their way through the peak. Elise stood at the apex and gazed down at the magical and breathtaking winter scenery. ¡°How I wish I could stay here for a few more days!¡± Elise sighed from the bottom of her heart. Seeing that she was in a good mood, Alexander quickly added, ¡°If you like, we could stay a few more days here.¡± She beamed at him, but right then, she felt a slight tremor from the ground underneath her, and her expression changed to one of shock. ¡°Why is the ground moving?¡± He felt it as well, but before he could utter a word, he saw the snow on the mountains opposite them sliding down. ¡°Oh crap! It¡¯s an avnche!¡± A shiver went down her spine, and her mind was filled with the scene of the aftermath. She could feel the snow underneath her feet loosening as she lost her bnce and started plunging forward. Frantically, he reached out to grab her. Around them, the mountains were shifting, and the ground was shaking. The terrifying movement of nature was intertwined with shrill screams from panicked skiers. He hugged her tight in his arms to protect her, and they both rolled down the slope from the peak. A long timeter, she finally regained her consciousness and moved her stiff arms. Then, she found out that the lower half of her body was buried in snow. She recalled what happened before her ckout, and she was caught by fear. ¡°Alexander! Alexander!¡± She called out to him over and over again, but there was no answer except for her empty echoes in the mountains. That moment was filled with intense fear. She got up from the ground and staggered forward. However, after the avnche, the environment went through a drastic change, with no human being seen around. She plowed forward aimlessly while yelling, ¡°Anyone there?!¡± No matter how many times she shouted, no one replied to her. Dragging her exhausted body along, she went on until she found the rest area they had passed by when they first arrived. At that time, the members of the rescue team noticed her. ¡°Hey, look! There¡¯s ady over there!¡± Without wasting a single second, she reached out for help. ¡°Help me! I have a friend with me, but he¡¯s probably buried under the snow. You have to help find him! You must!¡± The rescue team staff quicklyforted her, saying, ¡°Now, don¡¯t worry. We will try our best.¡± As they spoke, they settled her down before splitting into two teams and making their way up the snowy mountains for the search. Her heart leaped up to her throat as she wallowed in regret. Why did I even say yes to skiing in the first ce? Staring at thendscape of endless snow, she felt her eyes welling up with tears. God, please let Alexander return safe and sound. Please¡­ A few days passed, and Elise was still staying guard at the foot of the mountains. During the long and soul-crushing wait, she witnessed the rescue team pulling out victims from the snowy grounds, and more than half of those people did not show vital signs. Even after a few days, they did not find Alexander, Mika, or Jack. With all the anxiety building up, Elise was significantly weaker, and despite being advised to leave the scene by the concerned rescuers, she insisted on waiting. She waited until Danny¡¯s call came in. ¡°Boss, thepany is in chaos now. Everyone heard the news about Alexander, and there¡¯s no one to lead thepany now.¡± Her heart sank after she heard the news. Jonah¡¯s reminder once again popped up in her mind, so she tried her best to stay strong. ¡°How¡¯s the situation in the office right now? Tell me all the details.¡± Promptly, Danny exined, ¡°A few shareholders are starting to make a fuss. They even n to call for a new shareholders¡¯ meeting to elect a newpany president.¡± ¡°Those rebels!¡± ¡°Boss, is there no news of Alexander till now? I¡¯m afraid that¡ª¡± Elise quickly cut him off. ¡°He¡¯ll be fine. He must still be alive.¡± She did not know if she was trying to console Danny or herself. When she looked up at the vast snowy mountain in front of her, she had a feeling that Alexander must be alive somewhere. Perhaps he¡¯s still waiting for me to save him! She lost herposure after the possibility crossed her mind. ¡°Danny, if there are issues at thepany, or if there¡¯s anything you need, just look for Jamie Keller. He will help to hold the fort for the time being.¡± Danny knew that Elise and Jamie had a close rtionship from the way she entrusted thetter to handle the situation. Just when he was about to ask something else, she already hung up on him. Staring at the swaths of white, she felt that she could not afford to wait anymore. I have to find him! She meticulously refreshed the memories from the day of the avnche. Before she fainted, she could sense the warmth of his body against her. Could it be that he was right beside me all the time? Could I have overlooked him? Her eyes lighting up, she ran over to the rescue team. ¡°Please, please, he¡¯s still trapped in there. Can you help me?¡± The rescuers sighed helplessly at her obstinance. ¡°We¡¯re sorry, ma¡¯am. We have been searching the mountain for a few days. If there had been a sign of life, our tools would have picked that up. Plus, the 72-hour golden period has passed. There¡¯s a high chance that your friend has passed on.¡± Their direct words triggered her. ¡°No, that¡¯s impossible! He could not have died. Stop spewing nonsense!¡± Knowing that she was in denial, they merelyforted her. ¡°Ma¡¯am, we have searched the mountains a few times. It is impossible for us to get up there again¡ªthere is a risk of another avncheing. We can¡¯t take the risk to save a victim who is likely gone.¡± Her heart sank to the bottom. Despite knowing their rationale, she still felt indignant, for she had a feeling that he must still be alive. N?velDrama.Org (C) content. Suddenly, an idea came into her mind. She recalled that Cynthia once told her about an elite self- defense force in Switzend. Without a second thought, she gave her aunt a call. Once Cynthia learned about the purpose of Elise¡¯s call, she quickly arranged for a trip to the snowy mountains in Switzend. When she arrived with the team, she was greeted by a pale and feeble Elise, a sight that pained her heart. ¡°Ellie, how have you been living for the past few days?¡± Elise went up and clutched her hands tightly. ¡°Aunt Cynthia, he must still be alive somewhere. Please save him!¡± From the desperate look on Elise¡¯s face, Cynthia assumed that the missing victim must be someone important to her niece. Hence, for now, she could only try her best to reassure the poor girl. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ellie. I will save your friend as long as there¡¯s a shred of hope.¡± Chapter 178 Chapter 178 Chapter 178,Coolest Girl in Town That was how Elise brought the elite self-defense force up into the snowy mountains. As much as the rescue team wanted to stop them, they could not do anything because Elise and her men insisted on going. Based solely on her memories, she found her way up the mountains until she reached the spot where she first woke up. ¡°It¡¯s here, Aunt Cynthia! He shouldn¡¯t be too far away from me.¡± Cynthia quickly surveyed the area around them. ¡°Quick, take a look to see if there¡¯s anyone around here.¡± The self-defense force went to work right after she gave out the orders. After a round of search, they did not find anything. Elise looked extremely dejected when she learned about it. ¡°How is that possible?¡± Burying her head in her arms, she slumped into the snow. Alexander, where on earth are you? Hugging her knees, she sat there as tears glided down her cheeks in silence. Out of desperation, she punched her fists on the ground, but after hitting the ground two times, she felt the snow shifting and giving way underneath her. Cynthia eximed in fear, ¡°Is it a second avnche?¡± Everyone exchanged looks, but they did not sense any movements on the ground. ¡°What is going on?¡± Cynthia was curious as Elise grew hopeful. Suddenly, Elise started digging in the snow with her hands. When Cynthia saw that, she called the others to help. The group started digging through the thickyers of snow. Not long after, they created a gigantic hole and surprisingly discovered a huge tree underneath it that provided shelter space. There, they found a few motionless people, one of them being Alexander. Feeling overjoyed, she ran up to him. ¡°Alexander! Alexander, wake up!¡± No matter how many times she yelled, he did not give any response, which sent her into a panic spiral. She ced her finger under his nose, and once she detected his feeble breathing, she let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Aunt Cynthia, save him first! Save him!¡± TheN?velDrama.Org (C) content. self-defense force came up and lifted Alexander out of the tree cave. Luckily, the other victims in the cave were all alive, so Cynthia had them brought out along with Alexander. All the while, Elise followed Alexander closely until he was admitted to the ER of a private hospital in Switzend. In the corridor, she sat tensely on the bench, staring intently at the doors of the ER. ¡°Ellie, it¡¯ll be fine. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Cynthia hurried over tofort her. Like grasping onto thest straw, Elise grabbed Cynthia¡¯s wrist tightly. ¡°Aunt Cynthia, he¡¯ll be alright, right? He¡¯ll be alright.¡± After a slight sigh, Cynthia uttered, ¡°Sweetie, don¡¯t worry. He¡¯s a good man, so he will be safe. You should get something to eat to take care of your health. If not, you might copse by the time he wakes up.¡± ¡°No! I want to wait until he¡¯s awake and fine.¡± Knowing that Elise was as stubborn as a mule, Cynthia didn¡¯t bother to change her mind, only silently praying for Alexander¡¯s safety. As time passed by, and soon it had been a day. After eight hours of operation, the light of the ER room was finally switched off, causing Elise to flinch and shoot up. At the same time, the doors flung open, and the surgeon emerged. She went up to him and asked in French, ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s my friend doing? Is he out of danger?¡± The doctor took a look at her and pursed his lips. ¡°The patient has not suffered any external injuries. He¡¯s only in aa from asphyxia. After the emergency operation, he is now breathing normally. As for when he is going to wake up¡­ We cannot say for sure. It could be as fast as a few days; it could take months or years.¡± Gasp! Her heart sank to the bottom as though her soul had left her body. The doctor could only try his best to console her. ¡°He¡¯s in good shape, so I guess he¡¯d wake up soon. Don¡¯t worry too much.¡± Cynthia was supporting Elise and frowned at the doctor¡¯s words. ¡°Ellie, don¡¯t worry. I will get the best doctor to save him.¡± ¡°Aunt Cynthia, you must save him.¡± Cynthia nodded solemnly at her niece. ¡°Now, quit worrying and get some food.¡± Elise wanted to refuse, but she was attacked by a wave of nausea due to low blood sugar. Cynthia ignored Elise¡¯s opinion and asked for some soup. After drinking the soup, Elise finally recovered, but she was consumed by another sudden thought. ¡°Aunt Cynthia, Jack and Mika are in the mountains too.¡± ¡°Calm down. I have sent my men to search for them. We¡¯ll hear about your friends soon. Just stop overthinking.¡± Elise was immersed in guilt. ¡°If I had not insisted that Mika join us, she wouldn¡¯t have gotten into this ident! It¡¯s all my fault!¡± It pained Cynthia to see Elise ming herself¡ªit was a scene that gave her deja vu. ¡°Ellie, this is not your fault. You didn¡¯t want this to happen. Since the ident has happened, the only thing we could do is to try our best to find them and to pray for their safety.¡± ¡°Aunt Cynthia¡­¡± Elise hugged her aunt tightly. Cynthia patted her on the back. ¡°Sweetie, do you want to visit Alexander? He¡¯s transferred to a normal ward.¡± Lying in the hospital bed in the ward, Alexander¡ªunlike his usual self¡ª was pale and motionless. Elise visited him alone, and the closer she went to him, the harder it was to contain the pain in her chest. Unable to hold her tears back any longer, she started sobbing uncontrobly. ¡°Alexander, please wake up soon. Okay?¡± Scenes from them tumbling in the avnche reyed in her mind. She recalled that he had been shielding her during the fall. ¡°Alexander, you¡¯re a fool, you know? Why would you bother protecting me? Stop lying there and wake up! You promised me an engagement. We haven¡¯t held our engagement party. You can¡¯t take back your words!¡± She leaned against the bed and whispered lots of words to him, but he still gave no response. Finally, she took a deep breath and decided that she would wait until the day he woke up. Then, she drifted to sleep beside him. When she woke up the next day, the room was filled with the warmth of sunshine from the windows. Cynthia happened to enter the room as she announced, ¡°Ellie, we have news of Jack! He¡¯s rescued by the rescue team and is now resting at the temporary shelter. He¡¯s been looking for you all the time. That¡¯s why I could get in touch with him very soon.¡± Elise hurriedly asked, ¡°What about Mika? Where is she now?¡± To that, Cynthia shook her head apologetically. ¡°Jack told me that he wasn¡¯t with Mika when the avnche happened. But don¡¯t you worry. I have sent some men to search for her. As long as she¡¯s alive, we will definitely find her.¡± The news depressed Elise. They showed up to ski in a group of four, but only three of them were ounted for. Mika, where are you? Chapter 179 Chapter 179 Chapter 179,Coolest Girl in Town Elise stayed in the hospital to take care of Alexander. The next day, Jack dropped by for a visit. The sight of him was unforgettable for Elise¡ªshe had never seen him more disconste than this. ¡°How¡¯s Alexander?¡± Jack¡¯s hoarse voice cut through the silence, significantly sounding less energetic than his usual self. ¡°He¡¯s fine. As long as he wakes up, there shouldn¡¯t be any serious issue. I¡¯m just worried because it has been days, but his condition isn¡¯t improving.¡± Jack went up to the patient bed and stared at the almost lifeless Alexander. ¡°Alexander, since we were kids, you¡¯ve always been a role model to us. Now, you need to wake up quickly as well.¡± He reached out to clutch Alexander¡¯s hand so tightly that it almost looked as if he was channeling energy into his brother. ¡°About Mika¡­ Is there still no news about her?¡± Elise meekly asked the question. After Mika¡¯s name was mentioned, Jack¡¯s already tired eyes appeared a tad dimmer. N?velDrama.Org content rights. If only I had agreed to go for the snowball fight with her, the oue might have been different. After the avnche, Jack searched through the area but could not locate her. ¡°She¡¯ll be fine.¡± Even though he told Elise that Mika would be fine, he didn¡¯t know for sure. She¡¯ll be fine. She will¡­ ¡°Just take good care of Alexander. I will search for Mika to the best of my ability. If I can¡¯t find her, I won¡¯t return.¡± Next, he let go of Alexander¡¯s hand and turned to leave. Elise¡¯s heart sank to the bottom. Mika,e back to us soon! We¡¯re all waiting for you. That night, she was looking after Alexander at the bedside as usual. He had been in aa for days, but his eyes suddenly fluttered. Moving his stiff arms, he slowly inched around to sit up. The next second, his arm identally came in touch with the girl by the bedside. In the darkness, he could still recognize Elise. The sight of her warmed his heart. He pulled the nket over to cover her. To his surprise, Elise jumped in her dream and mumbled, ¡°Alexander¡­ Alexander, don¡¯t leave me!¡± After she was awake, she sat up and looked across the empty room. Soon, she seemed to have felt the gaze of someone else in the darkness. ¡°A-Are you awake?¡± Out of nowhere, she was yanked into his embrace with great force. He was clumsy, but he savored the moment like the world would end the instant and she would disappear along with it. It¡¯s her¡­ ¡°Alexander, I¡¯m scared to death because of you.¡± Her voice cracked, and he tightened his hug around her. His maic voice rang in her ears. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m always here for you.¡± The familiarity of his voice brought tears to her eyes. No one knew the extent of the heartache and stress she had suffered in the past few days. ¡°Are you feeling fine? Should I call the doctor? You¡¯ve just woken up. Don¡¯t move around. If you need anything, just let me know.¡± While speaking, she let go of his hand. ¡°I¡¯m turning on the lights. Wait for me here.¡± She rose up only to be struck by a thought. Reflexively, she reached out to touch her face. In the past few days, she had been so busy looking after him that she did not have the time to put on her disguise. If she turned on the lights, he would see her real face. I can¡¯t let him see my face. She came to a decision right away. ¡°I need to use the washroom. I¡¯ll turn on the lights after that.¡± As she exined, she deftly sneaked into the washroom and locked the door from the inside. Staring at her reflection in the mirror, she gasped for air to calm herself down and frantically took out her foundation cushion to powder her face. He was taken aback by her odd behavior but did not pursue it further. Instead, he switched on the lights by himself, and the room was brightly lit. His pupils struggled to adjust to the influx of brightness, and he closed his eyes from the irritation. When his vision adjusted, he got out of bed. ¡°Elise, are you done?¡± Elise scrambled to get ready and shouted, ¡°Give me a minute! Wait for me.¡± In a few moves, she quickly put on her ugly disguise with makeup. When she was satisfied with her appearance, she opened the door and strolled out. ¡°I¡¯m done,¡± she said to him. Seeing the face he missed dearly, he opened his arms to her. After a little hesitation, she walked to him and gave him a hug. ¡°It¡¯s great that you woke up,¡± she told him earnestly, and his lips curled up into a dazzling smile. ¡°It¡¯s great to hug you again.¡± After he woke up from thea, doctors performed a multitude of tests on him, and she was there for him the whole time. ¡°This is good. His body is in great shape, and his recovery is going well. He will be under observation for two more days before we discharge him.¡± The doctor¡¯sment soothed her worried heart. ¡°Just stay here for another two days, and we can go home.¡± Alexander looked at her and nodded in obedience without any questions orments. At the same time, he received a call from home, so he picked it up. ¡°Oh, Alexander, you¡¯re finally awake!¡± Alexander lifted a brow and asked, ¡°Is everything okay in thepany?¡± Danny was straightforward. ¡°Well, things were not going well at first, but thankfully, Boss told me to look for Jamie. The situation has stabilized for now. We¡¯re only waiting for your return.¡± Alexander shot a puzzled look in her direction after hearing about Jamie. It sounds like she¡¯s close to Jamie. ¡°Alexander, are you listening?¡± Danny¡¯s voice pulled him back to the conversation, and he said, ¡°You¡¯ve gone through a lot. I¡¯ll be back in a few days¡¯ time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a problem if Jamie¡¯s around. He has great business acumen, and he acts aggressively. Even if you want to take a longer break, thepany will turn out fine,¡± Danny praised Jamie to the heavens, to which Alexander replied with a grunt as a sign of acknowledgment. After he ended the call, Elise followed up, ¡°How¡¯s the situation back home? If you need to deal withpany matters, we could fly home earlier.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Thepany is in good hands,¡± he answered and followed up with a question. ¡°Are you close to Jamie?¡± Elise felt her heart skip a beat and quickly rified, ¡°Yes, I guess you can say so.¡± She had thought that he¡¯d pester her with more questions, but he changed the topic. ¡°Any news about Mika?¡± The light in Elise¡¯s eyes went out as she shook her head. ¡°Nothing yet.¡± Although Cynthia joined the search, Mika had, in fact, been missing after such a long time. It was difficult to keep the news under wraps any longer, so Elise had informed Mika¡¯s parents in the most cautious manner possible. Mika¡¯s parents were on their way to Switzend and were expected to arrive in the next two days. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t worry. Mika is a lucky girl. She¡¯ll be safe.¡± Elise had no choice but to pray fervently for her friend¡¯s safety in her heart. The next day, Mika¡¯s parents arrived with a heavy heart, but they did not point their fingers at anyone. The couple cooperatively worked with the rescue team to look for their daughter. Not long after, Cynthia rushed to Elise with a grave expression. ¡°Ellie, I have some unfortunate news for you. I hope you¡¯re mentally prepared.¡± Chapter 180 Chapter 180 Chapter 180,Coolest Girl in Town Elise had already formed a guess from the look on Cynthia¡¯s face. She gripped her sleeve tightly and mumbled, ¡°So, you have news about Mika?¡± Cynthia gazed at her and nodded. Without warning, Elise¡¯s legs gave away, and she stumbled. Neither were her tears controble, as she could clearly feel tears gliding down her cheeks. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s impossible! Nothing¡¯s going to happen to her! How could she have¡­¡± Cynthia tried her best to calm her down. ¡°We are not a hundred percent sure right now. It¡¯s just that¡­ the rescue team has found a body with descriptions that resemble her.¡± The shocking news shattered Elise¡¯s world, and she refused to ept the reality. Jack showed up out of the blue and grabbed Cynthia¡¯s arm, descending into madness as he barked at her, ¡°Is that true? Where is she now? Tell me! Where is she?¡± Jack¡¯s reckless reaction put a frown on Cynthia¡¯s forehead. She knew the guy, but she had not expected him to act in such a rash manner. Based on his anxious reaction, she had a vague idea of his rtionship with Mika. Therefore, she decided to forgive his rudeness and shared all the details with him. ¡°The body is ced at the rescue station. No one hase forward to im it.¡± She barely finished speaking when Jack dashed out of the hospital. Elise followed suit with tears brimming in her eyes. When Mika¡¯s parents got the news, they almost fainted from crying. Finally, the group rushed to the temporary mortuary at the rescue station. Elise was shaking from head to toe when sheid eyes on the white cloth that was draped over the body. ¡°Mika¡­¡± Elise couldn¡¯t help but mumble her friend¡¯s name, and tears kept falling down her face. Meanwhile, Mika¡¯s parents were out of breath from crying, and the atmosphere sank to the lowest point. In an attempt to keep Elise calm, Alexander stood firmrly and held her hand in silence.She stumbled forward and flipped the cloth open to reveal a body that was almost unidentifiable. However, because the size of the victim was simr to Mika¡¯s frame, she once again plunged into sadness. The people around didn¡¯t seem too positive either Yet, Jack was the only one who reacted differently. Looking like a lifeless walking corpse when he arrived, he suddenly perked up after seeing the body, and his eyes shone. ¡°That¡¯s not Mika!¡± Without a doubt, his curt deration changed the air around them. Meanwhile, Elise watched on through her misty eyes as Jack exined with all seriousness, ¡°That is not her! She wore a different outfit on that day. She¡¯s also wearing a fishbone ne, which is not seen anywhere on this body!¡± Elise¡¯s gaze traveled over to the body and confirmed that there was no fishbone ne, which rendered her speechless. ¡°W-What is going on?¡± Again, Jack dered with confidence, ¡°You got the wrong person! This body is not Mika¡¯s! Trust me!¡± Then, he turned around to leave. The rest of the group was utterly confused by Jack¡¯s words. Soon, Mika¡¯s parents regained theirposure. Staring at the body, they seemed to prefer Jack¡¯s narrative, even if it was only for emotional relief. ¡°That¡¯s not Mika. It¡¯s not her,¡± Mrs. Jameson muttered repeatedly, but her husband remained rational. ¡°Since we can¡¯t identify her, the best way forward is to send the body for a postmortem exam.¡± So, Mr. Jameson contacted a localb for a postmortem exam. The results were out in less than 24 hours and delivered to them. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Everyone held their breath as he took out the document. When they saw that the body did not even have a 1% match with Mika¡¯s DNA, they let out a collective sigh of relief. ¡°I knew it! It was not Mika. It¡¯s definitely not her¡­¡± Mrs. Jameson burst into tears agitatedly. Since the body was not Mika, there was hope that she could still be alive. Elise¡¯s heart slowly calmed down as well. Mika, you must still be alive. Am I right? ¡°Found her! They found her!¡± Jack¡¯s joyful screams cut through the pensive atmosphere. Elise was the first to get a grip of herself and hurried over to him. ¡°Did they find Mika?¡± Jack nodded in happiness. ¡°The embassy sent me the news. They said that Mika had contacted them. She was there to get her ID and passport reissued, probably for the flight home.¡± The sudden news swept Elise off her feet. ¡°Is that true? Where is she now?¡± Jack added, ¡°She went to the embassy two days ago. I guess she¡¯s already back to Cittadel now. Once we¡¯re back, we will definitely get a hold of her!¡± ¡°But if she¡¯s safe, why did she not contact us?¡± She vocalized her question, and silence descended. That was indeed a mystery, for it did not align with Mika¡¯s usual behavior. ¡°But the embassy clearly told me that the ID information was correct. It was Mika.¡± In the face of Jack¡¯s confirmation, Elise also believed that the embassy visitor was Mika. ¡°Let¡¯s head home then,¡± Alexander chimed in, and she agreed with him. Mika¡¯s parents were overjoyed to learn that their daughter had taken the flight home. They proceeded to book the closest flight avable and went home with Elise and the others. After a ten-hour-long flight, the nended at Athesea¡¯s airport. The group exited the arrivals and immediately rushed to Mika¡¯s home. However, they were shocked to find the house empty¡ªMika did note home. Looking disappointed, Jack mumbled, ¡°How is this possible? What is going on?¡± Eliseforted him, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If it¡¯s really Mika, she wille home sooner orter.¡± ¡°But where is she now?¡± His words prompted everyone to fall into deep thoughts. Elise and Alexander left Mika¡¯s ce and went home together. In the car, she couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°What do you think? Since she¡¯s already back in Cittadel, why is she noting home?¡± Before this, Alexander had observed the way Elise worried about Mika¡¯s disappearance. He could tell how important Mika was to her, and he silently gave her moral support along the way. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Who knows? Maybe she is under some difficult circumstances.¡± Elise looked confused but could note up with a usible exnation. ¡°Alright now. Stop overthinking. At least we have proof that she¡¯s well and alive. The other mysteries will be unraveled once she gets home. You shouldn¡¯t lose your hair over it.¡± Staring out of the window moodily, Elise once again prayed that Mika coulde home soon. When they reached home, she immediately got ready to attend school due to the time difference. She had spent a lot of time in Switzend following the ident and took leaves of absence for it. Since she delivered satisfactory results in her previous exams, the teachers did notment on her absence. ¡°The final exam is tomorrow. Use your time wisely for revision.¡± The homeroom teacher was speaking to the ss, but her eyes were clearly on Elise. ¡°If you have any questions, feel free to drop by my office for rification.¡± Chapter 181 Chapter 181 Chapter 181,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°Okay.¡± As the students responded, they closed their textbooks. After gathering her things, Elise moved to leave the ssroom, but the Math teacher, Mr. Winfrey, stopped her when she walked to the corridor. ¡°Miss Sinir, I know you have a strong foundation, but you¡¯re really taking too many days off this semester. If you have trouble catching up, juste to me for guidance as soon as possible. The finals are just around the corner, and I hope you can ace the tests like you always do.¡± Elise could clearly feel the teacher¡¯s expectations of her. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Winfrey. I will do my best.¡± Seeing her reaction, he stopped nagging, but before leaving, he still tried to persuade her to focus on her studies. ¡°If you don¡¯t understand anything at all, juste to me. Don¡¯t be shy, okay?¡± Elise responded with a smile. ¡°Got it. Thank you, Mr. Winfrey.¡± With that, Elise waved and left while Mr. Winfrey watched her go, then sighed. I¡¯ve been teaching for ages, but Elise here is one of a kind. She¡¯s a Math genius. If she dedicates herself to Math, the field will benefit greatly from her insight. Elise, of course, didn¡¯t know her teacher¡¯s thoughts. When she went home, she saw Danny obediently revising his studies. Elise raised an eyebrow as she asked, ¡°So, how confident are you this time?¡± Danny nodded. ¡°Probably won¡¯t be too big of a problem, but there¡¯s still a long way to go before I can surpass you.¡± Elise encouraged him instead. ¡°You¡¯re not inpetition with me; you¡¯re inpetition with yourself. You¡¯ll do fine as long as you¡¯re improving.¡± Danny looked up at her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Boss! I¡¯ll work extra hard and surpass you as soon as I can.¡± ¡°Sure. All the best.¡± Elise then asked, ¡°Anything you don¡¯t understand today?¡± A light chuckleter, he handed her the workbook. ¡°I¡¯m wondering about this question, actually.¡± Elise gave it a look, and the solution came clearly and easily to her. She worked on the problem with Danny, and the two were so focused that they didn¡¯t notice Alexander entering the scene and standing in a spot near them. ¡°It¡¯s more or less like this, and you¡¯ll get square root of 3 in the end. You can try solving it on your own again,¡± Elise said, putting down the pencil. It was only then when she looked up to see Alexander, whose presence came as a slight surprise. ¡°When did you get back?¡± Alexander walked over. ¡°I just arrived.¡± Then he peeked at their calctions. ¡°I heard that both of you will be having your finals soon, so surely it means that winter break is not far off? Do you have any ns?¡± He looked at Elise, who smiled as she replied, ¡°I¡¯ll go home for winter break and spend the rest of the year with my grandparents. I¡¯lle back when school reopens next year.¡± ¡°Boss, you can¡¯t do that! You promised to y games with me if I scored the top 3, so if you return to your hometown, thework there won¡¯t be good enough to y games!¡± Elise replied, ¡°Nah, thework there is pretty nice, so we won¡¯t have such problems. Also, as long as you get in the top 3, I¡¯ll dly y games with you, even if I have to use up all my mobile data.¡± Pleased by her reply, Danny grinned. ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± On the other hand, Alexander put on a sour face. If Elise was going home, then he wouldn¡¯t be able to see her for a long while. At that thought, Alexander found his heart filled with longing. He even wished to go with Elise, and as soon as the idea entered his mind, he seemed to have thought of something so brilliant his eyes even sparkled a little. ¡°You guys continue. I¡¯m going up.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. With that, Alexander went up the stairs and gave Cameron a call. ¡­¡­ The day before the exams, Danny did his revisions well into the night, whereas Elise kept to her daily routine and went to sleep early as usual. The next morning, Elise woke up feeling refreshed, and Danny managed to get up on time as well. Thetter was even reading a Chinese magazine as he ate his breakfast. ¡°Morning, Boss.¡± Danny greeted Elise, who was surprised to see him in such high spirits. Elise hastily asked, ¡°Are you on drugs or something? How are you so awake?¡± Danny smiled mysteriously as he said, ¡°I didn¡¯t take any drugs, Boss, but would you like some freshly ground coffee?¡± Elise nodded, and Ste immediately understood the assignment. A cup of freshly ground coffee soon appeared in front of Elise. ¡°Miss Elise, this coffee is freshly brewed. Do have a try.¡± ¡°Thank you, Ste. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯vest had such good coffee.¡± With that, Elise took a sip. The pleasant smell of the coffee instantly filled her mouth, and her taste buds were extremely satisfied. ¡°Boss, I¡¯m already done with breakfast, so I¡¯m going to school first.¡± Danny put down his spoon and rushed out. Ste couldn¡¯t help but praise him. ¡°Young Master Danny has been so hardworkingtely! He would do his homework as soon as he got home, and he would also study Chinese vocabry every morning. I wonder what caused him to change so much. This has never happened before!¡± Elise was pleased to know that Danny had the will and perseverance in him, and she knew he would have a bright future ahead of him. ¡°Ste, I¡¯m done with breakfast as well. I¡¯m going to school now.¡± Elise was about to leave when she bumped into Alexander, who was just descending the stairs. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a ride.¡± Alexander obviously hadn¡¯t had breakfast before he took Elise to school. Hence, she gave him a reminder before she got out of his car when they reached the schoolpounds. ¡°Breakfasts are important. Remember to eat on time.¡± Alexander had no care for such things, but he subconsciously replied, ¡°All right. All the best for your finals.¡± Elise waved at him, then walked toward the school. For some reason, Alexander actually went to a breakfast joint and ordered a breakfast wrap. As he looked at the delicious food in front of him, his mood was instantly lifted, and even his eyebrows rxed into a gentle expression. Ashlyn hadn¡¯t seen Alexander in forever. Ever since she was used as a pawn in an arranged marriage, she no longer had the right to stay close to Alexander. Still, she kept learning about him by word of mouth, and she knew that even when she was engaged to another person, her heart belonged to Alexander only. However, she never thought that she would bump into him on her way to get breakfast. Alexander also seemed to be in a good mood; he was even smiling at the food. Ashlyn swore she had never seen Alexander so happy in all the years she had known him. He was always so stern and unsmiling, so she never thought a day woulde when she would be able to witness him smiling like that. Ashlyn couldn¡¯t help but walk toward him. ¡°Long time no see, Alexander!¡± Hearing that, Alexander immediately dropped his smile, and his usual coldness took its ce. He even thought that Ashlyn¡¯s appearance caused him to lose his appetite. ¡°Miss Lawson, we¡¯re not that familiar with each other, are we?¡± Chapter 182 Chapter 182 Chapter 182,Coolest Girl in Town Ashlyn felt awkward, but she still bit the bullet and tried to convince Alexander. ¡°We grew up together, Alexander. Even if we can¡¯t be lovers, we can still be friends, right?¡± Alexander replied coldly, ¡°Sorry, but I beg to differ.¡± With that, Alexander stood up. He had lost the mood for breakfast, so he signaled for the waiter. ¡°Please put these in takeaway containers. Thank you.¡± Afterpleting his task, the waiter passed the containers to Alexander. ¡°Here you are, mister.¡± Alexander took the containers and left, for he had no intention of talking to Ashlyn. Thedy, however, didn¡¯t give up and ran after him. ¡°Alexander, I was foolish and did horrible things. I¡¯m sorry, and I¡¯ve already repented! Please, can you forget the past and pretend that it never happened? Can we still be friends like before?¡± Alexander was growing more irritated by the second. ¡°Are you out of your mind? You¡¯d better see a doctor and get your delusional tendencies checked.¡± Instantly, Ashlyn went pale in the face. Alexander¡¯s words had dragged her harshly out of her ideal state. She thought that if they reached an understanding, they could pretend that the past never happened, then everything would go back to how they were before. However, she totally forgot how filthy her actions were, and she should be embarrassed to approach Alexander out of nowhere. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡ª¡± Alexander didn¡¯t have time for her exnations, so he simply got into his car and drove away. Left behind, Ashlyn was frustrated. Why? Dang it! I don¡¯t get how things turned out this way. We weren¡¯t like this before. He used to be nice and polite to me, though I need to admit that we weren¡¯t particrly close. But hey, he was still alright. His attitude now, though?! Hmph! He refused to talk to her any more than necessary! When did the change happen? Ashlyn recalled Elise¡¯s arrival, and she clenched her fists. She seemed to have found the reason. It all happened because of Elise¡­ ¡°That cunning woman!¡± Ashlyn shouted. Elise must have done something to cause Alexander to hate me so much. By now, Ashlyn hadpletelye to hate Elise, and she swore that she would have her revenge one day. However, Elise had no idea what happened, for she had just entered the exam hall to prepare for the exams. There were 4 subjects to be tested in the finals, includingnguages and Math. After the 2-day finals, the winter break was finally upon them. After returning to the Griffith Residence, Elise immediately went upstairs. Danny followed suit, and when his bag hit the floor, he was already starting up a game in his room. Even from a distance away, Elise could hear the gaming soundsing from his room. Elise shut the door to her room in order to block off the noise, and then she called Laura up. ¡°Grandma, I¡¯ll be going back after 2 days to spend my break with you¡ª¡± Before Elise could finish, Laura hastily said, ¡°Ellie, you don¡¯t have toe back. I¡¯m on vacation with your grandpa, and we won¡¯t be back until next year.¡± This time, it was Elise¡¯s turn to be stunned. ¡°When did you go? Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± Promptly, her grandmother responded by saying, ¡°It¡¯s sort of ast-minute decision, so we didn¡¯t inform you beforehand. You can just spend the break in Athesea, all right? You don¡¯t have toe home.¡± Hearing that, Elise could only sigh helplessly. ¡°All right, then. Take care out there ande home soon.¡± After Laura hung up, Robin immediately asked her, ¡°She didn¡¯t notice, right?¡± Laura grinned in satisfaction. ¡°You know who I am. She wouldn¡¯t notice at all. Ellie definitely wouldn¡¯t expect us to arrive in Athesea in 2 days. She¡¯ll be so surprised when she sees us!¡± Robin said admiringly, ¡°I never thought that Alex would arrange these things so well. There shouldn¡¯t be much cause for worry if they get together in the future.¡± Laura agreed, wholly satisfied with Alexander. ¡°But he also said that they would get engaged first, then they can take it slow with the wedding. No matter what, this grandson-inw won¡¯t be going anywhere, so our little Ellie is finally settling down.¡± They exchanged happy smiles, and they could see their reflections in each other¡¯s eyes. Meanwhile, Elise was a little deted. Her grandparents didn¡¯t even tell her that they were going on a vacation, but she had already told the Griffiths that she would be going home for the break. Now that she couldn¡¯t go back anymore, this situation was kind of embarrassing for her. Still, Elise didn¡¯t overthink about it. It was the holidays, so she had time to help search for news on Mika. Oddly, all traces indicated that Mikalya had returned to the country, but she still hadn¡¯te home after so long, nor did she contact her family. Elise¡¯s expression went dark, after which she turned on herputer. ¡®Jamie, are all the holes in Sk System fixed?¡¯ Elise sent Jamie a message, and she soon received a reply. ¡®All patched up. Do you want to use it, Boss?¡¯ Elise replied with a simple ¡®yes¡¯ then continued, ¡®I¡¯m looking for someone, and I¡¯m wondering if Sk can help me find them sooner.¡¯ Seeing Elise¡¯s request, Jamie quickly asked, ¡®Who are you looking for, Boss? Just send me their info, and Sk will be able to track them down within a day.¡¯ Immediately, Elise sent over Mika¡¯s information. ¡®Notify me as soon as you find any news on her.¡¯ Jamie responded with an ¡®ok¡¯ emoji. Then he proceeded to scour for information on Mika with Sk. Elise took a deep breath and hoped that they would have news on Mika soon. Elise thought that Mika would be found quickly with the aid of Sk, but 3 days had passed without any new information. It was as if Mika had disappeared; they couldn¡¯t find any traces of her. ¡®Boss, is someone trying to hide her tracks?¡¯ Elise thought long and hard. Who else in this world could have such talent and skill? As she was racking her brains, a knock sounded on her door, and she was brought back to reality. She thought that it must be Ste, so she said casually, ¡°Is anything the matter, Ste?¡± Elise didn¡¯t get an answer as she expected. Stunned and a little curious, Elise got up to open the door, only to be dumbfounded the next moment. ¡°Grandpa! Grandma! Why are you here?¡± Laura stretched out her arms in wee. ¡°My darling Ellie! Let me have a good look at you! Look how much you¡¯ve grown!¡± Undoubtedly, the young lady was surprised. ¡°Grandma, weren¡¯t you on vacation? Why are you suddenly back?¡± It was an awkward question, and Laura didn¡¯t know how to answer it, so she let Robin do the talking. Robin could only chuckle out of awkwardness. ¡°Hah! We were tired, so we came back.¡± Elise wasn¡¯t one to be easily deceived. Something is fishy indeed. ¡°Really?¡± she asked, and Laura could only nod in reply. Elise quickly dropped her suspicions because she was simply too d to see her grandparents. ¡°I¡¯ve missed you so much, Grandma.¡± Elise took Laura¡¯s arm tightly in hers, and Laura didn¡¯t know what to do with her. ¡°You¡¯re a big girl now. Why are you still acting like a child?¡± The youngdy replied by pulling a funny face. ¡°No matter how old I get, I just want to be a little girl in your eyes, Grandma.¡± Won over by her granddaughter¡¯s cheeky reply, Laura caressed her head lovingly. ¡°You have a way with words, don¡¯t you?¡± N?velDrama.Org content rights. Chapter 183 Chapter 183 Chapter 183,Coolest Girl in Town As they talked, Elise helped Laura into her room. Robin, on the other hand, said that he wanted to get some tea, so he went downstairs. The door had just closed when Laura said to Elise in a serious tone, ¡°Ellie, we already know about you and Alex.¡± For a moment, Elise was stunned, but soon she curved her lips into a smile. ¡°Then are you here to attend our engagement party?¡± Laura took Elise¡¯s hand. ¡°Ellie, be honest with me. Do you really want this? Your grandpa and I do think that Alex is a fine guy, but your thoughts are also important to me. If you don¡¯t like him that much, you don¡¯t have to force yourself.¡± Elise knew that her grandparents were the nicest people in the world to her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandma. I agreed to the engagement exactly because I like him. As for the wedding, I¡¯m still too young to be legally married, so we¡¯ll wait another 2 years to make a decision.¡± Hearing Elise¡¯s words, Laura could finally let go of the burdens in her heart. ¡°As long as you¡¯re happy with it, I¡¯ll give you all my support. Still, time goes by too fast, doesn¡¯t it? Just in the blink of an eye, my dear Ellie is already getting married¡­¡± Laura caressed Elise¡¯s hair, her voice taking on a mncholic tone. Elise leaned against her. ¡°Grandma, I¡¯ll be fine¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I believe you will.¡± The two chatted for a bit, then Elise got Laura to her own room. Then, as soon as Elise turned around, she realized that Alexander was standing just behind her. ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re back?¡± Alexander looked at her, then asked, ¡°Have they settled down?¡± Elise nodded. ¡°It¡¯s been a tiring journey for them. They¡¯re already asleep.¡± ¡°Good. Just tell Ste if they have any needs. The new year ising soon, so it¡¯s nice to have more people around. The more, the merrier, yes?¡± Elise looked up into his eyes. ¡°Are you the one who took them here?¡± Elise had already guessed it somehow, but she still asked for confirmation. As expected, Alexander nodded. ¡°You seem lonely here, so they¡¯re d toe and apany you.¡± Warmth spread throughout Elise¡¯s chest. ¡°Thank you!¡± Those were just two simple words, but Alexander could feel something weird welling up in him. He walked to Elise and stopped mere inches away from her. ¡°We don¡¯t have to be so polite around each other. They are your grandparents and also mine as well. We¡¯re all family.¡± Elise blinked as her heart raced. She watched as Alexander leaned in, his face getting closer to hers. She reached out subconsciously to block his advancements. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m going back to my room.¡± With that, she escaped without waiting for Alexander¡¯s reply. She closed the door behind her as soon as she entered her room. Her heart was still beating rapidly as she recalled the scene just seconds ago. Alexander was trying to kiss me! Elise put a hand to her chest in relief. She was d that she ran away in time, but still, she could feel a slight sense of regret buried inside. Admit it, Elise. You¡¯re looking forward to it too, but you just didn¡¯t want to face it. That night, Elise tossed and turned in her bed, unable to sleep. She kept thinking of that moment when Alexander was leaning in to kiss her. It wasn¡¯t until past midnight when Elise finally nodded off to sleep, and she only woke up near midday. ¡°Boss, quick, get up!¡± Danny was rapping on the door. Elise turned around, annoyed. ¡°Go away. Give me five more minutes.¡± However, Danny could barely contain his emotions. The results for the finals were released that morning, and he was overjoyed as he saw his results on his phone. He actually got third ce in the test, so he refused to leave as told. ¡°Boss, get up! Results for the finals are out!¡± Elise only wanted to cover her ears with her pillow. Finally, she couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, so she sat up on the bed, then walked over and opened the door. ¡°Quit yapping this early in the morning!¡± Seeing Elise¡¯s sleepy look, Danny immediately said, ¡°Boss, it¡¯s almost noon¡­¡± If Elise wasn¡¯t awake before, she was now. Danny¡¯s words had jolted her awake. ¡°What? Almost noon?¡± Danny nodded in confirmation. Elise turned around and closed the door, keeping the boy outside. Danny could only swallow the words he was about to say. ¡°Boss, get ready quick, okay? I¡¯ll wait for you downstairs.¡± Elise looked at the time and realized that it was already 11 am. After a quick washing up, she went down the stairs to see Laura and Robin reading newspapers in the living room. She immediately rushed up to them and grabbed Laura¡¯s arm. ¡°Good morning, Grandma!¡± Laura put the newspapers away. ¡°It¡¯s not morning anymore, darling. It¡¯s almost noon.¡± Elise grinned, albeit a little embarrassed. ¡°Sorry, I overslept.¡± ¡°Go get something to eat. Breakfasts are important, right?¡± Elise quickly straightened up. ¡°Got it, Grandma. I¡¯m going now.¡± ¡°Boss, quick, check the results! They¡¯re out!¡± Danny reminded her excitedly. Seeing his antics, Elise could already guess that he did well. ¡°How did you fare?¡± Danny was beaming as he showed her three fingers. ¡°I got third ce in ss!¡± Elise smiled in return. ¡°Not bad. It¡¯s a great improvement.¡± Without wasting a moment, Danny went up to her. ¡°Then you¡¯ll keep your promise tonight, right? You¡¯ll y games with me?¡± Elise nodded. ¡°Sure. Tonight it is, then.¡± Danny was ted to know that Elise was a woman of her word. ¡°Nice! I¡¯ll get KK and the others, and we¡¯ll sweep the floor tonight!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± That night after dinner, Elise went back to her room. She was chilling on the couch with her phone in hand when KK sent a message to the group chat. KK: ¡®When are we starting?¡¯ Danny: ¡®In a bit. Wait for me.¡¯ Elise: ¡®Tell me when you¡¯re online.¡¯ Danny: ¡®Ok.¡¯ After seeing the reply, Elise exited the group chat and scrolled Twitter for a while. Within half an hour, Danny was already online. ¡®Boss, get online now. We¡¯re starting.¡¯ Elise replied with an ¡®okay¡¯. She pulled up the game screen. This time, she found her main ount, and she logged in to see her inbox filled with private messages. She frowned and skimmed through them. They were all messages from yers asking when she would return. At the same time, the group chat was in a frenzy. KK sent a message first, saying, ¡®OMG, guess what I just saw! I just logged in and saw that Ellimane is online! Right now!¡¯ N?velDrama.Org (C) content. Danny: ¡®I saw it too! And Ellimane rarely gets online! What a rare asion!¡¯ KK: ¡®I wish we could y with Ellimane! I could die happy!¡¯ Danny: ¡®I hope so too, but Ellimane is way out of our league. We¡¯re just normal yers ¡­¡¯ Danny had just sent his message when he saw a notification on his game interface, stating, ¡®Ellimane invited you for a game.¡¯ Danny¡¯s hands trembled. He thought his eyes must be ying tricks on him, and he subconsciously rubbed his eyes in disbelief. Chapter 184 Chapter 184 Chapter 184,Coolest Girl in Town Danny: ¡®Ellimane invited me to join a game¡­¡¯ When Danny sent the message, even his breathing turned uneven. He quickly epted the invitation, fearing that he might miss out. Seeing the message, KK thought that Danny was joking. He was about to reply when the same notification popped up on his game interface: ¡®Ellimane invited you for a game.¡¯ Instantly, KK went nuts, and he was way beyond excited as he texted Danny back. ¡®Ellimane also invited me!¡¯ With that, KK straightaway entered the game, and three characters soon appeared on the screen. They were Danny, KK, and Ellimane! Seeing his idol, KK was the first to move forward. ¡®Ellimane, I¡¯m so happy to see you! I never thought that you would invite me for a game! Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll do my best not to drag you down.¡¯ Elise was speechless at KK¡¯s torrent of messages but responded to him, regardless. ¡®Don¡¯t be so nervous. It¡¯s not our first time ying together.¡¯ It was KK¡¯s turn to be surprised. Danny also stared at the words on the screen in disbelief. He felt that he had missed something huge. ¡°Ellimane, have we yed together before?¡± Danny couldn¡¯t help but ask. Elise found Danny¡¯s behavior funny, but she didn¡¯t hide the secret for long. ¡°Come on, Danny Griffith. It¡¯s me!¡± Danny was startled as he read the six words. He was even surprised that he had linked Ellimane to Elise subconsciously. He stared at the screen in disbelief, his hands trembling as he asked, ¡®Who¡­ Who are you? How did you know my real name?¡¯ ¡®Elise Sinir!¡¯ She didn¡¯t bother to exin and merely replied to him with her name. This time, Danny threw his phone away in shock, then he quickly got up and walked toward Elise¡¯s room. He didn¡¯t even bother knocking as he opened the door and walked in. The first thing he saw was Elisezing on the couch. When she saw the intruder, she waved her phone at him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Let¡¯s start the game!¡± Danny hastily walked forward and snatched Elise¡¯s phone. When he saw her yer ID, his eyes grew as wide as saucers. ¡°You¡­ You¡­ You¡¯re actually Ellimane?!¡± Elise grinned. ¡°What, do I not look the part?¡± Danny felt his legs give way, and he almost fell over. He started recalling snippets of his interactions with Elise concerning the game. Elise was supposedly a newbie when theyst yed together, but her skills far surpassed his, so it would make sense that she was already skilled at the game, but she had simply used a new ount to y with him. Also, it was no wonder that she looked so calm when he ranted about Ellimane to her. He thought she wasn¡¯t interested, but that was only because she was Ellimane herself. Danny immediately fell to his knees. ¡°Boss, I¡¯m so d I¡¯m your underling.¡± Seeing him act like that, Elise quickly said, ¡°Come on, get up. I have nothing to give you, even if you do this.¡± Danny stood up in glee. ¡°Wait for me, boss. I¡¯ll take my phone here so we can y together.¡± With that, Danny ran out. As soon as the door closed, he jumped up and down in excitement, shouting, ¡°Yes! Yes!¡± Alexander was passing by when he saw Danny, so he asked, ¡°What happened?¡± Hastily, Danny gathered himself and feigned calmness. ¡°Nothing, I just wanted to y games with Boss.¡± This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Alexander thought that Danny was brushing him off, so he wanted to say something, but Danny had already left. Danny came back soon enough and walked right into Elise¡¯s room. He looked like a smitten fan as he said, ¡°Boss, let¡¯s start now. Please carry me!¡± Elise was speechless. Meanwhile, KK was so ovee by emotions that he could barely function. He kept spamming Danny with messages. ¡®I literally cannot! I feel so nervous every time I see Ellimane. I know I will mess up!¡¯ Danny looked at Elise, then replied calmly, ¡®It¡¯s fine. Just do your best for the game, and you¡¯ll be fine. Ellimane is an ordinary person, just like us.¡¯ KK took a deep breath to calm himself, then asked, ¡®Right, where¡¯s your Boss? We were going to y together, right? Why isn¡¯t she online?¡¯ With that, KK pinged Elise in the group chat. Danny wasn¡¯t quite willing to break the news to KK just yet, so he made up a quick excuse, ¡®Boss won¡¯t being today. We¡¯ll just y with Ellimane today.¡¯ KK didn¡¯t think too much as he hastily followed Ellimane into the game. Danny caught up as well, and they formed a team of three. Then, they were quickly matched with another group of yers. Due to Ellimane¡¯s sudden return, the yers in the game were already in a frenzy, and they all poured in to watch the match. Soon, the match had gained more than 10,000 viewers, hence proving Ellimane¡¯s massive influence. However, Elise didn¡¯t care much. She had agreed to y with Danny, so she would give it her all. 3 matches down, and they were still winning by arge margin. Danny, on the other hand, was in awe as he eximed, ¡°You¡¯re awesome, Boss!¡± Elise kept her eyes focused on the screen as she replied, ¡°Watch your back. Surprise attack iing.¡± Danny was nonchnt. ¡°It¡¯s fine. With Boss around, I¡¯ll be alright.¡± However, as soon as he finished talking, Danny¡¯s character was shed by the opponent. He immediately lost a third of his HP, also losing his nonchnce at the same time. ¡°Boss, why didn¡¯t you help me?¡± Elise didn¡¯t even raise her head. ¡°y properly and focus on the game.¡± Danny knew right away that Elise was doing it on purpose. He was a revengeful person, so he immediately countered the opponent in the game, and he soon finished them off, after which he put down his phone in glee. ¡°How¡¯s that, Boss? My skills aren¡¯t too bad, are they?¡± Elise was calm as she replied, ¡°Not bad.¡± Danny took it as the best encouragement ever. ¡°Boss, with your encouragement, I¡¯ll keep working hard and catch up to you in the future!¡± Is it me or is this boy here a bit adorable today? ¡°I wonder why I¡¯ve never seen such an adorable side to you before.¡± Hearing her words, Danny moved closer and acted cutesy as he said, ¡°Then, Boss, do you like adorkable underlings like me?¡± Elise didn¡¯t know what to say, but she didn¡¯t forget to reach out and p his head. ¡°I¡¯ve already done my part of the deal. Don¡¯t bug me to y with you anymore, okay?¡± Danny immediately put on a pitiful look. ¡°Boss, we¡¯ve only yed one round! Look how hard I¡¯ve worked and how much I¡¯ve improved! Another round, please?¡± Considering his plea, Elise could only shake her head in exasperation. At the same time, countless private messages were flooding her inbox, all from other yers. Elise didn¡¯t bother replying to the messages as she said, ¡°I¡¯m going offline now. We¡¯ll y together next time.¡± Chapter 185 Chapter 185 Chapter 185,Coolest Girl in Town With a heavy heart, Danny reluctantly agreed with Elise. ¡°Alright, y with me again next time.¡± After Elise went offline, she immediately put the fun moment she just had with Danny behind her since it was nothing more than just a game to her. However, to everyone¡¯s surprise, some of the yers who were onlooking recorded clips of their gamey. The hashtag #Ellimane¡¯sReturn went viral, and because of the hashtag¡¯s poprity, Danny and KK¡¯s in-game ID received endless friend requests. The next day, Danny realized their gamey had be the most trending video on the inte. Thus, he excitedly showed it to Elise. ¡°Boss, you¡¯re now the most searched person on the inte.¡± ¡°What?¡± Elise frowned in confusion. ¡°Someone posted a video of our gamey walkthrough on the inte, and it¡¯s gone viral.¡± Danny forwarded the link with a reply. Upon taking a quick glimpse at it, Eliseined in response. ¡°Man! I shouldn¡¯t have yed the game with you guys using my existing ount.¡± Danny chuckled. ¡°Boss, how was I supposed to know your true identity if you hadn¡¯t used your actual ount to y with us? Furthermore, I wish everyone knows you¡¯re my boss because everyone is going to be so envious of me.¡± While Elise shrugged her shoulders helplessly, Danny immediately acted like he was her little fan and asked, ¡°When are you going to y with me again, Boss? Can I y with you again next time? Please let me know if there is anything you need, Boss. I¡¯ll get it arranged right away!¡± ¡­¡­ Elise then interrupted his speech. ¡°Alright, my grandpa and grandma will be here in a few days, so please keep thempany for me. Thus, our game will have to wait for the time being.¡± Knowing what Elise was implying, Danny gave her an ¡®okay¡¯ gesture as an agreement. ¡°No problem, Boss. I¡¯m free anyway, so I can definitely show them around.¡± In the meantime, Alexander was slowly approaching the unsuspecting duo just when Danny was finishing his words. Then, he knitted his eyebrows and looked at Danny and Elise, feeling as if the two of them had grown a lot closer recently. For that, he couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly jealous about it, but since Danny was his brother, he decided to say nothing about it. Instead, he suggested something else. ¡°Would you like to take Grandpa and Grandma out? It¡¯s the holiday season now, so why don¡¯t you tag along?¡± As Elise was about to say something, Danny beat her to it and responded. ¡°Sure, Alexander. Let¡¯s go.¡± Alexander turned his attention to Elise. ¡°What about you?¡± Well, I could take this opportunity to show my grandparents around Athesea. The more, the merrier anyway. At the thought of that, Elise replied affirmatively, ¡°Sure.¡± Alexander then said, ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll get Cameron to arrange everything. We¡¯ll be ready to set out in the afternoon.¡± Later that afternoon, Alexander took everyone, along with Laura and Robin, out. For the next two days, they visited almost every famousndmark in Athesea with Alexander, who showed them around like a tour guide. With Alexander¡¯s clear exnation about all the ces they visited, Laura and Robin were especially satisfied with him. In fact, they reckoned he was a perfect match with Elise, and with that, they were looking forward to his marriage with Elise. On New Year¡¯s Eve, the Griffith Family was busy decorating their home with beautifulmps and flowers. Not long after that, the Griffith Residence was seen with a new and refreshing look. At dinnertime, everyone sat around the table as Laura took her gifts from her bag. ¡°Everybody listen up! It¡¯s the new year, and each of you is going to get a present. May every one of you have a wonderful year ahead.¡± Danny, who loved presents, epted his gift with excitement. ¡°Thank you, Grandma.¡± Soon, Laura gave another present to Jack and said, ¡°Come here, boy.¡± Meanwhile, Jack fixed his gaze on the gift, wondering how long it had been since thest time he ever received a present. After a brief hesitation, he took the gift and said, ¡°Thank you, Grandma.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. We¡¯re all a family anyway, so I want you both to be happy.¡± Elise leaned closer and seized Laura¡¯s arm in a coy manner. ¡°Grandma, as your granddaughter, shouldn¡¯t I be receiving a big gift?¡± Laura poked Elise¡¯s head with her finger. ¡°Silly girl! What makes you think I¡¯ll forget you?¡± Soon, she presented another gift to her granddaughter. ¡°Here. I prepared this a long time ago.¡± ¡°Thank you, Grandma!¡± Elise happily eximed. Laura helplessly shook her head. ¡°Oh, my girl! When are you ever going to grow up?¡± Despite those words, the olddy¡¯s eyes were filled with love and affection. Then, she reached for her gift and gave it to Alexander. ¡°This is for you, Alexander! I hope you and Elise can live a happy life forever together.¡± Upon hearing the olddy¡¯s words, Elise felt her face blush as she became embarrassed. In the meantime, Alexander took the gift and sincerely expressed his gratitude. ¡°Thanks, Grandma.¡± Laura nodded her head satisfactorily. ¡°Good! Good! Let¡¯s celebrate the night and get ready for New Year¡¯s Day!¡± As everyone raised their sses and filled the parlor with happyughter, the lively vibe was apanied by some uplifting New Year¡¯s music on the television, making the atmosphere feel even more heartwarming. After dinner, Mrs. Lester proceeded to clean the dishes while Elise watched some New Year festival shows on the TV. In the meantime, Jack appeared to be a little distracted, sitting on the couch as he stared nkly ahead of him. On the other hand, Danny was busy texting his friends to wish them a happy new year while Alexander stood in the corner and observed everyone quietly. When Grandpa was still around, we had quite a number of heartwarming moments like this one as well. He may be gone now, but I¡¯m grateful that I managed to keep this family together. At the thought of that, Alexander smiled from ear to ear charmingly, whereupon he made his way toward the parlor and sat down beside Elise. At that moment, they were watching an entertaining talk show as Elise was seenughing out loud with her grandmother. ¡°This actor looks familiar. What¡¯s his name already¡­?¡± Laura fixed her gaze on the actor on the TV in bewilderment until Elise reminded her. ¡°It¡¯s Floyd Willis.¡± Laura¡¯s smile grew even wider when she heard the name. ¡°I think that¡¯s the name I was trying to recall, but anyway, he seems pretty good.¡± ¡°He is still filming now, Grandma, and his movie is showing on New Year¡¯s Day.¡± ¡°Really? Let¡¯s watch it then.¡± Elise nodded and said, ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll take you there tomorrow.¡± Soon, Laura took a look at the clock on the wall and shifted her gaze to Alexander and Elise. Well, I suppose this young couple could use a little time and privacy for themselves. At the thought of that, the olddy winked at Robin as she pretended to yawn. ¡°I¡¯m getting tired, Elise. The years are catching up with me, and I can¡¯t stay upte as I used to. So, your grandpa and I are going to bed now.¡± Elise then looked at the time, only to realize it was just 10 PM. However, she didn¡¯t say anything much but instead stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll walk you back to your room.¡± Upon walking her grandparents back to the room, Elise returned to the parlor, where she saw no one else but Alexander. Surprised and confused, she asked, ¡°Where are the rest?¡± N?velDrama.Org content rights. Chapter 186 Chapter 186 Chapter 186,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°Jack has something going on, and Danny is out as well,¡± Alexander exined. Oh, but¡­ Elise was about to word her excuses when Alexander followed up quickly with, ¡°Why don¡¯t you sit down and watch some television with me?¡± She took on the invitation with obvious reluctance, but the next moment, even as her eyes were fixed on the television screen, her mind had already wandered somewhere else. Time ticked by slowly, and when the clock struck 11.30PM, Alexander turned to look at her. ¡°We¡¯ll set off the fireworks and firecrackers in the backyardter; do you want toe along with me?¡± She snapped out of her thoughts and asked blearily, ¡°Wait, is it time already?¡± ¡°Another half-hour to go,¡± he replied. ¡°Oh,¡± she muttered. ¡°Then we should probably make our way over now.¡± They sauntered over to the backyard where the fireworks and firecrackers had been readied for the new year celebration. Alexander went about arranging them,ying down the lead-in wires as he said, ¡°We¡¯ll set them off as soon as the clock strikes midnight.¡± Elise hummed in response. Just then, seemingly by magic, Alexander produced a simple envelope and handed it to her, saying, ¡°Here, it¡¯s a gift for you.¡± She stared at the envelope, which was bulging with what was presumably cash, and asked in astonishment, ¡°F-For me?¡± With a trace of impatience, he shoved it into her hands. ¡°Just take it, will you? I¡¯ve never had to think about getting gifts for girls, and I won¡¯t have you turning down my kind gesture.¡± She sputtered when she heard this, then caught herself and quickly epted the envelope. She tested the weight of it and thought the amount was more than generous. ¡°Haven¡¯t you ever dated a girl before this?¡± she asked without thinking and instantly regretted it. She wanted nothing more than to bite off her own tongue; the topic of exes was taboo in rtionships, and she should have known better than to ask about it. Trying to save herself, she added, ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. I didn¡¯t mean it that way.¡± To her surprise, Alexander answered nonchntly, ¡°Hmm¡­ I did date a girl once, but that onlysted half a month.¡± He kept his reply brief and final. Judging from how unruffled he looked, it seemed as if his past rtionship had no effect on him whatsoever. However, Elise could only dream of mirroring his calm demeanor. He might be unaffected, but he¡¯s my first love! She noted sourly how her inexperience put her at a disadvantage in their dynamics. ¡°Oh, so what was she like? Was she pretty?¡± She did not notice how jealousy had worked its way into her tone when she asked this. Alexander, too, was surprisingly oblivious to how pointed her question came off. ¡°I don¡¯t really remember,¡± he confessed inly. Elise was clearly pleased with his answer, and the spike of jealousy she had felt now receded. ¡°Okay,e on, we have to start lighting the fireworks.¡± He nced at his watch and saw that there were two minutes left until midnight. ¡°Okay, get ready,¡± he announced, then clicked the lighter and set the me to the lead-in wire. In a matter of seconds, a loud crackling sound filled the backyard, after which came the thundering boom as the fireworks shot upward and lit up the night sky with glorious technicolor. Elise and Alexander stood side-by-side; there was a quiet togetherness to them as they tipped their heads up to watch the firework show. When the festive show came to an end, she nced at Alexander and said with a small smile, ¡°Happy New Year.¡± He reached out and drew her into his arms, then muttered close to her ear, ¡°Happy New Year.¡± After what felt like a long embrace, they released each other. ¡°We should get some rest; plenty of visiting to do tomorrow.¡± With that, he took Elise by the hand and led her back into the house, whereupon they returned to their individual bedrooms. They slept soundly that night and had sweet dreams thatsted them until dawn. Elise woke up early the next morning. It was a whole new year, and the morning air was thick with festive cheer. She donned a bright red coat and made her way downstairs, thereafter greeting the elders cheerily, ¡°Happy New Year, Grandpa and Grandma!¡± Then, Ste came into the dining room with a tray of freshly made Berliners, which were doughnuts filled with sweet jam. ¡°Miss Ellie, have a Berliner! They¡¯re supposedly meant to bring in good luck for the new year.¡± Elise had only just taken one and thanked Ste for it when her phone rang. She picked up the call and nched when she heard what was said on the other line. Meanwhile, having juste downstairs, Alexander saw the look on her face and demanded urgently, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± She put down her Berliner and immediately headed out of the door, throwing a hasty ¡°Grandma, I have to get going now, and I won¡¯t be back tillte!¡± over her shoulder. At the sight of this, Alexander grew worried and chased after her. ¡°Where are you going, Elise?¡± It was only then that she said hurriedly, ¡°Mika¡¯s back, and I have to go see her.¡± Upon hearing this, he grabbed his car keys and offered, ¡°I¡¯ll drive you over; get in the car.¡± Not wanting to waste another minute, Elise got into the car as told, and Alexander sped toward Mika¡¯s house. Presently, a crowd had gathered around Mika at her house, and one after another, they pestered her as delicately as they could. ¡°Mika, have you no recollection of me at all? I¡¯m Mom.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m Dad! Don¡¯t you remember?¡± Mika looked around at these people who imed to be her family, but her mind continued to draw a nk as she shook her head, bewildered and frustrated. The crowd sighed in resignation, and Mika¡¯s mother was the only one who took her hand tearfully. ¡°It¡¯s okay; it doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t remember us, as long as you¡¯re back home safe and sound.¡± Mika bristled at the crying woman holding her hand. For some reason, she was getting irritated by the waterworks, and she pulled away brusquely as she snapped, ¡°Can you please just stop crying?¡± She assessed the crowd dubiously and asked, ¡°Are you all really my family?¡± However, the question had only just rolled off Mika¡¯s tongue when Elise walked up to her. Having heard this, Elise felt her heart leap to her throat. She marched through the crowd and called out hesitantly, ¡°Mika?¡± When Elise saw Mika standing unscathed before her, she became overwhelmed with relief. She rushed forward and pulled the other girl into her arms, murmuring, ¡°You¡¯re finally home, Mika.¡± Her enthusiasm was met with a stiff and somewhat helpless reaction on Mika¡¯s part. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t actually know who you are, so could you let go of me for a bit?¡± Stunned, Elise untangled her arms slowly and gaped at Mika, dumbfoundedly. ¡°What did you just say, Mika? What do you mean you don¡¯t know me?¡± The surrounding family heaved long sighs, and Elise was dumbfounded. Mika¡¯s mother, on the other hand, could no longer hold back her tears. The droplets rolled down her cheeks, and she quickly reached for a tissue, clearly upset with her daughter¡¯s condition. Elise waspletely astounded by how unexpected this all was. With her gaze fixed on Mika, she asked somberly, ¡°Mika, do you really not know anyone here?¡± The other girl nodded. ¡°All I know is that I got sent here for some reason. These people are telling me they¡¯re my family, but I don¡¯t recall ever seeing them at all.¡± The concept of amnesia was not foreign to Elise, but this was the first time she had seen someone close to her be a victim of it. Did Mika suffer some kind of brain injury from the avnche? Is that why she lost her memory? Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. Chapter 187 Chapter 187 Chapter 187,Coolest Girl in Town Meanwhile, Jack had rushed over to Mika¡¯s house and caught her words in time. He stopped in his tracks when he came up to her, and there was an unreadable look in his eyes. When their gazes met, it was clear to see that she was utterly confused, and he could not see a trace of recognition registering on her face. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here,¡± Elise said, drawing him from his thoughts. He turned to regard her with a look of askance. However, Elise was at a loss for an exnation, too. After hearing Elise sigh in frustration, Jack walked up to Mika and asked intively, ¡°Don¡¯t you remember me?¡± Mika¡¯s eyes searched his face, and with a shake of her head, she inquired, ¡°Who are you?¡± Jack felt as if all the air had been sucked out of his lungs. He found himself answering without much thought. ¡°A friend.¡± Comprehension dawned on Mika. Then, her gaze flickered over to Elise as she pointed out, ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but you¡¯re so familiar to me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because we¡¯re best friends. We always will be,¡± Elise said firmly, sping Mika¡¯s hand in hers. Mika broke into a wide smile. ¡°Really? That¡¯s so good to hear. I thought I had no friends at all, but as it turns out, I have both of you!¡± ¡°Mika¡­¡± Jack pressed his lips into a grim line, and when he tried to say something again, he paused. After a while, he added, ¡°Get some rest. We¡¯ll drop by to see you another day.¡± A little displeased by this, Mika asked in a somewhat withdrawn voice, ¡°Are you really going to visit me again?¡± Elise hummed in affirmation. ¡°We will, and we¡¯ll definitely help you recover your memory.¡± Mika beamed and agreed to let them leave for now. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll see you guys soon, then.¡± Elise and Jack looked grim after they had left Mika¡¯s family home. Alexander, on the other hand, fell in step next to Elise, and he reached out to squeeze her hand as though giving her strength. ¡°Any of you got an idea on how we¡¯re supposed to help her regain her memory?¡± Jack asked, looking uncertain. Elise pursed her lips and said, ¡°I¡¯ve read about amnesia on the inte once. Apparently, the condition affects each patient differently; where some regain their memory in a couple of days, others could take months or years. Some never recover their memory at all.¡± Jack lowered his gaze in despair. ¡°I should have been with her in Switzend. If I had, then maybe none of this would have happened.¡± ¡°All the what if¡¯s aside, we can¡¯t change what has already happened,¡± Elise consoled. ¡°Right now, all we can do is figure out a way to help Mika regain her memory.¡± ¡°I know what we can do,¡± Jack said seriously. An idea popped into Elise¡¯s mind as well. After she and Jack had gone their separate ways, she gave Jamie a call while heading home. ¡°Jamie, you know that expert you mentioned who deals with amnesiac cases? Do you think you could get him toe to Athesea?¡± On the other line, Jamie was still groggy with sleep as he tossed in the warmth of his covers. ¡°Hey, Boss, correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but it¡¯s New Year¡¯s Day today, isn¡¯t it? Why are you looking for a doctor all of a sudden?¡± ¡°A friend of mine has amnesia, and I¡¯m trying to help her recover her memory,¡± Elise exined. Jamie bolted upright in bed, suddenly wide awake. ¡°Your wish is mymand, Boss. Don¡¯t you worry. I¡¯ll call up the doctor and arrange for him toe to Cittadel as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Thank you, Jamie.¡± Elise hung up the call and stared out the window, still unsettled by how shocking her reunion with Mika had turned out to be. You have to recover your memory soon, Mika, she found herself praying. Back at the Griffith Residence, Elise and Alexander had only just stepped past the threshold and given their coats to the servants when Laura¡¯s voice rang out. ¡°Ellie, have you and Alex returned atst?¡± Hastily rposing herself, Elise forced out a sweet smile and greeted, ¡°Happy New Year, Grandma!¡± Laura came around the corner and grinned at the younger girl. ¡°You little brat,¡± she said affectionately. ¡°Where did the both of you run off to early in the morning? Did something happen?¡± Elise closed the distance between them and looped her arm through Laura¡¯s. ¡°Whatever it was, it¡¯s already been settled. What did you and Grandpa get up to?¡± Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. ¡°What else? A bunch of friends came over to visit us for the new year, but that was all. By the way, your aunt called earlier and said that she¡¯d be arriving in Atheseater. She wants you to pick her up from the airport.¡± Surprised, Elise eximed, ¡°I didn¡¯t know Aunt Cynthia wasing back!¡± ¡°Well, she heard about your engagement to Alex and decided to rush back home.¡± Without hesitation, Elise said, ¡°When will her flight get here? I¡¯ll pick her up from the airport.¡± Laura had asked one of the maids to take note of the flight arrival time earlier, and now she handed the note to Elise. ncing at the time scribbled on the paper, Elise noted how there were three hours before Cynthia¡¯s flightnded. That being said, she was beside herself with excitement and hurtled up the stairs to change out of her clothes, determined to leave for the airport right away. She would have barreled out the door if Alexander had not pulled her to a stop. ¡°Hey, calm down. I¡¯m going with you.¡± She turned to grin at him, and when their eyes met, she quipped, ¡°Thanks!¡± He merely reached out to rub her head. ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me.¡± They left the house, and Alexander drove to the airport. Cynthia¡¯s flight arrived just on time, and having waited with barely- concealed anticipation by the arrival terminal, Elise and Alexander soon caught a glimpse of the familiar figure sauntering toward them. Elise¡¯s arm shot upward, and she waved frically, shouting, ¡°Aunt Cynthia!¡± Cynthia spotted her immediately and brisk-walked over, musing pensively, ¡°Here I was thinking my disguise was foolproof until you saw right through it, munchkin.¡± Elise coquettishly linked arms with Cynthia. ¡°That just means I know you too well, Aunt Cynthia.¡± ¡°You should have told me you were engaged, you infernal girl. You didn¡¯t even tell me you were in Switzend thest time. I had to hear it from your grandmother, and she wasn¡¯t nning on letting it slip, either. What, are you conspiring to marry yourself off in secret or something?¡± Cynthia used, glowering at her niece with mock exasperation. ¡°Alexander and I were hoping to keep things simple, and we were going to tell you after the new year celebration,¡± Elise exined. Just then, Cynthia registered Alexander¡¯s presence, and upon a faint recollection of him, she said jokingly, ¡°Ellie¡¯s been this way since she was a child. I certainly hope you¡¯re ready to put up with her for the rest of your life.¡± Alexander was solemn as he answered, ¡°I am, Aunt Cynthia.¡± The three of them exited the airport and piled into the car, where Cynthia proceeded to strip off her disguise and reveal her pretty face. ¡°Have you decided on a dress for the engagement party, Ellie? And what about the diamond ring?¡± Stumped, Elise shot a brief, awkward look at Alexander, then said quietly, ¡°Aunt Cynthia, we haven¡¯t exactly gotten around to those just yet.¡± Cynthia was taken aback by this. ¡°But the big day is arriving soon! Why didn¡¯t you get around to these errands? Carelessness has no ce in wedding nning, you know!¡± Alexander made a timely interjection. ¡°Aunt Cynthia, my brother Brendan is designing the dress personally, and as for the ring, ourpany hasunched a collection this year which spotlights a one-of-a-kind pink diamond. I think it¡¯d be perfect for Elise.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Cynthia mumbled. Then, after a moment of thought, she added, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you let Elise design the dress? She was always rambling on about how she¡¯d want to design her own wedding dress.¡± Upon hearing this, Alexander frowned and asked Elise in bewilderment, ¡°Do you actually know how to design wedding dresses?¡± Chapter 188 Chapter 188 Chapter 188,Coolest Girl in Town Now that Elise was exposed, she could only mumble reluctantly, ¡°I dabbled in it.¡± At that point, Cynthia realized that she had had a foot-in-mouth moment. Does this mean Alexander has no idea of Elise¡¯s alter ego? Swallowing, she shot Elise a fleeting, apologetic look and quickly interjected with what she hoped was a dismissive tone, ¡°That was just a thought. I mean, if I have to be brutally honest, Ellie¡¯s not good enough toe up with a brilliant design, so maybe it¡¯s for the best that you let a professional handle it.¡± However, even as N?velDrama.Org (C) content. Cynthia said this, Alexander still held onto the previous statement on Elise¡¯s so-called ¡®dabbling¡¯ in wedding dress designing. When they pulled up at the Griffith Residence, Cynthia was so excited that she practically bolted out of the car and hurtled into Laura¡¯s arms. ¡°Mommy, I¡¯ve missed you so much!¡± The Griffith Residence was filled with raucousughter and even better cheer now that Cynthia was home; Laura and Robin, in particr, seemed to have wide grins permanently fixed on their wizened faces. The days went by without anyone really noticing them, and in the blink of an eye, everyone was into the sixth day of the new year. That morning, Alexander texted Elise. ¡®Come downstairs when you¡¯re done washing up. I¡¯ll be waiting for you by the cul-de-sac.¡¯ Elise blearily searched for her phone when she heard it chime with a new message. Upon reading Alexander¡¯s text, she felt all the sleep drain out of her, and she mbered out of bed toward the window. She pulled aside the curtain and immediately caught sight of Alexander standing by the yard. What is he up to so early in the morning? Without wasting another second, she washed up and put on a fresh change of clothes, then went downstairs and into the front yard. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Alexander¡¯s gaze lingered on her briefly before he reached to open the car door for her. ¡°Get in. There¡¯s somece I need to show you.¡± She stared at him warily, trying to figure out why he was being so mysterious. Nheless, she slid into the passenger seat, following which Alexander started the car and drove away from the curb. A few momentster, the car rolled to a stop outside Brendan¡¯s atelier. As it turned out, the festive spirit of the new year¡¯s arrival did not dampen his workaholic tendencies, given how the atelier seemed to be bustling like it usually did. ¡°Wee. Do you have an appointment?¡± the receptionist at the front desk asked courteously. Alexander hummed in response. ¡°I¡¯m here to see Brendan. He¡¯s supposedly here.¡± When the receptionist heard that they were looking for Brendan, she replied hurriedly, ¡°Please wait here for a moment while I call Mr. Griffith.¡± She had only just said this when Brendan walked out from the main atrium of the atelier. ¡°Alexander,¡± he greeted perfunctorily. His eyes slid over to where Elise stood mutely next to his brother, and while it was a little odd for him to think of her as his sister-inw, he said nevertheless, ¡°Hello, Elise. Come on in.¡± Elise stiffened at the slight awkwardness that came with Brendan addressing her, but Alexander did not miss a beat as he took her by the hand and guided her into the atelier. This was the first time she saw Brendan¡¯s atelier in all its glory; the space was filled with rolls of fabric and various contraptions, and rows of mannequins donning multiple designs. Brendan led them into his office and swiftly produced a design sketch for Elise¡¯s perusal. ¡°Take a look at these, Elise. These are all the initial designs I came up with for your wedding dress, and there¡¯s even a ready-to-wear piece based on one of them. Just a quick nce will do and let me know if you want to make some tweaks for whichever piece you choose. Tell me in advance, though, so I can make the adjustments in time.¡± He sounded pleasant and courteous enough, but he didn¡¯t actually expect Elise toe up with any suggestion for changes to the design. After all, as far as he was concerned, she was a non-expert and couldn¡¯t possibly weigh in on his work. ¡°Hold up¡ªall that mystery and suspense just so you can bring me here to take a look at my wedding dress designs?¡± Elise asked Alexander incredulously. Alexander eyed her steadily and said, ¡°Your aunt did say that you have an affinity for stuff like this, so I figured it would be meaningful if you could have some input on the wedding dress design.¡± For some reason, a surge of warmth coursed through her when she heard this, and she beamed at him as she quipped, ¡°Thank you!¡± She pored over the design sketches eagerly. She had to admit that Brendan had a ir for designing. Where some of his designs were clearly imbued with elegance, others were a little quirky; there were no two designs that were the same, and Elise could see all the thought he had put behind them, not to mention his prowess. Atst, her gaze fell upon one of the sketches and stayed there. ¡°This one is pretty nice.¡± Brendan smiled. ¡°You have good taste, Elise. This wedding dress is practically tailor made for you; I thought about how you carry yourself and came up with the design, so it suits you best. The ready-to-wear piece I mentioned earlier happens to be based on this. I could show you if you¡¯d like.¡± A little stunned by how he had so urately guessed her preferences, Elise nodded and said, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s take a look.¡± With that, Brendan brought them to the atrium next door. A mannequin had been positioned in the center of the room, and a white tarp had been draped over it. Brendan stepped up and proceeded to pull the tarp off, ceremoniously revealing the intricate and elegant dress beneath. Elise stared at the design sketch that hade to life before her, so moved by the wless silhouette and the opulent material of the wonderfully made dress that she found herself at aplete loss for words. ¡°Do you want to try it on, Elise?¡± She nodded numbly, and Brendan had one of his assistants bring her over to the fitting rooms. At that moment, Brendan and Alexander were the only two left in the room. With a rueful sigh, the formermented, ¡°Elise¡¯s figure is gorgeous enough that she¡¯d carry the dress well, but¡­¡± He trailed off, then added with a hesitant dry cough, ¡°I think the make-up artist would need to put in a bit of arm grease to, uh, make her look pretty.¡± Alexander¡¯s expression turned grim at this, and Brendan instantly knew that he had said something he shouldn¡¯t have when he felt the air around them grow cold. ¡°Don¡¯t get angry, Alexander. For the record, I¡¯m not trying to badmouth Elise in any way; I just think that women and vanity go hand-in-hand, and I¡¯d hate to think that Elise would regret not looking pretty on her big day.¡± The hostility went out of Alexander when he heard this, but he sounded stern as he said through gritted teeth, ¡°Don¡¯t ever mention something like this again. I will not have you badmouthing my wife to my face, capiche?¡± The love Alexander had for Elise, which belied his aggressive tone, made Brendan nod hastily. ¡°Got it! Rest assured that I¡¯ll watch what I say from now on.¡± He had never thought that Alexander would be so defensive of Elise. He¡¯s not being serious, is he? Meanwhile, in the fitting room, Elise had slipped into the luxurious dress and found that it really was made for her. The dress was perfect save for its weight, which felt like a tonne as it hung on her frame. It was almost as if she was wearing gravity itself, and breathing suddenly becameborious work. She took in a deep breath and exited the fitting room, announcing, ¡°Alexander, I¡¯m done.¡± When she came to a stop in front of Alexander, his eyes shed with an approving gleam. The dress entuated her figure, bringing out her curves and ttering her silhouette. She looked like a dream. Brendan was equally stunned as well. Despite his earlier remarks, he hadn¡¯t thought that Elise would look this good in the dress. ¡°What, is there a problem?¡± Elise asked doubtfully when neither man said a word. Immediately, they snapped out of their thoughts, and Alexander was the first to break the silence. ¡°No, you look beautiful. The dress bes you.¡± Next to him, Brendan piped up in agreement, ¡°You look gorgeous in the dress, Elise! You¡¯ll definitely wow the crowd at the engagement party if you show up in it.¡± Elise, however, was still skeptical as she pressed, ¡°Really? Do you guys really think so?¡± The men nodded in unison, and she smiled brightly at their affirmation. She rather liked the dress and how splendid it was, but if she had to nitpick, the weight of it was pressing down on her ribcage and cutting off her cirction. More to the point, she had only put the dress on minutes ago, but a light sheen of sweat was already breaking out over the small of her back. Chapter 189 Chapter 189 Chapter 189,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°I think that the fabric of the dress could be better since it¡¯s weighing me down and extremely tight as well. I believe there may be ways to make it a lot morefortable.¡± As soon as these words tumbled out of Elise¡¯s mouth, Brendan¡¯s smile faded. He was a fashion designer, after all, and as far as an artist¡¯s ego was concerned, he couldn¡¯t stand having others criticize his work, especially one which he held with esteem. However, given that the present critic was Elise herself, he suppressed his injured pride and asked with forced patience, ¡°In that case, what fabric do you suggest we incorporate?¡± Although Brendan sounded casual enough, there was a trace of disdain in his tone that seemingly implied that she had no right toment on the making of the dress, given that she was not an expert. Elise, on the other hand, did not bridle at the hostility underlying his question, and instead replied mildly, ¡°I personally think that a fiber-based tulle would be a better choice and there should be some adjustments to the skirt to make it weigh less. It might help with the aesthetics, too.¡± At that moment, he was sure that the girl was besmirching his design. While keeping his resentment at bay, he bit out, ¡°Well then, since you¡¯ve said so, I guess I¡¯ll just try to tweak the dress.¡± With that, he gestured for his assistant to help her out of the dress. Upon sensing his disgruntlement, Elise quickly exined, ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong; I love your design and how beautiful it is. Whatever I said earlier was merely a suggestion.¡± Brendan hummed curtly in response. ¡°That¡¯s fine. If you think the dress needs some tweaking, then I¡¯ll just go along with it.¡± Not wanting to further prod the bruise on his artist¡¯s esteem, she conceded and changed out of the dress, which waster taken away by his assistant. Meanwhile, after having observed the slightly tense exchange, Alexander knew instantly that Brendan was very much offended by Elise¡¯s remarks. Fashion design was not his forte, but he understood Brendan¡¯s temperament and he was only too familiar with Brendan¡¯s intolerance toward any criticism about his work. ¡°Brendan, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a bad idea to make a few slight adjustments, but if you don¡¯t want to go along with it, why don¡¯t you let Elise take charge instead?¡± Alexander cated while delicately selecting his words. Upon hearing that, Brendan¡¯s expression softened. He thought Elise was presumptuous to have nitpicked on his design when she wasn¡¯t even a fellow designer, but Alexander¡¯s words made sense. As such, he decided to allow her to tweak the dress as she saw fit. Let¡¯s see if you can do what I do, Elise. Brendan wanted her to know that fashion designing was no walk in the park. A hint of contempt sneaked into his voice as he drawled, ¡°You know what? I think you¡¯re right, Alexander. Elise, if you have better ideas for the dress, then you¡¯re wee to make all the adjustments as you please. There¡¯s no harm in trying, right?¡± When she heard it, Elise paused in thought and finally agreed, ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll give it a shot.¡± Her response was beyond what Brendan had expected of her. He thought that she might be flustered and turn down his offer, but exasperation seized him when he saw how confident she looked. How could a girl be so insubordinate and cocky at the same time? Let¡¯s just see how she fares at the end! With a strainedposure, he added, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll leave the dress to you, Elise. You cane to me if you need any help, or would you prefer I dispatch two assistants to lend you a helping hand?¡± A mild ¡®hmm¡¯ escaped her before she replied, ¡°I think one assistant should suffice. I¡¯ll drop by tomorrow and start on the tweaking if that¡¯s alright with you.¡± There was no hesitation in her words and her gaze was steady as she waited for him to say something, but he did not. When she and Alexander made their way out of Brendan¡¯s office, they piled into the car. Alexander peered at her in the rearview mirror and pointed out, ¡°You can do whatever you like with the dress and it won¡¯t matter if you mess up. I¡¯ll be there for you.¡± It was the first time she had heard anyone making such promises to her. The five sybles strung together into a simple assurance, but it made her tingle with warmth nheless. I¡¯ll be there for you. As the words reverberated in her headspace, she smiled and responded, ¡°You could have a little more faith in me, you know. After all, I¡¯d never do anything without first having the confidence that I could pull it off.¡± There was something maic about her when she behaved this way and it tugged at Alexander¡¯s heartstrings. It was as if he had discovered the true reason behind his attraction for her; he could see the same stubbornness in her that he used to have back in the day. To that extent, they thrived in the same league. The next day, Elise showed up at the atelier alone. Unlike yesterday, everyone at the atelier was too preupied with their own work to notice her presence. She paid no mind to this and found her way to Brendan¡¯s office, thereafter knocking cursorily on his door. ¡°Come in.¡± After having heard his disembodied voice, she pushed open the door. ¡°What is it?¡± Brendan asked impassively as he looked up and when he saw her, he stiffened. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here.¡± She nodded before asking, ¡°I can get started on the dress right away. Where is it?¡± He gaped at her in surprise; he hadn¡¯t expected her to actually turn up, believing that she was nothing but a big talker at that time. Then again, he¡¯d like to see how she was going to ruin the dress now that she was here. Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. ¡°Come with me,¡± he said as he rose from his seat. He led her down the hallway and when they came to a stop at the end, he dered, ¡°You can work on the dress here. All the tools are in there and I¡¯ll have my assistant, Molly, lend you a hand.¡± Elise thanked him and went through the door. She was immediately greeted by the sight of the dress, which hung on the mannequin¡¯s frame. As she walked toward it, she appraised the dress from all angles and began to sketch something on a piece of paper. Meanwhile, Brendan was cooped up in his office when Molly entered. ¡°You wanted to see me, Mr. Griffith?¡± He gave a flippant wave of his hand and replied, ¡°I need you to head over to Design Studio No.1 to assist with some adjustments. You can get whatever is needed from storage.¡± She nodded. ¡°Got it, Mr. Griffith.¡± However, just as she was about to leave, he stopped her in her tracks. ¡°Hold on. Make sure you watch every single tweak that girl makes to the dress, and let me know as soon as you spot a problem.¡± ¡°Yes. Mr. Griffith,¡± she replied. ¡°I¡¯ll get going now.¡± In truth, Molly was a little taken aback by how eager Brendan seemed and she wondered what the big deal was. When she arrived at Design Studio No.1 and caught sight of an average woman pawing around the dress that he had painstakingly made, Molly cried out, ¡°Hey! What are you doing? You¡¯re probably new around here, but I should warn you not to touch anything that Mr. Griffith has personally designed¡ªlike that dress!¡± Elise frowned at the intrusion, but a sudden thought shed in her mind as she asked, ¡°Are you the assistant Brendan mentioned?¡± Astonishment colored Molly¡¯s face. Did she just call Mr. Griffith by his first name? Who is she to have such audacity? Instantly, she understood that regardless of who the girl might be, the girl was not one to be trifled with. While Molly nodded, she answered hastily, ¡°Yes, Mr. Griffith sent me over to assist you.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Elise responded. ¡°Could you pass me the scissors, please?¡± In a show of obedience, Molly turned to grab the scissors before she handed it over to Elise without further dy. ¡°Here you go.¡± After she took the sharp tool, Elise swept her gaze over the dress and there was not even a flicker of doubt that crossed her expression as she snipped away the inseam of the dress. Molly¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as she gasped and stammered, ¡°W-What in the world are you doing?¡± Chapter 190 Chapter 190 Chapter 190,Coolest Girl in Town Molly thought, No one in the atelier could be so daring as toy a finger on Mr. Griffith¡¯s designs. This woman must be either crazy or fearless to actually cut a dress that he has made! As she was oblivious to a stunned Molly¡¯s thoughts, Elise exined breezily, ¡°The inseam isn¡¯t going to work, at least not with this fabric. I¡¯ll have to change it, so could you bring over something thin like gambiered silk gauze from the storageter? Just three feet of it will do.¡± Molly had yet to recover from her initial shock of seeing someone boldly mutte Brendan¡¯s creation and she was presently staring at Elise in disbelief. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± Elise pressed indifferently when she heard no response from the assistant. With that, Molly instantly snapped out of her daze and she was abruptly reminded of what Brendan had told her earlier. As she nodded profusely, she answered, ¡°No, nothing at all! I¡¯ll get the fabric right away!¡± With that, she scurried out of the design studio. Now that the dress no longer had its former silhouette, Elise moved to the frontal section of its bodice and began to tweak it with needles and threads. By the time Molly returned with the roll of fabric, Elise was already done with the neckline of the dress. She took in the aftermath and was surprised to see that the dress looked better than it originally had. ¡°Miss Sinir, I have the gambiered silk gauze you asked for,¡± she announced tentatively. ¡°Leave it aside for now,¡± Elise responded as she kept the needles and threads before she reached for the scissors once more. After grabbing one section of the skirt in one hand, she swiftly cut it off. There was a finesse in her movements that Molly found mesmerizing and she did not dare to blink for fear that she would miss out on the slightest of details. ¡°Can I have the ivory thread no.2 please?¡± Elise asked, breaking the silence that was otherwise filled by the sound of scissors on fabric. Molly quickly shook herself out of her reverie and passed the thread to Elise, who took it. Then, after she mapped out the lines, Elise started to sew. Throughout the whole process, she hardly spoke a word, but she moved with a fluidity that seemed second nature to her. Molly had to take a break in between, but while she was in the lounge to get a ss of water, Brendan abruptly materialized next to her and asked, ¡°How¡¯s it going in there?¡± His voice caused her to jump and she nearly choked on her water as she hurried to answer, ¡°Everything¡¯s going pretty well. There¡¯s been no mishap whatsoever.¡± However, he probed, ¡°Do you think I¡¯d ask you about the process? I¡¯m asking about the dress! How is it? Has it been destroyed beyond repair?¡± Molly couldn¡¯t understand why he would ask something as pointed as that. If she had to be honest, she had a distinct feeling that the dress would turn out better than it had been once Elise was done with the adjustments. Moreover, Elise had a unique way of sewing that belied the attention-to-detail she had for every stitch she made. Although Molly had been in this industry for a long time, she hadn¡¯t even encountered someone whose stitchwork could be compared to Elise. In fact, she was under the impression that Elise was a top fashion designer whom Brendan had hired, which was why she asked earnestly, ¡°Where did you find Miss Sinir, Mr. Griffith?¡± Molly was only curious, but Brendan thought she was intimidated by Elise. As a result, he withheld the truth as he dismissed, ¡°Oh, she¡¯s¡­ just a friend. It doesn¡¯t matter; she¡¯s not a professional, so it won¡¯t be surprising if she ruined the dress.¡± Affrontation registered on Molly¡¯s expression. If Elise is doing so well without being a professional fashion designer, then where do I stand in this industry? ¡°Mr. Griffith, you might as well just stab me through the heart!¡± she eximed, looking wounded. He blinked at her in confusion. ¡°Stab you through the heart? What are you talking about?¡± She thought he was feigning innocence and drawled sourly, ¡°Wow, Mr. Griffith, despite all my years of working as a fashion designer, I just realized that I can¡¯t evenpete with a non-professional. I need a moment to calm down; excuse me while I nurse my injured pride to health.¡± With that, she turned on her heels and marched out of the lounge, leaving Brendan shouting after her in bewilderment, ¡°Hey, don¡¯t just walk off without exining yourself!¡± s, silence was all he received in return. He had a sudden realization that something was off and wondered whether Elise really had a skill or two up her sleeve. So what if she does? Fashion design isn¡¯t like other fields; it takes time before one can fully perfect his or her techniques. What does Elise have that sets her apart? At the thought of this, Brendan visibly brightened up. He didn¡¯t need to dwell on whether she had the skills or raw talent¡ªat least not until she was done tweaking his original design for the dress. Meanwhile, Molly had returned to the design studio just as the silhouette of the dress wasing together under Elise¡¯s delicate handiwork. When the dress was finally done, Molly gaped at ot. Elise¡¯s design seemed to breathe new life into the dress; its refinement was as good as, if not, better than Brendan¡¯s craftsmanship. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not a professional, Miss Sinir?¡± Molly asked as her eyes widened. Elise pursed her lips thoughtfully before replying, ¡°I guess you could say I¡¯m an outsider to this industry.¡± Molly was torn between laughing hysterically and breaking down in tears. If an outsider like Elise could have such a Midas touch, what hope is there left for those in the industry like me? ¡°Miss Sinir, your talent in this is incredible,¡± she praised with genuine awe. After another nce at the dress, Elise added, ¡°I¡¯m almost done with the silhouette of the dress, but there¡¯s onest detail I need to add. Will you help me?¡± Upon hearing this, Molly nodded keenly and the both of them started on thest bit of sewing and tweaking on the dress. Where Elise was working on the stitches, Molly helped her to press the fabric on the mannequin and their team spirit was evident. It wasn¡¯t until after thest stitch had been sewn into the dress that Elise rubbed her aching arm and announced, ¡°We¡¯re finally done.¡± Molly stretched luxuriously as well and quipped, ¡°You really know your stuff, Miss Sinir. I can¡¯t believe you managed to do all the adjustments in a day!¡± Elise straightened her posture and massaged her numb legs before she looked at the wall clock to see that it was close to 10:00PM. ¡°Have we been here this long? I didn¡¯t know it was already sote at night.¡± She had only just said this when her stomach grumbled in protest, as though reminding her pointedly that she had skipped dinner. ¡°It is getting ratherte, Miss Sinir. We can skedaddle now that we¡¯re done with the dress.¡± Elise hummed in response. ¡°Well then, should we grab a bite before we each head home?¡± Molly wanted to turn her down at first, but she didn¡¯t want to miss out on the opportunity to hang out with a top-notch designer. As such, she epted the invitation with haste and said, ¡°That¡¯s a great idea. I happen to know a nearby ce that has recently opened and the food is decent. Let¡¯s go.¡± With ns for supper in mind, both women draped a tarp over the finished dress and locked up the studio before they left. They arrived at a nearby barbecue joint and as soon as they staked out a table, Molly ordered a few of her favorite dishes. ¡°You can get whatever you like, Miss Sinir. Dinner¡¯s on me tonight,¡± she dered proudly, not wanting toe off as a Scrooge in front of Elise. Elise beamed at her. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll take you up on your offer.¡± She took the menu and proceeded to order a couple of her own favorite dishes. Then, she handed the order chit to the owner of the barbecue joint. ¡°Do you drink, Miss Sinir? Can¡¯t spell barbecue without beer, you know.¡± She did miss the refreshing taste of beer and the enthusiasm that came with the idea of drinking a pint or two immediately seized her. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll have a bottle.¡± Molly grinned and turned to inform the owner, ¡°Hey, can we get two bottles of snow beer over here?¡± Upon seeing how at home Molly felt at the establishment, Elise couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°Are you a regr here?¡± ¡°Not really,¡± Molly began. ¡°I¡¯ve been here a couple times with my colleagues, though. The owner here cooks up a tasty barbecue. You¡¯ll know what I mean after you take a biteter.¡± ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ll find out for sure when the foodes.¡± As soon as Elise said this, her phone rang in her pocket. She fishedContent property of N?velDra/ma.Org. it out to see Alexander¡¯s name shing on her screen and she quickly answered the call. ¡°Where are you? You should be home by now.¡± His distinct and pleasant voice spoke on the other line, and upon hearing it, she replied, ¡°I¡¯m at a barbecue joint. Would you like toe over?¡± Chapter 191 Chapter 191 Chapter 191,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°Send me the coordinates and I¡¯lle over immediately.¡± After hanging up the phone, Molly asked, ¡°Miss Sinir, is it your boyfriend?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my fianc¨¦,¡± Elise exined with a smile. The answer had left Mollypletely dumbfounded because Elise looked less than 20 years old, but she already had a fianc¨¦. ¡°Miss Sinir, can I take the liberty to ask how old you are?¡± With a raised eyebrow, Elise answered, ¡°I will be exactly 18 years old in a month¡¯s time.¡± A surprised Molly rified, ¡°Then, you should still be in school, right?¡± Elise nodded. ¡°I¡¯m in my senior year of high school now.¡± Molly thought that Elise was remarkable at such a young age. Not only did she have an insanely good talent in design, she also had a romantic rtionship. Thus, it made the 25-year-old and still single Molly extremely envious of Elise. ¡°Miss Sinir, you are really a role model for the women of our generation. Come, let me toast this ss of wine to you.¡± Molly held the ss of wine and clinked it with Elise¡¯s before they drained it in one go. Next, Eliseplimented from the bottom of her heart, ¡°You are also great! I can see that you have some talent in design, so you can try to create your own designs. Who knows, maybe you¡¯ll reveal a new world.¡± Since it was Elise who said this, Molly was speechless with excitement. She hurriedly opened her bag and took out a stack of A4 paper from it. ¡°Actually, I usually draw on my own when I have nothing to do, but I have never shown my designs to anyone. Miss Sinir, why don¡¯t you take a look for me and give me some pointers as well?¡± Once again, Elise nodded and replied, ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I can give any pointers, but I can help you to look at it, though.¡± Then, she turned the stack of A4 paper, which was filled with Molly¡¯s designs of clothes. It was exceptionally conservative and not bold enough, which made it look inexperienced although her works were interesting. After seriously reviewing the drawings, Elisemented, ¡°Your designs are not bad,Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. but not bold enough. If you use bolder elements, the effect will be very distinct.¡± She removed one of the designs and added, ¡°Consider this one and look at the design of your dress. The hemline can be increased by a tad bit, so as to achieve a slimming effect, and it will also look more three-dimensional. Moreover, you can add a little trim at the hemline to avoid it from being too boring.¡± Molly¡¯s eyes brightened as she listened to Elise¡¯s words. She no longer cared about the barbeque and quickly took out a pen from her pocket instead. Then, she began to modify the design and changed all the areas that Elise had pointed out. With that, her eyes lit up in pleasure. ¡°Miss Sinir, you¡¯re really great.¡± Then, an excited Molly kissed her work several times. She had previouslycked confidence in her own work and couldn¡¯t get to the root of the problem. However, now that Elise had brought up the issues in her work, Molly was suddenly enlightened and inspiration gushed into her mind like a spring. ¡°Miss Sinir, I suddenly thought of a brilliant idea. No, I have to record it first.¡± So, she took the pen and began to seriously draw. Elise was aware that it was arduous for a designer to be inspired, so she didn¡¯t bother Molly and merely sat aside to eat her barbeque silently. Soon, Alexander came over and approached Elise. ¡°Are you done?¡± She put down the barbeque in her hand, then looked at Molly next to her. ¡°It¡¯s no longer early. You should head home.¡± Molly raised her eyes and only then noticed him next to her. For a moment, her eyes widened in shock. ¡°A-Aren¡¯t you Alexander Griffith?¡± There was excitement in her tone as everyone in Athesea knew who Alexander was. He was the dream of thousands of girls, yet he turned out to be Elise¡¯s boyfriend. ¡°Miss Sinir, I¡¯m not dreaming, right? He¡¯s your fiance?¡± Elise nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± Molly wasn¡¯t only admiring Elise; she was also envious of the woman. ¡°Miss Sinir, in that case, I¡¯ll take my leave first. Thank you,¡± she responded. Then, she waved at them both before fleeing the scene in a sh. After withdrawing her gaze, Elise suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s go back too.¡± However, Alexander didn¡¯t move, but merely looked at her, after which he took a tissue to wipe the corner of her mouth. ¡°It¡¯s freezing and you¡¯re still out; remember to return home earlier in the future,¡± he said. He removed his scarf and wrapped it around her neck before he held her hand. After that, they walked together toward the location of the car. As they walked side by side, they looked harmonious from behind. ¡°I have modified the outfit,¡± Elise said. ¡°Come with me to try it tomorrow.¡± Alexander replied, ¡°Sure.¡± The next day, Brendan arrived at the design studio earlier; however, once he entered the office, he unexpectedly found someone even earlier than him. ¡°Molly, why are you here ahead of time?¡± Molly raised her head and saw him before quickly greeted, ¡°Good morning, Boss! I didn¡¯t have anything to do, so I decided toe over earlier.¡± However, he noticed that she was in the middle of drawing something and asked, ¡°Are you drawing?¡± She rubbed her head in embarrassment and replied, ¡°I¡¯m just drawing casually; it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Upon hearing this, he didn¡¯t say anything else, but asked again, ¡°How is Elise¡¯s outfit alterationing along?¡± ¡°Miss Sinir has already modified it,¡± she quickly answered. ¡°It¡¯s now hanging in the room.¡± The moment Brendan heard Molly¡¯s answer, he was amazed that Elise could modify the outfit in just one day. Aside from being surprised, he was also curious as to how she was able to alter it in the end. Then, he asked Molly, ¡°What do you think of her revised outfit?¡± She truthfully opined, ¡°Boss, I think Miss Sinir is exceptionally talented in design and I kind of admire her work.¡± He thought that she was afraid to be honest because of Elise¡¯s status, so he didn¡¯t take her words seriously. ¡°Okay then, let me know when theye overter.¡± ¡°Yes, boss.¡± Elise and Alexander both arrived a short whileter. Although Brendan was drawing at that moment, he was obviously a little distracted. ¡°Boss, Miss Sinir and President Griffith are here.¡± Brendan casually dropped the pen in his hand before he rose to his full height and walked out. ¡°Alex, Elise.¡± Alexander gave a slight nod. ¡°I came to see the outfit.¡± However, Brendan looked at Elise. ¡°Elise has already modified it; why don¡¯t we let Elise head off to change into it?¡± Thus, she stood up and headed for the dressing room while Molly quickly took the initiative to help. ¡°Miss Sinir, let me help you.¡± Elise returned the smile and thanked her, after which the two entered the dressing room together. ¡°Alex, you¡¯re pampering her.¡± Brendan couldn¡¯t help but whisper; he was finding that Alexander was a little too indulgent with Elise. Alexander immediately responded, ¡°I only have her as my wife, so who else should I spoil if not her? You?¡± When Brendan heard the reply, he was instantly silenced. ¡°She is your sister-inw, so try to help her more if she needs anything in the future,¡± Alexander added before he shot Brendan a nce. ¡°Don¡¯t bully her just because I¡¯m not here.¡± Chapter 192 Chapter 192 Chapter 192,Coolest Girl in Town Brendan hastily borated, ¡°Alex, what are you saying? No matter what, I wouldn¡¯t dare to bully Elise.¡± However, he already understood that Elise¡¯s position in his elder brother¡¯s heart had far surpassed that of his brothers. The two people were talking when the door of the dressing room was opened. Soon, Elise gracefully appeared in front of them in a white dress and they stared at her in awe at once. Alexander¡¯s gaze was full of appreciation; when he saw the dress before its alteration, he had already appreciated Brendan¡¯s skills in design. N?velDrama.Org (C) content. Now that he saw the improved piece today, he only felt that Elise was more capable than Brendan. ¡°Not bad,¡± heplimented. ¡°It¡¯s gorgeous.¡± As for Brendan, he was filled with incredulity. He was aware of his own design skills and that he was definitely one of the best designers in the country, but when he saw this dress in front of him, he had to admit that he had been too conceited. Elise¡¯s design was very bold as she incorporated traditional craftsmanship into her work, which enhanced the entire gown¡¯s artistic sense. Moreover, with her alluring figure, the gown looked absolutely wless. If his gown could be called a good design, then Elise¡¯s modification had only transformed into a work of art. ¡°Elise, I finally understand the meaning of your words. Your choice of material is not only light, but also beautiful while lending a floaty, airy sense to the dress,¡± he spoke with conviction. Then, he went up and carefully looked at the dress before noticing that all the stitches were done by hand, yet there wasn¡¯t a slightest problem with it. So, it was clear that her skills were definitely not lower than his. ¡°How did you manage to finish such gorgeous work in one day, Elise?¡± When she saw that everyone was satisfied with her work, Elise replied, ¡°Actually, I only made certain modifications from your design. It has already achieved the effect I wanted, so what do you think of it?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to have such talent in design.¡± Alexander nodded in approval. ¡°However, this embroidery style of yours seems a bit familiar.¡± He felt that he had seen it somewhere before whereas Elise reacted in time. She knew that her own works would always bear remnants of her unique style, but as Alexander and Brendan might not have seen any of her works before, she replied, ¡°I just thought it looks perfect, therefore I embroidered it.¡± Alexander didn¡¯t think much about it and replied, ¡°This dress suits you well, so wear it.¡± Brendan also added, ¡°Alex, since this dress was modified by Elise, we¡¯ll exempt the design fee, but Elise, I want to discuss with you about something. Once your engagement party is over, will you leave this dress in my store as a showcase of our designs?¡± Elise didn¡¯t have any opinion because engagement dresses like this were only worn once in a lifetime, so it was fine to disy it in his store. ¡°Sure, I will do that.¡± He was overjoyed when he obtained her consent. Then, Alexander mentioned, ¡°Go and change out of the dress; I¡¯m going to take you somewhere.¡± After she nodded, she went to the dressing room, after which she entered the car from the design studio. Then, the car started before they drove out. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Alexander wore a mysterious look. ¡°You¡¯ll know in a moment.¡± As she felt that he had always been mysterious, she casually asked, ¡°Did you prepare a surprise for me?¡± He nodded without any hesitation. ¡°Yes.¡± Upon hearing that, Elise did not hold back a snort ofughter. ¡°I was pulling your leg. Why did you say yes?¡± However, Alexander rified, ¡°I¡¯m not joking with you! I¡¯ve truly prepared a surprise for you.¡± This time, it was her turn to be dumbfounded. There is really a surprise? Thus, she also began to wonder what the surprise was. The car slowly drove to the most high-end shopping mall in Athesea. Before alighting from the vehicle, Alexander deliberately removed the ID card in his wallet and ced it in his pocket. Then, both he and Elise got out of the car. When they arrived at the mall, she had roughly guessed why they came¡ªit was probably that Alexander wanted to buy her something. She thought of many possibilities such as clothes, bags, and lipstick¡­ The only thing she did not expect was that he actually brought her to pick out diamonds. Alexander took her to a high-end diamond ring customization center of Dring¡¯s and as soon as the salesdy entered, she spoke enthusiastically, ¡°President Griffith, you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Are all the things I asked you to prepare ready?¡± She answered, ¡°It¡¯s ready. It¡¯s over here, soe this way please.¡± With that, the salesdy took Alexander and Elise to the VIP room and took out a delicate small box to hand it to him the moment they arrived. ¡°President Griffith, this is the one.¡± The moment Alexander opened it, a pink diamond glittered in front of everyone¡¯s eyes. It was arge and dazzling pink diamond, to which Elise fancied a lot. Suddenly, she saw him kneeling on one knee and presenting the ring to her as he asked, ¡°Miss Elise Sinir, are you willing to marry me?¡± Elise had imagined the scene of being proposed to countless times, but she never thought that this day woulde so quickly and suddenly. Hence, she waspletely caught off guard. ¡°You¡­ What are you doing? Get up!¡± She was a little anxious; although it was only the two of them, she still felt a little embarrassed. However, he simply said, ¡°This diamond is 5.2 caratsrge and is the one that I¡¯ve painstakingly chosen for you as the most suitable engagement gift. I am willing to give you a lifetimemitment because a man can only customize one diamond ring from Dring in his lifetime using his ID card. Therefore, I am willing to bind this diamond ring to my ID number, meaning that you are my only true love in this lifetime.¡± When she saw him being serious, disbelief danced in her eyes. In fact, his eyes had also clearly reflected her shock and at this moment, her heart was touched by what he said. ¡°Miss Elise Sinir, are you willing to marry me?¡± he asked again. Elise looked at him and broke into a smile as their gazes met. Then, she nodded solemnly. ¡°I am!¡± Upon hearing this, Alexander slowly inserted the diamond ring on the ring finger of her left hand before Elise pulled him to his feet. This was followed by Alexander handing his ID card and bank card to the salesdy. ¡°I¡¯ll take this diamond. Go ahead and swipe the card.¡± The salesdy had a delighted expression as she hastily took both items. ¡°Of course, President Griffith.¡± After she left, Elise pulled the corner of Alexander¡¯s coat and asked in a small voice, ¡°This diamond should be very expensive, right?¡± Alexander rubbed her head and responded with a slightly doting tone, ¡°Diamonds have a price, but you are priceless. Compared to you, it is just insignificant.¡± Chapter 193 Chapter 193 Chapter 193,Coolest Girl in Town It was just a simple sentence, but Elise had the feeling of being valued. She smiled and looked at Alexander before she slowly said, ¡°Thank you for your love. I will not disappoint you.¡± His throat moved, and surprisingly, he did not hold back from leaning down to kiss her lips. However, it was just a light kiss before he broke away and seductively mentioned, ¡°What should I do? I feel like I want to hide you away.¡± Her face flushed and she stammered for a long time without forming aplete sentence. ¡°Y- You¡­ Let¡¯s go home first.¡± After saying that, she pushed him away and the two kept a certain distance. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Immediately after that, she took a step to walk out. As he gazed at her back, his lips curled upward before he closely followed her. The atmosphere between them had obviously now changed. Elise lowered her gaze to look at the diamond on her finger and inexplicably felt that her limb now weighed a thousand times heavier. Although the glittering ring was extraordinarily dazzling under the sunlight, it was hard to believe that she would soon be a married woman. Nevertheless, her heart was full of happiness. ¡°Get in the car, I¡¯ll take you back,¡± he spoke. She agreed and entered the car. Afterward, she stole a nce at Alexander, still feeling that everything wasn¡¯t real as if it was a dream. Obviously, a few months ago, they did not even have the slightest interaction with each other. If it weren¡¯t for Jonah¡ª As she thought about this, her eyes suddenly dimmed. Was he good to her also because of Jonah? ¡­ The 10th day of the 1st month was the most auspicious day and the day that Alexander and Elise were engaged. She walked out while holding Laura¡¯s hand to ept everyone¡¯s blessings and the white gown that she wore had entuated her beauty. Soon, Laura led her to Alexander before she solemnly handed Elise to him. ¡°Alex, Ellie is a treasure that you must cherish. In the future, you must treat her well and not let her suffer. You two should lead a harmonious life, love each other, and grow old together.¡± At this moment, Elise¡¯s eyes inexplicably reddened as she reached out to hug Laura while saying, ¡°Grandma, I can¡¯t bear to let you go.¡± Lauraughed and patted Elise¡¯s back. ¡°Silly girl, what nonsense! Today is a good day for your engagement, so be happy.¡± Elise released Laura from her embrace before nodding. It was only then that Laura took a brocade box from her pocket. ¡°This is my engagement gift to you. I hope you can be forever filled with happiness, Ellie.¡± After taking it, Elise solemnly answered, ¡°Thank you!¡± Laura waved a hand. ¡°Go ahead, my dear.¡± Alexander, who was on the side, also said to her, ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t worry. I will treat her well.¡± ¡°Good, good; as long as you two are happy, we as the elders will also be happy.¡± As Elise could feel Laura¡¯s smile was forced, she spoke, ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t worry. We will definitely be happy.¡± Later, she held his arm and told herself at this moment that she needed to be happy with him in the future. Several brothers of the Griffith Family also sent their blessings to them while Danny approached them and presented them with a gift of an outfit. ¡°Boss, Alex, this is my gift to you both. I hope you have a happy engagement.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Elise responded before she epted his gift. Suddenly, he approached her again and whispered, ¡°Boss, today is such a good day. Do you want to y games together?¡± She saw his expectant face and could not refuse him, so she agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll y two games with youter.¡± Upon hearing this, he was delighted. ¡°Yay, thanks, boss!¡± When Elise saw him being happy, she shook her head a little helplessly whereas Jack, who was at the side, couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Danny, what is making you so happy?¡± Danny looked arrogant and replied, ¡°Nothing, I¡¯m just ying games with the boss a littleter.¡± Jack felt that Danny was behaving a little bit strange. It was just Danny and Elise ying a game together, so Jack couldn¡¯t understand his excitement. ¡°You¡¯re just ying a game, so why are you so excited?¡± When Danny realized that Jack was still unaware of Elise¡¯s identity, he was mysterious as he answered, ¡°If it is a game with ordinary people, that is nothing. It¡¯s a different story when that person is my boss.¡± It was only at that moment when Jack realized that Danny kept addressing Elise as his ¡®boss¡¯. When did their rtionship improve tremendously? Apart from that, Danny was such an arrogant young master that it was unbelievable that he would actually be so subservient to Elise, which puzzled Jack. When Danny saw a confused Jack, he added, ¡°You don¡¯t know the influence of my boss, so you¡¯re confused. If you know the identity of my boss, I guarantee that you will have the same reaction as me.¡± The corners of Jack¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°You¡¯re being weirder by the minute. She¡¯s a girl and ying a game for boys. It¡¯s already amazing that she can y a game or two well, so how can she be a master at it?¡± In the past, Danny certainly wouldn¡¯t believe it if someone had said that Elise was a gamemaster, but he had personally witnessed her ying the game as Ellimane. Thus, his admiration for Elise deepened over time. ¡°Why don¡¯t you come along and join the fun tonight?¡± he asked. Although Jack was initially not interested, his curiosity was aroused when he saw how excited Danny was. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll y with you guys tonight,¡± he said casually without thinking much about it. Soon, after the engagement party, Elise changed into another attire and handed her gown to Molly, who notified, ¡°Miss Sinir, I¡¯ll send this dress for dry cleaning first and leave it in the design studio to hang upter, ording to the boss¡¯ wishes. You cane directly to the design studio to pick it up if you need it later.¡± Elise agreed. ¡°Sure, thank you.¡± Then, Molly solemnly said, ¡°Miss Sinir, I should be the one to thank you; if it weren¡¯t for your guidance, I think I wouldn¡¯t dare to show my work to everyone even until now. You not only corrected my problematic areas, but also gave me direction, so I should be the one to thank you.¡± ¡°Your design has a lot of potential, so do your best,¡± Elise encouraged. Her words made Molly more confident. ¡°I understand, Miss Sinir. I will continue to work hard.¡± After Molly left, Elise sighed with relief. The engagement party was finally over wherein she and Alexander were officially engaged. Thus, she raised her eyes and looked at her usual in face in the mirror. Should I find an opportunity to tell Alexander the truth? Chapter 194 Chapter 194 Chapter 194 Something Wrong With His Login, Coolest Girl in Town Well, my quincea?era is just about a month away, so maybe I could tell Alexander the truth then, Elise thought. Later that night, the Griffith Residence was filled with lively vibes and conversation, making it feel like everyone had not mingled with each other for ages. In the meantime, Danny nced at his watch and turned his attention to the door shortly before he heard someone approaching from afar. Soon, he eximed in surprise, ¡°You¡¯re back, Boss!¡± A confused Elise asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± He felt slightly helpless with her forgetfulness and reminded her with a soft voice, ¡°Boss, you said you¡¯ll y with us tonight.¡± As soon as he finished his words, their conversation was interrupted by Alexander¡¯sment. ¡°I didn¡¯t take you for a gamer, Elise.¡± Before Elise could respond, Danny beat her to it and replied, ¡°You know what? My boss is the best gamer out there. In fact, she¡¯s been upying the top spot on the rank all the while. Do you have any idea how hard that is? Well, my boss has aplished that!¡± Upon hearing that, a stunned Alexander looked at her while she faked a cough to mask her awkwardness. ¡°Well, that was a long time ago. Moreover, since I haven¡¯t yed a game in a while, my skills are rusty.¡± However, no one expected him to ask the million dor question. ¡°So, you¡¯re Ellimane?¡± When Elise nodded in response, surprise and disbelief danced in his eyes. Meanwhile, as Danny was impatient and couldn¡¯t wait any longer, he had invited KK and Jack together with the rest. Then, he seized her hand and scurried off. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Boss. I can¡¯t wait to start the game with the others.¡± Once Danny had taken her upstairs, they spotted Jack, who had already yed a few rounds while being glued to his phone. Upon noticing their presence, Jack didn¡¯t seem to be startled as he noted, ¡°Hurry up and get started! We¡¯ve been waiting for you two like forever.¡± Then, Danny passed a mobile phone to her, whereupon she sat down and logged into their game. Unknown to them, Alexander soon arrived and made his presence felt. ¡°Are you here to witness our battle, Alexander?¡± Danny asked in a humorous manner, but Alexander only had his eyes on Elise while radiating an enigmatic and unfathomable aura. Although she had no idea what it meant, she didn¡¯t bother to dwell too much on it. ¡°I¡¯m here to check out what¡¯s going on,¡± he answered as he sat down beside her. On the other hand, Jack couldn¡¯t help but feel annoyed with the newly-engaged couple. Thus, he commented, ¡°Alexander, are you trying to make me feel jealous? You do know that I¡¯m single, don¡¯t you?¡± Alexander replied with a cold grunt and retorted, ¡°Well, what about you? Do you have trouble looking for a girlfriend?¡± Jack was rendered tongue-tied as he thought that he should take back what he had said since he was a bachelor in hot demand. ¡°Hurry up and join in, Boss,¡± Danny urged while Elise logged into her own ount. However, as she made it to the login page, the mobile app suddenly became unresponsive. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± She tapped the screen a few times to make it respond, but to no avail. In the meantime, Alexander, who was watching aside, saw her username and confirmed that she was indeed Ellimane. Soon, he quickly realized that her phone had too many unread messages that slowed down her phone¡¯s processor, so he answered, ¡°Well, you have too many messages, so all you have to do is just delete some of it.¡± A confused Elise left the app and started to clean her internal storage. Then, when she logged into the ount once again, the app seemed to be much smoother even though there were more than 999 messages in her inbox. Upon noticing it, she found out that those messages were from other yers asking about her return to the game. As she was surprised by how well known she was in the world of the mobile game, Elise eventually decided to invite the other yers to join the match. Thus, she posted a status on her news feed that read, ¡®Join me to have fun ying games tonight, would you?¡¯ The moment that her post was published and seen by the whole world, it quickly amassed a huge number of likes andments, many of which were invitations for her to join a game. Nevertheless, Danny, who knew how influential Ellimane could be, was stunned by what he saw and said, ¡°Boss, you said you¡¯re only going to y with us tonight.¡± Elise exined in embarrassment, ¡°I know, but we can always y together whenever we¡¯re free, so why don¡¯t we get more people to join in and have fun tonight?¡± Meanwhile, Jack was still unaware of the situation until he logged into his own ount that he never used for the longest time. When he saw Ellimane¡¯s name at the top of the rank, he sighed. ¡°s! Ellimane still upies the top spot even though she hasn¡¯t been ying for ages.¡± This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Upon hearing that, Danny sniggered and secretlyughed at Jack, who was unaware of Ellimane¡¯s actual identity. Poor Jack! I wish you will know that Ellimane and Elise are the same person sooner. Anyway, let¡¯s have some fun and see how it ys out. ¡°Hey Jack, since you have such a high regard for Ellimane, what do you think if we could y a few rounds with her?¡± As he knew his own limits, Jack answered, ¡°Is that even a question? We¡¯re going to be crushed like ants.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s find out then.¡± Danny chuckled. He found Danny¡¯s words strangely unbelievable; he never thought that an elite gamer like Ellimane would be interested to y a match with them. Thus, he secretly mocked Danny. This guy must still be dreaming. ¡°Are you saying you¡¯ve been ying with Ellimane?¡± As soon as Jack posed his question, the entire atmosphere was shrouded in silence. Soon, Elise looked up and shot him a gaze, but was interrupted by Danny, who probed, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t believe me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you, but someone like Ellimane isn¡¯t going to waste time ying with nobodies like us,¡± Jack replied, unable to shake off the weird feeling. While she was rendered speechless, a stoic Danny asked, ¡°What if I could make that happen?¡± Jack shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Are you sure? Do you know Ellimane? If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll give you my character¡¯s skin.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a deal then,¡± Danny replied. ¡°Just make sure you don¡¯t go back on your word.¡± Upon hearing that, Jack had a bad feeling as if he was walking right into Danny¡¯s trap. In the meantime, Elise sighed and asked, ¡°Jack, can you also give me your character¡¯s skin?¡± As his confusion was written all over his face, he suddenly noticed a notification at the bottom left on the screen of his mobile phone. ¡®Ellimane has invited you to join the game.¡¯ After pausing for a few seconds, he announced, ¡°Ellimane is inviting me to join the game.¡± Three pairs of eyes turned to him the moment he finished his sentence. At the same time, she brandished the mobile phone in her hand and asked, ¡°What¡¯re you waiting for? Join in. Since you promised Danny that you¡¯ll give him your skin, I figure it¡¯s time for me to share with you a tip or two as your boss.¡± Wait what? Ellimane is Elise?! Are they actually the same person?! Jack could only hear his head buzzing. ¡°You¡¯re Ellimane?¡± He felt as if everything around him had changed because he found it hard to believe that a country bumpkin like Elise was actually Ellimane¡ªthe person who dominated the world of mobile games. No way. There must be something wrong with my login. Chapter 195 Chapter 195 Chapter 195,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°What are you staring at? Come on in,¡± Danny said before he reached out to press the confirm button for his guest. When Jack entered the lobby and saw Ellimane¡¯s ID on the first row of their team¡¯s list of yers, he finally believed that Elise was indeed the legendary Ellimane. After he gulped, he spoke, ¡°I¡¯ve already sent you a new set of skin to your ount. Please remember to ept them.¡± Danny giggled. ¡°That was quick! I¡¯ll have to thank you for that then!¡± Then, Jack turned toward Elise again. ¡°Let me buy you a full set of skin since you¡¯re helping me to level up.¡± Before Elise could even say anything, Danny quickly stepped in on her behalf. ¡°Are you seriously negotiating with her? My Boss has never even trained me in any of our games, so how can I let you take advantage of this?¡± ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll help you guys to level up just for tonight,¡± came her reply. Upon hearing her reply, both men immediately became eager. At this moment, even Alexander raised his eyebrows before he leaned over and whispered, ¡°Are you nning to y till midnight with them?¡± Elise exined, ¡°Since it¡¯s really rare and difficult for us to gather together, I guess we will be doing so.¡± Then, he quickly reached out for his phone. ¡°Why don¡¯t you coach me as well?¡± His request rendered her speechless. Nevertheless, she went along with it when she noticed that Alexander meant business. ¡°Sure, let me send you an invite.¡± And so, Elise ended up mentoring all three of them for the entire night, which resulted in them levelling up by 12 levels. Even though it was already midnight, Danny¡¯s dedication to the game was evident as he was exuberant and showed no signs of fatigue. As it was really nice to be mentored in the game, Jack waspletely focused as well. He used to be the worst yer in the game and finally experienced how it was like to be a winner that night. As they continued ying, the sky started to brighten up until traces of the previous dark night were completely gone. While Elise stretched, she suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t we head to bed? I¡¯m so worn out after pulling an all-nighter on the game.¡± Alexander kept his phone away as well. ¡°It¡¯s rest time then! Let¡¯s y again when we¡¯re free.¡± However, Danny didn¡¯t look exhausted as he quickly replied, ¡°Boss, Alex, in that case, you guys should rest. I think I¡¯ll stay on for a few more games.¡± Jack chimed in as well. ¡°I¡¯m not tired as well. You guys should rest first.¡± When she noticed that they were still energetic, she didn¡¯t say anything and headed upstairs with Alexander after bidding the young men goodnight. When she arrived at the corridor and wanted to head to her room, he suddenly pulled her into his embrace. ¡°Aren¡¯t youing with me?¡± Elise¡¯s face flushed when the man¡¯s seductive voice rang out. ¡°W-What are you doing? Let me go.¡± Yet, he tightened his grip on her. ¡°Why don¡¯t youe with me? Hmm?¡± ¡°No,¡± she rejected. Although she was his fiancee, she still wasn¡¯t mentally ready to ept the fact. At the same time, when Alexander saw her frightened look, he felt bad and ruffled her hair as he only initially wanted to tease her. ¡°That¡¯s alright. I was just kidding. I won¡¯t force you if you don¡¯t want to.¡± Elise sincerely apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡ª¡± Nevertheless, he interrupted her before she could say anything else. ¡°It¡¯s okay, don¡¯t apologize. I¡¯ll wait for you. I¡¯ll continue to do so until you finally decide to open up to me.¡± She immediately lowered her head before she quickly nodded. ¡°Quickly return to your room and rest then!¡± Alexander said before leaning toward her to give her a peck, after which she waved at him and returned to her room. After spending the entire night awake, Elise was extremely exhausted and fell asleep the moment she got in bed. Meanwhile, Molly had brought the gown that Elise designed to the atelier. As she ced the bag that was used to carry the attire, she took a hanger to hang the gown while she gasped for air. After that, she started to intently observe the apparel. The more she looked at it, the more she realized how detailed the design was, considering that the gown gave a different vibe with each nce. ¡°Why are you here, Molly?¡± Suddenly, Brendan¡¯s voice rang out, causing Molly to snap out of her daze. She immediately replied, ¡°Mr. Griffith, I came to drop off the gown that Miss Sinir has designed.¡± He nced at the gown. ¡°You can return to your work after leaving it here.¡± After a quick nod, Molly made her way out. At this moment, Brendan was the only one left in the spacious room. As he stared at the gown in front of him, he felt his interest toward Elise deepening since he never expected the attire to undergo such a huge transformation after she took over. It was something that she had really surprised him with this time. When he arrived in front of the gown, he started to smoothen the wrinkles on the attire. Suddenly, he noticed something before his face turned pale. Then, he grabbed the gown and stared intently at its needlework. This kind of needlework was extremely familiar to him as it was the same method used by Lily, the worldwide famous wedding gown designer. At this moment, he couldn¡¯t help but feel curious. Lily¡¯s designs had already taken the fashion industry by storm for close to eight years now. However, she was always a mysterious person, which exined why she hadn¡¯t produced any new designs for many years. All of the wedding gowns that she had designed did not have a set market price currently; rumor had it that one of her gowns was even sold at the price of 300 million at an auction in France a year ago. Brendan, who was lucky enough to have personally witnessed Lily¡¯s designs, was extremely familiar with her needlework. He was even adamant until today that her needlework couldn¡¯t be replicated as it was one of a kind. Still, how could it be possible that Elise had the same needlework as well? As he urgently needed an answer, he left the ce and drove toward Griffith Residence. ¡°Young Master Brendan, Miss Sinir won¡¯t be able to see you as she¡¯s still resting.¡± Brendan paused when he heard Ste¡¯s voice, to which he replied, ¡°That¡¯s alright.Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. Do you know when she will be up? I can wait for her in the living room.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Not knowing how to reply to him, Ste could only exin, ¡°Miss Sinir was awake the entire night yesterday to y games with the others, so she will probably only wake up during the afternoon. Why don¡¯t youe backter if you need to talk to her?¡± Brendan pursed his lips. ¡°Alright, I understand. I won¡¯t keep you away from your job then.¡± Moments after she left, he paused in his steps and looked up. When he saw Laura and Leonard tidying up thewn, he recalled something and walked over to them. Chapter 196 Chapter 196 Chapter 196,Coolest Girl in Town It was already in the afternoon by the time Elise woke up. Her stomach growled as she took a look at the clock. After noticing that it was already 3:00PM, Elise pushed her nket aside and got off the bed. Then, she started stretching before heading out of her room. ¡°Ste, is there anything that I can eat? I¡¯m starving!¡± Ste quickly replied, ¡°What would you like to eat, Miss Sinir? I¡¯ll ask the kitchen to prepare it now.¡± After contemting for a moment, Elise answered, ¡°Just get me a bowl of noodles! I want to fill up my stomach.¡± ¡°Alright, Miss Sinir. Please hang on for a moment.¡± Elise mumbled an answer and turned around to see Laura and Leonard chatting at the garden backyard and quickly walked over to them. ¡°Grandpa, Grandma¡­¡± Laura turned around to see Elise, who looked as if she had just woken up. ¡°Why are you up sote?¡± At this moment, Elise stuck her tongue out in embarrassment. ¡°I stayed up late to y gamesst night and only slept in the morning. That¡¯s why I woke upte today.¡± Instead of saying anything, Laura motioned for Elise to sit next to her. She couldn¡¯t help but be worried when she recalled what Brendan told them earlier in the morning. ¡°Ellie, I need to ask you something.¡± Meanwhile, Elise had a nonchnt look on her face. ¡°What is it, Grandma?¡± Laura leaned toward her before asking in a low voice, ¡°Ellie, have you been into designing again?¡± An odd look shed past Elise¡¯s face. However, she gave an honest answer since she had only altered her engagement gown and wasn¡¯t involved in designing anything from scratch. ¡°Grandma, I only altered my wedding gown. I didn¡¯t design anything.¡± A shocked Laura borated, ¡°Brendan came over in the morning and tried to pry about you, but your grandpa and I know that you¡¯re no longer involved with designing wedding gowns. So, we kept quiet and didn¡¯t reveal anything.¡± Elise was curious as to why Brendan would attempt to ask her grandparents about her. Did he discover something? How is that even possible? ¡°Grandma, why did he suddenly ask you guys about this?¡± It was something that Laura felt odd about as well. Then, she asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you altered the gown? Could it be that he noticed something on the gown? Ellie, I¡¯ll always support you even if you want to continue designing wedding gowns. You don¡¯t have to hide your interests. I really hope that you can pursue the things that you like.¡± Elise reached out to hold Laura¡¯s arm. ¡°I know that! It¡¯s just that I made a promise to someone not to be involved with the designing of wedding gowns as Lily unless we return to the fashion industry together. So, I¡¯m not nning to do so right now. All I want is toplete my studies and enroll in college to continue with my tertiary education. Who knows I might even venture into something new?¡± ¡°What can I even tell you at this point? You already obtained a double degree abroad and you can easily take over the family business without even returning to your studies. Your grandpa and I believe that you¡¯ll be able to handle the family business well.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still young, though!¡± Elise whined. ¡°I¡¯m only 18 and I still want to enjoy life as a student.¡± ¡°Alright. You should continue pursuing your studies if that¡¯s what you want! As long as you¡¯re doing what you like, I¡¯ll support you unconditionally.¡± ¡°Thank you, Grandma!¡± She eximed before she inched closer to Laura¡¯s side. Despite that, all she thought about was Brendan¡¯s words. It¡¯s impossible for Brendan to associate me with Lily when all I did was rely on my thoughts to alter the gown. This should be a coincidence. At least that was what Elise thought, so she didn¡¯t dwell too deep into it. In the blink of an eye, it was time for the school to reopen and for Leonard as Laura to head home. As a result, therge house became quiet and empty again. Alexander was already waiting downstairs in the morning as Elise hurried downstairs while comining, ¡°Ste, why didn¡¯t you wake me up on the first day of school? I¡¯m going to bete now.¡± Ste gave Alexander an innocent look and remained silent before he borated, ¡°I was the one who asked Ste not to wake you up so that you can have more sleep.¡± Then, Elise shot him a coquettish look. ¡°Hey! I can¡¯t bete on my first day of school.¡± Meanwhile, he reached out to hold her hand. ¡°Come on, we won¡¯t bete. Get in the car. I¡¯ll send you to school.¡± Upon seeing how adamant he was, Elise chose to believe him and entered the car while Alexander slid into the driver¡¯s seat to start the car engine. He drove smoothly the entire journey, which allowed her to eat breakfast while studying for the new semester¡¯s subjects. Since this was thest semester of high school with only three months before the finals, it was the most stressful period of any student¡¯s schooling life. At approximately five minutes before ss, Alexander¡¯s car stopped in front of the school¡¯s entrance and Elise sighed in relief. ¡°I¡¯m going to ss now. Have fun at work. Bye!¡± Yet, the car door didn¡¯t bulge at all. ¡°Alexander, why did you turn on the child safety lock?¡± He deeply gazed at her. ¡°Aren¡¯t we engaged now?¡± As she stared at the diamond ring on her hand, Elise mumbled an answer before Alexander¡¯s voice rang out again, ¡°Since we are engaged, shouldn¡¯t we do that before we part ways¡­ Hmm?¡± She blinked as she solemnly asked, ¡°What do we do? Alexander, can you be more upfront? I¡¯m really going to bete now!¡± A helpless Alexander sighed. Looks like she really has no experience when ites to this kind of stuff. Still, he could always take his time to slowly train her. ¡°Come here.¡± While Elise obediently leaned toward him, he quickly nted a kiss on her forehead. ¡°This is all I want. Do you get it now?¡± Upon knowing what he meant, her face quickly reddened. ¡°You¡­ I¡­ What are you still doing? Unlock the door!¡± Alexander finally allowed her to get out of the car. While he watched her leaving, he announced, ¡°Come out the moment when ss is done. I¡¯ll be waiting here for you.¡± Elise¡¯s back was still facing him, so she didn¡¯t say anything in response. Rather, she waved her hand in acknowledgment and fastened her pace. When she arrived at ss, she noticed that the atmosphere was quiet and everyone was focused on their schoolwork in their seats. Then, she followed suit. When she noticed that Mika¡¯s table, which was next to hers, was empty, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder why Mika wasn¡¯t at school. While Elise was deep in thought, Danny came over with a ss of fruit juice and ced it on her table. ¡°Boss, here¡¯s some juice.¡± It was at this moment when she asked, ¡°Have you seen Mika? Why didn¡¯t shee today?¡± He replied, ¡°Boss, didn¡¯t you know? Mika has dropped out of school and came to settle the withdrawal procedure before school reopened. I heard that her family is migrating and they¡¯re nning to leave in a day or two.¡± N?velDrama.Org (C) content. Chapter 197 Chapter 197 Chapter 197,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°What? She¡¯s migrating¡­¡± Elise trailed off before she quickly took her phone to contact Mika. However, a cold robotic woman¡¯s voice greeted her instead. ¡°Sorry, the number that you¡¯ve dialed is unreachable¡­¡± A sad Elise kept her phone away while Danny tried his best to console her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Boss. She will surely contact you when she¡¯s there.¡± If Mika hadn¡¯t lost her memories, Elise was sure that she¡¯d definitely be able to contact her. However, now that Mika had lost her memories, would it be the end of their friendship? It was after this that Elise started to zone out and she was unable to focus during ss whatsoever. The homeroom teacher entered with a beautiful girl during the third period. ¡°Quiet, everybody. This is Jacinda Kate, the newest addition to our ss. I hope everyone will take good care of her.¡± Everyone started pping immediately to wee Jacinda while she grinned in response. ¡°Hey, guys. My name is Jacinda and I¡¯ll be your new ssmate from today onward. I hope that we can all get along with each other.¡± With such an angelic voice and innocent look, she had instantly captured most of the guys¡¯ attention. ¡°Hey, Jacinda, why don¡¯t you sit next to me?¡± Although a male ssmate had extended an invitation for her to sit with him, she had turned him down. Then, she turned toward Elise and approached her. ¡°Hey, can I sit next to you?¡± Elise frowned as the seat next to her belonged to Mika. Nevertheless, it was only a matter of time before it would be upied since Mikaya had already dropped out. Although she was reluctant to allow Jacinda to sit next to her, she didn¡¯t have any valid reason to reject Jacinda either. ¡°Sure.¡± A smiling Jacinda replied, ¡°Thank you.¡± Then, she sat down and ced her bag in the table drawer while her gaze was fixated on Elise¡¯s face. Is this the ugly Elise that my cousin sister has mentioned? How unappealing. I wonder what kind of charisma she has to be able to defeat my elegant cousin to be Alexander¡¯s fianc¨¦e. What a joke. Jacinda coldly chuckled before sheposed herself and whispered to Elise, ¡°Hello, may I know your name? Also, can you tell me what ss we have next?¡± ¡°Elise Sinir. The timetable is on the whiteboard and you can copy a set for yourself if you need it.¡± When she noticed Elise was being cold toward her, Jacinda¡¯s dislike against Elise only grew stronger. How dare that ugly monster try to act cool around me? Just you watch. ¡­ ¡°Hey, Jacinda. Here¡¯s some chocte that I bought¡­¡± ¡°I purchased these lollipops for you¡­¡± ¡°Do you like any of these snacks?¡± Many of the guys in ss tried to woo Jacinda, who really enjoyed the attention that they were showering on her. And with a gentle voice, she thanked them. ¡°Thank you, everyone!¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. Let us know if you need anything in the future.¡± Although Jacinda had chatted with them merrily and didn¡¯t reject their gifts, her expression changed once they left. It was momentster when she startedining, ¡°Are these people dumb? Who tries to woo girls with snacks and lollipops? Do they think that I¡¯m a kid?¡± Then, she threw the snacks into the trash bin without any hesitation. Upon seeing that, Elise frowned a little but kept quiet. Unfortunately, Jacinda thought Elise was judging her and red instead. ¡°What are you staring at? Have you not received any gifts from guys before? Well, I guess no guy would buy gifts for ugly girls like you. I bet they don¡¯t even want to spare any nce on you.¡± A speechless Elise retorted without any hesitation, ¡°It seemed like you¡¯ve mastered the art of being two-faced.¡± ¡°Who are you to talk to me like this? Do you know that I can destroy your reputation if I want to?¡± Jacinda threatened. It was obvious that she looked down on Elise. Elise could sense Jacinda¡¯s hostility at this moment. However, she couldn¡¯t recall that they had ever crossed paths before. Although it was their first time meeting each other, Jacinda¡¯s hostility was obvious from the hatred in her eyes. Looks like she¡¯s not here with good intentions. ¡°You can give it a shot. We shall see who ends up with a destroyed reputation instead.¡± Upon saying those words, she stopped talking to Jacinda and went back toplete her schoolwork. After ss, Danny went over to give Elise the fruit juice that he bought. ¡°Boss, have some juice!¡± Without looking up, she replied, ¡°Thank you!¡± As he was used to her behavior, he didn¡¯t say anything and returned to his seat. On the other hand, Jacinda knew who Danny was. In fact, she knew all about the Griffiths¡¯ young masters. Nheless, she had only seen them in pictures; she never met them in person and didn¡¯t have any interactions with them either. Still, she knew the interests of the four masters. For example, Danny Griffith, who was in front of her, was an ignorant and arrogant person with an interest in car racing and gaming. But, why is he being so pleasant to the ugly monster? As she was unable to understand the connection even after pondering on it, she gave up and took the initiative to start a conversation with him to gain his favor. ¡°Hey, Danny. I¡¯m the new girl, Jacinda. I recently started a new mobile game, so would you like to y together with me when you¡¯re free?¡± At this moment, Danny was in the midst of doing his schoolwork when he heard a shrill voice, which caused him to frown. ¡°There¡¯s less than a hundred days until our finals and you¡¯re still thinking of ying games? Leave me alone; stop bothering me when I¡¯m studying.¡± Jacinda¡¯s expression immediately changed the moment she was rejected and she didn¡¯t know what to do next. Why is the rumored Danny Griffith way different from the one in person? ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t know that you were studying.¡± Normally, people would definitely soften upon seeing her apologetic expression. However, as Danny had been hanging out too much with Elise and was used to her behavior, Jacinda¡¯s fake affectionate manner was off putting for him. ¡°Alright. Just stop talking to me,¡± he demanded, to which Jacinda¡¯s face darkened. Still, she didn¡¯t have the guts to retort and could only return to her seat. Simon Reid, who couldn¡¯t really get along with Danny, exined, ¡°Jacinda, don¡¯t mind Danny. He always acts like that.¡± The handsome and wealthy Simon was a dreamy person, but he obviously couldn¡¯t bepared to someone like Danny. Jacinda finally managed to find a sense offort from Simon. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . ¡°Thank you. Still, it was my fault for behaving out of my ce. I didn¡¯t know that Danny was a hardworking student who loves studying.¡± To be honest, he was just as shocked. ¡°Danny has only started taking his studies seriouslyst semester. We all thought that it was for show, but he actually managed to obtain third ce in our ss during the finalsst semester. It¡¯s possible that he might be able to enroll into a prestigious school!¡± She never knew that Danny was actually an intelligent student. So, that¡¯s why Danny reacted that way when I invited him to y games with me. Looks like I have to strategize again. ¡°I see! Thank you. I¡¯ll buy you a meal somedayter to return your kindness.¡± Simon would never reject a beautiful girl¡¯s invitation, so he suggested, ¡°Why must it be somedayter when we can have a meal together today? I know a nice ce nearby. Why don¡¯t we head over there after school?¡± Right at this moment, Jacinda, who wanted to know more about her new ss, figured that it was a great opportunity to do so and agreed to Simon¡¯s suggestion. Chapter 198 Chapter 198 Chapter 198,Coolest Girl in Town The moment Elise emerged from campus after ss, she immediately spotted Alexander¡¯s car from afar. Alexander opened his car door and immediately walked toward her before asking, ¡°Are you done with sses?¡± Upon hearing his question, she nodded in response. Then, he held her by her hand and opened the car door for her. Many of her ssmates started toment about their interaction as they watched the scene unfold. However, Elise couldn¡¯t care less about what was happening behind her. As soon as Alexander entered the car, he started the car engine and drove off. ¡°Are we heading home?¡± she asked. He gave a dry cough as he stole a nce at the notes he prepared before he replied, ¡°Let¡¯s dine out for dinner. After that, we¡¯ll watch a movie in the cinema. I¡¯ve already bought tickets for the rom that just premiered.¡± Why does it feel like a date to me? A surprised Elise questioned, ¡°Are you bringing me out on a date?¡± A soft hum was heard from Alexander as a response, which left her smiling from ear to ear and feeling inexplicably excited. Soon, they arrived at an exclusive restaurant which served western cuisine. A man approached them moments after they sat down and were about to ce their order. ¡°Hello, Alexander! It¡¯s been a while since Ist saw you! I even thought I¡¯ve mistaken someone else for you¡­¡± While raising his eyebrows, Alexander noticed that the man in front of him was his ssmate from high school, Peter Simms. Although they hadn¡¯t spoken to each other for many years, Alexander still politely greeted his ex- ssmate, ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Peter.¡± Peter was clearly aware of Alexander¡¯s status as he had been trying topare andpete with Alexander secretly throughout the years. Nheless, how could a small startuppany like Peter¡¯s ever defeat the Griffith Group, which had been in the market for more than a century? Now that he thought about it, he couldn¡¯t help but be slightly jealous of Alexander. ¡°Are you also here for dinner too? Oh, hello¡­¡± The nonchnt expression on Peter¡¯s face suddenly darkened when he spotted Elise. Why is Alexander, the well known heir of Griffith Group, having dinner with such an ugly woman? ¡°Young Master Alex, is this your servant?¡± The question slipped right out of his mouth before he even realized it. Both Elise and Alexander¡¯s expressions sank almost immediately as a result. Just as she was about to respond, Alexander reached out to give her hand a squeeze before introducing her to Peter, ¡°This is my fianc¨¦e, Elise.¡± Such a short and simple answer was enough to startle Elise slightly. Even Peter was stunned. Wait, what? The ugly-lookingdy is actually his fianc¨¦e? ¡°Hehe¡­ It seems like you have a different taste when ites to women, Alexander!¡± His words had dripped with sarcasm, to which Alexander responded coldly, ¡°Well, I don¡¯t see how it has anything to do with you.¡± However, Peter seemed to be oblivious of the anger on Alexander¡¯s face and continued to pull Alexander¡¯s leg. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. Clearly, your choice in women has nothing to do with me. However, aren¡¯t you embarrassed to be seen with an uglydy like her?¡± At that moment, Elise silently clenched her hands into fists as she felt a sense of humiliation. Never did she expect that her appearance would bring Alexander such disgrace. ¡°You¡­¡± Right when she was about to fight back, he interrupted her with a soft smile and poured her a ss of water before he consoled, ¡°Just Ignore him. He¡¯s merely a crazy dog barking at us.¡± Upon hearing Alexander¡¯s insult, Peter was instantly pissed off. ¡°Who are you to call me a dog?! How dare you! I¡¯m still your ex-ssmate after all! I can still recall those days when you were head over heels for the most beautiful girl in our school, but now you¡¯re treating this ugly monster as if she is your treasure!¡± Alexander gave Peter a cold look. ¡°Peter Simms, right? It seems like your parents did not raise you well. If that¡¯s the case, I guess I should help them out by teaching you a lesson today.¡± Immediately, he stood up and walked toward Peter. Peter started to retreat backward as he was terrified by Alexander¡¯s imposing manner. ¡°W-What are you trying to do?¡± When Alexander saw how frightened Peter was, he didn¡¯t feel like punching Peter at all. However, the fact that the man messed up his date with Elise was undeniable. At that moment, he coldly ordered, ¡°I want you to remove everything except for your boxers and leave. Otherwise, I will make sure that each and every property owned by yourpany will be gone by tomorrow morning.¡± A stupefied Peter¡¯s legs caved in, which caused him to slump onto the ground. While staring at the man from above, Alexander stated coldly, ¡°I¡¯m sure you know that this isn¡¯t just a threat and you are more than wee to fight back if you want to test my limits. I¡¯ll give you a minute to think about it.¡± Then, he turned to return to his table. As he watched Alexander¡¯s retreating figure, Peter trembled inexplicably. Although he never doubted the power of Alexander¡¯s words, it was exceptionally embarrassing for a grown man like him to run around naked. However, Alexander threatened that whatever Peter had built in thepany would be gone by tomorrow morning. After contemting for a moment, Peter decided to protect hispany¡¯s interests and forwent his own dignity as he started to remove his clothes. Even though the restaurant was bustling with customers, everyone couldn¡¯t help but stop to stare at him. He had never felt so humiliated before, but it was all caused by his own wrongdoings. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. With a dark expression, he removed thest piece of his clothes and got up from the floor before running out of the restaurant¡­ Elise was unable to resistughing at what happened before she turned to Alexander and asked, ¡°What did you say to make him strip obediently?¡± He answered nonchntly, ¡°A man like him will do anything for the sake of his own benefits. It¡¯s only at times like this when he¡¯ll learn to watch his words.¡± Although she was slightly affected by Peter¡¯s nastyments about her, when she saw how Alexander spoke up for her made her believe that she had made the right choice by entrusting her life to him. ¡°Do you really not care about what he said?¡± After all, Elise knew that she wasn¡¯t drop dead gorgeous. Just like what Peter had said, she was merely an embarrassment and any other men would¡¯ve been affected by her looks. Still, Alexander shot a nce at her before he merely replied, ¡°His words mean nothing to me since you are all I care about.¡± A gush of warmth filled her heart. ¡°Actually, I¡ª¡± She was about to say something when her phone rang. ¡°Hold on, let me answer this call.¡± When Elise nced at the unknown caller ID on her phone, she frowned and answered, ¡°Hello, may I know who this is?¡± ¡°I have Jamie Keller with me right now. Prepare three million and drop it off at Westhill Garden an hourter. Do not bring anyone along, or this guy won¡¯t survive to see the next sunrise.¡± She responded while clenching her fists, ¡°Why should I trust you?¡± Suddenly, Jamie¡¯s voice was heard from the other end of the call, ¡°Don¡¯t fall into his trap, Boss! Do note over¡ª¡± Chapter 199 Chapter 199 Chapter 199,Coolest Girl in Town The victim¡¯s voice was interrupted before the words could even be fully expressed. ¡°I¡¯ll give you an hour,¡± the caller added. ¡°If you¡¯re not here by then, this kid won¡¯t live to see another sunrise.¡± When the call abruptly ended, Elise¡¯s face darkened. Then, she turned around to look at Alexander, who could sense her mood change. ¡°Did anything happen?¡± As she tried her best to remain calm, Elise nonchntly answered, ¡°It¡¯s nothing big. I just can¡¯t go to the movies with youter as I have an emergency to settle.¡± Although he was curious, he refrained from prying and instead replied, ¡°I¡¯ll send you there.¡± Despite that, she rejected him. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m sorry, but please wait for me toe back because I have something important to tell you as well.¡± Alexander grunted in acknowledgement and watched as she left. It was after Elise left the restaurant that her expression darkened almost immediately before she quickly hailed a cab and entered the vehicle. She never expected someone to learn about her and even kidnap Jamie. Elise had figured that she managed to keep herself well under the radar throughout these years and never thought that someone would discover her identity. Looks like tonight will be a hard battle to fight. ¡°I¡¯ll give you half an hour to prepare 3 million for me,¡± she said after calling an unknown number. At the same time, the person on the other end of the call was obviously delighted upon hearing Elise¡¯s voice. ¡°Elise, is that you?¡± ¡°Yes. Be quick, though. I¡¯ming over shortly to get the money. Also, I need you to prepare a car with excellent performance and a weapon.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± After ending the call, Elise¡¯s gaze darkened before she urged the cab driver to increase his speed. On the other hand, Alexander felt a hint of disappointment as he stared at the empty seat in front of him after she left. Right when he was about to leave, he received a call from Cameron. ¡°Boss, I¡¯ve heard rumors that something huge is going to happen tonight. Someone has kidnapped one of Dragonweiss¡¯ core members. It seems like they are trying to bait the leader of Dragonweiss to reveal themselves.¡± The corner of Alexander¡¯s lips curled upward at that moment. ¡°Someone actually have the guts to try and offend their leader?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t get any information about them at this point, but I heard that it¡¯s a hugemotion. Our men are afraid to investigate deeper without furthermands, so they¡¯re asking for your opinion.¡± Dragonweiss was an underground organization that was formed three years ago and they had already managed to widen their influence at the speed of light. In the span of around two to three years, they had already managed to take over more than half of the entire underground scene. Nevertheless, none of the core members of Dragonweiss had ever revealed themselves to the public. As for their leader, there were many rumors about the person. Most of the tittle-tattle described the person as having a legendary identity, so almost everyone in the underground scene wanted to know who the leader of Dragonweiss was. This included Alexander as well. ¡°Don¡¯t interfere with their issue first. Get hold of their exact coordinates and send it to me.¡± ¡°Yes, Young Master Alex.¡± After hanging up the call, Alexander stared at the empty seat in front of him and looked as if he was deep in thought. It was a known fact that Athesea was being dominated by tworge underground organizations¡ªthe recently established Dragonweiss and Midnight Reign, which had been in existence for ages. However, no one knew that the boundless heir of the Griffith Group, Alexander, was actually masquerading as the leader of Midnight Resign and held the ultimate say everywhere. Right then, he thought, Would Elise still choose to be with me when she discovers my identity? On the other hand, Elise had already arrived at the mutually agreed meeting point and all the things that she requested in advance were all prepared for her. ¡°These are all the things that you requested for,¡± the man mentioned to her. ¡°Is that enough?¡± She nced at the items. ¡°It¡¯s enough. Bring me my mask.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The man immediately headed off to grab a fox mask for Elise to wear. ¡°Do you need us toe with you?¡± ¡°You can arrange for some of our men to keep an eye around that ce and to listen to guns being fired as a signal. If I don¡¯te out after half an hour, you guys can make a move.¡± N?velDrama.Org (C) content. ¡°Understood.¡± Then, Elise asked her men to move the suitcase bearing the money to the car before she entered the driver¡¯s seat. She started the engines after stabbing the keys in the ignition and sped off. Since she was speeding, she had only spent 15 minutes when it would originally take 30 minutes to arrive in Westhill Garden. Upon reaching the ce, she noticed that it was so quiet that chills went down her spine. Elise noted that she still had 20 minutes left before their deal when she looked at her wristwatch. So, she calmly sat in the car while observing her surroundings before her phone rang less than two minutester. ¡°As expected from you to actually have the courage toe alone. I really admire your guts.¡± She replied coldly, ¡°Stop wasting my time. I¡¯ve already brought over all the requested items, so where is he?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be agitated. Since it¡¯s a deal, I¡¯ll obviously return the kid once I have the money. Get out of the car now ande in without any weapons.¡± Her hand reached out for the hidden weapon at the bottom of her pants as her gaze darkened. ¡°I cane in alone, but I need to see the person whom I want to see. If I can¡¯t leave with him in one piece today, I¡¯ll make sure that all of you pay for it.¡± ¡°Haha!¡± An obnoxiousugh rang out from the other end of the call. ¡°We shall see if you can actually do that. Now, get out of the car ande on in.¡± Elise then pushed the door open and stared at the garden in front of her before making her way toward it without any hesitation. Upon her arrival at the entrance, all the lights in the garden were switched on. ¡°Take 100 steps forward and turn right thereafter. Then, I want you to take another 30 steps forward before making a left turn. You¡¯ll see rocks in front of you; once you walk past them, enter the cave and we¡¯ll be waiting for you inside.¡± While she proceeded with his instructions, she asked, ¡°Since I¡¯ve already arrived, aren¡¯t you going to let me talk to him?¡± ¡°What? Are you afraid that we would go against our deal?¡± Elise chuckled coldly. ¡°You should at least let me know that he¡¯s safe and sound, shouldn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! He¡¯s obviously safe.¡± Then, the man passed the phone to Jamie and ordered, ¡°Speak!¡± However, Jamie bit her lips and refused to talk, which annoyed the kidnapper so much that he kicked Jamie in the stomach. Jamie retorted, ¡°You little a*shole! I¡¯ll be sure to get my revenge for this!¡± However, the man ignored Jamie and spoke to the phone instead, ¡°Did you hear that? He¡¯s obviously alive and kicking!¡± Upon hearing Jamie¡¯s voice, Elise felt relieved. ¡°ording to the deal, I¡¯ll give you the money once you hand him over.¡± ¡°Great! We love dealing with people like you.¡± Elise started to head into the cave a moment after she hung up. The ce was dim since it wasn¡¯t as bright as the sun. It took her some time to get ustomed to the dark environment in the cave before she began to observe her surroundings. Her surroundings suddenly brightened up after she walked for about ten meters. ¡°Haha! How¡¯s this? What do you think about our little game?¡± Chapter 200 Chapter 200 Chapter 200,Coolest Girl in Town Elise looked up, only to see that there was a buff man with a scar on the left side of his face. ¡°I¡¯m already here, so it¡¯s time for you to fulfill your part of the deal, isn¡¯t it?¡± The scar-faced man walked toward her. ¡°I used to be curious about the leader of Dragonweiss since the organization is able to expand their territory within the underground scene in just three years. Still, I have to say that I¡¯m surprised to know that the leader is actually a girl. I wonder what kind of pretty face is hidden underneath the mask.¡± Her gaze immediately darkened because it looked like the matter wasn¡¯t just about money. Still, she didn¡¯t dare to do anything rash as she still hadn¡¯t seen Jamie. ¡°Don¡¯t you know how important reputation is for folks like us? If you guys don¡¯t keep to your promises today, aren¡¯t you afraid of my men destroying this ce?¡± Elise coldly threatened as she gave off a domineering aura. The man immediately couldn¡¯t help but shiver. It was his first time being intimidated by a woman and he could sense that she wasn¡¯t an ordinary person. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll surely release him.¡± Then, he looked at his man before thetter immediately brought Jamie over. The moment Jamie saw Elise, his face filled with apology. ¡°Boss!¡± Upon noticing that he was in one piece, she was relieved. ¡°It¡¯s alright as long as you¡¯re fine.¡± After that, she addressed the scar-faced man, ¡°I¡¯ve already brought the money and it¡¯s in the car. Since I¡¯ve already seen him, I¡¯m bringing him with me now.¡± He started laughing all of a sudden. ¡°This is as expected from the leader of Dragonweiss. It¡¯s alright if you want to leave, but only one of you can make it out alive today.¡± ¡°A*shole,¡± Jamie cursed under his breath. ¡°Boss, do not believe him and instead request for backup to destroy this ce. Nevertheless, she gave the scar-faced man a serious stare instead of replying before she finally arrived at a decision. ¡°Jamie, leave this ce,¡± she instructed. However, Jamie refused. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving, Boss. I want to stay. You should be the one leaving.¡± Elise then shot him a cold look. ¡°I¡¯m asking you to leave right now.¡± Although he was insistent on going against her instructions, he couldn¡¯t say anything when he met her gaze and could only grit his teeth as he did as told. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll leave!¡± The moment Jamie said that, he left the ce without any obstruction. It was moments after he departed that the scar-faced man started to regard Elise. ¡°How courageous of you. You¡¯re indeed a charismatic woman.¡± However, she couldn¡¯t afford to muck around any longer and instead asked, ¡°Who are you guys? Who gave you guys the courage to try to cross us?¡± Instead of answering her question, he gazed at her with a dark look before slowly saying, ¡°It¡¯s not important for you to know who we are. What¡¯s important is that I¡¯m going to kill you today.¡± Then, he took a pistol from his pocket and aimed it at Elise¡¯s temple. ¡°Say yourst words and I¡¯ll help you to inform your men.¡± Despite her predicament, Elise stared at the gun pointed at her without any hint of fear. After experiencing many life and death situations with her men from Dragonweiss, she was no longer afraid of anything. There was no way that she¡¯d be frightened at this point in time. ¡°There are many who want my life, but none of them have seeded. I won¡¯t let you be the exception today.¡± Upon hearing that, the manughed maniacally before he responded in a crazed manner, ¡°I¡¯ll see you in hell, nevertheless.¡± Then, he pulled the trigger before the loud shot of gunfire rang out secondster. Elise concurrently yanked her pistol out and aimed it at the scar-faced man to fire two shots in quick session, which stopped the bullet that wasing for her and injured the man on his right hand. His gun immediately fell to the ground before blood started to spill. He stared at her in disbelief. ¡°H-How did you pull that off? How is this even possible?¡± Firing two shots in session almost at the same time and urately stopping my bullet as well as injuring me?! ¡°Didn¡¯t I already mention that there are many that want my life, but none of them have seeded and I won¡¯t let you be the exception today?¡± The scar-faced man held his wounded subordinate, knowing that he had failed miserably this time. It was just that he never expected this woman to be so skillful. That was still alright because he was merely testing her out, but the scar-faced man refused to believe that she would be lucky each time. ¡°Not bad indeed. Well, although I couldn¡¯t kill you today, I¡¯ll make sure that you¡¯ll die in my hands in the future.¡± However, right after the man finished talking, Elise raised her gun again and slowly informed, ¡°There¡¯s something else that you should know about me. I¡¯ll never leave any opportunities for trouble to catch up with me in the future.¡± Then, she fired three shots toward the scar-faced man¡¯s chest in rapid session, causing his eyes to widen as he stared at her before he copsed onto the ground. After witnessing the scene unfold before their eyes, all of his subordinates aimed their weapons at Elise. She was still unafraid as she slowly reloaded her gun. ¡°You guys can try to see whether you¡¯re faster or I am quicker. Just don¡¯t forget that you only have one choice and one time to live.¡± Right after that, the men stared at each other before lowering their guns and raised their hands as a sign of surrender. The sounds of footsteps were heard outside a whileter before a group of men barged in with Jamie at the lead. Then, he asked, ¡°Boss, are you alright?¡± Elise shrugged. ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m not?¡± Upon hearing that, he finally noticed that the scar-faced man was already lifeless on the ground before breaking into a sigh. Then, he tried to exin, ¡°Boss, it¡¯s my fault for underestimating them. I didn¡¯t expect myself to be lured here.¡± ¡°Their target isn¡¯t you; it¡¯s me! It¡¯s obvious that they came prepared and were hostile, so it¡¯s better for us to stay cautious from today onward.¡± ¡°Okay, Boss. However, we¡¯ve already lost the money in the car and couldn¡¯t catch up to them as they were exceptionally swift for us.¡± When she heard that the money was gone, she was immediately enraged as that amount of three million was enough to cover Dragonweiss¡¯ expenditure for at least three months. She couldn¡¯t reconcile to the fact that the money was gone just like that either. ¡°Start investigating. All of the money has serial numbers, so I want you guys to locate the money.¡± ¡°Yes, Boss. I¡¯ll attend to it now.¡± Just as they were about to leave, the scar-faced man, who was on the floor, started to slowly move his arm before he reached for the pistol and aimed it at Elise. ¡°Be careful, Boss!¡± Although Jamie had pushed her aside in time, the bullet still managed to lodged itself in her arm. When he saw that she was injured, he was so agitated that he took his own pistol out and fired ten continuous shots at the man. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . He only stopped when he saw the scar-faced man releasing hisst breath before dropping onto the ground. Then, Jamie turned to Elise and asked anxiously, ¡°How are you, Boss?¡± While holding onto her injured arm, she answered, ¡°I¡¯m alright. Let¡¯s leave this ce first.¡± ¡°This is terrible. We¡¯ve been surrounded outside and I¡¯m not sure whether these are our folks, but it seems like everything has been nned up to this point.¡± ¡°Sh*t!¡± he cursed under his breath. ¡°Boss, you should leave first while I¡¯ll stay behind to keep these nobodies in check.¡± Elise¡¯s gaze darkened. If she wasn¡¯t injured, she would¡¯ve been able to leave the ce unscathed, but things were harder now that her arm had been shot. ¡°Jamie, let¡¯s split up. Take the main entrance and I¡¯ll leave from the backdoor. Find a way to separate them without engaging in a fight.¡± ¡°Will do, Boss,¡± Jamie said after he grunted. ¡°You should take more men with you since you¡¯re injured.¡± ¡°I know what to do. Let¡¯s go then.¡± Upon leaving from the backdoor, she was immediately surrounded although she had left with a few men. Nevertheless, it seemed like the opponent wasn¡¯t after her life and that of her men, judging from the way the opponent had ensured not to injure their vitals during the fight. Still, she wasn¡¯t in a mood to y around with them and used her left hand to directly aim her pistol at the opponent¡¯s core vitals before she started firing. It was obvious that they had underestimated Elise as they never expected her to be so ruthless. As she broke out from the encirclement, she started to jog forward while the men that she led ran behind her. After running for a distance, she suddenly heard a motorbike speeding past before it finally stopped in front of her. ¡°Get on!¡± Elise was taken aback as she stared at the driver because it was a familiar face. W-W-Why is he here? Chapter 201 Chapter 201 Chapter 201,Coolest Girl in Town Elise looked at Alexander standing in front of her; she found that he was someone familiar yet a stranger. Fortunately, she had worn her mask, so he wasn¡¯t able to identify her. ¡°What are you waiting for? Get on!¡± Alexander repeated. Meanwhile, Elise hesitated for a moment before getting on the motorbike. Then, he elerated, and the bike roared off into the distance. They sped off in the darkness as she tried her best to support her injured arm. She clenched her teeth hard to stop herself from losing consciousness. He finally stopped the bike when they arrived at a safe location. ¡°We¡¯re safe. You can go now.¡± She lowered her eyes and extricated herself from him. ¡°I appreciate this. Thanks for your help. If you need a helping hand in the future, you can find me at Dragonweiss anytime.¡± Meanwhile, Alexander carefully scrutinized Elise. He had mainly intended to pop over and enjoy the show, but unexpectedly saw the mighty and valiant boss of Dragonweiss with his own eyes. Truthfully speaking, he was in awe of her courage when she fired the shot earlier. This woman here disguised in a fox mask isn¡¯t one to mess with. ¡°I¡¯m quite honored to have seen the appearance of the boss of Dragonweiss. That¡¯s worth my trip. As for the rest of it, I¡¯m not one to ask for much.¡± Alexander nced at her arm as soon as he finished his sentence. ¡°You¡¯re hurt! You should return home to have that wound attended to as soon as possible. I hope that we¡¯ll be able to be friends with each other the next time we meet.¡± With that, he pressed the throttle and roared off without a backward nce. As she tried toprehend the meaning behind his words, Elise frowned slightly. In the end, the pain shooting from her arm shook her to the present and she didn¡¯t bother to spare another thought to what he said. At that moment itself, she scanned her surroundings and gged a cab to head to Dragonweiss¡¯ private hospital. As it was a wound sustained from a gunshot, she didn¡¯t dare to alert anyone else. After experiencing the procedure of having the embedded bullet removed at the said private hospital, she ended up copsing from the pain. By the time she had regained consciousness, it was already the morning of the following day. Elise gradually got up from the bed and noticed that her arm had already been dressed and bandaged up. As she rummaged around and found her phone, it was only at that moment when she noticed there were in fact more than ten missed calls. At this moment, she came to her senses and immediately returned Alexander¡¯s call. ¡°Where are you?¡± Alexander asked. Meanwhile, Elise nced at her surroundings and ignored his question as she probed, ¡°Do you need me for anything? Why are you bombarding me with phone calls so early in the morning?¡± He had intended to ask her why she had stayed out the whole nightst night, but he suddenly pondered, Am I being too controlling? She might feel oppressed by this. He quickly changed his tune and replied, ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing much. I noticed that you weren¡¯t home and was worried about your safety. I can tell now that you¡¯re safe and sound, so it¡¯s all good. I won¡¯t be sending you to school today then.¡± She affirmed, ¡°That¡¯s fine with me. I can head to school by myself.¡± After Elise hung up the phone, she sighed deeply. In fact, she intensely disliked the feeling of telling a fib, but how on earth was she supposed to reveal her identity to Alexander, though? Furthermore, how am I supposed to exin the gunshot wound on my arm? She felt that it was one of the toughest questions of this century to resolve. I guess I¡¯ll just take it one step at a time. The moment she left the hospital, she hailed a cab to school. Meanwhile, Alexander¡¯s car was parked in front of the school entrance and as soon as he saw her arriving safely, he was finally at ease. Soon after that, he started his car ignition and slowly drove off. Jacinda had noticed Alexander and she was just about to head over to greet him, but he didn¡¯t even bother to look at her and immediately drove off. She was slightly annoyed by his action and followed his gaze to the direction that he had been looking at. Coincidentally, Elise appeared in front of her. How can such an ugly person be able to attract someone like Alexander?! What sort of witchery does she possess?! Looks like Ashlyn¡¯s right; that girl¡¯s a vixen! ¡°Gosh! Some people can be so full of themselves despite being quite ugly.¡± As soon as Jacinda entered the ssroom, she rudely spoke in front of Elise. ¡°Jacinda, who are you talking about? Who has offended you this time?¡± Some of her ssmates walked up to her in curiosity and asked with concern. Jacinda tossed her head haughtily without giving out any names, but she spoke obscurely, ¡°Who else could it be? Who¡¯s the ugliest person with a nasty personality in our ss? She¡¯s skillful in seducing guys, so isn¡¯t it quite obvious to everyone?¡± Meanwhile, everyone exchanged looks with each other, but no one had any idea who Jacinda was talking about. Nheless, their eyes inadvertently turned to Elise. After all, if everyone was to be rated based on their looks, she would be the one rankedst in their ss. At that point, she frowned as she sensed the looks of judgment from the crowd. However, as Jacinda didn¡¯t spill any names, Elise couldn¡¯t quite stand up for herself out of nowhere and ignored Jacinda while she continued toplete her worksheet. One of their ssmates suggested in a soft voice, ¡°Jacinda, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re talking about Erudite Elise?!¡± In response, Jacinda merely revealed a smile. ¡°That was just a random thing that I said. As for the person whom I was talking about, I¡¯m sure she¡¯s well aware of it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, Jacinda. There¡¯s no need to overthink the situation. Let¡¯s focus on our final exam.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. I still have a worksheet from yesterday toplete. I¡¯m returning to my seat to do that.¡± Shortly after that, two of their ssmates who came forward eventually returned to their respective seats. Jacinda scanned her surroundings and discovered that the entire ss now resembled a studious environment. Being a cker, she seemed to be at odds with the rest of them. After an agonizingly long day, it was finally thest ss for the morning period. At that point, Elise could distinctly feel the pain radiating from her arm and there was a wet, sticky sensation too. It seemed that her wound was once again oozing blood. She immediately stood up and went off to the medical center. There, she bought some clean gauze and swiftly made her way to the bathroom. Elise locked herself in a cubicle and unraveled her dressing, which exposed her gaping and bloody wound to the air. As a result, she gritted her teeth to stifle the pain. Then, she quickly applied some medication on the wound before bandaging it once again. She found that it was rather inconvenient to do it with one hand, so she was quite sloppy with the application. However, she wasn¡¯t too concerned and walked out of the cubicle to return to the ssroom. Unbeknownst to Elise, as soon as she emerged from the cubicle, the door next to hers also opened to reveal Jacinda walked out with an intense look. Jacinda nced at the bloody gauze in the bin and became lost in her thoughts. ¡°Our next ss is P.E. I heard that this is the final one for this semester. Soon, all of our P.E. periods will be substituted with Mathematics.¡± ¡°What?! That can¡¯t be true! Ugh, what a buzzkill!¡± ¡°Sigh! Let¡¯s persevere and withstand this! We only have three more months to push ourselves! We can do this!¡± In saying that, most of the students grouped together and rose up to leave and change into appropriate attires at the changing rooms. ¡°Boss, stop working on your worksheet. It¡¯s our final P.E. ss for this semester. Let¡¯s go and enjoy this precious moment that we have left.¡± Danny walked over and spoke up. Meanwhile, Elise was so concerned about her wound that she replied, ¡°I want to continue doing some worksheets in the ssroom. Could you help me to get some time off from our teacher?¡± He was about to agree to her request when someone reminded from behind, ¡°In ourst session, our teacher has mentioned that there will be a physical fitness test. The result of this test will be included in our overall P.E. result for this semester, which is why everyone has to turn up. We¡¯re not allowed any time off.¡± As soon as Danny heard that, he instantly reacted, ¡°Boss, I guess you bettere with us then. You can work on this worksheetter during the revision period.¡± In response, Elise pursed her lips as her thoughts went to the physical fitness test. It should be some simple jogging that we need to do. As long as I don¡¯t touch the wound, it should hopefully be fine. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll change my clothes then.¡± She went into the changing room and opened her locker to retrieve her gym attire. Fortunately for her, it was the spring season whereby everyone still wore shirts with long sleeves, so she managed to cover her wound. As soon as the P.E. ss started, all the students were asked to run threeps. It was arduous for Elise, but she gritted her teeth and persevered. However, right after she had finished warming up, she suddenly felt dizzy and as if she was about to copse. Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. Shortly after that, she fainted and fell. ¡°Boss!¡± Danny was the first person to reach her side. As soon as he saw her unconscious on the ground, he immediately carried her into his arms and sent her to the medical center. Elise wasn¡¯t aware of how long she had been unconscious for, but she eventually woke up to find that it was dusk outside. She tried to move her arm, but she instead gasped in pain. ¡°Stop moving around!¡± A familiar voice rang out in her ears. A stunned Elise lifted her head to meet Alexander¡¯s eyes. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Chapter 202 Chapter 202 Chapter 202,Coolest Girl in Town Alexander¡¯s expression darkened as he replied, ¡°Danny called to inform me that you had fainted, so I immediately came over.¡± Elise rubbed her temples and she recalled the situation that led up to her losing consciousness. Shortly after that, she exined, ¡°My blood sugar must have dipped, so that¡¯s why I fainted.¡± It was the same diagnosis that the doctor gave, but he noticed that she was clearly paler than usual. ¡°You should take a good rest if you¡¯re not feeling well. I¡¯ll help to obtain a medical certificate for you so that you don¡¯t have to attend school tomorrow.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not necessary.¡± Elise instantly rejected Alexander¡¯s offer. ¡°It¡¯s close to our final exam. I don¡¯t want to disrupt my studies.¡± She had provided an extremely logical exnation, but he refused to ept her objections. ¡°Your final exam is not as important as your health! Besides, it¡¯s just for one day. If you have any trouble with your schoolwork, I¡¯ll get Danny to tutor you once he¡¯s back. I¡¯ll get him to bring your homework back too.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°There are no buts about it. I¡¯ve instructed Mrs. Lester to prepare some chicken soup for you. Let¡¯s head home now.¡± From his words, Elise suddenly realized that they were still in the school¡¯s medical center, so she hastily rose from the bed. However, she had identally strained her wounded arm and instantly furrowed her brows as she instinctively reached out to ce a hand over her arm. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you hurt your arm?¡± Alexander asked as he made a move to check on her condition. She hurriedly stopped him in response. ¡°N-Nothing¡¯s wrong. My arm just feels stiff after such a long nap.¡± Meanwhile, he didn¡¯t suspect that there was something amiss and mentioned, ¡°I¡¯ll help you to get out of bed.¡± Elise held him for support as she got out of bed. It was only then when she felt the pain had significantly subsided. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s go home.¡± Alexander grunted in affirmation and immediately led her out of the medical center. However, he suddenly reached into his pocket and turned to her. ¡°I left my keys inside the room. I¡¯ll head back to grab it. Why don¡¯t you wait for me here?¡± Elise agreed and he subsequently detoured to get his keys. He returned to the room and found his keys by the bedside table. Just as he was about to leave, his eyes suddenly noticed something while his gaze lingered. There was a prominent bloodstain on the originally white bedsheet, which caused his expression to instantly darken. He didn¡¯t make his way out to join Elise, but stopped to have a word with the doctor. ¡°Doctor, was my fianc¨¦e injured?¡± The doctor had discovered a wound on Elise¡¯s arm when he conducted his medical examination. Despite that, he noticed that she had already attended to the wound, so he wasn¡¯t extremely fussed about it and merely assumed that it was an ordinary injury. As such, he replied frankly, ¡°Her arm was injured, but the wound had already been dressed. Being her fiance, weren¡¯t you aware of it?¡± At that point, Alexander¡¯s expression was thunderous. She didn¡¯t tell me that she was injured! I don¡¯t even know when she sustained that injury! He suddenly realized that he wasn¡¯t exactly the greatest fianc¨¦. ¡°Thanks, doctor.¡± As he said that, he reached for his wallet, took out a stack of notes, and handed it to the doctor. ¡°You¡¯ve done a great job.¡± With that, Alexander walked out of the room. As soon as Elise noticed him walking toward her, she recollected herself and feigned that everyone was alright despite the intense pain that she felt on her arm. In addition to that, she went forward to ask him, ¡°Have you found the keys?¡± Alexander nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± Subsequently, the two of them entered the car whereby both of them were lost in their own thoughts and didn¡¯t speak a word to each other throughout the entire journey to the Griffith Residence. Upon their arrival, Elise immediately opened the door and alighted from the car to enter the house whereas Alexander remained seated in the car. He trained his eyes on her back as she walked inside. Then, he heaved a deep sigh and dialed Cameron¡¯s number. ¡°Get me some medication for wounds. Get more of it and send it to my house.¡± Cameron thought that Alexander had hurt himself and instantly probed with concern, ¡°What¡¯s going on, Mr. Duncan? Which part of your body did you injure? Is it bad? I¡¯ll be there right away!¡± This was the first time ever that Alexander found Cameron being loquacious, but he answered Cameron¡¯s questions nheless, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just get everything ready and send it to me as soon as possible.¡± After hanging up the phone, Alexander then left the car. Elise went into her room and she immediately locked the door after that. Then, she located the first aid kit in her room and took out some pain relief medications. Without any hesitation, she immediately swallowed them; it was as if by her doing so, the pain could somehow slightly subside. She wasn¡¯t exactly sure of the reason, but the gunshot wound that she had sustained this time felt much more intense than before to the point where she was close to breaking down. It wasn¡¯t until there was a knock at the door when she realized how long she had been in the room. She reflexively opened her eyes and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me!¡± The two simple words were paired in a familiar voice. Instantly, Elise rose to her feet and saw her reflection in the mirror. After making sure that she looked perfectly alright, she proceeded to unlock the door. ¡°Do you need anything?¡± She asked Alexander who stood by the door. At that moment, he was carrying a big hand in his hands and walked right into the room without uttering a single word. His sudden action was enough to cause Elise to feel anxious, but shortly after that, he abruptly asked, ¡°Did you injure your arm?¡± At this moment, Elise was stunned by his question. How did he know?! However, Alexander didn¡¯t wait for her response and continued with his words, ¡°Here are some medications to apply on your wound. There are two boxes of pain relief inside as well. They¡¯re quite effective.¡± ¡°H-How did you know about it?¡± He honestly replied, ¡°I saw the bloodstains on the bed sheet. You must have been quite badly injured. So, let me help you to dress the wound.¡± Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°No, thanks. I¡¯m alright.¡± Elise subconsciously blurted out those words in that moment without even realizing it. Then, she realized it moments after that and felt that her reaction was uncalled for. Then, she tried to exin, ¡°No, that¡¯s fine since it¡¯s just a minor wound. I¡¯ve dressed it myself, so it¡¯s not a big deal.¡± At that moment, Alexander clearly sensed her abnormality and she seemed to be avoiding something. ¡°Give me your hand and let me take a look at it.¡± Although Alexander had a no-nonsense attitude, Elise was well aware that he would be able to recognize her wound as one sustained from a gunshot as soon as he saw it. That would render all of her previous efforts futile. ¡°I-I¡­ There¡¯s no need for that. Look, I¡¯ve properly dressed the wound and it¡¯s fine.¡± She made a gesture and rolled up her sleeves to show him the bandage that she had put on. The wound was nicely bandaged and it looked alright. Meanwhile, Alexander intently scrutinized her arm with a frown. ¡°When did you injure yourself? Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± Elise had no choice but to respond, ¡°It¡¯s just a minor wound, so it¡¯s not a big deal at all. I¡¯ll be fine in a couple of days¡¯ time.¡± As soon as she had finished her words, Alexander reached out and took her into his arms. Their bodies were intertwined with each other and she could even hear his heartbeat by the side of her ears. ¡°Is it because you don¡¯t trust me?¡± Alexander¡¯s voice gradually rang out. ¡°As your fianc¨¦, I was thest person to learn about your injury. Do you know how terrible I felt?¡± At that moment, Elise bit on her lower lip. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡ª¡± She had just started to say something when he interjected, ¡°There¡¯s no need to apologize. I¡¯m the one who failed. I haven¡¯t done enough to give you the confidence to have the utmost trust in me. Can you promise me that from now on, you won¡¯t keep anything from me?¡± She lifted her eyes to meet his intense gaze. At that moment, he sounded extremely sincere, which had left her at a loss on what to do next. She was hiding a secret from him and it was one that she couldn¡¯t bring herself to mention. ¡°Alexander, I¡ª¡± Before she could finish her sentence, his warm lips swooped in and stopped her from saying anything else with a single action. He slowly explored as he deepened the kids by taking in her wondrous lips. It was as if he was about to mold her into himself. It rendered her mindpletely nk, but she instinctively responded by returning the kiss. Chapter 203 Chapter 203 Chapter 203,Coolest Girl in Town When it felt like she was responding to his kisses, it caused happiness to bloom in his heart. All he wanted at that moment was to hug her, kiss her and never let her go. After what felt like an eternity whereby Elise felt that she had almost suffocated, Alexander finally released her from his embrace. Both of them were out of breath as they stared deep into each other¡¯s eyes and saw their own reflections. ¡°You¡ª¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± They had said both words in unison before looking at each other with a smile. Alexander then reached out to caress her head and added, ¡°Take good care of your injury. Let me know if you need anything. Please remember that you are mine forever. Since we have chosen each other and are now engaged, I hope that we can share both the good and bad times together as well as bing each other¡¯s most trusted person.¡± Elise peered into his eyes before the lines between her brows slowly eased. Then, she firmly nodded. ¡°You should rest early then. I shall make my move.¡± Then, he released her from his embrace and exited the room. After Alexander left, Elise subconsciously pinched herself. It hurt, which meant that everything that had happened earlier was genuine. She looked at her reflection in the mirror again and found that she was blushing; it was a reaction whenever a girl was in love. Deep down in her heart, she knew that she had fallen for him. She had fallen head over heels in love with the man. The next day, Elise nced at the rising sun outside the window and her mood was much better today. However, when she arrived at school, she noticed that there was a few hostile gazes from her peers. Feeling puzzled, she looked at herself and found that there was nothing unusual. She initially thought that she was being overly sensitive, but unexpectedly, as she continued to head toward her ssroom, she noticed that the gazes became more intense. There were even some people who whispered among themselves while they looked at her. ¡°Danny, do you know what they are talking about?¡± Elise couldn¡¯t help but ask as soon as she stepped into the ssroom. Nevertheless, Danny, who had been engrossed in his studies nowadays, had no idea what the other students were discussing about. Hence, he answered, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Wait a minute; Boss, didn¡¯t Alexander request for a leave of absence on your behalf today? Why are you here at school?¡± She casually replied, ¡°I¡¯m actually alright. Rather than staying at home and doing nothing, I would rathere to school and learn something, so at least I won¡¯t waste my time.¡± ¡°Boss, you are such a sensible person. I have to learn from you.¡± ¡°Have you heard about it? Elise is pregnant!¡± ¡°Oh, God! Are you serious? Whose child is it?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you seen the diamond ring on her hand? I reckon that she¡¯s being kept by someone!¡± ¡°She is so young, yet she has done something like that? She is not even 18, right? How could she have done such a thing? As far as I can remember, ording to the school rules, a student like this will be expelled.¡± The few girls continued to gossip softly among themselves, but a secondter, a loud thud rang in the air. It was Danny who suddenly kicked the door open. ¡°What nonsense are you guys saying?¡± The crowd dispersed the moment they saw Danny, but he was already pissed off and attempted to chase after them. ¡°Hey, exin yourselves! Don¡¯t you have anything else better to do other than spreading unproven rumors?¡± he shouted. Then, he suddenly noticed that Elise was standing behind him. It was only at that moment when he returned to his senses and advised, ¡°Boss, don¡¯t listen to their nonsense. They are saying all this because they are jealous.¡± Elise found it ridiculous as well. She had merely passed out, but people had spread rumors of her pregnancy. This is bizarre. However, her concern was not on the incident itself, but rather to look through the superficial aspects and focus on the reasoning. This incident isn¡¯t as simple as it seems, so I¡¯m actually curious to know who the culprit behind this is. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± These two simple words didn¡¯t reveal her true emotions. Yet, Danny was worried. ¡°Boss, I¡¯ll warn them not to spread nonsense. Rest assured, I won¡¯t allow the rumors to continue spreading.¡± However, she interrupted, ¡°There¡¯s no need to do so. The truth will speak for itself and time will prove everything.¡± With that, Elise turned on her heels to enter the ssroom. She surveyed everyone and in response, they quietly withdrew their gazes. Then, she took a deep breath to calm herself before she returned to her seat. Since Elise was under the weather after the first period, she retched for a moment at one side, but it was enough to cause an uproar in the ss. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that she must be pregnant? Didn¡¯t you see how she retched earlier? It¡¯s said that a woman will suffer morning sickness during the early stages of her pregnancy.¡± ¡°Tsk tsk, I¡¯ve been deceived by her looks. I used to think that she¡¯s quite a lovely person, but it turns out that I was blind.¡± Jacinda pompously raised her chin to cryptically suggest, ¡°There¡¯s always people who pretend to be nice, but they are in fact rotten to their bones. Elise is not even 18, right? Now that she has done something like this, I reckon the school won¡¯t continue to retain her.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that will be the case. Her results are excellent and all the subject teachers treasure her. Rather, I think she won¡¯t be expelled even after she has done something like this since there¡¯s a high chance for her to enroll in a top university.¡± Upon hearing this, Jacinda became restless. Ashlyn said that the only reason for me being here is to destroy Elise¡¯s life. If Elise is really pregnant, ording to the school rules, she certainly will be expelled. Her gaze darkened as she arrived at a decision. Elise had no idea what the students had in mind. However, she had been retching for a few consecutive days. Her behavior was rather obvious and almost everyone in her ss saw what she did, which resulted in everyone believing that she was really pregnant. Initially, Jacinda made a wild guess, but Elise¡¯s reaction was enough to prove her spection.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . When she noticed that the right timing had arrived, she took the initiative to run to the homeroom teacher to report that Elise was pregnant. As a matter of fact, the homeroom teacher had already heard about the rumors circting in school, but he chose to believe Elise and ignored the rumors. However, when one of the students personally came to him to report the incident, he couldn¡¯t continue to turn a blind eye. Therefore, Elise was called to the office, where Jacinda was at the same time. Upon seeing Jacinda, it dawned on Elise who the culprit behind the rumors was. Then, Elise cast a deep gaze at Jacinda and uttered, ¡°So, it¡¯s you!¡± Although Jacinda was baffled by what Elise said, she showed no signs of backing down as she believed that Elise would be doomed this time. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you are saying, but I¡¯m aware that you are pregnant. You should be expelled inpliance with the school rules.¡± Elise gave such a slight smile that it didn¡¯t reach her eyes before she retorted, ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Jacinda coldly snorted and remained silent, but the homeroom teacher beside them was in a dilemma. Firstly, Elise was the student with the highest chance in their school to enter a top university. Secondly, she also had a tricky background because the Griffith Family had enrolled her in this school. Given these two points, he was reluctant to get to the bottom of this incident. However, as the homeroom teacher, he couldn¡¯t just ignore the problem now that a student had reported the incident to him. ¡°Miss Sinir, the reason why I called you over today is that I have something I wish to ask. All you have to do is to honestly answer me.¡± A meek Elise approached him. ¡°Mr. Harris, what¡¯s the matter?¡± The homeroom teacher cleared his throat. He had already heard about the rumors, but since it involved a girl¡¯s reputation and privacy, it was tough for him to broach the subject. ¡°The thing is that a student told me that you are pregnant. Is this true?¡± Chapter 204 Chapter 204 Chapter 204,Coolest Girl in Town Elise cast her gaze at Jacinda. ¡°Was it you who told him?¡± Jacinda, however, showed no fear under Elise¡¯s gaze. ¡°Miss Sinir, just admit to it already. We are ssmates, so there¡¯s no need for you to continue hiding it, no? This is not bad news, or perhaps it¡¯s good news to you.¡± Upon hearing that, Elise sneered. ¡°Are you ndering me?¡± ¡°What I said is the truth¡ªyou are indeed pregnant.¡± Jacinda believed that it was the truth and Elise was clearly lying. ¡°Do you have any evidence?¡± Elise questioned. ¡°If not, I could sue you for ndering.¡± At that, Jacinda pointed at Elise¡¯s tummy and countered, ¡°This is the evidence. Mr. Harris, I think that everything will be clear as long as she goes to the hospital to perform an ultrasound. However, Miss Sinir, are you willing to go?¡± ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t really want to go, but it seems like you want me to, Miss Kate,¡± Elise murmured with a chuckle, to which Jacinda taunted, ¡°Ha! I think that it is you who does not have the courage to go! If you are really pregnant, admit it now in front of the teacher so that we can settle this privately. Everything can still be discussed. However, if you insist on your im, nobody can tell what will happen once the matter esctes.¡± Elise looked straight at the homeroom teacher. ¡°Mr. Harris, I think that this is a misunderstanding. I¡¯m not pregnant, so there¡¯s no need to do any checkup at the hospital.¡± Upon hearing that, Jacinda thought that Elise didn¡¯t dare to go to the hospital. Since things hade to this point, she couldn¡¯t care less and shouted, as if she was standing up for justice, ¡°No, Mr. Harris! If she doesn¡¯t go, we will be unable to give an exnation to the others. How could you let her off the hook and allow her to ruin the school¡¯s reputation just because of her outstanding results?¡± Mr. Harris pursed his lips, inwardly agreeing with Jacinda as he thought that she had a point. First of all, he had faith in Elise, but since the rumors had been spreading like wildfire in the school, allowing it to continue to spread not only would affect Elise but also the school¡¯s reputation. Hence, in his opinion, revealing the truth to the public would be the only way to debunk the rumor. ¡°Miss Sinir, I suggest that youe with me to the hospital. Since the truth will speak for itself, I think that there¡¯s no harm in making this trip.¡± Elise gave it some thought and replied, ¡°Mr. Harris, I¡¯ve said that I¡¯m not pregnant, but I don¡¯t mind making this trip. However, if it¡¯s proven that I¡¯m indeed innocent, how will you deal with this student who maliciously ndered me and harmed my reputation?¡± Mr. Harris understood her underlying meaning. As Elise was a student with a potential that he hadn¡¯t encountered for years, he naturally sided with her, so he directly answered, ¡°If it is proven that you are indeed innocent, which also proves that someone has made up the rumors and kicked up this fuss, I¡¯ll make sure justice is upholded. Today, one of you two will have to be expelled from the school.¡± Jacinda was shocked by his deration. In other words, there was no turning back after this. If she continued on with this usation, she would be putting her own future at stake. Initially, she had a hard time using her connections to transfer into this school, so she definitely wouldn¡¯t want to leave after attending for barely a few days. She balled her fists, suddenly feeling that it wasn¡¯t worthwhile risking her future because of this. ¡°Mr. Harris, I think¡­ maybe we should just¡­ forget about it.¡± As soon as she said that, the door was suddenly opened and Alexander was seen elegantly marching into the office. The moment he stepped into the office, the atmosphere in the spacious office abruptly changed. All the teachers present knew who Alexander was and were aware about his identity¡ªhe was the most important person in Athesea, a man who nobody dared to offend. ¡°Forget it? Who gave you the power to say such shameless words?¡± Alexander spoke in a seemingly calm but cold voice, which instantly made Jacinda pale. ¡°Y-Y-Young Master Alex, I-I-I¡ª¡± she stuttered, not even able to say aplete sentence. Without sparing her a nce, Alexander walked up to Elise and put his arm around her shoulder, which made it rather obvious who he sided with. Even Mr. Harris couldn¡¯tN?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. help but to wipe the sweat on his forehead. ¡°Young Master Alex, what brings you here?¡± Alexander gently answered, ¡°Someone is bullying my fianc¨¦e, so I came to stand up for her.¡± His words instantly enlightened Mr. Harris. ¡°Young Master Alex, you must have misunderstood. Our school promotes unity, so something like that can¡¯t possibly happen,¡± he responded and he couldn¡¯t be bothered by the sweat on his forehead anymore. Upon hearing that, Alexander darted a cold re at Jacinda. ¡°Are you the one who started the rumor?¡± His attention on her caused her to feel an invisible pressure building up, which actually deprived her the ability to breathe. ¡°I-I-I¡ª¡± To make matters worse, Mr. Harris directly chimed in, ¡°Miss Kate here was the one who came to me to report that Miss Sinir is pregnant. Personally, I doubt that an excellent student like Elise would do such a thing, but I have the responsibility to stop the rumors from continuing circting. Therefore, Young Master Alex, I feel that there¡¯s a need for Miss Sinir to cooperate with us in order for the truth to be revealed.¡± Alexander turned to Elise, who was in his arms, and gave her aforting gaze. ¡°What kind of evidence do you need? What she said is the truth.¡± Mr. Harris nodded repeatedly at that. ¡°Yes, I agree with you, Young Master Alex. My consideration in this matter wasn¡¯tprehensive enough. I¡¯ll figure out a way to deal with the inconvenience that Miss Sinir is facing because of this incident.¡± At that moment, Elise suddenly tugged at the corner of Alexander¡¯s shirt and interrupted in a small voice, ¡°I¡¯ll deal with this situation myself.¡± ¡°You want to deal with it yourself?¡± Alexander¡¯s tone revealed his fondness toward her as the corner of his lips curved upward into a smile. Elise hummed in response. Thereafter, he whispered into her ear in a voice so low that only both of them could hear, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m here to stand up for you. You are free to do whatever you want and I¡¯ll back you up no matter what happens.¡± Elise broke into a smile upon hearing that and her eyes shined as bright as stars as she looked at him. ¡°Thank you.¡± After that, she turned to face Jacinda. In a split second, the smile on her face disappeared and was reced by immense coldness. ¡°You are the one who started the rumors, right?¡± Her words sent chills down Jacinda¡¯s spine, but thetter steeled herself and didn¡¯t say a word. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you refuse to admit it,¡± Elise added. ¡°I¡¯m aware that that¡¯s the truth, anyway. You deliberately spread the rumor in the school and harmed my reputation. I don¡¯t like to nitpick, but I live by the principle of ¡®an eye for an eye¡¯. Besides, I prefer that you understand how you will fall.¡± Jacinda staggered backward and nearly fell. Ashlyn¡¯s words inadvertently started to echo in her ears¡ª her cousin had warned her that Elise was not someone who was easy to deal with and she should never underestimate her. Nheless, there was no turning back for her at that moment. ¡°W-What are you going to do?¡± Elise raised an eyebrow. ¡°Didn¡¯t you spread a rumor that I¡¯m pregnant?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t a rumor. You are indeed pregnant,¡± Jacinda anxiously snapped. However, the moment she said that, she could see Alexander¡¯s expression sink when he heard that as he stood off to one side. Elise scoffed, ¡°Very well. You insisted on your usation, at least. If that¡¯s the case, things will be much simpler. As a matter of fact, it¡¯s quite easy to make things clear, but I don¡¯t intend to let things slide. Mr. Harris, what do you say?¡± As the homeroom teacher, Mr. Harris had to take a fair stand, so he replied, ¡°You¡¯re right, Miss Sinir. After the truth is revealed, if Miss Kate has indeedmitted nder and defamation, we will definitely not condone such behavior.¡± At that point, Jacinda could feel her back drenched in sweat. The rumor had been born solely from her spection, but judging from how Elise reacted, Jacinda¡¯s own future might be at risk. ¡°Mr. Harris, I-I think we can just drop this! It was an unintentional mistake. I¡¯m sorry, Miss Sinir. I really am!¡± ¡°If an apology could solve a problem, why do we even need the police?¡± Elise countered indifferently. ¡°Do you think that you don¡¯t need to pay a price for your actions just because you are a minor?¡± This time, Jacinda waspletely defeated. It was a crushing loss even in terms of her morale. ¡°What do you want, then?¡± Chapter 205 Chapter 205 Chapter 205,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°I want you to publicly apologize to me by posting a hand-written letter of apology on the bulletin board. Also, I want you to rify the truth of this matter to all of our ssmates in person and admit that you fabricated all the lies out of nothing.¡± Jacinda immediately rejected the idea. ¡°Never!¡± However, Elise wasn¡¯t giving her any chance to do so. ¡°You still have a second choice, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to handle it.¡± Her words were tant threats. At this moment, Jacinda finally saw Elise¡¯s true colors and the former clenched her fists tightly without uttering a word. After reading the situation, Mr. Harris said, ¡°I feel that Elise¡¯s request is reasonable. That settles it, then! Jacinda, since you were the one who caused all this, I hope that it will end with you too.¡± ¡°No, I¡ª¡± Jacinda wanted to say something, but the homeroom teacher didn¡¯t give her the chance. Instead, he turned toward Alexander and asked, ¡°Young Master Alex, what do you think?¡± Upon hearing that, Alexander slowly uttered, ¡°As long as Elise is fine with it.¡± Listening to him, Mr. Harris finally realized that Elise was now calling the shots, so he quickly replied, ¡°Alright. In that case, we¡¯ll just follow what Elise just said. We can go to the hospital now.¡± Naturally, Elise was fine with it and Jacinda had no choice but to take a gamble, so all of them went to the hospital. After a series of inspections, Jacinda turned pale as she looked at the medical report in disbelief. ¡°T-This is impossible¡­¡± However, Mr. Harris wasn¡¯t intending to hear what she had to say. ¡°Miss Kate, I hope you know what you should do now. I will only give you one day. If you don¡¯t publicly apologize to Elise and rify this matter tomorrow, I will do all I can to expel you from the school.¡± Jacinda staggered as she wanted to say something, but the head teacher had already walked away without giving her a chance to exin. Meanwhile, Elise nced at the other girl emotionlessly, not having the slightest sympathy for her oue. As they say, what goes aroundes back around. Alexander then took Elise¡¯s hand and murmured, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll send you back to school.¡± The two of them walked away, leaving Jacinda standing there with a dissatisfied expression. What¡¯s going on? Didn¡¯t Ashlyn tell me that Elise¡¯s private life is a mess? How did ite to this? Speaking of, I really need to talk to Ashlyn! And so, she quickly took out her phone and made a call. ¡°Ashlyn, this is Jacinda¡­¡± ¡­¡­ ¡­ After arriving at school, Elise said to Alexander, ¡°I¡¯m fine now. You can continue with your work.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not busy,¡± he replied. She then looked at the time and added, ¡°But I have ss this afternoon and I need to go to ss now.¡± ¡°You can go. I¡¯lle pick you up in the afternoon. Try and leave early.¡± After waving at him, she went into the school. Rumors had already started to spread around the school regarding the situation, but the head teacher was righteous enough to help clear Elise¡¯s name. Therefore, many students already knew about the truth and were sorry for spreading the rumor, so they all got together to apologize to Elise. ¡°Elise, I¡¯m so sorry. It¡¯s my fault not to find out the truth before spreading this nonsense. Can you forgive me?¡± ¡°Me too, Elise. I didn¡¯t do it on purpose. It¡¯s because that was what Jacinda told me. In fact, I didn¡¯t quite believe her at first, but she made it sound so real that I believed her.¡± Elise knew that they didn¡¯t harbor any malicious intent as they only liked to gossip. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I won¡¯t hold any grudges.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so kind, Elise!¡± Upon hearing that, Elise smiled. During ss, she listened to the teacher attentively because she felt that she didn¡¯t spend enough time on her studiestely, so she had to be more diligent. After school, she quickly packed up her stuff and went toward the school entrance. However, as soon as she got there, she could see a familiar figure walking into Alexander¡¯s car and sitting in the passenger¡¯s seat. At that moment, she felt a thump inside her heart, as if something had been torn apart painfully. Inside the car, Ashlyn sat on the seat without Alexander¡¯s permission and murmured to him affectionately, ¡°Alexander, what a coincidence! I¡¯m surprised to see you here.¡± Meanwhile, Alexander had an indifferent expression as he immediately ordered, ¡°Get out!¡± However, she pretended not to hear him and smiled. ¡°Alexander, how could you say that to me? Have you forgotten our years of friendship?¡± ¡°Miss Lawson, if I remember correctly, I have nothing to say to you. If you refuse to get out of the car, then I¡¯ll go out by myself. As for the car, I¡¯ll just throw it straight into the recycling nt.¡± With that, Alexander opened the door and was about to leave, but the next second, Ashlyn quickly grabbed his shirt. ¡°Alexander, please wait! I came here because I have something to tell you.¡± He then cast his cold gaze at her, causing her to withdraw her hand immediately. ¡°Alexander, I really have something to tell you. Can you please give me a few minutes?¡± Seeing that he was remaining silent, she knew that her opportunity hade, so she quickly said, ¡°So here goes¡ªmy cousin has been transferred to this school recently and she is in the same ss as Elise, but there seems to be a misunderstanding between the two of them. My cousin is a na?ve girl and she doesn¡¯t have any bad intentions but sometimes, she will do something without thinking about it first, which is why she has caused so much trouble. Alexander, why don¡¯t we just forget about what happened between them? I¡¯ll teach my cousin a lesson so that she won¡¯t do such a thing in the future again¡ª¡± After all that, all she wants is to beg for forgiveness. However, Alexander wasn¡¯t interested in her cousin at all. ¡°Are you done?¡± After Ashlyn nodded her head, he added, ¡°Then get out of this car.¡± Even so, she still stubbornly did not want to leave. ¡°Alexander, I know that you don¡¯t like me, but I also know that Elise is not worthy of your love. Do you really think she is the person that you think she is on the surface? I have something to show you about her. I know her secrets. If you¡¯re interested,e and see me in room 502 of this hotel at 3 PM tomorrow. I won¡¯t let you down.¡± After that, Ashlyn didn¡¯t n on staying long, so she opened the door and got out of the car right away. The next second, she looked in Elise¡¯s direction with a cunning smile on her face. Truth was, she had noticed that Elise was watching her just now and yet, the former still did it all on purpose. I don¡¯t believe that she won¡¯t have any suspicious thoughts after seeing me.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Chapter 206 Chapter 206 Chapter 206,Coolest Girl in Town In the end, Ashlyn proudly walked away while Elise, who wasn¡¯t far away, turned around without hesitation and left in the other direction. Alexander waited at the school entrance for a long time until most of the students were gone, but he still couldn¡¯t see Elise, so he gave her a call. ¡°Hello, the number you have dialed is unavable¡ª¡± He frowned and felt slightly surprised, but he still refused to leave and waited at the school entrance till night had fallen. It was only then that he called the phone back home and found out from Ste that Elise had already returned home. Therefore, he rushed back home in confusion. Knock! Knock! Knock! Alexander knocked on the door several times but there was no response, so he quickly said, ¡°I know you¡¯re in there. Can you please open the door? I have something to tell you.¡± However, he was met with a moment of silence. He knocked on the door again and unexpectedly, the room door was suddenly opened, revealing an emotionless Elise. ¡°What is it?¡± He noticed that she wasn¡¯t in a good mood, so he asked, ¡°Are you feeling down?¡± ¡°No.¡± She uttered that simple word with a monotonous tone, so he asked again, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wait for me after school? I was waiting for you at the entrance.¡± ¡°I just so happened to hitchhike a car and came back straight away.¡± After that, she lifted her eyes to look at him. ¡°I¡¯m tired and I need to go to bed. If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯m going to close the door. Without waiting for his reply, she immediately mmed the door shut, leaving a confused Alexander standing outside. Seeing the situation, Ste quickly came tofort him, ¡°Young Master Alex, you need to coax her to make her feel better. Maybe Miss Elise is in a bad mood today, so you should take more care of her and coax her more.¡± Alexander, on the other hand, was clueless when he heard that. ¡°What should I do?¡± She smiled and answered, ¡°Young Master Alex, if you do something that she likes, maybe it¡¯ll work.¡± Something that she likes? He immediately found himself feeling puzzled as he seemed to realize that he did not know Elise very well. I don¡¯t even know what she likes or doesn¡¯t like. The next morning, when Alexander came downstairs, he asked Ste, ¡°Has Elise woken up yet? Go and wake her up!¡± ¡°Miss Elise said that she is going to do her homework in school, so she left early in the morning. She didn¡¯t even finish her breakfast before leaving,¡± she quickly exined. She left? Is she still in a bad mood? However, as soon as Elise arrived at school, she couldn¡¯t read a single word on her homework because fromst night until now, all she had on her mind was the scene she saw yesterday. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Then, Jacinda came in. It was still early at the moment, so there weren¡¯t any other students in the huge ssroom except for the two of them. Thinking about what Ashlyn said to her, Jacinda hadpletely shook off her defeated look from yesterday as she walked straight toward Elise and said, ¡°Geniuses really are different from normal people. I didn¡¯t expect to see you this early in ss.¡± Elise was already in a bad mood and she didn¡¯t want to talk to the other girl at all so naturally, she didn¡¯t reply to her words. However, Jacinda wasn¡¯t nning to let her go this easily and continued, ¡°I¡¯ve already thought about what happened yesterday. Even though I was the one who spread the rumors, I don¡¯t think that it has affected you much. Besides, Alexander already told me that I don¡¯t need to apologize to you, so that¡¯ll be the end of the problems between us. From now on, the two of us can just mind our own business and not interfere with each other.¡± The moment Alexander¡¯s name was mentioned, Elise felt her expression change. Is he really going to let this slide? ¡°Do you really think you can get away with this so easily?¡± she uttered coldly. With a smile, Jacinda said, ¡°Yes. Do you actually think I¡¯ll apologize to you in front of all the students? That¡¯s so embarrassing. Besides, believe it or not, Alexander already said that I don¡¯t need to apologize. By the way, Miss Sinir, there¡¯s something I forgot to tell you. Ashlyn is my cousin and she¡¯s Alexander¡¯s childhood sweetheart. I believe that if you didn¡¯t interfere with their rtionship, they would have been married by now. Even so, Alexander still takes very good care of my cousin. As soon as he heard that I¡¯m her cousin, he told her that this matter is over.¡± After the whole tirade, the only thing that registered in Elise¡¯s mind was Jacinda¡¯sst sentence. So, Alexander forgave everything that Jacinda did and even told her that she doesn¡¯t need to apologize to me all because she is Ashlyn¡¯s cousin? This is obviously not what he said before! Why is there a huge change in his attitude?! Elise silently clenched her fists without saying a word. As for Jacinda, she didn¡¯t expect the other girl to be so calm after listening to her words, so she thought about what Ashlyn told her and continued, ¡°I know that you won¡¯t believe me, but I can tell you that Ashlyn and Alexander still have feelings for each other. If you really don¡¯t believe me, you can go to the Sunrise Hotel at 3PM today. Alexander is meeting my cousin there in room 502.¡± After that, she stopped talking and left the rest to Elise¡¯s imagination. The moment Elise heard that they were meeting up at the hotel, shepletely lost herposure. If it weren¡¯t for thest bit of reasoning in her head telling her not to listen to Jacinda¡¯s nonsense, she would have gone wild. In the end, she managed to keep her cool and said, ¡°You only know how to spread lies with your mouth, so do you really think I¡¯ll believe you?¡± Jacinda waved her hands and replied, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether you believe me or not. I¡¯m just speaking the truth.¡± Taking a deep breath, Elise kept on telling herself that Alexander wasn¡¯t that kind of a person but deep down, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder if what Jacinda said was true. Time trickled away and it felt like torture to Elise from morning all the way to noon. She had never felt time moving so slow before. After school at noon, she could no longer sit still and wait. I don¡¯t care whether what Jacinda said is true or false, but I need to have a look for myself. After all, I have to see it to believe it! And so, Elise exited the school and took a cab to Sunrise Hotel. Then, she took a look at the time and saw that it was 1PM at the moment, which meant that there were two more hours till the time Jacinda mentioned. When Elise saw a coffee shop opposite the hotel, she simply went inside and ordered a cup of coffee while waiting. At noon, Alexander ended an international meeting and looked at the time. When he saw that it was time for lunch, he called his assistant. ¡°Cameron,e in.¡± Not long after, there was a knock on his office door. ¡°Young Master Alex, are you looking for me?¡± ¡°I want you to go to the restaurant opposite the building and order two special dishes. Then, help me send it to Elise¡¯s school.¡± Upon hearing that, Cameron quickly replied, ¡°Yes, Young Master Alex. I¡¯ll do it now.¡± However, just as he was about to leave, Alexander halted him. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll order it myself and send it to her school afterward.¡± Chapter 207 Chapter 207 Chapter 207,Coolest Girl in Town Cameron was left speechless. Why am I starting to feel that there¡¯s more to the boss¡¯ rtionship with Miss Sinir? ¡°Young Master Alex, you really are nice to Miss Sinir.¡± Upon hearing that, Alexander raised his brows slightly and asked, ¡°Am I?¡± If this counts as being nice to her, I hope that I can do something more to make her even happier. Cameron said to him honestly, ¡°To a normal couple, this may seem insignificant, but for you¡­ At the very least, I¡¯ve never seen you this concerned about a girl even after working for you for so many years.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because she is my fianc¨¦e.¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Listening to his affectionate words, Cameron felt the pain of being a single man. ¡°President Griffith, are you nning to go now?¡± Alexander hummed in agreement, thereafter grabbing his car keys and leaving the office. He first went to the restaurant opposite the building to order two lunch sets before cing them on the passenger¡¯s seat and driving to Elise¡¯s school. However, when he arrived at the school¡¯s entrance, he called Elise several times but no one answered the phone. In the end, he had no choice but to call Danny. ¡°Boss has already left long ago. I don¡¯t know where she went,¡± Danny answered. Listening to him, Alexander furrowed his brows. ¡°You don¡¯t know where she is?¡± Danny shook his head. ¡°Why are you looking for her in such a hurry?¡± While ncing at the dishes on the passenger¡¯s seat, Alexander replied tly, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Goodbye.¡± After hanging up the phone, he let out a faint sigh and prepared to drive back to hispany but at that moment, he received a message on his phone. The message was from an unfamiliar number and it was only a line long. ¡®I¡¯ll wait for you at the Sunrise Hotel at 3PM.¡¯ With a quick nce, Alexander deleted the message straight away. However, Ashlyn sent him another message without waiting for him to reply. ¡®If youe here, I will tell you everything you want to know about Elise¡¯s secrets.¡¯ Initially, Alexander wanted to delete the message but after staring at the words ¡®Elise¡¯s secrets¡¯, he decided to put down his phone. Meanwhile, Elise had been waiting outside the hotel for more than two hours. As she stared at the hotel¡¯s entrance opposite the coffee shop, she kept on questioning herself whether to back off. What the hell am I doing? Why am I so anxious to know the truth? Why are my emotions so agitated because of a few words? Elise Sinir, what kind of an answer are you searching for? Can¡¯t you choose to believe in him? After a series of internal struggles, she felt that there was no point for her to stay here, so she stood up. ¡°Excuse me, can I have my bill please?¡± She paid for her coffee and prepared to leave but just as she reached the door, she suddenly stopped. Looking at the familiar car and figure in front of her, Elise finally realized at this moment that her heart was torn into pieces. He actually came here. ¡°Miss, is there a problem?¡± the waiter asked with concern. Quickly, Elise turned around and pretended to be fine. ¡°I¡¯m alright. I was just thinking about sitting down again for a while. Can you please get me another cup of coffee?¡± After that, she went straight back to her seat, but her eyes never left the hotel for a second. In all honesty, she didn¡¯t know exactly why she was so anxious to know the truth. Not long after, Ashlyn came out of the hotel and grabbed Alexander¡¯s arm affectionately. She then whispered something into his ear and unexpectedly, he didn¡¯t push her away. Instead, he allowed her to grab his arm as the two of them entered the hotel together. Meanwhile, Elise clenched her fists silently as she had finally gotten her answer. In the end, she quietly paid the bill and left. She didn¡¯t know how she got back to school but in short, her mind waspletely nk the entire day. It was as if she was a walking corpse. Finally, school was over and Danny came up to her and said, ¡°Boss, let¡¯s do our homework together tonight. I have a question to ask you.¡± Without lifting her eyes, she answered, ¡°Alright.¡± Seeing her gloomy expression, he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Boss, what¡¯s going on? Did you have a fight with Alexander?¡± The moment she heard the name, she immediately furrowed her brows but she didn¡¯t utter a word. Immediately, Danny pped his leg as he realized that his guess was right. ¡°Boss, you should know that Alexander has a very steady temperament so he doesn¡¯t know how to coax a girl, but he really is a nice guy.¡± Upon hearing that, Elise quickly halted him. ¡°Please stop talking about him.¡± Danny could see that she was really angry at the moment, so he couldn¡¯t help but mutter, ¡°No wonder he was in such a hurry to find you this afternoon. It¡¯s safe to say that he has angered you. Don¡¯t worry, Boss. If you are having an argument with him, I¡¯ll definitely stand by your side because you will always be my boss. You¡¯re the best!¡± Upon hearing that, she pursed her lips and murmured, ¡°Let¡¯s go back home first.¡± Meanwhile, Danny wisely chose to change the subject of the conversation. ¡°Alright. Boss, can I ask you something? The question that we did today was ridiculously difficult. I¡¯ve been thinking about it for a long time, but I still can¡¯te up with an answer.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take a look at it when we get back home,¡± Elise muttered. In the end, she went back in Danny¡¯s car. Meanwhile, Alexander arrivedte and waited for her, but to no avail yet again. For two or three days in a row, he wanted to send Elise to school, but he never got the chance to see her because he would either get upte or she had already left early. In all honesty, it gave him a strange feeling. One night, just as Elise was about to go back upstairs to sleep aftering down for a ss of milk, a slender figure suddenly jumped out of a corner and pulled her into his arms. ¡°What are you doing? Let me go!¡± she said coldly. However, Alexander reached out to hug her. ¡°Why are you hiding from me?¡± At that, Elise looked away and stopped struggling. ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± Upon hearing that, he didn¡¯t believe her at all. ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡± ¡°It¡¯s gettingte and I need to go to bed. We can talk about it some other day.¡± She pushed him away. However, Alexander then backed her into a corner. ¡°If you want to say anything, you can tell me now. I figure that if there¡¯s any misunderstanding between the two of us, the only way to exin it clearly is for both of us to talk about it.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no misunderstanding between us. Mr. Griffith, I only want to ask one thing¡ªwhat are you trying to achieve?¡± Meanwhile, Alexander was left speechless by her question. ¡°Elise, just say what you want. Don¡¯t y games with me.¡± On the other hand, Elise lifted her eyes and looked at him. ¡°Why are you doing this? Why can¡¯t you just admit to what you¡¯ve done? I told you that if you have feelings for someone else, I will not hold onto the status of your fianc¨¦e, so can you please show me some respect and not treat me like a fool?¡± Chapter 208 Chapter 208 Chapter 208 Are You Even Worth It?,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°What are you talking about? Who¡¯s an idiot? I¡¯ve never expected you to do anything in the first ce. Apart from that, our engagement is simply because I like you and I want to be with you. There are no other reasons apart from this.¡± Elise smiled, obviously not believing what he was saying. ¡°Stop lying to yourself, Mr. Griffith. It¡¯s meaningless if we speak about things too explicitly. Both of us should calm down for a moment and think about it. If you want to call off the engagement, just let me know in advance. As for other issues, there¡¯s nothing for us to talk about.¡± With that, Elise shoved him and walked away from him, leaving a clueless Alexander who could do nothing about the situation. With a loud thud, she closed the door and wrapped her hands around her legs, only to find tears streaming down her face immediately after that. Over the past two days, she kept telling herself that what she saw might not be true. However, she simply could not forget the image of Ashlyn holding onto Alexander¡¯s arm. Elise knew that she had fallen deeper in this rtionship, and she was also aware that her words just now were just out of anger. However, she could not face it peacefully. Let¡¯s both calm down. Perhaps we can find a solution after that. On the other hand, Alexander felt morose. After pondering about it for a long time, he could not understand what had happened between both of them, as their rtionship was going rather well before this. ¡°Ahem!¡± A soft cough rang from around the corner. Then, Danny appeared and quickly exined, ¡°Alexander, I overheard the conversation unintentionally. It really was just a coincidence.¡± Alexander¡¯s eyes darkened when he heard that. ¡°I have something to ask you,¡± he said, to which Danny quickly replied, ¡°What is it, Alexander? Just ask away.¡± Looking at the closed door, Alexander asked, ¡°Do you know what¡¯s wrong with her for the past few days?¡± At that, Danny gave it a serious thought. ¡°It¡¯s true that Boss looks quite troubled over the past few days, as if there¡¯s some problems on her mind that haven¡¯t been resolved. Nothing like this has ever urred in the past. I think it was from that day onwards¡­ Yes, the afternoon that you went to school to look for her but she wasn¡¯t there. Since that day, she seemed to have turned into apletely different person. Did you guys have a fight, Alexander? Could it be that you don¡¯t like her and want to call off the engagement?¡± After all, Elise had made herself very clear just now. However, Alexander announced without any hesitation, ¡°It¡¯s impossible. I would never do that in my entire life.¡± But that day¡­ Alexander seemed to have remembered something and his expression instantly darkened. ¡°I believe I know what happened.¡± Danny still wanted to ask him further questions, but Alexander did not give him a chance to do so. As he walked away alone, Danny did not forget to shout, ¡°Alexander, treat my Boss well! I¡¯m her family who gives her the strongest support!¡± ¡­¡­ ¡­ The next day, in order to avoid Alexander, Elise went to school early in the morning. As soon as she reached the ssroom, she started doing some practice questions attentively. In no time, the other students arrived one after another. Jacinda walked into the room gleefully. After looking around the entire room, she instantly spotted Elise, who was doing the practice questions, and her lips twitched into a beautiful smile. Over the past few days, Elise had not sought her out to apologize to her, which was why Jacinda assumed that what her cousin said had taken effect¡ªElise was too busy trying to solve her own problems. Thud! The cup in Jacinda¡¯s hands slid from her fingers, resulting in warm water spilling all over Elise¡¯s desk. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to do that!¡± Even though Jacinda was apologizing, she showed no remorse at all. Elise merely frowned and looked at the watermarks on her exercise books. Just as she was about to wipe the water off, Jacinda already took the initiative and quickly wiped the books with tissue papers. ¡°I¡¯ve already dried it up for you. I hope you won¡¯t hold it against me.¡± Looking at the mess Jacinda made on her books, Elise finally raised her head and looked at her. Though it was just a nce, it was a rather menacing one. However, Jacinda merely shrugged nonchntly. ¡°I already apologized. WhatText ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. else do you want me to do?¡± With that, Elise took the cup from the table and immediately sshed the water on the other girl¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It was also unintentional. Since you are so magnanimous, you won¡¯t hold it against me, will you?¡± Jacinda was stunned upon receiving such treatment. In an instant, she became dripping wet as water slid down from her head. ¡°Elise Sinir!¡± she yelled irately. ¡°You did this intentionally!¡± Meanwhile, Elise merelyughed coldly and retorted, ¡°Same goes for you, isn¡¯t it?¡± Because of that remark, Jacinda was rendered speechless. However, she was not willing to let Elise get the upper hand. Just as the former wanted to make a fuss, she thought of something and quickly suppressed her anger. ¡°I think you are just in a bad mood. Is it because you were dumped by Alexander and can¡¯t find anywhere else to vent your anger? If that¡¯s why you took it out on me, I can understand your reasons for doing so.¡± On the other hand, Elise immediately replied bluntly, ¡°Who do you think you are to be my stress reliever? Look at you¡ªare you worth it?¡± Elise¡¯s words were filled with tant disdain. Upon hearing that, Jacinda was pale one second and flushed the next. At this very instant, she could feel her rationalitypletely disappearing. She could not care anymore and immediately said, ¡°Elise Sinir, you b*tch! Don¡¯t think that you can do anything you want in school just because you have the Griffiths to back you up! Do you think you can even dream of marrying into their family based on your background? Stop daydreaming! Alexander treats you like this because you are still new and interesting to him. After that phase is over, you will be chased out of their family. Just wait and see!¡± However, Elise remained impassive after hearing her words. ¡°Are you done?¡± Jacinda still seemed quite unsatisfied and continued, ¡°Even though you are Alexander¡¯s fianc¨¦e now, this position of yours will be unstable soon. I advise you not to be too arrogant, lest you be more miserable in the future.¡± After Jacinda poured out everything that was on her mind, she felt instantly better and waited to see a look of despair and pain on Elise¡¯s face. However, thetter did not have any reaction, as though that matter had nothing to do with her. After a while, she said airily, ¡°Even if my engagement with Alexander is called off one day, neither you nor your cousin, Ashlyn, will be his fianc¨¦e. He¡¯s not blind after all, so he won¡¯t simply date just any woman.¡± Chapter 209 Chapter 209 Chapter 209,Coolest Girl in Town As Elise¡¯s clear words rang loudly, the people surrounding them immediately quietened down and they did not even dare to breathe too loudly. Meanwhile, Jacinda turned ghastly pale. She opened her mouth, but she could not utter a single word. Elise merely lifted her chin and continued speaking, ¡°To me, the position is utterly unimportant but for people like you, it¡¯s so far off from you that you would never achieve even if you stretch your hands as far as possible. So, what the f*ck do you even have to gloat in front of me?¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± ¡°Me? What about me? Jacinda, have you forgotten what happenedst time? I didn¡¯t want to pursue that matter initially but I haven¡¯t even heard the apology that you promised. Your attitude shows you¡¯re not even sorry at all. At this point, do you think you should take responsibility for what you have done?¡± Jacinda almost could not stand up straight anymore, but she continued to ask through gritted teeth, ¡°What have I done?! I don¡¯t get what you are talking about.¡± However, Elise was not annoyed at all. ¡°You don¡¯t understand? Shall I ask the homeroom teacher to jog your memory? After all, just a word from me is able to stop you from attending school here. What do you say?¡± At the mention of this, Jacinda finally panicked. She could not afford to leave and return to the countryside. Looking at Elise, she finally softened her attitude. ¡°Elise, we are all ssmates here who spend a lot of time with each other. Can¡¯t you take it easy on me?¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to make your life difficult, but you should at least show a remorseful attitude. Otherwise, I would really consider¡ª¡± Before she even finished her sentence, Jacinda closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and immediately said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Sinir. It¡¯s my fault this time. I hope you will forgive me.¡± Upon hearing that, Elise replied coldly, ¡°Louder, please. I didn¡¯t hear that clearly. What did you do wrong? Please speak louder!¡± Jacinda looked at the ssmates around her, whose gazes made her feel miserable. However, she did not have any other choice. ¡°Miss Sinir, when I spread the rumors that you are pregnant, it brought about negative implications to you. I already realized my mistakes, so I hope you will be benevolent enough to forgive me this time.¡± With that, she bowed deeply, showing an earnest attitude. However, their ssmates around them were immensely shocked. ¡°What? She was the one who spreaded that rumor?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe that she dares to say such nonsense! This is rted to a girl¡¯s reputation, yet she has the audacity to spread rumors rting to this. She is so evil!¡± ¡°When she just transferred to our ss, I thought she was a nice person. Now I¡¯m really shocked by this piece of news.¡± ¡­¡­ ¡­ Jacinda¡¯s mood fell sharply when she heard the way her ssmates talked about her, but it didn¡¯t matter to her what other people¡¯s opinions of her were at this point. A more important issue to her was whether Elise was willing to let her off the hook or not. ¡°Your apology is epted, but whether you¡¯re forgiven or not is not my choice to make. I hope that you will stop disturbing me from now onward. Otherwise, we will have a good recount of all our grudges together.¡± Jacinda nodded profusely. ¡°I understand.¡± Right at this moment, the bell rang, signifying that sses had begun. Their ssmates went back to their seats, but Jacinda¡¯s reputation in the ss had beenpletely ruined. After she returned to her seat, she felt them looking at her from different directions, However, she could only clench her fists and keep silent. Elise is the one who caused me to bepletely humiliated. I will never let her go! Since I can¡¯t shame her in public, I will do it discreetly. Also, her fate is in Ashlyn¡¯s hands. I don¡¯t believe that Elise will continue to have such good luck all the time. Since Elise managed to make Jacinda apologize, she felt slightly better. When the ssmenced, she got rid of all other thoughts and paid attention. On the other hand, Alexander was in a bad state. ¡°Young Master Alex¡­¡± As soon as Cameron opened the door, he saw Alexander looking at a file on his phone with a vacant expression in his eyes. Even after Cameron tried calling out to him a few times, he still showed no response. ¡°Young Master Alex, this is the new contract. The legal department already looked through it, so you just need to sign here.¡± Alexander suddenly jolted to his senses and looked at him nkly. ¡°What did you just say?¡± Cameron heaved a helpless sigh at that. He already lost count of the times that Alexander did not hear him speak. ¡°Young Master Alex, you seem a little off these two days. Why don¡¯t you take a good rest so that you won¡¯t be so tense?¡± Upon hearing that, Alexander frowned and took the documents from him. He took a look at them and flipped to thest page to sign before saying, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± However, it was obvious that that was far from the truth, which was why Cameron did not believe him. ¡°Young Master Alex, are you in a bad mood because of Miss Sinir?¡± Truth was, Cameron¡¯s question exposed Alexander¡¯s thoughtspletely. Thetter narrowed his eyes at the former and asked casually, ¡°What do you think has gotten into her lately? Why is she avoiding me?¡± I knew it was because of Miss Sinir! Cameron acted as though he was Christopher Columbus discovering the New World. I must say, Miss Sinir is quite impressive. I can¡¯t believe that she is avoiding Young Master Alex! After all, many women wanted to get closer to him in the past, but he had rejected all of them. Cameron could swear that Elise was definitely the first and the only person who dared to reject Alexander. On top of that, she even avoided him deliberately, which was why Cameron was quite impressed by her for this. ¡°Young Master Alex, did you do something to infuriate her? Or did you guys get into an argument? Women are actually quite easy to appease. A bouquet of flowers, a box of chocte, or even transferring money to her ount¡ªthese methods will usually work. Why don¡¯t you give it a try?¡± However, Alexander merely replied, ¡°Am I a person with such a low taste?¡± Upon hearing that, Cameron quickly denied, ¡°Of course not! It¡¯s just that I think they are quite useful tactics, but it all depends on the woman and how close you are with her.¡± Of course, Alexander knew this, but he did not know how to exin to Elise that what happened that day was aplete misunderstanding. ¡°Alright. You may go now.¡± After Cameron walked out of his room, Alexander took out his phone to find a florist to order a bouquet of fresh roses. Then, he bought the biggest box of choctes from a well-known brand and had it delivered to Elise¡¯s school. Even after doing that, Alexander still thought that it was not enough, which was why he found Elise¡¯s e-wallet profile and started transferring money to her. Ding! ¡®Alexander transferred 5,200 to you. Remarks: What happened that day was a misunderstanding. Listen to me.¡± Ding! ¡®Alexander transferred 5,200 to you. Remarks: I don¡¯t know what you heard or saw, but things aren¡¯t what it seems.¡± Ding! ¡®Alexander transferred 5,200 to you. Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. Remarks: I don¡¯t have any other romantic feelings toward other women. Please trust me.¡± ¡­¡­ ¡­ In just one lesson, Elise¡¯s phone kept vibrating. When she took it out, she was stunned to find more than 99 unread messages sent by Alexander. To be exact, it was more than 99 messages of bank transfer notifications. Chapter 210 Chapter 210 Chapter 210,Coolest Girl in Town Elise clicked open the messages and scrolled to the top. Then, she read the messages one by one until she reached the bottom. The expression on her face changed from being startled to having a slight smile. Finally, her mood had taken a turn for the better. ¡°Boss, there¡¯s a delivery for you,¡± Danny said, holding a bouquet of roses as he walked into the room. The entire ss erupted into cheers when they saw this scene. He ced the roses in front of Elise. ¡°Boss, these are your flowers!¡± Elise blinked several times. She could guess what had just happened, but that was not all. The delivery guy then rushed over and passed a box of choctes to her. ¡°There¡¯s a box of choctes as well¡ªI almost forgot about them. Please sign here, Miss Sinir.¡± She took the pen from him and signed her name, but Danny could not helpining, ¡°Boss, who is this person? He is so old-fashioned! Who still sends roses and choctes nowadays? Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. Could it be¡­¡± When he reached this point, he quickly covered his mouth, but there was a wide grin on his face before heughed out loud. ¡°Boss, don¡¯t tell me this is from Alexander? He is so old-fashioned! Look at the times we are in now, yet he still sends girls roses and choctes¡ª¡± Elise quickly interrupted him and held the bouquet of roses. ¡°Oh¡ªjust shut up! You don¡¯t even give girls roses and choctes. Serves you right for being single!¡± Upon hearing that, Danny grumbled deep down, Now she¡¯s just insulting me! However, Elise ignored him and smiled slightly as she held the bouquet of roses in her hands. After a while, she took out her phone and opened all the notifications of the bank transfer and read all of them. Upon seeing this, Danny widened his eyes. ¡°Boss, is this for real? That¡¯s so many bank transfers!¡± He did not forget to rub his eyes to make sure that he wasn¡¯t seeing things. When he saw the person who transferred the money to her, he immediately said, ¡°My goodness! Alexander is too generous. Even I want to be his girlfriend!¡± A pained expression then appeared on Danny¡¯s face. s, I¡¯m not a woman! ¡°Boss, give me some of the money too! There isn¡¯t much of my allowance left for the rest of this month.¡± Elise raised her head and looked at him before saying, ¡°I have no problem in sharing some of the money with you, but can you retract your words just now?¡± Danny quickly nodded profusely. ¡°Of course I can! Alexander is not old-fashioned at all; I¡¯m the old-fashioned one. It¡¯s the current trend to give girls roses and choctes.¡± However, Elise shook her head. ¡°Not this.¡± ¡°What, then?¡± ¡°You have no chance to be my rival, not even in your next life!¡± Elise said with conviction. It was only at this moment that Alexander said pitifully, ¡°Boss, it was just a joke. For a man like Alexander, only you can handle him. Apart from that, I¡¯m straight and I have no interest in batting for my own team.¡± Upon hearing that, Elise pursed her lips and smiled. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll give you some of it.¡± With that, she transferred 88 to him without a second thought. Danny looked at her gratefully and said, ¡°Thank you boss!¡± Meanwhile, after Alexander saw that Elise had read his messages, he immediately called her. However, after a few rings, his call was being hung up. Elise sent him a message. ¡®ss is starting soon. We can talkter.¡¯ Seeing that she finally replied to him, he finally stopped worrying. Seems like Cameron¡¯s methods are quite useful indeed. Or do they work on every girl? No matter what, the tension between Elise and I is finally resolved. ¡®Meet me at the school entrance this afternoon. I¡¯ll pick you up.¡± The very next second, he received a reply. ¡®Ok.¡¯ Alexander¡¯s expression became more gentle as he saw that and his mood became better as well. When Cameron entered Alexander¡¯s office again, he discovered that the entire atmosphere had changed. ¡°Young Master Alex, are you alright now?¡± Tapping his fingers tapped rhythmically on the table, Alexander looked at Cameron, sending fear down thetter¡¯s spine. ¡°Young Master Alex, if you have any orders, just let me know directly. I¡¯m getting chills seeing you like this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a few years since you started working for me, yes?¡± Upon hearing that, Cameron had an ominous feeling. ¡°Young Master Alex, are you going to fire me now? If I did anything wrong, you can just tell me directly. I¡¯ll correct my behavior immediately!¡± Upon seeing his reaction, Alexander could not help but tease, ¡°Correct? How can you correct it? I was just thinking that since you started working for me, you haven¡¯t really taken a break. I was nning to give you some days off, but¡ª¡± As soon as Cameron heard about getting off days, he became instantly excited. ¡°Are you serious, Young Master Alex? Of course I¡¯m willing¡ªactually more than willing¡ªto take some days off.¡± ¡°But it seems to me that you would prefer working.¡± As Alexander¡¯s airy words rang out, Cameron almost burst into tears. ¡°That¡¯s not the case at all! Young Master Alex, I really need a vacation. I really do!¡± ¡°Does that mean that you don¡¯t love what you are doing anymore?¡± No matter what Cameron replied, he felt that it was wrong and thought that there was no way out for him. ¡°That¡¯s not it, Young Master Alex. You¡¯ve misunderstood me.¡± Upon hearing that, Alexander chuckled lightly. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll stop messing with you. Because of your achievement this time, I decided to give you twice the bonus this month and half a month of paid leave.¡± Cameron thought his ears were ying tricks on him. After pinching himself and feeling the pain, he finally convinced himself that this was real. ¡°Oh¡ª Young Master Alex! My dear boss, I love you¡ª¡± ¡°Cut the mushy crap and just thank Elise.¡± With that, Alexander took his car keys from the table and put on his coat, preparing to head outside. Cameron hadn¡¯t returned to his senses, so he blurted out subconsciously, ¡°Where are you going, Young Master Alex?¡± ¡°To pick her up.¡± He left with that simple exnation, leaving Cameron standing on the spot nkly. Cameron blinked. I-I-Is this for real, Young Master Alex? Before school ended, Alexander was already waiting by the entrance for some time. Upon seeing Elise, he quickly opened the car door and got out of the car, thereafter walking over to her. When she saw him, she thought about his remarks on the bank transfers. Even though she did not tell him explicitly, she had already chosen to forgive him. ¡°Get in the car. Let¡¯s go home.¡± Alexander naturally took her bag and opened the car door for her. Elise then took a seat in his car obediently. After making sure that she was well-seated, he took the initiative to buckle the seat belt for her before he started driving. ¡°That day¡ª¡± ¡°That day¡ª¡± The both of them opened their mouths at the same time and spoke the same words coincidentally. Upon hearing that, Elise pursed her lips. ¡°You go first.¡± Alexander then quickly exined, ¡°Honestly, what happened that day was very simple. Ashlyn asked me out to a hotel to discuss something, but nothing happened between us. Think about it¡ªhow could I fall for someone like her? If I really took a liking to her, I would have made my move ages ago. I didn¡¯t have to wait until now.¡± Chapter 211 Chapter 211 Chapter 211 You¡¯re Cute When You Get Jealous,Coolest Girl in Town Though his exnation made sense, Elise still pouted and asked, ¡°What was going on when she held your arm, then?¡± ¡°That was also a misunderstanding,¡± Alexander exined. ¡°I promise I will never let any other woman apart from youe close to me ever again.¡± Upon hearing that, she snorted out laughing. ¡°Really?¡± He nodded seriously and murmured, ¡°Yes.¡± Now that¡¯s more like it. With all the questions answered, Elise felt her mood bing better. However, the next second, Alexander stopped the car by the roadside and leaned over to her. As he had pressed himself in front of her, they were quite close to each other. ¡°I realize that you can be quite cute when you get jealous.¡± She blushed and quickly pushed him away. ¡°I¡¯m not jealous! I-I¡¯m just¡ª¡± However, Alexander¡¯s warm lips pressed against hers before she could even finish her sentence. Elise¡¯s mouth was slightly parted as she slowly closed her eyes, while Alexander slowly stretched his tongue into her mouth and tasted her sweetness. The small space in the car was now filled with love. Feeling that she was running out of breath, Elise quickly pushed him away. ¡°Continue¡­ driving.¡± Alexander merely lowered his head and smiled. ¡°Ellie, why are you so shy?¡± Upon hearing that, she blushed even further. ¡°Stop rubbing it in! Next time, keep your distance and don¡¯t touch me.¡± However, Alexander shook his head. ¡°I think I can¡¯t hold myself back anymore.¡± ¡°That can¡¯t happen. You have to!¡± Elise looked at him solemnly and Alexander acquiesced. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll try my best. Let¡¯s go back home now.¡± With that, he started the car again and drove in the direction of the Griffith Residence. Meanwhile, Elise looked at the scenery outside the window and could not help but gaze at herself in the rearview mirror. At this moment, her face was flushed red with the shyness of a teenage girl, making her look like a lovestruck teen. Admit it, Elise Sinir¡ªyou have really fallen for him! When they reached home, Brendan was holding a stack of papers in his hand as he sat in the living room. When he heard the noise, he quickly asked, ¡°Who¡¯s back, Ste?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Young Master Alex and Miss Elise,¡± Ste replied promptly. Brendan¡¯s movements immediately paused before he raised his head and closed the folder on the papers he had been holding. The very next second, he saw both of them walking into the house, smiling as they chatted with each other. ¡°Alexander! Elise!¡± He took the initiative to greet them. Then, he looked at Elise. ¡°Why are you back so early today?¡± Alexander asked. Brendan quickly retracted his gaze as he mumbled, ¡°Something cropped up at the studio, so I came back first. Elise, I have something to ask for your help. Is it convenient for you now?¡± Though surprised, Elise replied, ¡°You can just tell me what it is¡± It was actually not a big deal. Lately, Brendan kept himself upied with the techniques Elise used to sew the wedding dress. He could not wait to know why her technique was so simr to that of Lily, the designer who retired from the design industry for many years. Hence, Brendan found an excuse, wanting to get to the bottom of this. ¡°The thing is, I saw that you have some talent and knowledge in fashion design. I have a client this time who wants a custom-designed wedding dress, but she is not satisfied with a few of my drawings. I would like you to have a look for me or maybe make some amendments on my drawings.¡± Upon hearing that, Elise looked taken aback. ¡°Me?¡± Brendan nodded in response. ¡°I saw the wedding dress you modifiedst time. Be it the design or the needlework, the quality is on par of that of a professional designer. Would it be alright for you to lend me a hand in this?¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not a professional. Aren¡¯t you worried that I might mess it up for you?¡± Brendan merely smiled upon hearing that. ¡°Since I¡¯ve already asked for your help, of course I have faith in you. Plus, I haven¡¯t had much thought about anything else.¡± Elise hesitated. It had been a while since she designed something, so she wondered if her hands were able to produce a drawing of a nice wedding dress. ¡°Let me think about it,¡± she replied. Upon seeing the situation, Brendan quickly asked, ¡°Do you have other concerns? You can just let me know if that¡¯s the case.¡± Elise pursed her lips. ¡°Not a lot of concerns, but¡ª¡± It was quite obvious that she had some reasons not to ept his offer, so Brendan said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. You can think about it first before giving me a reply. I¡¯m not in a hurry.¡± Elise hummed in agreement. ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s just that my study schedule is quite packed, so I don¡¯t have a lot of time.¡± ¡°Oh¡ªthat¡¯s fine. The client is only getting married by the end of the year, so it¡¯s not urgent.¡± When Elise heard that, she nodded. ¡°Alright, then! Since tomorrow is the weekend, I¡¯ll drop by your office to take a look.¡± Seeing that she had agreed, Brendan beamed. Then, he passed over the papers in his hand. ¡°These are my designs. You can take a look at them.¡± Elise took them over and murmured, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll take a look.¡± With that, she bade farewell to both of them and went upstairs. However, Alexander looked at Brenden and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think the matter isn¡¯t as simple as asking for her help, is it?¡± Brendan met his gaze and slowly replied, ¡°Sure enough, nothing can be hidden from you, Alexander.¡± Alexander merely frowned. ¡°We¡¯re family. You can just be straightforward with me.¡± However, since Brendan had note to a conclusion, he exined, ¡°Currently, I¡¯m not sure either. But don¡¯t worry, Alexander. I don¡¯t have any other intentions. I just want to confirm a spection of mine.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Alexander nodded andmented, ¡°I respect her decision.¡± Meanwhile, Brendan was grateful for his understanding. ¡°Thank you, Alexander!¡± With a loud thud, Elise closed the door and ced her bag down. It was only then that she pulled a chair and sat down. Right after that, she immediately looked at Brendan¡¯s drawings. She stayed up until quitete before she finished looking through all his designs. From the drawings, she could tell that Brendan had a strong foundation in design. Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. It was definitely with more than a decade of practice seeing that he was able to reach this stage. However, she also realized that his designscked creativity and courage, and his ideas were still the same as his usual thought patterns. The next day, Elise went to his design studio early in the morning. Other employees in the studio had already arrived and some of them knew Elise. Molly, especially, greeted her warmly as soon as she saw her. ¡°Miss Sinir, what brings you here?¡± Elise smiled in return. ¡°I¡¯m just dropping by.¡± Molly was grateful for Elise¡¯s advice that made her find her own blindspot in her designs. Right now, the former was not an assistant anymore and she was promoted to a junior designer in the field. ¡°In that case, please take a seat in the guest room. I¡¯ll bring you a cup of coffee.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll just go to Mr. Griffith¡¯s office.¡± Upon hearing that, Molly quickly said, ¡°I¡¯ll take you there then.¡± When Brendan saw Elise¡¯s arrival, he quickly stood up. ¡°There you are, Elise.¡± Chapter 212 Chapter 212 Chapter 212 Haven¡¯t You Already Left?,Coolest Girl in Town Elise nodded and directly said, ¡°Give me a space, then. I¡¯ll start workingter!¡± Brendan smiled upon hearing that. ¡°There¡¯s no need to hurry. I already arranged an office for you. You can take a breather first. I will ask Molly to bring you overter.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, someone knocked on the door. ¡°Mr. Griffith, Miss Lawson is here.¡± Brendan¡¯s expression changed when he heard her name and he immediately became more business-like. ¡°Ask her to wait for me in the meeting room. I¡¯ll be right there.¡± ¡°Noted, Mr. Griffith.¡± Seeing that he had other businesses to attend to, Elise quickly got up. ¡°Since you are busy, just ask Molly to bring me over.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll do that.¡± Aftering out of the office, Molly quickly said, ¡°Miss Sinir, let¡¯s head over there now.¡± As soon as they turned a corner, they came face-to-face with Ashlyn. Upon seeing the other girl, Elise raised her eyebrows slightly as she thought to herself, So this was who they were referring to just now. Even Ashlyn was surprised to meet Elise here. However, the former soon recalled what she heard from Jacinda and could not help but smile with a triumphant look in her eyes. ¡°My, my! I didn¡¯t expect to meet an old friend here!¡± Elise ignored her remarks and walked past her, but Ashlyn called out, ¡°Why are you leaving as soon as you see me? Alex is so much warmer when he sees me.¡± It was better if she did not bring this up. At the mention of this, Elise felt the grievances that she had find an outlet. ¡°Are you being serious when you say that he¡¯s treating you warmly? Why do I hear that he is quite unfriendly toward you?¡± Ashlyn¡¯s expression did not change a bit even after hearing Elise¡¯s words, which was why Elise knew that she had really misunderstood Alexander earlier. After knowing that it was Ashlyn alone who falsely portrayed everything, Elise felt her mood be much better. ¡°What do you know, Elise? Alex asked me out on a date in a hotel room¡­¡± With that, Ashlyn tucked her hair behind her ears as she added, ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone knows what goes on between adults. I guess I don¡¯t have to spell everything out for you.¡± Nevertheless, Elise did not get annoyed. Instead, she countered, ¡°It seems like you enjoy it a lot, Miss Lawson. Could it be that you¡¯re hallucinating and pleasing yourself instead?¡± The tant insult in her words made Ashlyn¡¯s expression change instantly. ¡°You¡ª¡± Elise, however, met the other girl¡¯s eyes without any fear. ¡°What do you think Alexander¡¯s reaction will be when he knows that you have been damaging his reputation?¡± Upon hearing that, Ashlyn clenched her fists soundlessly. After all, she did not expect Elise to trust Alexander this much. In that instant, she was at a loss on what to retort. ¡°Since when have I damaged his reputation? I¡¯ve said nothing.¡± Elise smiled in response. ¡°That would be best. No matter what, you already have a partner, Miss Lawson, so you better not seduce another man who already has a fianc¨¦e. I¡¯ll have you know that I bear grudges easily. If I know that another woman seduced my man, I won¡¯t hold back at all.¡± This is not just a threat! Ashlyn felt a tinge of fear upon hearing that. Elise is just an ugly woman from the countryside, yet she has such power. It was only then that she knew she had to restrain herself even though she liked Alexander . ¡°What are you saying, Elise? I¡¯ve always been disdainful about your belongings¡± ¡°That would be best.¡± With that, Elise ignored her and walked away. However, Ashlyn looked at the other girl¡¯s leaving figure resentfully and bit her lip hard, annoyed that she was on the losing side when they taunted each other just now. However, shortly after that, she saw Elise walk into a designer¡¯s office. Hence, she could not help asking the assistant, who was standing next to her, ¡°What is she doing here?¡± The assistant then replied, ¡°Miss Sinir is a designer that we just hired, Miss Lawson.¡± Ashlyn wanted to burst outughing upon hearing that. ¡°She? A designer? Isn¡¯t she afraid of people laughing at her? She¡¯s just a country bumpkin! Does she even know what fashion is?¡± The assistant remained quietly for a moment before saying softly, ¡°Miss Lawson, do you still remember the evening gown you liked when you came herest time? That was designed by Miss Sinir.¡± Ashlyn was thunderstruck upon hearing that. She fell in love as soon as she saw the evening gown, but Brendan told her that it was not for sale. No matter how much she was willing to pay for it, he would not sell it to her. Because of that, she felt rather disappointed. Hence, it was a huge shock to her that the evening gown was designed by Elise. ¡°This way please, Miss Lawson.¡± Though unwilling, Ashlyn followed the assistant. After Elise entered the design studio, she sat down on a bench, a pen in hand as she bent over the table. Then, she started to slowly work on her design. After some time, she came up with a rough sketch of a wedding dress. It was at that moment that Brendan walked into the room. ¡°Elise?¡± Upon hearing that, she raised her head and stretched her body. ¡°It¡¯s just a rough sketch. Would you like to have a look?¡± Brendan was surprised to see that. His initial expectation was just for Elise to make some amendments on his design, which was why he had never imagined that she would be able to come up with her own designs. ¡°You¡­ drew this?¡± He looked at the design incredulously. After taking the piece of paper and looking at the design, he was shocked to the core. Though it was just a rough sketch, he could tell how good her design was. Every stroke was perfect, making the design look as though it was drawn by a mature and professional designer. ¡°Have you designed anything before?¡± ¡°In the past, I liked to draw and I would just draw some random stuff,¡± Elise exined. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s alright?¡± Brendan pursed his lips when he heard that. ¡°Overall, I think it¡¯s quite good, but I have no idea what the final product will look like. Why don¡¯t I take a look at it again after you arepletely done with the design?¡± And so, she nodded in response. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not early, so let me bring you for a meal.¡± Elise was also quite hungry at this point. ¡°Alright. Let me put these away¡± After she tidied up her table, she followed Brendan out of the door. However, not long after she left, a figure sneaked into the roomN?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. soundlessly¡ªAshlyn had found the designs and took pictures with her phone without any hesitation. After taking those photographs, she was quite pleased with herself. ¡°Elise, don¡¯t even dream of bing a designer! It¡¯s simply impossible with that face of yours! I want to destroy your reputation in this industry so you won¡¯t be able to stay here any longer!¡± With that, Ashnlyn nned to turn around and leave. However, as soon as she reached the door, she ran into Molly, who was still working. ¡°Miss Lawson, haven¡¯t you already left?¡± Chapter 213 Chapter 213 Chapter 213,Coolest Girl in Town Molly asked Ashlyn with a shocked expression on her face. Unexpectedly, Ashlyn immediately took out a wade of cash from her bag and stuffed it into Molly¡¯s hand. ¡°I left something behind just now, so I came back here to retrieve it, but I hope you won¡¯t tell anyone about seeing me here this time.¡± Molly looked at the cash in her hand that was worth two months of her sry. She had a rather odd feeling as she mused, Why did she give me so much money all of a sudden? However, Ashlyn thought that Molly was thinking that it was too little, so the former took out another wade of cash. ¡°Take it and you keep your mouth shut.¡± To Molly, Ashlyn was being too generous. This is a lot of money! Would it be a bad thing to take this? But I have to pay my rent soon, and I¡¯m running low on money. Hence, Molly looked around and quickly took the money. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miss Lawson. I won¡¯t say a word.¡± Satisfied with the oue, Ashlyn immediately left. When Elise returned to the design studio again, she felt that something was off, as if someone had touched her design. ¡°Molly, did anyonee here after I left?¡± Though Molly was slightly surprised, she did not reveal it. ¡°I came here alone in the afternoon. No one is around at that moment.¡± Maybe I¡¯m too sensitive, Elise thought, brushing away her concern. ¡°Alright. You can carry on with your work now.¡± As Molly walked off, Elise took up a pencil and continued to work, drawing one line after another on the drawing paper. She was so engrossed with her work that shepletely forgot about the time. It was only when evening had fallen that Alexander pushed the door open. Looking at her figure, he knocked on the door politely. Meanwhile, Elise did not even lift her head. Thinking that it was Molly, she murmured, ¡°Molly, I¡¯m a little thirsty. Please get me a ss of water.¡± Upon hearing that, Alexander turned around and went to the pantry to pour her a ss of warm water. Walking over to her, he ced the ss in front of her and said, ¡°Here you go.¡± As soon as Elise heard his voice, she immediately stopped all her movements and lifted her head. It was only at this point that she noticed his presence, so she was rather surprised. ¡°W- Why are you here?¡± ¡°Look at the time,¡± he countered. All this while, Elise did not notice the passing of time at all. Hence, she quickly took out her phone to look at the time¡ªit turned out that it was already 8 PM. No wonder I¡¯m so hungry now! ¡°I was drawing just now, so I didn¡¯t notice the time,¡± she exined. Looking at the designs in front of her, Alexander put all of them away without a word. ¡°No matter how busy you get, don¡¯t forget to eat; otherwise, your stomach won¡¯t be able to take it.¡± Elise was slightly flustered when she heard that, but she immediately stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s have dinner, then.¡± Alexander, on the other hand, gave her a doting smile as he caressed her head. ¡°What would you like?¡± And so, Elise thought about it before saying, ¡°Hotpot! It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite spicy, though. Are you sure you want to have that?¡± She quickly nodded. ¡°Yes! Let¡¯s go.¡± With that, she put her designs safely away and took them back with her. Truth was, Alexander would usually grant all her requests; since Elise said she wanted to have hotpot, he then brought her to a famous hotpot restaurant. The restaurant¡¯s business was booming, which was why there was already a long queue in front of the entrance. However, as soon as Alexander and Elise arrived, the owner of the restaurant weed them himself. ¡°President Griffith, you are finally here today! I¡¯ve already reserved the private room upstairs for you.¡± Upon hearing that, Alexander nodded and told Elise, ¡°Let¡¯s have some hotpot.¡± She was over the moon to hear that and quickly opened the door to get out of the car. After following the restaurant owner to the private room on the second floor, she immediately ordered all her favorite dishes from the menu. ¡°I¡¯d like to have some beef, prawns, ham¡ª¡± She went on and on, and it was obvious that she really loved hotpot. ¡°What would you like?¡± Elise asked. However, Alexander drank a sip of water to hide his nerves. He didn¡¯t like spicy food and he seldom had hotpot. However, seeing how happy she was, he replied, ¡°I¡¯m sure your taste is quite good. I¡¯ll just eat whatever you ordered.¡± ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s have these for the time being.¡± With that, she passed the menu back to the waiter. In no time, all the food that she just ordered arrived one after another. It had been a while since Elise had hotpot, so she immediately put the ingredients into the soup herself. After making sure that the beef was cooked, she put it in Alexander¡¯s bowl and urged, ¡°Try this¡ªit¡¯s very nice.¡± After looking at the beef in his bowl, he immediately picked it up and ced it in his mouth without any hesitation. As soon as the meat entered his mouth, he felt spiciness flood through his entire mouth, so he quickly swallowed without chewing. Apart from that, he also did not forget to say, ¡°It¡¯s not bad. The taste is quite good.¡± However, Elise asked, ¡°Is it crispy? This part of the meat has to be crispy to be nice.¡± Alexander froze for a moment before he hummed in agreement. However, he subconsciously took the ss next to him and gulped down a huge sip of water. ¡°You can go ahead. I¡¯ll help myself.¡± And so, Elise took another piece of beef excitedly and ced it in her own mouth. She then revealed a look of pure enjoyment as shemented, ¡°It¡¯s delicious! It¡¯s been so long since I had a taste of this!¡± Elise was someone who loved spicy food, especially spicy hotpot. Since it had been a while since she tasted something authentic like this, she enjoyed it a lot. Meanwhile, Alexander merely looked at her with a smile on his face. Feeling his gaze on her, Elise asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you eating?¡± However, Alexander replied, ¡°You go ahead.¡± Elise thought that it was rather odd. After seeing him drink a few sses of water, she could not help but ask, ¡°Is it possible that you can¡¯t eat spicy food?¡± Meanwhile, she could see a hint of awkwardness sh across Alexander¡¯s eyes. Sure enough, she got it right. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier that you can¡¯t have spicy food? I¡¯ll ask the waiter to change the pot so there¡¯s a mix of spicy and non-spicy soup base.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Alexander said. ¡°I can eat spicy food, just not to this extent.¡± Seeing that he had not been eating much while she had been enjoying herself all this while, she said hastily, ¡°Uh¡­ Let¡¯s change the pot.¡± With that, she asked for the waiter to change the pot so that there were two different types of soup bases. ¡°Do you know what is the biggestpromise for hotpot lovers like me?¡± This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Alexander did not know the answer, so she continued, ¡°This¡ªthe mixed soup base.¡± Looking at the pot in front of them, he asked, ¡°But are you used to this?¡± Upon hearing that, Elise gestured airily. ¡°Oh¡ª this is nothing. It doesn¡¯t affect things. However, you should stop sitting there without moving your cutlery. Let¡¯s tuck in now.¡± After both of them finished the hotpot, Elise felt extremely content that her stomach was now filled. ¡°Let¡¯se here again next time.¡± Seeing how happy she was throughout the meal, Alexander could not help but sh a smile at her. Even though he did not really like hotpot, he agreed after seeing how much she liked it. ¡°We cane here anytime you like.¡± Chapter 214 Chapter 214 Chapter 214 I Didn¡¯t giarize It,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll hold you to it, then.¡± The smile Elise gave Alexander was so sincere that it was practically infectious, and he voluntarily reached out to grasp her hand. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go home.¡± Shoulder to shoulder, they walked off into the moonlit night. ¡­ The next day, Elise went to work as usual, only for a grim Brendan to follow her into her office immediately upon her entry. With aplicated look in his eyes, he stared at her and pursed his lips for a moment before stating, ¡°I have something to ask you, my darling sister-inw.¡± Startled by both the appetion and the stern look on his face, she urged, ¡°Go on.¡± After a moment of contemtion, he continued, ¡°Have you finished the draft for your design? May I see it?¡± Even though Elise found it to be a strange request, she carelessly flipped through her papers to locate her design draft and hand it over to him. ¡°It¡¯s mostly done. If you need it urgently, I can finish it by today.¡± Yet, Brendan¡¯s expression turned ugly the moment he saw her design draft. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± she queried. In the next second, he lifted his gaze and stared right into her eyes. ¡°Did you show this draft to anyone else before this moment?¡± After thinking about it earnestly, she answered, ¡°No one has seen it apart from you. Why? Did something happen?¡± Without answering her directly, he pulled out his cell phone and handed it over to her. ¡°Look at this.¡± Elise took the phone and nced down at it, and all of the blood drained out of her face. ¡°How is this possible?! This design is my own. How can this person¡¯s design resemble mine so much?¡± ¡°This is the work of a local first-rate designer, Coner. She announced it to the publicst evening as part of her new series¡ªthe design I showed you being the main diagram. The whole series is in a style identical to yours.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my design. I didn¡¯t giarize it,¡± Elise muttered darkly. The fact of the matter was that Brendan believed her, but his trust would do no good in a situation where Coner had already published her designs. This meant they could no longer use Elise¡¯s design. ¡°We can¡¯t use these diagrams anymore, Elise. You¡¯ll have to redesign them.¡± The more Elise thought about it, the more she realized that something was wrong. After all, she had noticed that someone had touched her drawing papers when she came back from lunch the previous afternoon, and now her design was on the Inte a scant few hours after that incident. There was no way this could be a coincidence. ¡°I designed this myself¡ª¡± she uttered slowly, ¡°¡ªand now I suspect that someone has stolen it.¡± The moment she said that, Brendan stared at her gravely. For some reason, he felt like she was telling the truth, but evidence was needed for everything nowadays. ¡°Do you have any proof?¡± It made Elise smile without any warmth in her eyes. ¡°No, but the truth can¡¯t be hidden or falsified. I will find the proof I need to im my innocence. Until then, I hope you¡¯ll believe me.¡± Upon hearing that, he nodded obligingly. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I have a solution.¡± Once again, their eyes met and he leaned forward to whisper into her ear. After Brendan left, Elise looked down at the design diagram in her hands and clenched her fists silently. After putting the diagram away, she took up a nk piece of paper and began to redo her design in a brand new style. Not long after that, Molly walked in with a fresh cup of coffee. ¡°Your coffee, Miss Sinir.¡± Keeping her eyes on the drawing, Elise answered carelessly, ¡°Put it down. I¡¯ll drink it after I finish my drawing.¡± ¡°Of course, Miss Sinir.¡± Molly was quick to respond. After putting the coffee aside, she turned to leave, only to have Elise stop her. ¡°Just a moment.¡± Molly turned back at that. ¡°Did you need something else, Miss Sinir?¡± It was only then that Elise paused in her motions and slowly lifted her head to stare at Molly. Her gaze was as clear as always and free of any stray thoughts, but Molly got the vague impression that she was behaving differently than normal. ¡°I have a question for you, Molly.¡± Molly nodded and added, ¡°Go ahead, Miss Sinir.¡± Humming her acknowledgment, Elise continued, ¡°Thing is, something has gone missing from my office yesterday.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. Did you see anyonee in here around lunchtime?¡± Immediately, Molly looked shocked. ¡°Have you lost something, Miss Sinir? What is it? Is it valuable? Nothing like this has ever happened in our studio. Perhaps you should search for it again.¡± Staring at the woman cidly, Elise continued,¡°The object itself isn¡¯t very valuable, but I did lose it, after all. Perhaps I should file a police report.¡± Of course, the mention of a police report terrified Molly out of her wits, but she willed herself to keep a straight face. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s blowing things out of proportion, Miss Sinir. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need to file a police report if it¡¯s nothing valuable, since that will have a negative impact on the studio¡¯s image.¡± The response more or less confirmed Elise¡¯s suspicions, but she only sneered internally without giving anything away. Nodding her head, she agreed, ¡°You¡¯re right¡ªit¡¯s not valuable enough to warrant such an action. Even so, I won¡¯t rest until I find the thief. You may leave now.¡± Just like that, Molly felt a chill run down her spine. Even though she felt like Elise was hinting at something, she dared not dwell on it and only strode out of the room without a second thought. It wasn¡¯t until she had left that Elise¡¯s gaze darkened. Meanwhile, as Molly was standing outside the office patting her chest and blowing out a sigh of relief, she saw Ashlyn walk in with a strange woman. At once, she went up to wee them. ¡°Miss Lawson, what a pleasant surprise! What are you doing here?¡± Looking at Molly with an indifferent expression, Ashlyn asked carelessly, ¡°Is Brendan in?¡± ¡°He¡¯s in the office,¡± Molly answered truthfully. ¡°Allow me to escort you.¡± With that, she led Ashlyn to Brendan¡¯s office, whereupon Ashlyn threw open the door and walked in. ¡°Brendan!¡± she called out with a broad smile. After all, the pair had grown up together and were very familiar with each other. It was only after the previous incident that Brendan was no longer as gentle with her and only treated her with the cordiality of a casual friend. ¡°Ah¡ªMiss Lawson. We have yet toplete the formal gown that you requested of us, but surely you don¡¯t need us to run ourselves into the ground for it. I will notify you once we¡¯ve finished the design.¡± ¡°What are you saying?¡± Ashlyn chuckled and continued, ¡°I¡¯m not here to rush you. I¡¯m actually here for another reason.¡± With that, she ushered the woman behind her forward. ¡°I imagine you must be quite familiar with this person.¡± It was none other than the designer, Coner. Chapter 215 Chapter 215 Chapter 215,Coolest Girl in Town Staring up at the person before him, Brendan narrowed his eyes. It was none other than Coner, the designer whose design waspletely identical to Elise¡¯s. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he saw Elise¡¯s design first, he would have thought that she giarized Coner¡¯s. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t simply that Brendan saw Elise¡¯s design first; it was that he trusted Alexander¡¯s judgment and believed her to be the kind of person who would never do such a thing. It was an inexplicable sort of trust, but it gave him so much unshakeable faith in Elise that when he finally met Coner, he didn¡¯t feel the least bit of goodwill toward the stranger and only asked bluntly, ¡°And who might you be?¡± Bolstered by the fact that he did not seem to recognize Coner, Ashlyn hurried to introduce, ¡°This is the designer, Coner, who is also my schoolmate from overseas. Coincidentally, hertest design happens to be a formal style of dress that I quite like. I¡¯m hoping to rmend her to you so that not only may she work here, she can also undertake the entirety of my dress design by herself.¡± As Brendan listened, he rhythmically tapped his fingers on the desk, looking back and forth between Ashlyn and Coner. For a long time, he was silent, leaving Ashlyn with no way to guess his state of mind. ¡°Is that okay with you, Brendan?¡± she prompted. Coming back to his senses, he responded, ¡°Of course, but I need a copy of her CV. If there are no issues, we can hire her.¡± Overjoyed, Coner whipped out her resume. ¡°Here¡¯s my CV, Mr. Griffith. Please have a look.¡± Then, she handed her design diagram over. ¡°This is my newest design, which is also the formal gown that Ashlyn mentioned. You may have a look at it.¡± After ncing at her design, Brendan flipped her resume shut and couldn¡¯t help sneering. ¡°What a coincidence!¡± he taunted. ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve seen your design somewhere before.¡± L ooking shocked, Coner hurried to exin, ¡°You must be mistaken, Mr. Griffith. Designers have a zero- tolerance policy for giarism and I would never giarize someone else¡¯s work.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± He arched his eyebrows and countered, ¡°I¡¯m willing to believe your word, but we¡¯re notcking in designers at the moment. However, it seems like Miss Lawson is willing to take you as her designer. How about this? You can be Miss Lawson¡¯s private designer. I think that¡¯s a pretty good solution.¡± As soon as he said that, Ashlyn felt her smile disappear. After all, given their years of friendship, she had assumed she would be able to convince him to hire someone simply by putting a word in. It never urred to her that he would refuse. ¡°Coner does excellent work, Brendan. She won many international awards while she was abroad. Talent like hers is hard toe by, and I¡¯m rmending her to you only because I¡¯m impressed by her designs,¡± Ashlyn pleaded earnestly as she tried to appeal to his feelings. Nevertheless, Brendan did not fall for it. All of a sudden, he remembered that Ashlyn hade by the studio on the previous day as well. For her to drop by the studio with Coner today seemed fortuitous, unless there was something going on between them that he wasn¡¯t privy to. In the past, he would never have second-guessed Ashlyn. However, now that she had revealed her dark side to him through the things she did, any goodwill he had for her waspletely gone. ¡°Here¡¯s the thing¡ªI¡¯m sure it¡¯s purely coincidence, but the work of the designer you¡¯re currently rmending to me is simr to the work of one of our designers. I dare wager over 80% of the work is simr, so perhaps there¡¯s a misunderstanding here that could be cleared up if I summoned our designer. How about that?¡± Never in a million years did Ashlyn think that Brendan would say that. Does this mean that he suspects me? But how can he have connected the two situations? This won¡¯t do! I have to keep my cool. And so, Ashlyn smiled and asked him calmly, ¡°Are you pulling my leg, Brendan? Nothing is more important to a designer than their reputation and originality. It¡¯s fine if you¡¯re not willing to ept Coner. I can rmend another good studio to her, but I will not stand here and allow you to drag her name through the mud like that!¡± Her indignation sounded so righteous that Brendan almost believed her for a second. However, he only pulled out his cell phone and dialed Elise. ¡°Bring your design to my office, Elise.¡± Currently, Elise was drafting a new design and was flummoxed by the instruction. Nheless, she put down her pencil and went to his office with her design in hand. The moment she opened the door, she saw Ashlyn. Despite being somewhat taken aback, she simply walked up to Brendan. ¡°Here it is.¡± Meanwhile, Brendan epted the diagram and pulled Coner¡¯s up forparison. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Elise¡¯s face darkened instantly, and she turned her head to stare coldly and silently at Coner. Incredibly, thetter was the first to speak up. ¡°My goodness! How could this happen? This is my design, so how did it end up here? Did you copy my work, ma¡¯am?¡± Despite her derision, Elise held her temper in check and asked evenly, ¡°Since it¡¯s your work, do you mind telling me your design concept?¡± Upon hearing that, Coner retorted disapprovingly, ¡°Every designer has a concept that¡¯s exclusive to the work they designed. Of course I have a concept since it¡¯s my work.¡± ¡°In that case, please do share it with the room,¡± Elise continued. Fighting the urge to retreat, Coner nced at Ashlyn, who gave her an encouraging look. Feeling her courage return to her, the former continued, ¡°Every girl dreams of the perfect wedding dress that will showcase her unique charm at her wedding. As I wanted to bring that dream to life, I based my design on that concept and embellished the skirt of the wedding dress in different blue hues. In addition, I made it multiyered to give off the impression of lightness, airiness, and etherealness.¡± With a sneer, Elise countered, ¡°I see. If that¡¯s the case, do you mind exining to me why the left and right sides of the upper half of the wedding dress aren¡¯t coordinated?¡± Up till that moment, Coner had failed to notice the issue Elise pointed out. It was only after hearing Elise¡¯s question that she took the diagram back for a second nce and noticed that the left and right sides were, indeed, uncoordinated. It was an issue she had failed to catch beforehand. ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± Coner kept stammering. She stood there red-faced and frozen to the spot for a long time, not being able toe up with an exnation. Chapter 216 Chapter 216 Chapter 216 Let Me Tell You the Answer ,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°Let me tell you the answer, then.¡± Elise nced at Coner and spoke with a cold yet definite tone. And so, the former took the draft from Brendan and lifted her head to look at Coner. ¡°You are indeed quite smart. You can tell what to giarize and what not to, but I have to say that you¡¯re too sloppy. You didn¡¯t even bother to look at theyout of the design carefully before you giarized it. Do you realize why it¡¯s unsymmetrical? That¡¯s because the draft that you giarized from was just my first draft. It was an iplete design. Well, your skills are not up to par so you couldn¡¯t evenplete the work based on my original design, which is why the whole thing is not symmetrical.¡± As soon as Coner heard the other woman¡¯s words, she could feel her heart skip a beat. However, she instinctively denied it anyway, ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re on about. I didn¡¯t giarize! This is my design¡­¡± Elise had already made her point quite clear, but Coner remained stubbornly unrepentant. In the end, Elise no longer bothered with the niceties and she brazenly flung the stack of designs onto Coner¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯ve met many shameless people in my lifetime but you¡¯re really one of a kind! Designers are generally quite mindful of their reputation, but ones like you who even fail at giarizing one¡¯s work should honestly drop out of the industry.¡± ¡°This is nonsense!¡± Coner roared back at Elise, refusing to admit to this offense as she attempted to use a loud voice to mask the truth. In the end, she shot a pleading look at Ashlyn and tried to seek help. However, Ashlyn was caught by surprise as well, as she didn¡¯t expect this incident to be exposed so soon. In all honesty, she was wary of Coner bbering and implicating her into this. In the end, she hurriedly interrupted Coner¡¯s sentence. ¡°Coner, I can¡¯t believe that you would resort to lying to me despite us knowing each other since university! I trusted you so much and even introduced you to my lifelong friend. Why did you do this?¡± Meanwhile, Coner looked at Ashlyn in disbelief. ¡°That¡¯s not true. It was¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± At that point, Ashlyn interjected and immediately nced at Brendan with an apologetic look on her face, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Brendan. It¡¯s my fault for not handling this situation well. I didn¡¯t expect to be taken for a fool. I¡¯ve misjudged her character and caused you so much trouble. I¡¯m terribly sorry.¡± With that, Ashlyn tugged at Coner¡¯s arm and tried to make her leave, but Brendan wasn¡¯t that foolish. He would have lived in vain for all these years if he was deceived by such a simple ploy. ¡°Miss Lawson,¡± he uttered. However, those two words sounded formal and distant. He no longer paid any heed to their personal ties. ¡°There¡¯s something that I think you should be reminded of.¡± Meanwhile, Ashlyn was taken aback but before she could get a word in edgewise, Brendan continued, ¡°There are surveince cameras in this workshop. They are ced in discreet locations but can clearly show every single thing that urred. It would be quite easy if I wanted to pursue this and uncover the truth.¡± Ashlyn¡¯s face paled instantly the moment she heard that. Meanwhile, she silently gripped both her hands tightly. Prior to that, they were originally hanging loosely by her side. In the end, she lifted her head and looked at him as she stammered, ¡°O-Oh? Is that s-so¡­.¡± Nheless, Brendan mercilessly continued, ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m quite curious as to how the draft got into an outsider¡¯s hands. Why don¡¯t you apany me to take a look at the security footage? Let¡¯s uncover the truth together.¡± Upon hearing that, Ashlyn stumbled and instantly responded, ¡°N-No, thanks.¡± ¡°However, I¡¯m still very curious as to how it could be so coincidental that Elise¡¯s draft was exactly the same as Coner¡¯s, and you guys somehow published it on the inte before Elise?¡± Somehow, Brendan¡¯s words spoke volumes and Ashlyn couldn¡¯t seem to find any excuse to deny this. Meanwhile, Elise, who was standing silently by the side, suddenly spoke up coldly. ¡°That¡¯s the most you can achieve anyway. I guess the best you can do to reach your goal is to do such a despicable thing and use underhanded tactics. Ashlyn, you really are detestable.¡± At that moment, Ashlyn tried to continue denying it. After all, they had no evidence of her being the perpetrator. However, she realized that there seemed to be nothing she could say that would make herThis content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . sound convincing. ¡°I¡­¡± Before she could even speak up, Molly strode into the room from the doorway. ¡°Mr. Griffith, Miss Sinir, I¡¯m sorry but I told a lie¡­¡± In response, Elise looked at Molly with a frown on her face. As for Molly, she was so frightened that she couldn¡¯t control the tears from streaming down her face. ¡°Miss Sinir, I lied to you. Actually, I didn¡¯t tell the truth when you asked me about it yesterday. In fact, I did bump into Miss Lawson but she paid me arge sum to keep it a secret. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t tell you the truth. I owe you and Mr. Griffith an apology.¡± Molly¡¯s words were practically the final nail on the coffin for Ashlyn. All of a sudden, Ashlyn went berserk and shouted, ¡°You b*tch! What sort of nonsense are you on about?!¡± However, Molly paid no attention to her and continued to apologize profusely. ¡°Mr. Griffith, I¡¯m so sorry. I was tempted by the money Miss Lawson offered and I ended up making this mistake. But I didn¡¯t realize that Miss Lawson was here to steal Miss Sinir¡¯s design¡ª¡± Meanwhile, Brendan didn¡¯t even bat an eyelid and he disregarded her words. In the end, he coldly responded, ¡°Go and pack your stuff and get out of here immediately.¡± ¡°Mr. Griffith, please give me another chance,¡± Molly hastily pleaded for mercy but Brendan couldn¡¯t care less. ¡°We don¡¯t need a traitor in the office. Don¡¯t make me repeat myself.¡± At that point, Molly was aware that this was a gone case. Though she was displeased with the oue, she had no choice but to turn around and walk out of the room. ¡°Brendan, can you hear me out? It¡¯s not what it seems¡ª¡± Ashlyn was about to continue to exin for herself, but Brendan merely looked at her solemnly. ¡°Miss Lawson, I don¡¯t mind saving you from disgrace out of respect for our friendship all this while, but please be mindful of your further actions. Otherwise, I¡¯ll definitely lodge a police report on this incident.¡± Ashlyn¡¯s expression dimmed when she heard that and her face fell. However, her current frightful appearance couldn¡¯t even evoke any bit of sympathy from the people around her. In the end, Brendan arranged for the security guards to kick them out. Ashlyn pleaded continuously up to the point where she was about to be thrown out of the ce, but Brendan paid no heed to her words. He merely lifted his hand and gestured for the security guards to hurry up. Once Ashlyn and Coner were thrown out of the ce, he finally turned to Elise. ¡°Elise, I¡¯m sorry about that. It was my carelessness that caused your design to be stolen. Ultimately, I need to take responsibility for this incident,¡± Brendan exined with an apologetic look. Meanwhile, Elise nced at the draft in her hand and tore it up without a second thought. ¡°Actually, it isn¡¯t a big deal. It¡¯s just two drafts. My creativity stems from here.¡± she murmured as she pointed to her brain. ¡°After all, no one can steal what¡¯s in here.¡± Brendan finally heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing her words. Meanwhile, he couldn¡¯t contain the appreciative look on his face and he subsequently beamed widely. ¡°I kind of realize the reason Alexander chose you as his lifelong partner. It¡¯s because you¡¯re full of wisdom.¡± Chapter 217 Chapter 217 ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m wise anyway. I¡¯m quite annoyed too! After all, someone stole my design just like that!¡± Though Elise said that, she wasn¡¯t too affected by it. After all, that draft was just a half-finished design to her. However, Brendan owed her big time due to this incident and this was something that she couldn¡¯t ever obtain even if she was willing to pay for it. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s put this aside. However, I¡¯ll probably need two more days toe up with the revised design.¡± Upon hearing that, Brendan nodded in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not in a rush for it so just take your time.¡± ¡°By the way, about Molly¡­¡± At that point, Elise brought up Molly because she reckoned that the latter was quite talented in this field. If Molly was fired from their workshop, it was quite likely that her career as a designer would end here. Brendan, however, made his stance quite clear. ¡°Molly¡¯s my personal assistant and she¡¯s also a part of our design team, but her actions arepletely unforgivable.¡± Meanwhile, Elise hummed to indicate that she understood. Although she felt that it was a shame for Molly¡¯s talent to go to waste, she was unsympathetic of the woman¡¯s current predicament. After she had gone back into her office, Elise stretched her back before taking a seat and continuing with her sketch. However, her creative juices were not flowing well at the moment and more than ten consecutive sketches were unsatisfactory to her. There was also a pile of balled-up papers in front of her table. When Alexander arrived, he was quite mindful to knock on the door before entering the room. Despite that, Elise was engrossed in her sketch and she didn¡¯t give any response at all. Left without a choice, he pushed open the door and walked into the room. He then casually picked up one of the balled-up papers from the ground and unraveled it, only to find that it was a sketch for a preliminary design. At that point, Elise heard his footsteps and she came to her senses. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Alexander lifted his head to nce at her before replying, ¡°It¡¯s time to go home. You didn¡¯t even bother to look at the time, huh?¡± It was only then that Elise finally noticed the time. She sheepishly rubbed her temples, she murmured, ¡°I don¡¯t have much left to do. Let¡¯s head home together.¡± Just then, Alexander moved forward and came to her side as he mentioned, ¡°You must be tired after sketching for such a long time. I¡¯ll give you a shoulder massage.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. I¡¯m fine.¡± Though Elise had rejected his offer, in fact, she actually felt that her shoulders were quite sore. However, Alexander didn¡¯t even give her a chance to respond. He went to stand behind her and ced his warm hands on her shoulders before gently giving her a massage. At that point, Elise felt her shoulders rx significantly and she no longer felt as tense as before. Just then, she found that her design inspiration seemed toe about quite quickly. ¡°I think you¡¯ll need to give me some more time toplete this sketch.¡± As she spoke, she had already impatiently grabbed a pencil and started on her sketch. Meanwhile, Alexander didn¡¯t seem to be in a hurry, so he took a seat next to her and waited silently. Neither of them spoke a word in that cramped little room and there was only the sound of her pencil scratching against the paper. Brendan watched the whole scene by the door and he couldn¡¯t seem to contain the smile on his face. Shortly after that, he spoke softly and instructed his personal assistant. ¡°Let the person on the night watch know not to disturb them.¡± ¡°Sure, Mr. Griffith.¡± Subsequently, Brendan turned around and walked out of the office. The office was brightly lit up though the night had fallen. As soon as Elisepleted her final stroke on the sketch, she unconsciously stretched her back. ¡°It¡¯s finallypleted!¡± Just then, she turned around to look at Alexander. He was still seated cross-legged at the same position and he had a magazine in his hand. However, he hadn¡¯t flipped the page for quite a while now. She then took a closer look and realized that he had, in fact, fallen asleep. And so, she quickly took a nket and quietly went over to ce it on him. She was just about to go and shut the door but the next minute, a pair of warm hands inched toward her and Alexander hugged her waist. ¡°Have you completed the sketch?¡± Meanwhile, Elise was slightly caught by surprise as his hoarse voice rang out In the end, Elise had no choice but to stand there without moving as she gave him free rein to hug her. After quite some time, all of the lights in the office suddenly flicked off and both of them became enveloped in darkness. ¡±What¡¯s going on? Why did the lights suddenly go out?¡± Elise asked frantically. However, Alexanderforted her, ¡°I guess it must be the timer and the lights get cut off at a certain time. I¡¯ll turn my shlight on. Let¡¯s head home.¡± As he said that, he reached for his cell phone but despite pressing on it for quite some time, nothing happened. ¡°My battery¡¯s t.¡± Upon hearing that, Elise rummaged for her phone and switched on the shlight. Instantly, there was a glimmer of light in the room. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± She walked in front of him and he trailed along behind but upon reaching the entrance to the office, they realized that the door was locked from the outside and there was no way of opening the door. Just then, she shoved hard on the door but it was to no avail. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why is the door locked?¡± Alexander was quite confused too, so he shone the shlight toward the door and realized that it had been bolted from the outside. Furthermore, there came the sounds of some footsteps shuffling by the corridor. Hence, Alexander frowned and hollered, ¡°Who¡¯s there? Who is it outside?¡± The people by the door were frightened out of their wits to hear someone inside and there was a sound of something dropping from their hands and then spilling all over the ground. ¡°What are you doing? Hurry up and ssh it on the walls!¡± Several people spoke to each other and they quickly sshed the contents of the cans in their hands all over the surroundings. At that point, the air around them reeked strongly of gasoline. ¡°Who¡¯s there? Open the door right now!¡± Alexander yelled out but soon after that, there was a stinging smell that hit his nostrils. ¡°It¡¯s gasoline.¡± By then, Elise had caught a whiff too. ¡°Oh no! We need to get out of here!¡± However, as soon as she said that, mes emerged from the window behind her and the whole room was lit up in red. ¡°This is arson,¡± she said with a panicked expression as she quicklyText ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. covered up her nose and mouth. ¡±Let¡¯s go. We need to leave right now!¡± However, the door was locked from the outside and the mes that came from the window were seemingly engulfing them. Alexander shielded Elise by his side and moved with her in the direction that was currently away from the fire. ¡°Follow me and keep silent.¡± He took out his cell phone to make a call as he said that. However, the whole office was full of mmable objects and the gasoline fueled the mes too, so the fire became out of control very quickly. They did not even have time to react. The billowing dark smoke enveloped both of them and Elise coughed uncontrobly from inhaling it. She felt terribly suffocated at that point. Meanwhile, Alexander hit at the door non-stop with a metal rod that he had found, but it barely made a dent. At that point, the people outside saw that the office was in mes, so one of them took out his phone and dialed a number. ¡°Miss Lawson, we¡¯ve set fire to the ce ording to your instructions. However, I think I heard someone inside earlier. Are you sure that¡¯s fine?¡± At that moment, Ashlyn had a sinister look on her face and she couldn¡¯t even care less about that. How dare Brendan insult me that way? Well, if he refuses to give me a chance, there¡¯s nothing much to care about! Let¡¯s see what he¡¯ll do with a burnt office! ¡°It¡¯s fine! No one would still be there at such a godforsaken hour of the night! Just set the ce alight and leave! You don¡¯t need to bother with anything else after that.¡± Chapter 218 Chapter 218 Chapter 218 She Was About to Turn Eighteen,Coolest Girl in Town After hanging up, the men exchanged looks with each other and their gazes met for a short moment. However, they separated and left soon after that. As for Elise and Alexander, who were stuck in the burning building, they felt quite suffocated by the billowing smoke. Elise was significantly affected and she started to feel her world spinning in front of her. Though they were safe from the mes at the moment, the amount of carbon monoxide that they had taken in was significant too. ¡±Hang in there! I¡¯m about to break this door!¡± Alexander practically used all of his might to smash the door whileforting Elise at the same time. However, in the next instance, she felt quite weak and copsed to the ground in a heap. Just then, Alexander was so frantic that he managed to kick open the door with all of his might. Then, he rushed out of the burning building with Elise in his arms. ¡­ Upon regaining consciousness once again, Elise found a snowy-white environment in front of her eyes. Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. The smell of antiseptic was a strong reminder to her that she was currently alive. She frowned slightly and moved her elbows slightly. She was just about to get up when both of her hands were suddenly held tightly in ce. ¡°Don¡¯t move. You just woke up but you need more rest.¡± She lifted her head and suddenly became aware of Alexander¡¯s presence next to her. He looked quite haggard just then. ¡°Are you fine? I thought we were in the fiery building earlier?¡± He quicklyforted her, ¡°It¡¯s alright. Everything¡¯s fine. We¡¯re safe now.¡± Upon hearing that, Elise heaved a sigh of relief but at the same time, she found it quite strange. ¡°Why did the ce catch fire all of a sudden?¡± At her words, Elise realized that Alexander¡¯s expression had darkened significantly, which was why she pressed on, ¡°Did someone intentionally set the ce on fire? Don¡¯t keep things from me. I heard footsteps outsidest night.¡± Indeed, Alexander had intended to keep this from Elise to avoid her from fretting about it. At that point, however, he had to tell her the truth. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. It was arson. This didn¡¯t happen by chance. This is attempted murder and the police are involved, so they will figure out who is the perpetrator. ¡¯m quite sure that we will get the results soon enough, so don¡¯t worry too much about it. Your main priority right now is to rest and allow your body to recover from this ordeal.¡± Despite his words, Elise felt that this incident was perhaps not as simple as it seemed. Arson was a criminal offense, after all. However, Alexander seemed quite reluctant to continue this topic, so she ended up keeping her words to herself. At that moment, there was a knock at the door. Shortly after that, Brendan walked into the room with a somber expression. He had his work cut out for him following the fiery destruction of his office. After all, all of the work designs were burned to a crisp and there were quite a few urgent contracts ongoing, so he was quite burdened at the moment. However, he couldn¡¯t seem to focus on anything else right now. ¡°Alexander, Elise.¡± Upon hearing that, Alexander lifted his head and shot Brendan a look. They had a strong brotherly bond , which was they mutually understood each other with just a single look. Just then, Brendan pursed his lips and spoke up ¡°Alexander, the men who set the fire have been identified and the police are working hard to capture them. However, the person behind all of this¡­¡± At that point, he seemed to be quite cautious. On the other hand, Alexander directly instructed, ¡°I don¡¯t care who it is. I won¡¯t budge on this at all! Just think about it¡ªif Elise and I hadn¡¯t been lucky enough to escape from the ce, can you imagine the consequences?¡± Regardless, the answer was quite evident. At that point, Brendan fully understood his words. ¡°I understand, Alexander. I¡¯ll definitely deal with this properly; I won¡¯t let the perpetrator find a way out and get away with this.¡± As he spoke, he looked toward Elise. ¡°Elise, take a good rest. I¡¯ll be more at ease with Alexander here by your side. I¡¯ve got something else to attend to, so I¡¯ll be on my way now.¡± Elise, however, didn¡¯t quite understand the conversation between the two siblings but she asked anyway, ¡°There¡¯s really no need to hide anything from me. You can be frank. After all, I¡¯m one of the victims so I have the right to know too.¡± Upon hearing that, Brendan couldn¡¯t quite figure out how to put it in words and he nced at Alexander. Meanwhile, Alexander reached out and held Elise¡¯s hands tightly in his. ¡°It was Ashlyn. She was the one who instructed those men to set the ce on fire.¡± Elise¡¯s expression darkened instantly when she heard the name. ¡°It¡¯s her again!¡± She gritted her teeth as she spit out those words and she silently clenched her fists tightly. This time, I won¡¯t give her a chance to get away with it! She must pay for this! ¡°How do you n to deal with this?¡± Elise asked in a cold voice, to which Alexander replied definitively, ¡°Of course we¡¯ll hand it over to the police. Arson is a criminal offense, so she won¡¯t be able to get away from imprisonment.¡± Nheless, Elise was not content with merely such an oue. ¡°What if I can get hold of some more incriminating evidence on her? Does that mean we can put her behind bars for good?¡± Unbeknownst to Elise, her suggestion was exactly the same as Brendan and Alexander¡¯s actual intentions. In fact, they had intended to collect more evidence on Ashlyn so that she could be put behind bars longer. ¡°Elise, you can hand me any evidence that you have. I won¡¯t let you down and I¡¯ll make sure that she rots in prison.¡± However, she calmly responded, ¡°I¡¯ll hand you the evidenceter. This time, I won¡¯t give her a chance to get away with this!¡± Elise meant what she said and this was the first time ever that she was so serious about something. As soon as Brendan and Alexander left the room, she immediately dialed Jamie¡¯s number. On the other end of the line, Jamie was hopping mad when he heard what had taken ce. ¡°What?! Boss, did that b*tch actually do that?! Are you alright? How are you feeling right now?¡± ¡±I¡¯m fine. You just need to follow my instructions and collect incriminating evidence on her. Then, send all the information to the police.¡± Upon hearing that, Jamie reassured her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Boss! I¡¯ll definitely teach her a lesson!¡± As he was still quite enraged after hanging up the phone, he quickly started uncovering evidence on Ashlyn. Meanwhile, Brendan suddenly found himself exceptionally busy after his office was destroyed by the fire. He had a lot of prior contracts to handle and finish off properly, so work came to a standstill for the time being. As for Elise, though she experienced some minor carbon monoxide poisoning, it was fortunate that she had been sent to the hospital in time. Hence, she was fit to be discharged after staying at the hospital for a couple of days, with Alexander by her side of course. The next time she heard the news of Ashlyn was from the newspapers. ¡®Ashlyn Lawson from the Lawson Group has been taken into custody under the suspicion of an attempted murder offense.¡¯ Meanwhile, Elise nonchntly nced at the heading but she didn¡¯t even bat an eyelid. After being discharged from the hospital, Alexander sent Elise back to school. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about handing in your draft to Brendan for the time being. He¡¯s not in a rush for it. You should pay more attention to your studies, though. It¡¯s nearly time for your final exams.¡± Just then, Elise smiled impishly and stuck her tongue out. ¡°Alright, alright! Why do I get the feeling that you¡¯re bing more and more long-winded with each passing day?¡± She spoke while she unbuckled her seatbelt. ¡°You don¡¯t need toe pick me up after school. I¡¯ll go back with Danny.¡± Alexander affirmed with a grunt and watched on as she walked off. Then, he drove off slowly. Although they didn¡¯t get to spend too much time togethertely, they were evidently closer than before. Just then, Alexander casually swept a look at the calendar in his car, and he recalled that Elise was about to turn eighteen soon. Chapter 219 Chapter 219 Chapter 219 Recovering Her Lost Memories,Coolest Girl in Town As soon as Elise entered the ssroom, Jacinda saw her right away. Unlike before, thetter instantly took a book and covered her face in an attempt to diminish her presence, all the while hoping fervently that the other girl would not notice her. The incident with Ashlyn had been a huge lesson for Jacinda. She had also realized that she should try and avoid Elise as much as possible and not cross her path at school. Besides, Jacinda had also taken the initiative to apologize to Elise. ¡°Elise, I made a lot of mistakes in the past. I shouldn¡¯t have spread rumors about you among our ssmates and destroy your reputation. I sincerely apologize for finding fault with you all this while. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Meanwhile, Elise was busy with her homework and she frowned upon hearing Jacinda¡¯s words. Then, she gradually lifted her head and nced at Jacinda, who was standing in front of her. ¡°Is this a trick?¡± Elise retorted, to which Jacinda immediately denied, ¡°No, it¡¯s not. I truly want to apologize to you. We¡¯re ssmates after all, so I really hope that we can get along peacefully.¡± However, Elise ignored Jacinda and continued to work on her homework, which made thetter remain on tenterhooks. ¡°Elise, can you say something, please? I can¡¯t stand it and I¡¯m quite frightened when you ignore me,¡± Jacinda said with a whimper and it seemed that she was about to burst into tears the next minute. Elise, on the other hand, felt quite bothered by themotion by her ears so she stopped writing. ¡°If you don¡¯t have anything else to do, then you should go and do some worksheets. Stop focusing on me. I¡¯m generally clear cut on my likes and dislikes so I¡¯m warning you to stop bothering me!¡± As soon as Jacinda heard Elise¡¯s words, she finally felt at ease. It¡¯s great that Elise hasn¡¯t taken everything to heart. From now on, I must stay away from her and not bother her. With that in mind, Jacinda went back to her seat mindfully and started to work on her worksheet. Elise noticed Jacinda walk off but she decided to ignore it. Afterpleting her worksheet, she instinctively turned her head and murmured, ¡°Mika, let¡¯s¡­¡± Before Elise could finish her sentence, she suddenly caught herself. Coming back to her senses, she stared at Mika¡¯s empty seat and heaved a sigh. Mika has been gone for quite some time now, but I¡¯m still not used to things without her. I wonder how she¡¯s doing overseas. Just then, she felt slightly dejected as she pondered over the situation. Mika¡¯s the first friend I made in school but right now, I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s going on in her life. Resigned, Elise heaved a sigh. Subsequently, she shifted her gaze and continued to work on her worksheet, but she seemed to have lost all of her motivation. In the afternoon after school had ended, Elise walked out of school by herself along the walkway. As soon as she reached the entrance, she heard a loud honk and soon after that, her cell phone, which was in her pocket, rang. ¡°Elise, it¡¯s me, Jack! I¡¯m here and I¡¯m slightly to the left in front of you. Get in the car.¡± Elise turned to look in that direction as soon as she heard his words and indeed, she saw Jack¡¯s car. Slightly perplexed, she made her way toward him anyway and knocked on his window. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Meanwhile, Jack scanned his surroundings before turning to her. ¡°What are you waiting for? Get inside! We won¡¯t be able to leave this ce if my fans realize and swarm us!¡± And so, Elise had no choice but to enter the backseat of the car before shutting the door. Instantly after that, he started the ignition and drove off. ¡°So, what¡¯s going on exactly?¡± she asked. However, Jack maintained a secretive look. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you anything yet, but I¡¯ll tell you when we get there.¡± Meanwhile, Elise was totally in the dark regarding his intentions so she gave up and stopped asking. She took out a worksheet from her bag and started on it with a focused look in her eyes. As for Jack, he noticed that she didn¡¯t even give a response after such a prolonged period, so he took a look at her through the rearview mirror. He was caught by surprise upon ncing at her and he couldn¡¯t help mentioning, ¡°I finally realize why you¡¯re so good in your studies. I guess even the top students need to put in effort.¡± Elise retorted without even lifting her head, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you no longer have to put in any effort just because you¡¯re now a superstar?¡± There are always going to be talented people in this world. Without putting in any effort, the only end result would be being reced by the up-anding new talents. ¡°We¡¯re not exactly making an effort in the same direction.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. After all, it¡¯s quite easy to be an idol but it¡¯s tough to maintain the poprity and exalted status of one.¡± Jack did agree with what she said but today, he wasn¡¯t here to talk about this. In fact, he was on a mission toplete a task on behalf of someone else. ¡°Elise, aren¡¯t you curious about where we¡¯re headed?¡± Upon hearing that, she pursed her lips and replied, ¡°I am curious, but will you tell me?¡± Meanwhile, Jack shook his head in response. He had promised not to reveal a single thing until they arrived at the destination. ¡°See¡ªeven if I¡¯m curious, you wouldn¡¯t reveal anything anyway. Why would I let you have the pleasure of goading me, then? I might as well take the time to complete a couple of worksheets.¡± Her logical thinking managed to render Jack speechless for the time being. Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. Nheless, it was quite lucky that they were about to arrive at their destination, so their topic came to a halt. Jack brought Elise to a familiar spot and after parking the car, she finally came to her senses and stopped writing immediately. ¡°Why did you bring me here?¡± Jack shrugged in response. ¡°What else could it be? She wants to see you.¡± As soon as Elise heard him mention a girl, she was quite excited. ¡°Do you mean Mika?! Is she back?¡± Jack responded with a grunt. ¡°She¡¯s inside and she has been pestering me to see you, so I brought you to her.¡± Just then, Elise couldn¡¯t contain herself and as soon as the car came to a halt, she immediately opened the door to get out. ¡°Has she recalled something? Does she remember me?¡± The glimmer in his eyes dimmed slightly as soon as the words left her mouth. Meanwhile, Jack opened the car door and got out. Then, he looked at Elise¡¯s silhouette and said, ¡°She hasn¡¯t recalled anything, but she remembers you.¡± He said this while he walked over to stand in front of Elise. ¡°That¡¯s why when you see herter on, I hope that you can help me trigger her memory.¡± Jack had an earnest expression as he said this and Elise could somehow sense a slightly different emotioning from him. However, that emotion seemed to dissipate very quickly as Jack managed to mask his feelings before she could even clearly identify anything. In the end, the two of them made their way toward Mika¡¯s house. At that moment, Mika was already waiting for them on the balcony upstairs and she beamed widely as soon as she saw them walk in. Mika then called out, ¡°Elise!¡± Meanwhile, Elise felt surreal upon hearing the familiar voice and she lifted her head to look at Mika. As soon as she saw the other girl, she smiled prettily. ¡°Mika!¡± At that moment, Mika ran down the stairs in a hurry and rushed in front of Elise. Somehow, Mika had Elise on her mind the whole time the former was overseas. Truth was, Mika had an unshakeable feeling that she must be very closely linked to Elise and that their friendship must have been like an unbreakable bond, which was why she had disregarded her family members¡¯ objections and returned to the country to seek Elise out. Mika intended to get Elise to help her with recovering her lost memories. Chapter 220 Chapter 220 Chapter 220 Your Dream Will Come True One Day,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°Elise!¡± Mika said her name with a smile. The familiar feeling gave rise to a hint of happiness that bubbled up inside Elise. ¡°You guys are finally here. Let¡¯s head in.¡± Mika held Elise¡¯s arm, just like how she had always done. Elise wasn¡¯t used to her warm treatment, probably because they hadn¡¯t met for a long time. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Elise asked, to which Mika replied as she let out a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Other than losing her memory from a certain period of time, thetter was totally fine. Meanwhile, Jack, who was following them from behind, felt relieved upon hearing Mika and Elise¡¯s conversation. It had been a long time since hest saw a genuine smile on Mika¡¯s face. She seemed to turn into a different person when she saw Elise. ¡°Elise,e here and have a seat. What do you want to eat? I¡¯ll have the maids prepare them for you,¡± Mika offered, treating the other girl warmly. Elise sat down and replied, ¡°Anything will do. I¡¯m not picky.¡± And so, Mika instructed the maids to prepare something before she loquaciously chatted with Elise about all the things that had happened recently. They seemed close, just like how they had been in the past, which made Elise feel that the familiar sense seemed to have returned. Thereafter, Mika led Elise to her storeroom, where she kept all her precious, memorable things that she had collected up until now since she was little. She found the album that she had previously treasured. ¡°Look at these! I used to collect a lot of CDs and posters of a singer named H. Did I really like her? Why don¡¯t I remember it at all?¡± Upon hearing that, Elise immediately paused in her actions. Raising her eyes to look at Mika, she murmured, ¡°Don¡¯t you remember that I once gave you her limited-edition album?¡± Mika shook her head to show that she couldn¡¯t remember about this. However, she looked around and found the two limited-edition albums. ¡°Do you mean these?¡± Elise hummed in response. At least Mika still has a bit of her past memories. ¡°After listening to this CD, I found that she has a distinct voice and the style of her songs is rather unique. I would love to listen to her live if I have the chance.¡± When Jack, who was standing off to one side, heard what Mika said, he chimed in, ¡°She has left the entertainment industry for many years, so you won¡¯t be able to see her perform live anymore. However, she helped me write a new song some time ago. She¡¯s theposer of my new song. Would you like to listen to it?¡± Mika was surprised to hear that. ¡°Really? Which means that these limited-edition albums that I currently own are actually quite precious, right?¡± ¡°You should be d. There are plenty of her fans out there who would be envious of you.¡± Jack¡¯s confirmation put a bright smile on Mika¡¯s face. ¡°I have to keep these albums carefully, then. Although I don¡¯t find her special now, it seems that I used to adore her a lot back then.¡± On the other hand, Elise just smiled. ¡°Just store them properly.¡± Mika immediately kept the CDs away, thereafter ying with an old guitar that seemed to contain some stories of the past. ¡°Did I y the guitar?¡± As she spoke, she reached out and fiddled the strings twice, making a rather strange twang. Nheless, the next second, Elise took the old guitar from her and put it on herp. Looking at Mika, she asked, ¡°Would you like to listen to some songs?¡± Surprised, Mika nodded, while Jack turned to Elise and asked, ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you could y the guitar.¡± Elise smiled and didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, she slowly plucked the strings. A ssical song resounded in the tiny space. Although Mika had lost her memories, she started humming along upon hearing the familiar song. After the song, Elise wiped the guitar and stated, ¡°This is a good guitar; it¡¯s a waste to leave it here to gather dust.¡± However, Jack was once again astonished by Elise. He had never expected that she could y guitar, let alone be so skillful in it. It was simply too surprising, and the way she yed was somewhat simr to H¡¯s ying. ¡°Elise, you y the guitar well!¡± Jack praised her sincerely, and Mika couldn¡¯t help but give her a thumbs-up as well. ¡°For some reason, memories about H suddenly appeared in my head when I was listening to you y. Although they were just fragments of certain images, they seemed to be imprinted in my head.¡± ¡°Oh¡ª what did you recall?¡± Elise asked. However, Mika shook her head, so the formerforted her. ¡°No worries. Take your time. You will remember everything one day.¡± ¡°Speaking of which, are youing back to school?¡± Elise asked, to which Mika nodded and answered, ¡°I left the school too suddenly, so I skipped all the procedures, but it also saved me the effort now. I think I will be able to return to school next week.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± In the end, Elise apanied Mika for a long time and she was unwilling to leave even when it waste at night. It was only after Jack repetitively urged for her to leave that she reluctantly left Mika¡¯s house. On their way back, Jack couldn¡¯t hold back his curiosity and asked, ¡°When did you learn to y the guitar? Why haven¡¯t I heard you mention this?¡± Elise tilted her head to look at him before she replied, ¡°It was a long time ago and I hadn¡¯t yed for quite some time, so I think my skills are a little rusty.¡± ¡°Not at all! I can tell that you can y guitar very well,¡± he sincerelymented. He was especially impressed by Elise¡¯s ability to imitate other people¡¯s ying style as the way she yed was very simr to that of H. ¡°I reckon that you adore H as well. I have long been wanting to meet H, but I couldn¡¯t find a suitable opportunity and she seems to not want to meet me.¡± Jack seemed distressed at the mention of this. The incident that involved his new song had caused him to be indebted to H, so he had been pondering on how to repay her help. In fact, his manager had been contacting H but had failed to ask her out for a meeting. H was surely as mysterious as rumor had it. However, Elise asked with her brows furrowed, ¡°Is there any reason why you want to meet H?¡± ¡°Nothing special. I just wanted to speak to an experienced senior in the industry.¡± T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Jack casually answered before he asked, ¡°I can tell that you are also H¡¯s fan, so I¡¯ll definitely ask for H¡¯s signature on your behalf if I meet her someday.¡± Meanwhile, she was at a loss for words. A speechless Elise then scratched her ear and tactfully rejected his kind offer. ¡°There¡¯s¡­ no need.¡± Oblivious to the underlying meaning in her words, Jack continued, ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want H¡¯s signature. Perhaps I could bring you along and meet her in person.¡± Upon hearing that, Elise asked, ¡°Do you really wish to meet her that much?¡± Jack smiled and replied in a serious manner, ¡°To be honest, I didn¡¯t really want to at first, but she¡¯s just too mysterious. You know how human nature works¡ªthe more mysterious something is, the more we want to find out about it, which is why I really want to know what kind of person she is under all the mystery. That¡¯s all.¡± Amused by his statement, Elise chuckled. ¡°I think that your dream wille true one day.¡± Chapter 221 Chapter 221 Chapter 221 Fan Meeting, Coolest Girl in Town Jack figured that her words were merely ones offort and didn¡¯t give it much thought. ¡°Let¡¯s hope so. Rest assured, if I¡¯m able to meet her one day, I¡¯ll definitely bring you along and fulfill your dream of meeting your idol.¡± Elise gently hummed in agreement. Since he was somehow in high spirits, he floored the pedal and sped home. The moment they arrived home, he turned off the engine while she opened the car door to alight from the vehicle. As soon as she let herself into the house, she saw Alexander¡¯s coat on the rack, which made her feel happy. ¡°Ste, is Alexander home?¡± she asked immediately. Ste answered, ¡°Miss Elise, Young Master Alex hasn¡¯t returned.¡± Her reply made Elise feel dispirited. She wondered what Alexander was so busy with recently that she hadn¡¯t seen for a few consecutive days. ¡°Miss Elise, is there anything else that I can help you with?¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°No, thanks. I¡¯m heading upstairs.¡± When she returned to her room, she fished out her phone to call Alexander. However, even after the phone had rang for a long time, the call wasn¡¯t picked up, which left her with no choice but to hang up and toss the phone aside. Then, she sat in front of her dressing table and started to remove her makeup. As she gazed at her stunning face in the mirror, she suddenly paused in her actions and was seen deep in thought. After a while, she took her phone and gave Jamie a call. ¡°Jamie, I¡¯m thinking of holding a fan meeting.¡± Upon hearing the news, Jamie, who was on the other end of the line, was so astounded that he was at a loss for words. ¡°Boss, what did you say? A fan meeting?¡± Elise hummed in response and continued, ¡°I find that many of my friends seem to adore me a lot, so I would like to fulfill their tiny wish, especially Mika¡¯s.¡± T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Jamie instantly understood her intention. ¡°Boss, if you are going to hold a fan meeting, it will be sensational. You have to understand how popr you were years ago. Although many years have passed, your fans are still very loyal. Your poprity may have decreased a little, but you are still as popr as most first-ss singers, at least.¡± ¡°I understand, which is why I nned to hold a minor fan meeting. I have no ns on making a huge deal out of this.¡± Sensing that she had already made up her mind, he caved in and said, ¡°I¡¯ll try to contact a few people. What is your n in terms of the timing?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s make it happen after the college entrance examination! We still have more than a month, which should leave us with enough time.¡± ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± The call was then ended. Nevertheless, little was Elise aware that her decision had caused a huge ripple in her fanmunity. When she went to school the next day, all the students were discussing this matter. ¡°Have you heard about the news? H is about to make aeback.¡± ¡°It¡¯s genuine! ording to the internal news, H will hold a fan meeting here in Athesea.¡± ¡°I have to grab a ticket on time. I must not miss this.¡± Elise was stunned to hear their conversation. Why do I feel that the whole world seems to know about this after one night? The news is spreading too fast! ¡°Jamie, what happened? Why does it seem like everyone knows about this?¡± At the mention of this, a helpless Jamie exined, ¡°My initial n was to call to ask about the venue, but I identally revealed that you are going to organize a fan meeting. The moment the news was leaked out, it went out of control whereby the fanmunity spread it further. I can¡¯t help it, Boss. You are extremely popr and influential and it was totally beyond my control.¡± His exnation had rendered Elise speechless whereas her silence caused Jamie to feel anxious instead. ¡°Boss, I swear that it was unintentional. If you are not happy about it, I¡¯ll delete all the relevant posts.¡± After thinking about it, she asked, ¡°How is the venueing along?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no problem with it. When they heard that you are going to hold a fan meeting, they agreed to make thergest sportsplex avable for the function, but I remembered that you said that you don¡¯t want to make it too big, so I rejected their offer. However, judging from the enthusiastic fans, I¡¯m afraid that the tickets avable will be insufficient. The scalpers will take the opportunity to resell the tickets at a high price and your fans will be the ones suffering in the end.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s reserve the sportsplex. As for the ticket prices, reduce the price and donate the profits to the welfare institution.¡± ¡°Alright, I know what to do. Don¡¯t worry about a thing, Boss.¡± Soon, the news about H hosting a fan meeting spread like wildfire in the entertainment industry. All the fans were looking forward to the sale of the tickets and were prepared to grab them. As for Elise, her focus returned to her studies after the event had been decided. It was the weekend, which meant that she was finally able to see Alexander, who had disappeared for a few days. As soon as she stepped out of the schoolpound, she spotted a familiar car. A secondter, the car door opened to reveal Alexander alighting from the car and walking toward her. Standing at a frame of slightly over five-feet-eleven, he instantly attracted the attention of many girls around them. ¡°He¡¯s so hot!¡± Some vague exmations were heard from the crowd. Alexander marched to Elise and asked with his usual gentle tone, ¡°Are your sses over?¡± A dissatisfied Elise snorted coldly and muttered, ¡°Where have you been these days? You went missing for such a long time.¡± There was a hint of displeasure in her tone. Alexander reached out with his hand to hold hers as he coaxed, ¡°I was busy attending to something. Now that it¡¯s been settled, I have the time to apany you.¡± As Elise was never a curious person, she didn¡¯t press on when he said that he had been busy. Maybe it¡¯s work-rted stuff, she thought. ¡°Okay, I forgive you. Let¡¯s return home then.¡± Then, she opened the car door, entered the car and buckled her seatbelt. Suddenly, as if something had crossed her mind, she asked, ¡°How¡¯s Brendan¡¯s studio?¡± ¡°Not too good. His studio caught fire, which resulted in many orders not being able to be delivered on time and he has topensate his clients.¡± After Elise heard Alexander¡¯s reply, her resentment toward Ashlyn only deepened. If Ashlyn hadn¡¯t had an arsonist setting fire at his studio, he wouldn¡¯t have such a mess on his te. ¡°Let¡¯s visit his studio to see how we can help,¡± Elise suggested. Alexander nced at the time. As it was still early, he agreed and thereafter started the engine before he drove off. What was once a proper studio was now in ruins. It was a fortunate thing that the studio was located in the suburbs, which enabled them to continue with their operation by erecting a temporary structure beside, albeit barely. Brendan was on a call when Elise and Alexander arrived. The person whom he was talking to had said something that made him look depressed. When the call finally ended, Brendan helplessly rubbed his temples. It was at this moment when Elise knocked on the door, which caused him to return to his senses. ¡°Come in,¡± he said. Elise and Alexander pushed the door open and entered the room whereupon Brendan was obviously surprised to see them. ¡°Alex, Elise, why are you two here?¡± Chapter 222 Chapter 222 Chapter 222 An Invisible Treasure,Coolest Girl in Town As someone who was straightforward in character, Elise directly stated her intention ofing. ¡°We are here to see if there¡¯s anything we can help out with.¡± Brendan sighed and spread out his hands. ¡°There¡¯s nothing much. It¡¯s just that we won¡¯t be able to deliver some designs to a few clients, so we will have to pay for theirpensation.¡± She asked with furrowed brows, ¡°Are they the designs for wedding gowns?¡± He nodded. ¡°We initially had a few lovely wedding gowns designs, but the original designs were destroyed in the fire. We have to start everything from scratch again.¡± To make things worse, these were orders that cost millions. Hence, their loss was immeasurable¡ªnot only in terms of mary loss, but also their reputation where it would be significantly damaged as well. ¡°Do you mind showing me the relevant designs? Perhaps I could lend you a hand.¡± Brendan¡¯s eyes brightened when he heard that, but they dimmed the next instant when he seemed to recall something. ¡°We have such a short period of time. We only have three days until the delivery date. Even if we rely on our existing designs, we won¡¯t be able to prepare the product on time.¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Elise pursed her lips. ¡°Let me give it a try.¡± He raised his eyes to look at Alexander, who gently nodded at him. Since the oue is practically destined, there¡¯s no harm in giving Elise a chance to take a shot, Brendan thought. Thus, he handed Elise the client¡¯s design requirements. After perusing it, she had a rough idea of the design and stated, ¡°I¡¯m able toplete this design on my own.¡± ¡°Elise, are you serious?¡± Brendan had an incredulous look on his face. She nodded. ¡°Prepare the materials ording to what I need now. Just give me three days and I will definitely produce the wedding gown,¡± she dered adamantly, but he found it unbelievable. One had to understand that the production of a wedding gown would take several months ofbor from the design stage all the way to the production stage. Therefore, it would be impossible for anyone to If you tell them that the wedding gown can¡¯t be delivered as scheduled, they will be disappointed. On top of that, they can¡¯t reschedule their wedding date. Are you going to let them enter the marriage hall in regret?¡± What Elise said has a point, Brendan thought and decided to give it a try after some consideration. ¡°Elise, tell me what you need and I¡¯ll get someone to immediately prepare them.¡± So, in one breath, Elise told him everything that she needed before he wrote them down. It was that night itself when she began work in the studio. Alexander was with her the entire time. Elise first drafted the design and made a prototype where the design was bold and refreshing with a unique choice of color. In short, the prototype that she made was dazzling. She had spent almost all her time in Brendan¡¯s makeshift studio this weekend while Alexander moved his things over to work there as well. Time quickly flew by and two days had soon passed in the blink of an eye. Elise had alreadypleted one-third of the wedding gown, whereby every single stitch was sewn by her own hands. Outside the window stood Brendan and Alexander, who watched as Elise busied herself with the project. Brendan couldn¡¯t help but exim, ¡°Alex, Elise is amazing. My previous impression of her has totally changed.¡± ¡°She does have plenty of shocking qualities; she¡¯s like an invisible treasure that constantly produces surprises.¡± Alexander genuinely meant what he had said. Then, he turned to look at Brendan before he continued, ¡°Let¡¯s not stay here and disturb her. We can reward her nicely after she is done with the job.¡± Brendan hummed in agreement before he suddenly thought of something else and asked, ¡°Alex, do you remember what I told you before? I previously sought Elise¡¯s help because she has the perfect sewing skills. The wedding gown that she helped me to produce before this was sewn using a special sewing technique. It¡¯s extremely simr to that of a wedding gown designer named Lily, whom I¡¯ve previously met. I initially nned to investigate whether Elise is rted to Lily in any way, but I didn¡¯t manage to get an answer. Then, things happened in the end, which led us to where we are today.¡± ¡°Lily?¡± Upon seeing Alexander¡¯s puzzled look, Brendan exined, ¡°She¡¯s a renowned wedding gown designer in the fashion industry, but it has been a long time since she has released any new designs. Rumor has it that she has retired, but her works are still popr.¡± Alexander didn¡¯t ask further about Lily as he wasn¡¯t interested in her. His main concern at the moment was Elise¡¯s health and whether it would be affected after she had worked tirelessly for a few consecutive days. Elise made stitches after stitches on the garments without any signs of exhaustion. Time silently slipped by as daytime changed to nighttime and by the time she had made her final stitch, the world was now awakened by the sun outside the window. She stretched her back. ¡°It¡¯s finallypleted.¡± Looking at the wedding gown in her hands, she had a satisfied look. After checking the stitching once again and ensuring that everything was perfect, she rose to her full height and ced the wedding gown on the mannequin. It was only then that she felt exhausted and started yawning. Alexander, who came in with a thermal food container, saw that and quickly walked up to her. ¡°You have worked throughout the night. You should take a rest.¡± Elie looked back at him and replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine. The wedding gown is done. Tell Brendan that he can deliver the product on time.¡± However, Alexander stepped forward and held her hand while ignoring the gown. ¡°You have been working tirelessly for a few days straight. Eat something and take a good rest. You can leave the rest to Brendan.¡± She was indeed tired. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll go and rest after personally handing the wedding gown to Brendan.¡± Unable to persuade her otherwise, he led her to the desk where he asked her to sit. ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard. Here, eat something.¡± Elise hummed in response and she opened the food container, which contained her favorite food. As she had been starving for some time, she started to gobble up the food. After she had her breakfast, Brendan arrived at the scene and he was astonished when he saw the wedding gown. ¡°Oh, my, Elise, this is breathtaking!¡± The wedding gown was totally impable in both its design and the handiwork. ¡°You can inform the client and ask her toe to try the dress. I can alter the gown if it doesn¡¯t fit her.¡± He nodded. At that moment, he was so overwhelmed that he was at a loss for words. Not only had Elise assisted him toplete a wedding gown, she even helped him to avoid any losses and saved his studio¡¯s reputation. ¡°Elise, thank you!¡± Brendan thanked her from the bottom of his heart. At that instant, he found that no matter how much he said, no amount of words could describe his gratitude toward Elise. Chapter 223 Chapter 223 Chapter 223 Unbelievably Stunning,Coolest Girl in Town One needed toprehend that the client who ordered the custom-made wedding gown was the renowned Snyder Family of Athesea. Hence, if Brendan failed to deliver this order, he would have a tough time receiving such a worthy order again. ¡°You¡¯re wee. Now that I¡¯ve been busy for a couple of days, I¡¯m so exhausted!¡± Elise mumbled before she yawned. Then, Alexander wrapped his arm around her waist and said to Brendan, ¡°I¡¯ll take her home for a rest.¡± Brendan hummed in response and he immediately arranged for the driver to chauffeur Elise and Alexander home. As soon as she entered the car, she could no longer fight her exhaustion and fell asleep while leaning against Alexander. While looking at her deep asleep, he involuntarily reached out with his hand to tuck a strand of loose hair behind her ear; a hint of distress shed across his eyes when he saw the dark circles around her eyes. ¡°What should I do with you¡­¡± he murmured with a tinge of helplessness in his tone, but Elise merely turned to her side and continued her sleep in afortable position. When they arrived home, Alexander carried her in his arms and headed into the house instead of waking her up. Upon seeing them, a tactful Ste steered away from them, but she couldn¡¯t help peek at them from behind. Mr. Griffith would be relieved if he knew how close Young Master Alex and Miss Sinir are. Elise had slept for a long time; it wasn¡¯t until the afternoon of the next day that she woke up from her dreams. When she opened her eyes and saw the familiar furnishing in the warm sunlight that poured into her room from the window, a pleasant curvature appeared at the corner of her lips. She fumbled around for her phone. When she switched it on, she saw that she had a voice message from Brendan. Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. ¡°Elise, the client ising over to try the wedding gown in the afternoon. Please drop by if you are avable.¡± Then, Elise checked when the message was sent and discovered that it was sent 30 minutes ago, so she replied, ¡°I just woke up and will be thereter.¡± In less than a minute, she received Brendan¡¯s response. ¡°Take your time. The client hasn¡¯t arrived yet.¡± She kept her phone away and briefly washed up before she exited her room. The moment Ste saw that Elise was already awake, she approached Elise. ¡°Miss Ellie, you are awake. I¡¯ve kept some warm food on the stove. Would you like to have some?¡± Elise smiled and joked, ¡°I¡¯m starving. Ste, I¡¯m starting to suspect that you can read my mind.¡± Ste grinned before she exined, ¡°Miss Ellie, I can¡¯t, but Young Master Alex probably can. He¡¯s the one who instructed me to prepare those dishes.¡± Elise blushed the moment she heard that before she questioned, ¡°Where¡¯s Alex? Has he gone to the office?¡± ¡°No. He¡¯s in the study. He had Cameron send his work documents over.¡± She hummed in response, feeling a little surprised at that news. However, she didn¡¯t head over to pop her head in. Instead, she went straight to the dining room and took a seat. Soon, the maids served the dishes, which were all Elise¡¯s favorite. ¡°Miss Ellie, please enjoy your meal. Let us know if you need anything.¡± ¡°I understand. Thanks, Ste.¡± Then, Elise picked up the utensils and started relishing the meal. She was in a high spirit as she enjoyed the feeling of being cared for by someone. She was almost done with her meal and in setting aside her fork and spoon when Alexander happened to walk down the stairs elegantly. When he saw her, he questioned, ¡°When did you wake up? Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± She mischievously stuck her tongue out. ¡°I woke up not long ago. You were busy, so I didn¡¯t tell you.¡± ¡°I have to head out to get something done. So, I¡¯ll return at night. You, on the other hand, should stay at home and rest. Don¡¯t burn out.¡± Alexander approached Elise and patted her head as he stated that, so she quickly asked in return, ¡°Where are you going? I¡¯m heading to Brendan¡¯s studioter. Maybe you could take me there?¡± When he heard that she was going out again, he interrupted, ¡°You have just pulled a few all-nighters. You will burn out if you continue like this. I¡¯ll inform Brendan that you won¡¯t be going overter.¡± ¡°No!¡± Elise rejected his suggestion. Upon seeing Alexander¡¯s dark expression, she held his arm and refuted in a mellow voice, ¡°The client ising over to try the wedding gown. If there¡¯s any problem with it, she can tell me directly and I can help to alter it on the spot, so I cannot be absent.¡± When Alexander knew that he was unable to change her mind, he could only surrender. ¡°Don¡¯t tire yourself out too much. Come home once you are done.¡± After noticing that he finally agreed, a delighted Elise tiptoed and gave him a peck on his cheek. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll be home earlier.¡± However, he wrapped his arms around her waist a secondter and murmured in a beguiling voice, ¡°You don¡¯t think that I¡¯ll settle for that, do you?¡± She pouted and asked, ¡°What do you want then?¡± As soon as she said that, Alexander leaned in to press his lips onto hers. His tongue intruded her mouth and slowly ventured deeper inside¡­ Since Elise felt that she was suffocating, she continuously struggled; it was only then did he let go of her. ¡°That¡¯s good enough.¡± Her face flushed redder. ¡°T-T-That¡¯s too much!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Are you sure?¡± Elise, who sensed a trace of danger from him, immediately denied. ¡°N-No.¡± ¡°Alright. I still have some time to send you over. Pack up and I¡¯ll wait for you at the door.¡± Now that she had regained her freedom, she instantly fled and returned to her room to get her purse before she headed downstairs. Thereafter, Alexander sent her to Brendan¡¯s studio. It wasn¡¯t long after Elise¡¯s arrival that Audrey showed up. When Audrey entered the studio while holding Ruben¡¯s arm, Brendan immediately stepped forward to wee them. ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Snyder!¡± Ruben gave a slight nod. ¡°Mr. Griffith, I supposed that my wife¡¯s wedding gown is ready?¡± Brendan replied with a smile, ¡°Yes, it is. We¡¯ve been waiting for Mrs. Snyder to try it out and see whether it fits.¡± As he spoke, he introduced Elise to them at the same time. ¡°This is the designer of Mrs. Snyder¡¯s wedding gown. You can let her know if you have any thoughts about it later.¡± Elise offered a handshake. ¡°Hello, Mrs. Snyder!¡± Audrey looked at Elise; although she found Elise to be a little familiar, she couldn¡¯t recall her at that moment and cast the thought aside. ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you to lead me over to try out the gown.¡± Then, Elise led Audrey to the changing room while two assistants helped to bring the wedding gown over. The moment Audreyid her eyes on it, her eyes brightened. ¡°Wow, the wedding gown is gorgeous!¡± ¡°Mrs. Snyder, why don¡¯t you wear it? It will surely look more beautiful on you,¡± Elise encouraged as she asked the assistants to take the gown down from the mannequin for Audrey to try on. Ten minutester, when Audrey exited the changing room, she instantly attracted the gaze of the crowd. ¡°How is it? Do I look beautiful in the wedding gown?¡± she immediately asked. Ruben, who was standing aside, looked at his wife from head to toe as his eyes filled with an unprecedented astonishment. ¡°Drey, the wedding gown looks fantastic on you.¡± Thepliment left Audrey in a good mood as she admired her reflection in the mirror. Not to mention, the corner of her lips were etched upward. ¡°Mr. Griffith, your designer is excellent. This is exactly what I want. It totally meets my expectation of how I want my wedding dress to look like. This is fabulous.¡± Chapter 224 Chapter 224 Chapter 224 She Is Not an Ordinary Girl, Coolest Girl in Town When Brendan heard Audrey¡¯sments, he finally felt the weight being lifted from his heart and looked at Elise with encouragement. After receiving his encouragement, she quickly approached Audrey and said, ¡°I¡¯m d you like it, Mrs. Snyder! Please check to see whether you wish to have the waist area altered. I¡¯ve left some extra space there because I was afraid that the dress wouldn¡¯t fit. If you want to alter it, please let me know.¡± Audrey touched her waist and she realized that the design of stic folds used for the gown had cleverly concealed her slightly bulging belly, which not only ensured a beautiful presentation of her body, but also carefully considered the size of her belly. Suddenly, she had a great impression of Elise. Therefore, she pulled Elise over and whispered, ¡°How did you know I¡¯m pregnant?¡± Elise exined, ¡°I have seen your measurements before. When I looked at the proportion of your body, I noticed that the size of your belly is a bit off, so I took a gamble and guessed that you might be pregnant. That¡¯s the reason why I specially left this extra space for you because the dress wouldn¡¯t feel like it¡¯s suffocating you. Not to mention, you¡¯ll feelfortable in it as well. Even if you have to wear the gown for an hour or so, you won¡¯t feel anything.¡± As Audrey listened to the exnation, she suddenly had a huge admiration for Elise. ¡°Thank you so much. I was worried that my pregnancy would affect the way I look for the wedding. After all, it¡¯s every girl¡¯s dream to look beautiful at their wedding and you¡¯ve perfectly solved the problem for me.¡± Elise responded with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re wee. It¡¯s my pleasure to help. By the looks of it, it seems like I don¡¯t need to help you to tighten the waist of the dress.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s perfect this way. Also, I can see that your design is extremely unique. Looks like I have made the right choice when I asked for a custom-made dress. You really are a professional.¡± After that, Audrey turned toward Ruben. ¡°Darling, I¡¯ll choose this dress! I love it!¡± Ruben affectionately looked at Audrey as he replied, ¡°As long as you¡¯re happy with it.¡± Then, he handed out a ck card to Brendan. ¡°There you go, Mr. Griffith!¡± When Brendan looked at the said ck card, his heart was filled with mixed feelings. If it weren¡¯t for Elise, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to secure this order. ¡°Thank you, President Snyder! I¡¯ll definitely send a gift to you and your wife¡¯s wedding.¡± After that, he handed the card over to his assistant. Meanwhile, Elise led Audrey to remove the wedding dress. Ever since she had cleverly helped Audrey to solve the problem, Audrey felt a lot closer to Elise and continued to whisper to her as someone of the same gender. Before she left, she didn¡¯t forget to extend a copy of her wedding invitation to Elise. ¡°Miss Sinir, I like you very much. This is our wedding invitation. I hope that you can attend with your fiance by then.¡± Elise looked at the red invitation whereupon she received it. ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Snyder! I¡¯ll be there in time.¡± She felt a burden being lifted from her shoulders after Ruben and Audrey left. It was a lucky thing that Audrey was satisfied with her wedding dress, so not much was needed from Elise afterward. However, she didn¡¯t know that Brendan was standing behind her at this moment. ¡°The Snyder Family is one of the wealthy families in Athesea, but Ruben was able to start apany on his own through selling maternal and infant products. I heard that he and his wife were already a couple on campus. Their love goes all the way back to when they were students.¡± When Elise listened to his exnation, she couldn¡¯t help but blink. ¡°It¡¯s such a lovely thing that they¡¯re now having a wedding after falling in love with each other at school!¡± Brendan nodded his head in agreement. Then, he squinted his eyes at the invitation card in her hand. The Snyder Family is also a wealthy family in Athsea, but the Griffith Family has little connections with them. Now, she has obtained a way to build good rtions with them. ¡°Elise, it¡¯s not a bad idea to have a good rtionship with the Snyder Family.¡± Of course, Elise understood his intentions, but she didn¡¯t think much about it because she genuinely liked Audrey as a person. She felt that Audrey had a nice personality and someone worth befriending. ¡°The wedding is in three days¡¯ time. If you are nning to attend, you can pass my gift to them on my behalf.¡± After looking at the invitation card, Elise decided to attend their wedding since she had nothing else to do that day, but she didn¡¯t know whether Alexander had the time. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll inform you by then.¡± After that, she took out her phone and sent a text to him. In the meantime, Alexander read her text and he thought about it for a while before asking Cameron, ¡°Did we receive an invitation for Ruben Snyder¡¯s wedding?¡± Cameron quickly found the invitation card and answered, ¡°Yes, we will handle it the usual way by sending them a gift in thepany¡¯s name.¡± ¡°No need for that. I want you to prepare a huge gift for me to personally bring it to them,¡± Alexander replied. While listening to Alexander¡¯s orders, Cameron was a little surprised. President Griffith usually doesn¡¯t attend a wedding for business purposes. Therefore, he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Young Master Alex, are you going to attend the wedding?¡± ¡°Yes, I will be.¡± ¡°I see. I¡¯ll prepare the gift right away then.¡± ¡­ Three dayster, many people gathered at the Imperial Hotel, which was a five-star hotel located at the market center of Athesea. The scene in the hotel was extremely lively and those who attended the wedding were influential and wealthy people in Athesea. Elise had been preparing for the said wedding at the stroke of dawn. After looking into the mirror and ensuring that everything was alright, she called Alexander and urged, ¡°Hurry up. It¡¯s time for us to leave.¡± When he saw her in avender dress that vividly presented her in the manner of a wealthydy, he couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°You look beautiful today.¡± After feeling embarrassed by Alexander¡¯s praise, Elise continued to urge him, ¡°Alright. T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. We should be leaving now.¡± When they arrived at the entrance of the Imperial Hotel, many cars were continuously being parked around the area whereupon the entire ce was packed with visitors. However, the moment she emerged from the car while holding his arm, it caused an uproar among the crowd. It was something to be expected since Alexander¡¯s presence had always drawn attention. On top of that, he rarely attended weddings for business purposes, so everyone was shocked by his presence. ¡°It¡¯s the president from the Griffith Group! I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s here.¡± ¡°Who is that girl beside him? Why does she look so¡­ ugly?¡± ¡°Shhh! Be quiet. If she is Young Master Alex¡¯s date tonight, it means that she is not an ordinary girl¡­¡± Everyone continued to discuss Elise and Alexander¡¯s appearance, but they concurrently made way for those two to walk through without saying anything. Then, a middle-aged man approached the couple and handed his business card to Alexander. ¡°Young Master Alex, I¡¯m Elias Fraser from The Beauty. Can you have a look at ourpany¡¯s¡ª¡± However, Alexander only gave the man a faint smile and answered, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m not discussing business today.¡± After that, the man returned Alexander¡¯s smile and allowed the couple to pass without saying a word. Chapter 225 Chapter 225 Chapter 225 The Spectacr Wedding Dress,Coolest Girl in Town Ruben was surprised to learn that Alexander had attended his wedding. Although their families shared the same status of being one of the wealthiest families in Athesea, they had rarely mingled with each other. However, now that Alexander had arrived, Ruben quickly rushed to the entrance to greet him. ¡°Y- Young Master Alex, wee to my wedding.¡± Now that Ruben had taken the initiative to offer a handshake, he was being humble and respectful. A polite Alexander replied, ¡°Congrattions, President Snyder!¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± After that, Ruben finally realized that Elise was standing beside Alexander, so he quickly greeted her as well. ¡°Miss Sinir, I¡¯m d that you can make it.¡± However, the moment Ruben¡¯s eyesnded on their entangled arms, he was startled. Despite being in the industry for such a long time, he was so shocked by what he saw that he failed to control his emotions. ¡°Young Master Alex, she is¡­¡± Without any hesitation, Alexander wrapped his arm around Elise¡¯s shoulders and replied, ¡°I believe you already know her as she¡¯s my fiancee.¡± Fiancee? The moment Alexander said those words, those around him were immediately shocked. Why have I never heard about Young Master Alex¡¯s engagement before? Why does he now have a fiancee all of a sudden? The news had left everyone in the crowd dumbfounded and Elise instantly felt their gazes at her. ¡°I see. Young Master Alex, Miss Sinir, this way please¡­¡± As Ruben weed them into the grand hall, more people took the initiative to approach Alexander and greet him, which left him with no choice but to exchange a few words with them. However, Elise felt ufortable with all of the attention, so she pulled him aside and whispered, ¡°I¡¯m going to check on the bride. I¡¯ll catch up with you soon.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Alexander uttered his approval. ¡°Make it quick.¡± Then, she released his hand and walked toward the resting lounge inside. Now that Audrey was already in her wedding dress, she was now getting her makeup done by a makeup artist while chatting with a few of her bridesmaids next to her. After knocking on the door, Elise entered the room after she received the consent to do so. ¡°Hello, Mrs. Snyder.¡± The moment Audrey saw Elise, she immediately became excited. ¡°Miss Sinir, why did youe over?¡± When Elise saw how beautiful Audrey was in the wedding dress, she quickly approached Audrey andplimented, ¡°Mrs. Snyder, you look stunning today!¡± ¡°Thank you! Let me introduce you all to Miss Sinir. She is the designer for my wedding dress that I mentioned to you earlier. Miss Sinir, these are all my close friends.¡± As all of Audrey¡¯s friends seemed rather friendly, Elise greeted them with a smile. ¡°Miss Sinir, the design of this wedding dress is wonderful and it fits the aesthetics that Audrey was going for.¡± ¡°I was merely doing my job,¡± Elise exined before taking out a gift. ¡°Mrs. Snyder, this is a wedding gift for you. I wish you and Mr. Snyder a happy wedding and marriage! I also hope that you two will have a baby soon!¡± Audrey was a little embarrassed as she epted Elise¡¯s gift. ¡°That¡¯s so nice of you. Thank you for your wishes! I hope that you¡¯ll enjoy yourself today.¡± After giving Audrey the gift, Elise said her goodbyes and left the resting lounge. However, as soon as she stepped out of the door, she was surrounded by a few girls. ¡°So, you are Alexander¡¯s fiancee?¡± the girl standing in front asked in an unfriendly tone. Elise nodded her head slightly. ¡°Is there anything I can help you with?¡± However, her question was met with another girl¡¯s scoff. ¡°You¡¯re so ugly. Alexander must¡¯ve been blind to have chosen you.¡± The moment Elise heard those words, her expression instantly darkened yet the other person didn¡¯t notice it. ¡°When I first heard the rumor of him having a fiancee, I didn¡¯t believe it at first, but now that I have seen you for myself, I finally understand how desperate Alexander is to have lowered his standard so low.¡± Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Who are you?¡± Elise asked as her eyes slightly darkened. Another woman who was standing at the side introduced Michelle to Elise. ¡°She¡¯s the daughter of the Snyder Family. Her name¡¯s Michelle Snyder. The person getting married today is her older brother.¡± So, she¡¯s Audrey¡¯s sister-inw! Looks like I can¡¯t lose my temper here considering I¡¯m now at a wedding and Audrey is her family. Elise rified, ¡°So, you¡¯re Miss Snyder! From what you have just said, I can tell that you¡¯re interested in my fiance.¡± The moment Michelle heard the word ¡®fiance¡¯, her face was gloomy as the gray clouds. ¡°I don¡¯t know what sorcery you have used to convince him to be engaged to you, but let me tell you that as long as you two are still not married, anything can happen. Besides, there¡¯s still a chance of divorce even if you have really married him. You¡¯re only his fiancee, which means that not everything is set in stone yet.¡± While listening to what Michelle said, Elise nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. Then, I wish you all the best.¡± Her voice was calm as if she wasn¡¯t agitated by their words at all. As they watched Elise¡¯s reaction, Michelle and her friends were left stunned. ¡°And you¡¯re not angry?¡± Elise stretched her arms out and exined, ¡°Why should I be angry? You liking my fiance indirectly means that I have good taste in men. As for what you said just now, we can wait and see what happens in the future, but I¡¯m afraid that even if you¡¯re in your 80s, none of what you said would happen because I¡¯m not nning to split up with my fiance!¡± It was enough to enrage Michelle. ¡°Y-You¡¯re so shameless!¡± A proud Elise grunted as if she was hinting that there was nothing Michelle and her friends could do about it. ¡°You better watch out. Alexander will be mine sooner orter.¡± After throwing those harsh words, Michelle then left with her friends. Elise shrugged her shoulders as if nothing had happened and she returned to the grand hall to look for Alexander. ¡°I never knew that you have so many fans.¡± A confused Alexander then asked, ¡°What are you talking about?¡± She raised her eyes to look at him. ¡°It seems like I have many love rivals and it¡¯s a bit too overwhelming for me. What should I do?¡± He immediately hugged her and whispered into her ear, ¡°There¡¯s nothing they can do when you¡¯re already in my heart.¡± Elise burst out inughter. ¡°Then, I have nothing to worry about.¡± ¡°Alright, there¡¯s nothing for you to overthink about.¡± Alexander lovingly stared at her. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, wee to Mr. Snyder and Miss Booth¡¯s wedding! The wedding will begin in 3 minutes, so please enter the grand hall to be seated¡­¡± The announcement was made as Alexander held Elise¡¯s arms. ¡°Let¡¯s go and get our seats.¡± They attracted countless gazes everywhere they went. Although Elise was initially not used to it, she learned to ept the attention as she slowly followed Alexander. ¡°Alright, the wedding will begin soon. Let us countdown from 10, 9, 8, 7¡­ 3, 2, 1!¡± As the familiar melody of ¡®Marriage d¡¯Amour¡¯ yed in the background, the bridal couple emerged and leisurely entered the hall while the audience pped along. ¡°Wow, the bride¡¯s wedding dress is gorgeous¡­¡± ¡°Yes! It¡¯s so unique that I want one too!¡± ¡°I heard that the dress is expensive because it is custom-made.¡± ¡°Mr. Snyder must really love his wife¡­¡± Not only were the crowd sending their wishes to the newlyweds, they were also discussing the bride¡¯s wedding dress as it was too dazzling for them to ignore. Chapter 226 Chapter 226 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 226 As the wedding ceremony officially started, Elise sat in the audience and enjoyed the couple onstage exchanging their vows, rings and a kiss¡­ While watching the scene before her unfold, she couldn¡¯t help but be touched. In a daze, she fantasized that she was the bride and Alexander was the groom as they hosted their wedding under the eyes of their families and friends. ¡°We have now reached the end of the ceremony! Next, let us wee all of the singledies to step forward as the bride will toss her bouquet of flo¡ª¡± Just as the announcer was about to finish his sentence, Audrey interrupted, ¡°Wait a minute¡­¡± The announcer was quick to respond. ¡°It seems like our bride has something to say.¡± Audrey took over the microphone and spotted Elise in the crowd. ¡°I want to invite the designer of my wedding dress toe onstage.¡± The crowd cheered as they all wanted to meet the designer who had produced such a gorgeous wedding dress. Although Elise was confused, she finally went onstage amidst everyone¡¯s gaze after Audrey¡¯s encouragement. The moment Elise appeared onstage, it caused an uproar among the crowd. ¡°What? She was the one who designed the wedding dress?¡± ¡°How is that even possible? Isn¡¯t she Alexander¡¯s fiance? Is she also a designer?¡± ¡°The wedding dress is gorgeous! She must be an amazing designer to have fashioned such a beautiful bridal gown!* It was obvious that Elise couldn¡¯t hear what the crowd murmured about, but when she stood beside Audrey, Audrey immediately passed the bouquet of flowers to her. ¡°Miss Sinir, I present to you these flowers and wish that you can marry your own prince charming soon.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± The audience pped as Elise epted the flowers. ¡°In fact, I¡¯m exceptionally grateful to Miss Sinir for designing my dream wedding dress and allowing me to enjoy my wedding without any regrets.¡± Audrey turned to address the crowd. ¡°I can see that she is really talented with fashion. If anyone here is interested, you can contact her directly!¡± The moment they heard Audrey¡¯s words, thedies in the audience started to have their own ideas. After all, Audrey¡¯s bridal gown was exceptionally beautiful and there wouldn¡¯t be a single girl in the entire world who wouldn¡¯t want her own custom-made wedding dress. ¡°Thank you for your support! You may contact Brendan Griffith¡¯s workshop for any custom-made orders. Don¡¯t worry, we are all professional designers.¡± Elise didn¡¯t hesitate to give Brendan a shoutout so that the audience would know who to look for if they wanted to have their bridal gowns custom- made as well. When Elise came down from the stage, she started to receive orders for custom made dresses and bridal gowns one after another. However, as the reaction had been overwhelming, she was unable to personally reply to everyone, but luckily, Alexander was there to give Brendan¡¯s contact number to those interested. On the other hand, Brendan, who was at home, was puzzled when he suddenly received numerous orders. After the wedding, Elise¡¯s name became well-known among the upper-ss society. Everybody was now aware that Alexander¡¯s fiance was a wedding dress designer who produced Audrey¡¯s bridal gown. Whenever people talked about Audrey¡¯s bridal gown, they would also mention Elise¡¯s name. When it came to the Monday of a new week, Brendan halted Elise just as she was about to leave. ¡°Elise, there are many orders specifically requesting for your custom made designs pouring in, but my workshop hasn¡¯t been fully settled yet. Will you have a look at them when you¡¯re free?¡± Elise didn¡¯t know what to answer. ¡°I don¡¯t have much time as I¡¯ve less than six weeks before the college entrance examination. Why don¡¯t you ask them whether they¡¯re willing to wait for a month until I¡¯m done with my exams.¡± He nodded. ¡°Alright! You can focus on preparing for your exams and leave the rest to me, Elise!¡± Elise merely grunted in response. At this moment, Alexander drove the car with the intention of sending her to school. ¡°I¡¯m going to school now. You don¡¯t need to pick me up this evening since I¡¯ll being back myself,¡± she said while waving at him. He finally left after he watched her enter the campus. However, as soon as Alexander had left, another figure suddenly appeared. ¡°Boss!¡± Why are you here:¡± Elise was shocked by Jamie¡¯s sudden appearance. He hurriedly approached her andmented, ¡°Boss, you are so brilliant! The entire upper-ss society has been talking about your amazing bridal gowns designs and that you are now Alexander¡¯s fiancee¡­ I¡¯ve heard it all!¡± While listening to him, she slightly furrowed her brows. ¡°Is that all they¡¯ve been talking about? And nothing else¡± Of course there were also criticisms toward Elise¡¯s looks, but Jamie wouldn¡¯t repeat what was said to her. After all, he had seen her gorgeous looks before, so there was no point in caring about the opinions of shallow-minded people. ¡°Of course not! You¡¯re now famous, Boss. They would all be shocked if they discover that you are actually the award-winning designer, Lily¡ª¡±However, before Jamie could even finish his sentence, Elise immediately covered his mouth. *Don¡¯t speak too loud.¡± He blinked a few times, signaling that he wouldn¡¯t repeat his mistakes again, so she removed her hand from his mouth. ¡°Boss, what I¡¯m saying is the truth, though!¡± ¡°I know, but let¡¯s not talk about this here. How is the fan meetinging along?¡± It was when Elise mentioned the fan meeting that Jamie finally remembered his reason foring in the first ce. ¡°Boss, do you really have to make such a big scene just for Mika¡¯s sake? You should know that a lot of people are willing to buy the tickets for a higher price now that they know you¡¯re holding a fan meeting. Everyone has been asking me for insider news.¡± Her reputation really is something else. However, the more she listened to him, the more she furrowed her brows. ¡°You have to get it done no matter what! Other than the VIP tickets that I have specially reserved, the rest of the tickets must not be sold at a higher price. I want all the tickets to be sold to the fans through legal methods.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Boss! I understand this. As for the pre-sale of the tickets, it will start on your birthday.¡± Elise was immediately baffled. Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. ¡°My birthday? When will that be?¡± ¡°Boss, don¡¯t tell me that you have forgotten your own birthday,¡± a confused Jamie said. Um... It¡®s not that I have forgotten about it; it¡®s just that I have been so busy that I¡®ve never thought abou ¡°Boss, you¡¯re going to turn 18 and finally be an adult this year! You must celebrate it no matter what.¡± He¡®s right; to a girl, turning 18 is indeed a really special day. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll think about it,¡± Elise replied. However, Jamie knew that she wasn¡¯t taking the matter seriously. It doesn¡®t matter. I will prepare a huge birthday gift for her anyway. ¡°Alright, Boss. You can head to ss now! I¡¯ll settle everything for the fan meeting and send you the VIP tickets once they¡¯re released.¡± After that, he waved at her and left. The moment Elise entered the ssroom, she heard a familiar voice calling her. ¡°Elise!¡± When Elise heard the voice, her eyes instantly brightened. ¡°Mika, you finally came to school!¡± Mika nodded. ¡°I was already back a few days ago, but I didn¡¯t see you around.¡± ¡°I took leave to settle some personal issues, which is why I¡¯m only back today,¡± Elise exined quickly. ¡°I see. By the way, I found out that H is having a fan meeting soon. I just saw the news on Reddit¡­¡± Without saying much, Elise merely smiled and asked, ¡°Do you want to go?¡± Chapter 227 Chapter 227 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 227 ¡°Of course I want to, but I¡¯m not sure whether I¡¯ll be able to secure the tickets.¡± Mika nodded her head. Elise quickly added, ¡°Trust me, you¡¯ll be able to secure the tickets. So, you don¡¯t need to worry about it. For now, you should try to think of anything that you want her to know when you meet her.¡± Mika was left speechless when she heard Elise¡¯s words. Although she had lost her previous memories, she still felt a burning passion every time H was mentioned, so she knew that her fondness for the singer was genuine. That was the reason why Mika was caught off guard by the idea of meeting H in person because she didn¡¯t know what her own reaction would be. ¡°Alright. You can take your time to think about it. Let¡¯s return to ss.¡± Mika simply hummed in agreement and went back to her seat while Elise busied herself as she caught up with the lessons that she had missed in the previous few days. Half a month had quickly passed. It was during this period that the school held another monthly examination, yet Elise was able to maintain her grade and even obtained first ce in the monthly exam even though she was always absent from ss. As a result, the teachers would usually turn a blind eye toward her attendance. After school, Elise and Mika walked to the school entrance together. However, the way Mika stared at Elise looked as though she had something in her mind that she couldn¡¯t tell, so Elise asked, ¡°Mika, is there something you want to tell me?¡± Mika shook her head in a hurry. ¡°No, I don¡¯t have anything to say.¡± Even though Elise felt that something was amiss, she didn¡¯t pay much attention to it. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll be going back now. See you tomorrow!¡± After waving her hand and watching Elise leave, Mika quickly fished out her phone and made a phone call. ¡°Elise is in the car right now! Are you guys done with the preparations?¡± After hanging up the phone, she went to the roadside and gged a cab before leaving. Now that Elise was on her way back, she was focused on doing her homework. There was a hyperbolic question that was rather arduous and although she thought about it for a long while, she couldn¡¯t arrive at a solution. However, the car abruptly stopped by the curb at this moment. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Is there a problem?¡± ¡°Miss Sinir, the car has broken down, so I¡¯m calling the mechanic over to repair the car now. I¡¯m afraid that we¡¯ll have to return hometer than usual today.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. I have a question that I haven¡¯t solved yet, so I¡¯ll just continue with my homework.¡± Elise didn¡¯t dwell on the issue at hand and instead focused on her homework. After solving the question, she kept her pen away and stretched her body. When she noticed that the sky was almost dark and the mechanics weren¡¯t here yet, she started to suspect that something was really wrong. ¡°Sir, why aren¡¯t they here yet?¡± The driver returned to his senses and he hurriedly exined, ¡°I just checked the car and realized that there aren¡¯t any problems with it. We can head home now.¡± A confused Elise saw that the driver was starting the car again, but since she had alreadypleted her homework and was ready to head home for dinner, she didn¡¯t say much about it. As Elise thought about it, the car slowly came to a stop inside the Griffith Residence¡¯s garage not long after. However, she felt that the house had a slightly weird aura today because it was exceptionally serene and those lights that were usually switched on were now turned off. After she exited the car, she turned around and realized that the driver had already driven the car off. Without giving much thought to it, Elise walked toward the entrance and she opened the door before turning on the light switch. All of a sudden, the grand living room was bright, yet the entire house was still silent. 7 ¡°Ste, are you here?¡± Elise continued to call Ste, but there was no response from Ste. Then, the streetmps that led to the back garden were suddenly switched on, so she followed the bright path in curiosity. As she walked to the back door, the arcmps lit up one by one. Although she felt that something was strange, she still pushed the back door open. The moment she did so, she was greeted with sounds of fireworks and a group of people appearing out of nowhere while singing the familiar birthday song. ¡°Happy birthday to you¡­ Happy birthday to you¡­ Happy birthday to you¡­¡± As everything yed out in front of Elise, she was shocked to see Mika, Samantha, Jack, Danny, Alexander and Ste¡­ Everyone whom Elise knew was standing in front of her. Mika grabbed Elise¡¯s hand a secondter and they walked along the trail before they arrived in front of a cake with 18yers. Then, she helped Elise to wear her birthday crown. ¡°Happy birthday, Elise! Make a wish!¡± Under the crowd¡¯s anticipation, Elise pressed her palms together, as if she was about to pray, and closed her eyes to make a wish. When she opened her eyes again, the crowd cheered as they helped to blow out the candles. ¡°This is,¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid. Today is your birthday! Did you really forget about it?¡± T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Despite Jamie¡¯s reminder that day, Elise had totally forgotten about her birthday since she was busy with her studies, so she scratched her head in embarrassment. ¡°How did you know that it is my birthday today?¡± The moment she had asked the question, everyone turned their heads toward Alexander at the same time, so she looked at him and continued to rify, ¡°You told them? How did you know that today is my birthday, though?¡± Alexander chuckled. ¡°I remembered seeing it on your identity card.¡± I see! ¡°You prepared all these¡­¡± ¡°You silly. Today is your 18th birthday! I just wanted to give you a surprise.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Elise then reached out to give Alexander a hug. ¡°Alright, birthday girl. It¡¯s time to slice the birthday cake,¡± Jack urged, so she quickly released Alexander from her embrace and started to slice the cake before she distributed it to everyone. Danny moved closer toward Elise and whispered, ¡°By the way, Elise, Alex has also prepared a birthday gift for you! It¡¯s in your room, so you must remember to open itter!¡± She lifted her eyes to look at Alexander before she probed Danny, ¡°What kind of gift is it? Why are you all being so secretive about it?¡± I don¡®t know what it is. Danny shrugged, as if to indicate that he was just as clueless as she was. ¡°Alex has been exceptionally mysterious with what the gift is and he wouldn¡¯t reveal it to anyone.¡± When Elise listened to his exnation, she raised her eyebrow in excitement. Now that she was done with distributing the cakes, she was busy epting the overwhelming number of birthday gifts from everyone, so Mika had to assist her with carrying all of it to her room. ¡°Thank you, everyone! You have really made my day!¡± Elise genuinely responded. Her 18th birthday was by far the happiest birthday that she ever had. ¡°Anything to make you happy, Boss!¡± ¡°Yeah. Elise, from today onward, you are an adult. There¡¯s a whole new world for you to explore.¡± ¡°Congrattions on turning 18!¡± Elise smiled faintly as she looked at everyone while secretly wishing that she could stop time at this very moment, ¡°Oh, no! The ticket sale for H¡¯s fan meeting is starting soon. Hurry up and grab the tickets!¡± Everyone then turned their attention to their phones the moment Danny said those words. At this moment, Jack entered the application on his phone and was ready to snap up the tickets for the fan meeting. Meanwhile, Mika, who had been standing aside, was busy lining up for the tickets since she couldn¡¯t afford to miss her idol¡¯s fan meeting. Even Alexander had also taken out his phone to ask Cameron to purchase the VIP tickets for him. ¡°It¡¯s starting soon¡­¡± As soon as Danny¡¯s voice rang in the air, everyone tapped on their screens as quickly as they could, but when the page was refreshed a secondter, it showed that the tickets were already sold out. Chapter 228 ?Chapter 228 VIP Ticket "No way! Even though I was super quick, I couldn''t even secure any tickets!" Danny eximed in mild disbelief. After finishing the payment process, Jack breathed a sigh of relief and waved his cell phone at Mika. "I managed to get three tickets, but they''re not the VIP ones." "That''s good enough! H is so popr and has such tech-savvy fans, so the fact that you''ve managed to get any tickets at all means you''ve surpassed the majority of them." Following that, Mika looked at Elise. "Come with us when the timees." As Elise looked at them, an idea formed in her mind, so she answered, "Alright, but I might be a bitte that evening. I have a surprise prepared for all of you." All at once, they stared expectantly at her. "What''s the surprise? Tell us right now!" "Yeah, don''t keep us in suspense!" Nevertheless, she only gave a mysterious smile. As she nced at Alexander, she noticed him with a curious gaze before he blurted, "Can''t you at least tell me?" Elise yfully shook her head. "I have already said that it was a surprise! If I tell any one of you now, it won''t be a surprise anymore..." Her answer was enough to cate them and they began to look forward to her so-called ''surprise! After the banquet ended, the hosts saw the guests off at the door before returning to their respective rooms. It was just like that as Elise and Alexander were the only two people left in the spacious hall. "Danny told me you have a birthday present for me in my room," Elise started, to which he nodded slightly with mild amusement. All of a sudden, she was a tad bit too eager to wait. "I''ll just pop in and check it out then." With that, she raced up the stairs to her room. The moment she opened the door, she noticed gift boxes of all sizes neatly arranged at one side of the room-they were presents from Mika and the rest of her friends. On the other side of the room were boxes of different shapes and sizes wrapped with the same kind of paper. After Elise earnestly counted the presents one by one, she discovered that there were eighteen of them. With that, she reached down to pick one at random and began disassembling the box. Inside was a doll with a greeting card that read, ''Hope you came into the world with eyes bright and full of stars. Wishing you a Happy 1st Birthday!'' As she snorted out loud, she immediately began to tear open the second box where there was a pink princess gown inside. Its card read, ''The two-year-old you must have been tottering about as you learn how to walk by now. You must have looked very cute!'' Then, there was the next-''Did you like hogging the television to watch cartoons as well? I wish I could have seen what you were like when you were three!'' ''Have you started preschool by now? Did you have many good friends? Once again, it''s your birthday. I hope you had a good year!'' ''Did you like collecting toys? Being five years old must be a strange new world for you!'' ''Now that you''re six, you''re about to attend grade school! In the future, you must be brave and strong.'' ''Did the seven-year-old cutie pie have any hobbies? Can you tell me about them?'' There were more with simr messages. As Elise tore the boxes open one by one, she found different presents and greeting cards in them. By the time she finished reading the 17th card, tears were already swimming in her eyes. ''Good day to you, 18-year-old Elise Sinir. I am 24-year-old Alexander Griffith. It''s nice to meet you! Even though I have missed your first 17 birthdays, I hope to be able to spend every future one with you! Being 18 means that you''re all grown up whereby your life can truly begin. I hope you have nothing but a beautiful life ahead of you and that I may be able to apany you every step of the way! Signed, Alexander Griffith. It was enough to make her weep in earnest. When she turned around, she discovered Alexander standing behind her and gazing at her, so she threw herself into his arms without hesitation to tightly squeeze him. As he gently looked at her, he cupped the back of her head and asked, "Have you finished looking at the presents?" Elise nodded. "Do you like them?" While meeting his gaze, she told him, "This is my first time receiving so many presents at once. I''d never be able to tell from our daily life that you, Alexander Griffith, can be such a romantic. I love these gifts. Thank you very much." Although his expression had softened even further, Alexander couldn''t help asking her with a tease, "Is it enough simply to say ''thank you"?" Without any hesitation, Elise tiptoed to kiss him on his lips. For a moment, Alexander froze before he closed his eyes and took the initiative to deepen the kiss. It was only when he felt aroused that he pushed her away to maintain his distance from her. "It''s gettingte. You should get some rest! I''m heading back to my own room now." With that, he departed and left Elise to stand there, flummoxed. As if she thought of something, her face suddenly reddened and she couldn''t help giggling. Once again, she looked around at the gifts in her room and smiled brightly. As her heart filled with gratitude for Alexander''s kindness, she vowed to search for the right opportunity to tell him the things that she had yet to tell him. Her college entrance examination began to grow near after her birthday party. In the final days before their examination, all of the twelfth graders worked especially hard. Since even Danny was up early to cram for his Chinese exam, it was a given that Elise would dedicate all of her time to her revision. The day before the entrance examination, Elise retrieved her exam pass and decided to take a look at the examination hall with Mika before heading home. Much to her surprise, Danny had appeared out of nowhere and inquired, "Exams are tomorrow, Boss! Are you nervous?" Elise shook her head. "No, you?" With some embarrassment, he rubbed the back of his head as for the weirdest reason, he had been restless and uneasy for the past two days. "To tell you the truth, I am a bit nervous. That is, I feel tense and at a loss." As she observed Danny, shemented, "You''re suffering from a case of nerves because you didn''t spend enough time preparing for your exams. These are symptoms that you''ll only experience if you are highly nervous and they won''t disappearpletely until the exams are over." "Oh no. What should I do then?" While patting his shoulder, she consoled, "Do you trust me?" Without any hesitation, Danny nodded. "You''re my boss. Of course, I trust you!" "Then, don''t pick up any more books when you arrive home. Jog around the neighborhood to rx instead before you wash up and head to bed." Danny was somewhat doubtful when he rified, "Are you sure that will work?" An earnest Elise nodded. "You''ll find out once you try!" Now that he had ced his entire faith in her, he returned home, changed into a tracksuit, and went jogging. By the time he arrived home, dinner was ready and Alexander happened to return as well. "Why are you back so early today?" a surprised Elise asked. A secondter, Alexander suddenly walked up to her and pulled a bouquet of sunflowers out from behind his back. "Good luck with your exams tomorrow. I hope youe out on top!" As she looked down at the bouquet of sunflowers, she beamed and epted the bouquet while answering, "Thank you! I''ll try my best." "I have exams tomorrow as well, Alex. Why don''t I have a present?" Danny, who was standing behind, queried. As he nced over his shoulder to look at Danny, Alexander replied, "I have low expectations for you. I''ll give you a Maserati if you enroll in a second-rate university!" And just like that, Danny''s eyes widened. "Are you being serious?" "Yes," Alexander replied. "Cross my heart and hope to die!" An excited Danny then hopped. "Are you sure you''d be fine with a second-rate university? Why do I feel like that''s too surreal?" After all, he wouldn''t have any difficulties with getting into a second-rate university with his current grades and even a first-rate university would barely be a challenge for him. However, Alexander seemed to think Danny would have already given it his all by managing to enroll in a second-rate university, which was why Alexander nodded and affirmed, "Yes, I''m afraid you''ll be stressed if I aim any higher." Danny responded in his exhration, "Just you wait!" After dinner, a sly Elise pulled Alexander aside to ask, "Will you be going to H''s fan meeting?"Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. He raised his eyebrow as he answered, "I might not be able to make it since I didn''t manage to obtain any tickets." Much to his utter surprise, she pulled out a VIP ticket from behind her back and handed it to him. "This is for you." A stunned Alexander then stared at the ticket. "How did you manage to get a VIP ticket?" Chapter 229 Chapter 229 Chapter 229 Be Careful; Don¡¯t Let Your Secret Out, Coolest Girl in Town It was hard enough to get a normal ticket into H¡¯s fan meeting, let alone a VIP one. However, Elise only smiled enigmatically at Alexander. ¡°It¡¯s a secret. I have something to tell you after the fan meeting. Will you wait for me?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Alexander promised without hesitation. Grinning at him, she continued, ¡°I¡¯ll be going to bed now. I have exams tomorrow. You should rest early as well. Goodnight!¡± ¡°Goodnight!¡± After returning to her room, Elise stared at herself in the mirror for a moment before removing her makeup. Her n was to meet him in her truest form after the fan meeting. What kind of expression will he have? As images of the various responses he could have floated through her mind, she chuckled and muttered to herself, ¡°I can only hope he isn¡¯t too shocked.¡± The next morning was the first day of the college entrance examination. The Language test took ce in the morning, while the Math test took ce in the afternoon. Despite having two examinations back-to- back, Elise dealt with them easily. On the second day, she had Comprehensive Liberal Arts in the morning and Chinese in the afternoon. After the final exam was finished, the entire academic building was filled with jubtion. As Elise followed the crowd out of the building, she lifted her head to look up at the peaceful sky above her. Finally, she took a deep breath and smiled. ¡°We¡¯re finally done!¡± Mika screeched, rushing up to her and throwing an arm around her shoulders. ¡°I have no idea how I made it through the past month, but we¡¯re finally done!¡± Elise offered Mika a small smile in return. ¡°And so our high school lives have come to a close. What are your ns for the holidays?¡± After a moment of serious thought, Mika told her, ¡°I¡¯m going to H¡¯s fan meeting and then on vacation. I¡¯m intending to sign up as a volunteer after our resultse out. What about you? You said you¡¯d give us a surprise during H¡¯s fan meeting. Tell me what the surprise is! I¡¯m dying to know.¡± Despite keeping mum about the secret, Elise couldn¡¯t help but tease, ¡°I already told you it¡¯s a surprise. You¡¯ll find out in a day¡¯s time!¡± Upon hearing that, Mika pouted unhappily. ¡°You¡¯re being awfully mean, Elise, but the more secretive you are, the more I look forward to what you have to show me.¡± ¡°Ha! Keep your eyes open, then. I won¡¯t let you down!¡± And so, the two girls conversed as they walked and finally reached the school gates. The moment they stepped outside, Elise noticed Jamie¡¯s car idling by the roadside. ¡°I have something else to do, Mika, so I¡¯ll have to go now.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Mika then waved goodbye to her. ¡°Do your thing. I can go back by myself.¡± And so, they parted, with Elise heading straight for Jamie¡¯s vehicle before opening the door and climbing in. As she noticed the scene, Mika couldn¡¯t help wondering when the Griffith Family had newly purchased such a low-end car. Meanwhile, Elise got right into the passenger¡¯s seat. ¡°The sponsors have arranged for a meal and want to meet you for dinner this evening, Boss. I epted their offer on your behalf since they¡¯re covering all of our expenses for this activity. Are you okay with that?¡± Since it was only a dinner, Elise agreed without thinking too much about it. ¡°Sure, but I need to change my makeup. I think I should put on my favorite cowgirl look and take my current makeup off.¡± At that, Jamie couldn¡¯t helpughing. ¡°I¡¯m starting to get used to your ugly makeup, Boss. I would¡¯ve forgotten what you originally looked like if you hadn¡¯t brought it up.¡± ¡°That¡¯s dramatic,¡± Elise commented wryly as she stripped off her makeup. In response, he merely smiled before ncing at her clear face once she finished taking her makeup off. ¡°You¡¯re so pretty,¡± Jamieplimented. ¡°Much more gorgeous than the other female celebrities.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, keep sucking up to me. Did you bring me an outfit?¡± He gestured at the backseat in response. ¡°I have it prepared. I even brought along a baseball cap so that you can avoid the reporters. After all, the paparazzi will being after you once you resume H¡¯s identity.¡± Reaching into the backseat, Elise felt for the cap that he was talking about and stuck it onto her head without hesitation. ¡°Not bad. I have to say, you¡¯re bing more thorough.¡± Upon hearing that, Jamie pointed out somewhat smugly, ¡°How could I not improve after all the time I¡¯ve spent working for you?¡± With that, he sped up and zoomed off into the evening. The dinner that the organizers arranged was to take ce at a very private restaurant, where only those who had a membership would be allowed to enter and spend their money. ¡°We¡¯re in Room 66. Go on in, Boss. I¡¯ll find somewhere to park.¡± And so, Elise opened the door and hopped out of the car, thereafter heading to the entrance where an attendant led her to Room 66. ¡°Here¡¯s your room, miss,¡± the attendant told her politely as he opened the door for her. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said as she began stepping in. However, she suddenly faltered, stunned at the familiar presence in the room. A very familiar presence, in fact. ¡°Why are you lingering in the doorway, Boss?¡± Jamie¡¯s startled voice rang out from behind her, only for him to also freeze to the spot once he reached her side. Instinctively, he went to step in front of her, but Elise had already changed her makeup, and the first thing Alexander Griffith did upon seeing her was to reflexively blurt, ¡°Miss Joy Sinir?¡± Only then did Elisee to her senses and realize that Alexander had seen this face before. That was while she was dressed up as Joy Sinir. Regardless, it was odd that he was here, considering this dinner was organized by the sponsors. Upon hearing Alexander address Elise as ¡®Miss Joy Sinir¡¯, Jamie let out a sigh of relief and stepped forward to say, ¡°Have you met H before, President Griffith? What a coincidence!¡± Of course, Alexander was somewhat surprised to find out that his acquaintance, Joy Sinir, was the legendary H. Not to mention that she was apanied by Jamie, who also seemed to have a special rtionship with Elise. ¡°So, you¡¯re the legendary H. I¡¯ve been waiting to meet you for a long time!¡± Alexander said as he reached out to shake her hand. Cordially, Elise returned his handshake, but a familiar feeling surged up within Alexander as their palms connected. He couldn¡¯t help ncing at her for a moment longer before taking back his hand. At this point, Rudolph Driscoll, the manager for the event, stepped forward to exin, ¡°Young Master Alex is our biggest sponsor for this activity, President Keller. Ny percent of our sponsorship fees are covered by the Griffith Group. I heard we¡¯re being given such arge sum only because Young Master Alex is a fan of H!¡± So, that¡¯s the reason! ¡°Thank you for your support of H, Mr. Griffith!¡± Jamie hurriedly said. Catching the hint, Elise also added, ¡°Thank you!¡± In a mildly detached tone, Alexander answered, ¡°No worries. Your reputation in the industry precedes you, Miss H. Even if I wasn¡¯t a fan of your work, I¡¯m still a businessman.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just Young Master Alex, either. T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. There are many other businesses that have responded favorably to your sudden fan meeting, Miss H, and have fought to make a contribution to express their support for you,¡± Rudolph added eagerly. ¡°Please, have a seat while we chat.¡± With that, he pulled out the chair next to Alexander¡¯s for her. However, Elise looked at Alexander and hesitated for a moment before walking up to the chair and sitting down. ¡°Be careful, Boss. Don¡¯t let your secret out,¡± Jamie reminded her in a whisper. Chapter 230 Chapter 230 Chapter 230,Coolest Girl in Town Despite the circumstances, Elise only smiled back at Jamie. After all, if it weren¡¯t for the presence of other people, she might have used this opportunity to tell Alexander the truth. However, it wasn¡¯t the best time to speak up given the number of people present. And so, she decided to take it step by step. As a discerning man, Rudolph took notice of Alexander¡¯s seeming interest in Elise and tried his best to bring the topic around to both of them. Meanwhile, Jamie, who was seated nearby, was quick-witted enough to resolve the awkward atmosphere. However, Rudolph seemed not to cotton onto Jamie¡¯s meaning and only upied himself with debating whether to arrange for H and Alexander to have some time alone after the dinner. Most were aware of the unspoken rules that guided this industry, and Jamie knew that H¡¯s reputation would not suffer for her being alone with Alexander. Hence, he offered, ¡°Want a smoke, Rudolph? Let¡¯s step outside for a smoke.¡± Though somewhat reluctant to leave, Rudolph agreed to Jamie¡¯s proposal with a smile. ¡°Sure. We¡¯ll be back soon, Young Master Alex.¡± With that, they walked out of the room one after the other. Without Rudolph there to get in the way, the atmosphere between Elise and Alexander began to change subtly. For a long moment, the room was silent. After a while, Alexander slowly spoke. ¡°You have a beautiful voice, Miss H, and you¡¯ve been doing very well in the industry. Why did you retire?¡± She lifted her eyes and stared at him. As their eyes met, the both of them jolted like they had been shocked and Elise was the first to look away. It feels too familiar, Alexander thought to himself with a frown. It feels just like when Elise and I look at each other. Why do I keep seeing Elise in her? Are they rted in some way? Now that he actually thought about it, they both had the samest name. Does that mean the both of them are biologically rted? Before Alexander could pursue that line of thought, Elise murmured, ¡°I retired previously due to a vocal cord injury. Since I thought I could never sing again, I chose an appropriate time to leave the scene. After treatment, however, my vocal cords healed. I didn¡¯t want to return¡ªyou could say I never thought about it¡ªbut in the end, I came back for a friend. She lost her memory, but she was always a fan of my music before that. What I¡¯m hoping for is to bring back her lost memories using my music.¡± ¡°I see. You must prize your rtionships very much. It must be a blessed thing to be your friend.¡± Though his tone of voice was sincere, she simplymented, ¡°Thank you, but I¡¯m only doing what I can. I¡¯ll leave the rest up to fate.¡± By now, Alexander was feeling not only did Joy remind him strongly of Elise, but they spoke very simrly as well. How could there be two people in this world who looked so different and yet seemed so alike? ¡°May I take the liberty of asking you a question, Miss Sinir?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Do you have a twin or a biological sister?¡± Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. And just like that, Elise felt her heart skip a beat. At first, she thought Alexander had discovered something but since he was only staring at her in confusion, she could only tell him, ¡°I¡¯m an only child. There are no other children in my family.¡± Assuming he had jumped to conclusions, Alexander was quick to apologize. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I only asked because I thought you were very simr to someone I know. Please don¡¯t take it to heart.¡± Yet, Elise asked curiously, ¡°Who are you talking about? Is it the woman you love? I heard you have a fianc¨¦e¡­ I wonder what she¡¯s like.¡± The statement was thrown out reflexively, and Elise wished for nothing more than to be able to bite off her own tongue the moment she finished speaking. Why do I have toplicate things for myself? Yet, there was a part of her that hoped to be able to hear what Alexander thought of her through someone else¡¯s ears. ¡°I wonder if you can read minds, Miss Sinir, because the woman that I said was simr to you is indeed my fianc¨¦e. She is someone I feel veryfortable with.¡± Somewhat surprised by his reply, Elise opened her mouth to say something, only to be interrupted by the room door flying open as Jamie and Rudolph walked in. ¡°Miss H! Young Master Alex! What are you both talking about?¡± ¡°Nothing. We were merely chatting.¡± With that, Rudolph dropped the topic. It was evident that he dared not force Elise and Alexander together again after Jamie¡¯s skillful maniption of the scenario. Thus, the dinner came to a perfect end. On the way home, Elise looked out of the window as Jamie drove and couldn¡¯t resist asking, ¡°Do you think Alexander could have found out about my identity a long time ago, Jamie?¡± ¡°Why do you say that, Boss?¡± Jamie questioned, puzzled. In truth, she didn¡¯t have a concrete exnation. It was only that Alexander had stared at her strangely prior to leaving, and that careful recollection of their conversation made her feel like he wouldn¡¯t have asked her whether she had a sister if he hadn¡¯t realized something was amiss. ¡°Forget it. I was nning to tell him the truth, anyway, so even if he knows, he¡¯s only finding out a little bit beforehand. It¡¯s no big deal.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, Boss! You didn¡¯t do anything wrong¡ªyou were only keeping your identity hidden. He shouldn¡¯t me you for that.¡± Pursing her lips, Elise muttered, ¡°Let¡¯s drop the topic. I don¡¯t want to think about it anymore. The fan meeting is tomorrow, so make sure you get some rest once you go home.¡± With that, Jamie speedily ferried her back to the Griffith Residence before driving off on his own. Unbeknownst to Elise, there was a slender figure on the balcony of the top floor, watching as Jamie disappeared into the night. At this moment, Alexander sucked in a deep breath as his eyes darkened. ¡°You¡¯re finally back, Miss Elise! Young Master Alex has been looking for you ever since he got home. When he found out you weren¡¯t home, he was worried sick. You¡¯d better go say hi to him. He¡¯s on the top floor!¡± Ste announced, prompting Elise to hum a reply before putting down her bag and heading upstairs. Unexpectedly, Elise bumped into the man in question once she turned a corner. ¡°Why are you standing here?¡± Staring closely at her, Alexander ignored her question in favor of asking, ¡°Where have you been? Why have you returned sote?¡± And so, she had no choice but to say, ¡°I wanted to rx after my exams, so I went out for dinner with my friends.¡± ¡°Oh? Which friends?¡± Despite the mild evenness to his tone, Elise was starting to realize that something was off. Lifting her gaze, she answered with a smile, ¡°My ssmates! Why? Did you need something?¡± Just like that, Alexander looked even more somber. The one thing he was most scared of in life was being deceived, and she had just looked him in the eye and lied to him. Before she came back, he had had Danny ask Elise¡¯s friends for her whereabouts. Not a single one of them had set up a meeting to have dinner with her, not to mention that she had just been dropped off by a man. Even so, Alexander had chosen to trust her until she lied straight to his face. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Get some rest.¡± The response made Elise¡¯s eyelid twitch. After all, she had sensed the change in his mood, but his anger had dissipated so quickly that it left her feeling like she had imagined things. ¡°You should get some rest as well.¡± With that, she strode upstairs and back to her room, shutting the door without thinking further about the incident until her cell phone chimed several times in rapid session. Quickly, she pulled it out and discovered a slew of messages from Danny. ¡®Where are you, Boss? Alex is looking for you.¡¯ ¡®Say something, Boss. Don¡¯t make us worry!¡¯ ¡®Why aren¡¯t you picking up my calls? Call me back as soon as you see this message.¡¯ ¡®Boss! Boss! Boss!¡¯ And it went on and on. Dumbfounded, Elise stared down at the messages. Having not expected to receive so many notifications, she had put her phone on silent mode that evening and was only now finding out that Alexander had been looking for her. Hurriedly, she replied to Danny¡¯s messages and informed him that she had returned so he wouldn¡¯t worry. With that, she put the thought out of her mind, took a quick shower and fell sound asleep. The night passed smoothly and Elise did not wake up until the next morning. Although her clock told her there were only a few hours left before her fan meeting, she did not feel hurried in the slightest and only took her time to wash up and get changed. By the time she made herself presentable, Mika was already downstairs waiting for her. ¡°Why are you so slow, Elise?¡± Mika couldn¡¯t helpining upon seeing her. Taken aback to see Mika there, Elise asked in surprise, ¡°Were you waiting for me?¡± Chapter 231 Chapter 231 Chapter 231 You¡¯re So Full of Yourself,Coolest Girl in Town Mika was a little embarrassed, but she nodded anyway. ¡°Jack said he¡¯ll being with us, so I¡¯m here to wait for you guys.¡± ¡°Jack came home?¡± Elise stared at her in confusion. Just as the words left her mouth, Jack emerged at the top of the staircase and made his way down. ¡°I know I don¡¯te home often, but that doesn¡¯t mean you have to be so surprised, Elise.¡± Elise was at a loss for words. After a moment of pause, she said, ¡°Are you done getting ready, Jack? Remember to dress down a bit. I don¡¯t want your fans recognizing you when we¡¯re there.¡± Jack fixed his hair while he said narcissistically, ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if people actually recognized me, though. After all, I¡¯m just that handsome.¡± Mika and Elise rolled their eyes at him in unison. ¡°How can you be so full of yourself?¡± ¡°You¡¯re so full of yourself!¡± The twodies eximed in sync. They shared a smile a second after realizing that. ¡°Our minds are so alike, huh?¡± Mika said jokingly. Then, she gave Jack an annoyed side-eye. Jack shrugged and said, ¡°Don¡¯t put the me on me. I might be narcissistic, but it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t look the part! I can¡¯t possibly shy away when the heavens gave me such a wless body to live in.¡± ¡°Stop! Jack, if you¡¯re going to act like this, I¡¯ll be leaving with Elise.¡± Seeing her reaction, Jack immediately stopped fooling around. ¡°No, wait for me! I¡¯ll be ready in a minute.¡± With those words, he scurried upstairs to change into a low-key outfit. He also put on a face mask so that it was less likely for his fans to recognize him in public. ¡°Mika, Jack, you two should go ahead. I¡¯ll head over there in a bit. Let¡¯s meet up at the venue.¡± Jack was beyond thrilled to hear that. He instinctively gave Elise a grateful look. How could Elise not know what he was thinking? She figured it out when she noticed how interested he was in Mika. ¡°Sure, Elise. We¡¯ll get going, then. See you.¡± Mika waved at Elise and left with Jack. When the two of them had left, Elise asked Ste, ¡°Where¡¯s Alexander? Did he go to work?¡± Ste quickly replied, ¡°Miss Elise, I haven¡¯t seen Young Master Alexander since this morning! His car is still in the garage, though. I just don¡¯t know where he went.¡± A hint of doubt passed her eyes. His car is at home, but he¡¯s not? She immediately went upstairs to Alexander¡¯s room, but there was no one inside when she pushed open the door. There was no sign of the man at all. Elise went around the entire house to search for him but to no avail. Thus, she took out her phone and dialed his number, only to be replied by a woman¡¯s robotic voice, ¡°Hello, the number you¡¯ve dialed is out of reach¡­¡± Elise¡¯s forehead furrowed in a deep frown. Why¡¯s his phone turned off? And so, Elise gave Cameron a call, but the guy only answered, ¡°Young Master Alexander hasn¡¯te to his office. I didn¡¯t see him either, but I¡¯ll let you know if I do. If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll be hanging up now.¡± After ending the call, Elise couldn¡¯t help but feel a little disappointed. Come to think of it, though, Alexander¡¯s also a fan of H, so he¡¯d definitely attend the fan meeting. He even promised to wait for me after the event. So, Elise pushed the unsettling thoughts to the back of her mind and returned to her room to change before heading out. She then hailed a cab to Jamie¡¯s office. After undergoing a makeover by a makeup artist and a stylist, she reappeared with a brand new look. ¡°Boss, you look absolutely stunning and cool in this get-up. Your fans will be so hyped to see you like this.¡± Elise stared at her own reflection, feeling quite satisfied about how she looked. ¡°It¡¯s a brand new start today. Hopefully I can finally be myself again from now on.¡± ¡°Everything will go well, Boss. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡­ At this very moment, thergest stadium in Athesea was filled with people. Fans were holding LED sign boards of H high above their heads, and never ending waves of ecstatic cheers filled the air. A minivan slowly arrived at the entrance, and screams grew louder wherever it drove past. ¡°Boss, you have such passionate fans!¡± Jamie couldn¡¯t help but exim. Elise looked at her fans around her through the windows, feeling unbelievably moved. These people were from all over the world, but they were all gathered here today just for her. They were all strangers to each other who had traveled far and wide to see her. ¡°Boss, you can just head inside from the entrance. Our security system is very well-established here; there¡¯ll be more than 20 bodyguards around you at all times to ensure your safety.¡± ¡°I know. There¡¯s a huge crowd today, so tell everyone to stay safe.¡± When the car fully came to a stop, Jamie got down first and opened the door for Elise before she swiftly got down. The moment she did so, the surrounding crowd reacted enthusiastically. They couldn¡¯t stop cheering for H, and Elise waved at them with a smile on her face as she followed the bodyguards into the venue. Mika, who was standing amidst the crowd, spotted H immediately. She couldn¡¯t help but buzz with excitement as she said to Jack eagerly, ¡°Look¡ªit¡¯s really H! She¡¯s so pretty in person!¡± Jack followed her line of sight. A pleasant surprise filled his eyes when heid eyes on Elise. H had always mesmerized her fans with her voice alone, so he didn¡¯t think that she¡¯d be so beautiful in person. ¡°She¡¯s indeed very pretty. She looks so young too! She doesn¡¯t look like a singer with years of experience at all.¡± In response, Mika patted his shoulder matter-of-factly. ¡°H debuted when she was 15, so she should only be around 18 or 19 now. Don¡¯t you know that?¡± Jack felt a little embarrassed; in truth, he actually didn¡¯t know much about H. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that, but I do now that you¡¯ve told me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine! We should head inside too. But why isn¡¯t Elise here yet?¡± Mika decided to give Elise a call as she spoke, but she was stopped by Jack. ¡°You don¡¯t need to call her. It¡¯s so crowded here anyway, so the signal is probably bad too. She¡¯ll definitely head inside if she¡¯s here, so let¡¯s just wait for her inside.¡± Hearing that, Mika put away her phone and went through the entrance with Jack. Meanwhile, Elise went to her dressing room backstage to take a break. Without missing a beat, the director came over to check up on her schedule for the day. After they were done with that, Elise took a look at the time. There¡¯s 10 more minutes before showtime. I wonder if Mika and the others are here yet. As that thought flooded her mind, her phone buzzed with a notification. It was a text message from Mika asking where she was. Elise quickly replied, ¡®I¡¯m already here. See youter!¡¯ Then, she kept her phone away. Since Mika and Jack are here, Alexander should also have arrived. ¡°Boss, it¡¯s time toT¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. stand by,¡± Jamie came and informed her. Elise got up and made her way toward the waiting area. Round after round of energetic cheers came from the stadium; they hadn¡¯t stopped once even before Elise made her appearance onstage. ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯m sure everyone here can¡¯t wait to see our star of the day¡ªH! Well then, what are we waiting for? Let¡¯s wee her onstage together!¡± The host¡¯s friendly interaction fired up the crowd, and they cheered in unison, ¡°Ten¡­ nine¡­ eight¡­ seven¡­¡± When the final second came, Elise ascended up the stage from below on a trap door, slowlying into view before her audience. The surrounding screams and cheers amplified at once. As Elise took it all in, she couldn¡¯t help but feel deeply overwhelmed. She walked toward the host and he quickly passed her a microphone. ¡°Here, H. Go on and introduce yourself to the fans.¡± Elise took the microphone and she looked around at her fans, who had filled every seat in the stadium. She said, ¡°Hello everyone, I¡¯m H. It¡¯s great to see you all!¡± Chapter 232 Chapter 232 Chapter 232 Do You Know Who H Is? ,Coolest Girl in Town Her surroundings erupted into wave after wave of earth-shattering cheers and ps. The audience¡¯s reaction was huge. Elise couldn¡¯t help but feel influenced by her fans¡¯ positivity as she stared at the crowd around her. ¡°It¡¯s been a while!¡± ¡°Wee back!!!¡± the crowd cheered in unison three times in a row. It was as if they were a thousand voices in one. ¡°Alright, alright. I believe H can already feel how happy you are to see her here. As a loyal fan myself, I¡¯m very excited to see H back on stage as well. As such, is there anything you would like to share with us today?¡± Elise faced the camera with a smile as her eyes swept across the thousands upon thousands of fans who were here with her today. She said candidly, ¡°First of all, I¡¯d like to thank you all foring here to see me. You guys honestly touched my heart. I mean, how lucky am I to be loved by so many people in the world? Thank you all for giving me endless surprises and love, and thank you for waiting for me all this while! Hopefully, I¡¯ll be able to return one day in the future to release more music for you all. Thank you!¡± The stadium once again erupted into apuse. ¡°Of course, there¡¯s nothing we want more than for you to continue making music. After all, fans are still waiting for your new song to drop. To be honest, in these three years of your hiatus, H, I¡¯ve been looping the same few familiar songs of yours on my phone. I wonder if we¡¯ll have the honor of hearing them live today. What do you say?¡± The host turned to Elise while the crowd cheered her on. Elise gave a soft smile and nodded. ¡°Definitely!¡± The audience cheered ecstatically, and even the host was visibly excited to hear that. ¡°Well then, what are we waiting for? Let¡¯s all sit back and enjoy the music!¡± With the host¡¯s words, the entire stadium quietened down at once. ¡°Now, H will be bringing us a medley of three songs. The stage is yours, H!¡± The host then left, and Elise was now the only one left onstage. She stood in the middle, trying to find Mika¡¯s seat. After skimming the audience, she finally spotted her friend in the crowd. Her lips curved into a sweet smile as the stage lights gradually dimmed. The background music yed, and Elise¡¯s dulcet voice filled every corner of the stadium through the speakers. Her fans eventually started singing along with her softly. Elise sang three of her hit songs in one go before ending the performance. ¡°Well, I was the only one singing on stage earlier, and I felt like something¡¯s missing¡­ Why don¡¯t I pick a lucky winner from the audience to join me in my next song?¡± Just as Elise spoke into the microphone, her surroundings exploded into squeals. ¡°Pick me!¡± ¡°H, look here! Pick me!¡± ¡°Pick me!¡± Her fans in the front row screamed eagerly, and Elise simply smiled casually as she said, ¡°I¡¯ll just pick someone at random, then. How about the person in the sixth seat on the third row?¡± When Mika heard the number, she instinctively eximed with her ticket in her hand, ¡°That¡¯s me! She picked me!¡± Jack said in encouragement from the side, ¡°Get up there, then! Go and meet your idol.¡± ¡°Let us wee our lucky fan onstage,¡± Elise said, and a light focused onto Mika all of a sudden. She wasn¡¯t used to being put under the spotlight like this, but she still stood up excitedly and made her way to the stage under the envious eyes of the audience. Elise took the initiative to go up to Mika when she saw her. Mika was so nervous to meet H that she couldn¡¯t speak, but Elise reached out and wrapped her in a hug as the singer whispered in her friend¡¯s ear, ¡°How are you feeling? Are you excited?¡± Mika jolted at the sound of that voice. She pulled away from H in disbelief, staring into the eyes of this unfamiliar face. For some reason, she felt like she knew this pair of eyes¡­ ¡°Are¡­ Are you¡­¡± Elise smiled and took Mika¡¯s hand. ¡°This next song is for my best friend. I was a little surprised and shocked when I heard that she¡¯s my fan. She told me that her biggest dream is to one day be able to meet her idol, so I feel like I have to fulfill her humble wish today. So, this song is for you, best friend.¡± Immediately, the music started ying, and Elise sang into the microphone as she faced Mika. Mika was stunned by the sight before her. The look in her eyes was filled with astonishment as she stared at Elise. I can¡¯t believe it¡ªthe singer that I¡¯ve idolized for so many years is my best friend? How¡¯s this possible? Perhaps she was overthinking, or maybe this was all a hallucination. She stood on the spot and pinched her thigh as hard as she could. The sharp pain that shot up her skin made her realize that this wasn¡¯t a dream. It was real. She stared at Elise, her mouth slightly agape in an upward angle. The next second, she took the initiative and held Elise¡¯s hand, immersing herself in her best friend¡¯s singing. So this is what she wanted to surprise me with! What a huge surprise indeed! After the song, Elise and Mika shared a meaningful look as they locked eyes. ¡°Thank you so much foring onstage with me! I have a small gift for you.¡± Just as she was done speaking, a stage worker brought out a brand new CD. It was a song that Elise had recorded just for Mika¡ªit was the one and only copy just for her best friend. ¡°This is for you.¡± Mika took it and said, ¡°Thanks!¡± She pulled Elise in for another hug and whispered, ¡°Thank you, Elise!¡± Elise let go of her with a smile and watched as she got off the stage. Mika was still quite jittery when she left the stage. She clutched the CD tight in her hands and went back to her seat, unable to hide the emotions she was feeling. When Jack saw her excitement, he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°How was meeting your idol in person?¡± Mika chuckled bashfully without answering his question. Jack frowned slightly and said again, ¡°Look how happy you are! You¡¯re even more excited than someone who¡¯s just won the lottery.¡± Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. However, Mika simply ignored him again with her eyes fixed on Elise who was on the stage. She still couldn¡¯t recover from the shock from earlier. Seeing that she wasn¡¯t responding to him, Jack was a little disappointed. The endless cheers for H around him wasn¡¯t helping either. He became even more annoyed. ¡°I really don¡¯t know what magic she holds over these people for them to act so crazily.¡± Unexpectedly, Mika was very upset once she heard that. ¡°Shut up, Jack! Are you the only person that¡¯s allowed to make your fans go wild?¡± Jack threw his hands up helplessly. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. It¡¯s just that these fans are really too¡­ crazy.¡± Mika broke into sniggers, but she immediately followed up in a mysterious tone. ¡°Do you know who H is?¡± Jack was baffled. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Mika tilted her head and gave it some thought. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m the only one who knows H¡¯s true identity. She said again, ¡°Like I said, do you know who H is?¡± Chapter 233 Chapter 233 Chapter 233 Are You Really Elise? ,Coolest Girl in Town Jack stared at Mika fixedly. He had a feeling that whatever she was about to say was going to be outrageous, so he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Who?¡± Mika replied matter-of-factly, ¡°She¡¯s Elise.¡± ¡°What?¡± Jack¡¯s jaw dropped. However, Mika simply nodded solemnly. ¡°Yes, Elise is H, and H is Elise.¡± Jack whipped his head toward H who was on the stage. It was no wonder he had a faint feeling that the woman looked a little familiar. Nheless, little did he expect that she¡¯d be Elise! How¡¯s this possible? Elise is just a yokel from the countryside¡ªshe¡¯s a country bumpkin! How can she be H, the hottest celebrity from three years ago? ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± Jack blurted out offhandedly. At the same time, he instinctively recalled inside, Who was the one who had put the music score for my new song in my office back then? He¡¯d looked through the CCTV footage after that. He remembered seeing Elise enter his office during that period of time, but he never thought of putting the two together. Now that he knew Elise was none other than H, everything finally made sense. The song was written by Elise, and she¡¯d ced the score in his office. She was also the one who had written the rification post on Twitter. After silently doing so much behind his back, didn¡¯t that mean that he had indirectly be incredibly indebted to her? ¡°Are you sure that she¡¯s Elise?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure. There¡¯s no mistaking it. Think about it ¡ªthe VIP tickets she gave us aren¡¯t sold to the public. How did she get them, then? It¡¯s definitely because she¡¯s H, so getting her hands on these tickets was just a walk in the park!¡± Even when Mika put it that way, Jack found it difficult to believe that Elise was H. ¡°Does Alexander know about this?¡± Alexander was also a fan of H, and he was also here at the event today. Wait¡ªwhere¡¯s Alexander? Jack looked around and realized the seat that belonged to Alexander was empty. Why didn¡¯t hee today? In fact, Jack wasn¡¯t the only one who was looking for Alexander; Elise was also searching for him as she stood on the stage. However, she couldn¡¯t seem to spot him even after ncing through the crowd. Her hands instinctively balled into fists. The next agenda of the event was an interactive session. She initially set up the fun game with the intention of telling Alexander a snippet of the truth through the activity, but now that Alexander wasn¡¯t even around, was there still a point in having the session? In the end, she straight up told the staff members to cancel the session altogether. Up until the fan meeting event ended, Elise didn¡¯t see a sign of Alexander. ¡°With that, our fan meeting today hase to an end. Thank you everyone foring! Next, we have a lucky draw activity. One of you lucky fans will receive an exclusive signed album of H¡­¡± As the host began his concluding speech onstage, Elise slowly left the stage. Without even changing out of her performance outfit, she frantically looked for her phone and gave Alexander a call. ¡°Hello, the number you¡¯ve dialed is out of reach¡­¡± Elise had a bad feeling once she heard the robotic female voice in her ear. Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. Alexander, why didn¡¯t youe today? Where are you? Why¡¯s your phone turned off? Her assistant hastily ran up to her and asked, ¡°H, some of your fans would like to take photos with you. Are you okay with that?¡± Elise snapped out of her worries and immediately put away her phone while feigning nonchnce. ¡°Sure, let them in.¡± With that, a group of fans rushed over, holding their phones up to take photos of Elise. There were also some who went up to her for photos together. By the time her fans dissipated, an hour had already passed. Elise almost felt like a smiling machine from posing toward cameras nonstop for such a long time! Phew. I¡¯m d it¡¯s finally over. When she was about to leave the stadium, Jamie kindly escorted her to the minivan. ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard today, Boss. It¡¯s great that everything¡¯s gone smoothly. However, I got a lot of calls asking if you¡¯re interested in taking brand endorsement or advertisement deals. I¡¯ve already rejected all of them.¡± Elise said dejectedly, ¡°Alexander didn¡¯te today.¡± Jamie quickly replied, ¡°Perhaps he was busy! Boss, you don¡¯t have to take it personally.¡± Elise responded lightly as she turned her head to watch the view outside. Jamie could obviously tell that she wasn¡¯t in a good mood, but he didn¡¯t know what to say in constion. So, he could only change the subject and talk about other things to shift her attention elsewhere. ¡°Boss, your influence is really off the charts! Out of the ten trending topics on Twitter, eight of them are about your fan meeting today. Go and take a look at their posts¡ªeveryone¡¯s asking for you to make aeback.¡± Elise looked away from the window and finally took out her phone to tap into Twitter. Jamie was right¡ªshe was upying a majority of the trending topics on Twitter. A number of fans also sent her direct messages, asking her when she was nning to return. Elise simply scrolled briefly before she turned off her phone with a smile. ¡°Jamie, what do you think? Is it time I make aeback? At least I wouldn¡¯t disappoint them if I do that.¡± The car screeched as it came to an abrupt stop the moment she said that. Jamie said in a panic, ¡°No! Boss, if you return to the entertainment industry, what happens to thepany? Back then, you said you¡¯d only leave it to us for a few months, but it became two years. Then, you dragged on for another two years, but now you sound like you¡¯re going to leave it to us for even longer.¡± Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. Jamie sounded like he was about to cry. Elise quickly tried to calm him down. ¡°There, there. I wasn¡¯t being serious. I currently don¡¯t n on making aeback just yet.¡± He felt better once he heard that. ¡°That sounds better! That¡¯s right, Boss. Are you putting that makeup on today?¡± Elise nced at her reflection. She¡¯d nned toe clean with everyone today, but since Alexander wasn¡¯t there, she¡¯d almost forgotten about that. Since I¡¯ve already made a decision, though, I¡¯m going to face everyone today with a brand new me no matter what! ¡°No need. Let¡¯s just head back.¡± ¡°Alrighty.¡± When Jamie sent Elise back to the Griffith Residence, Mika and Jack were already home. Mika crashed into her arms the second she got down from the car. ¡°Ah!!! Elise, it¡¯s really you!¡± Jack stared at the ¡°unfamiliar¡± face by the side. He couldn¡¯t help but ask in disbelief, ¡°Are you really Elise?¡± Elise looked at the two people in front of her. With a smile, she said candidly, ¡°What do you think?¡± It was the same voice, the same tone of speech, and the same expression. Who else could she be other than Elise? ¡°But your face¡­ How¡¯s this possible?¡± Jack recalled the time he first saw Elise. He made fun of her for being ugly and called her a country bumpkin. Even after getting along with her for a long time, he still thought that she was pretty ugly to look at, but now that he was staring at this woman in front of him who had such exquisite features, he just wanted to say¡­ She¡¯s far from ugly!! She practically looked like an international beauty queen no less! Even a Hollywood A-list celebrity couldn¡¯tpare to her in terms of looks! ¡°Elise, that was too huge of a surprise from you.¡± While Jack said that calmly, Mika was losing her cool by the side. ¡°My best friend Elise is a big hottie¡ªhow wonderful is that! Most importantly, Elise is H! That¡¯s the most amazing news I¡¯ve ever heard! Oh, I¡¯m about to die from happiness. I¡¯m going to school with H every day! I can¡¯t believe it. My heart is going to burst!¡± Elise couldn¡¯t help but tease, ¡°Are you really that happy?¡± Chapter 234 Chapter 234 Mika nodded eagerly. ¡°Yes, yes! You can¡¯t see it, but my heart¡¯s pumping so fast right now!¡± Elise yed along and reached out to feel her heart. ¡°Let me hear it.¡± Mika immediately nudged closer to her. The two girls locked eyes and shared a smile. Elise nodded solemnly and said, ¡°Wow, it¡¯s true!¡± Mika¡¯s face turned pink. ¡°Elise, you¡¯re so pretty when you smile! How did I not know about this back then? You¡¯re so charming; I¡¯d be so smitten by you if I were a man.¡± Elise knocked on her head lightly. ¡°Let¡¯s do that in our next lives! I promise I¡¯ll marry you if you¡¯re a man.¡± ¡°Sure, promise!¡± Elise smiled and she finally looked toward Jack. Seeing that he was still in disbelief, she wasn¡¯t nning to exin much either. She simply asked, ¡°Have you seen Alexander?¡± Jack instinctively shook his head. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen him the entire day. Ask Ste! She probably knows.¡± Jack quickly called for Ste. Surprisingly, Ste stared at Elise like she was a stranger. She even asked, ¡°Who¡¯s thisdy here, Young Master Jack?¡± Elise smiled at Ste and said, ¡°Ste, it¡¯s me¡ªElise.¡± Ste visibly jolted at the sound of that. The woman usually got along quite well with Elise. Even though Elise had a peculiar personality and had a habit of dressing up in strange fashion every day, Ste had in turn be quite used to that version of her. Right now, such a gorgeous woman was standing right in front of her, but she had the same exact voice as Elise. The two women bore so much of a difference that Ste had trouble believing they were the same person. ¡°Did you say you¡¯re¡­ Miss Elise?¡± Elise nodded, but Ste was still in disbelief. ¡°Miss, you¡¯re kidding, right? Even though Miss Elise isn¡¯t exactly the most beautiful woman out there, she¡¯s very kind and she¡¯s a nice lady. On the other hand, you¡¯re so pretty¡ªthis is too much of a differencepared to Miss Elise! How¡¯s that possible?¡± ¡°Ste, it¡¯s really me!¡± Elise said sincerely. However, Ste still couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. Has the ugly duckling really transformed into a swan? ¡°I still don¡¯t believe you, unless you tell me a secret that only me and Miss Elise would know about.¡± Elise smiled slightly. She quickly went up to Ste and whispered into her ear. The older woman was quite taken aback when she heard Elise¡¯s words. ¡°A-Are you really Miss Elise?¡± ¡°Yes, Ste! It¡¯s really me!¡± ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t believe it¡­ Miss Elise, did you get stic surgery?¡± Elise shook her head with a smile. ¡°No, it¡¯s just that I used to dress myself up too¡­ unfashionably. Anyway, this is the real me.¡± Though Ste wasn¡¯t fully convinced by Elise¡¯s exnation, she decided to believe that the person before her was indeed Elise. ¡°Miss Elise, is there anything you need from me?¡± Elise answered immediately, ¡°Where¡¯s Alexander? Did hee home?¡± Ste¡¯s expression soured at the mention of Alexander. ¡°Miss Elise, I¡¯d almost forgotten to tell you about it. Young Master Alexander has gone overseas; he left in a hurry in the morning. Apparently, Mr. and Mrs. Griffith got into an ident over there¡­¡± ¡°What did you say? What happened to my parents?¡± Jack hastily butted in. Ste was initially nning to hide it from him, but she could no longer do so. Now, she had no choice but to tell the truth. ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Griffith got into an ident in Yveltalia, and there hasn¡¯t been any news of their whereabouts. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. Young Master Alexander immediately arranged a private jet to fly him to Yveltalia upon hearing the news. He¡¯s probably arrived by now. He even informed me to apologize to you on behalf of him before he left, Miss Elise.¡± Jack had already turned around by the time Ste was done speaking. He made his way to the main door in long strides. Elise quickly rushed up to him when she came back to her senses. ¡°Jack! Where¡¯re you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to Yveltalia to find my parents.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with you,¡± Elise said without a second thought. Jack nodded. ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Wait for me. I¡¯ll go grab my passport upstairs.¡± With those words, Elise scurried upstairs. Ste stopped her immediately. ¡°Miss Elise, Young Master Alexander specifically said that you should wait at home.¡± ¡°You too, Young Master Jack! You should stay at home too. Young Master Alexander said that he¡¯ll be able to handle the situation there alone. He¡¯ll let you two know as soon as there are any updates.¡± Hearing that, Mika chimed in, ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s right! The situation¡¯s unclear now, so you two won¡¯t be able to help much even if you go there. Why don¡¯t you guys stay at home and wait patiently?¡± However, Jack was persistent. ¡°That won¡¯t do. I have to go.¡± ¡°Young Master Jack! You must listen to Young Master Alexander!¡± Jack¡¯s hands tightened into fists on either side. After a moment of deep thought, he finally said, ¡°Let me know if there¡¯s news.¡± ¡°Understood, Young Master Jack. Don¡¯t worry, both of you. Mr. and Mrs. Griffith are wonderful people, so the heavens will definitely keep them safe. They¡¯ll be okay for sure.¡± Ste didn¡¯t know if she was trying tofort them or herself with those words. Meanwhile, Elise could only pray silently that everything was fine. That day, the inside of the Griffith Residence was brightly lit the entire night. Jack stayed up in the living room all night long, while Elise and Mika only drifted off to sleep hours after midnight when they couldn¡¯t hold in their drowsiness anymore. Elise woke up early the next morning. The first thing she did was to ask Ste, ¡°How¡¯s everything? Any updates?¡± Ste shook her head. ¡°Not yet, but don¡¯t worry, Miss Elise. No news is often the best news.¡± Elise was a little disappointed. ¡°I can only hope they¡¯re safe and well.¡± Just as the words left her mouth, the telephone in the living room rang. Elise was the first to react; she scrambled to the living room and picked up the call. ¡°Hello? Is it Alexander?¡± A familiar voice replied from the other end of the line, ¡°It¡¯s me. You¡¯re up early, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Elise asked, ¡°How¡¯s it going over there? Are your parents okay?¡± ¡°We have yet to find them at the moment. I¡¯m just calling to let you guys know that you don¡¯t have to worry. Also, I was in a hurry yesterday so I left without saying goodbye. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°No worries! Be sure to take care of yourself over there too. Let us know at once if there are any updates.¡± Just then, Jack walked up to her. Elise quickly handed him the phone. ¡°I¡¯m passing the phone to Jack. He needs to talk to you.¡± Then, the boys talked for a while on the phone before Jack hung up. The constant bad feeling that weighed on Elise¡¯s heart was finally lifted after getting a call from Alexander. Now that she was done with the college entrance examination and her fan meeting was also over, she had be quite free all of a sudden. And so, she thought, Why don¡¯t I take the chance to visit Grandpa and Grandma at home? She quickly made up her mind and went back to her room to pack up some things. That afternoon, she set out for home. As she watched the scenery gradually be more and more familiar during her journey of a few hours, she cheered up considerably. After all, in her six months of being away, there was never a moment where she wasn¡¯t longing to return home. The car slowly made a turn into a path amidst a prairie before it slowly came to a stop in front of a luxurious mansion. ¡°I¡¯m back, Grandpa and Grandma¡­¡± Robin and Laura were sitting under the grapevines, enjoying the afternoon breeze. They thought they¡¯d hallucinated when they heard Elise¡¯s voice, but the two elderly were delighted to see Elise once she came into view. ¡°Ellie is back.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell us you were coming home? And why are you alone? Where¡¯s Alex?¡± Robin asked as he peered behind Elise for a sign of Alexander. Elise quickly exined, ¡°He didn¡¯te, Grandpa. He¡¯s busy.¡± Robin was visibly disappointed when he heard that. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you bring my grandson-inw home for a visit? You¡¯re so inconsiderate, Ellie¡­¡± Chapter 235 Chapter 235 Elise immediately took Robin¡¯s arm. ¡°Now, now, Grandpa, doesn¡¯t it make you happy that I¡¯m back?¡± ¡°Oh, it does! I¡¯m happy!¡± Laura pulled a rocking chair over and gestured Elise toward it, urging, ¡°Stop standing there chatting, you two. Elise,e here and have a seat. I heard you¡¯ve finished your college entrance exam. What are you nning to do next?¡± At the sight of the rocking chair, Elise couldn¡¯t help putting on a beautiful smile. She quickly sat in the chair and stared up at the familiar sky above her. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since Ist sat in this chair and chatted with you two¡­¡± Laura smiled and then asked the servants to bring Elise¡¯s favorite fruit tter over. As the three chatted about their daily lives, Robin asked, ¡°¡­Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ll be going to college again, Elise. Didn¡¯t you graduate from college abroad a long time ago?¡± Elise replied with a smile, ¡°Well, I think it¡¯s pretty nice to go to college, actually. At least I wouldn¡¯t have to be in a hurry to inherit the family business.¡± In reality, the Sinirs and the Griffiths were evenly matched, as the former¡¯s family business was no less sessful than thetter¡¯s. Laura replied, ¡°Oh, you silly girl! Your grandpa and I are in no hurry to let you take over the family business. Besides, we¡¯ve got professional managers to take care of it at present, so we¡¯re not worried about that. Still, ever since your parents passed away, your grandpa and I have been wishing more than anything else to see you get married and settle down. Now that you¡¯re engaged to Alexander, I¡¯m wishing that you two would get married sooner and give us a great- grandson to y with¡­¡± Speechless, Elise couldn¡¯t help but wipe the sweat off her forehead. ¡°I¡¯m only 18, Grandma¡­¡± Laura argued, ¡°So what if you¡¯re only 18? Being 18 means you¡¯re an adult already! I was only 18 when I gave birth to your dad. It wasn¡¯t a problem, right?¡± Elise replied, ¡°But times are different now, Grandma. These days, it¡¯s rmended that we have babies at ater age for better child rearing. I don¡¯t wanna think about getting married until at least five yearster¡ª¡± Upon hearing Elise¡¯s reply, Laura, choked with exasperation, instantly burst into a coughing fit. Robin quickly patted her on the back with a smile, saying, ¡°Having a meltdown, eh, honey?¡± Laura red daggers at him before turning to look at Elise. ¡°You wanna make us wait for five more years, Elise? Your grandpa and I have been getting older and older these years, you know? If you have a baby early, we could help you take care of them. If you put it off until a few yearster, I¡¯m afraid we¡¯d¡­¡± Robin yed along with Laura, letting out a sigh of helplessness. Elise was stupefied to see Robin and Laura singing the same tune. So they¡¯ve turned from pressing me to find a boyfriend to urging me to have babies? ¡°This is putting me on the spot!¡± she groaned. Then, she suggested, ¡°Uh, Grandma, how about I get married a year earlier at the age of 22?¡± Laura let out another sigh. ¡°What on earth is wrong with our family? We¡¯ve got enough to worry about your aunt; she¡¯s already 30 years old and yet still single. And now¡ª¡± ¡°Alright, Grandma! I promise you that I¡¯ll get married as soon as Ie of age, okay?¡± Upon hearing Elise say so, Laura promptly nodded. ¡°Okay, you said so yourself! That means there¡¯s only two years left. Well, your grandpa and I can wait that long.¡± Elise was rendered speechless. Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. Why do I feel like I¡¯ve fallen into Grandma¡¯s trap? Well, it¡¯s a bit early to get married at the age of 20, but it¡¯s okay to get married anytime as long as Alexander and I feel like it. Besides, the only thing that decides whether I get married or not is not my age, but whether I feel like doing so! Now that Elise had come round to it, she thought it was a pretty good idea to get married early. Well, it¡¯s just that I¡¯m still a teenage girl, so the subject of marriage still makes me feel a little shy, she thought. The Sinir Residence sprang to life thanks to Elise¡¯s return. The next day, she went to visit her parents¡¯ grave. Elise grew up by Robin and Laura¡¯s side as a child. From what she had heard from them, her parents passed away in a car ident when she was little, so she had little memory of her parents. The only memory she had of them was the ck-and-white photo disyed on the wall at home. Staring at the couple in the ck-and-white photo, she greeted affectionately, ¡°Hi, Dad! Hi, Mom!¡± Her eyes full of sadness, Laura sighed helplessly next to Elise, whereas Robin wrapped his arm around her shoulder,forting her silently. ¡°Elise, let¡¯s go back after we¡¯ve finished paying respects to your mom and dad,¡± he suggested. ¡°Okay,¡± Elise replied. Nevertheless, she couldn¡¯t help but take a long stare at the couple in the photo before leaving. Laura would feel down for a while whenever she visited Elise¡¯s parents¡¯ grave. Elise knew that her parents¡¯ death was Laura¡¯s lifelong grief, so she and Robin rarely brought up the subject of her parents for fear of reopening old wounds for Laura. She stepped forward and took Laura¡¯s arm, saying, ¡°I¡¯m still here for you, Grandma.¡± Laura¡¯s eyes instantly moistened at Elise¡¯s words. She took Elise¡¯s hand and nodded heavily, saying, ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re still here for me. I¡¯m so d that you¡¯re here!¡± That night, Elise went back to her room early to sleep, whereas Robin and Laura were wide awake. As the old couple sat in the courtyard and stared at the moon above them, Laura gave a quiet sigh. ¡°Elise has grown up to be such a fine woman. I¡¯d say it¡¯s time for us to tell her about that.¡± Looking at the night sky, Robin patted Laura on the shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s wait for two more years. It wouldn¡¯t bete for us to tell her after she gets married. She¡¯s not our own granddaughter, but we¡¯ve been treating her as such over the years. Honestly, I feel guilty whenever we tell her she¡¯s our son¡¯s daughter.¡± Tears rolled down Laura¡¯s face at once. ¡°How I wish she were our son¡¯s own daughter! But things didn¡¯t turn out the way we wanted. She¡¯s been with us for so many years, and she¡¯s slowly soothed our grief of losing our son and helped us through our pain¡­ But she has her own parents, too. Could her family be looking for her as well? Say, wouldn¡¯t it be unfair to her that we¡¯d kept her with us for so many years?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve never thought about what you¡¯re saying.¡± Robin wiped the tears off Laura¡¯s face with a piece of tissue. ¡°Elise¡¯s been clever ever since she was little, and she¡¯s quick on the uptake. In that respect, she¡¯s the spitting image of Cynthia when thetter was a child. You can rest assured, anyway. With the Griffith Family¡¯s help, she¡¯d be well-off in the future. As for who her real family is, let¡¯s tell her about that at the right time instead.¡± The biting wind blew on Elise¡¯s face, but she couldn¡¯t feel it at all. She stared at the old couple sitting in the night wind with her mouth open, but for a long time, she couldn¡¯t utter a sound. She only went downstairs for a walk because she couldn¡¯t sleep, but she didn¡¯t expect to overhear such a big secret by chance. To think that I¡¯m not Elise Sinir, the Sinir Family¡¯s granddaughter! Then who am I? She covered her mouth and fought back her tears. Then, she quietly turned around and headed back into the house. Chapter 236 Chapter 236 After mming the door shut, Elise crouched down, wrapped her arms around her knees, and broke into sobs. She didn¡¯t know why she was so upset. Even though she had never experienced love from her parents, she was especially content with Robin and Laura¡¯s doting affection for her. Not only that, but she felt blessed to grow up in such a family. To think that I¡¯d suddenly be told one day that all of this is false, and that I¡¯m only an adopted child who is no different from those kids in the orphanage¡­ It broke her heart even more to think of this. After a long time, there was a knock on the door. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, Elise?¡± Elise froze when she heard Laura¡¯s concerned voice from behind. She hastily wiped the tears off her face, took a deep breath, and replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine, Grandma.¡± However, the sobs in Elise¡¯s voice were so noticeable that there was no way Laura didn¡¯t notice them. She pushed the door open and quickly switched on the light, asking, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Elise? Why are you crying?¡± Looking at her amiable grandmother before her, Elise took a big step forward and reached out to hold Laura in her arms. ¡°Grandma¡­¡± Baffled, Laura quickly patted Elise on the back, thinking that thetter had just had a nightmare. ¡°There, now. It¡¯s alright. You had a nightmare, huh?¡± Elise merely held Laura tightly in her arms without saying a word. ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s just a dream, so don¡¯t be afraid. Your grandpa and I are here.¡± Elise could no longer stop her tears from running down her face. ¡°Grandma, will you and Grandpa always be with me?¡± Upon hearing such a childish question from Elise, Laura instantly replied with augh, ¡°Oh, of course we will! However old our Elise is, you¡¯ll always be a kid to us. We¡¯ll always be with you, so don¡¯t worry, okay? Just get a good sleep, and everything will be fine tomorrow.¡± Elise let go of Laura and wiped the tears off her face. ¡°Really? Is everything gonna be fine tomorrow?¡± Laura reassured her, saying, ¡°Yes, of course. Now, Elise, let¡¯s go to sleep. I¡¯ll have your favorite pancakes prepared tomorrow with a sausage added, okay?¡± Elise chuckled at Laura¡¯s words. Then, she stuck out two fingers, saying, ¡°I want two sausages, please.¡± ¡°Alright, there¡¯ll be two sausages then. Can you go to sleep now?¡± To Laura¡¯s surprise, Elise tugged at her arm and pleaded like a spoiled child, ¡°No, Grandma. Can I sleep with you tonight?¡± ¡°You still wanna sleep with me? You¡¯re no longer a kid, you know?¡± ¡°Grandma¡­¡± ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯ll sleep with you.¡± Elise took Laura¡¯s arm and went to bed with her, but she had a lot on her mind and was sleepless all night. Over the next few days, Elise spent time with Robin and Laura as usual, pretending that the conversation she had overheard that night had never happened. About a weekter, she received a phone call from Alexander. ¡°Have you found your mom and dad? Are they alright?¡± she asked. Alexander sounded a bit tired on the other end of the line. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve found them. It¡¯s just that my dad injured his right leg. He¡¯s undergone surgery and will be going back to the country to recuperate.¡± ¡°They¡¯re gonnae back?¡± ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Alexander mumbled a response on the other end of the line. ¡°They¡¯ll be back in a few days after my dad¡¯s discharged from the hospital here.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m d to hear that your mom and dad are fine. I¡¯m now at home, and I¡¯ll be going back tomorrow¡­¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Elise pursed her lips. Then, she asked, ¡°Uh, do you still remember what I said to you before H¡¯s fan meeting?¡± Alexander gave it a moment¡¯s thought on the other end before he replied, ¡°Yeah, I do.¡± ¡°You missed it earlier because of what happened to your mom and dad. I¡¯ll tell you about it when youe back, okay?¡± Alexander replied, ¡°Okay.¡± Elise hung up. The next day, she said goodbye to Robin and Laura and returned to Athesea. As soon as she stepped into the Griffith Residence, she heard the sounds of games in the living room. Ste hurriedly came forward and took Elise¡¯s suitcase from her, saying, ¡°Wee back, Miss Elise.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Elise replied with a smile. Then, she asked, ¡°Who¡¯s ying games?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Young Master Danny¡­¡± Elise strode into the living room. ¡°Why are you ying games here, Danny?¡± ¡°Wee back, Boss¡ª¡± Danny replied. Before his voice could fade, though, he seemed to have had the shock of his life, and he jumped up from the sofa. ¡°W-Who are you?¡± Only then did Elise remember that she was no longer disguising herself with ugly makeup at present. Moreover, Danny didn¡¯t know that her current appearance was what she really looked like. Therefore, she replied with a chuckle, ¡°Who do you think I am?¡± Danny gaped at Elise; his mouth was so agape that one could stuff an egg in it. ¡°Oh, my God! Is that you, Boss?! Did you have stic surgery?¡± Elise wished she could punch him. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®stic surgery¡¯? This is what I really look like, okay?¡± The cell phone in Danny¡¯s hand dropped to the floor at Elise¡¯s words. The game disyed on its screen hadn¡¯t ended yet, but he couldn¡¯t be bothered about it anymore. Immediately, he strode up to Elise and eyed her up and down. Then, he screwed up his face, saying, ¡°Boss, stop fooling me, okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not fooling you. This is really what I look like,¡± Elise replied patiently. Danny still didn¡¯t believe her, though. He fixed his eyes on her as if to see through her, asking, ¡°Then what was the matter with your previous look?¡± ¡°Well, I just wanted to see your true response. It was your fault for behaving so badly when we first met. I haven¡¯t dealt with you for that, okay?¡± Danny flung his arms around Elise. ¡°Sniff¡­ I was wrong, Boss! I¡¯ll take back what I said to you before. You¡¯re not an ugly country bumpkin. You¡¯re an angel descended from heaven¡­¡± Elise was utterly speechless. For a moment, she was at a loss for a reply. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll forgive you.¡± Only then did Danny let go of her with a cackle. ¡°That¡¯s great! By the way, Boss, the results of our college entrance exam wille out tomorrow. Remember to send me your exam registration number so that I can check your results for you.¡± ¡°What? The results are gonnae out tomorrow? That¡¯s quick, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Well, the results usuallye out at 10PM on the 22nd, and today¡¯s the 21st already. But it¡¯s said that the 50 provincial top scorers would learn about their results beforehand.¡± ¡°Oh, is that so? Well then, I¡¯ll hand my exam pass to youter.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The next morning, however, Elise was roused from sleep by the ringing of her cell phone. When she answered the phone in a sleepy haze, she heard a voice asking, ¡°Hi, this is Mayweather University¡¯s student admission office. May I speak to Miss Elise Sinir?¡± Elise opened her eyes at once, though her mind was still in a daze. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Elise Sinir. What can I do for you?¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯ve learned about the results of your college entrance exam and would like to ask if you¡¯re interested in applying to our university. If you enroll at our university, we¡¯ll waive all of your tuition fees and give you a monthly living allowance over your four years at university. Also, you¡¯ll be awarded the National Encouragement Schrship right away in your first year at our university. Are you interested in applying to our university?¡± Elise blurted out subconsciously, ¡°That sounds like a great offer!¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s only natural. After all, our university is among the top ten universities in the country, so you can¡¯t be wrong in choosing us. Besides, our student recruitment officers are already on their way to your home. We can sign the enrollment agreement today if you want.¡± Elise blinked her eyes. Just as she was about to say something, her phone registered another iing call that was also from andline number. She could only reply, ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯ve got another call to answer right now.¡± Then, she answered the new iing call. The voice on the other end said, ¡°Greetings, Miss Sinir. This is Tissote University¡¯s student admission office. May I ask if you¡¯re interested in applying to our university?¡± Tissote University? That¡¯s the second best university in the country! Elise thought. She replied, ¡°Are you really calling from Tissote University?¡± Chapter 237 Chapter 237 ¡°Yes, we are, Miss Sinir. We¡¯ve learned about your college entrance exam results, and with your results, it wouldn¡¯t stress you out to apply to our university. We¡¯ve got the best majors for you to choose from. As long as you apply to our university, we¡¯ll waive your tuition fees, give you a living allowance, and award you schrships every semester.¡± Upon hearing this, Elise had it roughly figured out. She had heard earlier that before the results of the college entrance exam came out, the officers from the top universities in the country would visit the top scorers in various subjects at home to get them to enroll at their universities. T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. She had thought it was an exaggeration, and it wasn¡¯t until now that she realized this was all true. ¡°Mayweather University also called me just now.¡± ¡°What? Did you ept Mayweather University¡¯s offer? No way! Our university is ranked as the top university in the country. Besides, you¡¯re ady and a liberal arts student, while Mayweather University¡¯s popr majors are suitable for science students and thus not suitable for you at all. Tissote University is definitely the better choice for you.¡± Elise replied, ¡°Well, let me think about it.¡± ¡°Sure! Please make sure to apply to our university! You deserve to be a student of Tissote University.¡± Elise was rendered speechless by the caller¡¯s remark. That morning, Elise received phone calls from the top three universities in the country. Mayweather University and Tissote University¡¯s student recruitment officers even came to her to persuade her to enroll at their university. For a moment, the Griffith Residence became especially lively. Elise had been wanting to know her actual results after talking to the student recruitment officers. However, they were too tight-lipped and wouldn¡¯t tell her her exam results unless they got a definite reply from her. Because of that, she was quite upset. Mayweather University¡¯s student recruitment officers looked at Elise hopefully. ¡°Have you made up your mind, Miss Sinir? Are you gonna enroll in our university?¡± A hint of shrewdness flickered across Elise¡¯s eyes as she faced the many pairs of eyes before her. ¡°Well, everyone, I think it¡¯s still too early to enroll in any university right now. It won¡¯t be toote for me to decide which university to enroll in after looking at my results.¡± Upon hearing her reply, the student recruitment officers from Tissote University got impatient at once. ¡°Why do you need to look at your exam results? Your results are terrific¡ªyou scored full marks in a number of subjects!¡± Elise¡¯s heart thumped unstoppably at the officers¡¯ words. What? I scored full marks in a number of subjects? ¡°Really?¡± At the sight of Elise¡¯s expectant eyes, the student recruitment officers from Tissote University could hardly restrain themselves. ¡°Never mind, I¡¯ll tell you your results. You¡¯ll learn about it sooner orter, anyway.¡± On the other hand, the student recruitment officers from Mayweather University were displeased. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s not ying by the rules! Didn¡¯t we agree not to tell her her results in advance?¡± The student recruitment officers from Tissote University replied, ¡°We at Tissote University sincerely wee Miss Sinir to our university. Still, if she¡¯s made a better choice, we¡¯ll naturally respect her decision.¡± As they spoke, they took out a result slip and handed it to Elise. ¡°Please prepare yourself first, Miss Sinir.¡± Elise was startled for a moment before she took the result slip. When she saw her results, her eyes instantly shone with surprise. The result slip read, ¡®English: 148 marks. Mathematics: 150 marks. Chinese: 150 marks. Comprehensive liberal arts: 265 marks. Total: 713 marks.¡¯ ¡°As far as we know, Miss Sinir, you scored the highest among all the liberal arts students in Athesea. So, would you like to study at our university?¡± Elise¡¯s hands trembled slightly. She looked up at the student recruitment officers from Tissote University with a smile, saying, ¡°Well, I was nning to study at Tissote University in the first ce.¡± Upon hearing her reply, the student recruitment officers from Mayweather University knew that there was no way they could get Elise to enroll in their university anymore. Still, unwilling to give up, they asked, ¡°Miss Sinir, aren¡¯t you gonna consider studying at our university?¡± Elise replied apologetically, ¡°Well, I¡¯m a liberal arts student, after all. Mayweather University¡¯s majors are mainly in the sciences, so they¡¯re probably not suitable for me.¡± ¡°Are you really not gonna reconsider your decision? We¡¯ve got some pretty nice liberal arts major programs.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay! We respect your decision,¡± replied the student recruitment officers from Mayweather University. With that, they left the Griffith Residence. After they left, the student recruitment officers from Tissote University immediately said, ¡°Miss Sinir, this officer here can help rmend majors for you. Please take some time to look at these materials for you to choose your major.¡± ¡°Okay. Thanks a lot!¡± ¡°By the way, Miss Sinir, the college entrance exam results are still ssified for now and won¡¯t be announced to the public until 10PM tonight. Please keep it secret for the time being that you¡¯ve learned about your exam results.¡± ¡°Got it. Thank you so much.¡± After showing the student recruitment officers from Tissote University out, Ste hurriedly walked up to Elise. She had heard every word of their conversation, and she never expected that Elise would be so amazing as to be the top scorer in Athesea. ¡°Miss Elise, thete Mr. Griffith will surely be d if he knows that you did so well in the exam.¡± Upon hearing her words, Elise subconsciously turned to look at Jonah¡¯s photograph that was hung on the wall. ¡°You¡¯ll be happy for me, Grandpa Griffith, won¡¯t you?¡± Jonah¡¯s smile was fixed in the photo right there, but Elise felt like she saw Jonah smiling at her then, and her eyes reddened instantly. ¡°Thank you, Grandpa Griffith! I¡¯ll definitely keep working hard.¡± When the time came for the college entrance exam results to be announced that night, Danny had been impatiently refreshing the web page on his cell phone while waiting for the results to be made public. As soon as the results were avable online at 10PM, he hurriedly keyed in his identification number and exam registration number. After he waited for a minute, the results of his college entrance exam were disyed on his phone¡¯s screen. Upon seeing his exam results, he suddenly jumped up from his seat. ¡°Ah! My results¡­ They¡¯re out! They¡¯re out¡­¡± Jack heard Danny¡¯s loud voice from downstairs, but before he could ask Danny about it, thetter had impatiently run downstairs, asking, ¡°Where¡¯s my boss?¡± Jack could only reply, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen her today. She¡¯s in her room, I guess.¡± Danny immediately turned around and ran toward Elise¡¯s room, but Jack stopped him, asking, ¡°Do you really have to get that excited about your results? What score did you get in the exam?¡± Upon hearing Jack¡¯s question, Danny couldn¡¯t help cackling stupidly. He had never thought he would do so well in the exam this time. After all, he used to be a typical study cker, but he had improved so much in his studies after studying with Elise for half a year. He asked Jack, ¡°How much did you score back then?¡± Jack answered, ¡°I was a fine arts student, so I got a lower score, but I managed to enroll at a second-rate university back then.¡± ¡°Well then, guess what score I got in the exam.¡± Jack gave it some serious thought. Well, with Danny¡¯s usual exam results, it¡¯s good enough if he could get into a third-rate university. Therefore, he asked, ¡°You scored high enough to get into a third-rate university, huh?¡± Danny shook his head. Jack then asked, ¡°No way! You scored high enough to get into a second-rate university? It¡¯s simply unimaginable that you could get into a second-rate university with your results!¡± ¡°Nope, I scored better than that. I got a total score of 603 in the exam.¡± ¡°What? You scored 603 in the exam?¡± Doesn¡¯t that mean he¡¯s scored more than enough to get into a first-rate university? Jack still wanted to ask Danny questions, but Danny ignored him and trotted to Elise¡¯s room right away. ¡°Boss, are you inside? The results are out! Have you checked yours?¡± he asked. Right after that, he recalled that he had Elise¡¯s exam pass with him, so he quickly checked her results on his cell phone. Just then, Elise opened the door. At the sight of Danny¡¯s expression, she figured that he must have scored well in the exam this time. So, she asked, ¡°How did you do in the exam?¡± Danny was just about to tell Elise his exam results when his eyes fell on Elise¡¯s exam results disyed on his cell phone. Stupefied, he eximed, ¡°Holy cow! This can¡¯t be true! Boss! Y-Y-You¡¯re¡­ You¡¯re incredible!¡± Elise nodded with a smile and replied, ¡°Well, my score isn¡¯t too bad.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too modest of you to say that, Boss! How could you say your score is ¡®not too bad¡¯ when you scored 713 in the exam? I¡¯d say you¡¯re the top scorer in the exam in our province!¡± ¡°Probably. After all, both Mayweather University and Tissote University havee to me earlier.¡± Danny looked at Elise with admiration and adoration in his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re the GOAT, Boss!¡± Elise frowned slightly. ¡°What does that mean?¡± Chapter 238 Chapter 238 Danny exined with a chuckle, ¡°It¡¯s a recent inte ng that means ¡®Greatest of All Time.¡¯ You¡¯re really amazing, Boss!¡± Just as Elise was about to say something in reply, her cell phone rang in her pocket. When she saw that it was a phone call from an overseas number, she immediately figured out who the caller was. ¡°It must be a call from Alexander. Boss, answer the phone while I tell the others our results,¡± Danny said before he left. Elise went back to her room before answering the phone. Alexander got straight to the point, asking, ¡°Have your college entrance exam resultse out? Did you do well in the exam?¡± Elise answered with a smile, ¡°I did well in the exam, so it won¡¯t be a problem for me to get into Tissote University.¡± ¡°I just knew you would make it.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you gonna ask me what score I got in the exam?¡± ¡°Judging from the way you sound, you probably did pretty well in the exam. Let me guess. You scored at least 600 in the exam, huh?¡± ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Elise replied with a smile. ¡°I scored 713 in the exam. Better than what I expected, actually. I thought I¡¯d only get a score of about 680.¡± ¡°Congrats on bing an undergraduate-to-be.¡± Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°Thanks! When are you gonnae back, then?¡± ¡°In a few days, I suppose¡­¡± Alexander nced at Adam Griffith, his father, on the sickbed through the window. ¡°My dad¡¯s leg injury red up yesterday, so he¡¯s still in the hospital right now.¡± ¡°In that case, just go ahead with what you¡¯re doing. I¡¯m hanging up.¡± ¡°Alright. Take good care of yourself. I promise I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Alexander hung up the phone. As soon as he put his phone into his pocket, a woman¡¯s voice sounded, asking, ¡°Is that the fianc¨¦e your grandpa arranged for you?¡± ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Alexander replied as he withdrew his gaze. Upon hearing his reply, the woman said in displeasure, ¡°I wonder what your grandpa was thinking about back then. Why did he insist that you marry a country bumpkin?¡± Upon hearing this, Alexander knitted his brows in displeasure. ¡°Mom, she¡¯s not what you think she is.¡± However, the woman replied, ¡°I¡¯m not interested in knowing what kind of a woman she is. All I know is that with her family background and social standing, she¡¯s simply not good enough for you. Now that your grandpa has passed away, I think you¡¯d better call off the engagement. I¡¯ll find you a woman who could be of help to your career with a family background that¡¯s of simr standing to ours.¡± ¡°Mom, that¡¯s my own business, so stop concerning yourself with that. Why don¡¯t you care more about Dad¡¯s leg?¡± Madeline Bowen was somewhat furious; this was the first time she saw her son talking to her like that. That woman hasn¡¯t married into our family yet, yet she¡¯s made my son so infatuated with her. Who knows what trouble she¡¯ll cause when he marries her in the future? she thought. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m not gonna talk about that anymore. Still, like I said, your engagement to her isn¡¯t valid. I¡¯ll have you call off the engagement one day.¡± Alexander still wanted to say something, but Madeline wouldn¡¯t give him the opportunity. ¡°Alright, what matters the most right now is your dad¡¯s injury.¡± Seeing that Madeline had said so, Alexander could only drop the subject. I¡¯ll talk to her about it once this matter is over, he thought. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Dad¡¯s leg. I¡¯ve hired the best specialists. We¡¯ll be going home after this time¡¯s surgery.¡± There were deep furrows in Madeline¡¯s brow as she looked at her husband on the sickbed with her eyes full of worry. ¡°I hope your dad gets better soon. I¡¯ll be relieved when he does.¡± ¡­ After the college entrance exam results came out, Elise chose to go to Tissote University. Seeing that Elise would be going to Tissote, Danny wanted to go to a university at Tissote as well. Therefore, he chose to enroll at Elk Grove University, which was one of the top universities in the country, and submitted his application to the university. ¡°It¡¯s nice to go to college in the same city as you, Boss.¡± Elise looked at him with a bright smile. ¡°Congrats on getting admitted to the university of your choice!¡± Unbeknownst to her, her smile alone made Danny feel like being greeted by a spring breeze, causing his heart to beat irregrly for a moment. As his heart kept thumping, he hurriedly averted his eyes and calmed down. Then, he replied, ¡°Hehe, you¡¯ve got no idea, Boss. My buddies were stunned when they heard that I scored more than 600 in the exam. They looked at me with admiration in their eyes, and when I told them that my boss is the top scorer in liberal arts, they had nothing but admiration for you. I¡¯ve never felt so proud before in my life.¡± Elise couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°Haha! You¡¯re proud of yourself, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m very, very proud of myself.¡± As the two were talking, they heard the sound of a car engine outside. Danny immediately craned his neck to look outside, saying, ¡°Who¡¯sing home?¡± As soon as Danny finished his sentence, Brendan strode in. His target was none other than Elise, though he still had a hard time adjusting to it when he saw her beautiful face right now. ¡°Congrats, Elise. I heard that you¡¯re the top scorer in liberal arts this time.¡± Elise looked at him, saying, ¡°I suppose you¡¯re not here today just to congratte me.¡± Brendan was surprised by how observant she was. ¡°Yeah,¡± he uttered. Then, he quickly took a bank card out of his pocket and handed it to her. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s your reward for helping with the design of the wedding dressst time. It¡¯s all in the card.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to give me this, actually. I only did you a small favor. Take it back.¡± To Elise¡¯s surprise, Brendan shoved the card into her hand without allowing her to refuse. ¡°No, you have to take it. Ever since the wedding dress you designed made a big ssh at the Snyder Family¡¯s weddingst time, our studio received manyrge orders, which saved our studio from the brink of closing down. It was a huge favor, so you deserve the money.¡± Elise looked at the card. ¡°Alright. Thanks for the card, then. I¡¯ll keep it.¡± ¡°Sure, of course. Actually, there¡¯s another reason why I came to you today.¡± Brendan pursed his lips. He didn¡¯t really know how to begin. ¡°Just tell me what the matter is. We¡¯ve known each other so well, so you don¡¯t have to be reserved.¡± Brendan smiled. Then, he exined, ¡°Well, our studio received a fewrge orders recently, and the clients specifically asked that you design their clothes, so I was wondering if you¡¯d like toe work at our studio. You¡¯re now on summer break, after all. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely pay you your due.¡± Oh, I see, Elise thought. As it happened, she was worrying about having nothing to do on her summer break, but now she had found something to do. ¡°Sure! No problem.¡± Seeing that Elise agreed to his request, Brendan got so excited that he didn¡¯t know what to say for a moment. ¡°Thank you so much, Elise! You¡¯re helping me out big time here.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mention it. I can go to your studio tomorrow.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great! I¡¯ll go back and ask the staff to clear out your workspace. Juste and work with us with peace of mind.¡± When Danny saw Elise being so amazing, even knowing how to design clothes, he thought that his boss was really awesome. ¡°Boss, you y games well, score well in exams, know how to design clothes, and you can write songs. Is there anything else you¡¯re good at that I don¡¯t know of?¡± For a moment, Elise was at a loss for a reply. Then, she replied with a cryptic smile, ¡°There are many things about me that you don¡¯t know.¡± Danny couldn¡¯t help feeling that there was more to it than what Elise had said. For a moment, though, he couldn¡¯t fathom what she actually meant. Just then, he heard a scurry of footsteps; Jack was putting on his jacket while hurrying downstairs. Danny asked, ¡°What happened? Why are you leaving in such a hurry?¡± ¡°Dad, Mom, and Alexander areing back today. Their flight¡¯s touching down soon, so I¡¯m going to the airport to pick them up.¡± ¡°What? Uncle Adam and Aunt Madeline areing back?¡± Brendan asked. Danny was quite surprised as well. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going too.¡± Brendan turned to look at Elise. ¡°Are youing with us, Elise?¡± Elise nodded. ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s go together.¡± The four then hurried to the airport. Elise was somewhat nervous on her way to the airport. She nced at herself in the rearview mirror. Alexander still doesn¡¯t know what I really look like. Will he be taken aback by my current look? Or will he think that I¡¯m a scheming woman who deliberately concealed my features by making myself look ugly? Will that ruin his image of mepletely? For some reason, Elise was a little agitated. However, she had intended to reveal her secrets in the first ce. Alexander probably won¡¯t me me for this, she thought. Chapter 239 Chapter 239 After arriving at the airport, the four of them waited at the exit, while Elise deliberately put on her face mask and fixed her eyes on the exit. Just then, however, twodies hastily approached them and recognized Jack. ¡°Oh, my God! It¡¯s Jack!¡± Jack immediately ced a finger before his lips to signal them to lower their voices. ¡°Please keep quiet about me being here, okay?¡± The two female fans nodded vigorously. After that, though, they took out their cell phones, aimed their phone cameras at Jack¡¯s face, and started taking pictures. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t take pictures!¡± ¡°Please let us take a picture of you, Jack! We won¡¯t upload the pictures online,¡± one of thedies pleaded. As soon as she finished her sentence, though, her eyes suddenly rested on Elise, and she instantly squeaked, ¡°H! It¡¯s H!¡± ¡°H? Where¡¯s she?¡± Feeling embarrassed, Elise hastily pulled up her face mask. She didn¡¯t want to be recognized at all! However, it was apparently toote for her to do that. The two female fans ignored Jack and quickly approached Elise, saying, ¡°We¡¯re your fans, H. Can we get your autograph?¡± Elise was puzzled. She had disguised herself so heavily, yet she still got recognized. ¡°Please be quiet about this,dies.¡± ¡°Sure! We won¡¯t tell anyone about this,¡± the twodies replied in chorus. Then, they handed out their notebooks. Elise took the notebooks and quickly signed her name on them. The two youngdies seemed to have forgotten about Jack¡¯s presence nearby as they left with a look of excitement on their faces. Jack was a bit unused to being snubbed, but he could live with it since thedies ignored him because of H. After all, he and Elise were a family. Just then, Alexander pushed Adam in his wheelchair out of the airport¡¯s VIP exit. ¡°Alexander!¡± Jack was the first to spot them, and he hurriedly trotted up to them. ¡°Dad, Mom, you two must¡¯ve had a long day.¡± Adam looked full of life as he smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m in good health! I¡¯m not gonna copse that easily.¡± ¡°All you know is to y the tough guy in front of your sons. Shouldn¡¯t you restrain yourself? If Alex hadn¡¯t arrived in the nick of time this time, you probably would¡¯ve been dead meat.¡± Upon hearing Madeline¡¯s words, Adam could only reply with a smile of embarrassment, ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough. Can¡¯t you save face for me in front of our sons?¡± T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You¡¯ve had a long day, Uncle Adam and Aunt Madeline. Let¡¯s go back and get some rest,¡± Brendan said as he led them toward the exit. On the other hand, Elise stood there while staring at Alexander before her. As their eyes met, they seemed to have many things to say to each other. In the end, Alexander reached out his hand, and Elise threw herself into his arms with a smile. ¡°Wee back.¡± ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Alexander murmured. ¡°Sorry that I made you worry.¡± Only then did Elise let go of Alexander. Alexander didn¡¯t notice anything strange with the face mask covering half of Elise¡¯s face, but Elise decided to tell him the truth before he found out about it. So, she said, ¡°Let¡¯s head back first.¡± Alexander wrapped his arm around Elise¡¯s waist as they walked out of the airport. As soon as they reached the exit, Madeline couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Hurry up, Alex. Stop dilly-dallying.¡± This wasn¡¯t the first time Elise had seen Madeline. She once greeted Madeline at Jonah¡¯s funeral before, but the two didn¡¯t speak to each other at the time, so Elise didn¡¯t know Madeline¡¯s temperament. Still, she greeted her politely, saying, ¡°Nice to meet you, Mrs. Griffith.¡± However, Madeline got into the car right away without sparing Elise a nce. Elise felt somewhat embarrassed. ¡°Seems like Mrs. Griffith dislikes me.¡± Alexander immediately held her close in his arms. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it. Perhaps she¡¯s just tired from the flight. Let¡¯s get in the car at the back.¡± Elise pursed her lips. She cared quite a lot about what Madeline thought of her, so she couldn¡¯t help being somewhat downhearted. When they returned to the Griffith Residence, Elise held Alexander¡¯s arm, saying, ¡°Can youe to my room with me? I¡¯ve got something to tell you.¡± Just then, however, Madeline¡¯s voice rang. ¡°Alex, hurry up and help me carry the stuff.¡± Upon hearing her words, Elise could only say, ¡°Well then, you go there first. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Alexander gave Elise a reassuring look before going on to help Madeline carry the stuff. Madeline smiled at everyone, but she had been ignoring Elise since just now. Ste knew Madeline¡¯s temperament, and she knew what kind of a person Elise was, so she couldn¡¯t help but put in a good word for thetter. ¡°Miss Elise is a nicedy, madam.¡± Upon hearing her say so, Madeline turned to look Elise in the eye. ¡°So you¡¯re Elise, huh?¡± Seeing that Madeline had taken the initiative to ask about her, Elise immediately replied, ¡°Yes, Mrs. Griffith. Nice to meet you.¡± Madeline knew Elise looked ugly. After all, thetter was from the countryside. She couldn¡¯t understand what herte father-inw saw in Elise that made him insist that Alexander marry her. In her opinion, there was nothing about Elise that made her good enough for Alexander. ¡°Elise,e over and let me take a good look at you.¡± Elise was somewhat unused to Madeline¡¯s sudden change of attitude, but she walked up to thetter nheless. Madeline quickly took her hand, saying, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since west met, and our Elise has grown prettier. But why are you wearing a face mask in the middle of the day? Hurry up and take off your face mask. I want to take a good look at you.¡± Elise was startled for a moment. Before she coulde to her senses, Madeline reached out and took off Elise¡¯s face mask. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± The two women drew everyone¡¯s gaze as they gasped. Madeline was startled for a moment as she looked at the unfamiliar face before her. She subconsciously shoved Elise away, asking, ¡°Who are you?¡± She had seen Elise before, but thetter was very ugly and looked nothing like the prettydy before her. Instead of answering Madeline¡¯s question, Elise turned to look at Alexander. She could sense the flicker of surprise and puzzlement that shed across his eyes, so she hurriedly stood up and walked up to him. ¡°Please let me exin this, Alex.¡± However, countless scenes shed across Alexander¡¯s mind in an instant, and his feelings turned complicated for a moment. He looked at her with a strange look in his eyes. For the first time, Elise sensed him distancing himself from her. He shook off her hand, saying, ¡°I think you owe me an exnation.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°Listen to me, okay? I intended to tell you this, but¡ª¡± ¡°But you chose to hide it from me? You had many opportunities to tell me the truth. Or did you think this was fun?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t¡­ It¡¯s not what you think. Please let me exin this to you.¡± Madeline was immensely pleased when she saw the couple quarrel. But is this prettydy before me really Elise, that ugly monster? Well, no matter whether she¡¯s Elise or not, this alone shows how scheming she is. We, the Griffiths, could never have such a woman as our daughter-inw, she thought. ¡°Seems like we came back at a bad time,¡± she said. Upon hearing Madeline¡¯s words, Danny and Jack immediately exchanged nces. Then, Jack walked up to Madeline, saying, ¡°Mom, you must¡¯ve been tired from the flight. Why don¡¯t you go upstairs and get some rest?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Aunt Madeline. Let us take you upstairs.¡± Madeline got up with a smile. ¡°Well, I¡¯m a bit tired indeed, but Jack, I¡¯ve told you and your brother since you were little that the prettier a woman is, the more deceitful she would be. Now you know that, don¡¯t you?¡± Jack dared not respond to Madeline¡¯s words, whereas Alexander¡¯s eyes darkened. When everyone else left the living room and only Elise and Alexander were left, Elise said, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to hide it from you on purpose. It¡¯s just that I¡ª¡± Chapter 240 Chapter 240 Before Elise could finish her sentence, Alexander stepped forward right away and closed in on her, driving her into the corner. ¡°Why? Why did you purposely make yourself look ugly? Don¡¯t you know what I hate the most?¡± Elise knew what he hated the most, which was why she chose to take the initiative to tell him everything. However, whenever she wanted to tell him the truth, something would alwayse up and prevent her from doing so. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to deceive you; I just wanted to find a man who doesn¡¯t care about my looks and really loves me from the bottom of his heart. At first, I nned to leave after staying here for a year, but I didn¡¯t expect¡­ I didn¡¯t expect that I would fall in love with you.¡± Alexander¡¯s brow furrowed. He stared at Elise before him, who seemed at a loss for what to do, but he couldn¡¯t let a single word of usatione out of his mouth. ¡°So you were the lady I met in France the other day, huh? Miss Joy?¡± ¡°It was me! Uh, actually¡­¡± Elise still wanted to say something, but Alexander stretched out his hand right away and stroked her hair. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be so good at disguising yourself. To think that you fooled me with your disguise!¡± Elise raised her eyes to look at him. ¡°A-Are you not mad at me anymore?¡± Alexander smiled a helpless smile. ¡°Well, I wanted to get mad at you, but somehow, all my anger seemed to vanish when I saw this face of yours.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Alexander ruffled her hair. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t say sorry to me. I can understand what you were thinking, actually, and I¡¯m d that I made you stay and saw the surprise you had for me. I really didn¡¯t expect my fianc¨¦e to look so pretty! I¡¯m quite happy deep down, actually. At least no one can gossip with me about your looks anymore.¡± Elise pouted her lips. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you disliked me for being ugly before!¡± Before she could finish her sentence, though, Alexander sealed her lips with a kiss. She immediately pped his shoulder, saying, ¡°Mmm¡­ Let go of me!¡± Alexander replied, ¡°I¡¯ve never disliked you before, Elise. I never disliked you and will never do that in the future either, so don¡¯t say something like that anymore. You¡¯ve got no idea that when I saw your face, I started to worry that other men would like you and have eyes for you. I wish I could hide you in my pocket so that no one else but me could admire your beauty.¡± Embarrassed by what he said, Elise immediately pushed him away. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°You have no idea how many surprises you¡¯ve given me. Sometimes I wonder what kind of a fabulous girlfriend I have. I think I got a great bargain!¡± Elise reached out and held his hand. ¡°Thanks, Alexander. Thanks for choosing me.¡± Madeline was quite happy at first when she saw Alexander and Elise quarrel. However, when it was time for dinner, the couple had already made up, and they were getting along much better than before. This made Madeline puzzled as to what young people nowadays were thinking. She called Elise over, saying, ¡°Come here, Elise.¡± Elise hurriedly stopped what she was doing and walked up to Madeline. ¡°Is something the matter, Mrs. Griffith?¡± Madeline rubbed her shoulder, saying, ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong, but I keep feeling sore in my arm. Could you help give me a massage if you¡¯ve got nothing to do?¡± Seeing that it wasn¡¯t a big deal, Elise replied in agreement, ¡°Sure, Mrs. Griffith. Let¡¯s sit on the sofa while I give you a massage.¡± With that, Madeline and Elise went to the living room. Elise asked, ¡°Which side of your neck feels ufortable, Mrs. Griffith?¡± However, Madeline replied coldly, ¡°Just give me a massage.¡± Her attitude and tone of voice was totally different from just now. Elise was puzzled, but she stretched out her hands and started massaging Madeline¡¯s neck nheless. Madeline searched for something on her cell phone before she said, ¡°Elise, your engagement to Alex was decided by Dad. He passed away unexpectedly without anyst words, but he insisted that you be engaged to Alex, so I let Alex get engaged to you since I wanted to comply with the old man¡¯sst wish at the time. But when ites down to it, ady of your background isn¡¯t good enough for our family at all.¡± Elise couldn¡¯t help but stop what she was doing. Instead of getting angry, she merely asked, ¡°In your opinion, Mrs. Griffith, what kind of woman is good enough for your family?¡± Just then, Madeline happened to find a picture of her business partner¡¯s only daughter, who was also her previous favorite candidate for a daughter-inw. Without the slightest hesitation, she showed the photo to Elise on her cell phone, saying, ¡°Well, she should at least be someone like this. This is the daughter of the SK Group¡¯s boss. You know the SK Group, right? It¡¯s arge trinational consortium that has been a long-time business partner with the Griffiths. Only ady from such a background is good enough for Alex.¡± Elise nced at thedy in the photo. Indeed, thedy looked very beautiful and refined. ¡°You¡¯re right, Mrs. Griffith. I¡¯m not good enough for Alex indeed. In that case, why don¡¯t you ask him to call off the engagement on his own?¡± Madeline became furious when she heard Elise say so. Alexander¡¯s engagement was decided before Jonah¡¯s death, and as Alexander¡¯s mother, Madeline knew better than anyone else how obedient her son was to Jonah. Moreover, Alexander¡¯s engagement to Elise wasn¡¯t an ordinary request, but Jonah¡¯s dying wish. With Alexander¡¯s personality, he¡¯d never take the initiative to call off the engagement unless Elise brought it up herself. ¡°Miss Sinir, I¡¯m telling you this today to help you understand the gap between you and Alex. Alex¡¯s a filial child, so he won¡¯t disobey his grandpa.¡± However, Elise retorted, ¡°Do you mean you could only try to persuade me¡ªan outsider who has no blood ties with your family¡ªbecause you failed to persuade your own son?¡± ¡°I just want you to know your ce! You aren¡¯t a good match for Alex. You can¡¯t help him with his career at all. Instead, you can only make outsiders look down on him and make him aughing stock and a subject of gossip. People out there willugh at us Griffiths because our eldest son married a country bumpkin!¡± ¡°Mrs. Griffith, I admit that I haven¡¯t seen much of the world as someone from the countryside, but I never think that people from the countryside are born inferior to others. In fact, I feel that we country folks are more humane.¡± ¡°Who cares whether or not you¡¯re humane? I¡¯m telling you, I don¡¯t care what happened between you and Alex before, but now that I¡¯m back, let me make it clear to you that I don¡¯t wanna see you two together. If you insist on staying with him, then don¡¯t me me for using some means as ast resort.¡± Upon hearing this, Elise totally understood what Madeline meant. She let go of Madeline¡¯s shoulder and slowly replied, ¡°Mrs. Griffith, I¡¯m showing you respect because you¡¯re Alex¡¯s mother. T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. I wish to get your approval and your blessing, but I won¡¯t force it if I can¡¯t get them. After all, the world is boundless, so there are different strokes for different folks. But if you want me to break up with your son, then sorry, I don¡¯t think I can do that. If you¡¯ve got nothing else to talk about, I think we can end our conversation here.¡± Madeline looked at her with a sneer. ¡°Do you think you could stand against me with those so-called feelings between you two? Well then, let me tell you clearly that feelings are thest thing worth mentioning to me. Since you¡¯re so determined to stay together with Alex, I¡¯ve got nothing else to say. Still, let me remind you that nothing in the world is immutable, especially a man. After all, a man¡¯s career is the source of his pride and confidence.¡± Chapter 241 Chapter 241 Elise replied, ¡°Thanks for your reminder, Mrs. Griffith, but you don¡¯t seem to know your son very well. His views might not be simr to yours, so what you said today didn¡¯t crush my determination to stay with him. Instead, it strengthened my resolve. I¡¯m a bit tired, so I¡¯ll be going upstairs for a rest. You should rest early, too.¡± With that, she turned around and left, her back straightened. Madeline looked sullen, her face livid with anger as she was left alone in the living room. What gives this country woman the nerve to stand up to me? she thought. Then, she took out her cell phone and made a phone call, saying, ¡°Hey, Maya, it¡¯s me! Are you free tomorrow¡­¡± ¡­ When Elise returned to her room, all her disguises vanished at once, leaving only a despondent look on her face. Back when Jonah was still in the Griffith Residence, she seemed to have nothing to worry about. But now, Madeline was telling her outright to back out and not ask for the moon. But was there room for turning back at this point right now? The next day, Elise got up early in the morning. She had promised Brendan to go to his studio today to help him, so after having breakfast, she had the chauffeur drive her to his studio right away without waking anyone else. Brendan was somewhat surprised to see her. ¡°What brings you here so early in the morning, Elise?¡± he asked. Elise raised her eyes to look at him as she replied, ¡°Well, it happens that I¡¯ve got nothing else to do, so I decided toe early. Is my office still where it was?¡± ¡°Yeah, I cleared out arge space for you around here. Let me show you the way.¡± Elise hurriedly followed Brendan all the way to the end of the corridor before he stopped and pushed the door open. Coming into view was arge room that had several mannequins wearing wedding dresses of different styles ced at the door in various postures. ¡°This is where you¡¯ll be working during your summer break. Take a look at it. Do you like it?¡± Brendan asked. Elise entered the room and looked around before walking up to the French window. As she gazed out of the window, she had a panoramic view of the incredibly beautiful scenery in the distance. ¡°What a beautiful ce this is! It¡¯s simply a pleasure to work here.¡± Brendan chuckled at her words. Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. ¡°I just knew you¡¯d like it. In that case, this room shall belong to you.¡± Elise gave him a smile in return. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, boss! I¡¯ll do my best at work.¡± Brendan replied, ¡°Alright then. Go ahead and get busy. Tell me right away if you need anything.¡± With that, he left the room, leaving Elise alone in the spacious office. As Elise looked at the colored pencils and drawing papers before her, she suddenly had a brilliant inspiration in her mind. Therefore, she sat down, picked up the pencils, and started drawing the outlines. As it turned out, Elise was a workaholic who couldn¡¯t tear herself away from her work once she was absorbed in it. It was already 12PM, and the other staff members in the studio had gone for lunch, yet the door to her office was still tightly closed. When Brendan went out of his office, he subconsciously darted a nce at Elise¡¯s office. Then, he went over and knocked on her door. ¡°Elise¡­¡± Elise was still drawing designs, and she asked without even looking up, ¡°Anything?¡± Brendan¡¯s eyes were full of amazement when he walked up to Elise and saw thepleted drawings on her desk. ¡°Did you draw all of these in one morning?¡± ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Elise mumbled in response. ¡°I¡¯ve got my juices flowing today, so I drew a few designs.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so productive. Still, however busy you are, remember to eat. Why don¡¯t you take a break first?¡± Only then did Elise stop what she was doing and look up at the wall clock. When she saw that it was almost 1PM, she was stupefied. ¡°No way. It¡¯s almost 1PM?¡± Brendan let out a sigh of helplessness. ¡°Should you go for lunch then?¡± Elise had a stretch and then stood up. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be going for lunch now.¡± After leaving the studio, Elise searched for a nearby restaurant with good reviews on her cell phone. She went to the restaurant and ordered two spicy dishes, but her cell phone rang in her pocket halfway through her meal. It was a phone call from an unfamiliar phone number. Elise hesitated somewhat, but she answered the phone nheless. ¡°Hi, may I ask who¡¯s¡ª¡± A familiar female voice sounded through the phone. ¡°It¡¯s me. Where are you now?¡± When Elise heard the voice, she realized btedly who it belonged to. She quickly answered, ¡°Hi, Mrs. Griffith. Is there anything you need from me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m now shopping at Moore za. Come and pick me up.¡± ¡°Huh? But I¡ª¡± Elise replied. Before she could finish her sentence, though, Madeline interrupted her right away, saying, ¡°You don¡¯t want to? Never mind then. Just pretend I never asked.¡± Elise breathed a sigh of helplessness. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve got some work to deal with over here. How about you do some shopping first? I¡¯ll be thereter.¡± However, Madeline replied, ¡°I¡¯m giving you half an hour. You¡¯ll suffer the consequences if you fail to show up.¡± With that, she hung up right away. When Elise heard the disconnect tone on the phone, she instantly lost all her appetite for the food before her. After checking the time, she paid the bill and hailed a cab to Moore za right away. Meanwhile, a fashionably dresseddy was holding Madeline¡¯s arm while asking in a soft voice, ¡°Is she reallying, Godmother?¡± Madeline let out a snort. ¡°In any case, I¡¯m now her future mother-inw. If she doesn¡¯t show up, then there¡¯s no need to maintain the rtionship anymore.¡± Maya Dahlen was inwardly delighted when she heard Madeline¡¯s reply, but her face gave nothing away. Instead, she said regretfully, ¡°I think Alexander¡¯s really nice, actually. I just couldn¡¯t fathom why he would get engaged to such a countrywoman.¡± Madeline immediately took Maya¡¯s hand. ¡°Don¡¯t you know, Maya? Your mom and I have been besties for so many years. To me, you¡¯re my only candidate for a daughter-inw. As for Elise, she¡¯s only the fianc¨¦e arranged by myte father-inw. Now that he¡¯s passed away, the engagement is no longer valid, of course.¡± ¡°Really? Is that so, Godmother?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true, of course! Trust me. When Elise shows upter, we¡¯ll let her know the gap between her and our social circle.¡± Maya nodded vaguely, but what she said betrayed a note of disdain. ¡°She¡¯s from the countryside, so she probably hasn¡¯t been to a shopping mall. Say, would she die of shame if she sees us casually spending tens of thousands on clothes and handbags?¡± Madeline replied with a cold snort, ¡°I simply don¡¯t understand how such a country bumpkin won Dad¡¯s favor. I suppose she did so by pretending to be pitiful to angle for sympathy. Such a woman just isn¡¯t good enough for us Griffiths.¡± ¡°Please rest assured, Godmother. I¡¯ll help you teach her a lessonter.¡± Madeline was relieved the instant she heard Maya say so. After about half an hour, Elise hurried to them and stopped in her tracks while still panting for breath. ¡°I¡¯m here, Mrs. Griffith.¡± Madeline threw a cold nce at her, saying, ¡°Come shopping with us, then.¡± Only when reminded by Madeline did Elise notice the presence of Maya, a rich youngdy decked out in designer clothes next to her. She nodded at Maya with a smile out of courtesy, saying, ¡°Hi there. Nice to meet you.¡± Maya smiled back at Elise, saying, ¡°Hi, you must be Alexander¡¯s fianc¨¦e, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯ve heard about you from Godmother long ago. Alexander¡¯s so lucky to be able to marry such a pretty girlfriend like you.¡± As the saying went, an angry fist wouldn¡¯t hit a smiling face. Seeing how friendly Maya was to her, Elise found it rude to give her the cold shoulder, so she merely replied, ¡°Thanks. You look beautiful, too.¡± However, instead of answering Elise, Maya held onto Madeline¡¯s arm on her own. ¡°Godmother, I heard that Chanel¡¯s got a new product. Let¡¯s go and take a look.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡± The two women then walked together affectionately at the front like mother and daughter,pletely ignoring Elise, who followed them from behind. At the sight of the scene, Elise frowned slightly, but she had no choice but to follow them. The three women then walked into the Chanel boutique, though Elise was totally uninterested in those clothes and handbags. Seeing that Maya and Madeline were having a good time shopping, she sat down in the lounge on her own. After a while, Maya came to her with two handbags. ¡°Please help me take a look, Elise. Which of these two handbags look better?¡± Chapter 242 Chapter 242 Elise nced up at the two handbags. Then, she said, ¡°The one on your right, I think. It looks simpler and more elegant.¡± ¡°Is that so? But I think the one on my left looks pretty nice, too. What do you think, Godmother?¡± Madeline replied with a smile, ¡°I think both of them are pretty nice. Why don¡¯t you just buy both?¡± Maya promptly replied, ¡°Well, you¡¯re right. These two handbags are of different styles, so they can match different dresses. I¡¯ll buy both of them, then.¡± As she spoke, she handed the two handbags to the saleswoman. ¡°I¡¯d like to settle the bill. How much are these altogether?¡± The saleswoman was so astonished that her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. What a rich client! To think that she¡¯s buying two limited-edition handbags right away in one go, she thought. She hurriedly replied, ¡°Both the handbags are limited-edition products, so they cost 300,000 altogether.¡± Without turning a hair, Maya took out a credit card and handed it to the saleswoman right away. ¡°I¡¯ll pay by card.¡± The saleswoman then swiped the credit card and handed Maya the receipt. Having finished paying for the handbags, Maya walked up to Elise, saying, ¡°I¡¯m so happy today! I bought my favorite handbags.¡± Elise¡¯s face was expressionless, though. She merely replied, ¡°Congrats.¡± Maya then turned around and said to Madeline, ¡°Godmother, I think the dresses over there look pretty good, too¡­¡± As she spoke, she took a few dresses and went to the fitting room. Just then, Madeline walked up to Elise and said with feigned thoughtlessness, ¡°Wedies should be nicer to ourselves. You may choose a dress that you like, but¡­¡± She paused for a moment and looked Elise up and down. None of the clothes Elise was wearing were designer clothes, and they were probably just cheap off-the-rack clothes. At the sight of this, Madeline¡¯s eyes grew even darker. ¡°Judging from your outfit, I suppose you rarely go to a shopping mall. Never mind, you may choose from the dresses here. If you find any dress you like, I¡¯ll buy it for you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not necessary, Mrs. Griffith. Thanks for your kind offer, but I don¡¯t really like the clothes and handbags here.¡± Madeline seemed to have expected Elise to turn her down. Seeing that Elise had done so, she didn¡¯t insist, thinking that Elise had finally known her ce. After Maya came out of the fitting room, she said to the saleswoman right away, ¡°Bag them all up, please.¡± Maya looked surprised. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this, Godmother. I¡¯ll pay for them myself.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, Maya. You don¡¯t have to be so reserved with me.¡± Without the slightest hesitation, Madeline bought Maya several new pieces of clothing without turning a hair. Elise didn¡¯t feel much about this, but the saleswoman handed all the shopping bags to her. For a moment, she followed Madeline and Maya closely while carrying all the shopping bags. However, Madeline thought that these clothes weren¡¯t enough. She took Maya to buy some pieces of jewelry, spending several million before she finally stopped. Maya suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s call it a day, Godmother. We¡¯ve bought so many things today, and you¡¯ve spent a lot of money for me.¡± Madeline felt incredibly smug as she looked back at Elise, who was carrying many shopping bags behind her. Well, I¡¯ve taught her a lesson today by letting her know that Alexander¡¯s totally out of her league, she thought. ¡°It¡¯s just a few million. As long as you like it, I¡¯ll buy anything for you.¡± ¡°Thank you so much, Godmother!¡± Madeline then said, ¡°For families like ours, this money doesn¡¯t matter at all, but ordinary people might not be able to earn several million in their lifetime.¡± As she spoke, she couldn¡¯t help but dart a nce at Elise. ¡°I suppose you¡¯ve never bought these luxury goods before, Elise. Well, it¡¯s good fordies to see the world.¡± Both her voice and her words reeked of disdain. Only then did Elise realize that Madeline had called her over tough at her for being unable to afford these so-called luxury goods and to let her know her ce. But such snobbish behavior is really stupid, she thought. ¡°Indeed, I¡¯ve seen the world today, Mrs. Griffith. Only now did I know there are such bumptious people in the world.¡± ¡°What did you say?!¡± Madeline¡¯s voice instantly went up several octaves. Apparently, she was displeased by Elise¡¯s words. Just then, Elise¡¯s cell phone rang in her pocket. Ignoring Madeline, she took out her phone, nced at its screen, and answered the phone. ¡°Boss, someone just told me that you¡¯re shopping at Moore za. Is that true?¡± Elise was caught unprepared when Jamie¡¯s voice rang in her ear. Surprised, she asked, ¡°How did you know that?¡± Jamie replied, ¡°Did you forget that Moore za is a part of my family¡¯s property? As it happens, I¡¯m here for an inspection. When my assistant told me that you¡¯re here, I decided to call you to ask about it. Boss, just tell me right away if you need anything; I¡¯ll have it delivered to your home. Whye here yourself? It¡¯s a waste of your money, not to mention your energy.¡± Elise raised her eyebrows slightly while ncing at Madeline and Maya nearby. Then, she replied, ¡°I¡¯m shopping with Alexander¡¯s mother.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Jamie was surprised. ¡°You¡¯re shopping with your future mother-inw?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Elise replied. Then, she continued, ¡°But it seems that I¡¯m not here to shop with her, but to work as her coolie¡­¡± Upon hearing this, Jamie could no longer sit still. How dare someone have my boss work as her coolie? he thought. ¡°Don¡¯t go anywhere, Boss. Stay where you are and wait for me,¡± he said. Then, he hung up and said right away to the manager behind him, ¡°Get me two men.¡± ¡°Yes, Young Master Jamie.¡± Jamie came downstairs with several bodyguards, attracting many people¡¯s attention along the way as he walked straight up to Elise. When he saw that her hands were full of shopping bags, his face darkened somewhat. So these people bullied my boss like that while I was absent, huh? He ordered the two men behind him, ¡°You two, take these bags and have them delivered to the Griffith Residence.¡± With that, the two men came forward and took all the shopping bags from Elise. Elise said, ¡°You¡¯re quick, Jamie.¡± It took only a few minutes before he stood in front of me, she thought. Just as Jamie was about to say something in reply, Madeline and Maya walked up to them. Madeline looked at Jamie with a hint of puzzlement in her eyes, whereas Maya knew Jamie, the man at the helm of the Keller Family and a promising young businessman with excellent business skills. She greeted him, saying, ¡°Hi, Mr. Keller. Nice to meet you.¡± However, Jamie had no impression of her, so he merely replied out of courtesy, ¡°Hi.¡± Madeline asked, ¡°Who is this guy, Elise?¡± Elise shot a nce at Jamie, who immediately introduced himself, saying, ¡°Nice to meet you, Mrs. Griffith. I¡¯m a friend of Miss Sinir, as well as the owner of this shopping mall. I heard from my subordinate that Miss Sinir¡¯s here, so I¡¯m here to keep herpany while she goes shopping.¡± A friend of Elise? To think that a country bumpkin like her knew someone from the Keller Family! Madeline thought. She was doubtful deep down. Besides, judging from Jamie¡¯s manner toward Elise, their rtionship seemed moreplex than it appeared. What a country bumpkin! Hasn¡¯t she had enough after seducing Alexander? Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. How dare she fool around with other men! At the thought of this, Madeline thought even worse of Elise. Obviously, Elise is trying to get ahead and climb up the socialdder by relying on men. Hmph! Women like her are a dime a dozen, she thought. ¡°Ho ho! You¡¯re talking like you¡¯re her boyfriend, Mr. Keller.¡± Chapter 243 Chapter 243 Jamie¡¯s eyes darkened at Madeline¡¯s words, but his face gave nothing away. He merely said, ¡°It¡¯d be a blessing from God if I could have a girlfriend like Miss Sinir. It¡¯s just too bad that I¡¯m not lucky enough to meet a good partner like her in my lifetime.¡± Upon hearing this, Elise gave Jamie a big thumbs up in her mind. This guy¡¯s gotten better at talking, she thought. On the other hand, Madeline¡¯s face grew even darker at Jamie¡¯s words. Jamie ignored Madeline¡¯s expression, though. Instead, he turned to look at Elise, asking, ¡°Did you buy all these, Miss Sinir?¡± Elise was somewhat puzzled. Nevertheless, she shook her head and replied, ¡°No, Mrs. Griffith bought these for Miss Dahlen here.¡± Jamie let out a long sigh. ¡°I see. I saw you carrying these bags, so I thought you were the one who bought all these. Anyway, it¡¯s rare for you toe to my shopping mall. Did you find anything you like after shopping around?¡± Upon hearing this, Elise finally figured out what Jamie was up to. She immediately replied with a smile, ¡°Well, I had my eye on a few Herm¨¨s handbags just now.¡± The instant she finished her sentence, Jamie immediately understood what she implied. He ordered the men behind him, ¡°Pack up all the new handbags in the Herm¨¨s store and have them delivered to Miss Sinir¡¯s home.¡± ¡°Yes, Young Master Jamie.¡± The men hurriedly carried out his orders. Meanwhile, Maya was instantly stunned by what was happening. Did he just say ¡®all the new Herm¨¨s handbags¡¯? That¡¯s the dream of countless youngdies! A Herm¨¨s handbag is as valuable as ten Chanel handbagsbined, yet this man offered to give Elise an entire limited-edition series! she thought. In an instant, she felt that the handbags she had just bought today didn¡¯t appeal to her anymore. ¡°What about clothes? Or jewelry?¡± Elise seemed to give it some serious thought. Then, she said, ¡°I heard that Cion, the jewelry brand, has just introduced a ne that¡¯s worth millions¡­¡± Without batting an eyelid, Jamie immediately ordered, ¡°Pack up that gship piece from the Cion store and have it delivered as well.¡± Even Madeline was stupefied when the man offered to give a ne worth millions to Elise as a present without the slightest hesitation. Just what¡¯s so special about Elise that makes this guy spend so much money on her? Maya quickly took Madeline¡¯s arm and exchanged nces with her, while Madeline patted the back of her hand tofort her. Well, let¡¯s see if this guy¡¯s really that generous with money. However, in less than ten minutes, Jamie¡¯s bodyguards came carrying many shopping bags. All these bags contained Herm¨¦s Birkin bags, and one of them even contained an exquisitely decorated gift box. ¡°I hope you¡¯re happy with these, Miss Sinir.¡± Elise crinkled her eyes in a smile as she knew the reason why Jamie had done all these. ying along with him, she replied with a nod, ¡°Thanks for the gifts. I like them very much.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m d to hear that you like them,¡± Jamie said, before turning to look at Madeline. ¡°So, are you gonna continue shopping, Mrs. Griffith?¡± At this moment, though, Madeline was no longer in the mood for shopping, for the sight of those shopping bags made her feel very embarrassed. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. We¡¯ve bought enough things, so we¡¯ll be going back.¡± ¡°In that case, could I have someone escort you home?¡± Before Madeline could answer him, Maya replied first, ¡°Sure! As it happens, I¡¯m tired from shopping.¡± She just wanted to run away from here as soon as possible since she really couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. Madeline was inwardly displeased. She shot an angry re at Elise, but she didn¡¯t say anything else. Beforeing to the shopping mall, she had nned to open Elise, that country bumpkin¡¯s, eyes and make her realize the gap between her and the Griffiths. But now, she was dumbfounded by everything Jamie had done. ¡°Sorry for troubling you, then,¡± Elise said. Jamie hurriedly had a special car arranged to drive the three women home. Madeline kept a sullen face on their way home, whereas Elise was much more rxed. After arriving home, Madeline tossed the handbag in her hand to the servant and then said to Elise in displeasure, ¡°You¡¯re ady, Elise. Don¡¯t you know that ady should stay reserved? When men give women presents, they usually do so for a purpose. How could you date my son while epting presents from other men? Aren¡¯t you ashamed of that?¡± However, Elise smiled faintly without the slightest displeasure. She replied, ¡°I think you¡¯re overthinking it, Mrs. Griffith. Mr. Keller and I have known each other for years, so there¡¯s nothing wrong with me epting gifts from him. Besides, you must¡¯ve gotten tired from an entire day of shopping, so let¡¯s not worry about me. If you think it was inappropriate for me to ept gifts from someone else, I can do nothing about that. After all, I¡¯ve got no right to control what you think.¡± ¡°You¡­ You¡¯ve got quite the sharp tongue. Aren¡¯t you worried that I¡¯ll tell Alex about this?¡± ¡°Well, whether to tell Alexander about this or not is up to you. You¡¯re free to choose whether to do it or not. I¡¯m going upstairs for a rest,¡± Elise replied. With that, she turned around and left. Madeline was as mad as hell, for she found that she could do nothing about Elise. Just then, the servant came over with the Herm¨¨s shopping bags in her hands. She asked Madeline, ¡°Madam, where should I put these bags? Should I put them in your room as usual?¡± Madeline replied snappishly, ¡°Don¡¯t ask me about that! Just put them wherever you like.¡± The servant was confused, but she dared not breathe. Just then, however, Elise poked her head out from somewhere, saying, ¡°Ste, please send them all to my room.¡± Ste immediately replied, ¡°Yes, Miss Elise.¡± Then, she looked at the servant next to her, saying, ¡°These are Miss Elise¡¯s stuff. Just send them to her room.¡± The servant hurriedly brought all the shopping bags upstairs. Madeline felt like a formless fire was burning inside her. I¡¯ve got to chase Elise out of this house as soon as possible! she thought. As soon as Alexander came home, she went up to him and said, ¡°I¡¯ve got something to tell you, Alex! Elise¡¯s fooling around with someone else out there¡­¡± Alexander¡¯s expression changed slightly at Madeline¡¯s words, but he merely replied, ¡°What are you talking about, Mom?¡± Madeline couldn¡¯t care less about anything else, though. She told Alexander everything she had seen today, though she didn¡¯t say a word about what she had done on purpose. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, Alex, that Keller guy really spent a lot of money on her! It¡¯d be understandable for him to do that if they were a couple, but he gave her such valuable presents despite them not being a couple. This simply doesn¡¯t make sense! Not only that, but Elise epted his gifts like it was nothing. There¡¯s no doubt that she¡¯s cheated on you by doing so!¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, Mom! It¡¯s not what you think. I trust Elise; she¡¯s not the kind of person you¡¯re talking about.¡± This was the first time Madeline had seen her son talking to her like this, and the fire within her continued to rage. ¡°Alex, you¡¯re being fooled by that woman¡ª¡± However, before she could finish her sentence, Alexander cut her short, saying, ¡°Enough is enough, Mom! Let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. I¡¯m going upstairs.¡± With that, he went upstairs, leaving a stupefied Madeline behind. Alexander went to Elise¡¯s room and knocked on the door. Right after that, Elise¡¯s voice was heard saying, ¡°Come in.¡± When Alexander pushed the door open and entered, he saw some shopping bags containing high-end luxury items. His eyes darkened, but he walked toward her without looking sideways. At this moment, Elise was sitting at her desk and fiddling with the cell phone in her hand. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back,¡± she said. The next second, though, Alexander grabbed her wrist right away and pulled her into his arms. Then, he held her close, asking, ¡°Did my mom give you a hard time today?¡± Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. Elise blinked her eyes before saying with a smile, ¡°No, she didn¡¯t! She just took me on a shopping trip. These are the things I got, but they were given to me by Jamie as presents.¡± Alexander said with a straight face, ¡°Just use the card I gave you when you go shopping next time. Don¡¯t ept any presents from other men again.¡± Chapter 244 Chapter 244 Elise quickly exined, ¡°It¡¯s not like I wanted to ept Jamie¡¯s presents, but the situation at the time¡­¡± Just then, however, she thought of something. After all, Madeline was Alexander¡¯s mother. However displeased she was with Madeline, she couldn¡¯t say nasty things about his mother in front of him. Therefore, she changed the subject and said, ¡°Never mind, I¡¯ll return them after leaving them here for a few days.¡± However, Alexander tightened his arms around her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Elise. I don¡¯t think I can ept other men being nice to you, so I¡¯ve got to be twice as nice to you in the future.¡± Elise didn¡¯t say a word. There were some things that she didn¡¯t want to tell him lest it made him feel even more irritable. However, she could sense that Madeline was hostile to her. Seems like it¡¯s true that the rtionship with one¡¯s mother-inw is the trickiest problem in the world. Perhaps I could reduce the conflict between us by avoiding her, she thought. At the thought of this, she made up her mind. When Alexander came out of Elise¡¯s room, he gave Cameron a call. ¡°Help me find out what happened at Moore za today.¡± Cameron merely replied, ¡°Yes, Young Master Alexander,¡± on the other end of the line without asking any questions. After hanging up the phone, Alexander looked back and stared at the tightly closed door. Even though Elise said nothing about it, he could sense that there was something wrong with her mood today. What should I do to reduce her worries? he thought. Over the next few days, Elise went out from dawn till dusk, going to Brendan¡¯s studio to help him with his work. As she avoided meeting Madeline almost every day, the two women rarely ran into each other, thus avoiding many conflicts. However, Madeline wouldn¡¯t let it go at that. One day, the servant received an exquisitely designed invitation card. ¡°Madam, it¡¯s an invitation sent by the SK Group.¡± Madeline took the invitation card and nced at it. ¡°Just put it there! I¡¯ll make time to attend the event.¡± ¡°Yes, madam,¡± Ste said. Just as Ste was about to leave, Madeline stopped her, saying, ¡°Wait a minute, Ste.¡± ¡°Is there anything else, madam?¡± Coming straight to the point, Madeline said, ¡°You¡¯ve worked for the Griffiths for years. I suppose I can talk about this with you without mincing words. You¡¯ve served Dad by his side for so many years, so you know his temperament better than anyone else. I¡¯m just curious as to why he would arrange for Alex to get engaged to a country bumpkin like Elise.¡± Ste was troubled by Madeline¡¯s question. ¡°Madam, this is a matter within the Griffith Family. I¡¯m only a servant, so I¡¯m not qualified toment on this.¡± Madeline immediately replied, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Ste. I just want to know what Dad thought, so you just have to be honest.¡± Still, Ste was unsure of what to say in response. In the past few days, she had noticed that Madeline seemed to be displeased with Elise. Naturally, she couldn¡¯t say anything about it as a servant, though she felt more and more sorry for Elise. ¡°Madam, since you asked me the question today, allow me to say that Elise is actually a finedy. She excels in her studies and is the top scorer in the college entrance exam this time. Back when thete Mr. Griffith was still around, she never exploited his fondness for her to do anything inappropriate. Instead, she always had the interests of the Griffiths in mind. As for her rtionship with Young Master Alexander, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s proper for us to speak out of turn about the love between a man and a woman. But I believe that Young Master Alexander must¡¯ve liked Miss Elise because there¡¯s something extraordinary about her. Besides, they look like a perfect match. I think they¡¯ll definitely be happy if they get married.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough¡­¡± Madeline interrupted Ste before thetter could continue her speech. ¡°Getting married? How could she marry into the Griffith Family with such a family background? Isn¡¯t that a bit tooughable?¡± Upon hearing Madeline¡¯s words, Ste realized that Madeline disliked Elise because of thetter¡¯s family background. Turns out that rich families value marriages between families of equal social standing above everything else. Well, thete Mr. Griffith was better; he didn¡¯t hold such vulgar and old-fashioned views, she thought. Just then, Madeline said, ¡°Tell me the truth, Ste. Has she done anything¡­ indecent with Alex over the time she spent here?¡± Upon hearing this, Ste immediately replied, ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it, madam. There¡¯s nothing indecent between Miss Elise and Young Master Alexander. I can vouch for Miss Elise about this.¡± Madeline heaved a sigh of relief. Seems like they¡¯ve yet to reach that point in their rtionship. In that case, there¡¯d still be a way to improve the situation, she thought. ¡°Alright, I got it. You may leave.¡± Ste wiped the sweat off her forehead before going to the kitchen. Then, she breathed a sigh of helplessness, saying, ¡°Why would a kind person like youe across such a mother-inw, Miss Elise¡­¡± T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Elise didn¡¯t know what had happened, and she didn¡¯te home until 10PM as usual. Whenever she came back at this hour in thest few days, the lights in the living room would¡¯ve already been switched off. Today, however, the spacious living room was brightly lit. ¡°You¡¯re back atst, huh?¡± Elise heard Madeline¡¯s voice as soon as she entered the house. When she looked up subconsciously, she saw Madeline sitting on the sofa in the living room. She asked, ¡°Why are you still up at such ate hour, Mrs. Griffith?¡± ¡°I was waiting for you,¡± Madeline replied sinctly. ¡°Come here. Let¡¯s have a talk.¡± Elise walked over to Madeline and sat down beside her. ¡°Is there anything you¡¯d like to talk to me about, Mrs. Griffith?¡± ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Madeline replied. ¡°I heard from someone in the family that you¡¯d be staying here for only a year. Since it¡¯s about time, I¡¯d say you should consider moving out and staying somewhere else. After all, you¡¯re ady, so it¡¯s quite improper for you to stay at someone else¡¯s ce all year round.¡± For a moment, Elise didn¡¯t know how to respond to Madeline¡¯s words. She came here because Jonah had invited her to, but now that Jonah was gone, it did seem improper for her to continue staying here. Moreover, Madeline had asked her to leave. ¡°You¡¯re right, Mrs. Griffith. I should be moving out indeed.¡± Madeline then said, ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything else, but you¡¯re ady, so your reputation is quite important. Those in our family are mostly guys, so it¡¯ll be embarrassing if word gets around about this. How about this? I¡¯ve got a 2-bedroom apartment downtown, so you can stay there if you want.¡± ¡°Thanks for your kind offer, Mrs. Griffith, but it¡¯s not necessary. I¡¯ll find a ce to stay on my own.¡± Madeline heaved a sigh of relief when she heard Elise say so. ¡°That¡¯s good. You¡¯re engaged to Alexander, but you two aren¡¯t married yet, after all, so your rtionship is still subject to change. I¡¯m doing this for your own good, so if Alexander and the others ask you about itter, I hope you¡¯ll tell them that it¡¯s your own decision.¡± To put it bluntly, I can¡¯t say that she drove me out. There was no way Elise didn¡¯t understand the meaning behind Madeline¡¯s words. Indeed, she was like an outsider to this family, so it was a bit improper for her to stay here. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I understand that.¡± Therefore, Elise packed up her stuff the next day. She had bought an apartment in Athesea long ago, though the ce had always been vacant. Originally, she had nned to move there when she finished spending a year at the Griffith Residence as she had promised to Robin. Now that she was going to move out, she could stay in that apartment for the time being. She announced right away during breakfast that she was nning to move out. In an instant, those at the dining table were surprised, and Danny was the first to speak. ¡°You¡¯re moving out? Why, Boss? Why are you moving out? You¡¯re doing fine while staying here, anyway.¡± Brendan asked right after that, ¡°Did something happen, Elise? Why do you want to move out all of a sudden?¡± Jack was puzzled, too. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you want to move out because you have a hard time adjusting to it now that my parents are back?¡± Elise immediately replied with a smile, ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. I just feel that I¡¯ve bothered you guys a little by staying here for too long. Now that the college entrance exam has ended, I¡¯ll be going to university at Tissote when the semester begins in September. It¡¯d be inconvenient for me to continue staying here, so I decided I might as well move out.¡± ¡°That can¡¯t be true, Boss! Don¡¯t move out, okay? If you move out of here, I¡¯ll have a problem improving my ranking in games. How am I supposed to y games with you then?¡± Brendan chimed in, ¡°That¡¯s right, Elise. There¡¯s still a month before the semester begins, so you can totally stay until then.¡± As soon as Brendan finished his sentence, Alexander, who had been silent the whole time, looked up at Elise and asked, ¡°Where will you be staying?¡± Elise answered honestly, ¡°I¡¯ll be staying at Bollinger Gardens on Ellingmont Lane.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll help you move your stuff thereter, then.¡± Elise nodded in agreement, but she couldn¡¯t help feeling a bit disappointed deep down inside. He didn¡¯t even ask me to stay, she thought to herself. Chapter 245 Chapter 245 ¡°What are you talking about, Alexander? Wouldn¡¯t it be inconvenient for you and Elise to meet up after she moves out?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right! Elise is engaged to you, so she¡¯s part of our family. She¡¯ll be staying with us sooner orter, anyway.¡± However, Alexander didn¡¯t bat an eye. He replied tly, ¡°I¡¯m just respecting her decision.¡± Elise¡¯s heart instantly sank when she heard this, but she put on a calm face without revealing any emotion. She didn¡¯t know what was wrong with her. She was the one who said she would be moving out, and he agreed to that atst, but she became even more upset instead¡­ ¡°Well then, go on with your breakfast. I¡¯m going upstairs to pack up my stuff,¡± she said. With that, she went upstairs, leaving everyone else to look at each other in puzzlement. Jack said, ¡°Something¡¯s amiss! Did you guys notice that something was wrong with Elise¡¯s mood today?¡± Upon hearing Jack¡¯s words, Brendan pondered for a moment and then turned to look at Alexander. ¡°I noticed that too. Besides, Elise has been going out early anding back at nighttely. Is she hiding something from us?¡± Everyone fell silent at his words, whereas Alexander¡¯s piercing eyes darkened bit by bit. Elise didn¡¯t have many belongings, so she only packed them in a simple suitcase. As she dragged her suitcase downstairs, Danny immediately trotted up to her to help her. ¡°Let me help you with that, Boss,¡± he said while taking the suitcase from her. However, instead of going downstairs, he stood still and continued, ¡°Are you really leaving, Boss? I¡¯ll miss you very much.¡± Eliseforted him, saying, ¡°I¡¯m just moving out. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re not gonna meet again. If you wanna y games with me, just text me on WhatsApp. I¡¯ll y with you if I¡¯m free.¡± Danny pouted his lips before he replied despondently, ¡°Alright, Boss.¡± Just then, Alexander came over to them. ¡°Just put the suitcase in the trunk. I¡¯ll drive her there.¡± Danny still wanted to say something, but when he saw how unyielding Alexander was, he could only hold back the words on the tip of his tongue and obediently put the suitcase in the trunk. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Alexander said before going out first. Elise followed Alexander closely, though neither of them spoke on their way to her apartment. When they arrived at Bollinger Gardens, Elise unbuckled her seat belt, saying, ¡°We¡¯ve arrived. Just drop me here.¡± To her surprise, Alexander didn¡¯t say a word in reply. Instead, he merely opened the car door, got out of the car, and picked up her suitcase. He asked, ¡°Which block are you staying in?¡± Elise pointed at a building nearby. ¡°Over there in Unit 1002, Block 3B.¡± Alexander then dragged the suitcase toward Block 3B. At the sight of the scene, Elise hurriedly caught up to him. ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t have to escort me there. I can move into my apartment on my own.¡± Alexander raised an eyebrow slightly. Seeing that the elevator had arrived, he motioned for Elise to go in first. As the elevator door closed, he slowly said, ¡°You can move into your apartment on your own, but it¡¯s my duty and responsibility as your fianc¨¦ to safely escort you to your destination.¡± Silenced by his words at once, Elise replied, ¡°Oh, okay,¡± without saying anything else. The elevator slowly went up until it stopped on the tenth floor. After the couple walked out of the elevator, Elise hurriedly took out her keys and opened the door to her apartment. The apartment was a fully-furnished 3-bedroom unit, and she had made a special effort to buy it along with the furniture and electrical appliances back then. Therefore, it was very convenient for her to move in with only her belongings. Alexander put her suitcase in the bedroom before surveying the apartment. He asked, ¡°When did you buy this apartment?¡± ¡°Beforeing to the Griffith Residence,¡± answered Elise. ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Alexander uttered. ¡°This ce is nice. Still, it¡¯s a bit dangerous for you to live alone as ady.¡± Elise replied, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I have it figured out. I¡¯ll buy a pair of men¡¯s slippers and put them at the door tomorrow. Also, I¡¯ll hang some men¡¯s clothes to dry so no one would think that I¡¯m living alone.¡± Alexander narrowed his eyes slightly. ¡°Well, you¡¯re quite thoughtful, but don¡¯t you have any alternative?¡± Elise subconsciously asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t this good enough?¡± Alexander looked around and inspected the balcony and the bathroom window. After making sure that everything was alright, he said, ¡°I¡¯ve got something to do at my office, so I¡¯ll be going there first. Be careful while you stay here alone.¡± Elise nodded repeatedly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know that.¡± However, she became downcast at once after Alexander left. Staring at the spacious and empty apartment, she felt a void inside her. Meanwhile, Alexander didn¡¯t leave after the apartment door was closed. Instead, he nced at Unit 1001 next door and pressed the doorbell without the slightest hesitation. ¡°Coming¡­ Who is it?¡± When the door opened, Alexander stood there and said, ¡°Hi, there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to discuss with you¡­¡± The apartment¡¯s owner was startled for a while. Then, he said, ¡°In that case,e on in. Let¡¯s talk about it inside.¡± ¡­ On the first day of moving in, Elise did a quick cleaning of the apartment and ordered a takeout for lunch. Everything was fine up until then. However, when she lay alone in bed and stared at the ceiling above her at night, a feeling of loneliness welled up within her. She had trouble sleeping in an unfamiliar bed, so she had a hard time adjusting to it after moving to a new ce all of a sudden¡­ She tossed and turned until the second half of the night before falling asleep. When she woke up the next day, it was already 9AM. She quickly washed up, got changed, and got ready to leave the apartment. However, when she opened the door, she saw a few people moving things into the apartment next door. She asked curiously, ¡°Are you guys the new neighbor?¡± The worker answered, ¡°Nope, we¡¯re movers. We¡¯re helping the apartment¡¯s owner move in.¡± Elise thought it coincidental that a new neighbor was moving into the apartment next door after she had moved here yesterday, but she didn¡¯t give it much thought. When the elevator arrived, she took the elevator right away. It was already 10AM when she arrived at Brendan¡¯s studio. As soon as she arrived, Brendan came up to her, asking, ¡°Are you alright, Elise?¡± Elise replied with a smile, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine! I just woke upte because I¡¯d just moved house and was a bit unused to it.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s okay. That¡¯s not what I¡¯m asking about, anyway. I wanted to ask¡­¡± Brendan hesitated for a moment. Then, he asked, ¡°Why exactly did you move out all of a sudden?¡± Upon hearing Brendan¡¯s question, Elise replied slowly without revealing any emotion on her face, ¡°Uh, there¡¯s no particr reason, actually. I just wanted a change of environment since I¡¯ve bothered you guys for too long.¡± Brendan obviously didn¡¯t believe her story, though. ¡°Really? Or do you not want to tell me the reason? We¡¯ve known each other for such a long time, Elise, so you¡¯ve got to tell me if anything happened to you. Don¡¯t treat me like an outsider.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll tell you about it if anything happens to me. Don¡¯t overthink it, though.¡± Brendan was relieved to hear Elise say so. ¡°Alright then. Go ahead with your work while I go back to my office first.¡± After Brendan left, Elise pulled out her chair and sat down. After looking at her design drawings, she picked up the pencil and continued drawing her designs. However, it didn¡¯t take long before she heard what sounded like a quarrel outside. ¡°We ced the order for the custom-made evening dress a month ago. The film festival ising soon, and you gave us this piece of junk?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about anything else. You guys must solve this problem for me right now, or we¡¯ll terminate all our contracts with your studio.¡± ¡°You know Maeve¡¯s current standing in show business. T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Can you afford to pay the losses if she can¡¯t wear the dress at the film festival?¡± Volley after volley of arguments were heard. Elise opened the door and walked out of the room. Seeing that many people had gathered in front of her, she stopped an assistant and asked, ¡°What happened? Why are they quarreling?¡± The assistant nced at the crowd before exining in a low voice, ¡°Something¡¯s wrong with Maeve¡¯s evening dress; they¡¯re displeased with the dress we designed. We had let them take a look at the design when it came out, and they didn¡¯t voice any objections then. Now that the dress has beenpleted, they keep finding fault with it instead.¡± Elise frowned slightly. Normally, both the studio and the client would exchange their opinion on such a custom-made evening dress when the design came out. If the client was dissatisfied with the design, they could totally have had it revised at the time. Therefore, it was somewhat unreasonable for them to voice their dissatisfaction with the design now that the dress had beenpleted. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a look.¡± The assistant hurriedly stopped her. ¡°No, don¡¯t do that. This is Mr. Griffith¡¯s design, so he¡¯ll take care of this,¡± she said. Then, she deliberately lowered her voice and continued, ¡°It¡¯s obvious that Maeve is making things difficult for Mr. Griffith on purpose. Everyone knows she¡¯s got feelings for him. You should stay out of this, Elise¡­¡± Elise knitted her brows. Chapter 246 Chapter 246 As they were speaking, Brendan came out of his office with an obviously gloomy expression on his face. He then said to Maeve Lindberg¡¯s manager, ¡°The dress has already beenpleted. If you¡¯re dissatisfied, we can give you a full refund.¡± Apparently, Maeve¡¯s manager didn¡¯t expect Brendan to say that. Surprised, she replied with a smile, ¡°Please don¡¯t be mad, Mr. Griffith. We aren¡¯t saying that we¡¯re not satisfied with the dress; it¡¯s just that Maeve said the dress is the result of your hard work since you designed it yourself. You know what kind of a person she is, though. She said she¡¯ll perhaps be satisfied if you personally deliver the dress to her.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Brendan interrupted her right away. ¡°Please help me tell Miss Lindberg that it¡¯s not a problem if she¡¯s dissatisfied with the design and needs it to be revised. If she¡¯s dissatisfied with the dress, we can have it remade, and if she wants to terminate our contracts, we can choose to terminate the contracts amicably. As for everything else, please tell her to behave herself.¡± The manager quickly replied with an obsequious smile, ¡°You¡¯re going a bit too far in saying that, Mr. Griffith. Maeve didn¡¯t mean anything else. She just wanted to be friends with you, but if you don¡¯t want to, she won¡¯t force it, of course. To put it bluntly, we didn¡¯te to you for the dress; we came to you because Maeve is interested in you. Since you don¡¯t reciprocate Maeve¡¯s feelings, let¡¯s forget about our coboration. As for thepensation, you just have to pay the money ording to what was stated in the contract.¡± Brendan looked as ck as thunder. ¡°Alright then, goodbye and good riddance,¡± he uttered between clenched teeth. Then, he turned around and left regardless of the manager¡¯s response. The manager then said, ¡°Don¡¯t show me the door in such a hurry, Mr. Griffith. Actually, you¡¯re skilled as a designer, but Maeve admires your personality more. Besides, you¡¯re currently single, and Maeve is a popr female celebrity. She¡¯s a good match for you, so why put on airs when you don¡¯t have to?¡± As soon as the manager finished her sentence, Elise walked out right away and looked at her with a faint smile. ¡°Since Maeve is a popr female celebrity, why force people into doing things they don¡¯t wanna do?¡± When the manager saw Elise, her eyes widened with amazement, especially when she looked at Elise¡¯s face, which was especially fair despite having no makeup on. Her bright and clear eyes were especially beautiful, and her slender figure made her look like someone born to be a star. Even Maeve would pale inparison with her if she stood in front of her. However, for some reason, the manager thought Elise¡¯s face looked familiar to her. ¡°And you are?¡± she asked with a groveling smile on her face. Elise replied tly, ¡°Just one of the studio¡¯s designers.¡± The manager then took out a business card from her pocket. ¡°I¡¯m a manager from Bright Star Entertainment. Are you interested in entering show business? You look so beautiful, and you¡¯re young. I guarantee that I¡¯ll make you the top celebrity in less than three years.¡± ¡°And then you¡¯ll make me as overbearing as you are?¡± Elise shot back. The manager¡¯s expression changed at once. ¡°Brendan Griffith should feel honored that Maeve has taken a fancy to him. Do you believe that Maeve can make your studio go out of business with just a word?¡± Elise had seen some arrogant people before, but she had never seen someone as arrogant as the manager. Folding her arms across her chest, she said, ¡°Well, you can give it a try. Let¡¯s see if our studio will go out of business or if Maeve will disappear from show business in the end.¡± Elise¡¯s words sent a chill down the manager¡¯s spine. She had a vague feeling that Elise didn¡¯t seem to be joking, and that she really seemed capable of doing that. But on second thought, Elise was only a youngdy who was still wet behind the ears. How capable can she be? she thought. ¡°Do you think such a threat will work on me? Let me tell you that it¡¯s only a matter of minutes if we want your studio to go out of business.¡± Elise replied, ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll wait for it! But let me remind you that a wicked person is doomed to destruction. Lastly, tell Maeve to stop harassing Brendan.¡± The manager gave Elise a long stare before replying with a sneer, ¡°Who do you think you are? What makes you think you can meddle in Maeve¡¯s affairs? Here¡¯s a piece of sound advice for you: you¡¯ll pay the price for poking your nose into somebody else¡¯s business.¡± Without waiting for Elise¡¯s response, she shot her a warning stare and left. At the sight of the scene, Elise¡¯s eyes grew darker bit by bit. Just then, the assistant hurriedly came to her and asked, ¡°Are you alright, Elise?¡± Elise¡¯s instinct told her that there was more to it than what the manager had said, but she didn¡¯t give it much thought. She merely replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± The assistant sighed. ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time Maeve has pestered Mr. Griffith. In fact, she has done it a few times. Mr. Griffith has been reluctant to deal with them, but the coboration agreement they signed back then is valid for a year, so he¡¯s been doing all he can to keep Maeve away¡­ But it seems that Maeve won¡¯t stop until she¡¯s got her hands on Mr. Griffith. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen such a shameless woman. She pretends to be so likable and innocent on the big screen, but who would¡¯ve known that she¡¯s such a woman in private?¡± she said. As she spoke, however, she broke off in the middle of her speech and looked at Brendan nearby with a horrified expression. ¡°Mr. Griffith, I¡­¡± Brendan opened his mouth, saying, ¡°Just go ahead with your work.¡± The assistant quickly ran away. When Elise realized what had happened, she was already nowhere to be seen. Brendan came over and said, ¡°Thank you, Elise. But please stay out of this in the future.¡± Elise was somewhat puzzled. ¡°Why are you putting up with her like that?¡± Brendan exined, ¡°Maeve¡¯s got connections in the underworld. I¡¯m a businessman, so I can¡¯t offend those in the underworld.¡± The furrow in Elise¡¯s brow deepened. ¡°So you¡¯re just going to keep putting up with her like that?¡± Brendan let out a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m fine. The contract will end in less than half a year, anyway.¡± Elise thought that Brendan didn¡¯t seem like someone who would swallow his pride, but he kept trying his best to avoid Maeve, as if she were vicious. Elise had a hard time concentrating in the afternoon as she kept thinking about Maeve. In the end, she took out her cell phone and googled Maeve¡¯s name, and a detailed introduction of her immediately popped up on Wikipedia¡­ There was nothing special about the introduction on Wikipedia since it had glorified Maeve in every way possible. As Elise had no impression of the woman, she put her cell phone away without giving it much thought. Elise worked overtime until past 9PM as usual. Then, she switched off the lights, ready to leave the office. She was thest person to leave the studio every day, so she had grown used to it. As usual, she left the studio after locking the door. Unexpectedly, as soon as she came out of the studio, a dark silhouette popped up in front of her and then put a gunnysack on her. Elise struggled out of reflex, but she lost consciousness after only a few seconds. A male voice sounded, saying, ¡°Throw her into the trunk.¡± With that, several men quickly threw Elise into the car and then drove off. All of this happened in a sh. Within two mere minutes, the car was nowhere to be seen, and the surroundings were quiet again as usual.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 247 Chapter 247 At Bollinger Gardens, the doorbell for Unit 1002 of Block 3B kept ringing, but no one was answering the door. Alexander checked the time. She¡¯s yet to return home at such ate hour? he thought. Immediately, he took out his cell phone and called Elise. ¡°Sorry, the number you¡¯ve dialed is not reachable¡­¡± Alexander knitted his brows as he dialed another phone number. ¡°Is Elise still at the studio?¡± Brendan had just arrived home and was changing into his slippers on the porch when he got a phone call from Alexander. Recalling that Elise¡¯s office was brightly lit when he left the studio, he replied, ¡°She was still in the studio when I left, but she¡¯s supposed to have gone back at this hour. Why not give her a call if you¡¯re looking for her?¡± ¡°Her cell phone is switched off,¡± Alexander said before hanging up. Brendan was left confused. Elise¡¯s cell phone is switched off? Well, it¡¯s probably run out of juice, he thought. The next second, however, he recalled something and had a bad feeling. As he couldn¡¯t be bothered to put on his shoes, he ran out right away in his slippers. Meanwhile, Alexander drove to the studio, but there was nobody in the spacious studio at this very moment. When Alexander found the security guard at the entrance, he asked, ¡°Did you see adying out of here?¡± The security guard thought for a moment before he answered, ¡°Are you talking about thedy in the studio opposite? Come to think of it, it¡¯s strange that I didn¡¯t see her today, but she¡¯s probably still inside. Usually, she¡¯d be gone by this hour.¡± Alexander looked back at the studio. For some reason, he panicked a little deep down inside. When he walked to the studio, he found that the door was locked. He then called out to Elise, but there was no answer. Just then, Brendan arrived in a hurry. ¡°Did you find Elise, Alexander?¡± Alexander asked, ¡°Did you see her?¡± Brendan shook his head repeatedly. Then, he said, ¡°Could something have happened to her?¡± Alexander was astounded. He asked, ¡°What happened?¡± Brendan then told him about what had happened that morning regarding Maeve. ¡°I should¡¯ve stopped her from shing with Maeve¡¯s manager. Maeve¡¯s got connections in the underworld. Could they have abducted Elise?¡± Alexander¡¯s hands quietly clenched into fists. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up and look for her. It¡¯d be best if that woman had nothing to do with this. Otherwise¡­ I¡¯d never let her off.¡± His words reeked of such murderous intent that even Brendan couldn¡¯t help but shudder in fear. As he couldn¡¯t care less about everything else, he turned around and started making phone calls to search for Elise. ¡­ Elise was being tossed up and down when she regained consciousness. She sensed that her hands and feet were tied, and she couldn¡¯t move at all. Not only that, but she couldn¡¯t stretch her legs as there was a vague hint of numbness in them. With the benefit of hindsight, she realized that she probably had been kidnapped. But who kidnapped me? she wondered. She tried to struggle, but she couldn¡¯t summon up her strength at all. Just then, a creepy male voice sounded. ¡°That b*tch¡¯s awake.¡± Elise immediately stopped what she was doing, and she dared not even breathe. ¡°It¡¯s even better that she¡¯s awake. After all, I don¡¯t wanna do that kind of thing to a dead woman. At least it¡¯s more fun to have our way with her like this¡­¡± ¡°Haha¡­ You¡¯re right. How much time¡¯s left before we reach our destination?¡± ¡°Calm down, will you? We¡¯ll arrive in a few more minutes. Are you that impatient already?¡± ¡°Oh, you bet I am. Thisdy¡¯s a stunner. Well, we¡¯re lucky to be able to have our way with her today¡­¡± The few menughed as they looked at each other. Elise trembled with rage when she heard the men¡¯s unbearably lewd remarks. However, she was gagged with a piece of fabric, so she couldn¡¯t make a sound even if she wanted to. Therefore, she could only try to untie the rope around her hands. Just then, the car jolted, causing Elise to bump her head against the trunk lid. As she gasped in pain, she sensed that the car seemed to be headed for somewhere increasingly remote, and her heart instantly sank. Now I can only try to save myself. The car slowly drove up to the entrance of an abandoned factory and stopped. ¡°Drag her out of the car and get her inside.¡± The few men opened the trunk lid and took off the sack on Elise¡¯s head, revealing her horrified face at once. ¡°What are you looking at? We¡¯re gonna give you a good timeter.¡± The few men guffawed frivolously and wantonly at the remark, whereas Elise struggled with all her might as she kept mumbling in a muffled voice. Seeing that she couldn¡¯t run away, one of the men took off the piece of fabric from her mouth. ¡°Just say whatever you want to say. You¡¯re not gonna have the opportunity to say anythingter, anyway.¡± Elise¡¯s eyes darkened at once. She said right away, ¡°Just name your price. How much do you want? I can give however much money you want as long as you guys let go of me.¡± However, the men burst outughing upon hearing her words. ¡°You¡¯re still clueless at this point, huh? We¡¯re not doing this for money. It¡¯s just that you offended someone, so we¡¯re just carrying out that person¡¯s order to make sure that you won¡¯t live to see the next day.¡± They¡¯re not doing this for money? Elise was somewhat nervous deep down inside. Nevertheless, she asked, ¡°Are you gonna kill me then? It¡¯s against thew tomit murder, you know?¡± The man replied arrogantly, ¡°Haha! Against thew? Could thew punish us? Why didn¡¯t you ask around about us? We¡¯ve done such a thing many times, but I¡¯m still alive and kicking, don¡¯t you see?¡± Just then, the man next to him reminded him, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not waste our time talking to her anymore. Hurry up and get her inside¡­ I can¡¯t wait any longer.¡± ¡°Alright. Don¡¯t tell on us when you go to hell,dy,¡± said the first man. With that, the men dragged her into the old and abandoned factory right away. Elise kept struggling, but she couldn¡¯t break free of their grasp. After they entered the factory, the men threw her onto the haystack right away. ¡°Untie the ropes for her. I¡¯m gonna be the first to have my way with such a stunner.¡± ¡°No way! Didn¡¯t we agree that I¡¯ll be the first to do so. Go line up behind me.¡± ¡°How dare you argue with me?¡± The situation got somewhat out of hand as the two men were instantly locked in a face-off. Just then, another man ran inside and said, ¡°That¡¯s enough! What are you arguing for? All of us are gonna get to have our way with her anyway, so be quick. That person has told us to do it as quickly as possible and kill all the loose ends. It¡¯ll be bad if you guys mess things up by procrastinating.¡± Upon hearing his words, the two men stopped confronting each other and turned to look at Elise. Then, the two men came forward at the same time, taking off their clothes as they closed in on her. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, sweetie. We¡¯ll be gentle¡­¡± one of the men said while pouncing on Elise. Seeing that the man was closing in on her, Elise steeled herself and kicked the man fiercely in the groin without the slightest hesitation the instant he pounced on her. There was a loud cry of pain as the man instantly covered his private parts while wailing in pain continuously. Even at this moment, Elise was cool-headed enough to warn, ¡°Behave yourselves and stay away from me, or I¡¯m gonna be very unpleasant with you.¡±Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. Chapter 248 Chapter 248 ¡°Haha! You¡¯ve got quite the temper, huh? I like it.¡± The man took off his jacket and forcibly pounced on Elise. Elise was instantly filled with disgust, as if her stomach was churning. She kept struggling, but the other men came forward and pinned her down, so she couldn¡¯t summon up her strength at all¡­ Elise looked at the shabby roof above her head with her heart full of despair. As she slowly closed her eyes, a tear quietly rolled out of the corner of her eye¡­ Bang! Just then, there was a loud bang, and Elise instantly opened her eyes. ¡°Elise!¡± All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Alexander called out to Elise loudly, but the scene before him caused his eyes to redden with rage. He strode forward and sent the man on top of Elise flying with a kick. Then, without the slightest hesitation, he took off his suit jacket and draped it on her. As Elise looked at the man before her through a mist of tears, feelings of grievance welled up inside her, and tears gushed from her eyes. Alexander¡¯s heart ached terribly when he saw her like this. ¡°How dare you f*cking kick me? Guys, get him!¡± Alexander darted a cold nce at the men. He moved so swiftly that no one could see how he moved, and he knocked them t in the blink of an eye. ¡°F*ck, we can¡¯t beat him! What should we do? Let¡¯s run away¡­¡± The men quickly got up from the ground and ran to the door, only to see Brendan standing there with his back straightened. There was no warmth in his eyes as he folded his arms across his chest, saying, ¡°Go on, keep running! Why aren¡¯t you running?¡± The few men looked at each other for a while as they were at a loss for what to do. Atst, the man leading them quickly said, ¡°Wait a minute, it¡¯s all a misunderstanding! Please let us go this time. When we meet again in the future, I¡¯ll definitely reward you for this.¡± Brendan¡¯s lips curled up into a chilling sneer. ¡°Misunderstanding? Reward? I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re not gonna have the opportunity anymore¡­¡± Before his voice faded, police sirens were heard wailing outside. ¡°What do we do, bro? The police are outside. We have nowhere to run¡­¡± Surprisingly, the leader of the group of men calmed down instead. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about. We¡¯re just gonna have a cup of tea at the police department. What else could happen, anyway? But today¡¯s matter¡­¡± the man said before looking daggers at Brendan. ¡°We¡¯ll definitely kill you once we get out of the police department.¡± Brendan met the man¡¯s gaze fearlessly, saying, ¡°You¡¯re not gonna have the opportunity anymore.¡± When he finished his sentence, the policemen had arrived. The few men cooperated obediently when facing the policemen. After frog-marching the men into the police cars, a policeman came to Brendan and asked, ¡°Did you call the police just now? Pleasee with us to have your testimony recorded at the police department.¡± Brendan looked at Elise nearby with worry in his eyes. Nevertheless, he cooperated with the police. ¡°Alright, sir. I¡¯ll be there right away.¡± It wasn¡¯t until everyone had left that Alexander slowly crouched down and looked at Elise, who was trembling like a leaf before him. With a look of pain in his eyes, he reached out and caressed her cheek. He whispered softly, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Everything¡¯s fine now.¡± The next instant, Elise flung herself into Alexander¡¯s arms, unable to hold back her tears. It didn¡¯t take long before her tears formed a wet patch on his chest. ¡°There, now. Nothing¡¯s gonna happen since I¡¯m here for you.¡± Elise slowly slipped out of Alexander¡¯s arms while looking at him through a mist of tears. ¡°Do you know I really was in despair at that moment? I was so scared¡­¡± Before she could finish her sentence, though, he leaned forward and silenced her with a kiss on her lips. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about it anymore. It¡¯s time to go home.¡± Elise nodded. Alexander helped her up and looked her up and down. After making certain that there was nothing wrong with her, he went out carrying her in his arms. Neither of them spoke on their way back since Elise was still suffering from shock. She had no idea who would make such a cruel attempt on her life. When the car stopped at the neighborhood where Elise currently resided, Alexander held her hand and said, ¡°We¡¯ve arrived. Let¡¯s get out of the car.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Elise opened the car door and got out of the car. The couple walked side by side toward the lobby before taking the elevator to Elise¡¯s apartment. After opening the door to her apartment, Elise turned sideways to make way for Alexander, saying, ¡°Come in.¡± Alexander went in after her. At this moment, Elise no longer seemed as panicky as before. She became unusually calm. After setting aside the shock just now, she was able to calm herself down. After a long time, she asked, ¡°You¡­ How did you know I was in trouble?¡± Alexander exined truthfully, ¡°I saw that you had yet toe back, so I called you on your cell phone, but your cell phone was switched off. So, I asked Brendan¡­¡± He then summarized the rest of the story in a few sentences. After listening to his words, Elise merely replied, ¡°Oh,¡± in a soft voice without saying anything else. Finally, she said, ¡°Thanks. If you hadn¡¯t shown up in the nick of time¡­ the consequences would¡¯ve been too ghastly to imagine.¡± Alexander came forward and took her hand. ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s dangerous for ady like you to live alone out here. Wanna consider moving back with us?¡± Elise turned down the suggestion without thinking. ¡°No, it¡¯s not necessary. I¡¯ll be more careful in the future so that such a thing won¡¯t happen again.¡± Alexander seemed to have predicted such an oue. Luckily, he had made preparations in advance. ¡°Since this is what you wish, I¡¯ll respect your decision. It¡¯s getting prettyte. Go wash up and go to bed early.¡± Elise looked up at the clock on the wall and realized that it was already past midnight. As it was indeed gettingte, she said, ¡°You should go back and rest early, too.¡± However, Alexander fixed his eyes on her face, asking, ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re gonna be fine on your own?¡± Elise nodded. Inwardly, though, she felt somewhat nervous. Seeing her reaction, Alexander said, ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll be leaving. Call me if there¡¯s anything.¡± With that, he stretched out his hands and hugged her for about ten seconds before letting her go. ¡°See me to the door, would you?¡± Elise didn¡¯t turn his suggestion down. She showed him to the door and said, ¡°I¡¯ll get the elevator for you.¡± However, just as she was about to press the elevator button, Alexander suddenly reached out and grabbed her. Then, he took a key out of his pocket and opened the door to the apartment next door in an unaffected manner. ¡°Hi! Nice to meet you, my new neighbor.¡± Elise was stupefied at the sight of the scene. Her mouth agape, she stared at the opened door, asking, ¡°Y-You¡¯re my new neighbor?¡± ¡°So? Would you like to visit your neighbor¡¯s new home?¡± Elise¡¯s eyes instantly flickered with a hint of surprise. ¡°W-Why did you move out as well?¡± Alexander smiled before exining with a look of resignation, ¡°Well, my girlfriend wants to stay here. I¡¯m worried since she¡¯s staying alone, so I moved here to keep herpany.¡± Elise looked at him as her face finally broke into a faint smile. She stepped forward, stretched out her hands, and hugged him. ¡°Hi, my new neighbor.¡± Alexander reached for her head and stroked her hair. He asked again, ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not gonna visit my ce?¡± Elise poked her head out and looked at the apartment. In reality, she was a bit curious about what Alexander¡¯s apartment would look like, but they would be staying together in the same room in the middle of the night if she visited his ce. Well¡­ What if we start making out by ident? Chapter 249 Chapter 249 ¡°I-I¡¯m good. You should get some rest. I¡¯m also about to head back to sleep.¡± Having said that, Elise waved him goodbye before returning to her home. Once she shut her door, all that was on her face was nothing but joy. For some reason, she no longer felt the fear she once had. And she could finally feel safe solely because he lived right next to her. The next morning, Elise¡¯s doorbell rang. Hastily, she hurried to the door with her cartoon graphic tee on, only to be surprised by Alexander at the door. ¡°Why are you here this early?¡± He lifted the bag of food in his hand. ¡°I got you breakfast.¡± ¡°Come in.¡± Alexander casually entered her home and closed the door. Elise was still feeling drowsy moments ago, but she was wide awake now. ¡°I¡¯lle eat after I wash up.¡± Thereupon, she ran into the bathroom. Done with her wash up, she came out of the bathroom, only to be warmed by the sight of the scrumptious delicacies arranged on the dining table. ordingly, she approached the table, pulled a chair out, and took a seat. ¡°Egg sandwich, shrimp gnhi, churros, and almond milk¡ªall of them are my favorites¡­¡± Alexander handed her her cutleries. ¡°Then you better eat up. I¡¯ve helped you apply for leave, so you won¡¯t have to go to work today. Rest up, okay?¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± she blurted and proceeded to indulge in her feast. Peering at the man in front of her, she quizzed, ¡°Have you eaten?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± he answered. Hearing that, she took a piece of gnhi and put it before his lips, to which the man tacitly opened his mouth, weing the corn-mixed shrimp gnhi to his pte. While he was slowly chewing the food, he was savoring every single moment he was currently in. ¡°You eat up too.¡± She then fed him a piece of egg sandwich, which the man epted without resistance. He would eat anything she gave him. After their breakfast, as Elise was about to clean up the mess on the table, she was stopped by Alexander. ¡°Let me. You should really rest.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Obediently, she stopped the action and passed on the task to him. Swiftly, the man tidied up the table and it looked as good as new. At that moment, the doorbell rang again. Elise went to open the door and saw Cameron carrying a stack of documents. ¡°Good morning, Miss Elise. Is President Griffith here?¡± ¡°Pleasee in.¡± Elise made space for the assistant to enter. With that, Cameron entered with files stacking in his arms, and was stunned. The president¡¯s on¡­ cleaning duty? Although he was utterly confused, he pretended as if it was nothing out of the ordinary. ¡°President Griffith, I¡¯ve brought all the files over. I¡¯lle over again to take them once you¡¯re done handling them.¡± With a straight face, Alexander replied, ¡°Just ce it there.¡± Briskly, Cameron ced the documents on the tea table before rushing to offer help to his superior. ¡°Allow me the physical task, President.¡± Nheless, Alexander rejected his offer. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. Just put the files down. You may leave if there¡¯s nothing else.¡± Cameron quickly nodded. ¡°As you wish, President Griffith.¡± As he was about to turn around and leave, he seemed to recall something. ¡°Oh, by the way, President Griffith, about the thing you had me look intost night¡­¡± Before finishing the sentence, he took a glimpse at Elise, to which thetter realized that what he was about to say could possibly pertain to her, so she should probably leave the conversation. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go on? I¡¯ll head back to my room.¡± Unexpectedly, she was stopped by Alexander. ¡°You can stay. Just say it, Cameron. From now on, you don¡¯t have to hide anything from Elise, whatever it is.¡± Acknowledging Alexander¡¯s absolute trust in Elise, Cameron said, ¡°Alright. Turns out, the man was hired by Maeve. I¡¯ve also dug up some dirt on her as you ordered. The thing is, many sources among those I looked for were reluctant to share any bad news about her, as if they were scared of some force behind Maeve. Hearing Maeve¡¯s name, Elise immediately felt pressured. I¡¯ve never even met her once, yet she¡¯s dying to kill me off. ¡°Who¡¯s the ¡®force¡¯ behind her?¡± she questioned. ¡°Well¡­¡± Although Cameron was somewhat perturbed, he eventually revealed the name. Hearing the name, Elise visibly frowned, while Alexander was ever-indifferent. ¡°One week. Get that piece of sh*t out of showbiz.¡± His utterance was calm, yet overbearing. That was when Cameron realized that Maeve had stepped on Alexander¡¯s toe. ¡°Yes, President! I¡¯ll handle it right away.¡± Having said that, he turned around and left. When Cameron finally left, Elise stared at Alexander. ¡°You know I won¡¯t me you even if you don¡¯t help me, right? She has a strong force behind her backing her up. And a duel between two strong figures will only lead to a gruesome result on both ends. Do you really think it¡¯s worth it?¡± ¡°I know, but no matter who it is that wishes to harm you, I¡¯ll make sure to pay it back double. Don¡¯t worry about it. Whatever it takes, I won¡¯t let her off so easily.¡± Elise couldn¡¯t help but feel moved by his words. Peering at the man in front of her, she subconsciously smiled. ¡°Thank you for that answer, Alexander. I¡¯ll make sure ¡®gruesome¡¯ only happens on one end.¡± Baffled, Alexander was about to question her implication, but she spared him no opportunity. ¡°Now, while you work, I¡¯ll go get some more rest. Might crave for some seafood stew for lunch.¡± With a pampering beam, he answered, ¡°Let¡¯s.¡± When she returned to her bedroom, all of her emotions dispersed. After locking her door, she walked to the bedside dresser and pulled out a tablet from within, turning it on. Donning a gloomy face, she rapidly tapped her fingers on the tablet¡¯s screen. Stripes of ck and white shed across the screen, followed by a series of codes and figures. Shortly after, a number of infographics popped up on her screen. The images were, to say the least, explicit. Elise intuitively scoffed the moment sheid eyes on the person in the image. Oh, how the tables have turned! Who would have expected you to be such a sly vixen, cutie? Alexander said he¡¯d allow you one week to get out of showbiz, but maybe one week is too long. So, how about three days? Consequently, various unrecognized sources on the inte started publishing scandalous information about Maeve. When Maeve¡¯s team saw the news, they immediately released a statement to dismiss the ¡°nder.¡± Typically, once a statement was made, the matter would be resolved immediately. But this time, it didn¡¯t. The scandals were exposed one after another, showing no signs of stopping. Not only did the team fail to contain the spread of the news, but the scandals spread even wider like a wildfire. Within half an hour, social media tforms were flooded by hashtags and discussions rted to Maeve. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. ¡°What the hell is happening? How are my old photos recurring?¡± Maeve raged at her manager. ¡°Get them off the inte immediately! I do not wish to see any of those disgusting photos ever again!¡± ¡°R- Right away, my precious. I¡¯ll have them removed at once. However, we¡¯ve spent so much money, yet there hasn¡¯t been any effectiveness. Should I look for Mr. Fagan for help?¡± ¡°Mr. Fagan this, Mr. Fagan that. Just do your damn work and stop the news from spreading!¡± Maeve vexedly screamed. Little did she expect, this was only the beginning of her nightmare. Apart from the before-and-after photos of her stic surgery, photos of her escorting in bars before she came to fame had also surged on the inte, including very explicit ones. In a sh, Maeve became the hot topic of the inte, drawing viewers and haters onto her Twitter page, shaping her into a public menace. Right then, ¡®#MaeveIsOverParty¡¯ became the trending tag on the tform. Meanwhile, Elise was scrolling on Twitter. Despite the outburst, she showed no emotions. Instead, she went even more brutal by uploading the dirt she had on Maeve with the hundreds of Twitter ounts she gained control of through her hacking skills, setting them to automatically retweet anything about Maeve¡¯s defamation. In less than five minutes, Twitter¡¯s server copsed, and she took the opportunity to infiltrate the tform¡¯s system and made some alteration to its algorithm. With so, anyone who came to defend her would have their ounts suspended. Having done that, Elise erased all of her traces on the inte and shut down her device. Chapter 250 Chapter 250 After she rolled out of bed, she walked toward the door and overheard Alexander¡¯s phone call. ¡°Things are going smoothly, President Griffith. The dirt on Maeve is now all over the inte. Other than my ¡®contributions,¡¯ many ounts, too, have appeared to post nasty stuff about her. Who would have thought she had undergone stic surgery, and even worked as an escort before she grew famous? Most importantly, she¡¯s exposed for selling drugs and evading tax, and those two alone are enough to earn her a life sentence!¡± Cameron sounded rather ecstatic on the phone. On the contrary, Alexander simply blurted, ¡°Good job.¡± ¡°Government forces are now looking into her case. Young Master Alex, we don¡¯t even need a week! Three days are enough to get her out of showbiz!¡± ¡°Good.¡± Once he finished speaking, Alexander saw Elise walking out of her bedroom. ¡°That¡¯s all for now. You know what to do next.¡± Ending the call, he quizzed, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Elise silently went to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. ¡°I can¡¯t fall asleep.¡± Smoothly, Alexander answered the embrace. ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much.¡± As the two wordlessly snuggled against each other, the woman suddenly felt at ease. ¡°You¡¯re the best.¡± Alexander rubbed his chin on the top of her head. ¡°No, you¡¯re the best.¡± ¡°Ah, right, seafood stew! I¡¯ll order some seafood from the store and have them sent over.¡± Subtly frowning, he inquired, ¡°Are you really nning to cook it yourself?¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s about time you get a taste of my culinary skills! But I do have to remind you to keep your opinions to yourself in case the stew tastes bad.¡± Hearing that, he let out a snicker. ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Thereupon, Elise joyously made the call, and the grocery store delivered her order within half an hour. As she was about to start preparing the meal, she was surprised by how the apron was already on Alexander.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°W-What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Swiftly, he reached for the bag of ingredients from her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll do it. You go rest up.¡± ¡°I said I¡¯d do it!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll do it.¡± Innocently, she handed him the grocery bag. ¡°Thanks, I guess.¡± Gracefully, Alexander removed the heads of the shrimps and deveined them. His movements were the exact same as those of any other people. Yet, he emitted a distinctive aura while cleaning mere shrimps. Seeing that, Elise smiled and got out of the kitchen. She then sat on the couch and watched some TV. After some time, a subtle fragrance of seafood wafted in the air. ¡°It¡¯s dinner time. Wash your hands.¡± As such, she sprung up from the couch and hurried to the dining room, only to be blessed by the sight of appetizing, salivating food, to which she wholeheartedly eximed, ¡°Have you been hiding your career as a chef from me?¡± Right when she said that, the doorbell suddenly rang, which apparently frustrated her. Who¡¯s visiting in the middle of the afternoon? She skeptically went to answer the door, only to be dumbfounded by the identity of the visitor. ¡°G-Good afternoon, Mrs. Griffith. To what do I owe the pleasure?¡± Madeline red at her and subconsciously let out a scoff. This scheming b*tch. Should have known she¡¯s moving out with Alexander when she so obediently chose to leave. ¡°Let¡¯s talk, Miss Sinir.¡± Her tone was obviously hostile, and Elise definitely sensed it. ¡°Why, we can talk here.¡± Madeline took a glimpse into the house and interrogated, ¡°Hmm. Not willing to let me in, are you?¡± After saying that, before Elise could respond, she invited herself in. When she entered the dining room, she was surprised by Alexander¡¯s presence. ¡°Alex, why are you here?¡± The man slowly put down his cutlery and calmly countered, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me visiting my girlfriend?¡± That¡¯s¡­ He¡¯s right though¡­ Madeline, having noeback, somehow felt extremely displeased. All my effort into raising this boy into a man, and he¡¯s now being drawn away by a woman? ¡°I was worried sick because you didn¡¯te home yesterday. To find you here¡­ I mean, you should¡¯ve at least informed us that you¡¯re noting back.¡± Soon, Elise entered the dining room. Despite her urge to disregard Madeline¡¯s existence, she couldn¡¯t get herself topletely ignore a living person who was right beside her. After all, the woman was the mother of her lover. ¡°You can say whatever you have to say to Elise here, Mom. You¡¯re both the most important people in my life. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s no need to be sneaky.¡± Madeline was stupefied by the fact that her own son was defending Elise. Since what she had in mind was intended for Elise, she wouldn¡¯t have any issue talking directly to her. However, if she were to say it in front of Alexander, she would surely hurt the rtionship between her and her son, and she was fully aware of that. With that, she made a U-turn and beamed at Elise, pulling out an invitation card from her bag. ¡°Works for me. It¡¯s good news anyway. Elise, this is an invitation to SK Group¡¯s anniversary banquet, which will be cramped with noble people from the upper ss. Since you¡¯re with Alex, people will be assuming you¡¯re one of the inws from the Griffith Family, so your attendance is naturally inevitable. So, I brought the invitation card over. Why don¡¯t you see if you¡¯re free to attend then?¡± Regardless, Elise hadn¡¯t the slightest interest in said banquet, though she was amazed by how quick Madeline changed her stance. Honestly, I gotta hand it to her. She¡¯s wasting her talent for not pursuing an acting career. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s appropriate for me to attend such an event, Mrs. Griffith, so I guess I¡¯ll sit this one out. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Immediately at her rejection, Madeline walked up and pulled her hand. ¡°Oh, you silly girl! You¡¯re one of us! It¡¯s more than appropriate for you to attend the banquet! It¡¯s only a matter of time until you and Alex are in charge of thepany, so it¡¯ll be beneficial to socialize and forge awork with people from the field. Just see it as paving a way toward the future. Am I right, Alex?¡± She turned to Alexander, who reacted with a frown. He then passed the freedom of choice onto Elise. ¡°It¡¯s all up to Elise. I¡¯ll apany her if she wishes to; if she doesn¡¯t, well, forget it.¡± Madeline simply smirked. Before Elise could give her answer, she pompously made the final decision. ¡°So it¡¯s set, then. Better prepare yourself, Elise. Show the world that the Griffiths¡¯ inw is better than them!¡± Elise was at a loss for words. ¡°Mom, like I said, it¡¯s up to her. Don¡¯t force her to go if she doesn¡¯t want to.¡± Alexander put his words rather bluntly, which slightly embarrassed his mother. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it, Alex? It¡¯s for your sake. How could you not see that? Besides, it is SK Group¡¯s banquet, and I heard thepany¡¯s director is pretty close with Quentin Fassbender, who will also be attending the event. Well, you know who Quentin Fassbender is, right? If our family manages to establish a solid connection with him, it¡¯d be a huge boost to ourpany¡¯s name. From there, it¡¯ll be only a matter of time until we go global.¡± At Madeline¡¯s mention of Quentin, Elise¡¯s eyes darkened. It had indeed been quite a while since herst meeting with her godfather. If he really were going to attend the banquet, she thought it would be worth it to see her godfather. ¡°Quentin Fassbender, you said? The billionaire, Quentin Fassbender?¡± Madeline wasn¡¯t at all surprised that Elise knew who Quentin was. After all, he sat at the top of Forbes¡¯ Real Time Billionaire, so naturally, anyone would know his name. ¡°The one and only!¡± Assured, Elise intuitively revealed a smile. ¡°Then I shall attend SK Group¡¯s banquet.¡± Chapter 251 Chapter 251 Madeline¡¯s eyes were full of condescension when she heard Elise¡¯s answer. That¡¯s an authentic country girl for you¡ªdrooling over whatever¡¯s out of her reach! Of course she¡¯d be happy to attend after hearing she might get a chance to meet with the world¡¯s number one billionaire. How shameless! She then chuckled. ¡°Sure. Do attend the banquet with Alex.¡± When Madeline finally left, Alexander turned to Elise. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t interested. What gives?¡± She answered, ¡°As she just said, my godfather will be attending the banquet as well! It¡¯s been a long time since Ist saw him, so I decided it¡¯s time I meet him again.¡± Consequently, Alexander recalled his mother¡¯s words. I wonder how¡¯d she react if she were to know that the Quentin Fassbender that she¡¯s preying on is the godfather of Elise¡­ That¡¯d be a st, wouldn¡¯t it? Nheless, he had no intention to reveal the truth to Madeline as he desired for her to eliminate the prejudice she had against Elise and learn to ept her wholeheartedly. ¡°Let¡¯s go together, then.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s!¡± ¡­ SK Group¡¯s anniversary banquet was held in a manor that belonged to the Dahlens. The banquet gathered ny percent of celebrated business owners in Athesea. Anyone who had gotten the invitation would bring along their loved ones, and that reflected just how influential the Dahlens were in the business industry of Athesea. ¡°Greetings, Mrs. Griffith, Young Master Alexander.¡± Maxwell Dahlen took the initiative and approached Madeline and Alexander with a warm wee. As the owner of the manor, he seemed to have ignored Elise, who was right beside them, as he proceeded with his passionate chatter with Madeline. Madeline, who enjoyed being treated with utmost respect, revealed a boastful look with a subtle smirk, posing as a noblewoman. Alexander, on the other hand, wrapped his arm around Elise¡¯s waist and pulled her close to himself, appearing to be quite intimate. Seeing that, Maxwell finally noticed Elise¡¯s presence and inquired, ¡°And this is?¡± As Madeline was about to speak, Alexander swiftly replied, ¡°My fianc¨¦e.¡± At his answer, Maxwell couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly bewildered. Nevertheless, thanks to the countless experience he garnered from dealing in the industry for many years, he was able to cover up his ignorance. ¡°Oh, yes. I¡¯ve heard about your engagement, but I¡¯ve never expected her to be such a beauty! If I may, which grand family do youe from?¡± Elise, who had nothing to hide, raised her eyes and smilingly answered, ¡°Ie from a prairie. My parents passed away when I was but a girl, and all I had left was my grandparents.¡± Hearing her upfront answer, Maxwell couldn¡¯t help but reveal a knowing look. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about young people practicing spiritual affection nowadays, and my skepticism would have persisted had I not seen the two of you together.¡± Upon those words, Madeline felt somewhat embarrassed, saying, ¡°They¡¯re just kids. They have a long way to go yet.¡± Whether literally or implied¡ªall of her words suggested her disagreement toward their marriage. Maxwell, on the other hand, pretended not to have sensed her meaning and simply notified his leave. ¡°Please make yourselves at home, Mrs. Griffith, Young Master Alexander. I¡¯m afraid duty calls.¡± When Maxwell left the conversation, Madeline shot Elise a resentful re. If Alexander weren¡¯t present, she would have rebuked the young woman a thousand times over. ¡°Alex, Maya¡¯s right there. Should we go and say hi?¡± Alexander rejected her without a second thought. ¡°Go ahead. Elise needs a timeout.¡± Before Madeline could say anything, he escorted Elise to a resting spot, to which thetter questioned, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Alexander looked her in the eyes and suddenly hugged her tight, whispering, ¡°You don¡¯t have to care what my mother has to say, nor do you need to care what everyone else thinks. Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. As long as I¡¯m breathing, I¡¯ll always be by your side.¡± ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± Elise mumbled as the unhappiness in her heart waned. ¡°I know. But you don¡¯t have to be so anxious either. It¡¯s normal for families like yours to be into homogamy, and your mother¡¯s dissatisfaction toward me is only rooted from the idea that your family is out of mine¡¯s league. Regardless, as long as we¡¯re in love with each other, nothing else matters.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Remember that as long as we¡¯re in love with each other, people who wish to split us apart can only dream on. You know what, Elise? I¡¯ve always had this thought¡ªwhy are you only eighteen? If only you were already twenty, I would have married you and brought you home.¡± Immediately, Elise blushed and punched his chest. ¡°Stop it!¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious. Let¡¯s get married as soon as you turn twenty, okay?¡± She grew bashful at his request. All this time, she had always pictured herself as a kid, and talking about marriage could sometimes stupefy her. ¡°That¡¯ll depend on your performance.¡± Alexander earnestly nodded. ¡°I won¡¯t let you down.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± She was satisfied with his answer. The next second, she finally realized the curious gazes directed toward them, and hastily pushed Alexander away. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough. Everyone¡¯s looking at us.¡± Yet, Alexander didn¡¯t seem to care about it. ¡°It¡¯s not illegal to embrace my own fianc¨¦e, is it? Plus, it¡¯s not illegal for them to watch us either, so it¡¯s out of our control.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s embarrassing!¡± Caressing her head, he replied, ¡°Then we shall continueter.¡± While they were conversing, Madeline had found Maya. ¡°Maya!¡± Enthusiastically, Maya approached her with a hug. ¡°Godmother, you¡¯re here! Is Alex here with you?¡± ¡°Yup, he¡¯s right there.¡± Under Madeline¡¯s guide, she turned to the direction, only to see Alexander benignly staring at Elise. She couldn¡¯t help but feel envious of the person whom he was looking at with his bewitching gaze. If only I was the one he¡¯s looking at¡­ ¡°Here¡¯s a gift for you, Maya.¡± As Madeline said that, she pulled out an elegant box, to which Maya quickly withdrew her eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve given me so many gifts, Godmother¡­¡± ¡°Oh, silly girl, don¡¯t be so courteous with me.¡± Swiftly, she shoved the gift onto Maya¡¯s palm. ¡°Alex is a slow one when ites to rtionships. If you want to impress him, perhaps you cane visit us more frequently, even if it¡¯s only to have a chat with me.¡± ¡°Thank you, Godmother.¡± ¡°Right! Didn¡¯t you say Fassbender¡¯sing too? Where is he?¡± Madeline quizzed as if she was mindlessly blurting questions. Despite that, Maya could easily read her mind. After all, none from families like theirs would care about emotional attachment; it was always about benefits. ¡°Uncle Quentin will arrive a littleter. He¡¯s probably en route as we speak.¡± Hearing Maya addressing Quentin as ¡°Uncle Quentin,¡± Madeline couldn¡¯t help but wonder how deep the connection between the Dahlens and the Fassbenders went. For a mighty figure like Quentin, who would never attend an ordinary banquet, to attend the Dahlens¡¯ banquet would mean that he shared a healthy, terrific rtionship with them. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, Maya. We, the Griffiths, wish to expand our business worldwide, and we know your Uncle Quentin¡¯s business is developing pretty good out there, so I¡¯d like to ask for a favor¡ªcould you perhaps introduce me to him?¡± Maya was stunned by Madeline¡¯s straightforwardness. To be fair, she wasn¡¯t exactly close with Quentin, nor was she sure whether he would even attend the banquet. All the words she had uttered was solely to impress Madeline by using Quentin¡¯s name. ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m unwilling to help you, Godmother, but Uncle Quentin¡¯s a busy man. How about this? I can bring you to him shortly after, but that¡¯s all I¡¯m able to help you with.¡± Madeline was pleased by Maya¡¯s reply. After all, Quentin was not a typical man whom one could easily meet with during normal days. Now, thanks to Maya¡¯s connection, things were rather convenient for Madeline. ¡°Thank you, Maya! Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll remember everything you did for me.¡± Maya responded with a subtle smile, though her heart was enjoying the sensation of being ingratiated. She then added, ¡°Uncle Quentin¡¯s a kind man. He onceplimented the art I made, and even told my dad that he would consider taking me in as his goddaughter.¡± Quentin Fassbender¡¯s goddaughter¡ªan identity every woman would die to have. Although Quentin was an international billionaire, he didn¡¯t have a child of his own blood. If one were to be recognized by him as his goddaughter, it would mean more than just being his goddaughter. It would be an iconic identity, and possibly a gateway to the Fassbenders¡¯ limitless wealth. Madeline was dumbfounded, her eyes wide and still. ¡°Did he really say that, Maya?¡± Chapter 252 Chapter 252 Indubitably, what Maya said didn¡¯t actually happen. She was aware that Madeline had no way of approaching Quentin, so she persisted with her lie. ¡°Of course! Would I joke about such a thing?¡± Madeline cackled. ¡°I know you wouldn¡¯t. Like I said, our Maya¡¯s a smart, kind, beautiful, and generous girl! There¡¯s not another person in the entire Athesea that could match up with your perfection, and you¡¯ve proved that today. I trust my instinct about you. Don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m still waiting for you to get married with Alex, okay? I can¡¯t wait to have you as my daughter-inw!¡± Feeling somewhat bashful, Maya turned to Alexander¡¯s direction. ¡°Well, I won¡¯t mind if he doesn¡¯t¡­¡± Madeline was highly impressed by Maya. She thought that anyone that deserved to marry her son should at least have a solid family background and the capability to lead the Griffiths¡¯ businesses to sess. As for Elise, she had been disdaining her all this while; she could never find it in herself to ept her. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I know what you¡¯re thinking. Come, let¡¯s go see Alex.¡± Meanwhile, Alex fetched some tidbits over to Elise, who found herself feeling relieved after eating some dessert. At that moment, Madeline brought Maya over and said, ¡°Alex, go dance with Maya when the banquet starts.¡± Disregarding her words, Alexander had his full attention on Elise. ¡°Do you like this one? Do you want more?¡± ¡°No, thanks,¡± Elise answered. Then, the man withdrew his gaze and said, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ll only dance with my fianc¨¦e.¡± Ignoring his answer, Madeline countered, ¡°Elise wouldn¡¯t know how to dance. You¡¯re gonna make a fool out of her if you bring her onto the dance floor. Maya, on the other hand, has learned various styles of ballroom dances, and she¡¯d mastered every single genre of them, so bring her. You¡¯ll surely impress everyone.¡± Alexander was upset by his mother¡¯s condescending words toward Elise. Glowering, he was obviously offended. ¡°Since Miss Dahlen¡¯s so exceptional at dancing, I¡¯m sure she¡¯d have a line of men waiting to dance with her, whereas I, having no talent in dancing, would only be a drag to her.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind at all, Alex¡­¡± Maya gently mumbled. Though, Alexander didn¡¯t seem to care what she said. The four were surrounded by nothing but awkwardness then. Seeing that, Madeline gazed viciously at Elise, thinking that she was the root of all of her disconcertment. She then pleaded, ¡°Alex, save your mother some pride, will you? Maya¡¯s the host today. You shouldn¡¯t treat her like a joke in front of everyone.¡± Without any intention topromise, Alexander apathetically declined. ¡°What does that have to do with me?¡± At his reply, Madeline was shocked speechless, while Maya¡¯s face reddened. Thetter let out a scoff and vexedly fled. ¡°Maya!¡± Madeline yelled, though Maya didn¡¯t seem to have the desire to turn around as she coldly left. Madeline then turned to his son and confronted him in a suppressed voice. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, Alex? Are you in love with this woman so much you won¡¯t even care about your mother¡¯s pride?¡± As if she was heartbroken, she pointed at Elise. ¡°Is this woman so important that you¡¯d forgotten I¡¯m your mother? You really disappoint me, Alex.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Alexander instinctively stood before Elise, calmly rifying, ¡°Elise is my fianc¨¦e. She¡¯ll soon be my wife¡ªthe one person I¡¯ll spend the rest of my life with; the one purpose of my life. And you, Mom, are someone whom I respect the most in the whole world, so I truly hope that you can ept the person I love. But if you can¡¯t get yourself to¡­ Well, not that it matters.¡± Finished, he reached out his hand to Elise, who, filled with joy, slowly put her hand onto his palm. ¡°Care for a dance?¡± As Elise stared at him, there was an inexplicable feeling in her heart. Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. She grasped his hand regardless. When he unconditionally chose her, she decided to respond to him with her unwaveringmitment. ¡°Sure!¡± At her answer, Alexander quickly tugged her entire body into his arms. The two held each other tightly like the most perfect couple¡ªa sight that stung Madeline¡¯s eyes. Silently, Madeline clenched her fists, trembling as she gazed at the couple who were walking side by side onto the dance floor. At the same time, Maya, too, was led to the middle of the dance floor by a tall, slender man. She boastfully raised her chin, and there was a dash of hostility in her eyes when she looked at Elise and Alexander. As the music started ying, there was not a tinge of fright in Maya as the main dancer for the opening. Her elegance swayed across the dance floor, and none could resist looking at her. ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. Just follow my lead. It¡¯s okay if you make a mistake,¡± Alexander whispered to Elise, who had the urge to tell him that she¡¯d learned the same style of ballroom dance when she was a kid, so she was no stranger to the dance moves. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Staring at her glistening eyes, he grinned. ¡°Let¡¯s go, then.¡± Slowly, the two slipped onto the dance floor. Elise followed Alexander¡¯s every step closely, and her ability to match him astounded him. ¡°You know this dance?¡± She subtly smiled. ¡°A little. I dabbled.¡± Alexander bluntly replied, ¡°A little? Look at you, you¡¯re a professional! You must have spent years learning it, huh? There¡¯s no way ¡®I dabbled¡¯ can get you here.¡± Elise wordlessly beamed. Her movements were gracious and in no way inferior to Maya¡¯s. Besides, with Alexander as her partner, the scene was definitely a sight for sore eyes. ¡°Who¡¯s the woman beside Young Master Alex? I¡¯ve never seen her before.¡± ¡°He must have gotten a new girlfriend after hearing everyone calling his fianc¨¦e hideous. This one¡¯s really beautiful though.¡± ¡°He always seemed so professional, like he had no interest in women. I guess there¡¯s this side to Young Master Alex too, huh?¡± ¡°Haha, I know right! He¡¯s a man after all, and one that, too, can¡¯t get himself to resist beautiful faces at that. I¡¯ve always thought he was different from us, but I guess I was wrong.¡± ¡­ All of a sudden, the crowd suddenly opened up a path. Maxwell was seen leading a middle-aged man into the venue. Thetter¡¯s presence attracted the approaches of many. ¡°You actually came, Mr. Fassbender! It¡¯s a surprise to see you here. What an honor to meet you! I am¡­¡± Despite everyone¡¯s warm wee, Quentin merely responded with short, polite greetings and nothing more. The man who spoke to him moments ago was seen wiping the sweat off his forehead, proposing, ¡°Mr. Fassbender, ourpany is currently¡­¡± Before he could finish, however, Quentin¡¯s assistant came and interrupted him. ¡°Excuse me, but Mr. Fassbender¡¯s not discussing work tonight.¡± Rejected, the man tactfully walked away. Chapter 253 Chapter 253 Quentin then scanned across his surroundings before stopping his gaze at Elise and Alexander. Instantly, his face turned much gentler. Seeing that, Maxwell turned to the direction he was looking at, but had no idea what he was thinking. ¡°Mr. Fassbender, your arrival truly brings delight to the mass. Shall we head upstairs for a rest, where no one can disturb you?¡± Straightforwardly, Quentin refused his offer. ¡°No need, Mr. Dahlen. I¡¯m just a normal guest like any other. Don¡¯t be so courteous with me.¡± Maxwell obsequiouslyughed. ¡°There¡¯s no courtesy, Mr. Fassbender. Just my obligation as the host.¡± At that moment, Maya, who was on the dance floor, noticed Quentin, who was looking in her direction. Swiftly, she straightened her back and danced more gracefully, hinting at her dance partner to take control of the dance floor together. Consequently, every other dancer stopped dancing and gave them the spotlight. With that, only two pairs of dancers remained¡ªMaya and her partner, as well as Elise and Alexander. Although Elise was confused, she didn¡¯t stop her steps given that the music had yet to stop. Alexander then wrapped his arm around her waist and whispered, ¡°Let¡¯s leave after this one.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± she answered, and followed Alexander¡¯s tempo as they continued to dance. The next second, she noticed Quentin, who was standing outside the dance floor. Thrilled at his arrival, she gave him a big smile, to which Quentin responded with a much more benign, subtle grin. Although Maxwell had noticed his change, he still didn¡¯t manage to find out what caused it. He tracked Quentin¡¯s vision to her own daughter, who was on the dance floor, and instinctively assumed that Quentin¡¯s sudden change was caused by Maya. Instantly, there was an uncontroble joy in his heart, which he suppressed as he calmly uttered, ¡°Mr. Fassbender, this is my daughter, Maya. I¡¯ll have her walk you through the surroundingster.¡± Quentin turned to him. ¡°Your daughter¡¯s quite the dancer, Mr. Dahlen.¡± Hearing that, Maxwell seemed to have an epiphany. Is he into my daughter? Although Quentin was over forty, he did a fine job maintaining his youthful look. One would assume he was only in his early thirties. And Maya was twenty years old this year. Even though there was quite a big gap between their ages, the man in question was the Quentin Fassbender. Therefore, out of courtesy, trivial details such as age could be easily overlooked. Bearing that in mind, Maxwell had a hard time containing his excitement. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Fassbender. The girl¡¯s been to dancing sses since she was a kid. It seems her hard work has paid off!¡± Unaware of his underlying intentions, Quentin politely praised, ¡°Yes, she¡¯s a very talented dancer indeed.¡± Finished, he turned away. In that instant, Madeline walked over to him from among the crowd and greeted, ¡°Nice to meet you, Mr. Fassbender. I¡¯m Madeline Bowen from Griffith Group.¡± As Quentin was about to leave, he halted his steps when he heard thepany name. He then turned to Madeline and had roughly figured out her identity. ¡°Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Griffith.¡± Before Madeline approached him, she was feeling somewhat uneasy, fearing that a giant figure like him wouldn¡¯t respond to her. However, a pleasant surprise was that he would care to entertain her. ¡°Mr. Fassbender, I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯re nning to establish subsidiaries within the country. Not sure if it¡¯s true or false, but I would like to tell you that Griffith Group has great advantages that could benefit your expansion. If you like that, perhaps you could consider coborating with ourpany.¡± Quentin nodded. ¡°It¡¯s true that Griffith Group excels in this aspect. Each of the young masters of the Griffiths is outstanding, especially Alexander. He¡¯s really an exceptional young man.¡± Hearing hispliment for her son, she was overjoyed. She then hastily replied, ¡°To think that Mr. Fassbender knows Alex! What an honor!¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Mrs. Griffith. Young Master Alex truly is one of a kind!¡± Quentin turned to the dance floor, looking at Alexander and Elise with his admiring eyes. ¡°Besides, I admire his extraordinary vision. We shall work together in the future when we get the chance.¡± Never had Madeline expected things to develop so smoothly. ¡°That¡¯s great news!¡± Having said that, she turned to her son, but was immediately angered when she saw Elise. ¡°Oh, Alex! He¡¯s good at everything, and never let me and his father worry about him. Among all things, he just had to be stubborn at picking his partner.¡± From those words, Quentin sensed something odd. The woman was tantly insulting his own daughter! ¡°That¡¯s a pretty biased statement, is it not, Mrs. Griffith? Young people nowadays are into romantic freedom. Now is no longer what it used to be. Arranged marriage is nothing but a matter of the past.¡± Failing to acknowledge the message in his words, Madeline hastily replied, ¡°Even so, homogamy still matters! The Griffiths would be a joke to society if that country girl without a solid family background were to get into our family!¡± Ah, so that¡¯s how it is. She doesn¡¯t think Elise is worth her family. ¡°Are you perhaps talking about Young Master Alex¡¯s fianc¨¦e, Mrs. Griffith?¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly who I¡¯m talking about! Mr. Fassbender, you canugh all you want, because even I am utterly displeased with that woman. Unfortunately, it was the Griffiths¡¯ old man who had determined the marriage. Now that he has passed away, I was thinking if I could revoke the engagement. I¡¯ll be satisfied if Alex finds someone who at least meets the standards of our family.¡± Hearing that, Quentin mocked, ¡°I totally agree with you, Mrs. Griffith. Indeed, you have to find someone of your own standards. In this case, you may have overestimated yourself.¡± Overestimated? Baffled, as she was about to quiz him, she realized that Quentin looked rather displeasedpared to earlier. She grew frustrated, not knowing what she said that upset him. ¡°I¡¯m just thinking out loud, Mr. Fassbender. About our coboration¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll talk about itter. It¡¯ll depend on Alexander¡¯s performance.¡± If Alexander does Elise even the slightest wrong one day, he¡¯ll be getting it from me. Meanwhile, the song ying on the dance floor stopped. Elise eagerly walked out of the dance floor, to which Alexander questioned her exhration. ¡°What made you so excited?¡± She exined, ¡°My godfather¡¯s here! I wanna see him!¡± Reminded by her words, he turned to Quentin, who was apparently right beside Madeline. For some reason, he couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy, as if something bad was about to happen. ¡°I¡¯lle with you.¡± And so, both of them walked toward Quentin. Elise, having noticed Madeline¡¯s presence, instantly felt nervous, and her steps grew hesitant. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Alexander asked out of concern. As she was about to answer, Quentin waved at her. She then smilingly replied, ¡°Nothing. Let¡¯s go.¡± Thereupon, they headed toward Quentin. Nheless, this time, instead of calling out ¡°Papa,¡± Elise greeted, ¡°Uncle Quentin.¡± Hearing her addressing himself as that, Quentin scowled in confusion, though he was able to grasp the reason for her change. Someone had been bullying his daughter, and was about to receive their payback. He could allow anything, even the worst, to happen to himself, but to have anyone bully her daughter was strictly forbidden. ¡°You¡¯re here too, Ellie! What a coincidence!¡± Madeline was dumbfounded. ¡°You know each other, Mr. Fassbender?¡± Quentin forthrightly stated, ¡°Why, I¡¯ve been looking after the girl as she grew.¡± At the revtion, Madeline¡¯s face nched, realizing that she had been grantly criticizing the girl right in front of him. Hell, they knew each other?Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. Chapter 254 Chapter 254 Madeline¡¯s face instantly shifted between an interesting range of colors. Wasn¡¯t the most sightly thing to see, but Quentin ignored her. ¡°Ellie, I¡¯ve heard that you were the highest scorer in the college entrance examination for your city. That¡¯s an amazing feat! Which university did you apply to?¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°Tissote University! But I still haven¡¯t gotten my letter of admission yet. It¡¯ll probably arrive in a few more days.¡± ¡°Tissote University is among the cr¨¨me de cr¨¨me nationally! Since you managed to get a spot there, it just shows how smart you are! I¡¯m so proud of you!¡± Quentin had a look of pride on his face. He couldn¡¯t wait to announce this piece of good news to the world. ¡°Thank you for all thepliments. I¡¯ll continue to work hard.¡± ¡°Do your best! I have high expectations of you.¡± Everybody could see every one of the pair¡¯s interactions. Madeline was well and thoroughly stunned. She never once thought that Elise and Quentin would know each other, and from the looks of things, they were close as well. The bystanders were smart; they had been a little taken aback by Elise when they saw her, a strange girl, dancing with Alexander, earlier. Now that they saw her interacting affectionately with Quentin, they surmised that Elise was no ordinary girl. Right then, Maya approached them with her father, Maxwell, alongside. ¡°Mr. Fassbender, this is my daughter, Maya.¡± Maya was all smiles as she greeted Quentin. ¡°Pleased to meet you, Uncle Quentin!¡± Quentin raised an eyebrow slightly. He couldn¡¯t ept others calling him that, so he gave Maya a terse reply. ¡°No need for such stiff politeness, Miss Dahlen!¡± His curt response was enough to establish his attitude; his tone with her and with Elise seemingly came from two different people! Maya couldn¡¯t quite hide her expression now, but she was mindful of her family¡¯s business, so she didn¡¯t dare to raise her voice at Quentin. She simply smiled instead. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about you for a long time, Uncle Quentin. Now that I¡¯ve met you in person, you seem to be a little different from what all the legends say. After all, the Quentin Fassbender that people whisper of is a solemn and serious businessman. However, I feel like you¡¯re far friendlier than what the rumors said about you.¡± Her choice of words was absolutely beautiful; no regr person would have been able to find a w in her spiel. But Quentin was no regr man; he had long since gotten used to hearing people trying to get into his good books like this, so he didn¡¯t feel any way toward Maya. He just didn¡¯t feel right with how she addressed him. ¡°Miss Dahlen, we aren¡¯t that close to each other. Please, call me Mr. Fassbender.¡± Maya wasn¡¯t the only one affected by this, her expression changing upon hearing that; even Madeline began to ruminate on this turn of events. Prior to this, Maya had been talking about how close she was with Quentin and how highly he thought of her. Now that Madeline saw what just happened, things weren¡¯t as how Maya said they were. On the contrary, Elise seemed even closer to Quentin than Maya was! However, Elise is just a country bumpkin. How did she get to know a man of high status like Quentin? Is there something that I¡¯m not aware of? Content ? N?velDrama.Org. Maxwell swiftly came to Maya¡¯s rescue. ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right, Mr. Fassbender! Maya calling you ¡®Uncle Quentin¡¯ isn¡¯t exactly appropriate. After all, you look so young, and you don¡¯t look like you¡¯re much older than Maya. She didn¡¯t quite notice this, so please, don¡¯t take offense to my daughter.¡± It was simple, but there was an extrayer to his words when he ced Quentin on the same level as Maya¡ªMaxwell¡¯s motives were in as day. The only reason Quentin came here today was to see Elise. If he hadn¡¯t known that Elise would be here at this banquet, he wouldn¡¯t have attended such an asion to socialize with others. Now that he had met Elise, he was no longer willing to spend another minute here. So, he said, ¡°I have some other business to attend to, Mr. Dahlen, so I¡¯ll be on my way!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want to stay a little longer? If there¡¯s anything you need, I can make the arrangements¡ª¡± However, Quentin didn¡¯t give Maxwell a chance to finish as he simply turned to Elise. ¡°Ellie, my girl, remember to let me know if you need anything, okay?¡± Elise nodded, having picked up on his intentions. ¡°Got it!¡± Quentin dipped his head before turning around and leaving with his entourage,pletely ignoring everyone else. The moment he left, the atmosphere in the hall immediately changed. Everyone had seen how Quentin treated Elise, and they quickly approached her, moring for her attention like groveling limpets. ¡°Hello there, Miss Sinir. I¡¯m Sprowls from Bluestar Enterprises. Nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Miss Sinir, you¡¯re such a beautifuldy. Please take a look at ourpany if you have the time. It¡¯s apany with a bright future ahead.¡± ¡°Here¡¯s my name card, Miss Sinir! I hope that you¡¯ll keep an eye on ourpany in the future.¡± Elise was wordless. She knew that their sudden one-eighty was because of Quentin. She also knew what their thoughts truly were. The next moment, Madeline changed her tune as well, and she grabbed Elise¡¯s hand. ¡°It was my fault earlier, Elise! You¡¯re a grown woman; please don¡¯t hold it against me.¡± Elise raised an eyebrow slightly and nced at Alexander, who was off to the side. He answered her with a smile, but he didn¡¯t speak. Elise was grateful for his trust in her, so she withdrew her gaze and looked at Madeline. ¡°Don¡¯t be a stranger, Mrs. Griffith. We¡¯re family, after all. We don¡¯t have to be so stiff with each other.¡± Madeline was so touched by this that she nearly cried. ¡°You¡¯re so understanding, Elise! I was blind earlier. That being said, how did you know Mr. Fassbender?¡± All Elise said was, ¡°He was a neighbor of mine ages ago. There¡¯s nothing else to it.¡± This revtion immediately dropped a roadblock in Madeline¡¯s ns. She had been thinking that if Elise and Quentin were that close, it wouldn¡¯t be entirely impossible for the Griffiths to make inroads with the Fassbenders. But now that Elise said so, her n wouldn¡¯t work anymore. Well, I suppose that¡¯s to be expected. How could anyone just easily worm their way into the Fassbender Family¡¯s graces, when they were a single,rge trove of wealth? Madeline¡¯s demeanor promptly chilled. Elise didn¡¯t mind this change. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte now. I¡¯ll be going first.¡± Madeline made a noise of affirmation. ¡°Sure. You may take your leave.¡± Alexander then called out from the side, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Madeline wanted to stop him, but this time, she caught sight of Elise, and she decided to drop the notion. She just allowed the pair to leave. After they left the banquet, Elise¡¯s eyes darted around. Alexander got a little curious then. ¡°What are you looking for?¡± Elise fixed her gaze on her target, her eyes glinting. ¡°Over there.¡± Alexander followed her gaze, and he saw a Rolls-Royce parked by the side of the road. He could already guess who owned it. ¡°Is it Mr. Fassbender?¡± Elise made a sound of affirmation. ¡°Papa signaled to me before he left toe out and find him. That¡¯s why I was in such a hurry to leave.¡± Elise walked over to the car with quick steps as she exined to Alexander. When she neared the car, the chauffeur got out and opened the door for her most respectfully. ¡°Please take a seat, Miss!¡± Elise thanked him and got into the car. Alexander followed suit. With the door now closed, the car began to slowly take off and leave the grounds. ¡°Papa!¡± A smile bloomed on Quentin¡¯s face when Elise called out to him. ¡°Ah, Ellie, you didn¡¯t acknowledge me as your godfather earlier in front of everyone. Were you worried I would embarrass you?¡± Chapter 255 Chapter 255 ¡°No way, you got it all wrong; that wasn¡¯t my intention. I was just worried about the possible trouble that¡¯ll crop up.¡± After all, many people would try to suck up to Quentin, considering his identity. Elise had only expressed that they were on somewhat close terms, and already, there was a whole queue of people trying to get to him through her. And Quentin knew this better than anyone else. ¡°You¡¯re getting even more crafty by the day, my girl!¡± Having said that, Quentin looked at Alexander, his eyes narrowing slightly when he recalled Madeline¡¯s words earlier. He then quickly continued, ¡°How has life been treating you recently, Ellie? If anything happens,e straight to me! You¡¯ll always have my full support.¡± ¡°I know, Papa! Don¡¯t worry about that! I¡¯ve been doing just fine.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all I need to hear!¡± After saying that, Quentin seemingly thought of something. He then dug out a bunch of keys from his pocket and handed it over to her. ¡°I¡¯m very proud of you, knowing that you got into Tissote University. These are the keys to the house that I bought for you near campus. You can stay there. It¡¯ll be more convenient for you that way.¡± Elise stared at the keys. Her heart wouldn¡¯t stop thumping furiously in her chest. Property prices in Tissote were sky-high; just a single studio apartment would set one back millions already. ¡°This is too expensive a gift. I can¡¯t ept this.¡± Much to her surprise, Quentin became unhappy when she said that, and he shoved the keys right into her hands. ¡°This is for my darling daughter, so it¡¯s not expensive to me at all! I¡¯m going to be upset if you don¡¯t ept it.¡± ¡°Okay, Papa! I¡¯ll take it.¡± It was only then that Quentin¡¯s expression lightened up. ¡°That¡¯s my girl, being so considerate and polite even with her godfather! Say, when are you going to Tissote? It¡¯ll be easier for me to help you make the necessary arrangements.¡± ¡°Early September, I guess!¡± ¡°Okay, got it. Let me send you two back. Or, do you want to go to the Griffith Residence instead?¡± ¡°No, I already moved out. I currently stay at a ce at Bollinger Gardens that I bought myself,¡± Elise quickly said. Quentin¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly at that before he asked, ¡°Ellie, did something upsetting happen to you recently?¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine! I just thought that I was imposing too much on the Griffiths¡¯ hospitality, so I decided to move out myself.¡± Quentin clearly wasn¡¯t buying any of that, but he didn¡¯t call her out on her lie either. He simply said, ¡°No matter what happens, remember to tell me, okay? Don¡¯t keep everything to yourself.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Papa. I¡¯m fine, really!¡± Quentin felt even more heartbroken when he heard her say that, but he didn¡¯t show any sign of it on his face. Elise was the first one to get out of the car when he dropped Elise and Alexander off at their destination. However, seeing how Alexander still remained seated in the car, she proceeded to call him. But then, Alexander said, ¡°Head in first. There¡¯s something that I want to talk to Mr. Fassbender about.¡± Elise asked, ¡°Why are you guys acting so mysterious all of a sudden, Papa? Can¡¯t I listen in too?¡± Quentin chuckled. ¡°How can a woman listen in on a conversation between two men? Hurry upstairs now! Get some rest!¡± Elise pouted. ¡°Okay, Papa! I¡¯m going now. See youter.¡± She then waved and proceeded to make her way into the building. After the car door was closed again, the atmosphere between Alexander and Quentin inexplicably changed. Neither of them spoke, but Alexander could sense a certain pressure weighing down on him. It was the first time someone made him feel that way. Quentin quirked an eyebrow slightly and said, ¡°I¡¯m not going to beat around the bush, Alex, so let me just cut right to the chase. I¡¯ve watched Ellie grow up with my own eyes. I know her personality and her feelings better than anyone. Since you¡¯ve chosen her, then I ask you to take good care of her. Do not let her suffer, ever. As for your mother, there are certain things that I can¡¯t possibly say. Still, I will have to remind you of this: regardless of anything, Ellie has me watching her back¡­¡± Alexander understood Quentin¡¯s intentions. ¡°Rest assured, Mr. Fassbender! Elise is my fianc¨¦e, so naturally, I¡¯ll protect her from anything. Even my mother cannot challenge my decision! I ask you to not worry about this.¡± Having heard his reply, Quentin felt a lot more at ease. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll trust you for now because of what you¡¯ve said.¡± Having gotten out of the car, Alexander then watched the car drive off into the distance. Elise appeared out of nowhere after the car left and gently tapped him on the shoulder. ¡°What did PapaAll content is ? N0velDrama.Org. say to you? You don¡¯t exactly look good.¡± Alexander looked at Elise standing before him, and then he reached out to hug her, saying to her in the softest and gentlest of tones, ¡°Your godfather asked me to take good care of you.¡± ¡°Just that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not all.¡± ¡°What else did he say?¡± ¡°He also told me not to bully you, or he will make me regret it.¡± A huge smile spread across Elise¡¯s face upon hearing that before she ribbed him. ¡°Haha, now you know, don¡¯t you? I¡¯ve got someone powerful backing me.¡± ¡°Mmhm, I know now, so I have to be even nicer to you.¡± Elise couldn¡¯t restrain herself anymore. She burst intoughter. ¡°Isn¡¯t that something you should be doing in the first ce?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Mr. Fassbender¡¯s words just strengthened my resolve.¡± Alexander was serious when he said that. However, deep down, he knew that nothing had changed even though Quentin¡¯s words had had an effect on him. His original desires aligned perfectly with what Quentin said. This was a tacit understanding between two men, all for someone that they both wanted to protect. ¡°Let¡¯s go home! It¡¯s gettingte already.¡± Alexander took the initiative and led her inside. The two of them then went upstairs. They had just arrived home when Elise got a phone call from Danny. ¡°Hey Boss, your letter of admission is here. When should I bring it over?¡± ¡°Tomorrow, then.¡± ¡°Sure do, Boss! Once again, congrattions! By the way, lemme tell you another piece of good news: my own admission letter is here too. When the timees, we can go to Tissote for university together, even if we won¡¯t be attending the same uni¡­¡± Elise could hear the excitement in his voice. ¡°Congrats! You got what you wished for!¡± ¡°Thanks, Boss! I wouldn¡¯t be here today if it wasn¡¯t for you.¡± Danny was absolutely sincere when he said that. Elise smiled. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to your own hard work. I just gave you a little push.¡± She might have said that, but Danny knew that if it wasn¡¯t for Elise, he might not even have gotten into university. After hanging up, Elise absentmindedly ced her phone on the table. She walked over to the French window, taking in the night view of the city. Time sure flies. It¡¯s been nearly a year since I came to this city. Many things have happened during this one year. And during this period, I¡¯ve grown a lot¡­ The next day, Elise went to the studio. She had just taken one step into her office when Brendan came over to her. ¡°Elise!¡± Elise raised her head to look at him. ¡°What is it? Did something happen?¡± Chapter 256 Chapter 256 Seeing how Elise had already returned to normal, the weight on Brendan¡¯s heart lifted atst. ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing like that. I came over to apologize. That thing with Maeve was all because of me. I¡¯ve ended up causing a lot of trouble for you.¡± Elise¡¯s expression hardly changed at the mention of Maeve. ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. It¡¯s all in the past now.¡± ¡°Yeah. By the way, there¡¯s something I need to tell you. During your break, a servant from the Anderson Family in Tissote dropped by our atelier, looking for you to design a wedding gown. Since you weren¡¯t there, we didn¡¯t manage to seal the deal. Now that you¡¯re back though, are you maybe interested in talking with the client?¡± Elise was taken aback. ¡°From Tissote? Asking for me?¡± Brendan grinned as he nodded. ¡°Looks like your name is getting out there. That¡¯s a good thing.¡± Elise let out a hum. ¡°When¡¯s the clienting?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give them a call first. We¡¯ll talk about the timeframeter.¡± Elise contemted for a moment before answering, ¡°Okay, let me know once you¡¯ve arranged the appointment.¡± After Brendan left, he called the client. The client seemed to be in a rush, for an appointment was immediately made for the client to meet Elise at the atelierter that afternoon. The person who showed up was a graceful woman in her forties, who oozed elegance and femininity. ¡°Pleased to meet you, Miss Sinir,¡± the woman promptly greeted Elise upon seeing her. ¡°Nice meeting you too.¡± Elise reached out and shook the woman¡¯s hand. The woman smiled as she sat down. ¡°I am Rowena Johnson. You may call me Ms. Johnson.¡± ¡°Ms. Johnson. I heard that you came from Tissote, right?¡± ¡°That is right. I am here today on behalf of my mistress to look for you specifically. My mistress has seen your designs and she was fascinated by them. Therefore, she would like your help in designing a wedding gown.¡± ¡°And who could your mistress be?¡± Rowena took out her phone and handed it over to Elise. A picture was disyed on the screen. ¡°This is Faye Anderson, thedy I serve.¡± Elise nced at the woman in the picture. She looked to be in her early twenties, and her features were dainty and delicate. The woman very much resembled a Barbie doll. ¡°She¡¯s so beautiful!¡± ¡°Thank you! My mistress will have her wedding at the end of the year, so I would like for you to spare no effort in her wedding gown¡¯s design.¡± ¡°I can see that Miss Anderson is a very elegantdy. But, I wonder if she has any idea for the kind of gown she would like? After all, as designers, we need to know our clients¡¯ wishes,¡± Elise quickly inquired. ¡°You have a point, Miss Sinir. Miss Anderson has already written down her requests.¡± As she spoke, Rowena took out an A4-sized sheet of paper from her bag and handed it to Elise. ¡°She said that they were written down here. All you need to do is follow her ideas for the design.¡± Elise unfolded the paper, but after surveying every inch of it, she found absolutely nothing. ¡°But Ms. Johnson, there¡¯s nothing written on the paper.¡± Rowena smiled. ¡°I am not sure about that either, but Miss Anderson did say that she wrote her requests on this sheet of paper.¡± Elise was surprised, but after a second check, she still found nothing. Just as she was about to voice her question, Rowena spoke up again. ¡°She said that if you can figure out the mystery of this paper, then you will certainly be able to design the wedding gown of her dreams. If you have any questions, you may ask me now.¡± Elise pressed her lips together, thinking that Faye¡¯s actions were unfathomable. What was Faye nning to convey by giving Elise a nk paper? ¡°I¡¯d like to ask you¡ªdo you really want me to design a wedding gown with the requests on this nk paper?¡± Rowena nodded in surety. ¡°Yes, Miss Sinir. It is as you said. Rumor has it that you¡¯ll be attending Tissote University next month. Why don¡¯t you hand Miss Anderson your first draft when you arrive at Tissote? How does that sound to you?¡± Designing a wedding dress in a month was no problem. However, there was a bigger problem at bay. Just what kind of profound mysteries does this nk sheet of paper hold? Elise wondered. ¡°Ms. Johnson, all I can promise you is that I¡¯ll give it a try. If you are not pleased with the draft, I can do a full refund.¡± ¡°That is fine. I ask you to give it your all.¡± Having said that, Rowena then went to look for Brendan. ¡°Mr. Griffith, here is the deposit.¡± She handed Brendan a check as she said so.Content ? N?velDrama.Org. Brendan took a nce at it before speaking up in shock. ¡°Isn¡¯t this a little too much? This amount far exceeds the prices of our custom designs.¡± ¡°My mistress has said that Miss Sinir¡¯s work is worth this money. And of course, we hope that Miss Sinir will be able to give us a design worthy of this sum.¡± Brendan was conflicted. He looked at Elise, and in the end, he asked for her opinion. ¡°Elise, are you confident in making this wedding dress?¡± Elise eyed the paper in her hands. All she did was say, ¡°I¡¯ll give it my best shot!¡± Having heard Elise¡¯s answer, Brendan felt relieved. It was only then that he epted Rowena¡¯s check. Right before she left, Rowena looked at Elise and said, ¡°I look forward to seeing you in Tissote. May the daye soon!¡± ¡°Thank you! I¡¯ll do my best for the design.¡± ¡°I apologize for the trouble. Here is the address for the Anderson estate. You can call us any time if you are in Tissote.¡± Rowena handed a name card to Elise. Elise epted it and put it away. Once they saw Rowena off, Elise kept studying the sheet of paper. What kind of message could this nk paper be hiding? Elise thought about it for ages, but she couldn¡¯t think of any solution. When it was almost closing time, Brendan came knocking on her door. ¡°Still studying that thing?¡± Elise raised her head to look at him. ¡°Say, what kind of mysteries can a nk sheet of A4 paper hold?¡± she asked. Brendan shrugged. ¡°No idea. Could there actually be no requests at all, and they just want you to make the design based on your own ideas?¡± ¡°Is that the case?¡± Elise was perplexed, but she also couldn¡¯te up with any better answers. ¡°That¡¯s a possible angle! But I¡¯m just spouting stuff off the top of my head. I really don¡¯t know if my guess is right.¡± Elise was once again conflicted. ¡°But I need to finish the draft within a month. It¡¯s actually making me a little worried. What if I have nothing to show by the deadline?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay! Go take a break first! It¡¯s almost closing time anyway. Let me send you home today,¡± Brendan consoled her. ¡°You don¡¯t have to; I can get home myself.¡± ¡°No can do. Thatst incident has me all jumpy now. If that happens again, Alexander is going to at least take ayer of skin off me, if he doesn¡¯t pummel me into next week.¡± Since Elise couldn¡¯t convince him otherwise, she had no choice but to pack up her things and clock out. Brendan had just reached the entrance to Elise¡¯s residential area with her when¡ªmaybe by coincidence, or maybe not¡ªAlexander showed up as well in his car. Brendan quickly rolled down his car window. ¡°Hey! Are you here to see Elise?¡± Alexander lifted an eyebrow slightly before jingling the keys in his hand. ¡°No, I live here.¡± It was Brendan¡¯s turn to go ck-jawed. ¡°What? Did you move? You guys are living together now?¡± Elise quickly cut him off. ¡°That¡¯s not it; he just moved in next door. He¡¯s now my neighbor.¡± That answer made Brendan heave a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s good. That¡¯s great!¡± Chapter 257 Chapter 257 ¡°What¡¯s with that look? Why do I get the feeling that you¡¯re scared?¡± Elise couldn¡¯t help asking. Brendan was embarrassed. After coughing lightly, he answered honestly, ¡°I was just worried that you guys¡­¡± As he spoke, his voice got softer and softer. And within seconds, his ears turnedpletely red, making him look like a pure and innocent boy. Elise btedly realized what he was referring to, and she quickly smacked him. ¡°What were you thinking! We¡¯re totally pure and innocent.¡± Brendan nodded repeatedly. ¡°Yeah, yeah, got it. My bad for having my mind in the gutter¡­¡± Having said that, Brendan quickly changed the topic. ¡°By the way, your letter of admission arrived at my house. Danny said that he would bring it over to you. Did you get it?¡± ¡°Not yet. He¡¯ll probably bring it over a littleter.¡± ¡°You did so well for the exam, Elise! That¡¯s just awesome. When should we throw a celebration party for you?¡± At that suggestion, Alexander immediately voiced his opinion. ¡°I think a celebration is in order! Would you consider it?¡± he asked Elise. However, all Elise did was frown slightly. ¡°There¡¯s no need for any huge celebrations. Why don¡¯t we gather everyone for dinner some day? Think of it as a present for me. I¡¯m going to be moving to Tissote for university soon, after all. I¡¯ll probably only be able toe back during winter break.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a great idea! That works too!¡± Brendan quickly answered. ¡°I can organize this and get everyone together for that dinner.¡± Elise made a noise of acknowledgement. ¡°Sure, I¡¯m just worried about you going out of your way.¡± ¡°What¡¯s with the worry! It¡¯s just a small thing. Just leave it to me.¡± ¡°Thanks for taking all the trouble for this.¡± Alexander patted Brendan on the shoulder. Brendan was stunned by this disy of affection. ¡°We¡¯re family, okay? No need to act like such a stranger. I¡¯m doing this for you and Elise. It¡¯s something that I should do. So, now that we¡¯re all going to have that dinner, I¡¯ll pick a date for that dinner party.¡± All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Once they had the details ironed out, Elise got right out of Brendan¡¯s car. ¡°I¡¯m going now. Take care while on the road.¡± Brendan waved at her. ¡°Hurry on now! I¡¯ll be fine on my own.¡± After watching Brendan drive off, Alexander took Elise¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We should go home.¡± Elise followed him, the two of them walking side by side into the residential area. They had just gotten out of the elevator, only to realize that Danny was already standing by her door. ¡°You¡¯re back atst, Boss. I¡¯ve been waiting here for like half the day already.¡± As he spoke, he nced at Alexander. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here too.¡± Alexander murmured a response, his gaze roving over to the red envelope in Danny¡¯s hand. ¡°Is this Elise¡¯s letter of admission?¡± Danny nodded and promptly handed the envelope to Elise. ¡°Here, Boss, your admission letter.¡± Elise took the letter and unlocked her door before ripping the envelope open. Although she had already signed the enrollment forms for Tissote University, her heart still wavered at the sight of this letter. This was the result of her one year of hard work in Athesea! Alexander walked over to her side and softly said, ¡°Congrattions for making it into your dream university.¡± Elise looked up, her smile absolutely beatific. ¡°Thank you!¡± Alexander could sense the happiness inside her, and he felt nothing but d for her. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve delivered your letter, I¡¯m going to just leave you two be. I¡¯ve still got other things to do, so see you around.¡± Danny did not continue to linger and left swiftly. Thus, Elise and Alexander were the only ones left in the massive room. Elise solemnly put away her letter of admission before she spoke. ¡°I¡¯m going to Tissote in September. Doesn¡¯t that mean we¡¯ll be in an LDR after that?¡± Alexander narrowed his eyes slightly as he held her. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be in a long-distance rtionship with you.¡± The sound of his strong, steady heartbeat entered Elise¡¯s ears, pressed as closely to his chest as she was. ¡°I don¡¯t want this either, but it looks like that¡¯s the only way forward. However¡­¡± Elise raised her head to look at Alexander. ¡°I can rush through my course and graduate early. Then we won¡¯t have to be in an LDR.¡± Alexander stroked her head. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it. Just let things y out naturally! And besides, even if we¡¯re not in an LDR, I¡¯ll still miss you so, so much¡­¡± ¡°Me too¡­¡± The both of them hugged each other tightly. After an unknown amount of time, Elise released him at last. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. You should go back and rest.¡± Alexander squinted his eyes. ¡°nning to get rid of me?¡± Elise hastily pushed him. ¡°Off you go! See you tomorrow!¡± Even though Alexander longed to stay, he also knew about that gulf that he couldn¡¯t cross, so he just sighed. ¡°Elise, when can I stay with you?¡± Elise¡¯s face turned crimson, and she said, ¡°Just leave already! I¡¯m getting sleepy¡­¡± He sighed again helplessly. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll leave. Rest well tonight.¡± Having seen Alexander¡¯s longing gaze, Elise quickly withdrew her own. She then closed the door, putting a barrier between their gazes before she turned around and leaned against the door. She exhaled deeply. Alexander eyed the shut door, his gaze then moving downward to look at the tent in his pants. He sighed again helplessly, and then he closed his eyes and emptied his mind. Only then did his heart gradually return to some semnce of calmness. Once he was back in his apartment, he picked up his phone and made a call. ¡°Cameron, isn¡¯t there an open management spot at the Tissote branch? Make the necessary arrangements¡­ I intend to take over things there next month.¡± Cameron was stunned after hearing all that. ¡°President Griffith, you¡­ you¡¯re not¡­ joking, are you?¡± ¡°No! Thepany just so happens to have many businesses to expand. If I move to Tissote, it¡¯ll be easier for me to handle the expansions. Thus, my decision.¡± Cameron wanted to tell him that Alexander would just be a big fish in a small pond if he ran over to work at a branch office, considering who he was. In the end, though, he didn¡¯t say this out loud. He could make a rough guess as to Alexander¡¯s intentions. ¡°Understood, President Griffith. I¡¯ll handle this.¡± After hanging up, Alexander looked up to take in the night view of the city through his window. The moon was beautiful tonight, and stars cloaked the sky; the vista made one feel inexplicably rxed and at ease. However, every long night eventually had to give way to dawn. Elise rolled over and opened her eyes, her vision still hazy with sleep. Sunlight streamed in through the window, lighting up therge room. She stretched and sat up for a bit before hastily changing her clothes. She then entered the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash up. Just then, the doorbell rang. Elise rushed over to open the door, and the first thing that came into sight was Alexander, standing there with a bag of breakfast in hand. ¡°Did you actually wake up that early?¡± Chapter 258 Chapter 258 Alexander walked straight in. ¡°I¡¯ll send you over after breakfast.¡± Elise made a sound of affirmation and hurriedly sat down at the dining table. The pair sat across from each other, eating breakfast, when there was a ding. A message came in. It was from Mika. Elise quickly opened the message to see that Mika had sent her a photo. The Tissot University signage, all in capitals, was clearly visible in the picture. Right after that, Mika sent a voice message. ¡®Look, Elise! I got into Tissote University!¡¯ Elise smiled as she recorded her reply. ¡®Congrats!¡¯ Mika quickly sent her another message. ¡®I just decided to try it out and see when I took their entrance exam. I had low expectations, but then I passed! And I thought that I could only get into some regr uni with my university entrance exam scores. Who would have thought that I would end up getting such a huge surprise?¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s wonderful! We can go to the same university!¡¯ ¡®Hey, I heard that you¡¯re working at Brendan¡¯s atelier, yeah? Send me the address¡ªI¡¯lle over in a bit.¡¯ Elise sent the location to Mika. She then put down her phone and looked at Alexander. ¡°Mika got into Tissote University too. We can go to ss together now. But, Mika got in as a music major. We aren¡¯t in the same faculty, but at least we¡¯ll be going to the same campus.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great news. You can look after each other then.¡± At that, Alexander paused before continuing, ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ll be okay in Tissote? Do you want me toe with you?¡± Elise instinctively shook her head. ¡°Nah, you¡¯re busy with work. Every day, you¡¯ve got so many things to handle. If you go with me to Tissote, what will happen to thepany?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like thepany will just copse without me there! On the other hand, I¡¯m a little worried since you¡¯ll be alone in a new city.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine! I have Danny and Mika too, right? So just rx.¡± Elise had already finished her meal, so she put down her cutlery. ¡°I¡¯m going to the atelier now. I just got a new order in from Tissote, and I¡¯ve got no clue where to start. I better ruminate on it.¡± Alexander immediately took out his car keys. ¡°I¡¯ll drive you there.¡± Alexander sent Elise to the atelier. After Elise put down her bag, she then picked up that nk sheet of paper and began studying it. Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. She even turned to Google, but in the end, she still had nothing to show for her efforts. Just as Elise was moping around, Mika knocked on her door. ¡°Elise, are you in there?¡± Elise quickly answered, ¡°Come on in!¡± Mika opened the door and entered. A delighted look came over her face when she saw Elise. ¡°I heard from others that many people came looking for you to design their wedding dresses because of your reputation. You should¡¯ve picked fashion design as your major¡ªit¡¯ll be a boon for you in the future when it¡¯s time to get a job in society!¡± ¡°Fashion design is just something I do as a hobby. I¡¯ve never thought of turning it into a proper job. I just wanted to try it out,¡± Elise quickly said. Mika was still impressed. ¡°But you¡¯re doing so well even if it¡¯s just a hobby. You¡¯re just awesome, Elise.¡± She had stars in her eyes. ¡°Hey, since you¡¯re a pro when ites to designing wedding dresses, you¡¯ll personally design my dress when I get married in the future, right?¡± Elise nodded and grinned. ¡°Sure!¡± ¡°Really? Then, I¡¯m actually looking forward to my future wedding. I¡¯m sure I¡¯m going to look amazing!¡± Elise couldn¡¯t stop herself from coughing. ¡°Wanting to get married already? Do you even have a boyfriend?¡± she asked. ¡°I don¡¯t have one for now, but I¡¯ll get a boyfriend sooner orter. It¡¯s just¡ªyou¡¯ll probably get married earlier than me. You and Alexander are in such a steady rtionship. Are you nning to get married after you graduate?¡± Elise had already thought about this. ¡°If we do feel that way by then, then most likely yes!¡± ¡°Whoa there, are you serious? You¡¯ll only be 22 by the time you¡¯re done with uni!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not young anymore, at least when going by marriagews.¡± Mika pursed her lips. ¡°But I want to be at least 30 when I get married.¡± ¡°So what? I just feel that there¡¯s no definite age to get married, so long as you and your partner want to marry. If you¡¯re 30 by the time you meet Mr. Right, then that¡¯s when you should get married! Love can wait. It¡¯s worth it as long as you¡¯ve found true love.¡± Mika nodded in agreement. ¡°You¡¯re right! As long as you¡¯ve found happiness, it doesn¡¯t matter when you get married.¡± They continued chatting for a while. Elise looked down at the paper in her hands and said, ¡°I can¡¯t stay and chat longer with you; I still have work to do. Let¡¯s go out for lunch togetherter today.¡± ¡°Alrighty, you do your thing then!¡± With that, Mika swiped a magazine and sat on the couch to flip through it. Elise put the nk paper aside and began to draw some drafts. Not long after that though, Elise crumpled her drawing paper into a ball and hurled it into the bin. An hourter, the bin was filled to the brim with balls of discarded drafts. Right then, a paper ballnded by Mika¡¯s feet. She closed her magazine and bent down to pick up the paper ball on the ground curiously. She then smoothed out the paper. The paper had a rough sketch on it. It was nowhere nearplete. Mika lifted her head to look at Elise, who had a deep frown on her face; she looked restless. ¡°Elise, what¡¯s up?¡± Elise took a deep breath. ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s just that the client gave me a hard riddle!¡± Mika¡¯s curiosity ramped up. From what she knew of her, Elise was someone who was invincible andrger-than-life. And now, Elise was actually stumped. ¡°What¡¯s the riddle? Do you want to talk about it?¡± Mika promptly asked. Elise pressed her lips into a thin line before she asked, ¡°What kind of mysteries can a nk paper possibly have?¡± Mika thought it over carefully. ¡°A nk paper? Isn¡¯t that just a regr sheet of paper? What can it possibly be hiding?¡± That was Elise¡¯s thought too. But the client had said that her requests were on that paper. So, what could be written on it? Mika picked up the nk paper before she spoke up again. ¡°It may not be hiding anything, but there¡¯s endless possibilities for what you can use a nk sheet of paper for. We can just scribble whatever we want on it, or we can fold it into a bunch of different origami¡­¡± ¡°Wait a minute¡­ What did you just say?¡± Elise¡¯s eyes lit up, and she proceeded to smack her head. ¡°I got it now! I got it¡­¡± Mika was in the dark. ¡°You realized something, Elise?¡± Elise couldn¡¯t be bothered to answer Mika at this point. She frantically grabbed her pen off her desk and began to draw. She was extraordinarily serious as she drew. Mika didn¡¯t have the heart to interrupt her, so she had no choice but to swallow her thoughts back down and sit down on the couch to wait quietly. When inspiration hit Elise, it sprang up like a geyser. In the blink of an eye, she finished the first draft for the wedding gown. She looked at the design on the paper, only now understanding Faye¡¯s intentions. There was nothing on the nk sheet of paper, but it also had everything. Elise stretchednguidly. ¡°Let¡¯s get lunch now!¡± She had just said that when she turned to look at Mika, who had fallen asleep on the couch. It was only then that she noticed the time¡ªit was already two in the afternoon. She quickly walked forward and tapped Mika gently. ¡°Mika, wake up. It¡¯s time for lunch.¡± Mika woke up atst. ¡°You finally remembered to eat. I nearly starved to death there,¡± she said in a pitiful tone. ¡°Sorry about that¡ª I lost track of time. We¡¯re still in time for lunch. Let¡¯s go.¡± Mika then got up and followed Elise out of the room. Chapter 259 Chapter 259 After the first draft was ready, Elise spent a few days finalizing it. When the final draft was finallypleted, it was already the end of the month. Since it was about time for the new semester tomence, Elise ended her job at the studio. Alexander stopped his car at the studio¡¯s entrance. As soon as Elise came out, he opened the car door, got out of the car, and took over the box which she was holding. ¡°Is this everything?¡± Elise answered, ¡°Yeah. There¡¯s nothing much. I just took some drafts which I usually design.¡± Hearing that, Alexander put the box into the trunk and said, ¡°Get in.¡± Elise opened the door and got into the car, and not long after, the car started moving slowly. ¡°I¡¯ve asked Cameron to book the flight tickets. You and Danny can go together by then.¡± Elise hummed in response, ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°The flight is tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Alexander turned his head to look at Elise as he still wanted to say something, but he ended up saying nothing. On the next day, Danny was already at the departure hall waiting for Elise when thetter arrived. Upon seeing her arrival, Danny quickly waved his hand. ¡°Over here, Boss!¡± Elise walked over to Danny while Cameron, who was following behind her, said, ¡°Miss Sinir, allow me to check in your luggage for you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure.¡± With that, Cameron left with Elise¡¯s passport and luggage to check in her bag. Later, he came back with the boarding passes in his hand. ¡°Young Master Alexander, this is Miss Sinir¡¯s boarding pass.¡± After Alexander took it over, Cameron quickly passed him another boarding pass and deliberately lowered his voice. ¡°And this is yours, Young Master Alexander. You are on the same flight as Miss Sinir, but she¡¯s currently still not aware that you¡¯re heading to Tissote too.¡± Alexander said, ¡°You can give it to me first. Remember to keep it a secret.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± With that, Alexander gave the boarding pass to Elise. ¡°This is your boarding pass. You can start boarding in half an hour.¡± Elise nced at the boarding pass and couldn¡¯t help feeling emotional. Then, she lifted her eyes to look at Alexander and said, ¡°Please take good care of yourself. I¡¯ll be back once the school holiday starts.¡± With his eyes narrowed, Alexander merely hummed in response and did not say anything else. For some reason, Elise felt that Alexander was behaving rather weird today, but she couldn¡¯t tell exactly in what ways. Just then, Danny blurted, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Alex. Boss and I are in the same school, so I¡¯ll definitely take good care of her.¡± ¡°Alright, thank you.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± Soon, it was time to board the ne. Alexander stood at the security checkpoint and watched Elise and Danny board the ne. It was only after they had left that he and Cameron boarded the ne via another route. The ne soon took off. Being three thousand feet above the ground, Elise couldn¡¯t help but feel depressed as they would not be able to meet in several months after this goodbye. ¡°Excuse me, miss. Is this seat taken?¡± Elise was stunned when she heard the familiar voice. She quickly turned her head and was shocked upon seeing the familiar face. ¡°W-Why are you here?¡± Alexander smiled gently and sat down. ¡°I¡¯m here to see my girlfriend. She¡¯s going to school alone and I¡¯m worried about her, so I n to keep her apanied.¡± Elise smiled. ¡°Does she know that you¡¯re so clingy?¡± ¡°She might not have known before this, but now she does.¡± Elise naturally held Alexander¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me that you¡¯re going to Tissote too? Even until just now, I was thinking about how I am going to pull through a long-distance rtionship for several months.¡± Alexander leaned close to Elise and kissed her cheek while she was not paying attention. ¡°Well, I hope it¡¯s not toote to tell you now.¡± Looking into each other¡¯s eyes, the couple smiled. With Alexander¡¯s apaniment, the two-hour-long flight was not too boring. Meanwhile, Danny only realized Alexander¡¯s existence after the ne touched down. Seeing the couple¡¯s lovey-dovey interaction, he actually felt like being in a rtionship too all of a sudden. Since Cameron had already arranged for transportation, after exiting the airport, the group got into the car and headed directly to Tissote University. The annual lively orientation event was held at the entrance of Tissote University. All the seniors gathered at the gate to wee the new students from all around the country. A sense of reverence arose in Elise when she saw the title of the university at its entrance. ¡°We¡¯ll go register at the school first ande back out after the enrolment procedure ispleted.¡± As soon as Elise finished saying that, Alexander passed a mask to her. ¡°Wear it.¡± Elise was confused while Danny exined to her from the side. ¡°Alex is worried that you¡¯ll be pestered by the seniors, so it will be more convenient to have a mask on. Besides, you and H have the exact same face, so it¡¯s easy for the fans to recognize you. In order to avoid these unnecessary troubles, we can only ask you to bear with it and put the mask on, Boss.¡± Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. After hearing Danny¡¯s exnation, Elise turned to Alexander and said, ¡°What about I put on makeup to make myself look less pleasant¨C¨Cjust like how I did it before?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. Wearing a mask is just fine.¡± Saying that, Alexander helped Elise to put the mask on which instantly covered more than half of her face. ¡°Looking good!¡± Neither did Elise have any opinion because after all, she, too, did not want to deal with unnecessary trouble. After getting out of the car, Alexander helped to carry the luggage as they walked toward Tissote University¡¯s entrance. ¡°Hi there, are you guys new students for the 21st intake? Which faculty are you from? Please register here.¡± Elise quickly answered, ¡°I¡¯m a new student from the Mathematics Faculty. May I know where I should report myself to?¡± The senior was surprised to hear that Elise was from the Mathematics Faculty. After all, the majority of the students in that faculty were male, but today they actually had such an adorable girl as a new member. Although one couldn¡¯t see her full appearance with her mask on, it wasn¡¯t hard to tell that she was a beautiful girl from her sweet voice. ¡°Head to your right and you may register with the Mathematics Faculty at Block B. If you don¡¯t know the way, I can show you.¡± ¡°Thanks then!¡± ¡°Sure. Pleasee with me!¡± With that, Elise and the others followed the senior to Block B. After paying the tuition fee, Elise registered and obtained the hostel key. It was only then did Alexander send her back to the hostel. The hostel in the university was a shared space, so it was more noisy and crowded. Alexander was not too pleased with the situation, so he said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you stay outside of campus? It¡¯ll be more convenient.¡± However, Elise replied, ¡°There¡¯s no need. I can stay outside during the weekends or during the school holidays; I¡¯ll just stay on campus on normal days. Have you forgotten that my godfather has prepared a house for me?¡± ¡°But the condition in this hostel is quite terrible.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Since the others are able to live here, I can as well.¡± While saying that, Elise had already started making the bed herself. In fact, Tissote University was one of the top universities in the country, and its hostel was already much better than the other ordinary universities. However, Alexander still thought the environment was less desirable. The room that Elise was staying in was a dorm for two, and her roommate had not arrived yet. And so, Alexander walked up to help Elise unpack. As they were done unpacking, Elise carried her bag and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go and have a meal together outside!¡± When the two came out of the female dorm, they realized that the people around them gradually focused their gazes on Alexander. There were even two girls who directly walked up to him and asked, ¡°Hey there, are you a new student for the 21st intake too? Can I have your phone number?¡± Alexander answered with a straight face, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. My girlfriend is rather strict, so I don¡¯t bring my phone with me when I¡¯m out.¡± The female students pulled a long face at once upon hearing that Alexander was already taken. After that, they walked away in depression. Seeing this, Elise couldn¡¯t help smacking Alexander. ¡°You said that people will easily recognize me with my face. Turns out, your face attracted even more attention! Why don¡¯t you wear a mask too next time?¡± Chapter 260 Chapter 260 Hearing this suggestion, Alexander responded with a serious look, ¡°Sure.¡± Elise couldn¡¯t help but smile seeing him being this cooperative. Then, she took out her phone. ¡°Let me give Danny a call to ask if he would like to eat with us.¡± However, Alexander grabbed Elise¡¯s hand immediately the next second. ¡°You don¡¯t have to call him. After all, it¡¯s better to not have a third wheel with us.¡± Eliseughed in spite of herself. ¡°Haha! Alright then. We shall go together and take a look at the ce which Papa had prepared on the way.¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± When the two walked out of the university along the pavement, Cameron was already waiting for them at the school entrance. Seeing their arrival, he quickly got out of the car and passed the car key to Alexander. ¡°Here¡¯s the key, President Griffith.¡± Alexander took it over and said, ¡°Thank you. You may drop by the company¡¯s branchester and see if there¡¯s anything that can be settled first. For those that can¡¯t be settled, just leave it be for now.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± With that, Alexander and Elise got into the car. Following that, the engine roared to life and the car was driven away. While Alexander drove the car along the road, Elise instinctively looked outside the window. She found the city familiar, yet strange. For some reason, she had started looking forward to spending her university days here. The house that Quentin gave to Elise was located in the neighborhood across Tissote University. It was a fully furnished compound apartment with a modern-style renovation that met Elise¡¯s preference exactly. After exploring around the house, Elise was very satisfied with it overall. ¡°It¡¯s a good option toe and stay here over the weekend next time.¡± Alexander reached out his hand to caress her head. ¡°I¡¯m d that you like it.¡± Just then, Elise¡¯s phone rang in her pocket. She recognized the area code of the number was from Tissote, so she picked up the call. ¡°Hi, Miss Sinir. It¡¯s Rowena Johnson. We met last time. I heard that you¡¯re here in Tissote?¡± Elise quickly replied, ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve arrived.¡± ¡°Great. When is it convenient for you to bring the design over for Miss Faye to have a look at it?¡± Elise thought of it and said, ¡°What about tomorrow? I¡¯m free toe over. Alright. I¡¯ll send the address to you, and you can come directly tomorrow.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org. After hanging up, Rowena sent the address to Elise. Elise then kept away her phone and said, ¡°Tomorrow is still a registration day for the new students, so there¡¯s nothing much going on. I¡¯ll go over and pass the design to her and see if there are any amendments needed.¡± ¡°Alright. Stay safe. Remember to call me immediately if anything happens.¡± Saying that, Alexander encircled Elise¡¯s waist. ¡°What should I do? I¡¯ve already started missing you even before we separate.¡± Elise smiled. ¡°There, there. Both of us are in Tissote, so we can always meet up. Let¡¯s go for a meal now.¡± ¡­ Elise started staying in the student hostel that night. Nevertheless, her roommate had still not arrived yet, so she slept alone. The next morning, Elise woke up at the break of dawn as she had yet to adapt to this new ce. After washing up, she changed and went out to have breakfast at the campus restaurant. At 9 o¡¯clock in the morning, Elise took a cab to the address given by Rowena. It was a mansion in the city center of Tissote. The area of the mansion was so huge that it took 5 minutes to drive across the garden. From this huge mansion which the Anderson Family owned in Tissote, wherend was scarce, Elise could tell that the family must have an extraordinary status. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± The driver stopped at the entrance. After unfastening the seatbelt and getting out of the car, Elise was about to call Rowena when the phone in her hand rang. ¡°Miss Sinir, are you here? I¡¯ve asked a servant to bring you in at the entrance. You can follow her.¡± The next second after hearing that, Elise saw a servant dressed in a maid uniform walking toward her. ¡°This way, Miss Sinir.¡± Elise quickly followed the servant and entered the extravagant bungalow, which was furnished in a European style. The ceiling of the door alone was around 26 feet high. ¡°Miss Sinir, Miss Faye is at the lounge on the second floor. Let me show you the way,¡± Rowena said earnestly when she saw Elise. As such, Elise followed her to the lounge on the second floor and saw a slim figure standing in front of the window. ¡°Miss Faye, Miss Sinir is here.¡± Hearing that, the woman turned around and smiled upon seeing Elise. ¡°Nice to meet you, Miss Elise Sinir!¡± With looks around the age of twenty, Faye was much younger than Elise had expected. ¡°Nice to meet you, Miss Anderson.¡± Faye smiled and walked toward Elise while ordering the servant, ¡°You may be excused. Go bring us some coffee.¡± ¡°Yes, miss. Please have a seat, Miss Sinir.¡± Elise sat down on the couch and went straight to the topic. She took out her design and said, ¡°Miss Anderson, this is the wedding gown which I¡¯ve designed for you. Please take a look at it and let me know if there¡¯s anything that you¡¯re unsatisfied with.¡± Faye took a look at the design and said in surprise, ¡°Miss Sinir, I¡¯m really impressed. I merely gave you a nk paper, but you actually had the inspiration to design such a beautiful wedding gown! How did you manage to guess the secret behind the nk paper?¡± Elise replied, ¡°I actually didn¡¯t have any inspiration at first, but I was inspired upon one of my best friends¡¯ advice, so I quickly drafted the design.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s awesome! I¡¯m very happy with this design, Miss Sinir. Please proceed with the design.¡± With that, Faye closed the draft paper and passed it back to Elise. Elise did not expect the process to be this smooth. Surprised, she asked, ¡°Is there anything that you¡¯d like to amend, Miss Anderson?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just ayperson, so I shall refrain from giving too manyments to you since you¡¯re a professional. This design is already pretty good and it fits my expectations perfectly. I can already imagine how I¡¯ll look dressed in this gown, so I¡¯m very satisfied.¡± Elise was relieved. ¡°I¡¯m d you like it!¡± At this moment, the servant served some coffee. ¡°Please have some coffee, Miss Sinir. These coffee beans are newly bought and the taste of it is not bad.¡± Elise received the coffee and thanked the servant. ¡°Miss Anderson, since there¡¯s no issue with the design, I¡¯ll send it back to the studio so that they can start making it. However, the time needed for manual preparation would be longer, which is around two to three months. Is that okay for you?¡± ¡°No worries. My wedding is at the end of the year, so you just have to send the gown over before that.¡± As such, both parties came to an agreement, and Rowena paid the remainingmission to Elise on the spot. Elise nned to leave after the discussion with Faye was finished, but she had a stomach ache out of the blue, which made her frown deeply. ¡°Ms. Johnson, may I know where the washroom is?¡± Upon perceiving Elise¡¯s pale face, Rowena asked in concern, ¡°Miss Sinir, are you feeling unwell?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just feel like going to the washroom.¡± Seeing such, Rowena quickly asked the servant to bring Elise to the washroom. Aftering out of the washroom, Elise felt much better. Then, she took a look at herself in the mirror to ensure she looked fine. As she was about to step out, a faint female voice emerged all of a sudden. ¡°Oh, my good girl, Yoyo. You¡¯re such a sweet baby. Mommy loves you¡­¡± Elise followed the source of the voice and saw a woman squatting at a corner with a doll in her hand. The woman¡¯s hair flowed down her shoulder, and her eyes looked hollow as she repeatedly patted the doll and mumbled the same sentence again and again. Elise looked around and did not see any servants. Out of curiosity, she walked toward the woman. However, just as she approached her, the woman stood up suddenly and pounced at Elise. Chapter 261 Chapter 261 Shocked, Elise quickly stepped backward. However, the woman stopped all of a sudden too. Her eyes widened as she stared at Elise, who was standing in front of her. Thereafter, she became very agitated and pulled Elise¡¯s arm with force. ¡°Yoyo¡­ My dear Yoyo, you¡¯re such a big girl now. Come here and let Mommy take a closer look at you¡­¡± Elise was dumbfounded by the woman¡¯s reaction, so she quickly pushed her away. ¡°What are you doing? Please don¡¯te near me. I¡¯m not Yoyo.¡± However, the woman grabbed her even tighter. ¡°No, you¡¯re Yoyo, You¡¯re my Yoyo. Yoyo, Mommy missed you so much¡­¡± The woman started tearing up as she said that. For some reason, Elise felt sorry for the woman when she saw her weep. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. As such, she stopped pushing her away and allowed the woman to tug at her without resisting. But the next second, the woman directly reached out her arms to hug Elise. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Yoyo. Mommy has let you down¡­¡± Elise instinctively patted the woman¡¯s back, and the woman gradually calmed down under Elise¡¯s appeasement. Just then, a servant ran over in a fluster. ¡°Madam, why are you here?¡± With that, the servant was about to pull the woman away, but thetter shoved her to the side. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me! I just want to be with my Yoyo. Stay away, all of you!¡± ¡°This is not Miss Yoyo, Madam. You¡¯ve made a mistake.¡± ¡°No, I did not! It¡¯s her! She¡¯s my Yoyo¡­¡± While saying that, the woman tightened her grasp on Elise. The servant was in a quandary as she said to Elise apologetically, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for the trouble Madam had caused, Miss Sinir.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Elise said as she nced toward the woman. At this moment, Faye walked over with a gloomy face, but she still kept her shirt on and said to the woman, ¡°Please let go of her, Mom. She¡¯s not Yoyo. She¡¯s a guest of mine¡­¡± Nevertheless, the woman would not listen at all as she continued holding onto Elise. Perceiving that the soft approach would not work, Faye ordered the servants behind her, ¡°Why are you all still standing there? Quickly go and pull my mother away.¡± The servants went forward to pull the woman, but the woman mustered all of her strength at this moment to hold onto Elise stubbornly and did not allow the others to come near. ¡°Go away, all of you! Don¡¯t harm my Yoyo. Don¡¯te near¡­¡± Faye¡¯s eyes darkened as she could not be bothered about the others anymore and directly went up to seize the woman¡¯s wrist. ¡°Come to your senses! Yoona is already dead and won¡¯t be back anymore no matter how you make a fuss!¡± However, Faye¡¯s words only served to provoke the woman further. With an ear-piercing scream, the woman let go of Elise and crouched on the ground in agony. ¡°No¡­ no¡­¡± Seeing that, Faye gave a look to the servant behind her, who then quickly went forward and brought the woman away. It was only after the woman had left did Faye say to Elise, ¡°My apologies for causing you trouble, Miss Sinir.¡± Nheless, Elise was not curious about other people¡¯s private matters but she just felt sorry for that woman for some reason. ¡°No worries. Since our matter is already settled, I shall take my leave first,¡± she said. ¡°Please walk Miss Sinir out, Ms. Johnson.¡± ¡°This way please, Miss Sinir.¡± Rowena led Elise out of the bungalow and specially arranged a chauffeur to send her back to the university. After getting out of the car, Elise walked back to the hostel alone. The moment she opened the door, she saw a fewrge luggages ced in the middle of the room. The light in the bathroom was on, and the sound of running tap could be heard. Elise put down her bag and sat down on the chair to unpack some of her own luggage. Just then, the bathroom door opened and a tall girl walked out. Seeing Elise, she asked directly, ¡°Are you my roommate?¡± Elise hummed in response. ¡°Yeah.¡± The girl was curious to see Elise wearing a mask, so she walked toward her and asked, ¡°Are you sick? Why are you wearing a mask?¡± Elise exined, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just more convenient to have a mask on.¡± Hearing that, Addison Whitlock did not continue asking as she introduced herself. ¡°I¡¯m Addison Whitlock. What about you?¡± ¡°Elise Sinir.¡± Addison was astonished upon hearing this name. With her eyes wide open, she asked agitatedly, ¡°Are you Elise Sinir, the top schr this year? The prodigy who scored full marks for a few papers in the exam?¡± Elise nodded. ¡°Oh my gosh! It¡¯s such a surprise to have you as my roommate!¡± Addison wiped her wet hair and went to take her phone from the table. ¡°Do you know how impressive your result is? I have a friend who practically worships you like a god.¡± While saying that, Addison sent a voice message. ¡°Hey, sis. Quicklye to my room. I want to introduce a new friend to you.¡± Soon after the message was sent out, a knock on the door came forth. Following that, a girl with short hair pushed the door open and walked in, ¡°Hey, Addy! Who¡¯s the new friend?¡± As soon as she asked that, the girl saw Elise, who was standing in front of her, so she greeted courteously, ¡°Hello!¡± The next second, Addison pulled Elise over and wore a proud look. ¡°Do you know who she is?¡± The girl responded with a puzzled look. Seeing that, Addison quickly said, ¡°She¡¯s your idol!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Elise Sinir! The top schr!¡± At once, the girl looked toward Elise with a shocked expression. Blinking her eyes, she inhaled deeply. ¡°You¡¯re Elise Sinir?¡± Elise was amused by the two girls¡¯ reactions. Since when did I be so famous that they have to be so stirred up upon hearing my name? ¡°I¡¯ve heard that you enrolled in Tissote University, but I didn¡¯t think that we would be in the same faculty. Hi, I¡¯m Ricky Williams, Addy¡¯s childhood friend. We grew up in the same neighborhood.¡± Ricky¡¯s name was just as gender-neutral as her appearance. ¡°Nice to meet y¡¯all!¡± Elise said courteously. Ricky was a straightforward person. She had long heard that although this Elise Sinir from Athesea was very good in her studies, she had an awful appearance. Now that she saw Elise wearing a mask, she reckoned that the rumor was most probably true. ¡°Nice to meet you! We¡¯ll be studying at the same university from now on. I¡¯m from the Linguistic Faculty. Since we¡¯re all from the same university, let¡¯s get along well in the future.¡± After saying that, Addison nced at her luggage which was ced on the floor and quickly exined to Elise, ¡°I brought these along but didn¡¯t have time to unpack them yet. Hope you don¡¯t mind it.¡± ¡°Not at all!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll keep them away by tomorrow so our room won¡¯t be as messy as it is now.¡± Then, Addison quickly asked Ricky to give her a hand. ¡°By the way, Elise, tomorrow will be the opening ceremony and the military training will begin the day after. Did you prepare some sunscreen?¡± Elise frequently put on makeup in the past, so sunscreen was a necessity. However, she had rarely used cosmetic products ever since she regained her original look, so she did not bring along the sunscreen. ¡°I forgot to bring it, but I can go get a new one tomorrow.¡± As soon as she said that, Addison quickly said, ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. My family justunched a new sunscreen, and it¡¯s very effective. I¡¯ll give you one.¡± With that, Addison went to take a new sunscreen from her dressing table and passed it to Elise. ¡°You can give it a try. It¡¯s very effective in shielding the sunlight, and you don¡¯t have to be worried about getting a sunburn even during military training.¡± ¡°Addy, are you here to be a promoter? You¡¯re even promoting the new product developed by your brother¡¯spany at this moment!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true! I just feel that this sunscreen is pretty good. I just wanted to share the good things with you girls.¡± Elise received it and said, ¡°Thanks!¡± Hearing that, Addison smiled brightly. ¡°You¡¯re wee. We¡¯ll be roommates from now on, so let¡¯s help each other out when there¡¯s a need.¡± Before this, Elise was still worried that she would not be able to adapt to the new environment. Nevertheless, with a roommate like Addison, she reckoned her days in the university would not be as boring as expected. Chapter 262 Chapter 262 ¡°It¡¯s almost time for the night self-study session. Let¡¯s go to the ssroom. We can meet the new students in our ss too.¡± As Addison said that, she tugged on Elise and left the hostel together. As they arrived at their ssroom, they were met with a bunch of boys who cheered upon their entrance. One of the more daring male ssmates wasted no time before he asked, ¡°Hey, do you happen to be in the right ssroom? This is the Mathematics Faculty!¡± At once, Addison retorted, ¡°And? We are Mathematics majors.¡± Upon hearing that, the male ssmate was excited. ¡°Holy moly! They¡¯re really in our ss! Finally, there are some girls! Otherwise, we¡¯d be a ss full of monks.¡± With her brow raised, she asked, ¡°Are there no other girls in this ss?¡± The boy then shook his head. ¡°We¡¯ve only met the two of you thus far.¡± As he said that, he took a nce at Elise. Due to the mask she was wearing, he couldn¡¯t see her face clearly, but he deduced that she¡¯d look fine too seeing that her friend, Addison, was quite the pretty one. After the brief conversation, the two girls got seated at their respective desks, but the attention from the rest of the ss was hard to miss. Elise might have been used to the attention and gazes, but the same didn¡¯t apply to Addison. Thetter was obviously ufortable. She then nudged Elise before saying sotto voce, ¡°I can¡¯t exin how, but I feel like I¡¯m being watched like prey. If only I knew earlier, I would have chosen to study foreignnguages with Ricky.¡± Tossing her a consoling look, Elise said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I don¡¯t think it will just be the two of us girls in this ss. There must be other girls who aren¡¯t here yet.¡± At once, Addison¡¯s face lit up. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I think so.¡± Just as Elise said that, four girls came through the ssroom door. At that moment, the cheer from the ss got even louder. Seeing that, Elise raised her brow and said, ¡°See! Aren¡¯t these girls in our ss?¡± Hearing that, Addison seemed to be more at ease. ¡°That¡¯s great! Really great!¡± In no time, new students slowly filled the ssroom. Addison counted the number of female students in this ss and found there were more than 10 of them which took up around 30 percent of the ss. It was a typical ss where there were more males than females. While Elise was fully concentrating on writing on her old exercise book, the rest of the students were busy chatting away, making her stick out like a sore thumb. When the homeroom teacher came in, the ss quickly quieted down. The teacher was a middle-aged man. After taking a nce at the ss, he finally stopped his gaze on Elise. Itsted for 3 seconds before he moved his gaze away. ¡°Students, wee to Tissote University¡­¡± After briefing the students with some precautionary and introductory matters, half an hour had passed. By then, Elise had already solved a page of questions and was about to work on the next page. However, the homeroom teacher who was standing on the stage had suddenly called out to her. ¡°Is Elise Sinir here?¡± The students in the ss unanimously gasped after hearing that. Obviously, they were familiar with that name. ¡°The Elise Sinir who excelled in the college entrance examination?¡± Some students started whispering among themselves. Another student said, ¡°It should be! Her results must be more than enough to enter Tissote University. Not to mention, the chances of someone having the same name with grades as good must be slim.¡± Hearing that the teacher called for her, Elise raised her hand. ¡°Elise, can you pleasee to my office? Students, please study on your own in the ss. You can also choose to read at the library.¡± After saying that, the homeroom teacher left. Feeling curious, Elise put down the pencil in her hand and closed the exercise book before following suit. In the office, the homeroom teacher no longer wore the strict image that he had back in the ssroom. He gave Elise a warm smile. ¡°Elise, I¡¯m happy that you¡¯re in the Mathematics Faculty of Tissote University. If there¡¯s anything you need, you can always let me know. I will be d to help out.¡± ¡°Thank you for the kind offer, sir.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. It¡¯s an honor that such a top student is in my ss. Aside from that, there¡¯ll be an opening ceremony for the new semester tomorrow. ording to the university¡¯s arrangement, you will be giving a speech as the top student representative. Do prepare a speech tonight and take it easy on stage tomorrow.¡± With a nod, she replied, ¡°Alright.¡± At this moment, the office¡¯s door was knocked on, and an elderly man who seemed to be in his sixties came in. Seeing that, the homeroom teacher took the lead to greet him. ¡°Professor Merlin, why have youe?¡± With a chuckle, the professor said, ¡°I¡¯vee to see the new blood in our Mathematics Faculty. This must be the legendary Elise Sinir.¡± The professor looked at Elise. His hair was half white, but he seemed to be rather energetic. At once, she said, ¡°Nice to meet you, Professor Merlin. I¡¯m Elise Sinir.¡± ¡°This young girl is quite impressive. With such a talent in Mathematics at this age, she has great potential in the future!¡± ¡°You tter me, Professor Merlin. I¡¯m just an ordinary student.¡± Hearing that, the professor was very d in her response. After all, it was very rare for someone at her level to be so humble. ¡°Elise, I¡¯m here today to discuss something with you.¡± Professor Merlin took a nce at her homeroom teacher at the side before saying in a serious manner which made her put on a look of curiosity. ¡°The thing is, I¡¯ve been doing scientific research with a team for the past two years. I was wondering if you¡¯re willing to join us in this research.¡± After he said that, even the homeroom teacher seemed surprised to hear that. For context, Professor Merlin was a senior teacher at the university. The topics that he conducted research on were mostly hot topics in the country. Even the homeroom teacher himself didn¡¯t get the chance to join. However, Elise, a first-year freshman, had actually been chosen by Professor Merlin. ¡°Professor Merlin, are you serious? She¡¯s just a first-year freshman after all!¡± The homeroom teacher couldn¡¯t help but voice out his question. The professor then smiled before saying, ¡°That¡¯s exactly why I chose her. Since she¡¯s young, I have high hopes for her! Our team can¡¯t always be supported by old people like us. We should add some fresh blood, shouldn¡¯t we? What do you think, Elise?¡± It was only then that she snapped out of her trance. She knew how important the research topics that the professor mentioned were, and she knew how rare a chance like this toe by was. However¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Professor Merlin. I¡¯m afraid that I can¡¯t join your team.¡± As soon as she finished saying that, the huge office fell silent. Even the smile on Professor Merlin¡¯s face faltered a little. Thinking that she might not understand how big this was, he continued, ¡°If you have any questions or dilemma, you can tell me. Or if you need time, we can understand. I¡¯m willing to give you some time to consider it. How about you consider this for two days before you give me an answer?¡± At this moment, she opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but the professor beat her to it. ¡°That¡¯s all for today! I¡¯m in no rush anyway. You can take your time and think about it. When you¡¯ve decided, you cane back to me.¡± Needless to say, she understood what he meant. Though she was hesitant, she nodded in the end. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll think it through.¡± Seeing that her answer had changed, the professor seemed more satisfied. ¡°Alright! Content ? N?velDrama.Org. You can go back now! You still have to give a speech at the opening ceremony for the beginning of the semester. Write the speech well.¡± Nodding her head, she replied, ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave then, Professor Merlin, sir.¡± After saying that, she left the teachers¡¯ office. Chapter 263 Chapter 263 When Elise got back to the ssroom, two-thirds of her ssmates were gone. With that, she went back to her seat and sat down before fishing out some letter paper to draft her speech. After some time, her phone that was kept in her pocket rang. ¡°Elise,e out and grab a bite. I¡¯m waiting for you at the east entrance.¡± After she hung up the phone, she took a look at the speech draft that was almost done. She then packed her stuff and left the ssroom. When Elise arrived at the east entrance of the campus, she saw Mika, who was just a stone¡¯s throw away, waving at her. ¡°Elise, here I am.¡± She then walked over and pulled a chair to sit with her. ¡°Why would you suddenly think of eating at this stall here?¡± ¡°Their food is quite nice! That¡¯s why I¡¯m rmending this to you. So, you went to your new ss today. How was it?¡± After a hum, Elise said, ¡°It¡¯s not bad! What about you? The Music Faculty must be pretty good too.¡± Hearing that, Mika pursed her lips before replying, ¡°It¡¯s alright, but there are just too many people wearing weird outfits. It made me doubt whether they¡¯re in the music faculty or fashion and arts. The boys were all wearing odd clothes¨C¨Cnot to mention their long hair. There are just no good-looking ones.¡± Failing to stifle herugh, Elise said, ¡°Are you here to study or to gawk at good-looking boys?¡± Mika sighed before replying, ¡°Now that I¡¯m in university, I can finally date someone. However, I can¡¯t find anyone suitable in this ss. That¡¯s why now¡­ I¡¯ve given up on that thought. After all, I still favor good looks. I¡¯m not attracted to those average Joes.¡± Just as she finished saying that, a boy with a tall and sturdy build approached her and said, ¡°Hello there, can I get your social media handle?¡± Hearing that, she replied with a cold expression, ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t use social media.¡± ¡°Your phone number works too!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a phone¡­¡± The boy seemed to not have given up yet as he looked like he was about to say something, but a man¡¯s voice cut him off. ¡°You want my girlfriend¡¯s number? You can get it from me instead.¡± Upon hearing that, the boy quickly apologized before running off. It was only then that Mika noticed who the man was. In a low tone, she said, ¡°Jack, why are you here?¡± Jack lowered his baseball cap and covered half of his face with only his eyes visible. ¡°I¡¯m in Tissote for a business trip so I dropped by to pay you girls a visit.¡± Mika sneered, ¡°Why did you pretend to be my boyfriend then?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fending off your admirers for you. You should be thanking me instead.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for that. You¡¯re the one who did it voluntarily.¡± ¡°But I still helped you! Otherwise, you¡¯ll be disturbed by men of that sort.¡± ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it¡­¡± Seeing the way the two quarreled, Elise thought that they looked like a couple in a fresh rtionship. ¡°Can the two of you take a break?¡± Mika scoffed before ignoring Jack. Then, he shifted his gaze toward Elise before saying, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m here for you this time, Elise.¡± At once, Elise raised her brow in surprise as she asked, ¡°Me? What is it that you have to see me for?¡± After he found out that Elise was H, he wanted to thank her in person. If it wasn¡¯t for her help, his new single wouldn¡¯t have been so sessful. With her talent inposing songs and writing lyrics¨C¨Cnot to mention the fans and fame that she had for all these years in the circle as H¨C¨Cit would be a pity to let it end just like that. Hence, he asked, ¡°Elise, have you ever thought of making aeback in the entertainment field? As H?¡± Hearing that, Mika turned toward Elise with bright eyes. ¡°Elise, if you were to make aeback, my days won¡¯t be so boring anymore. Having an idol to idolize, my days will definitely be filled with positivity.¡± Elise took a nce at the two people in front of her and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t life as it is right now pretty great? I¡¯ve actually never nned to make aeback.¡± Truth was, the entertainment industry was not as simple, clean, and pure as it seemed. After witnessing all the dirty deeds that couldn¡¯t be seen in the light of day, she just couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Why not?! You already have a stable fanbase and a decent amount of fame. Even after all these years of being dormant and not releasing any new singles, your fans are still sticking by your side. Once you make aeback, they¡¯ll definitely support you likest time. Besides, the music industrycks outstanding artists like you.¡± Instead of answering her, Elise asked, ¡°Why would you suddenly think of this?¡± Hearing that, Jack replied, ¡°I just don¡¯t want a talented artist like you to be buried. Of course, I won¡¯t be able to make the decision for you, but I just want to at least give you my advice. However, if you still don¡¯t want to, then just pretend I¡¯ve never said anything.¡± Elise hummed in response but did not say anything further. Seeing her response, Jack had no choice but to stop pestering her. Although he was merely making a tentative suggestion, Elisepletely ignored him, which left him hopeless. At that moment, he finally understood that she might have no intention of getting back to that field anymore in the future. ¡°Alright, understood! I will not bring this up again in the future. Today is the first day you¡¯ve arrived at the new university. Congrattions on bing an official student.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± After the trio chatted, Elise bid them goodbye before leaving for the hostel alone. En route on a small path in the campus, she kept recalling his words. It made her think about the old times when she was free and easy to be in the industry with the identity of H. However, it was a past that she could not return to. When she got to the hostel building lobby, she paused her steps. Standing a few steps away from her, was Alexander, carrying a big bag. Seeing that she came back, he gave her an adorning look. At once, she ran into his embrace. ¡°It¡¯ste. Why are you here at this hour?¡± Pulling up the bag in his hand, he replied, ¡°I heard that the new students have military training, so I¡¯ve prepared some items that you may need.¡± Immediately, she opened the bag. There were all sorts of sunblocks and medications for emergencies inside. In a nutshell, there was everything that she could possibly need. ¡°Why did you prepare so much stuff?¡± ¡°I thought that you may need them. Just in case.¡± Raising her brow, she said, ¡°The training shouldn¡¯t be too challenging for me.¡± After all, she had received training that was way crueler than military training. These training sessions for freshmen were just a piece of cake to her. Obviously, she didn¡¯t say all that out loud. ¡°However, thank you for being so thoughtful.¡± ¡°All I get is a thank you? No action to show your gratitude?¡± At once, a blush crept up her face. Looking up at him, she finally tipped her toes and gave his cheek a kiss. ¡°Will this do?¡± At this moment, his smile reached his eyes. He then said in a soft tone, ¡°Not even close, but under the current circumstance, I¡¯ll make do.¡± Hearing that. Elise was speechless, so she simply nudged him. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve received the things. Hurry up and go back.¡± Staring at her, he sighed, ¡°Elise, when will you really grow up?¡± All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. At once, she retorted, ¡°I¡¯m already eighteen.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not enough¡­¡± Those words seemed to have carried a heavy meaning. After she had gotten back to her hostel, she was still thinking about what he said.a At once, she took a good look at herself in the mirror to check that she had a good feminine figure. She¡¯d say that she looked nothing like an underaged, so his words might not mean what she had in mind. At least, that was what she told herself¡­ Chapter 264 Chapter 264 The next day was the opening ceremony of the new semester. The ceremony was held on arge scale at Tissote University. Elise had given a speech at the ceremony as the representative of the freshmen. After it had ended, everyone went back to their respective sses to get their training attire. The moment Elise got her attire and exited the ssroom, she was surprised to see Rowena standing at the end of the hallway. Then, Rowena walked toward her. ¡°Miss Sinir, can I have a word with you?¡± Hearing that, Elise asked, ¡°Why are you here? If it¡¯s about the wedding dress, the design draft has already been sent back to Athesea. When it¡¯s done over there, it will be sent over via flight.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about that, Miss Sinir! Miss Anderson wants to see you.¡± Though Elise was mumbling to herself, she followed after Rowena. As soon as she got out of the entrance of the campus, a luxurious nanny van stopped right in front. When the door of the car opened, Faye was seen sitting in the car. ¡°Miss Sinir, looks like we meet again.¡± Having gotten into the car, Elise closed the door before asking, ¡°Miss Faye, to what do I owe the pleasure?¡± Faye then replied without beating around the bush, ¡°There¡¯s something I need your help with.¡± At this moment, the car started moving as Faye started exining, ¡°You¡¯ve already met my mother the other day. At first nce, I bet you can already tell that she¡¯s¡­ different from others.¡± Humming in response, Elise waited for her to go on. Faye then continued, ¡°After my sister died of sickness a few years back, my mother had gotten ill. The doctor said that she had some mental trauma, so she¡¯s sometimes irrational. All these years, we¡¯ve seen many doctors, but her condition has not improved at all. I thought that she would never be sober in this life, until that day, your appearance¡­¡± At once, Elise was taken aback. ¡°Me?¡± After affirming her doubt, Faye continued, ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s with my mother. She was so agitated when she saw you. After you left, she kept yelling the name of myte sister. In the past two days, she¡¯s been saying that she wants to see you. She even went on a hunger strike to make me bring you over. I think that she may be seeing you as my sister. However, the dead cannot be resurrected. Hence, I¡¯m here to find you because I¡¯m left with no option.¡± At this point, Elise understood where Faye was getting at. ¡°You want me to pretend to be your sister?¡± ¡°I know that this is a lot to ask, but I will not mistreat you. I only hope that you cane and visit her twice or thrice a week. As for the pay, you can name it! As long as it¡¯s something I can afford, it will be fine.¡± At this moment, Elise¡¯s head was filled with images of when she met Faye¡¯s mother. Her heart clenched for a brief second, and she felt pain. She could not exin why her left atrium hurt when she recalled that specific piece of memory. Perhaps, it reminded her of herself¡­ ¡°Alright! I will try my best to keep herpany,¡± Elise agreed. Hearing that, Faye smiled before taking a hold of Elise¡¯s hand. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°Thank you, Miss Sinir.¡± At a slow and steady speed, the vehicle finally reached the Anderson Family¡¯s residence. The driver stopped the car at the entrance, and Elise got out of the car after. Looking at the huge mansion before her, she had mixed feelings. ¡°Miss Sinir, please follow me.¡± When she took a look at Faye, thetter smiled at her before saying, ¡°Go ahead. Thank you for doing this.¡± Elise then retracted her gaze before following Rowena into the premises. She passed the main hall and came to a hallway in the backyard. Following the hallway, she passed through the garden before finally reaching the houses behind. ¡°Miss Sinir, please wait here for a moment. I¡¯ll get Madam.¡± As Rowena said that, she pushed the door and went into the house. Standing at the doorstep, Elise took a look around. The surroundings were a little smallpared to the main hall and there were many florae nted all over, setting a rxing atmosphere. ¡°Miss Sinir, pleasee in.¡± Rowena led Elise into the house. It was only then did Elise realize that the house was actually a chapel. At that moment, Jeanie Gray was still praying. ¡°Madam, Miss Sinir is here.¡± Just as Rowena said that, Jeanie opened her eyes before scrambling to stand up. Looking at Elise, she smiled eye to eye at once. She then ran forward and hugged Elise. ¡°Yoyo, you¡¯re back. I miss you a lot¡­¡± Standing there dumbfounded, Elise was enjoying affection that was not meant for her. It made her feel guilty. However, she remembered that she had promised Faye. Thus, she slowly retracted her hand and let Jeanie hug her. ¡°Yoyo, let me look at you. Have you been eating welltely? Why do you look skinnier?¡± Jeanie seemed much more normal than the first time Elise saw her; she was not crazy at the slightest today. ¡°If you¡¯re craving anything, just tell me. I¡¯ll cook for you. You youngsters keep saying that you¡¯re on diet¨C¨Cyou don¡¯t eat this and that. However, my Yoyo doesn¡¯t have to go on a diet. She has a figure that¡¯s just nice¡­¡± As Jeanie mumbled on, she looked at Elise with a gentle gaze. At this moment, Elise felt taken aback. As she grew up with her grandparents, she had never felt the love of a mother. It felt odd that she was feeling the affection of a mother from someone else¡¯s mother. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry¡­¡± All Elise could manage to say were those words. Hearing that, Jeanie smiled even wider. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll cook something nice for you when you¡¯re hungry.¡± Elise nodded in acknowledgment. After that, Jeanie kept tugging on Elise with some force as if she was afraid that Elise would go missing. The gentle tone in Jeanie¡¯s gaze made Elise feel extra warm. If her mother was by her side, would she look at her with the same gentleness? ¡°Yoyo, it¡¯s been so many years. Have you been well?¡± At this moment, Jeanie¡¯s eyes suddenly welled up with tears. Even her voice broke a little as if she would start crying at any moment. At once, Elise consoled her, ¡°I¡¯ve been living very well. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Hearing that, Jeanie nodded. ¡°That¡¯s great¡­ That¡¯s great¡­¡± As she said that, she stood up, pulling Elise along with her. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you somewhere.¡± Elise quickly followed her. When they got to the entrance, Faye and Rowena were standing right outside the door. Unbeknownst to Elise, Jeanie¡¯s emotions changed the moment she saw Faye. Tugging on Elise with a firm grip, Jeanie stood in front of thetter before scolding Faye, ¡°You little fox! Stay away from me! Stay away from Yoyo¡­ I don¡¯t want to see you. Go away!¡± At once, Faye¡¯s eyes seemed sad. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m your daughter, Faye.¡± ¡°No, I only have one daughter. You¡¯re not¡­ You¡¯re not¡­ You¡¯re not¡­ You¡¯re a little fox, you¡¯re a little fox¡­¡± As Jeanie mumbled that, she looked like she was going through a panic attack. Instinctively, she loosened her hand that was holding on to Elise¡¯s before hugging her head as she squatted down. Then, Jeanie continued mumbling, ¡°You¡¯re not my daughter. My daughter is Yoyo, not a little fox!¡± Chapter 265 Chapter 265 Seeing that, Faye showed an upset expression. However, there was nothing that could be done. Thus, Rowena consoled, ¡°Miss Faye, don¡¯t take that to heart! It¡¯s been years since Madam became like this. You should understand.¡± Faye didn¡¯t reply, but she looked toward Elise before saying, ¡°Miss Sinir, you saw what my mother is like. As her daughter, I am treated as such, not to mention that you¡¯re a stranger. If my mom does anything that offends you, I hope that you try to understand and forgive her.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, Miss Anderson.¡± After Elise said that, she kneeled down to pull Jeanie up. However, as soon as her hand touched Jeanie, she was swung off. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me. Don¡¯t touch me.¡± At this moment, Elise¡¯s hand froze, and Jeanie seemed to be in her own bubble. After Elise retracted her hand, she whispered, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you want to take me somewhere? Where is that?¡± As soon as she said that, Jeanie¡¯s body stopped shaking. When Jeanie looked up at Elise, she seemed to be tracing back to her consciousness. ¡°Yoyo¡­ Yoyo¡­¡± Elise then answered, ¡°I¡¯m Yoyo!¡± Hearing that, Jeanie smiled. She then held Elise¡¯s hand and stood up. ¡°My Yoyo is back. Yoyo is back! Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ve prepared a surprise for you. Let¡¯s go together.¡± Elise was then led away by Jeanie. After they left, Rowena said softly, ¡°Miss Faye, isn¡¯t it inappropriate to put Madam in a stranger¡¯s care? What if Old Madam finds out¡­¡± At once, Faye¡¯s face turned dark like never before. ¡°What can happen when she finds out? She¡¯s just an olddy in her eighties and probably has only a few years left.¡± ¡°Miss!¡± Immediately, Rowena took a look around to ensure that there was nobody around before she continued, ¡°Words as such shan¡¯t be uttered. After all, Old Madam is the spine of the family. It¡¯s better that we stay cautious.¡± Hearing that, Faye scoffed. ¡°After all these years, I¡¯ve survived. Why should I be wary of an olddy? Not to mention, I¡¯m the person in charge of the family now.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. You¡¯re right.Content ? N?velDrama.Org. Nevertheless, Miss Sinir is an outsider. If you let her interact with Madam like this, what if she spills the information to the public?¡± Faye¡¯s gaze turned cold. ¡°That depends on her. If she doesn¡¯t act as she should, I have ways to make her shut up. After all, only the dead can keep a secret forever.¡± Upon hearing that, Rowena was shocked by the deadly aura in Faye¡¯s eyes. Hence, a cold shudder ran down her spine. Seeing that, Faye said, ¡°Look how scared you are. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t do anything to her now. However, if she can¡¯t keep her mouth shut and causes some rumors to circte outside, she¡¯ll be sorry.¡± After saying that, she turned on her heels to leave. Rowena, who was in a cold sweat, was then left behind as she heaved a long sigh. Meanwhile, Elise had followed Jeanie to a ce at the right wing. When they got to the end of the hallway, Jeanie halted her steps. Looking at the door that was closed shut, she said with a gentle smile, ¡°This is it! Yoyo, follow me.¡± As soon as she said that, she pushed the door open and went in. Elise was stumped to see what was inside the room. Inside therge room was filled with things that a little girl would love. There were dolls, cartoon cars, bags, books, toys, clothes¡­ You name it. Not to mention, the room was kept at an utmost tidiest! She couldn¡¯t even find a speck of dust inside. ¡°Yoyo, this is a doll that I got you. Do you like it?¡± Jeanie grabbed a doll before stuffing it into Elise¡¯s arms. ¡°This is an electronic watch that I got you. Girls at your age like this design. I bought two colors so you can wear them alternately.¡± ¡°I even prepared a piano for you. Since young, you¡¯ve been very interested in music. Thinking that my daughter will be very sessful in music in the future, I bought the best piano in the field for you.¡± ¡°This clothing looks great, right? I thought it suited you at first sight¡­¡± Jeanie went on and on as she introduced everything in the room. The more Elise listened, the more guilty she felt. Everything inside here carried the love of a mother. She was like a thief who was stealing away things that didn¡¯t belong to her in the first ce¡­ ¡°Mrs. Anderson, I¡­¡± ¡°Yoyo,e here!¡± Tugging on her hand, Jeanie brought her to a dresser. Pulling the drawer open, she could see an intricate box sitting within. Jeanie opened the box to reveal a pure gold bracelet inside. There were realistic carvings on it. After taking out the bracelet, Jeanie put it on Elise¡¯s wrist. ¡°Looks great on you!¡± Looking at the bracelet on her wrist, Elise attempted to take it off at once, but she was stopped by Jeanie. ¡°Just keep it on! It looks good. Don¡¯t take it off anymore.¡± ¡°But¡­ Mrs. Anderson! I can¡¯t take your things.¡± Elise then took the bracelet off before cing it back into the box. At that moment, Elise was chastising herself for agreeing to do something as such to Faye as she started to regret her decision¡­ ¡°Mrs. Anderson, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Silly kid. Why are you apologizing? It¡¯s fine that you don¡¯t like it. I¡¯ll bring you to get one that you like another day.¡± Jeanie wasn¡¯t mad, and she simply kept the box back into the drawer as she said that. At this moment, the Jeanie that was standing before Elise was nothing short of a normal person. Nothing about her felt off. ¡°Mrs. Anderson, I¡¯m not your Yoyo. I¡¯m just a stranger. Your presents are for your daughter. I¨C¨C¡± At this moment, her sentence was cut off by Jeanie as she suddenly became very agitated. ¡°No, no. You are Yoyo. You are my Yoyo¡­ I won¡¯t forget what she looked like¡­ I won¡¯t¡­¡± As she said that, her face turned squirmy. She kept repeating those words until she ended up hugging her head again before screaming. Hearing themotion, the maids came quickly. ¡°Madam, are you okay?¡± Seeing that Jeanie seemed pale and lifeless, the maids were getting anxious. ¡°Why are you standing there? Hurry up and get the doctor!¡± Standing at a side was Elise who witnessed the maids run up and down taking care of Jeanie. She wanted to help, but she was pushed away by the maids. Having left the Anderson Family¡¯s residence, Elise returned to school in a sour mood. When she got out of the car, Rowena called out to her. ¡°Miss Sinir, this is your pay from Miss Anderson.¡± As she said that, she took a bag and handed it over to Elise. Inside the bag were two stacks of new dor bills. ¡°Ms. Johnson, what do you mean by this?¡± ¡°Miss Anderson wants to thank you for today. There may be times that we¡¯ll require your help in the future. Please take this. If you¡¯re unwilling to receive it, it will be my fault as I am deemed incapable. In that case, I will not need to return to the Anderson Family. Hence, I hope that you will make it easier for us who serve, Miss Sinir.¡± Chapter 266 Chapter 266 Just as Elise was about to say something, Rowena stopped her by shoving the bag into her hands before turning around to get into the car. ¡°Goodbye, Miss Sinir!¡± Watching as the car vanished from sight, she lowered her head and looked at the new banknotes with a frown. ¡­ The next day, the freshmen began their military training. All the students were asked by the instructor to change into their military uniforms and gather at the field early in the morning. Elise was quite tall, so she stood at the far side of the line. The instructor, Harry Miller, was a young chap that seemed to be in his twenties. He had dark skin and a sculpted face. ¡°Today¡¯s the first day of your military training. Let¡¯s start with the most basic military posture.¡± After looking around, he pointed at a girl standing the furthest from him. ¡°Come to the front and demonstrate.¡± Janice Garcia, the girl whom he called upon, strode forward before standing upright and motionlessly like a tree. Her posture was wless. ¡°See this? This is the standard military posture. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Now, it¡¯s your turn. Attention!¡± With that, all the students stood as required for the military posture. By noon, many students were already exhausted. During noon break, Addison rubbed her calves and slumped on the bed. ¡°I can¡¯t do it anymore. I won¡¯t be going in the afternoon.¡± Handing Addison a bottle of juice, Ricky said, ¡°Save your energy. It¡¯s only the beginning.¡± Just as Ricky was speaking, she nced at Elise. ¡°Look at her. She looks as if nothing had happened. Your body¡¯s too weak, so you need to exercise more.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with normal exercises, but this military training is too intense! Elise, how did you do it like it was nothing?¡± Addison pursed her lips. Having no choice, Elise exined, ¡°I attended military training before, so I¡¯m able to cope pretty quickly.¡± ¡°Oh, I attended military training during high school too, but that one seemed alright. Why¡¯s it so hard now that we¡¯re in university?¡± Upon hearing this, Elise didn¡¯t know what to say. Just then, Ricky remembered something. ¡°Janice seems pretty good too. I heard she grew up in the armypound,¡± she said. ¡°Stop talking about her. I can¡¯t stand seeing her. It¡¯s like I¡¯m seeing Sergeant Miller.¡± Addison sighed. Then, she flipped over and continued to lie on the bed after finding afortable position. ¡°Fine. Rest well in the afternoon. We need to assemble at 2:00PM. I¡¯lle and call you guys later.¡± After that, Ricky left the dorm. Elise normally didn¡¯t take naps in the afternoon, so she took out her exercise book and continued to work on the questions. At 2:00PM, Elise dragged Addison, who was reluctant to move, to the field. The training had not started, so everyone gathered around Janice and showered her with ttery. ¡°You¡¯re amazing, Janice!¡± ¡°Yeah! Military posture is so hard and has so many requirements, but you did as if it was nothing! I¡¯m so jealous.¡± ¡°If I were as good as you, then I wouldn¡¯t have to be punished by Sergeant Miller.¡± As Janice listened to everyone¡¯s praises without saying anything, she couldn¡¯t help but smile. Feeling smug, she was enjoying how everyone fawned over her at that moment. She had undergone various training with her dad since young. Hence, such trivial military training was a piece of cake for her. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to my dad. You guys did great too!¡± What she said made her even more likable. Initially, she didn¡¯t know her new ssmates that well, but after some interaction, everyone seemed to like her a lot more. ¡°All the best in the afternoon training, everyone!¡± As everyone was talking, Harry made his way over. Immediately, all the students went back to their ces. ¡°We have practiced the military posture in the morning. Now, let¡¯s learn some basic movements. I¡¯ll demonstrate in front. Those who do well can rest early.¡± As soon as he said so, everyone was delighted. However, after he demonstrated, everyone had a problem following. Though the movement looked simple, it wasn¡¯t as easy as they thought it would be. Mistakes would happen if they weren¡¯t careful. After failing countless times, Addison broke down. ¡°I can¡¯t do it. It¡¯s too hard.¡± ¡°Why do I keep making mistakes?¡± the other students eximed. ¡°It seemed like I knew how to do it when I was watching him demonstrate, but why do I keep failing when I do it? My gosh! Somebody save me!¡± As Elise listened to the other studentsin, she did the movement perfectly as instructed by Harry and stayed in that position. Then, he walked over and eyed her before kicking her leg. Yet, she stood still without moving an inch. ¡°Not bad! Very steady. She¡¯s doing a great job. You guys should learn from her.¡± ncing at Elise and Janice, who was standing beside her, he apuded the both of them. ¡°Both of you did a great job. You may go to the side and take a rest.¡± Hearing this, Janice did not rx. Instead, she replied, ¡°I¡¯m not tired, Sir. I can continue.¡± Hearing this, he looked at her dly. Then, he turned to nce at Elise. ¡°Good. Please continue, then.¡± ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± With that, Janice and Elise continued to stay in positions. Standing tall, both of them attracted the attention of the rest of the ss with their military-style disy. After quite a while, they finally rxed and took a break. Holding a bottle of water, Elise turned around and removed her mask to drink. Out of curiosity, Janice went over to peek at Elise¡¯s face. However, Elise had already put on her mask quickly. ¡°Why do you keep wearing a mask?¡± Janice asked inquisitively. ¡°I¡¯m used to it,¡± Elise answered. As soon as Janice heard Elise¡¯s reply, she couldn¡¯t help but recall the rumors from before. Though Elise had good grades, she always wore a mask because she looked hideous. The corner of Janice¡¯s mouth tugged upward as she thought of this. So what if she¡¯s as good as me during the military training? I definitely look much better than her. ¡°Good luck in the 50-meter obstacle courseter.¡± Janice smiled. Everyone knew that Janice was the proudest of her achievements in the 50-meter obstacle course out of all the other programs in military training. She even broke the record bypleting it within two and a half minutes. Up till then, no one could surpass it. Hence, she was really looking forward to the next event as she was confident that she would do well and impress everyone. ¡°You too!¡± Elise replied. In response, Janice shrugged and looked into the distance. ¡°Let¡¯s end our goose step practice. Well done, everyone. The next activity, the 50-meter obstacle course, will be a simple assessment of your overall performance for the past two days. The passing mark is 3 minutes and 20 seconds, while the full mark is 2 minutes and 50 seconds. It will be conducted ording to your student ID number.¡± Chapter 267 Chapter 267 All the students stood in a long line aside and watched as their ssmates entered the track for the assessment. Addison was at the very front of the line. She barely passed the 50-meter run and was exhausted when she finished. Soon, it was Janice¡¯s turn. Standing at the starting line, she had a calm expression on her face. As soon as she heard Harry¡¯smand to start, she sprinted forward as quickly as lightning. Ruthlessly and steadily, she crossed all the obstacles, prompting her other ssmates to squeal in excitement. ¡°Wow! She¡¯s so good!¡± ¡°My gosh! I couldn¡¯t tackle that obstacle. I can¡¯t believe she passed it so easily!¡± ¡°Why did it seem so difficult for me but so easy for her?¡± To everyone¡¯s amazement, Janice sessfullypleted the obstacle course in 2 minutes and 37 seconds. Everyone apuded, and even Harry couldn¡¯t refrain from expressing approval. ¡°You performed really well. You¡¯re guaranteed to receive full marks with such a result. Everyone, please learn from Janice.¡± Smiling brightly, she answered humbly, ¡°Thank you, Sir. I was able to achieve such results because I¡¯ve been training since young. It¡¯s normal that everyone else did poorly since they rarely train. You can¡¯t use me as aparison.¡± ¡°You were amazing, Janice!¡± ¡°I¡¯m so jealous that you started training at a young age. You have such a good physique. ¡°You¡¯re our ss¡¯ number one!¡± Listening to everyone¡¯s praises, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a little smug. Then, she nced at Harry. As their gazes met, he couldn¡¯t help but cough and avert his eyes. ¡°Alright. Next is Elise!¡± When he called Elise, she simply acknowledged and went to the starting line. ¡°Okay. Your time starts now!¡± As soon as he said this, she started running and passed the first obstacle effortlessly. Her movements were even swifter than Janice¡¯s. All the students who were watching were stunned. As she ran along the course, her movements were swift, and there was hardly any hesitation. After passing all the obstacles, she sprinted toward the finish line. ¡°What the heck? She¡¯s so fast!¡± ¡°She already reached the finish line before I realized it.¡± ¡°Sir, what¡¯s her result?¡± Quickly, Harry came back to his senses. Luckily, he managed to record her result immediately after she finished. When he looked down and saw the numbers on the timer, he tensed. ¡°1 minute and 59 seconds!¡± Everyone gasped when they heard the numbers. ¡°Sir, did I hear that correctly? Did she really finish it in 1 minute and 59 seconds? That¡¯s unbelievable!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Elise only used 1 minute and 59 seconds toplete the obstacle course,¡± he confirmed. Instantaneously, there was a burst of apuse. Watching as she walked over, everyone couldn¡¯t help but cheer. ¡°You¡¯re so cool, Elise!¡± ¡°1 minute and 59 seconds! You¡¯re the legend of our ss!¡± When Janice heard their cries, her face turned grim and then white. She was terribly unhappy. It was just a few minutes ago that they were still cheering for her. Now, everyone¡¯s attention was on Elise. Completing the obstacle in 1 minute and 59 seconds was an achievement Janice never dared to imagine. Yet, Janice was unwilling to ept the fact that she had lost to Elise. How is it possible that I¡¯ve lost to someone so ordinary? Are my years of training in vain? Janice clenched her fists. ring at Elise, who was walking over, her eyes dimmed. ¡°Your results are quite good; you surpassed a professional athlete¡¯s level. May I know if you¡¯ve received any professional training before?¡± Harry asked. Elise narrowed her eyes. The training she underwent was confidential and could not be considered professional training. Besides, she was not at liberty to disclose it. Hence, she had no choice but to reply, ¡°Nope!¡± ¡°Not bad! It¡¯s a great start!¡± Harry praised with a nod. Everyone cast her envious nces. ¡°Go ahead and take a rest at the side!¡± Harry told her. With that, she acknowledged him and went to the side to rest. Just then, Janice stopped her. ¡°Hold on!¡± Hearing this, Elise turned to look at Janice and asked, ¡°Yes?¡± Janice lifted her eyes and crossed her arms. ¡°Let¡¯s have apetition, shall we?¡± It was an outright challenge from her. Meanwhile, the other students gathered around and watched enthusiastically. ¡°Wow! Apetition between two of the best! It¡¯ll definitely be entertaining!¡± ¡°Hey, Erudite Elise! Why don¡¯t you satisfy our curiosity?¡± ¡°Come on! We¡¯re rooting for you!¡± In response, Elise furrowed her brows as she was not interested to compete with Janice. Then, she said, ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯tpete with you.¡± It was the first time that Janice was rejected, and it made her upset. Thinking that Elise was looking down on her, she boiled with anger. ¡°Why? Are you scared?¡± Upon hearing this, Elise lifted her eyes to meet Janice¡¯s and simply replied, ¡°I just think it¡¯s unnecessary.¡± As soon as Elise said so, Janice¡¯s face darkened. ¡°What, now? Are all ugly people so unreasonable?¡± Disregarding Elise¡¯s feelings, Janice insulted her harshly. ¡°Do you have low self-esteem? Is that why you keep wearing that mask? To be honest, nobody wouldugh at you for being ugly.¡± Immediately, Elise¡¯s eyes sank. Seeing this, Addison stepped forward and spoke up against Janice. ¡°People with manners wouldn¡¯t criticize other people for their shorings. Do you really think that you¡¯re the best? You should know that there¡¯s always someone better.¡± ¡°It¡¯s none of your business! What a busybody!¡± Janice snorted. Hearing this made Addison furious. Just as Addison was about to retort, Elise pulled her back and gave her an assuring look. Then, Addison said, ¡°What are you scared of, Elise? Compete with her! You¡¯re much better than her, and everyone saw your result earlier. Even Sergeant Miller said that you¡¯re as good as a professional athlete! Anyway, she already lost to you, so why should you reject her? Besides, I can¡¯t stand that annoying face of hers. How disgusting!¡± ¡°Who are you calling disgusting?¡± Janice pointed at Addison fiercely before rolling her eyes. ¡°Do you seriously think that she¡¯s afraid of you? We¡¯re just worried that you might look bad after losing to her!¡± Janice had never faced such humiliation before. ¡°Are you brave enough for a match with me?¡± With a frown, Elise questioned, ¡°What event do you want topete in?¡± Quickly, Janice replied, ¡°Any event¡¯s fine. You choose. I¡¯m okay with anything.¡± At that moment, Janice sounded so arrogant that even Harry couldn¡¯t help but give her a worried look. However, Janice completely ignored him and stared at Elise as she gritted her teeth. Janice had to prove that she was better. ¡°So, are you up for it?¡±Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. Chapter 268 Chapter 268 Everybody stared at Elise while Addison cheered, ¡°Break a leg!¡± In response, Elise pursed her lips before replying, ¡°I will.¡± As soon as Elise epted the challenge, Janice already knew that she would win. With years of training experience, beating Elise was a piece of cake. Hence, Janice suggested, ¡°What¡¯s the point of justpeting? Let¡¯s ce a bet to make it more exciting.¡± ¡°What kind of bet?¡± Elise asked calmly. Looking at Elise, Janice finally said, ¡°How about you take off your mask in front of everyone if you lose?¡± When Addison heard this, she was furious. ¡°You¡¯re doing this on purpose, aren¡¯t you?¡± Ignoring Addison, Janice challenged Elise. ¡°So? Are you up for it?¡± Then, the corner of Elise¡¯s mouth tugged upward. ¡°What if you lose?¡± Immediately, Janice answered, ¡°Do you think I¡¯d lose?¡± The idea of her losing never popped into her mind. ¡°Tsk tsk¡­ You should look at the situation you¡¯re in before making big statements as such. Stop acting like you¡¯re invincible. It¡¯s annoying,¡± Addison criticized with disdain. With a cold snort, Janice stated, ¡°I¡¯ll do anything you want if I lose.¡± Quickly, Elise uttered, ¡°I won¡¯t ask for anything else. I just want you to apologize in front of everyone. Can you do that?¡± ¡°Sure. So, what are wepeting in?¡± Janice replied indifferently. Hearing this, Elise responded, ¡°You choose! I don¡¯t want you to think that I¡¯m bullying you.¡± Janice was offended. ¡°You really don¡¯t know your ce, do you? I¡¯ve been through so much training since I was three, so every event is my strong suit. Do you think I¡¯d worry if you¡¯re bullying me? You can choose! I don¡¯t want you refusing to ept defeat.¡± With that, Elise nodded her head and looked around before saying, ¡°Let¡¯spete in three events. The first to win two games is the winner.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Then, Elise pointed to the side. ¡°Shooting, rock climbing, and a 100-meter obstacle course. Are you okay with that?¡± ¡°No problem.¡± After reaching a consensus, everyone sensed war between the two. Noticing that the situation was about to go out of control, Harry stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll be the judge. I promise to be fair and just.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Elise and Janice replied at the same time. ¡°Alright. Now, let¡¯s move toContent ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. the shooting range and prepare.¡± All the students cheered because they wouldn¡¯t have to train anymore as they would be watching Elise and Janicepete. With an excited look on their faces, they hurried to the shooting range. ¡°Thepetition rules are simple. 10-meter shooting range and three chances. Whoever scores the highest wins.¡± As soon as Harry finished, he prepared two handguns for Elise and Janice. Right after, the twodies positioned themselves and started aiming at the target board with their guns. ¡°There¡¯s no turning back now. A bet¡¯s a bet.¡± After saying this, Janice took her aim quickly. Then, there was a loud bang as she took her shot. Soon after, the target inspector announced loudly, ¡°9 points!¡± As for Elise, she aimed at the bullseye and pulled the trigger. ¡°Elise, 9 points!¡± Upon hearing this, everyone cheered. ¡°Good luck, Elise!¡± Addison shouted with the rest of the crowd. Meanwhile, there were also many people rooting for Janice. ¡°All the best, Janice!¡± Janice smirked and continued with her second shot. ¡°9.5 points. 9.5 points.¡± For the second shot, both of them received the same score again. With constant training, Janice was mentally tough. Yet, she started to waver upon seeing this. Holding the gun, she prepared to fire her third shot. Then, the inspector shouted excitedly, ¡°10 points! 10 points for Janice!¡± As soon as he said so, Janice smiled smugly and nced at Elise provokingly. ¡°Fire yourst shot well. Be careful not to miss because you¡¯ll lose if you do.¡± Unfazed, Elise took her aim. A loud bang sounded before the inspector shouted, ¡°10 points! 10 points as well!¡± Then, there was a loud roar of apuse. ¡°Well done, Elise!¡± Janice¡¯s face turned grim as soon as she heard this. She thought that she would win, but they ended up with a tie after three rounds. Without a winner, they would have to y another round. However, she had lost all her confidence. After taking her aim, she fired and scored 9 points. Seeing this, she frowned, and her hands started to sweat. With standard movements, Elise aimed at the target and fired. The bullet shot through the bullseye. ¡°10 points! Elise scored 10 points! Elise wins this game!¡± Instantaneously, Janice¡¯s face turned dark. Shooting was her forte, yet she had lost to Elise. ¡°You¡¯re amazing, Elise!¡± Addison showered Elise with praises. Then, Addison shot Janice a provocative look. ¡°Some people are just too ambitious. Now, everyone knows that Elise is much better.¡± Janice clenched her fists and hissed through gritted teeth, ¡°This is only the first game. Best of three, don¡¯t you understand? She only won the first game, and there are two more. I¡¯m not scared! ¡± Helplessly, Addison sighed. ¡°You really don¡¯t give up, do you? Never mind. Elise will give you a lesson,¡± shemented irritatingly. Janice was boiling with anger when she heard this. Yet, her arrogance was greatly extinguished after she lost the first event. Hence, she simply gritted her teeth and said nothing in response to Addison¡¯sment. ¡°See you at the rock climbing site. I¡¯ll definitely win this time.¡± With that, Janice straightened her back and walked away. Annoyed by Janice¡¯s cocky attitude, Addison stuck her tongue out behind Janice¡¯s back. ¡°Do your best, Elise! We¡¯re all rooting for you!¡± After acknowledging Addison, Elise made her way to the rock climbing site. With a height of 50 meters, the venue was the university¡¯s biggest rock-climbing site. After fastening their safety harnesses, Elise and Janice ran toward the wall at Harry¡¯smand. Upon hearing Harry¡¯smand, Janice climbed halfway up the wall in a dash. Turning her head back, she nced disdainfully at Elise, who was behind her. Then, she looked back ahead and continued to climb. Physically strong, she was still breathing steadily halfway up the wall. Yet, she began to lose momentum after that. Stepping on one of the climbing holds, she gazed at the finishing line not far away. Then, she took a deep breath and told herself to keep it up. However, her foot slipped, and she nearly fell. ¡°Hang on, Janice! You can do it!¡± the students down below cheered. Right after, she calmed herself and reached out for the next climbing hold. Just then, she realized that Elise had caught up to her. Chapter 269 Chapter 269 Seeing this, Janice gritted her teeth in panic. In her mind, all she could think of was to not let Elise beat her. Because of that, she started to lose momentum and slipped twice in a row. ¡°All the best, Elise! Come on, overtake her!¡± Addison shouted from below. As for Elise, she lifted her eyes to look at the upper left corner and reached out to grab the climbing hold before extending her left leg to step on the next foothold. She managed to find momentum and maintained her physical strength well. Soon, she overtook Janice and reached the top first. ¡°Wow! You¡¯re amazing!¡± After Elise reached the top, Janice finally climbed up. At that moment, Janice had lost the haughty attitude that she had before. Though Janice was reluctant to admit it, she said while staring at Elise, ¡°I lost!¡± In response, Elise briefly acknowledged Janice. Right after, she noted, ¡°I guess we won¡¯t have to compete in thest event, then.¡± ¡°I give up. Though I underestimated you this time, I won¡¯t give up. I¡¯ll definitely beat you one day!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± Then, Elise paused. ¡°But shouldn¡¯t you fulfill your promise now?¡± Janice felt a little embarrassed when Elise said so. However, it was she herself who suggested the challenge. Hence, she had to ept the fact that she humiliated herself and that she was not as good as Elise. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Elise. I apologize for my behavior from before.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. I ept your apology.¡± Just then, Addison came over and nced at Janice disdainfully before turning to face Elise. ¡°You were amazing, Elise! Not only are you good, but you¡¯re also discreet. You¡¯re so much better than some people.¡± Upon hearing this, Janice couldn¡¯t help but frown. Upset, she turned and left. Watching from behind, Addison couldn¡¯t help but stick her tongue out, whereupon Elise quickly pulled her over. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re done with today¡¯s training. Let¡¯s eat.¡± Just as they were about to leave, Harry stopped them. ¡°Elise, do you have a minute?¡± Seeing this, Addison said, ¡°I¡¯ll get you something from the cafeteria.¡± With that, she left. After Elise followed Harry to one corner of the field, he looked at her seriously and uttered, ¡°I¡¯ve been observing you for the past two days, and I realized that you have a pretty good foundation. Besides, you even defeated Janice, so you¡¯re obviously something. Are you interested in working at the Department of Homnd Security? We need talents like you.¡± The Department of Homnd Security? The Secret Service is a secure job. ¡°You mean I can work at the Department of Homnd Security?¡± ¡°It¡¯spletely possible if you pass their assessment. With your capability, I don¡¯t think there should be a problem,¡± Harry exined hurriedly. I see. However, she was uninterested. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not interested, but thanks for the offer!¡± Hearing this, Harry was slightly disappointed. Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. ¡°No problem. Just contact me anytime if you change your mind.¡± ¡°Sure. Thank you!¡± As soon as Elise returned to the dorm, Addison burst out, ¡°What did Sergeant Miller want?¡± ¡°Nothing much. He just wanted to chat,¡± Elise exined. Hearing that, Addison snorted and said, ¡°Sergeant Miller and Janice seem to know each other from before. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°Oh? I wasn¡¯t paying attention.¡± Elise stared at Addison curiously. Addison had a sharp eye indeed. ¡°I think they knew each other, but that¡¯s not important. Anyway, you defeated Janice today, so she won¡¯t cause you any more trouble in the future. You¡¯re truly my idol, Elise. Not only are you good at studying, but you¡¯re also physically strong. I have a lot to learn from you.¡± Hearing this, Elise simply smiled and said nothing. Just then, her phone rang. It was Alexander. Half an hourter, she saw him standing at the side of the university¡¯s back street. So, she ran over to him. ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t make you wait too long!¡± Gazing at her, he rxed his brows and reached out to caressed her head. ¡°How was training? Did something happen?¡± She eyed him suspiciously. ¡°How did you know something happened? You didn¡¯t nt a spy in here to pass you information, did you?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± He neither admitted nor denied. Then, she told him, ¡°Nothing much happened. Ipeted with a ssmate and won.¡± ¡°Hmm, not bad! Well done!¡± He nodded approvingly. ¡°Actually, training wasn¡¯t as difficult as I thought it would be. At least that¡¯s what I think.¡± Just then, Elise saw Janice standing on the opposite side while checking Alexander out. Subconsciously, Elise stood in front of him to block her view. ¡°I don¡¯t think we should stay here. Let¡¯s go somewhere else.¡± Following her gaze, he understood why she was acting this way. With that, he put his arms around her and replied, ¡°Sure!¡± Then, he walked away with Elise. However, Janice had no intention of letting them go. In spite of her good grades, there are a lot of rumors saying that she¡¯s ugly. I can¡¯t believe she actually has a boyfriend who seems quite cute! Just as Janice was trying to take a good look at his face, Elise took him away. So, Janice caught up with them quickly and blocked Elise. ¡°Don¡¯t be petty, Elise. Why won¡¯t you introduce your boyfriend to me?¡± As Janice spoke, she lifted her eyes and nced at Alexander. With just one look, she froze, and her mind went ck for a few seconds before she regained her senses. At that moment, her heart couldn¡¯t stop pounding against her chest. ¡°I don¡¯t think you and I are that close,¡± Elise answered unhappily, obviously sensing Janice¡¯s strange attitude toward Alexander. ¡°Who says we¡¯re not close? We¡¯re from the same ss! Oh, right. Are you from our school as well, cutie? Which year and course are you from? Can I get your number?¡± Janice ignored Elise and bombarded him with a series of questions. Initially, he had wanted to ignore Janice. However, his heart melted as soon as he saw the jealous look on Elise¡¯s puffed-up face, and the corner of his mouth tugged upward. Yet, Janice thought that he was smiling at her. ¡°Hey, cutie. Can you give me your number?¡± Alexander ignored Janice¡¯s question and gazed at Elise. Slowly, he answered, ¡°You¡¯ll have to ask my girlfriend.¡± When he called Elise his girlfriend, Janice froze as her dreams were shattered. But then, Janice thought to herself, She¡¯s so ugly that she doesn¡¯t deserve to be his girlfriend. He¡¯ll definitely be mine if I set my mind to it. After all, everyone knows that it¡¯s easier for women to pursue men. Chapter 270 Chapter 270 Angrily, Elise red at Alexander and said, ¡°You do what you want. You don¡¯t have to ask me.¡± Realizing that Elise was really annoyed, he took her hand andforted her. Then, he gave Janice a stern nce, lookingpletely different from when he spoke to Elise. ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m taken. I¡¯m not comfortable with giving you my number.¡± As soon as Janice heard this, her face darkened. Yet, she didn¡¯t give up. ¡°You guys don¡¯t seem like you¡¯ve been dating for a long time; how deep are your feelings for each other? How can you be so sure that she¡¯s the one? You should open yourself up to different options to determine who¡¯s the best for you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to. I¡¯m positive that she¡¯s the one I¡¯m looking for.¡± When he said so, Elise¡¯s face brightened up immediately. Right after, he continued, ¡°You don¡¯t look like you¡¯re having trouble looking for a boyfriend, so why are you hitting on someone else¡¯s boyfriend? This could be some kind of disorder. You should see a doctor.¡± At that moment, Janice was boiling with anger. Though he¡¯s good-looking, he has a sharp tongue. It¡¯s no wonder that he fell in love with someone ugly like Elise. ¡°Hmph! You must be blind. I think you¡¯re the one who should see a doctor,¡± she retorted rudely. Then, Elise defended him aggressively. ¡°You¡¯re either mentally retarded or have a personality problem. You can¡¯t stand seeing other people doing better than you, and you always like to take other people¡¯s things. Does it make you feel better taking other people¡¯s things, or do you think you deserve to get everything you want? You¡¯re delusional, you know?¡± With that, Elise ignored Janice and dragged Alexander away without looking back. As Janice watched the couple leave, she stomped her foot. ¡°I¡¯ll beat you one day, Elise!¡± Alexander had a smile on his face all the while he and Elise were walking away. He realized that she could be fiery and direct at times and was pretty good at telling people off. Just then, she stopped in her tracks and let go of his hand. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you in a bad mood?¡± He stared at her. Biting her lip, she shook her head and lifted her eyes to look at him. ¡°Was I too mean? You won¡¯t hate me for being like that, will you?¡± ¡°Why would you think that? Do I seem that shallow? You have to ept someone for who they are if you love them. Besides, I like how you became jealous earlier because I finally know that I matter to you,¡± he said after noticing her bing emotional. Hearing this, she smiled. Then, she snorted in denial. ¡°Who said I was jealous? I wasn¡¯t jealous.¡± Just then, a warm kissnded on her lips. She froze, yet the corner of her lips couldn¡¯t help but tug upward before she slowly closed her eyes. Momentster, he finally let her go. Hand in hand, they strolled through the campus trail. ¡°Do you know which kind of rtionships I used to admire the most?¡± Curious, he asked, ¡°Which kind?¡± ¡°I admire high school sweethearts who end up marrying each other. It¡¯s so pure and wonderful!¡± she replied. ¡°What about us? Don¡¯t you like what we have?¡± Looking at him, she answered, ¡°Of course I do! It¡¯s just that I used to dream of marrying my high school sweetheart, but it¡¯s fine! After all, things don¡¯t always go as nned. Anyway, what we have is pretty great.¡± With that, the two held hands and continued to walk. They looked like they were made for each other and seemed to be in a happy rtionship from the back. The next day, Elise continued with her vigorous training. Fortunately, Janice never bothered Elise again ever since the other day and would make a detour every time she bumped into Elise. Soon, the seven-day training ended. Though it wasn¡¯t obvious, Elise felt as if she had lost a lot of weight. Everyone was determined to focus on their studies after the training. Unlike high school, university life was less stressful, and there weren¡¯t any teachers that would urge them to study. It all depended on self motivation. Afterpleting a calculus equation, she picked a book unrted to what she was studying to read. When night fell, she packed her books and left the library, Just as she opened the door, she heard Ricky¡¯s voice. ¡°What should we do? Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org. No one in our department studies this minoritynguage. I¡¯m so worried.¡± Addison tried reading the densely packed words on the page. ¡°I don¡¯t understand anything here. Arisian is just too unpopr.¡± As Elise put down her bag, she questioned, ¡°What are you guys talking about?¡± ¡°Here, Ricky¡¯s new assignment. She needs to trante an Arisian article, but nobody in our year studies thisnguage, so she¡¯s frustrated.¡± Upon hearing this, Elise stopped what she was doing. ¡°Arisian?¡± Ricky let out a sigh. Then, her eyes lit up. ¡°Erudite Elise, do you know Arisian?¡± At that moment, Elise had no choice but to say, ¡°Let me take a look.¡± Swiftly, Ricky handed Elise a stack of A4 papers. ¡°Do you understand?¡± Though there was a hopeful look on Ricky¡¯s face, she understood that very few people knew Arisian. Taking the papers, Elise flipped through them. After taking a brief look, she lifted her eyes and nced at Ricky before saying, ¡°This seems pretty easy!¡± Hearing Elise¡¯s words, Ricky jumped and rushed forward to hug Elise. ¡°Save my poor soul, please!¡± Ricky was hugging Elise so tightly that she almost ran out of breath. ¡°Alright. Let me go already. I¡¯ll give it a try.¡± It was only then that Ricky let go of Elise and stared at her with a pleading look. Right after, Elise exined, ¡°These two aren¡¯t difficult as they¡¯re just some basic vocabry. Thest one is a bit more challenging as they have technical terms. When do you need it? I¡¯ll try to trante it as soon as possible.¡± Ricky was thrilled when she heard this. ¡°That¡¯s awesome! I¡¯m not in a hurry. I just need it by the end of this week. Thank you, Elise! You¡¯re an all-rounded genius!¡± ¡°No problem! I¡¯ll have it tranted soon.¡± Elise chuckled and shook her head. Then, Ricky let out a sigh of relief after solving this big problem. Meanwhile, Elise took a pen and started tranting. This article isn¡¯t difficultpared to the commercial article that Alexander gave me. In less than two hours, she had finished tranting the first article. Putting her pen away, Elise stretched her back. As for Addison, she was busy ying games on her phone, filling the dormitory with the sound of her game. When Elise came out of the shower, she heard Addison shriek. ¡°Ah!¡± Frightened, Elise rushed over quickly and asked, ¡°What happened, Addy?¡± ¡°I won! I just won and scored a Pentakill! This is so cool!¡± Hearing this, Elise was speechless. Then, she asked, ¡°What are you ying? You seem so excited.¡± Smiling cheekily, Addison told Elise, ¡°League of Legends.¡± Elise snorted. Then, Addison went on, ¡°I haven¡¯t been ying very long, but I¡¯m on level 30 already. I heard there¡¯s a big shot called Ellimane in this game. They¡¯re really smooth and skilled. I¡¯ve watched videos of them ying. They¡¯re amazing!¡± Amused, Elise nced at Addison and asked, ¡°Do you like them so much?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say that I like them, but they¡¯re really skilled at ying the game and always lead their teammates to victory. I¡¯d win without any effort and level up really fast if I were part of their team,¡± Addison answered honestly. As Addison spoke, shepletely ignored the changes on Elise¡¯s face. Right after, Addison asked, ¡°Do you y games?¡± ¡°I do, but I haven¡¯t yed in a long time. I¡¯ll y with you next time.¡± ¡°Sure! Tell me when you¡¯re online! I¡¯ll talk to youter. My teammates are calling me. I¡¯m going to y another two rounds, so you should sleep first.¡± Seeing how engrossed Addison was with the game, Elise decided not to bother her anymore. Chapter 271 Chapter 271 Early the next morning was a ss of Elise¡¯s major, and it was located in the lecture hall. As soon as Elise entered, she saw Professor Merlin standing on the podium and was slightly startled. Then, she remembered that Professor Merlin was an experienced teacher of her major, so it was normal for him to be teaching this ss. Elise found a seat and sat down. After a while, the bell rang, whereupon Professor Merlin looked at the students and said, ¡°Today is my first time teaching your ss. It looks like almost everyone¡¯s here, so it seems that everyone is in good condition after the military training¡­¡± After giving his standard speech, he started the ss. A math problem appeared on the digital screen. ¡°I¡¯m presenting a math question to you today. You can now attempt to solve it.¡± As soon as he said this, the students in the hall quickly took out their pens and began to calcte. Elise looked at the question on the screen and found that it was a rtively simple advanced mathematics question. She had already learned it herself, so she solved it in no time. At this moment, Professor Merlin walked up to her. ¡°You¡¯re done?¡± Elise nodded in response. Professor Merlin nced at the answers and steps she had written, then said, ¡°Not bad! You¡¯ve already mastered the basics.¡± With that, Professor Merlin took out a piece of A4 paper from his book and handed it to her. ¡°Here¡¯s a question for you to solve during your spare time. After you¡¯ve solved it, show it to me. It doesn¡¯t matter if you can¡¯t solve it¡­¡± Elise didn¡¯t know what Professor Merlin¡¯s intention was, but she simply replied, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll give it a try.¡± Professor Merlin gave her a profound look, then turned and left without saying anything. After ss, Elise studied the question given by Professor Merlin. It was difficult, but it wasn¡¯t one she couldn¡¯t solve. It would just take some time. Meanwhile, in the office, when Professor Walter from the mathematics department saw that Professor Merlin was out of ss, he couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°Did you really give her that question?¡± Professor Merlin answered, ¡°I¡¯m letting her try it out! For so many years, none of us old bones managed to solve it. If someone can solve it, it will be a good thing.¡± Professor Walter, however, said pessimistically, ¡°The few of us who have been dealing with mathematics all our lives can¡¯t solve it. She¡¯s just a young girl who¡¯s just starting out, so what can she possibly do? I think your age is making you confused, and you¡¯re just looking for spiritual sustenance.¡± Professor Merlin said, ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but I think Elise is very special! I¡¯m quite confident in her. ¡° ¡°There are so many senior professors here and abroad. Which one of us is not more experienced than her? It¡¯s a question that brought so many mathematics experts to their wits¡¯ end, so it¡¯s a little unrealistic for you to ce your hopes on a young girl, isn¡¯t it? But having confidence is good. Why don¡¯t we make a bet? ¡° Professor Merlin was aware of what his true intentions were. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s as simple as wanting to make a bet with me. You¡¯re thinking about my good wine back home¡­¡± Professor Walter made no effort to conceal his thoughts. ¡°Haha. You know me so well! But, in all honesty, your wine is really good.¡± Smiling helplessly, Professor Merlin said, ¡°Oh, you! That¡¯s all you ever want. Do you think I don¡¯t know that?¡± Professor Walter chuckled and pursued, ¡°Then, do you dare to make this bet?¡± Professor Merlin pondered for a while. ¡°There¡¯s no harm in gambling once! All right! Let¡¯s make this bet.¡± Professor Walterughed delightedly. ¡°So you agree. Then, let¡¯s take one month from now as the deadline. If your student can solve this problem within a month, then you win, and I¡¯ll buy you drinks. We¡¯ll drink the best chardonnay!¡± ¡°No, thanks. I don¡¯t particrly favor that. You can just treat me to a pot of good tea.¡± ¡°Haha, okay! If you lose¡­¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org. Professor Merlin had no choice but to say, ¡°You cane to my house, and I¡¯ll let you pick any wine from my wine cab.¡± ¡°Okay. It¡¯s settled, then!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a deal!¡± The two old men in their sixties had actually made a bet about this matter in all seriousness. Oblivious to this, Elise was currently alone in the library looking up references. She flipped through several foreign mathematics books and finally found a chapter devoted to this topic, so she began to read through it carefully. After reading it, she picked up a pen and started to calcte. Time passed minute by minute. The day turned into night, and night turned into day. Close to dawn, Elise couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and fell asleep on the table. When the librarian came in the next day and saw her, she quickly said, ¡°Wake up. Don¡¯t sleep here. Go back to the dormitory to sleep.¡± Elise opened her sleepy eyes, then looked at the time to see that it was already 8:00AM. Hence, she hurriedly packed her textbooks and rushed to the ssroom. When she got to the ssroom, Addison saw her and asked, ¡°Elise, where did you go last night?¡± Elise exined, ¡°I identally fell asleep in the library.¡± Upon hearing this, Addison sighed silently. ¡°I feel a little ashamed seeing you working so hard and being such an excellent student. I feel bad being your roommate if I don¡¯t study hard.¡± With that, Addison wordlessly opened her textbook. Elise smiled, then took out the textbook to be used for this ss. After ss, Ricky hurriedly ran to the ssroom and stopped Elise. ¡°Elise, how¡¯s it going? Is the trantion done?¡± Elise took out the first document that had been tranted and handed it to her. ¡°Only the first one has been tranted for now. You can take it first. If there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand, feel free to contact me through WhatsApp.¡± Ricky epted it, then said with great excitement, ¡°Thank you, Elise! I¡¯ll treat you to a meal someday!¡± After she said that, she disappeared. Elise packed up her textbooks, preparing to leave, but Addison called out, ¡°Elise, where are you going?¡± Elise answered, ¡°I don¡¯t have any more morning sses, so I¡¯m going to the library.¡± In the past, Addison wouldn¡¯t be interested at all, but today, she silently kept her textbooks, then got up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, then.¡± After the two of them arrived at the library, Elise went to look for a few books containing the information she needed before sitting on a chair and carefully reading through it. Meanwhile, Addison felt sleepy as soon as she looked at her textbook, so she took out her phone and began to y a game. Beep. Upon getting a WhatsApp message, Elise picked up her phone and opened it, only to see that it was from Mika. Mika: ¡®The school¡¯s organizing a wee party. Do you want to sign up for it?¡¯ Elise raised her eyebrows slightly, then her fingers flew across the screen as she replied, ¡®No.¡¯ Mika sent her a sparkly-eyed emoji. ¡®It¡¯s my first time being in charge of such arge event. Are you sure you really don¡¯t want to participate?¡¯ Elise was confused. ¡®You¡¯re in charge?¡¯ Mika immediately answered, ¡®Yes! I¡¯m still worried about it. How about you be my mystery guest and sing one of your hottest songs live?¡¯ Elise simply sent: ¡®¡­¡¯ Mika was anxious. ¡®Good old Elise, you¡¯re my idol, so can you please help me? Just one song, and you can wear a mask the whole time. No one will know you¡¯re H.¡¯ Seeing how persistent she was, Elise had no choice but to say, ¡®I¡¯ll think about it!¡¯ Mika sent several happy emojis, causing Elise to shake her head helplessly before putting her phone aside. She picked up her pen and looked at the question that Professor Merlin had given her, then began to write out the steps to solve the problem. Chapter 272 Chapter 272 Chapter 272 Proper and Reasonable, Coolest Girl in Town Content ? N?velDrama.Org. However, after writing a full page, it still wasn¡¯t solved, so Elise had to turn a page to continue calcting. Then, she found that one set of forms was wrong, so she quickly corrected it. This happened back and forth, while Addison had even lost several games already. Addison was a little frantic. ¡°I¡¯m not ying anymore. These troublemaking teammates. They actually quit mid-match! They made me drop two ranks.¡± The moment Addison said this, many people around them nced over. Only then did she remember that she was in the library, so she quickly lowered her gaze and fell silent. ¡°Elise¡­ Elise!¡± Addison whispered. ¡°How much longer are you staying here?¡± Without looking up, Elise said, ¡°A while longer.¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll leave first.¡± With that, Addison packed up her things and left while reminding herself that she shouldn¡¯te to the library so often next time. After Addison left, Elise continued to solve the question. When she was done, she stretched and packed her things before leaving. The next day, she went to the ssroom and heard many students discussing the wee party. ¡°I heard that the talent of the music department will perform on stage. I¡¯m really looking forward to it!¡± ¡°Will there be a lot of handsome guys?¡± ¡°There definitely will be. The school attaches great importance to the wee party every year, but I wonder what performance our ss will be putting on¡­¡± As they spoke, several students saw Janice walk in and immediately called out to her, ¡°Janice, you¡¯re the art and literaturemittee member of our ss. Is our ss performing?¡± Janice replied, ¡°Yes! Our ss has prepared a y.¡± ¡°Really? Can I join?¡± Janice smiled and said, ¡°Of course. You can register with me.¡± After asking the student to write down her name, Janice couldn¡¯t help but nce at Elise, who was sitting not far away, whereupon a bright gleam shed across her eyes before she walked toward Elise. ¡°Elise, there¡¯s a character in our y that¡¯s very suitable for you. Why don¡¯t you join too?¡± Elise simply replied, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m not very interested in ys. You can let the other students participate!¡± Janice, however, didn¡¯t relent. ¡°As a member of the ss, you ought to make a contribution to the ss. It¡¯s not that nice of you to reject me so bluntly, right?¡± Elise stopped what she was doing and looked up at Janice, who was giving her a provocative look. Then, she said, ¡°I¡¯m not good at acting, and I don¡¯t have any experience. You should find other students!¡± Janice deliberately raised her voice. ¡°Elise, that¡¯s not a good idea. You¡¯re also a member of the ss, but you don¡¯t even participate in such activities. It seems like you don¡¯t have any sense of honor for the ss.¡± Upon hearing this, the other students in the ss couldn¡¯t help but look over before gathering together to exchange whispers. Elise frowned and immediately said, ¡°Janice, morality is used to restrain oneself, not to pressure others. Isn¡¯t it morally wrong for you to do this?¡± The other students hurriedly added, ¡°It¡¯s not like everyone is required to participate in this kind of activity. If she¡¯s not interested in the y, then you should just let it go.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Geniuses like her just need to study hard. Leave these activities to us.¡± Janice didn¡¯t expect that her ssmates would all speak up for Elise. She was filled with anger, but she suppressed her temper and exined, ¡°I just think this role is very suitable for her, which is why I asked her to join. I¡¯m afraid that if other students yed this role, they won¡¯t be able to do the character justice.¡± She sounded utterly proper and reasonable! The students next to her couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°What role is it that must be yed by Elise? Tell us about it!¡± Janice intended for Elise to y a witch, but if she told them about this, it would definitely cause dissatisfaction among her ssmates, so she said, ¡°I wanted to let her y the female lead. I think it¡¯s very suitable for her.¡± ¡°Wow, the female lead! Elise, why don¡¯t you think about it?¡± Elise figured that Janice wouldn¡¯t be so kind as to give her a role as important as the female lead, so she considered it for a while before asking, ¡°Are you being serious?¡± Janice felt her heart being torn apart, but in order to prevent her ssmates from getting any ideas, she forced herself to say, ¡°Of course I am. I really want you to y the female lead, but you¡¯re not interested, right? I¡¯ll just find someone else, then¡­¡± ¡°Elise, just do it! After all, you don¡¯t want to let her good intentions go to waste,¡± Addison said, appearing out of nowhere. Upon hearing this, Elise agreed. ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll give it a try¡­¡± At this point, Janice wanted to give herself a fierce p. She wanted to y the role of the female lead herself, but now, she had to give it to Elise because of her mistake. However, it didn¡¯t matter¡­ She was the writer, so all of the creative power was in her hands. She definitely had ways to let Elise be overshadowed as the female lead, and she must prove that she was better than Elise! When the time came, she figured she could outshine Elise at the wee party. ¡°Okay, since you¡¯ve agreed, thene rehearse with us in the afternoon. We¡¯ll be in therge conference room at 6:00PM. Don¡¯t bete.¡± At 6:00PM, Janice was the earliest to show up in the conference room. As her ssmates began to arrive one after another, Janice swept her gaze around the room but didn¡¯t see Elise. Her brows furrowed as she asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Elise? Why isn¡¯t she here?¡± The students looked at each other and answered, ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Janice was about to lose her temper when the door of the conference room was pushed open and Elise walked in. As the person in charge of the ss performance, Janice chided her without hesitation. ¡°Elise, you¡¯rete.¡± Elise lifted her wrist and looked at the time. ¡°It¡¯s exactly 6:00PM. How am Ite?¡± Only then did Janice notice that it was indeed 6:00PM. Her face flushed in an instant while she felt like she had been put on the spot. The other students saw this and helped her smooth things over. ¡°Okay, now that she¡¯s here, let¡¯s begin.¡± Janice withdrew her gaze and suppressed her anger. ¡°Today is our first rehearsal, so let¡¯s first confirm the roles and distribute the script.¡± Elise found a seat and sat down, while the other students sessively reported their desired roles. After Janice gave each student their scripts, she still had two scripts in her hand. She looked in Elise¡¯s direction and immediately walked over. ¡°Elise, this is your script. y your role well!¡± After retrieving it, Elise opened it and took a look. It was indeed for the role of the female lead, but¡­ Elise flipped to the back, and her lips curled up meaningfully. Then, she looked at Janice, who didn¡¯t shy away from her gaze, but was giving her a provocative look instead, the meaning of which was self-evident. Elise roughly understood what was going on. However, she didn¡¯t say anything and simply studied the script carefully. Since she had agreed to participate, she was going to take it seriously. After reading the script, Elise set it aside and got up. ¡°Elise, where are you going?¡± Elise exined, ¡°The restroom. I¡¯ll be back in a moment.¡± With that, Elise walked out. Janice stared at her retreating back, her eyes shing with a cunning gleam as she followed her out. The restroom next to the conference room was designed in the form of small cubicles. Elise was about to go out when she was done, but the door was locked from the outside. She asked sternly, ¡°Who is it? Who¡¯s out there?¡± Chapter 273 Chapter 273 As soon as she spoke, she heard the sound of footsteps fading away. ¡°Stop. Who are you? Hurry up and open the door¡­¡± Janice ignored her. Not only did she not open the door for her, she even locked the door of the entire restroom. Elise quickly took out her phone but found that the phone signal was weak. She wanted to make a call but couldn¡¯t. All she could do was sit on the toilet and calm herself down. Forget it. I didn¡¯t really want to participate in the rehearsal anyway. It¡¯s not a bad thing to be locked up here. She took out her exercise book containing Professor Merlin¡¯s question then began to solve it again. When Janice went back to the conference room, no one noticed anything unusual. After a while, someone suddenly said, ¡°Since we¡¯re almost familiar with the script, we should try rehearsing it.¡± ¡°I think so too.¡± ¡°By the way, where¡¯s the female lead? Where did she go?¡± Everyone began to look for Elise in the conference room, but they didn¡¯t manage to find her. At this moment, someone said, ¡°Elise went to the restroom. She¡¯ll be back in a moment.¡± Then, Janice immediately spoke up. ¡°Elise said that she¡¯s not feeling well. She has already asked me for the day off and will not be joining rehearsal today. Let¡¯s not worry about her first. We can go back and rest after we¡¯ve roughly rehearsed.¡± Upon hearing this, everyone began to rehearse without any objections. Meanwhile, in the restroom, Elise had buried herself in the question and waspletely immersed in it. Minutes passed and night came, but Elise wasn¡¯t aware of it. She found that although she was trapped in the restroom, her inspiration was flowing like a water fountain. She couldn¡¯t stop, and when she finished writing the steps to solve the problem on several pages, she finally got the answer. Elise stopped and looked at the time, only to find that it was already 11:00PM. Her stomach was growling from hunger. She also found it strange that hours had passed, yet not a single student had come to the restroom. Elise tried her phone again, and this time, her call finally got through. She heard Alexander¡¯s voiceing from the other end of the phone. ¡°Hello, Elise?¡± Half an hourter, Alexander hurried over and rescued Elise. At this moment, he didn¡¯t look to be in a good mood, but he patiently asked, ¡°What happened?¡± Elise pursed her lips and answered, ¡°I don¡¯t know who did it, but someone locked me in.¡± Before she finished her story, Alexander interrupted her, ¡°Then, why didn¡¯t you call me earlier?¡± Elise immediately replied, ¡°At that time, I was just thinking ofpleting this question, so I dyed a little.¡± It was only then that Alexander noticed the book in her hand, which was densely filled with handwritten mathematical symbols, then he sighed helplessly. ¡°You were in such a situation, yet you were still in the mood to solve a math question. Just how strong willed are you?¡± Not wanting to talk about this anymore, Elise looked pitifully at him. ¡°I¡¯m so hungry. Shall we go have dinner?¡± Alexander helplessly reached out and rubbed her head. ¡°Let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll bring you somewhere for a good meal.¡± It was nearing 12:00AM, so the school¡¯s cafeteria was closed. In the end, Alexander called a restaurant to have their meals prepared and delivered to the school. Holding her meal box, Elise sat on the long porch of the school pavilion and ate huge spoonfuls of her food, lookingpletely udylike. ¡°Eat slowly. No one¡¯s going to steal your food.¡± Elise chuckled sheepishly. ¡°I¡¯m hungry¡­¡± Having said that, she still slowed down the pace. Seeing that she was almost done with her food, Alexander continued, ¡°Now, can you tell me what¡¯s going on?¡± Elise already had her suspicions, but she wasn¡¯t sure of her own guess, so she said, ¡°I¡¯ll handle this matter. I think one of my ssmates identally locked me from the outside.¡± However, Alexander¡¯s brows furrowed tightly. ¡°Are you sure it was an ident?¡± Elise murmured assent and exined, ¡°Without conclusive evidence, I can only assume that she did it ¡®on ident¡¯. But, I¡¯ll get to the bottom of this. Whoever it is, I¡¯ll give them a taste of their own medicine.¡± Seeing as she had said this, Alexander let out a helpless sigh. ¡°As your fianc¨¦ and your future husband, it¡¯s quite troubling to not be needed by you sometimes.¡± Elise stopped what she was doing and immediately said, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it that way. It¡¯s just a small matter, so I can handle it. Besides, who said I don¡¯t need you! I need you more than anyone else.¡± When Alexander saw how panicked she was, he quickly hugged her. ¡°Okay, okay. I was just kidding. You can take care of this matter first. If you can¡¯t handle it, then tell me.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± By the time Elise finished eating, it was almost 1:00AM. Fortunately, there was no curfew at Tissote University, so Elise returned to the dormitory. The next morning, when Addison saw Elise, who had appeared out of nowhere, she was surprised. ¡°Elise¡­ when did youe back?¡± Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. Elise exined, ¡°I came back a littlete, so I didn¡¯t wake you up.¡± Addison replied, ¡°Wow, you have so much motivation to stay in the library every day. When can I have your motivation?¡± Having packed up her books, Elise got up. ¡°Let¡¯s go to ss. The first lesson is Professor Merlin¡¯s lesson.¡± Elise and Addison went to the ssroom, where Janice was chatting with her ssmates. When she saw that Elise had arrived, the smile on her face instantly stiffened. The student she was talking to greeted Elise, ¡°Good morning, Elise!¡± Elise replied with a smile, ¡°Good morning.¡± The student continued, ¡°I heard that you were unwell yesterday. Are you feeling better today?¡± Without the slightest change in her expression, Elise said, ¡°I¡¯m fine! Who told you I wasn¡¯t feeling well?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t Janice say that you weren¡¯t feeling well, so you left the rehearsal earlier?¡± Upon hearing her name, Elise looked up at Janice. The meaning behind her gaze was evident. Janice felt a little guilty being stared at like that, so she mustered her courage and said, ¡°I saw that you never came back to rehearse, so I thought that you were unwell and went back to rest¡­¡± Elise murmured an ¡®oh¡¯, but deliberately dragged the sound. Then, she moved forward and spoke in a voice that only the two of them could hear. ¡°Are you sure there¡¯s nothing else? Or that you didn¡¯t do anything else?¡± At the mention of this, Janice¡¯s heart skipped a beat, but she said, ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about. It¡¯s almost time for ss¡­¡± With that, she returned to her seat. Elise didn¡¯t expose her, but already had a gist of the situation. Professor Merlin walked into the ssroom with a smile and saw Elise at once. Taking advantage of the few minutes before ss started, he walked toward Elise. ¡°How did it go? Any sess on the question I gave youst time?¡± Elise replied, ¡°I¡¯ve solved the question, but I have not double-checked the calctions yet. I¡¯ll run through it again and show it to you.¡± To her surprise, Professor Merlin¡¯s expression changed immediately. ¡°What did you say? You¡¯ve solved it?¡± His pitch was a little high, attracting the gaze of many of the students around him. Professor Merlin realized that he was too excited and hurriedly calmed himself down. ¡°Show me what you calcted. What¡¯s the answer?¡± Surprised by Professor Merlin¡¯s reaction, Elise said truthfully, ¡°I managed to get two answers. One over two times the square root of three, and one.¡± When Professor Merlin heard this, he didn¡¯t care about anything else anymore, and he found that his hands were trembling. ¡°Hurry! Hurry! Show me!¡± Elise handed over the several pages of calctions. Professor Merlin carefully studied it, showing no interest in teaching whatsoever. ¡°Everyone, use this lesson to study on your own! I have some matters to attend to¡­¡± After that, Professor Merlin took the few pieces of paper and went straight to his office, leaving the group of students looking at each other. No one knew what was going on. Addison stepped forward and asked, ¡°Elise, what¡¯s going on with Professor Merlin? Why isn¡¯t he carrying on with the lesson?¡± Elise syed out her hands. ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± ¡°Okay, it¡¯s good that Professor Merlin isn¡¯t teaching too. I can go back to the dormitory and get some sleep. Are you going to the library again?¡± Elise replied, ¡°No. There¡¯s something I need to deal with.¡± With that, Elise got up and walked toward Janice. ¡°Janice, can I speak with you? Let¡¯s head out for a while.¡± Janice¡¯s heart was thumping. It was her first time performing such an act, so she obviously had no experience and feared that Elise would settle the score with her. ¡°If you need to speak with me, you can just do it here.¡± Elise stared into her eyes and asked, ¡°Are you sure you want me to say it here?¡± Chapter 274 Chapter 274 Stunned by the look Elise was giving her, Janice was frightened and quickly said, ¡°I¡¯ll go out with you.¡± The two of them walked out until they reached the end of the hallway. Elise stopped and didn¡¯t beat around the bush but simply said outright, ¡°You were the one who locked me in the toilet yesterday, right?¡± When Janice heard this, her expression changed at once. However, she refused to admit it. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about. I didn¡¯t do such a thing. Elise sneered, ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t admit it. We all know what¡¯s going on here. I heard that there¡¯s a surveince camera in the corridor of the conference room, so it must¡¯ve caught something! Why don¡¯t I go to the counselor right now and ask him to help me check it out? We¡¯ll know what actually happened then, won¡¯t we?¡± Janice staggered and almost fell as she stammered, ¡°Y- You¡­¡± After a while, she still didn¡¯t manage aplete sentence. Moreover, because of how nervous she was, sweat beaded her forehead, and she immediately said, ¡°I-I admit. I did it. I¡­ just wanted to teach you a lesson. I didn¡¯t intend to do anything else to you. Besides, aren¡¯t you standing here now?¡± Elise crossed her arms across her chest, her expression cold. ¡°So, you admit it!¡± Then, she pulled out her phone, which showed that a recording was ongoing. Janice¡¯s face paled upon that sight. ¡°You¡­ you¡­¡± Elise pressed the stop button and saved the recording. ¡°Actually, there¡¯s no surveince cameras in the hallway. I was just saying that to get you to confess. But, I guess I have evidence now¡­¡± Janice subconsciously stretched out her hand to grab the phone. ¡°Give it to me.¡± However, Elise was quicker than her and moved the phone away. ¡°Janice, I originally thought that you were just a spoiled child and not evil. But, now, I have to revisit my impression of you.¡± ¡°Elise, what do you want?¡± ¡°Nothing. I just want to let you know that I now have something to use against you. If you make any moves in the future, I¡¯ll expose the recording to the public.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± Elise wasn¡¯t afraid. ¡°You can try!¡± When Janice realized that Elise wasn¡¯t kidding, she pursed her lips, then finally said, ¡°I won¡¯t do anything anymore. Would you please delete the recording?¡± Elise was amenable to persuasion and not force, but she knew that if she deleted the recording, Janice might do something even worse next time, so she still needed something to suppress her. ¡°I won¡¯t delete the recording for now. It all depends on you. If you behave well, it¡¯ll never see the light of day. Of course, if something happens next time¡ª¡± Before Elise could finish, Janice immediately interrupted, ¡°There won¡¯t be a next time. I promise. Please don¡¯t publish the recording.¡± Seeing as Janice was frightened of her, Elise stopped and didn¡¯t go further. ¡°All right. It¡¯s a deal.¡± With that, Elise turned and left a dejected Janice, who felt helpless but had no other choice. Now that Elise had something to use against her, this was all she could do. After handling Janice, Elise was relieved. At least for a short period of time, Janice would stop with her antics. Then, Elise took out her phone and sent a message to Alexander. ¡¯It¡¯s settled. Don¡¯t worry.¡¯ Not long after, Alexander¡¯s reply came. ¡®Okay!¡¯ When Elise saw his message, a small smile appeared on her face. Then, she ced the phone back in her pocket. ¡­ Meanwhile, after Professor Merlin was done studying Elise¡¯s calctions in his office, he eximed, ¡°Genius! What a genius! She¡¯s really a rare genius, a miracle to the world of mathematics!¡± All of Elise¡¯s calctions were clear and justified, and her answers werepletely correct. ording to Elise, this was the first time she calcted it, and she had yet to double-check it. Professor Walter came in carrying a cup of water and saw how excited Professor Merlin was, so he teased, ¡°Merlin, you¡¯re old, but you¡¯re still as fidgety as a young man.¡± Professor Merlin looked up at him and said, ¡°Professor Walter, don¡¯t be so quick to judge me. If you look at these few sheets of paper, you¡¯ll be as excited as I am.¡± Professor Walter looked disdained. ¡°As if!¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious! You shoulde and take a look.¡± Professor Walter walked over, feeling a little suspicious. ¡°What are you ying at? You¡¯re being so mysterious.¡± Professor Merlin simplyughed and spread out the sheets of paper. Professor Walter wanted to reach for it, but Professor Merlin pped his hand away. ¡°Don¡¯t touch it. What if you destroy it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I want to criticize you, but what is it that you find so precious! You said you want to show it to me, but you¡¯re not letting me hold it. How am I supposed to look at it, then?¡± ¡°You can just take a look from here.¡± Professor Walter grunted coldly. Although he was somewhat upset, he understood the nature of the old man. However, when he saw what was on the paper, he was truly shocked. ¡°T-This¡­¡± Looking pleased, Professor Merlin exined, ¡°My student just gave this to me. These are her calctions. I¡¯ve looked it over. Her answers and the steps are correct.¡± When he heard this, Professor Walter was no longer calm. ¡°What are you talking about? She figured it out? How is this possible¡­¡± Having said that, Professor Walter couldn¡¯t help but turn his gaze to the papers again. As he studied it, his eyes were filled with incredulity. ¡°H-How is this possible! She actually figured it out¡­¡± It was worth noting that this question had left many mathematics schrs and professors helpless. After studying it for a long time, they still couldn¡¯t solve it. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. And yet, a young girl solved it so easily. It was somewhat difficult to ept. The more Professor Walter looked through the calctions, the more serious his expression became. After he was done, he experienced the same emotions as Professor Merlin did. ¡°Genius! She¡¯s a genius!¡± Professor Walter immediately asked, ¡°How long did it take her?¡± Professor Merlin answered, ¡°ording to my calctions, it should be three days. But, strictly speaking, it shouldn¡¯t be that long.¡± Professor Walter was so shocked that he was at a loss for words. Many great mathematicians were defeated by this question, but Elise used less than three days to solve it. Her calctions and answers were even correct. It was a little hard for them, who had been involved in the world of mathematics for years, to ept. ¡°We must report this immediately! Save these papers and apply for a patent for Elise! She¡¯s the only person in the country who has solved this problem. If news of this gets out, it would definitely cause a greatmotion, so this must be carried out quietly¡­¡± Chapter 275 Chapter 275 Professor Merlin nodded. ¡°I know. I¡¯ll do it right now! To be honest, even though it¡¯s just a few sheets of paper, it¡¯s weighing heavily on me. I¡¯m still feeling a lot of emotions.¡± ¡°I understand how you feel! This young girl is really good. If she¡¯s going to pursue this path in the future, it would be a very good choice. We now have a sessor in this industry.¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re totally right! But, for her protection, let¡¯s not publicize this matter for the time being. Let¡¯s wait for the reply from the upper levels on what to do next.¡± Professor Walter agreed, but still asked, ¡°Then, do you n to tell Elise about this?¡± Professor Merlin pondered it, then said, ¡°Let¡¯s keep it a secret from her for now! It¡¯s for her own good! After all, before she solved the question, she didn¡¯t know the story behind it.¡± ¡°Professor Merlin, to be honest, I suddenly envy you a little¡­¡± Upon hearing this, Professor Merlin was relieved of his tense emotions. ¡°What¡¯s there to be envious about? Just don¡¯t forget to treat me to the tea you promised me.¡± Speaking of this, Professor Walter looked pained, and he sighed. ¡°I won¡¯t get to drink your good wine anymore. As for the tea I promised you, I ept my loss. Although I¡¯m old, I can¡¯t be so shameless, so rest assured. I¡¯ll definitely bring it to you personally some day.¡± The two professors smiled at each other, and their fluctuating moods slowly calmed down. They knew that from the time Elise began solving this question, many changes had happened in the background. ¡­ Elise waspletely unaware of all this. During the afternoon after ss, her ssmates came over to ask her, ¡°Elise, do you want to go to rehearsal togetherter?¡± Having just remembered about it, Elise frowned slightly, then replied, ¡°You guys can go ahead! I¡¯ll be there a little later.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll go and wait for you in the conference room.¡± After her ssmates left, Elise took out the script she gotst time and headed to the conference room. She had just arrived when a fashionably-dressed young man walked in. As soon as he appeared, a chorus of female voices sounded. ¡°It¡¯s the sophomore, Jose! Why is he here? ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot about Jose! Seeing him today just proves that he¡¯s much more handsome than the rumors say.¡± At that, several girls surrounded him and asked, ¡°Jose, what are you doing here? Are you here to watch us rehearse?¡± At this moment, Janice walked over and exined, ¡°I invited Jose over to help! He¡¯ll be the male lead of our y.¡± ¡°Wow! Really? That¡¯s great!¡± At this point, everyone couldn¡¯t help but look at Elise. ¡°I envy you so much, Elise. You get to act as a couple with Jose.¡± Elise was speechless, thinking that they were exaggerating it a little. Although Jose had rather good looks, he was still a little far behindpared to the young masters of the Griffith Family. To her surprise, Jose walked over and looked Elise up and down before eximing in a disdainful tone, ¡°Janice, are you kidding me? You want me to partner with this ugly monster?¡± As soon as he said this, everyone fell silent. In their eyes, Elise was indeed not suited to y the female lead opposite Jose, so none of them spoke up for Elise. All of them remained silent. This was exactly the oue that Janice wanted! Although she couldn¡¯t do anything to Elise, she could do something to annoy her, and this incident was an example. Although she was delighted deep down, she said euphemistically, ¡°Jose, don¡¯t say that. Elise is actually not that bad¡­¡± Hearing that, Jose frowned even more. ¡°No, I¡¯m not partnering with anyone but you! You guys can think about it! Do you want me? Or do you want her?¡± Jose¡¯s attitude was resolute. Everyone exchanged looks, then they turned their gazes to Elise, seemingly telling her, Elise, just quit! Elise shrugged and said, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll quit.¡± One of the female students said sheepishly, ¡°This isn¡¯t very nice. After all, Janice was the one who invited Elise to be the lead actress¡­ If we do this now, it¡¯ll be a little too unfair for Elise¡­¡± ¡°With her looks, is she even suited to y the female lead?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. You can only be with Jose if you look like Janice. As for Elise¡­ It¡¯s just that her grades are better and she has a nice figure, but¡­ she looks a little ugly, so we don¡¯t really have a choice!¡± Elise felt that this was a good thing too. ¡°It¡¯s okay! I quit. You guys carry on!¡± Janice didn¡¯t expect Elise to agree so quickly. None of the many possibilities she had anticipated had urred, which made her slightly puzzled. However, she had only asked Elise to join the y to ridicule her, and she had only asked Jose toe because she wanted to drive Elise away. ¡°Okay. If that¡¯s what you want, then I¡¯ll have to agree.¡± Elise didn¡¯t stay any longer and simply left the conference room, as if this was the oue she wanted. Elise had just reached the dormitory when Mika approached her. ¡°My dear Elise. I heard that you¡¯re participating in your ss y! How about you show me some kindness and think about what I asked youst time?¡± Elise exined, ¡°I¡¯ve quit the y.¡± Mika was surprised. ¡°No way! I just got word that you¡¯re participating, but now you¡¯ve quit? What¡¯s the reason?¡± Eliseughed at herself and answered, ¡°I¡¯m too ugly to be the lead.¡± Mika exploded at once. ¡°What the hell? Who is it that¡¯s blind enough to call you ugly? You¡¯re just staying low-key. If they see your true self, they¡¯ll all regret it.¡± Elise hurriedly grabbed hold of her. ¡°Okay, stop! Stop! I didn¡¯t want to take part in the y in the first ce, so I took this chance to quit.¡± Mika, however, wasn¡¯t letting this opportunity go. ¡°Since you¡¯ve quit the ss drama, why don¡¯t you think about helping me?¡± Elise was speechless. Mika quickly tugged on her arm. ¡°My sweet Elise, help me, won¡¯t you?¡± Left with no choice, Elise finally agreed. ¡°Okay, but I have one condition.¡± Mika was about to jump with joy, so she couldn¡¯t care less about Elise¡¯s conditions and answered, ¡°Whatever your conditions are, I¡¯ll agree.¡± Elise said, ¡°I¡¯ll only sing, and I¡¯ll leave right after! I¡¯m going to wear a mask at all times and not reveal my identity.¡± Mika nodded continuously. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely follow your wishes. I won¡¯t let anyone know that you¡¯re H¡ª¡± As soon as she said this, Elise hurriedly covered her mouth. Mika nodded as a promise, and only then did Elise let her go. ¡­ In no time, it was the weekend. Early in the morning, Elise received a call from Alexander. After rushing to pack up, Elise reached the school gate and saw a Maybach parked on the side of the road. Then, Alexander got out of the car and walked toward her. ¡°It¡¯s only been ten minutes since I hung up.¡± Elise smiled and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to let you wait too long, so I quickly packed up. Where are you going to take me?¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Alexander answered, ¡°An old friend of Grandpa¡¯s invited us to be his guests. ¡° At the mention of his grandpa, a tinge of sadness appeared on her face. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go.¡± The two of them were about to leave when a familiar voice rang out. ¡°Miss Sinir!¡± Elise stopped walking and turned around. When she looked over, she saw Rowena standing not far away, appearing respectful. Frowning, Elise asked, ¡°Ms. Johnson, why are you here?¡± Chapter 276 Chapter 276 Chapter 276 Vera, Coolest Girl in Town Rowena answered, ¡°Our young miss invited you to her home, and she specifically asked me toe and pick you up.¡± When Alexander heard this, suspicion shed across his eyes, then he asked, ¡°Young miss of what family?¡± Rowena replied politely, ¡°The Anderson Family from Tissote.¡± These simple words revealed the family¡¯s identity, but Alexander¡¯s eyes still turned gloomy. It could be said that not a single person didn¡¯t know about the Anderson Family from Tissote. They were a prominent family with a century-old history, but unfortunately, their glorious days had passed. Moreover, there were severe internal conflicts within their family now. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but please tell Miss Anderson that I¡¯m busy today and won¡¯t be able to make it.¡± Rowena nced at Alexander and met his gaze. It was just a short moment, but she was stunned by his powerful aura. This man isn¡¯t simple! Coming back to her senses, Rowena said, ¡°Okay, Miss Sinir! Next time, I¡¯ll tell you in advance beforeing over.¡± Elise gave her a slight nod, then got into Alexander¡¯s car, which slowly revved up and drove off. Without waiting for Alexander to ask, Elise exined, ¡°Miss Anderson is my client. She had a wedding dress custom-made at Brendan¡¯s studio!¡± Alexander grunted but didn¡¯t point out the Andersons¡¯ current situation. He simply said, ¡°Don¡¯t get too close to the Andersons! Just having normal interactions is fine.¡± Elise nodded as she didn¡¯t want to get too involved with the Anderson Family either. ¡°I know.¡± As the car drove along the road, Elise looked out the window at the hectic atmosphere of Tissote. It was obviously a familiar city, but it conveyed a different mood. The car ended up in a magnificent vi district east of Tissote, where the scenery was beautiful. The car was parked steadily in the courtyard of the innermost vi. Right after the engine was turned off, a servant came over and greeted politely, ¡°Mr. Griffith!¡± Alexander got out of the car before half-hugging Elise, then nodded slightly. He looked as he usually did, with no extra expressions on his face. ¡°Mr. Griffith, this way please¡­¡± Elise immediately followed Alexander into the hall, where they walked through the corridor to the back yard. From a distance, she saw a figure trimming nts with a pair of scissors. ¡°Madam, Mr. Griffith has arrived!¡± The woman stopped what she was doing and turned around with a smile as she looked at Alexander. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Alex, you¡¯re here.¡± Then, her gaze traveled to Elise, and her smile grew even brighter. ¡°You must be Elise!¡± Surprised that she knew her name, Elise quickly called out, ¡°Hello, Madam!¡± The woman set down the tool in her hand and handed it to the servant beside her. ¡°Elise, Alex calls me Miss Vera, so you can just call me that too.¡± Upon that, Elise hurriedly said, ¡°Nice to meet you, Miss Vera!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that Alex has a beautiful fianc¨¦e. Now that I¡¯m meeting you, it seems like that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Miss Vera, you¡¯re being too kind,¡± Elise remarked sheepishly, but Vera continued to tease her. ¡°Take off your mask and show me what the girl who has stolen Alex¡¯s heart looks like.¡± Only then did Elise realize that she was still wearing a mask, so she apologized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Vera. I¡¯m too used to wearing a mask every day.¡± Then, Elise took off her mask and revealed her delicate face. To their surprise, Vera¡¯s smile visibly stiffened in the next second, and her movements were disrupted. She stared at Elise in astonishment. ¡°Y-You!¡± Incredulity was written all over Vera¡¯s face, which left Elise and Alexander dumbfounded. Elise, in particr, found the look in Vera¡¯s eyes to be a bit strange. ¡°Miss Vera, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Alexander asked. Only then did Vera return to her senses, and she quickly hid her strange behavior. ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m fine¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Elise. I lost myself for a while there.¡± Vera quickly retracted her gaze. It was a brief confusion; she didn¡¯t even know what to do with her hands. For a moment, her strange behavior made Elise¡¯s heart thump. She had the distinct feeling that Vera had something to say, but she didn¡¯t end up saying anything. ¡°Alex¡­ Elise¡­ please take a seat. I¡¯ll go get changed, then I¡¯lle down.¡± With that, Vera rushed off, leaving a puzzled and frowning Elise, who tugged on Alexander¡¯s arm and asked softly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Miss Vera?¡± Alexander noticed Vera¡¯s unusual behavior as well, but he assured Elise, ¡°She¡¯s fine.¡± At this moment, Vera went upstairs and closed the room door with a m. Then, she ran to the dressing table in a panic and opened the innermost drawer, which contained a brocade box. Taking out the box, she hesitated for a while before opening it. Inside the box was an old ck and white photo of a young woman. Upon closer look, it could be seen that the woman in the photo looked simr to Elise. Half an hourter, Vera hurried downstairs. She didn¡¯t rush over to them but hid at the entrance and carefully studied Elise, who was in the courtyard. Elise seemed to have sensed her gaze, as she turned around and their eyes met. Vera quickly calmed herself down and walked toward them. ¡°Miss Vera! Are you all right?¡± Elise asked. Vera stared unblinkingly at her as she walked up to Elise. Then, she took Elise¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Elise, for some reason, I felt a sense of familiarity the moment I saw you. Where are you from? Is it Tissote?¡± Elise exined, ¡°My hometown is on the outskirts of Kervia, not Tissote.¡± When Vera heard this, she was a little surprised. ¡°Not Tissote¡­¡± she muttered. ¡°Miss Vera, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Vera quickly returned to her senses. ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing! Alex, since this is Elise¡¯s first time here, you should show her around.¡± Elise still felt that Vera was being strange, but she couldn¡¯t tell exactly what was odd. ¡°Miss Vera, when will Mr. Parker be back?¡± Vera visibly froze, then said, ¡°There was a problem at the office, so I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t be able toe back today. But that¡¯s not an issue. We can meet again next time.¡± After that, Vera picked up the tea cup in front of her and drank a huge sip of tea. After having lunch at Vera¡¯s house, Elise and Alexander left during thete afternoon. When they were about to leave, Vera pulled Elise aside and handed her an envelope. ¡°Elise, this is a wee gift for you! Now that you¡¯re attending school at Tissote, you cane and visit with Alex more often.¡± Looking at the envelope in her hand, Elise felt a little embarrassed, but Alexander urged, ¡°Take it! It¡¯s a token of Miss Vera¡¯s regard.¡± Hence, Elise epted it. ¡°Thank you, Miss Vera!¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. Have a safe journey back!¡± As Vera watched them leave, her smile gradually disappeared. The butler saw this and hurriedly asked, ¡°Madam, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Vera regained herposure and concealed her emotions. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Chapter 277 Chapter 277 Chapter 277 Everything Will Be Fine,Coolest Girl in Town In the car, drowsiness overcame Elise, so she fell asleep. By the time she woke up, the car was already parked at the school entrance, but Alexander didn¡¯t wake her. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake me?¡± Alexander replied slowly, ¡°You were sleeping so soundly, so I couldn¡¯t bear to disturb you.¡± Elise roughly packed up her things. ¡°Luckily, we didn¡¯te back toote, so I can still go back to the library to read some books,¡± Elise said while unfastening her seatbelt. ¡°I¡¯m going back now.¡± In the next second, Alexander grabbed her wrist. Seeing her confused expression, he sighed. ¡°In a couple of days, I¡¯ll be going to Athesea. If there¡¯s anything you need, you can go directly to Danny or Cameron.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°Okay. You can go back without any worries!¡± Elsie¡¯s unconcerned behavior made Alexander feel a little perplexed, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to say anything to her, so he swallowed his words. ¡°Stay safe!¡± Elise got out of the car and waved at Alexander before walking toward the school entrance. After she entered the campus, Alexander retracted his gaze. However, in the next second, a stack of A4 papers under the seat caught his attention. Bending over, he picked up the stack of papers and spread them out, only to find that they were packed with writings in the Arisian language. A suspicious look appeared on Alexander¡¯s face. Elise knows Arisian? Moreover, her proficiency in Arisian was obviously above his. Even he didn¡¯t recognize many of the professional terms written on the papers. Elise sat down on one side of the library and had just opened the textbook when a figure sat opposite her at the same time. She looked up and was obviously surprised. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Alexander took out the A4 papers he had picked up and handed them to her. ¡°You left your things behind.¡± ncing at it, Elise realized that it was the document that she had helped Ricky trante. She left in such a hurry that she had left it in the car. She quickly retrieved it and said, ¡°Thank you!¡± To her surprise, Alexander asked, ¡°You know Arisian? When did you learn it?¡± Elise seemed to have thought of something, then exined, ¡°I found Arisian to be quite an interestingnguage, so I learned it for a while.¡± Alexander nodded in approval. ¡°Not bad! As far as I know, you¡¯ve reached a professional level. Before that, ourpany had a cooperation deal in Aris. If I had known that you knew Arisian, we wouldn¡¯t have had to hire an external trantor. You¡¯d be the best trantor!¡± Upon hearing this, Elise was a little panicked. She wanted to tell him that she was the trantor he hired, but she didn¡¯t know how to say it. ¡°Alexander, I¡­¡± Elise bit her lips, then said, ¡°If thepany needs help in the future, I can help¡­¡± Alexander replied, ¡°You should focus on your studies! I¡¯m leaving now.¡± With that, Alexander got up and left. After returning to the car, he didn¡¯t leave right away. There were many scattered scenes in his mind as he took out his phone and gave Cameron a call. ¡°Help me run a check on Sare. I want all of her information and her current location!¡± ¡°Okay, Young Master Alex!¡± After hanging up the phone, Alexander¡¯s fingers were beating at a rhythm as he thought, I hope it¡¯s not what I think¡­ ¡­ After Alexander left, Elise flipped through the textbook but had lost the interest to study. Hence, she got up and closed the textbook before leaving the library. Elise was walking along the man-madeke of the school when at this moment, an old woman fell in front of her. All the students surrounded her, but no one reached out to help her. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t go over! It might be a scam!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Nowadays, old people can be quite evil. If you don¡¯t have any money, it¡¯s better not to help her. What if you get cheated?¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°We¡¯re all students and aren¡¯t that well-off, so let¡¯s just forget it.¡± The students exchanged looks and hushed discussions; no one dared to step forward. At this moment, Elise walked over. ¡°Madam, are you all right?¡± The old woman who had fallen to the ground ced her hands on her knees, looking to be in extreme pain. Elise didn¡¯t think much and immediately helped her up. ¡°Madam, did you hurt your knees? Let me help you up.¡± The old woman stood up with Elise¡¯s support, her knees hurting severely. Elise hurriedly helped her sit down on the bench nearby. Only when the old woman recovered her senses did she look up to get a clear look of Elise¡¯s face. ¡°Such a good girl! Thank you so much!¡± I¡¯d fallen for quite a while, but no one came forward to help me. Society has really changed¡­ ¡°You¡¯re wee, Madam. Why did youe to the school alone? Do you have family here?¡± Looking at her, the old woman exined, ¡°The park at Tissote University is very scenic, so I tend toe here when I¡¯m free.¡± Elise nodded, then looked at the olddy¡¯s knees, which seemed swollen, and said, ¡°Madam, wait here. I¡¯ll get you some pain relief balm.¡± With that, Elise got up and ran to the school¡¯s infirmary. After buying the palm relief balm, she returned and gently applied it on the old woman¡¯s knees. ¡°Madam, don¡¯t worry. This pain relief balm works very well and will soon clear the swelling and bruising. Your knees will get better in no time.¡± The old woman looked at Elise, her face filled with warmth. ¡°Kind child, thank you for your help. You¡¯re such a kind person. I¡¯m penniless, so I don¡¯t know how to thank you¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee, Madam! I¡¯m sure that anyone would help you in this situation. I¡¯ve just done something that any other person would¡¯ve done.¡± The old woman held her hand. ¡°If everyone was as kind as you, I wouldn¡¯t havey there for so long with no one bothering to help me. Good girl, I know how kind you are. Thank you¡­¡± As she spoke, a hint of sadness appeared in her eyes, and she continued, ¡°If my grandson were still well, I would definitely introduce him to you. He¡¯s excellent, and he¡¯s the type that young girls like you would fancy, but¡­ unfortunately, he¡¯s now in a vegetative state due to a car ident¡­¡± At this point, the old woman couldn¡¯t help but wipe the tears from her eyes. Elise quickly patted her on the shoulder and consoled her, ¡°Madam, don¡¯t be sad. Everything will be fine.¡± The old woman gave a hard nod. ¡°Perhaps! By the way, miss, what¡¯s your name?¡± Elise answered, ¡°Madam, you can call me Elise!¡± ¡°You must be a student of this school! I¡¯m going to keep that in mind, Elise.¡± Then, the old woman felt around her bag and took out an old phone before handing it to Elise. ¡°Can you please give me your phone number? I¡¯d like toe and talk to you next time if I have the chance.¡± Elise took the phone from her, then entered her phone number and name. ¡°It¡¯s done, Madam!¡± The old woman looked at her contact, which was already saved, and nodded with relief. Chapter 278 Chapter 278 Chapter 278 A Transaction,Coolest Girl in Town Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯ll remember your kindness, Elise, but I have to go back now because I have something else going on. I¡¯ll invite you over to my ce one day and cook you a delicious meal.¡± Thinking that she was simply saying it casually, Elise didn¡¯t take her words seriously. Still, she nodded. ¡°Alright, Madam! Would you need me to send you back?¡± The olddy shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s alright. You should hurry back to your sses! I¡¯ll take a seat here, and I can make it home myself after I rest a little.¡± ¡°Are you really going to be alright?¡± Elise asked, concerned. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be fine! Go back to your sses and don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Hearing her reply, Elise stood up and waved at her. ¡°I¡¯m going to my ss first, then. Bye, Madam.¡± The olddy watched Elise from the back as she left and sighed. ¡°It¡¯s so rare to find such a kindss!¡± Then, she whisked out her cell phone and made a call. ¡°Come and pick me up!¡± A few minutes after she hung up, a luxury MPV rolled over, and a servant greeted her politely, ¡°Old Madam!¡± Standing up, she said to the servant next to her, ¡°Help me up. I fell down identally earlier.¡± Worry struck the servant as she heard that. ¡°Old Madam, are you okay? Should I call the family doctor over to have a look?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother. My old bones can still take this fall. Furthermore, a kind-heartedss already applied some pain-relief balm for me. It should be fine now.¡± Hearing that, the servant rxed, but she didn¡¯t see thess she was talking about when she looked around. ¡°Are we going home now, Old Madam?¡± Instantly, the olddy¡¯s face turned unreadable, and after a short pause, she answered, ¡°We¡¯re going back. If I don¡¯t, that little fox at home will flip the house over.¡± ¡°Okay, Old Madam.¡± After the olddy climbed into the car, the engine started and the car slowly rolled out. ¡­ Back at her dorm, Elise had just poured herself a ss of water when a knock came at her door. Startled, she asked, ¡°Who is it?¡± Following that, she heard a familiar voice answering her. ¡°Miss Sinir, it¡¯s me!¡± Upon opening the door, she saw Rowena standing outside respectfully. With knitted brows, she asked, ¡°Ms. Johnson, how did you find out where I live?¡± ¡°I asked the dorm manager,¡± she exined. Secretly, Elise was a little annoyed because she felt that Rowena was stalking her, and she couldn¡¯t get rid of her. ¡°Sorry to interrupt, Miss Sinir, but Miss Faye has been waiting for a long time, and she sent me over specially to invite you.¡± With a knot between Elise¡¯s brows, an aloof look washed over her face. ¡°Ms. Johnson, just tell me why you¡¯re here.¡± In reply, she smiled and said, ¡°Miss Faye wants to invite you over to catch up.¡± Just when Elise wanted to turn her down, she heard Faye¡¯s voice calling her. ¡°Miss Sinir!¡± She reached her the same time as her voice did, then she turned to Rowena. ¡°Please leave us for now. I would like to chat with Miss Sinir in private.¡± Very politely, Rowena left the spot, leaving the both of them standing at the door. Smiling softly, Faye asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to invite me to take a seat in your dorm?¡± Opening the door, Elise invited her in. ¡°Please take a seat, Miss Anderson.¡± Faye pulled out her chair and plopped herself onto it. ¡°Miss Sinir, I¡¯m sorry to interrupt you.¡± On the other hand, Elise was very straightforward. ¡°Is anything the matter, Miss Anderson? If it¡¯s anything regarding the follow-up on the wedding dress, you can tell me your specific requirements should there be anything that needs alteration.¡± Faye interjected, ¡°About the wedding dress, I don¡¯t think there will be any problem with your exquisite skills. The reason I¡¯m here today is for my mother.¡± At the mention of that, she appeared very worried. ¡°Miss Sinir, I won¡¯t be looking for you if I had any other way out, but the truth is, I can¡¯t think of any other solution for this.¡± Elise pursed her lips and asked, ¡°Miss Anderson, what do you need me to do?¡± A sigh escaped her lips, and she looked sad as she spoke. ¡°As you know, my mother¡¯s condition isn¡¯t looking so good, but she keeps thinking about you. If that weren¡¯t the case, I wouldn¡¯t have kept looking for you. I would like to ask a favor of you, Miss Sinir.¡± Her eyes slowly moistened up. ¡°The situation in my family is a littleplicated; both my dad and brother are still hospitalized, so now, my mother is my only concern. I¡¯m begging you, Miss Sinir. Will you please help me?¡± As a person who would easily sumb to persuasion, Elise couldn¡¯t help but feel a little sad when she saw Faye looking so distressed because of her mother. Brought up by her grandparents since she was young, she had no attachments toward her parents. Even though she was once envious of peers showered with love from their parents, she simply didn¡¯t have any experience with this. ¡°Miss Anderson, please tell me directly what you would like me to do.¡± Grabbing her hand, Faye said, ¡°My mother couldn¡¯t get over my younger sister who had passed away. Her name is the only thing she kept repeating in her current state, and she has already assumed that you¡¯re her daughter.¡± Now, it became clear to Elise. ¡°So, you¡¯re here to ask me to pose as your sister?¡± ¡°Yes, but don¡¯t worry because it won¡¯t take up much of your time. Justing to my house once a week will do. As for the payment, I can pay you a million upfront.¡± A million is an astronomical figure for a university student, Faye thought. This is an offer I can¡¯t reject. However, Elise simply answered, ¡°Miss Anderson, I can do you this favor if it came from your devotion toward your mother, but if it¡¯s a transaction, I¡¯m sorry but I¡¯ll have to turn you down.¡± Her answer puzzled Faye. ¡°Miss Sinir, I don¡¯t really understand what you mean.¡± ¡°Miss Anderson, I can help you out, but I don¡¯t want to turn this pure rtionship between a mother and her daughter into a transaction,¡± Elise answered. After pausing for a second, Faye said, ¡°I understand what you mean now. I¡¯m sorry, Miss Sinir. Did I do something wrong? Please don¡¯t get it wrong because I don¡¯t mean anything else. I merely want to compensate you within my capabilities.¡± Elise pressed her lips together before saying, ¡°It¡¯s alright. Forget thepensation.a But I can only promise you that I¡¯ll make time to visit during this semester¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine! Thanks for your help!¡± Faye uttered, whereupon Elise gave her a nod. Then, Faye suddenly stood up and asked, ¡°Miss Sinir, are you free now?¡± Chapter 279 Chapter 279 Chapter 279 Get Out, Both of You!, Coolest Girl in Town A few minutester, Elise followed Faye into her car, and they rode together to thetter¡¯s ce along the familiar road. Upon getting out, Elise saw the familiar vi again, and this time was her third visit here. ¡°Miss Sinir, my mother is upstairs in the attic. I¡¯ll take you to her now,¡± Faye said and led her into the house. At the same time, the servant informed, ¡°Miss Faye, Old Madam is back.¡± For a moment, Faye was clearly stunned, but she quickly kept her emotions away and turned to Elise. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Sinir. My grandmother is home, and I have to meet her for a while. Why don¡¯t I have my servant bring you upstairs?¡± Elise nodded. ¡°Sure!¡± Then, Faye instructed the servant to show Elise the way upstairs, and she only turned and paced in the opposite direction after Elise had left. Meanwhile, Elise followed the servant upstairs until they reached the attic on the highest floor. Opening the door for her, the servant said, ¡°Miss Sinir, please.¡± Elise gave her a nod and went in. In the room, the old madam of the Anderson family, Bertha Jenkins, sat across a deranged woman while muttering, ¡°Jeanie, our lives are so miserable! Austin and Trevor are lying in hospital, and you¡¯re in this state now, leaving me to pit against that little fox. I¡¯m already old and don¡¯t have so much energy to deal with those things anymore. Seeing that this family is about to fall into that little fox¡¯s hands, what do you think I should do¡­¡± The woman named Jeanie held a doll in her hands with an empty look in her eyes, sitting in a daze without a word. Getting no response from her, Bertha wiped away the tears on her face. When she wanted to stand up, it seemed a little strenuous for her because of the gnawing pain from her knees. ¡°Madam¡­ why are you here?¡± Astonished, Elise wondered, What¡¯s the olddy I just helped an hour ago doing here at the Anderson¡¯s ce? What¡¯s going on here? At the same time, Bertha was equally astonished to see her, and even though she had a good impression of Elise, it didn¡¯t mean that she could ept the fact that she showed up at her home so suddenly, not to mention that it happened in such a situation. Hence, she put on a glum face and asked in an unpleasant tone, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± First, Elise gazed at her, then she turned to Jeanie, who had an empty look on her face. ¡°Miss Anderson invited me here,¡± she answered honestly. ¡°So you¡¯re a spy sent by that little fox! Get out of here!¡± T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Bertha yelled, blowing her top. Startled, Elise wanted to rify the situation. ¡°Madam, you misunderstood¡ª¡± ¡°Get out! There¡¯s no misunderstanding. It must be that little fox who sent you to approach me, isn¡¯t it? Here I am, wondering why there¡¯s such a kind-hearted person in this world, and it turns out that you¡¯re in cahoots with each other. Get out of here! I don¡¯t want to see you again!¡± Agitated, Bertha was hopping mad in anger. Her entire face was flushed, and she was acting very defensive toward Elise. Although Elise wanted to exin, Berthapletely refused to listen to anything she had to say and kept chasing her out. Seeing how stubborn she was, Elise could only turn to leave. But in the next second, the deranged Jeanie bolted toward Elise and clung onto her tightly. ¡°Yoyo! You¡¯re back, Yoyo. You¡¯re back¡­¡± Stomping her foot in anger, Bertha shouted, ¡°My dear Jeanie,e back here! Yoyo isn¡¯t here. That¡¯s the spy that little fox sent. Yoyo has been dead for a long time. She¡¯s dead¡­¡± ¡°No¡­ No, Yoyo isn¡¯t dead! She¡¯s not dead! She¡¯s right here. She¡¯s Yoyo!¡± In her fit of rage, Bertha started coughing violently as she pointed a shaky finger at Elise. She wanted to say something, but was unable to catch her breath and fell abruptly. ¡°Madam!¡± Anxiously, Elise ran to her and caught her just in time. ¡°How are you feeling, Madam?¡± she asked while rubbing her back. A few secondster when Bertha caught her breath again, she pushed Elise away roughly. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± Staring at her, Elise said, ¡°Madam, there must have been a misunderstanding between us, but it¡¯s okay. If it¡¯s only a misunderstanding, it will be resolved one day. Right now, your health is more important, and I hope that you¡¯ll calm down. Your leg is already injured, and you should be taking care of it. If you don¡¯t wish to see me, I¡¯ll leave now.¡± Upon saying that, she took a couple of steps backward, but Jeanie kept shaking her head as her grip on Elise¡¯s clothes turned even tighter. ¡°No, don¡¯t go! Don¡¯t go, Yoyo! Your mommy is here¡ªI¡¯m here!¡± Witnessing this, Bertha slumped to the floor. ¡°Lord, what did I do to deserve this?¡± It was also beyond Elise¡¯s imagination that things would turn out like this now. Just then, the door swung open before Faye¡¯s voice echoed in. ¡°Grandma, I heard that you¡¯re home.¡± She walked in the same time they heard her, and she was also a little stunned at the scene in front of her. ¡°Grandma, you¡ª¡± Before she could finish, Bertha sprang up and chided rudely, ¡°You little fox, don¡¯t call me Grandma!¡± However, Faye seemed unaffected by her words. ¡°What are you talking about, Grandma? I¡¯m your granddaughter, and I will be forever so! Even though Dad and Trevor aren¡¯t here, I¡¯ll do my best to take care of you and Mom.¡± ¡°Bah! Don¡¯t think that I have no idea what thoughts you¡¯re harboring. All you want is merely the properties of the Andersons. Don¡¯t even dream about it! I¡¯m telling you¡ªI¡¯d rather donate all our assets to the country than leave a single penny for you!¡± In reply, Faye merely said with a chuckle, ¡°What nonsense is that, Grandma? I specially invited Miss Sinir over to keep Mompany because I saw that she likes her a lot. As you know, Mom¡¯s condition isn¡¯t stable, and maybe it will get better with Miss Sinir¡¯spany.¡± ¡°Scram! Get out, both of you!¡± Bertha wasn¡¯t the least interested to listen to Faye; she chased them out straightaway. When Faye was already chased outside the room, Bertha turned to Elise. ¡°Do you want to walk out by yourself or would you like me to throw you out?¡± ¡°Madam, I¡¯ll go out by myself,¡± she said. Instead of saying anything, Bertha merely snorted indifferently and opened up the way for her. As Elise started to walk out, Jeanie grabbed the hem of her shirt tightly and went out with her. ¡°Come back, Jeanie! Come back here!¡± Bertha shouted, hopping mad in anger. Despite that, there was only Elise in Jeanie¡¯s eyes now. She smiled widely, her eyes filled with love. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid of Grandma, Yoyo! She loves you a lot¡­¡± Upon hearing that, Bertha was stunned. ¡°Jeanie, what did you say earlier?¡± Chapter 280 Chapter 280 Chapter 280 Faye¡¯s True Colors, Coolest Girl in Town Then, Jeanie spun around and looked at her, saying, ¡°Mom, shouldn¡¯t Yoyo be calling you Grandma?¡± Tears of joy rolled down Bertha¡¯s face. ¡°What did you call me earlier? You called me Mom! Jeanie, you finally remembered who I am!¡± Pulling Elise, Jeanie gazed at Bertha pleadingly as she said, ¡°Mom, please don¡¯t drive Yoyo away, okay?¡± Bertha gave her a nod. ¡°Okay, she¡¯s not going anywhere,¡± she uttered, turning to Elise. ¡°Elise, stay and have a chat with her.¡± Having received approval, Elise answered, ¡°Okay. I got it, Madam!¡± After ncing at the unlocked door, Bertha paced over and saw Faye standing outside. ¡°Didn¡¯t you understand what I said, little fox? Get away from here.¡± Even though Faye wanted to say something more, Bertha mmed the door shut in her face with a loud bang. Snubbed and disgruntled, Faye stood outside until her expression gradually turned grim. Silently, her hands by her sides clenched tightly, and the servant in a corner paced to her cautiously before asking, ¡°Are you okay, Miss Faye?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she answered in indifference. ¡°Miss Faye, will our ns be ruined now that you got this outsider here?¡± the servant asked next. An icy re from the corners of Faye¡¯s eyes pierced through her. ¡°What sort of waves can a freshman who just entered university possibly cause? Since that lunatic likes her, I¡¯ll take it as granting her final wish. She¡¯s been my mother for years, after all. As for Elise Sinir, she¡¯s just a dumb b*tch who doesn¡¯t want money; she even talked about the precious rtionship between a mother and daughter¡ªhow ridiculous! There aren¡¯t many idiots like her left in this world.¡± After saying that, she left the spot, but Bertha was standing by the door and had heard everything she just said. Only then did it hit her that she seemed to have the wrong idea about Elise. Still, the expression on her face was normal, and there were no changes. ¡°Yoyo, where have you been all these years? They all told me that you were dead. All of them said the same thing, but only I know that you¡¯re not dead and you must be alive. And now, I finally see you again.¡± Filled with excitement, Jeanie wiped her tears as she spoke. However, Elise¡¯s feelings toward her were veryplicated because when they met for the first time, her eyes were brimming with maternal love for her. Not only did it touch her, it was also unforgettable. That was why she willingly epted Faye¡¯s request. And now, Jeanie¡¯s words had moved her. People say that the greatest emotion in the world was maternal love, and she fully experienced it from Jeanie. ¡°Jeanie, are you alright?¡± Looking at Bertha, Jeanie rushed into her arms. ¡°Mom!¡± Patting her back gently, Bertha cried, ¡°Oh, my dear Jeanie! I waited far too long for you to call me Mom again.¡± Unexpectedly, Jeanie released her slowly, and the look on her face was entirely normal without a single trace of lunacy. Then, she turned to Elise with deep emotions hidden behind her eyes as she said to Bertha, ¡°Mom, I¡¯m fine! I¡¯m well and I didn¡¯t lose my mind!¡± Bertha gawked at her in bewilderment. ¡°But¡­ you¡­¡± ¡°Mom, calm down and listen to me,¡± Jeanie said, turning to look at Elise next to her before standing up. Looking at her carefully, she continued, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I think the things I say may be a little presumptuous, but when I first saw you, I really thought that you looked so much like my mother when she was young. That¡¯s why I mistook you for my daughter, Yoona.¡± Upon hearing that, the situation became clear to Elise. Since she had no curiosity about the family affairs of others, she merely nodded slightly and said, ¡°That¡¯s okay. If you have something to say to each other, I¡¯ll be going first, then.¡± ¡°Hang on!¡± Jeanie stopped her. ¡°Elise, may I call you by your name like this?¡± ¡°Sure, of course,¡± Elise replied. ¡°I know that you¡¯re not the same kind of person as Faye,¡± Jeanie said. ¡°You¡¯re a good kid, and that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t hide anything from you earlier. I don¡¯t know the reason Faye got you here, but I can tell you clearly that she¡¯s not a good person, so please don¡¯t have too many interactions with her.¡± ¡°I know exactly how much evil that little fox had done behind our backs, and even what she¡¯s nning! It¡¯s true that you can¡¯t make somebody else¡¯s child your own. After all these years, we¡¯ve just raised an ingrate!¡± Bertha said furiously, whereupon Jeanie¡¯s face turned serious. ¡°If she was merely coveting material gains, I can turn a blind eye to the things she¡¯s doing. However, ording to my investigations while pretending to be a lunatic, she might be involved with Austin and Trevor¡¯s ident¡­¡± The moment the words left her lips, the atmosphere in the air changed; Elise¡¯s eyes turned solemn, and Bertha was so shocked that she was speechless. ¡°That b*tch¡­ They¡¯re her father and brother. How could she bring herself to do that! She¡¯s heartless!¡± ¡°She is heartless, as well as an a*shole!¡± Jeanie added. ¡°She¡¯s only willing to give up when Austin and Trevor are lying in the hospital beds now,pletely incapable of moving! And now, I¡¯m worried that she¡¯lly her hands on us, too. So, we have no other choice now but to ask you for help, Elise,¡± she said, then she went down on her knees with a loud thud. ¡°Elise, I¡¯m begging you. Please help us¡­¡± Hurriedly, Elise lunged forward to help her up. ¡°Mrs. Anderson, what are you doing? Please get up.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not getting up if you don¡¯t agree,¡± Jeanie said instead. ¡°We can talk about this properly! It¡¯s very stressful for me if you¡¯re acting like this!¡± Lifting her head, Jeanie looked at her. ¡°Elise, I don¡¯t have any other request. I would just like you to take care of my mother-inw so that she won¡¯t be harmed. There¡¯s no one I can entrust her to now; I just hope that you can take care of her for me.¡± As Bertha listened to everything she said, tears flowed down her eyes as she sobbed. ¡°Jeanie, what are you doing? I don¡¯t have many years left in this life! Furthermore, she doesn¡¯t have the guts to do anything to me now.¡± Nevertheless, Jeanie still had her attention on Elise. ¡°Can you please help us, Elise?¡± Despite the fact that Elise didn¡¯t want to be involved in other people¡¯s family affairs, she was now caught in the midst of it by a twist of fate. ncing at the olddy next to her, she thought, She should be enjoying her old age peacefully, but such a big change in her family happened. Then, she turned to Jeanie in front of her. From her elegance and temperament, I can tell she¡¯s a respecteddy of a wealthy family, but she has nowe to a point where she has to feign lunacy. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll take good care of Old Mrs. Anderson.¡± Upon receiving Elise¡¯s promise, Jeanie was assured. ¡°Thank you! If I can sessfully expose Faye¡¯s crimes and put her in jail, I¡¯ll definitely repay you handsomely.¡± ¡­ On the other hand, Elise didn¡¯t know why she promised Jeanie just like that. Perhaps it was because Jeanie carried a strong maternal affection for her when she looked at her, or maybe Jeanie¡¯s affections for the deceased Yoyo touched her. Either way, she had decided to help the two miserable women in front of her. When Elise came out of the attic, there was already a servant waiting for her outside. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°Miss Sinir, Miss Faye said that I should bring you to the dining room for a meal once you¡¯re out.¡± ¡°No, thanks.¡± Elise turned her down. ¡°I would like to bring Old Madam Anderson outside for a walk.¡± However, the servant said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Sinir, but Miss Faye already told us that Old Madam isn¡¯t fit to go out because of her physical condition.¡± Immediately, Bertha said fiercely, ¡°How can anyone stop me from going out?¡± ¡°Old Madam, Miss Faye is worried about your health. If you really want to go out, I don¡¯t have the nerves to stop you at all.¡± Bertha snorted coldly and gave Elise a look. Understanding what she meant, Elise took her arm. ¡°Madam, I¡¯ll help you downstairs.¡± And so, Bertha allowed her to help her down the stairs until they reached the living room. However, just then, Faye saw them from behind and muttered, ¡°This old woman is like a changed person. Didn¡¯t she use Elise of being in cahoots with me earlier and wanted to chase her out? Why is she acting like she¡¯s her real granddaughter now?¡± Right after saying those words herself, she sensed something amiss. ¡°Quick, stop them and don¡¯t let them go out.¡± ¡°Sure, Miss Faye.¡± Meanwhile, Elise had helped Bertha out the door and had secretly sent her location to Alexander. They had only reached the yard when the servant from the house blocked their path. ¡°Old Madam, Miss Sinir, you can¡¯t go out. For now, you can only take a walk in the garden.¡± ¡°Who are you to tell me where I should take my walk?¡± Berthashed out at the servant. This time, the servant answered, ¡°Madam, I don¡¯t have the right to instruct you, but this is Miss Faye¡¯s instructions, which we all have to carry out. If you¡¯re unhappy about it, it would be better if you speak to her directly.¡± In response, Elise said instead, ¡°Why are you guys getting so uptight when we¡¯re just taking a walk in the vicinity? In addition, Miss Faye didn¡¯t say that I can¡¯t leave this ce.¡± ¡°Of course you can leave this ce, Miss Sinir, but my grandma is old and should avoid the cold winds outside. It¡¯s bad for her health.¡± Just then, Faye paced over elegantly, and the servants hurriedly opened up a path for her. Their attitude toward her was theplete opposite of the way they treated Bertha. ¡°Miss Faye, Old Madam Anderson and I hit it off right away and would like to have a chat while we take a walk. Is that not allowed?¡± Faye smiled and answered, ¡°Miss Sinir, I think you¡¯ve confused the reason I invited you over. I asked you over to take care of my mother, not my grandma. Also, after considerations, I¡¯ve realized that my decision earlier was a little rash, so let¡¯s put a stop to it now. You don¡¯t have toe over anymore after this!¡± At this point, Elise had already seen through Faye¡¯s true colors clearly, and sure enough, everything from before was just her pretense. I really underestimated her acting skills! ¡°Sure, Miss Anderson. I think we probably won¡¯t have any more interactions in the future.¡± ¡°There will be, because you¡¯re the designer of my wedding dress. I¡¯ll still need your help if there¡¯s anything that needs to be altered afterward.¡± With that, she cast a look at Rowena next to her, then Rowena quickly stepped forward and pulled Bertha away. ¡°Old Madam,e back into the house with me. It is chilly outside.¡± At that, Bertha simply gave her a kick. ¡°How dare you touch me! Get away from me!¡± ¡°Old Madam, please don¡¯t make things difficult for me.¡± Despite what Rowena said, it didn¡¯t seem as though the situation was difficult for her as she beckoned for a couple of servants toe forward and pull Bertha away violently. The scene made Elise¡¯s eyes darken bit by bit. ¡°What are you guys doing?¡± Chapter 281 Chapter 281 Chapter 281 It¡¯s Right Not to Have Deep Friendships,Coolest Girl in Town By cing an elder under house arrest and tantly handling a helpless, weak elderly person without even bothering to put up a pretense, Faye had turned this big, gloomy mansion into her territory where she did as she pleased. ¡°Looks like you don¡¯t interact with elderly very often, Miss Sinir,¡± Faye pointed out calmly. ¡°So what if it¡¯s true?¡± Elise argued, frowning slightly. Very subtly, she raised her brows while the corners of her lips drooped. With her alluring eyes brimming with confidence, she said, ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, you definitely don¡¯t know how the elderly in their seventies act like a child. At her age, Grandma is most likely to get careless. If there¡¯s no one to take care of her and she loses her way or some ident happens to her, who could bear this responsibility?¡± Her exnation got Elise speechless. It was said that not even a fair judge could settle family affairs, and family disputes were the trickiest cases which couldn¡¯t be simply lorded by people on the sidelines. If Elise stood on moral grounds and started criticizing Faye, it was highly possible that she would end up with a bunch of usations. On the other hand, she couldn¡¯t stand by and watch as an elderly person was pushed around. ¡°Of course I believe that your intentions are kind, Miss Anderson. However, there are many examples in this world where bad actions turned out of good intentions, and I wonder how much you know about the penalty for abuse.¡± With the same look in her eyes, Elise looked Faye in the eyes so that thetter would know how it felt to have a taste of her own medicine. Without waiting for Faye to open her mouth, Elise added, ¡°Going against an elderly person¡¯s will, putting her in confinement, restricting her freedom, inflicting mental abuse, etc¡­ Taking all these into consideration, it can easily end up being a two-year sentence. Miss Anderson, do be careful.¡± With the most innocent tone, Elise had uttered the most threatening words. The look onT¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Faye¡¯s face kept changing, and she didn¡¯t look pleased at all. Narrowing her almond-shaped eyes, she surveyed Elise undisguisedly. Rowena hit the nail in the head, she thought. This is a university student without any ideas of the world. It¡¯s a small matter to be pped with awsuit, but if word got out that I¡¯m confining two old women, it¡¯ll definitely affect the n I¡¯ve painstakingly carried out for years. After some deliberation, Faye¡¯s lips curled upward instantly. Her entire face gleamed as she shed a standard smile. ¡°Thanks for the reminder, Miss Sinir. But I think such a day won¡¯t arrive.¡± After saying that, she spun to Rowena and the others, keeping away her smile as she said in faked dissatisfaction, ¡°Ms. Johnson, how many times have I told you that you should get someone who could watch their strength to take care of Grandma? Look at how burly they are. When others see this, they might think that we can¡¯t afford to support the elders with the wealth that we have and couldn¡¯t wait to watch them die. That¡¯ll ruin the good reputation our family has built for generations!¡± With a chuckle, Elise sighed. As expected of the woman who turned this family upside-down. With a few words, she dismissed the usation of elderly abuse and even ridiculed me. Everything she said, hidden or not, simply meant that the Anderson Family is a strict and wealthy family. Nobody would believe that the abuse of an elderly person is happening here. After saying that, Faye secretly gave Rowena and the rest a look. Understanding what she meant, Rowena instructed the servants to keep away from Bertha. Free from restriction, Bertha regained her freedom, but upon closer inspection, she could easily notice that the servants had merely expanded the circle around her. The tangible had turned invisible, and it was just a double-faced act. Then, Rowena¡¯s expression changed, and she wrinkled her face pleadingly as she gazed at Bertha. ¡°Old Madam, setting aside the fact that you hurt yourself physically thest time you sneaked out and fell into the river, the people who saved you almost lost their lives as well. Please be considerate and stop acting stubborn!¡± Grappling her walking stick, Bertha struck it on the ground hard a couple of times and red at her. ¡°Nonsense! I didn¡¯t fall into the river! You ungrateful creature might as well just act in a movie!¡± she eximed before she turned to Elise with a soft face. When she wanted to exin something, she saw Elise shaking her head at her before she could even open her mouth again, signally for her to not act rashly. Startled, Bertha then understood her intentions and nodded curtly. She¡¯s right. It¡¯s a worthless struggle even if I exin myself in this situation, and it may even get that kind-heartedss into trouble. It¡¯s better if I just sumb andy low for now. At the thought of this, she nced at Faye from the corners of her eyes and straightened herself by gripping her walking stick. With a cold stance, she gave way, saying, ¡°I¡¯m tired and want to rest in my room.¡± Hearing that, Faye¡¯s lips twisted into a conceited smirk. That¡¯s more like it, you old fart. ¡°Quick, help Old Madam back to her room,¡± she ordered. ¡°Okay!¡± Wiping away the aggrieved and pleading expression from her face, Rowena put on a pleasing and amodating face instead. ¡°This way, Old Madam!¡± After giving her an icy stare, Bertha then stole a peek at Elise before lifting her foot, turning around, and walking back into the house. With one step at a time, her pace was steady, and even though it was just from the back, Elise saw the figure of a strong woman in her youth. Finally, Faye urged Elise on purpose after catching her staring at Bertha for a while, ¡°Miss Sinir, please leave if there¡¯s nothing else. I have other matters to attend to and I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have the time for small talks.¡± She didn¡¯t say anything more, and Elise didn¡¯t n to hang around much longer either. After exchanging looks with their eyes, she then marched out of the ce. A few minutes after she left the Andersons¡¯, she heard the ring of a honk from opposite the street. Following the source, Elise saw Brendan¡¯s car and walked over. The driver with a keen judgment got out and opened the door for her. As thanks, she gave him a polite nod and got into the car. After she was seated, Brendan instructed, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Then, he turned to her. ¡°Why did the Anderson Family look for you?¡± She cast a look at the Andersons¡¯ front gates and answered casually, ¡°Nothing. Just small issues to go over about the wedding dress.¡± Countless of malicesy hidden in this house worth hundreds of millions, and if it was possible, she didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with it after this. There was enough trouble on her te now, and even if she didn¡¯t find them a hassle, she didn¡¯t want to add more troubles for herself as that was the thing she hated the most. ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Brenden said, nodding thoughtfully. ¡°The Andersons are more than meets the eye. It¡¯s the right move not to have a deep friendship with them.¡± Chapter 282 Chapter 282 Chapter 282 A Game of Cat-And-Mouse,Coolest Girl in Town After saying that, he passed her a very pretty invitation card. ¡°This is Designer¡¯s Night organized by a few influential and seasoned designers in the country, and there should be quite a few new designs on this show. Later, apany me to this event to have a look.¡± Lowering her head, Elise studied the card in her hands, which had a familiar name on it. Designer¡¯s Night was considered as the source of fresh ideas for domestic fashion designers. It may appear as a fashion show, but in private, the audience under the stage could make a bid ording to the number on the model and win themselves the chance to meet and chat with the designer about the philosophy behind the design. To put it simply, it was an exchange of design inspirations. At first, Elise wasn¡¯t very interested in it, but she didn¡¯t want to turn Brendan down, so she followed him along. She felt much better when they received a mask at the entrance of the venue; hidden underneath the mask, so much hassle could be eliminated because nobody would know who the other was. There weren¡¯t many points of the show which surprised Elise. In the end, she picked a design which was kind of to her liking, then she wrote down the serial number and price before leaving the show early to go to the bathroom. When she came out, a man was standing at the door with his back facing her. At first, she thought that he was one of the models, but when she saw the mask strap around the back of his head, she realized that he was also an invited guest. Her gaze stopped on him for a couple more seconds before she looked away and prepared to leave. When she passed by the man, he suddenly extended his arm and blocked her path. ¡°Is anything the matter, sir?¡± she asked. Taking a step forward, the man stood in front of her and didn¡¯t beat about the bush either, as he went straight to his point. ¡°Nothing. I just wish to see how thedy who has the same tastes as me looks like,¡± he said, reaching out his hand to take off her mask. Out of reflex, Elise stepped backward, but the man pushed his luck and came in closer until she was leaning on the sink. With no room left for Elise to retreat, he ced both of his hands on the sink, trapping her in between. On the other hand, Elise, who had nowhere to go, felt a wave of disgust over her chest. By using his male physical advantages to subdue a woman, this man had really pushed her button. ¡°Sir, please watch what you¡¯re doing.¡± Clenching her fists tightly, Elise suppressed her urge to strike him. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to snatch anything from someone else and simply wrote a price. If you would like, you can meet with the designer.¡± Under the mask, a smug smirk tinged the edges of the man¡¯s lips. Although it was almost unnoticeable, it was especially ring to Elise¡¯s eyes. She recalled that she merely wrote 1,000 as the bid half- heartedly, but this guy couldn¡¯t even out-bid her. In his eyes, the designer¡¯s inspiration isn¡¯t even worth 1,000? Everyone who was invited here is either rich or wealthy, and yet, he¡¯s so stingy with his bid and even has the cheeks to make a fuss about it. Unable to hold it back anymore, she snorted and said sarcastically, ¡°Let me guess: A well-dressed gentleman such as you¡ªwhom people can easily tell how wealthy you are¡ªcouldn¡¯t even make a bid of more than 1,000?¡± Her words struck Johan Olsen in his sore spot, and he snarled under his mask angrily. As the sessor of the dignified Olsen Family, the money he would drop on the floor every time he took out his wallet would be more than 1,000. So, how could he have made such a petty bid? It¡¯s all the fault of that new assistant who has no experience with events like this. I¡¯m going to fire himter when I get back! he thought furiously. But this woman has a sharp tongue, and it¡¯s kinda extraordinary how she insults without using any vulgarnguage. The thought of this made him even more excited, and he grabbed her entire mask with hisrge hand, impatient to have a look at the face of the woman underneath. However, a leg appeared from the side the next second and kicked him out straightaway. Landing on the floor with a loud thud, he also took Elise¡¯s mask with him at the same time. Scrambling to his feet, he had barely checked out his injuries when he decided to twist his head to check out the woman¡¯s face instead. To his dismay, she already had her back facing him, and the man next to her was wearing a solemn expression. With the fierce, cold air around him, he looked like a murderous wolf from the Siberia. Unwittingly, Johan was stunned for a moment as he held in pain the spot where he was kicked. Alexander narrowed his dark eyes, and every word he said was aloof but firm. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be as simple as a kick if you touch her. You should be thankful.¡± Then, he spun around, ced his arm around Elise¡¯s waist, and left. After they had left the masked man far behind, it struck Elise that Alexander should now be on a business trip in Athesea. ¡°Why are you still here?¡± ¡°I happen to have something to discuss with Brendan,¡± he exined, opening the car door. ¡°I¡¯ll send you back.¡± All the way while they were walking out, his expression had been rather stony, and she thought that he must be angry. Hence, she was embarrassed to ept any more of his kind gestures. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Stopping next to the car, she wanted to ease the tension in the air and said jokingly, ¡°You have serious matters to attend to; if you keep sending me to ces, people might think that I¡¯ve hired myself a handsome driver!¡± However, Alexander¡¯s face was grim, and he didn¡¯t say anything in response, which made the atmosphere especially awkward. In fact, he wasn¡¯t angry at Elise, but rather, he was mad at himself that he couldn¡¯t marry her earlier. Although the biggest reason was she hadn¡¯t reached the legal age for marriage, it still frustrated him. If it was possible, he would write the words ¡®exclusively for Alexander Griffith¡¯ on Elise, but he couldn¡¯t do that. So, he could only keep her outside and watch in annoyance as unwanted characters kept approaching her. Worried that Elise might read his mind, he quickly gathered his emotions and changed the topic. ¡°The man who blocked your path earlier has some issues with me on a project. That guy is insane, so stay away from him and don¡¯t identally get yourself hurt.¡± This is such a small world, Elise thought. After twists and turns, it turns out that everyone is connected to each other. ¡°Got it,¡± she answered with a nod. Seeing that he wasn¡¯t angry anymore, she asked in a pleasing voice, ¡°Have you heard of the name Faye Anderson?¡± ¡°Is she from the medical family you mentioned before, the Andersons?¡± Elise noded. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Johan Olsen is her fianc¨¦,¡± he said patiently. ¡°This initially started off as a marriage between Johan and Faye¡¯s younger sister, but it suddenly became hers in the past two years. The couple probably have their eyes on the Andersons¡¯ assets, and that¡¯s why they struck up this engagement in private.¡± ¡°So, it¡¯s a business marriage,¡± Elise concluded. Instead of answering her directly, he reached out and nudged her into the car. A few minutester when the car had rolled a distance away, he exinedposedly, ¡°Johan Olsen is a despicable man, and so Old Madam Anderson didn¡¯t want to acknowledge this engagement. Because of this, both families have already fallen out with each other. A broken vase could never be repaired.¡± After listening, Elise nodded in agreement. With Bertha¡¯s stubborn personality, Elise figured she would rather fall out with the other party than put herself at a disadvantage. This was very fitting with her personality. Nevertheless, the engagement was agreed from before, and if they wanted to annul it, they had to catch hold of the Olsens¡¯ mistakes. Judging from the situation, Elise reckoned that Bertha didn¡¯t save any face for the Olsens and unterally decided to annul the engagement, which led to Faye and the Olsens ganging up in revenge. Scheming and plotting against each other among big families would always end up as a bloody scene! After the car stopped in front of her campus, Elise wanted to say goodbye to Alexander after hopping off when she saw him getting out as well. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Pacing forward, Alexander held her hand and walked toward the dorms, saying, ¡°I just remembered that it¡¯s Friday today. Gather your things ande with me after that.¡± It would be fine if he hadn¡¯t bumped into Johan causing trouble for Elise. He had confidence in her, but since he did bump into the scene, he thought it would be better to keep her by his side just to be safe. In addition, he also had his own selfish reasons. All of a sudden, it hit Elise that this man was a little clingy, but what surprised her even more was, she didn¡¯t find it annoying. Instead, she was secretly happy. Perhaps this was what it meant to love someone. Meanwhile, Johan fired his assistant in front of everyone at the show and drove away.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. After almost twenty minutes of driving around the city at high speed, his employee sent him Elise¡¯s university address as well as the picture of her student ID. Looking at the picture, he mmed on the brakes suddenly, and a sleazy smile spread across his face. ¡°So I was scolded by this ugly thing?¡± He felt disgusted for a couple of seconds, then he turned his steering wheel around and drove toward Elise¡¯s university. I have to let this woman know what eternal doom means! Leveling the gas pedal, he smiled cunningly. The game of cat-and-mouse was his favorite game. Chapter 283 Chapter 283 Chapter 283 No Avoiding the Enemy,Coolest Girl in Town In front of the girls¡¯ dorms at Tissote University, the aesthetic design of the red Porscheplemented the straight, creaseless suit on the man. On the balconies, the girls gathered in groups of three to five as they rubber-necked to look downward. The sun had set in the West, and the skewed afterglow made it very ufortable for Johan. Taking off his sunnies impatiently, he checked the time on his wristwatch and gritted his teeth in frustration. He had been waiting here for more than an hour, but he didn¡¯t even see Elise¡¯s shadow. Did this woman receive news ahead that I wasing and she¡¯s hiding from me on purpose? Initially, he wanted to wait here to ambush her¡ªhe would pop up in front of Elise, who had already taken off her mask, and watch her crumble in shame with his own eyes. The scene in his mind was enough to make the adrenaline rush through his veins. However, he could only whisk out his cell phone in annoyance and call the number given by his subordinates. The call merely connected for a second before it was hung up immediately. Infuriated, he raised his hand and wanted to smash his phone to pieces on the ground, but he had only raised his arm halfway when it hit a soft surface. A coquettish voice of a woman echoed together with the impact. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Feigning injury and putting up a pathetic look, Janice hugged herself, looking as though she had been taken advantage of. Spinning around suddenly, Jonah shot her a steely look, and she couldn¡¯t help but shudder when their eyes met. After staring at her for a couple of seconds, he asked, ¡°Do you know Elise Sinir?¡± ¡°Elise?¡± Upon hearing the name, she looked even more annoyed and asked indifferently, ¡°Why are you looking for her?¡± From far away, this man had already caught her eyes, and she wanted to chat him up without seeming too obvious, but it turned out that he was here for Elise. Why are all the handsome men in this world seduced by that woman? Narrowing his eyes, Jonah was kind of sure that he had asked the right person. Without waiting for a reply from him, Janice volunteered to give him a piece of ¡®kind advice¡¯. ¡°I see that you¡¯re a fine man, so don¡¯t be taken in. Elise already has a boyfriend, and different mene to pick her up and drop her off every day. You¡¯d just add to the pile. As an outstanding youth of the society, don¡¯t lower yourself to that level!¡± The smile on Jonah¡¯s face deepened, and his eyes crinkled. There are too many women throwing themselves at me. Does she think that she¡¯s very smart? Staring at her, an interesting idea suddenly popped up in his mind. Changing his expression, he kept away his aggressiveness and turned himself into a bright, young man in a split second by smiling kindly. ¡°Thanks for your advice, prettydy. How should I repay you for doing me such a big favor?¡± Rejoicing silently, Janice thought, Finally, there¡¯s a person with taste. Smacking her lips secretly, she quickly collected herself and put up an arrogant stance. ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal,¡± she said casually. ¡°I just can¡¯t stand watching a person¡¯s sincerity being trampled by others. I¡¯m not asking for anything from you, so you don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡± Johan breathed lightly. Not bad. She¡¯s quite calm and even knows how to y hard-to-get. But too bad that she has no idea what kind of man she¡¯s up against. Immediately, he acted very interested. ¡°That won¡¯t do. How about this¡ªI have a friend in Athesea, and his club is opening tonight with a warm-up party. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. I wonder if I have the honor to bring you along with me.¡± ¡°Athesea?¡± Knitting her brows, she pretended to be considering it. A few secondster, she agreed readily. ¡°Okay, since I have no ns for the weekend, I¡¯ll go on a trip with you and visit my ex-ssmates in Athesea as well.¡± After that, Jonah took a step back gentlemanly, opened the passenger seat door, and gestured for her to get in. ¡°You can ask your ssmates along. It¡¯s always merrier in a club with more people.¡± His considerate acts greatly satisfied her vanity, and she pursed her lips haughtily. Bending down, she slipped into the car. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± At the same time when she spun her head around, the smile on Jonah¡¯s face froze. It¡¯s not bad that I got a smallpensation even though I didn¡¯t catch my prey. As for Elise Sinir¡­ Hmph, she won¡¯t get away from me! ¡­ Elise felt that she had fallen for a trap. They agreed that it would be a getaway in Athesea, but she ended up apanying Alexander in meetings the whole day. By the time they came out of the office building, the sky had already turned dark. Leaning into the seat, Elise let out a bored sigh. It¡¯s so boring to be a businessman. I should have brought my sketch book along to help me pass time. Secretly, Alexander stole a look at her and saw how tired she seemed. Hence, at the next junction, he turned the wheel and drove in the opposite direction of the hotel. Almost immediately, she noticed that it was the wrong way, so she turned to ask, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we have turned left?¡± Driving with his full attention, he answered without looking away from the road, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to go out and rx after a boring day?¡± Elise pouted her lips. ¡°Of course I would like that, but don¡¯t you have another video conference in the evening?¡± After spending an entire day with him, she realized that career-minded men were akin to spinning tops. They kept spinning and spinning, as though they would never stop to rest. Throughout the entire day, there were countless times when she was d she was born a girl. If she were to live a life like his, she would probably be bored to death. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± With a faint smile on his lips, he added, ¡°My friend arranged a meetup tonight, and I can¡¯t turn him down. If I have to meet them sooner orter, it wouldn¡¯t be too unbearable with you by my side.¡± Elise¡¯s lips turned upward into a grin as sheughed at him for being so dramatic. ¡°Don¡¯t put such a high hat on me. You make it sound as though you wouldn¡¯t show up without me. In the world of business, connections are the biggest resources, and it¡¯s not something you can give up easily.¡± ¡°Nothing escapes your eyes.¡± After he was exposed, he chuckled and shook his head, saying jokingly, ¡°Looks like there will be nowhere to hide a secret from you in the future.¡± ¡°Exactly. So don¡¯t even think about lying to me. There will be severe consequences!¡± she said yfully. There wasn¡¯t a second when the edges of his lips were pointing downward. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely remember it well!¡± The car drove into the busiest street filled with clubs and bars, and they found the ce effortlessly because it was a new club with a bunch of neon lights at the entrance. After handing the car key to the valet parking, Alexander held Elise¡¯s hand and went in. Upon entering, Elise was blinded by the brilliant lights and the sound of the DJ sting in her ears. Raising her hand to block out the lights, she opened her eyes to see a tipsy crowd and confetti flying everywhere. Looking at the ce where the upper ss spent their money, Elise could only link it to the word ¡®extravagant¡¯. Holding Alexander¡¯s hand, she slowly walked toward the VIP area, which was on the second floor. From there, it was easy to see the entire dancefloor clearly, and it could greatly satisfy the condescending mentality of the rich. As she got up the stairs, Elise turned toward themotion in the VIP room on the right. ¡°Chug! Chug! Chug!¡± A group of men and women gathered around a woman and chanted, but it was obvious that the woman couldn¡¯t drink anymore. A few gulpster, the bottle of liquor remained the same, and that made someone in the crowd unhappy. ¡°Johan, your partner is too weak!¡± ¡°Yeah, she shouldn¡¯te out clubbing if she can¡¯t drink. What a party-pooper!¡± While they were speaking, the woman who was drinking earlier barfed and sprawled on the table, panting weakly. ¡°I can¡¯t drink anymore. Send me home now, Johan¡­¡± She could barely open her eyes, but the onlookers were merely watching it as a show without any intentions of helping her out. This scene didn¡¯t surprise Elise. In order to get ahead, hostesses in nightclubs were yed like monkeys, and there were countless examples of them who drank until they were unconscious. It was nothing more than a mutual agreement between both sides, where one was getting the hits willingly. Elise didn¡¯t want to interfere and leaned in closer to Alexander, preparing to walk through the corridor as though she hadn¡¯t seen anything. However, when she was passing by their door, the woman who was yed by the group fell in front of her directly, blocking her path. Lowering her head, she caught a good look at Janice¡¯s flushed cheeks and frowned unwittingly. Today, I finally learned that I can¡¯t avoid my enemy. Chapter 284 Chapter 284 Chapter 284 Was She Your ything Before?,Coolest Girl in Town Despite being in a stupor, Janice was still asking for help meekly. ¡°Send me back. I don¡¯t want to stay here. I don¡¯t want to y anymore¡­¡± The man who was calling for her to chug earlier pulled her up. ¡°Stop pretending; we barely even started yet. All of us have brought out our best collection of liquor, and you think you can leave just like that before we¡¯re satisfied?¡± he said and grabbed the nearest ss of whisky before pouring it into Janice¡¯s mouth roughly. Struggling in misery, Janice pressed her lips together tightly, and all the alcohol which couldn¡¯t get in were spilled out, soaking her clothes as she whimpered weakly. ¡°Ugh!¡± Pathetic and helpless like a puppy that had fallen into the waters, she looked like she might suffocate any minute. Damn, how I hate this unreasonable empathy of mine, Elise thought. This bunch of a*sholes who treat women as ythings don¡¯t even have the least respect for life at all. Forget it. I¡¯ll just pretend that she¡¯s a stranger to me. That way, I feel better if I help her. After struggling within herself, she finally decided to take Janice away. Just as she was about to open her mouth, a hand next to her reached out and grabbed the man¡¯s hand which was pouring the drink. T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. As Alexander had already read her mind, he had acted before she did. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± ¡°Who are you to stick your nose into this?¡± Jerking Alexander¡¯s hand away, the man raised his fist and swung it with full force. The second before his fistnded on Alexander, thetter blocked it with his palm, wrapped his hand around the man¡¯s fist, and gave it a strong twist. The sounds of dislocated bones echoed, and the man kneeled down in pain. ¡°Ah! Jonah, save me! Jonah!¡± Hearing his cries, a person inside the VIP room sprang up and marched toward them. Quickly, Alexander released his hand and kicked down the man who was pouring the whisky. With lightning speed, he caught Jonah¡¯s fist, which was flying in his direction, and threw Jonah over his shoulder, tossing him into the VIP room opposite. Before Jonah could scramble to his feet, Alexander dashed forward and grabbed him by his throat. After struggling a little, Jonah wanted to stand up by propping up on the couch, but Alexander ced a foot on his chest and pushed him down. With only limited air, he could no longer exert his strength and gave up all resistance. Alexander was no stranger to Jonah, and even though thetter was beaten to the floor by Alexander, his tone was stubborn. ¡°It¡¯s you again, Griffith. This is the second time you¡¯re spoiling my ns today.¡± Instead of answering, Alexander cast a nce backward, scaring away the others in the VIP room who were waiting to strike with his dark, solemn eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to interfere with your personal affairs, but I¡¯m taking away that woman.¡± ¡°What makes you think you can do that? I¡¯m the one who brought her here. What, now? Was she your ything before?¡± Jonah sneered, as though it could diminish the awkwardness that he was under Alexander¡¯s foot now. Sweeping his eyes over him coldly, Alexander said, ¡°Elise, take her and go first.¡± She gave him a nod and went to help Janice up before retreating back to the staircase. After making sure that they were in a safe situation, Alexander released Jonah. Step by step, he walked backward as Jonah got up from the couch. Gritting his teeth, Jonah patted the spot Alexander stepped on earlier and red fiercely at him, but when he saw Elise behind him, his expression broke into delight. Well, I found her without any effort at all. The lighting earlier was too dim, and Elise was standing too far away for him to catch a good look at her. Upon a second look, he felt that this woman was uglier than the picture on her student ID. From the fashion show until now, Elise Sinir has been together with Alexander? I¡¯ve heard for a long time that he¡¯s already engaged, but I didn¡¯t think that his fianc¨¦e would be such an ugly woman. At the thought of this, he didn¡¯t feel so bad that he was repeatedly beaten by Alexander. Sensing the sinister in Jonah¡¯s gaze, Alexander immediately moved a few steps to the side and ced himselfpletely between Elise and Jonah. His eyes burned like torches, asserting his dominance. Jonah narrowed his eyes. Looks like I was right; Sinir is his woman. That makes this game even more exciting. If I can make his woman mine, that will pay for all the frustrations I suffered! With a dirty smile still remaining on his face, Jonah was already beginning to imagine Elise kneeling in front of him, begging him for his love. In the distance, Elise saw his distasteful smile through the gap and was disgusted. Is Janice blind? She even threw herself at such a pretentious man. If we hadn¡¯t run into her this time, she would probably end up in a ditch somewhere. A short moment of confrontation passed, and it was Alexander who spoke first to break the silence. ¡°Sorry for spoiling everyone¡¯s mood today. The bill is on me today, so just order what you would like to drink and I¡¯ll get the boss to put it on my tab. I¡¯ll excuse myself.¡± After all, he was the one in the wrong for snatching someone away. Spending some money could save a lot of trouble, and it was all pros and no cons. After saying that, he turned and left while covering the two girls. After their figures had disappeared into the crowd downstairs, the atmosphere in the VIP room turned lively again. ¡°What a damper the night has been. Where¡¯s the waiter? Come here. Bring me a round of all the most expensive liquor you have. Damn it. Isn¡¯t he really rich? I¡¯ll rack up a huge bill for him, then!¡± ¡°Exactly. Serve us everything that is expensive. No one is going home tonight without getting wasted!¡± ¡°Hey, Jonah. Don¡¯t be mad anymore. This drink is to you. It¡¯s just a woman, and we can find any type downstairs¡­¡± Jonah was wearing a long face, and when someone next to him came over with a drink, he directly sshed the drink in the ss on his face. These were rich and wealthy people who just wanted to have some fun when they gathered, so the man was immediately peeved when he was suddenly humiliated like this. ¡°What the f*ck?!¡± The words had just left his lips when Faye barged into the room suddenly, grabbed a ss of drink, and sshed it on Jonah¡¯s face. ¡°F*ck!¡± Swearing in anger, Jonah was so mad that he wanted to retaliate, but when he stood up and saw that the person was Faye, he clenched his jaw and swallowed his anger. After rolling her eyes at him in disappointment, she turned to the man who had the drink sshed in his face. ¡°Doug, do you think this is enough as an apology? If not, I¡¯ll ssh another drink on him.¡± Everyone was stunned by Faye¡¯s actions. After a long while, someone finally reacted and hurriedly tried to pacify the situation. ¡°That¡¯s enough. We¡¯re all friends, and it¡¯s fine now after the frustrations have been vented. Be the bigger person and don¡¯t take this to heart, Doug.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right. Doug, Jonah, we¡¯re going to be friends for life, and we shouldn¡¯t turn into enemies just because one did something stupid in a drunken stupor, right?¡± After hearing so many speeches, Doug figured it would be awkward if he acted up again, so he merely waved his hands in embarrassment, putting an end to the situation. ¡°Thanks for your understanding, Doug.¡± Faye cast him an apologetic smile and turned to Jonah. Immediately, her attitude was stone-cold again. ¡°Come with me for a while,¡± she said, leading the way toward the emergency exit. When she pushed the door open to the stairwell, she happened to bump into a couple who were making out. She knitted her brows, and her strong, dominant air made the couple scurry away in fear. Before leaving, they even muttered, ¡°Crazy woman.¡± When they brushed past Jonah, he misheard them and thought that they were scolding him. Holding his fist, he was going to chase after them. ¡°Who are you calling crazy, you a*sholes!¡± ¡°Come back here!¡± Faye yelled at him to stop. Only then did he drag his feet back to the stairwell unwillingly. Before he had barely stood still, she gave him a tight p across the face. The numbness in his face from the p instantly made him alert, and he roared, ¡°Are you f*cking crazy?!¡± Chapter 285 Chapter 285 Chapter 285 Alexander Can¡¯t Get Rid of Janice?,Coolest Girl in Town Looking at him with an aloof face, Faye said, ¡°It¡¯s okay if you y around with other women, but you actually had the nerves to target a female student from Tissote University. Do you know how much public criticism you¡¯d cause if anything happens? Where¡¯s the girl?¡± Jonah gritted his teeth and spat. ¡°She¡¯s gone, and I¡¯m not so dumb as to create trouble for myself.¡± ¡°That¡¯d better be true.¡± Still, she doubted his words and warned, ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear anymore negative news before the wedding. Don¡¯t drag me along even if you want to ruin yourself!¡± Then, she left the spot in a huff with her heels clicking on the floor. From far, Jonah stared at her back and was reminded of his emotionless discipline teacher from highschool, whereupon an icy stare shed in his eyes. If he hadn¡¯t had his eyes set on the wealth of the Andersons, he would have kicked this woman away. Just you wait and see how I¡¯ll torture you after we get married. Meanwhile, the car drove out of the nightclub street, and Alexander¡¯s eyes swept past the rearview mirror. ¡°What do you n to do with her?¡± Helplessly, Elise looked at Janice, who had passed out next to her, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s put her up in a hotel for the night.¡± She might as well go through with this good deed that she started. In this unfamiliar city, she couldn¡¯t just simply drop Janice off anywhere. Returning his eyes to the road, Alexander drove around the city center. In the end, he chose a hotel which looked rather safe. After getting a room, he walked in front and opened the door so that Elise could help Janice to the bed. Then, she went to the bathroom while he leaned on the TV console, picked up his cell phone, and started replying to work emails. It had been a rough night for Janice, and she gradually regained consciousness. In her daze, the light from the crystalmp above her head blinded her eyes, and she couldn¡¯t open them. Using her hand as a shield, she slowly sat up in the bed. Alexander merely peered at her coldly and returned to his phone, pretending he hadn¡¯t seen anything. However, Janice thought that she was dreaming when she saw him. After blinking a couple of times, she pinched herself hard on her arm to be sure that she was not dreaming. So, I¡¯m really in the same room with Elise¡¯s super cute boyfriend! ¡°Are you the one who saved me from Johan Olsen?¡± she asked meekly. ¡°Yeah,¡± he replied curtly without even looking up at her. Embarrassed, she bit her lower lip, regretting the fact that she had too much to drink and hadpletely missed out on his heroic act when he saved her. Nevertheless, she figured that since this man was willing to go against Johan and his friends for her sake, then he must be attracted by her beauty. In addition, judging from his dressing and demeanor, he must be from a well-to-do family as well. If I can snag him away from Elise¡¯s side, then I can have all my revenge against her! At the thought of this, her eyes gleamed cunningly before she pretended to be in a daze, mumbling about how terrible and hot she was feeling as she started undressing. Annoyed, Alexander knitted his brows and straightened himself suddenly. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Sprawled out limply on the bed, she mumbled, ¡°I¡¯m really thirsty. Could you please bring me a ss of water?¡± Lowering his eyes, he had no patience for her at all. Of all the women he knew, he found it a waste of time if any of them asked for a favor, except Elise. Seeing that he was unmoved, Janice pretended to be unwell and coughed a couple of times. In an even more pathetic tone, she said, ¡°Please, it¡¯s just a ss of water. I¡¯m feeling really ufortable. Besides, you already brought me all the way here, so can¡¯t you do me another small favor?¡± Even though he was aware that she was trying to make him do stuff for her, Alexander felt that she was very noisy and wanted her to shut her mouth as quickly as possible. Hence, he picked up a bottle of water on the TV console, opened it, and poured out a ss before bringing it to the bed. ¡°Hold it.¡± Pretentiously, she reached out her hand and made it look as though she couldn¡¯t reach it. ¡°Can you please¡­e a little closer?¡± Annoyed and frustrated, he bent over and pushed the ss to her forcefully, stopping inches away from her chest and turning in disgust to look the other way. Out of the blue, Janice grabbed his wrist and used it to pull herself up before putting her arms around his neck, clinging her entire body on him. ¡°I feel really terrible. Stay with me and don¡¯t leave tonight, okay?¡± She deliberately made her voice a little lower so that she sounded even more sexy and alluring. Men are creatures who think with the lower half of their bodies, she thought. In front of the woman they¡¯re interested in, not many of them could hold back their desires and act like a true gentleman. Also, she had absolute confidence in her body, and the more Alexander pushed her aside, the more she would raise her chest and stick it toward his body. Instantly, an unhappy look washed over him, and he grabbed her arms. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Before pulling her away, he warned her icily, ¡°Let go!¡± His principles taught him to respect women, but it didn¡¯t prevent him from keeping his bottom line. If the other party was persistent, then he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to act roughly on a woman. On the other hand, Janice interpreted his short moment of hesitation as his attempt at ying hard-to-get. If he was really unwilling, a big man like him could have easily pushed her aside. The thought of this made the adrenaline pump through her veins. ¡°I already fell for you since the first time I saw you, and I swear you¡¯re the first man in my life. Don¡¯t say no to me, okay?¡± As she spoke, she went on tiptoes and rubbed her face against his neck, kissing him while he tried to dodge it left and right. When he was close to blowing his top, Elise opened the bathroom door, and the sight of them tangled together greeted her. Twitching her lips awkwardly, she felt that her buttons had been pushed once more. It was Alexander who reacted first. Without any regard for Janice¡¯s pride, he peeled her away from himself directly and threw her on the bed. ¡°Are you done with your madness?¡± Falling hard on the bed, Janice felt herself slipping into unconsciousness again as her head turned woozy. As though she was watching a show, Elise crossed her arms and leaned on the doorframe of the bathroom. ¡°Looks like I came out at the wrong time and ruined your moment,¡± she said sarcastically. Still furious from Janice clinging on to him, Alexander became even more frustrated when he saw Elise looking neither jealous nor angry. Gritting his teeth in anger, he then stormed out of the room. Hearing Elise¡¯s voice, Janice was stunned for a couple of seconds before opening her eyes in realization. The moment their eyes met, she was so shocked that she was jerked awake and straightened herself. ¡°What are you doing here?!¡± Ignoring her question, Elise asked in sarcasm, ¡°Are you so very interested in my boyfriend?¡± Exposed, Janice was momentarily speechless. ¡°W-Who said so? No, I¡¯m not.¡± After a short pause, something came into her mind and she argued, ¡°Even if I am, so what? You guys are just dating and are not even married yet. He has the right to choose who he wants to be with!¡± Elise snorted, wondering how her university had such an immoral student. Forgetting the fact that Janice didn¡¯t even thank her for getting her out of a fix, she still had the nerves to act so righteously after trying to seduce her boyfriend! s, my kindness didn¡¯t beget kindness. I shouldn¡¯t have been so soft-hearted in the club earlier. Uncrossing her arms, Elise dropped them by her sides naturally and enunciated, ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t know that I¡¯m a little mysophobic and also a little possessive. I hate it the most when someone covets after my belongings, be it an item or a person. In contrast, I don¡¯t mind if we talk about everything that happened tonight at school.¡± As if feeling that she didn¡¯t appear assertive enough, she repeated, ¡°You didn¡¯t hear me wrong. I mean everything.¡± From what happened in the club until the hotel, every single thing was enough to destroy Janice¡¯s impression in her suitors¡¯ heartspletely. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± Furious, Janice mmed the bed. ¡°Do you think anyone will believe you? That¡¯s ndering!¡± ¡°I see,¡± Elise uttered nonchntly, shrugging and turning to leave. While walking away, she added, ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for you to sue me, then. I would like to see if you¡¯re going to send me to jail first or I¡¯ll ruin you first!¡± After saying that, she disappearedpletely from the door. Hysterical, Janice shrieked, ¡°You¡¯re a b*tch, Elise Sinir!¡± Chapter 286 Chapter 286 Chapter 286 You¡¯re Pushing Your Luck Too Far,Coolest Girl in Town Content ? N?velDrama.Org. Elise walked out of the hotel and saw Alexander standing beside the car from a distance. From the way his back figure looked, he seemed cold and lonely. As she approached, she made a heartless joke about him. ¡°How does it feel to have someone throwing themself at you, Mr. Griffith?¡± Alexander didn¡¯t respond, and merely stood there until Elise approached. Then, he turned sideways and promptly opened the car door for her. Seeing that, Elise paused and looked up, only to find that Alexander¡¯s face expression was not a pleasant one. She admitted that she had overlooked that Alexander was a decent gentleman, and it was biased to distinguish who took advantage of who ording to his condition. And so, Elise sorted out her expression to try her best to look serious, then she apologized seriously. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have said that.¡± Alexander stiffened his face, retracted the hand that held the car door open, and raised his chin arrogantly, as if trying to get back at her. Elise didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or weep. Who is the man here? It was just a small ident¡ªdid he get pissed at me just like that? As Elise stared at Alexander¡¯s stringent face, her stand gradually became less firm. After all, she was the one who took the initiative to provoke Janice; otherwise, Alexander would not have encountered such an unfortunate matter. Less than a minute after the silent war on the side of the road, Elise raised her feet and stepped forward. She then tipped her toes and hooked her arms around Alexander¡¯s neck to bring herself close to his face before shended a peck on the corner of his mouth lightly. ¡°Still angry now?¡± Alexander couldn¡¯t help raising the corners of his mouth, and there was a smile in his eyes¡ªit was sweet and warm, as if he didn¡¯t mind being taken advantage of. When Elise saw this, her face turned hot immediately. As she was about to back away, Alexander coiled his arm around her waist, and they were once again facing each other. His dark eyes seemed to contain the entire starry sky¡ªthey were immensely deep and romantic. ¡°That¡¯s not enough,¡± Alexander said with his deep voice. After he finished speaking, he leaned forward. Their lips touched, and at this point, they were inseparable. It wasn¡¯t until their breaths became a little rugged that Alexander reluctantly let go of Elise. Elise felt a sense of dizziness, but after regaining her senses, she realized that she was still trapped in Alexander¡¯s arms. Immediately, she clenched her fist in anger and punched his chest twice. ¡°You¡¯re pushing your luck!¡± The corner of Alexander¡¯s mouth raised into a doting arc, and he deliberately used his strength to close their distance. ¡°I prefer to call it the demonstration of love. You know, the body doesn¡¯t lie; you didn¡¯t push me away just now, which proves that you and I love each other deeply. Am I wrong?¡± Elise bit her lower lip, whereupon the redness on her face extended to the back of her ear instantly. For a moment, she didn¡¯t know how to respond to him. Under the moonlight, Elise¡¯s shy and astringent face was particrly radiant, and Alexander¡¯s heart was on the verge of beating out of his chest as he mumbled, ¡°This waiting game is too hard.¡± He couldn¡¯t wait to marry this woman. He couldn¡¯t wait to be more intimate with her, to bring her closer to his body¡­ He wanted to be the closest person to Elise. ¡°What?¡± Elise didn¡¯t hear him, so she raised her head to ask him what he said, but their bodies collided unintentionally because of this. When she felt a foreign object on his body pressing against her, she pushed him away with force and subconsciously took a few steps back to put some distance between them. Alexander also realized that he had lost his cool, so he lowered his head to clear his throat. ¡°G-Get in the car. It¡¯ste¡ªyou should go back and rest early.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Elise nodded vigorously, then got into the backseat swiftly and closed the door with a bang. Along the way, neither of them exchanged words, but they did make eye contact through the rearview mirror from time to time. Alexander sent Elise to the door of the room and watched her close the door before finally turning around to wait for the elevator. Honestly, he himself didn¡¯t realize that such a trivial and boring thing would make him keep his sweet smile for so long. ¡­ The next day, Alexander took Elise to participate in the project bidding meeting. Once they win the bid, it would mean all the simr projects in the whole of Athesea would be led by Griffith Group. When it was Alexander¡¯s turn to bid for the project, there was amotion in the admission area as someone was trying to cut the cue, but the bidding continued. The host on the stage dropped the gavel and started the bidding, and Alexander immediately gave the price that everyone could not reach. ¡°Twenty billion.¡± Everyone present knew Alexander¡¯s identity. They were obviously afraid of the strength of the Griffith family in Tissote; therefore, no one dared to challenge the price. The host kept saying things to tter Alexander while preparing to make a final decision, but just one second before his gavel fell, a very discordant voice sounded in the back row of the venue. ¡°Twenty billion and ten dors.¡± As soon as the words fell, everyone turned to look at the owner of the voice, wanting to see who was so bold to dare to contest with the Griffith Family from Tissote. Johan stood up slowly amid doubts and curiosity as he tidied up his jacket proudly. Spending twenty billion to give Alexander and Elise some unhappiness and inconvenience was a fair price he was willing to pay. He couldn¡¯t go wrong if he grabbed something that Alexander was eyeing. Maybe once his grandfather found out, he would even praise him for doing a good job. Faye sat on the chair beside Johan and held her forehead in disgust, feeling speechless. She dragged this guy here because she wanted him to get familiar with business growth and knowledge, but there he went, taking the initiative to provoke the Griffith Family. He was practically asking for trouble! For the Olson and Anderson Families to seed inbining their assets through a political marriage, it was imperative that they not only keep people from finding out about their ns, but also ensure that they didn¡¯t make too many enemies in the process as well. At first, she thought that Johan was just a little more yful, and when he matured, he would naturally mellow down. However, right now, Faye was rethinking every single one of her decisions, wondering whether she had overestimated Johan. Elise recognized Johan just by his voice, but her physical disgust toward him made her toozy to look back, so she leaned slightly to the side of Alexander and whispered, ¡°Athesea is small enough. We just met him at a bar yesterday, and now we bumped into him here again! This scoundrel is onto us. I bet we¡¯re going to be in trouble for a while.¡± Alexander didn¡¯t take it to heart at first, but after hearing her say this, he understood that Johan was the one behind this. Immediately raising his right hand lightly, Alexander said in the most serious tone, ¡°Twenty-five billion.¡± Johan, who was still comcent just now, instantly became angry when he heard Alexander¡¯s new bid. He mmed his hand on the chairs of the guests in the front seat and shouted, ¡°Are you mocking me?¡± Elise couldn¡¯t helpughing out loud, and deliberately said in a mocking tone, ¡°Wow. He just made a bid, yet you saw it as mockery. How fascinating!¡± When the words fell, everyone snickered, and seeing Johan¡¯s embarrassed face, theyughed even more vigorously. Faye was so angry that her face turned green. Immediately, she stood up and turned to leave. Johan grabbed her wrist and asked angrily, ¡°Where are you going!?¡± He was already being humiliated, and Faye, as his fianc¨¦e, was indifferent and didn¡¯t say anything¡ªnow, she even wanted to leave him here alone? Faye shook his hand away. ¡°If you want to embarrass yourself, leave me out of it. I can¡¯t afford to embarrass myself this way.¡± After speaking, she walked away. Johan red fiercely in the direction of Alexander and Elise with gritted teeth, and finally left angrily. Elise said jokingly, ¡°His tolerance is smaller than that of a sparrow. Is he seriously calling himself a man if he can¡¯t even tolerate such a small matter?¡± Alexander smiled and stretched out his hand in front of Elise. ¡°It was nice working with you.¡± Elise smiled happily, then held Alexander¡¯s hand to shake it. ¡°Likewise!¡± Chapter 287 Chapter 287 Chapter 287 Spewing Nonsense,Coolest Girl in Town At 6:00PM in the evening, Alexander parked his car in the parking space outside the school and walked Elise back to the dormitory. After a weekend together, the two of them became much more intimate than before. Along the way, they walked shoulder to shoulder and held hands. Their hands were held neither too loose nor too tight; it seemed that they couldn¡¯t get rid of each other no matter what, and they could hold each other¡¯s hands for a lifetime. Alexander enjoyed this kind of leisure time. Although he was busy, Elise¡¯s life was more like an unpredictable spinning top¡ªno one knew when it would stop. It seemed that only this weekend of hers was entirely his, and he was not sure how long it would be until the next time. When he was in a trance, Elise suddenly stopped and mumbled to herself, ¡°I brought a suitcase with me when we left, right?¡± Alexander smiled helplessly. When they got out of the car, the two of them only remembered to hold hands, and they really forgot to take the suitcase. He let go of her hand reluctantly and naturally pinched the tip of her nose. ¡°Wait at the door of the dormitory. I¡¯ll go get it.¡± After saying that, he lifted his foot and walked back. Elise stood there. After watching Alexander¡¯s figure disappear around the corner, she continued to walk forward. As soon as she stepped into the stone arch of the girls¡¯ dormitory, there was a loud bang, then the sound of confettis sounded from all directions. Ribbons slowly fell from the sky, covering her all over. ¡°Congrattions, Elise!¡± ¡°Wee back, Erudite Elise!¡± ¡°Elise, you are amazing. You are my idol!¡± ¡°Woohoo!¡± Elise was a little confused by their enthusiasm and smiled awkwardly. ¡°Thank you!¡± As she spoke, she removed the confettis hanging from her body. ¡°But, what are you guys congratting me about?¡± ¡°You still don¡¯t know?¡± Addison said excitedly. ¡°Professor Merlin has applied for the highest-level mathematics award in the country for you, and you¡¯ve passed the preliminary examination¡ªyou would be the first female winner of this award!¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s amazing!¡± Elise still didn¡¯t understand what was going on. ¡°Y-You must have heard it wrong. Professor Merlin didn¡¯t tell me at all about this. Could it be that someone else has the same name as me, or looks a lot like me, and you¡¯re mistaken?¡± ¡°Oh, trust me. It can¡¯t be wrong!¡± Addison stepped forward to take her arm and said firmly. ¡°It was announced on the bulletin board of our department, so who else could it be but you? Besides, how could I have mistaken your face? Girl, I can recognize you even if you were turned to ashes!¡± ¡°Gee, now that sounds a little scary¡­¡± someone eximed. Addison was always a straightforward person. Without putting too much thought into what that person said, she took it seriously. ¡°Why is it scary? How is it scary? I just want everyone to know that I, Addison, don¡¯t make friends based on their appearance. It¡¯s not always about the face, but the actual strength. Some people have the look, but they¡¯re merely like a vase¡ªpretty on the outside but empty on the inside. Some people do look mediocre, but they have the strength within them.¡± Elise smiled bitterly and reminded her, ¡°I think you meant ¡®never judge a book by its cover¡¯!¡± Addison was stunned for a moment. Then, she reacted with embarrassed chuckles while scratching the back of her head before she raised her voice and said, ¡°Oh, yes, exactly! One should never judge a book by its cover!¡± This candid speech instantly made everyoneugh out loud. In the distance, Janice approached with a book in her arms, and she happened to see the scene of peopleughing and cheering around Elise. She blushed instantly, and the phrase, never judge a book by its cover, was especially harsh in her ears. Elise looked at Addison¡¯s straightforward and naive appearance and patted her on the shoulder helplessly. ¡°Addison, Addison. I don¡¯t care if I won an award or not, but right now, I think I should give you an English tutorial first!¡± Addison released Elise¡¯s hand instantly. Like a frightened bird, she hid behind the crowd. ¡°Oh, please spare me from this torture.¡± The crowd burst inughter again. Janice¡¯s brain was filled with the echoingughter, and she couldn¡¯t bear it any longer. Immediately, she rushed over to the crowd and shouted hysterically, ¡°Enough is enough!¡± She pushed aside the crowd and stood directly opposite Elise. Her expression was a little grim because she exerted too much force. ¡°Enough, Elise Sinir. I know you have a boyfriend, and I got drunk and leaned on him identally. Did you have to go out of your way to gossip here? Do you want me to get you a loudspeaker?!¡± Janice was so worked up that her spit was flying around, and some of them got on Elise identally. Elise raised her hand in disgust to wipe the saliva off her cheeks and frowned slightly, feeling nauseated in her heart. Addison couldn¡¯t bear it any longer, so she stepped forward to argue with Janice. ¡°Why are you acting all crazy here, woman?!¡± Janice was extremely emotional. Her eyes widened, and she stared back at Addison. ¡°This is my grudge with Elise. What does it have to do with you? Mind your own damn business!¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± Addison wanted to say something but was blocked by Elise¡¯s hand, so she had to swallow the words that came to her mouth. Elise took a step forward, squeezed out a smile, and tried her best to remain calm. ¡°Janice, if I may, what did I do to provoke you again this time?¡± Janice felt guilty all of a sudden and tried to me it all on Elise again. Immediately, she quibbled, ¡°You really think I didn¡¯t hear it? I heard and saw everything!¡± As if to prove it to everyone, she patted her chest and walked in a circle while she exined, ¡°Let me tell you: What Elise said is not true at all! Yes, I did go to the bar with a rich man, but I only went because I wanted to give him a chance since he¡¯s pursued me for so long; it¡¯s not like what you imagined!¡± Upon saying that, she paused and looked at Elise with fierce eyes. She then pointed at her and said, ¡°She must have told you all that I seduced her boyfriend. In fact, it was her boyfriend who saw me and tried to take advantage of me!¡± Janice spread her hands and spoke contemptuously. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure that all of you can distinguish who is the more attractive one between me and her. Needless to say, you all know who is the one that is more likely to be taken advantage of, right?¡± For a while, the audience was vaguely moved by Janice¡¯s words, and when they looked at Elise again, they couldn¡¯t help cast her a sympathetic gaze. Everyone knew how perfect Elise¡¯s boyfriend was.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. The two of them looked like an odd pair when they stood together, but it could be that Elise was lucky. Now that this man actually chose Janice over her, it could only be said that Elise¡¯s luck had finally run out. But what could they do about a society where appearance determined everything? Eliseughed angrily at Janice¡¯s words. This woman is not only ungrateful, but also has an impable ability of spewing nonsense. She was not in a hurry to argue who was right and wrong. Instead, she looked at Janice with kindness and said calmly, ¡°Well, that was a wonderful speech. You are suitable to be a public speaker, but you seem to have made a mistake¡ªno one was gossiping about you just now. It was you, on the other hand, who spilled everything about yourself as soon as you rushed over. Honestly, I don¡¯t really know how to wrap my head around what you just did.¡± Addison¡¯s mind turned extremely fast this time, then she interjected, ¡°Aren¡¯t you just trying to me everything on Elise? I think you¡¯re obviously just feeling guilty over what you did!¡± ¡°Oh. I get it! You¡¯re just a gold-digger. You went out of your way to go after rich men, and you even tried to seduce Elise¡¯s boyfriend!¡± Chapter 288 Chapter 288 Chapter 288 Kill Her Spirit a Little ,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°That¡¯s pure bullsh*t!¡± Janice stomped her feet and scolded Addison while pointing at her. ¡°Elise likes to gossip behind people¡¯s backs, and you, as her friend, are very much the same too! You know the saying¡ªbirds of a feather flock together.¡± As Addison was about to refute, a maic male voice suddenly rang from behind the crowd. ¡°Please mind your words.¡± As soon as the words fell, as if they were all synchronized, everyone looked at the owner of the voice at once. Alexander walked forward calmly with Elise¡¯s suitcase and stopped in front of Janice. Then, he said intimidatingly, ¡°What you said just now constitutes nder¡ªI have every reason to sue you on behalf of my girlfriend. If everything goes ording to n, after a week, Miss Garcia, you will be finding yourself in the defendant¡¯s stand at the People¡¯s Court of Tissote.¡± Though Janice had always been quick on her mouth and had a sharp tongue, she was still a college student after all. Besides, she had never experienced real society and its cruelty. After being fooled by the few words that Alexander said, she was immediately taken aback. Her brain went numb, and she didn¡¯t dare to refute. Alexander¡¯s gentlemanly ways were always engraved in his bones, but not so much when it came to Elise¡¯s affairs. ¡°Alright,¡± Alexander said with a poker face. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go through with the judicial process, we can go with a more private process. Now, apologize to my girlfriend and ask for her forgiveness.¡± Alexander spoke with an undeniable majesty in his words¡ªhe merely kept his gaze in front him with his proud, indignant eyes; he did not bat an eye at Janice. Though his words were simple and concise, they were enough to make Janice¡ªwho would always bully those beneath her¡ªsubmit and not dare to say a word. For any perpetrators, it seemed that silence was the greatest concession they could make. But Alexander had no ns to let her off so easily. Seeing that Janice had not responded after a long time, he squinted at her coldly. ¡°What, now? Do you want me to tell my secretary to send thewsuit letter to the dean¡¯s office?¡± Janice buried her head even lower. She was unable to believe that Alexander, who looked so gentle and polite on the outside, would be so cruel and ruthless toward women. As a matter of fact, the shame made it impossible for her to admit her mistake to her nemesis, Elise, in front of so many people. She bit her lower lip tightly and tasted the iron in her mouth, feeling utterly remorseful. They had reached an impasse¡ªno one had a better solution for a while. Finally, one of the girls couldn¡¯t stand it any longer. Because she sympathized with Janice, she went up and tugged at her clothes, trying to persuade her kindly. ¡°Janice, you should apologize. It was your fault after all. You can always make up for your mistakes, and there¡¯s no shame in it.¡± This undoubtedly gave Janice the best way out. Immediately, Janice noticed her chance and grabbed the life-saving straw in an instant. She pursed her lips tightly, nodded gratefully to the girl who came up to persuade her, then looked at Elise and said with tears in her eyes, ¡°Elise, I misunderstood what happened today. I shouldn¡¯t have said what I said to you. I was wrong. I hope you can forgive me, and I promise that nothing like this will happen again in the future.¡± Addison crossed her arms in front of her chest and reminded, ¡°What about me? Remember? You scolded me just now as well.¡± Janice bent her upper body in a 90-degree angle bow. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Addison. I was wrong!¡± Addison was a conscientious person. When she heard that Janice had apologized, she thought she had really changed, so she didn¡¯t pursue it any further. Elise, on the other hand, clearly saw through Janice¡¯s motives because she didn¡¯t believe people could change this quickly. She knew Janice was just putting up a show, and once the situation was over, she would revert to her old, despicable self. However, she still had to cooperate with her to finish the ¡®show¡¯. Though it was shameful to be fake, one could win sympathy that way. Elise couldn¡¯t bring herself to do such a thing, but she could forgive her generously and gain a lot of goodwill. While everyone was waiting for Elise¡¯s response, she only said lightly, ¡°Let¡¯s forget this matter. I didn¡¯t n to take it to heart anyway.¡± Knowing that being benevolent could get her a long way, Elise felt that, in contrast, she waspletely trampling Janice under her feet with her kindness. Seeing that Elise had let go, Alexander figured he should just leave it at that. He calmly handed the suitcase into her hands, and while Elise wasn¡¯t paying attention, hended a kiss on her forehead in public and left quickly. Everyone was so caught off guard to have witnessed the public disy of affection. With a loud ¡®ew¡¯, they scattered and left immediately. However, Elise was still stunned in ce. After what seemed like forever, she slowly touched the ce where she had been kissed just now. It felt cold¡ªas if she had just been shocked. So this is what it¡¯s like to be in love? I have to admit this¡ªit¡¯s amazing. ¡­ On the day of the wee party, the drama would be debuting as the finale of the program, and the actors were in full swing backstage, putting on make-up and reciting their lines. Elise¡¯s song was a reserved program, and Mika would only announce it to the public after the performance of the drama. Even so, Mika was still afraid that Elise would bail on her, so she quickly pulled Elise backstage early. ¡°Hey, my favorite idol, you only need to sit and wait here. You don¡¯t have to do anything nor socialize with anyone, okay? This is a fruit te, and these are some snacks¡ªyou can eat whatever you want here, and when the timees, I wille in person and bring you on stage!¡± Mika held a fruit te in one hand and snacks in the other, looking considerate like a brothel¡¯s madam. Getting the vibe that she was being sold to a brothel, Elise pushed Mika out to host helplessly. ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t run away, so don¡¯t worry. Do we not even have that one bit of trust between us?¡± Upon hearing that, Mika felt she shouldn¡¯t keep bugging Elise, so she reluctantly went to the side to prepare. For Elise, performing was her second nature, so there was nothing to be nervous about. She was only worried that some ad hoc situations or the unexpected would take ce. With that worry in mind, she took the costume and cosmetic bag that she had prepared a long time ago and headed to the bathroom to change. Right then, Janice was putting on eye makeup, and she inadvertently caught a glimpse of Elise walking among the actors. ¡°Why is she here?¡± Janiceined angrily to her friends in the same crew. ¡°Can some people respect the actors? How can they juste in casually? Don¡¯t they know that it will affect the preparation work?¡± A ssmate in the same crew nced in Elise¡¯s direction and began gossiping, ¡°It seems that the host brought her in. Well, she has a rtionship with the host; who wouldn¡¯t use a back door if there is one?¡± Her tone was nothing but bitter, as if she couldn¡¯t wait to get rid of her. Janice snorted coldly and secretly cursed Elise in her heart. Suddenly, she had a sh of inspiration and thought of a good idea, so she hooked her finger to the friend next to her, and the two gathered together to whisper among each other. After hearing this, the female ssmate asked hesitantly, ¡°Can this work?¡± ¡°How do you know if you don¡¯t try?¡± Janice looked as if she was confident in winning. She tried to coax the friend again and again. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . ¡°Besides, look at Elise¡¯s arrogant look¡ªshe¡¯s always so proud and looking down on everyone. Don¡¯t you want to kill her spirit a little?¡± Hearing what she said, the female ssmate patted her thigh determinedly and agreed. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s just do it!¡± Then, while no one was paying attention, the female ssmate slipped out quietly and turned off her phone so no one could get in touch with her. Twenty minutester, the backstage went into a havoc. ¡°Oh, no! The supporting female character is gone!¡± Chapter 289 Chapter 289 Chapter 289 Her Greed Led to Her Own Demise,Coolest Girl in Town Elise was about to add something on her eye makeup when there was a knock on the door. ¡°Elise, are you inside?¡± Could it be that Mika called someone to guide me onstage? After hurriedly drawing a few more strokes on her face, Elise opened the door and went out. Elise didn¡¯t know the person at the door. She thought she had hallucinations and asked tentatively, ¡°Did you call for me?¡± The female ssmate nodded. ¡°I¡¯m from the dance group. The drama group is looking for you everywhere, so I just called out your name, but I didn¡¯t expect you to be here. Quickly, follow me to the back stage!¡± Elise had a bad feeling about it, but she still went back anyway. She opened the curtain and entered the dressing room, only to find out that Jose was losing his temper. ¡°I don¡¯t care, Janice. I came to be a support because of you, but now you want me to go on stage and be a joke? Don¡¯t even think about it!¡± He had a gloomy face, looking as if he could devour someone, so no one dared to go forward to persuade him. Without the most important supporting roles, the whole drama seemed to have a beginning and no proper end, and even if they bit the bullet and acted it out, the audience might end up not understanding what the whole drama was about. The most likely oue would be it being edited into funny videos by the whole school, which meant they would be left with a bad name forever. Jose did not only represent himself; other actors were actually secretly thinking of backing out as well, but because of Janice¡¯s aggressiveness, they dared not say it explicitly. ¡°Jose, don¡¯t worry. There is always a solution to everything. Let me think about it¡­¡± Janiceforted the man in front of her, but she would nce at the entrance from time to time, and finally, she saw Elise, who had somehow managed to be uglier. ¡°Elise!¡± Janice raised her voice and walked over to Elise while shouting. ¡°So great that you are here!¡±T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Elise didn¡¯t manage to escape and was abruptly hugged by Janice. Her face was stered with awkwardness and reluctance. One by one, she pried Janice¡¯s fingers away with disgust. ¡°If you have something to say, say it. Don¡¯t do this¡ªwe are not that close.¡± Janice, on the other hand, pretended to be generous and tried to tter Elise. ¡°You¡¯re still angry with me about what happened before? Fine, then I¡¯ll apologize again. I was wrong. Please forgive me, okay?¡± Jose stood up with his knight¡¯s helmet and asked casually, ¡°What happened before?¡± Janice hurriedly exined, ¡°It was nothing. It was just a little misunderstanding, Jose. Don¡¯t worry about it¡ªwe can solve it among ourselves.¡± Elise had nothing to say¡ªshe thought that Janice¡¯s choice of using the word ¡®we¡¯ to describe her and Janice was quite disgusting. Seeing that Jose was convinced, Janice pursued her victory and began attacking Elise. ¡°So, Elise, this is what happened: I don¡¯t know why, but we can¡¯t get in touch with the ssmate who is ying the role of a witch. The drama is about to start, and only you are an outsider who¡¯s familiar with the script¡­ Do you think you can carry the role and help us out with our issue?¡± So, that¡¯s her n. When reading the script, Elise had noticed that the two characters, the heroine and the witch, were the most interesting. There was a rival scene between the two¡ªthe heroine shed the witch with a knife, which led to a good ending in the y. When Elise got the role of the heroine, she was thinking that it was just a concession Janice had to make. In fact, Janice¡¯s real purpose was to make her y the witch. The role would be hated by the audience and tortured by the heroine in the y. Originally, she thought that quitting the drama would avoid this conflict, but she didn¡¯t expect that Janice still managed to rope her in. Everyone was waiting for Elise¡¯s reaction, and Jose was particrly impatient. ¡°Stop pretending to be shy, man. There are a lot of scenes involving the witch! Not to mention your face¡­ You don¡¯t even need to put on makeup; you can go on stage directly after changing clothes! So, uh¡­ E-Elise, right? I am ordering you to take the role as a senior. You got it?¡± No one expected Jose to be so disrespectful to girls, and there were even some whispers passing around the crowd. Even so, no one dared to stand up to defend Elise at this critical moment, so they could only look at her with sympathy, hoping for a miracle to happen, while also expecting Elise to be this miracle that they were all waiting for. Once there was a conflict of interest, then the sacrifices of others would tacitly be insignificant. Elise looked at the room of her so-called ¡®school mates¡¯ and knew that she had be all of their targets. Whether she agreed to it or not, the sess or failure of the drama rested on her shoulders. She suddenly raised the corner of her mouth yfully and smiled happily. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll take the role, but I have to tell you first: I prefer to get creative. If I were to improvise some scenes, can you guys handle it?¡± Jose picked up his helmet and turned around. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about this. Everyone is a professional here. As long as the scene of the prince rescuing the princess is sessfully performed, it wouldn¡¯t make much of a difference.¡± Janice patted Elise on the shoulder, pretending to be kind. ¡°Yes. Jose is from the performance faculty, so let¡¯s just trust him!¡± Elise lowered her eyes without saying a word, her sharp eyes fixed on the slender fingers on her shoulders. She was considering whether to carry a knife with her or wear a coat with spiked shoulders next time. Janice¡¯s eyes followed Elise¡¯s gaze and traveled to her fingers. Feeling inexplicably flustered, she slowly retracted her hand. She secretly gulped but still kept an arrogant appearance on the outside. Happy with the expectation of making Elise make a fool of herself in public, Janice pped her palms and went back to her seat to touch up her makeup. A kind-hearted ssmate brought Elise a costume and said, ¡°Elise, this is the witch¡¯s costume. You can put it on now¡ªit will be our turn in a few minutes.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Elise nodded, then went to change her outfit. 10 minutester, at the front stage. The lights on the stage went out and turned on again. The props team had already arranged the background of the y, and the stage was like a fairy tale pce. ¡°Let the show begin!¡± The music yed, and the curtain slowly parted to show the princess, yed by Janice, lying still on the crystal bed while Elise, whose role was a witch, held a magic wand in her hand and chanted spells around the princess¡­ The scene progressed step by step. The knight came on stage, rescued the princess, and the two worked together to wound the witch. Finally, in thest scene, the knight gave the sword to the princess, letting her destroy the evil in the world with her own hands. If everything went ordingly, through a specific angle, the audience would witness this sword being pierced through the heart of the witch, and she would finally fall to the ground. However, when the sword in Janice¡¯s hand was lifted up and swung out, Elise was keenly aware that the sword was clearly aimed at her left eye. With a sneer on Janice¡¯s mouth, she lunged toward Elise¡¯s eye without hesitation. She wanted to see how Elise could keep her arrogance once she had lost her eye! In a matter of seconds, Elise got up from the ground all of a sudden, and like a heroic general, she knocked away the sword in Janice¡¯s hand with one palm. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Both Jose and Janice were taken aback. The curtain call wasing soon, and this was definitely not the time for an improv scene! Elise took off her cloak, threw away the witch hat, and faced the audience majestically. ¡°Oh, heroic prince, you have passed the test. You can now marry my beloved daughter. The two countries shall establish diplomatic rtions and never cross each other!¡± Jose was stunned for a moment, then he immediately understood. He kneeled down on one knee, sped his hands, and said, ¡°I see. I appreciate your wisdom, my queen, and I vow to live up to your expectations!¡± Janice was stunned. What is going on? A witch turned into a queen? Judging from the situation, I feel like I should be on my knees too! Before she could react, she was dragged to her knees by Jose with a thud. Her knees were deeply hurt by the wooden floor, but Janice could only endure the pain. Elise put her hands behind her back, then walked proudly in front of Janice as she lowered her eyes and asked, ¡°My daughter, are you not satisfied with your mother¡¯s arrangement?¡± Audiences would always bring the characters of a drama into real life. If she publicly admitted that she was Elise¡¯s daughter today, she would definitely have to bear the name of ¡®Elise¡¯s daughter¡¯ throughout the next four years of her college life. Janice really wanted to reply otherwise, but under the gaze of the public, she could only pretend to be virtuous and pure. She nodded shyly. ¡°I am satisfied, of course. You are the greatest mother!¡± The evils one brought on themself were the hardest to bear. It was obvious that Janice was ill-intended; otherwise, Elise would not try to disgrace her in public. Her vileness led to her own demise. Elise nodded with satisfaction, looked at the audience, and said the closing line generously, ¡°Through hardships can we see what is true!¡± Chapter 290 Chapter 290 Chapter 290 Supporting the Event, or Smashing It?,Coolest Girl in Town The apuse continued long after the curtain fell, proving that the performance was a great sess. At the back stage, the actors removed their makeup, changed their clothes, then moved on to taking group photos and posting them on social media. Elise was about to change clothes when she was grabbed by Janice, who came over out of the blue. ¡°What the hell was that on stage just now?¡± Elise stared at her hand nkly, and her intimidating aura exuded so naturally that Janice was frightened and let go of her hand subconsciously. ¡°The scene just now can be defined as a performance ident. Do you know how serious it is?¡± Janice said with only little confidence while she gulped to keep up her appearance. Someone next to them couldn¡¯t bear hearing what Janice was using Elise of and interjected, ¡°Enough, Janice. Didn¡¯t the drama end well just now? If Elise hadn¡¯t stepped in and helped, there wouldn¡¯t even be a performance for us to do in the first ce. Don¡¯t be ridiculous.¡± ¡°I know, right! I think Elise¡¯s acting was pretty good. She did this well even though she never rehearsed. It¡¯s already very good!¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s already good that she was willing to help. Some people only think about getting their personal revenge here¡­¡± ¡°Who are you talking about!¡± Janice¡¯s eyes were red from the embarrassment. ¡°Who is thinking about their personal revenge? I am here for art, understand? The whole script was about great love, not individualistic maternal love. Elise just changed the entire idea behind the y!¡± Someone¡¯s voice rang from the corner. ¡°Come on. You just think she stole the spotlight, right? Do you have to be so bitter over it?¡± ¡°Who said that? Show yourself!¡± Janice thought that her reasons were high-sounding, but little did she expect that she would be the target of public criticism and was a little furious for a while. Elise patted the ce that Janice touched just now and said slowly when everyone was silent, ¡°Why don¡¯t you exin first? In thestBelonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. scene, why did you try to pierce my left eye with that knight¡¯s sword? ¡± Janice was stunned for a moment, and her brows were slightly wrinkled. She actually noticed it. Panic shed in her eyes, then she quickly gathered her thoughts and retorted almost immediately, ¡°I see it now. It¡¯s because you thought I was going to blind you, so you changed the scene on stage; is that it? Elise Sinir, just because vicious thoughts dwell in your mind, you treat the whole world to be as unscrupulous as you? The whole school¡¯s freshmen were sitting in the audience seats, and there were so many leaders present. If I stabbed you, it would be seen as assault, and I¡¯d be sentenced. How would I do that? You ruined the whole drama just because of your viinous heart. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve gone too far?¡± No one responded. They were supposed to celebrate the sess of the performance, but they had to listen to Janice¡¯s endless nagging instead, so the good atmosphere was practically half gone. In contrast, they were more willing to stand on Elise¡¯s side. After all, this was the highest-ranking institution in the country, and the students were not a bunch of senseless idiots. They were still able to distinguish the right from wrong, and the good from evil; they naturally knew how to weigh them ordingly. Although they didn¡¯t say anything, it didn¡¯t mean that they didn¡¯t know what was going on. Elise was toozy to entertain such a capricious viin, so she gave her a cold look and left through the side door. As the final guest, the preparation time given would not be too long, so she had to hurry to Mika¡¯s lounge to find the mask. On the other hand, Alexander and Jack recognized Elise¡¯s witch appearance in the drama, so they got up from the judge¡¯s seat and prepared to go backstage to congratte her. Nevertheless, the two looked around but did not find Elise in the dressing room. Knowing that she didn¡¯t particrly enjoy lively atmospheres, the two went to the back door to look for her. When they were about to reach the door, they heard someone talking, so they subconsciously slowed down their steps. At the door, Janice vigntly took a look at the surrounding environment; after making sure no one was around, she handed a ck garbage bag that seemed to be wrapped around a long object to a man. The man took the thing and asked respectfully, ¡°Miss, were you able to use it?¡± Janice said angrily, ¡°No! She noticed it and dodged. She¡¯s wasted my effort! Elise Sinir, that little b*tch! I will ruin her face some day. Let¡¯s see what else she has to be proud of then!¡± ¡°You can rest assured, miss. Whatever it is, as long as you want to do it, I will help you achieve it¡ªno matter the cost.¡± The man was sincere, and his gaze on Janice was almost too gentle. Janice obviously dismissed this and uttered, ¡°I want Elise Sinir to die and disappear from this world forever. Can you do it?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± The man hesitated. ¡°Look¡ªyou only talk big! You men are either mean to girls or just dumb pieces of rocks. Why is nothing going my way?¡± Janice looked the man up and down, then turned and walked back in. As soon as she stepped into the door, she bumped into Alexander and Jack and was so startled that she even hupped. ¡°W-When did you guys get here?¡± Janice asked tremblingly. Jack put his hands in his pockets while narrowing his eyes slightly and raised his eyebrows before saying, ¡°You seem to have a problem with my sister-inw, huh?¡± ¡­ In the hall, the judges were scoring the drama while Mika took the stage again as the host. This was something she had experienced countless times since she was a child, but this time, she was particrly excited. ¡°Dear freshmen and honorable teachers, the drama is over, and today¡¯s event is about toe to an end. Let us have today¡¯s special guest sing Miss H¡¯s hit song, All Zeroes, to wrap it all up properly.¡± The lights in the audience dimmed instantly, and the spotlight hit the center of the stage as the song yed. Under the gaze of countless audiences, Elise, who wore a white off-shoulder dress, stepped on her high heels and slowly walked toward the light with a fox mask. With a perfect model¡¯s figure and her long hair down, she looked like the embodiment of a goddess. ¡°Take me to your heart¡­¡± The moment the mysterious beauty sang out the lyrics to the song, it was as if everyone had been captivated and ensnared¡ªtheir ears were filled with the blissful melody. ¡°This voice¡­ Could it be H?¡± ¡°It¡¯s so familiar. It¡¯s so touching that I want to cry the moment I hear it. Only my idol can sing like this¡ªit must be her!¡± ¡°My God! H actually showed herself in the auditorium of Tissote University!¡± The entire auditorium was in an uproar. All the students held hands and raised their light sticks; following Elise¡¯s voice, they were submerged in her captivating singing. Some people cried with joy, while some people couldn¡¯t help but immerse themselves in the song. This song seemed to have a magical power. In the end, aside from the judges, everyone was singing along. Those who thought they could outsmart themittee had already boldly left the stands and rushed to the backstage, but they were all intercepted by the security guards. When the dean¡¯s assistant saw this, he wiped his imaginary sweat and pulled Mika aside. ¡°Mika, who is the mysterious singer that you invited? Could it really be H, like they said?¡± Mika giggled sloppily. ¡°Of course not! It¡¯s just an ordinary friend of mine who came to show support because her voice sounded like H¡­¡± The assistant broke out in a cold sweat just after wiping off the sweat. When he saw the security guard who was barely holding on, he pulled a long face. ¡°Are you sure she is supporting the event, and not crashing it?¡± Chapter 291 Chapter 291 Chapter 291 She Doesn¡¯t Trust Him,Coolest Girl in Town Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°Although the song has ended, the party goes on. Thanks everyone for showing up. Let¡¯s meet again next time!¡± After saying that, Elise lifted her dress, made a simple bow to the crowd, and left the stage quickly. Then, she slipped into Mika¡¯s lounge, changed, and took off her mask¡ªeverything was done in one swift move. She had just hidden the mask when the curtain at the door was suddenly lifted by someone. Next to the door, Addison stood there with a somber expression, and it turned into surprise when she caught sight of Elise. ¡°Elise? What are you doing here?¡± As she spoke, her eyes had already scanned through the entire room. That can¡¯t be, she thought. I clearly saw Hing this way. Why isn¡¯t she here? ¡°I¡¯m waiting for Mika here. She¡¯s the host, isn¡¯t she?¡± Elise answered without even flinching. Sensing something amiss with Elise, Addison asked suspiciously, ¡°Was anyone else here?¡± Continuing with her pretense, Elise asked, ¡°Does Mika count?¡± Disappointed, Addison thought, Looks like I really came looking in the wrong direction. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Wait for her, then. I¡¯m going back now.¡± She was about to leave when she heard Mika trotting happily toward the lounge while calling Elise¡¯s name excitedly, ¡°Elise, Elise! You sang so well!¡± When thest word left her lips, she happened to run face-to-face into Addison. It didn¡¯t ur to Mika that there would be someone else besides Elise in the room, and thinking that she might have exposed her idol¡¯s secret, she was momentarily stumped for words. Meanwhile, Elise desperately cast her looks, but to no avail. Addison was no fool, and she nced from left to right. Finally, she fixed her eyes on Elise, confirming her as the target and pointed at her. ¡°You are H?¡± While there were people who adored H in a loud and shy manner, there were also those who liked her in a silent manner, and Addison belonged to thetter group. The lyrics written by H apanied her though all the important stages of her life, and their existence were akin to a religion for her. Never did she mention this to anyone else, and she would just like to cherish this by herself. The moment the woman in a mask started singing on stage, Addison already recognized the voice, and she was literally the first one who tried to rush to the backstage. However, the security guard took his job very seriously, so she had to go downstairs and up again in a detour to sneak in through the back door, all for the sake of meeting H once. Seizing the uncertainty in Addison¡¯s voice, Elise decided to y it to her advantage by ¡®admitting¡¯ to it. Raising her chest, she said, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m the H who performed earlier.¡± As she had expected, Addison would doubt her when she answered with such confidence. Narrowing her eyes, Addison tried to make sure again, asking, ¡°So, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem if you sing one of H¡¯s famous songs, ¡®Zero¡¯, to prove yourself, right?¡± With a shrug, Elise opened her mouth with the music, but this time, she deliberately changed her tone. ¡°The things on the weekend¡­¡± Sure enough, she had barely finished two sentences when Addison crossed her arms over her chest and gestured for her to stop. ¡°Stop! That¡¯s enough.¡± She waved her hand, lowering her head in disappointment. ¡°You¡¯re not her.¡± She¡¯s merely someone who sounds closest to H so far, Addison thought. I was too impatient. Just like God, H is above everyone else and wouldn¡¯t show herself easily to themoners. Seeing this, Mika decided to follow up with Elise¡¯s n. Jumping behind Addison, she then clung onto her like a hook. ¡°You¡¯re amazing! You can recognize her voice so quickly! She really sounds like H, doesn¡¯t she? I think so too, and that was why I begged her toe here and help me out. So many people outside thought the same as you, thinking that H really came to Tissote University!¡± Awkwardly, Addison smiled, but she was secretly feeling helpless. Thanks to you, so many people just had a daydream! Then, she turned to Elise and saw that she still had a nonchnt look on her face, as though everything that happened to her were like fists hitting cotton and had no effect on her at all. I should really learn to be asposed as her! Nearby, Alexander watched all of Elise¡¯s expressions carefully, and he almost crushed the cell phone he was holding in his hand. This was the same way Elise got away with things in front of him. Exactly how many identities and secrets are this woman¡ªthe only one who caught my heart¡ªhiding from me? Regarding Sare, he had sought to verify it many times, but he only found out the truth from someone else in the end. Indeed, there weren¡¯t so many coincidences in this world. If there were, they were merely nned by some people. In her life, am I also one of the chess pieces she could manipte as she likes? With this question in his mind, Alexander left the spot and waited for a while behind the door. When he saw Eliseing out, he hid behind a pir in the hallway and gave her a call. Hearing the vibration of her cell phone, Elise stopped in her tracks and ced her phone next to her ear. ¡°Hello, Mr. Griffith. Do you miss me a ton after not seeing me for just a day?¡± Alexander forced out a chuckle and diverted the topic bluntly. ¡°Elise, are there two different people in this world with the exact same voice?¡¯ ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Feeling rather lighthearted, Elise continued walking as she spoke. ¡°But I think that¡¯s possible; otherwise, how can you exin the existence of twins?¡± Almost immediately, he replied, ¡°So, are you and Sare the same person?¡± The expression on her face froze, and she stood frozen on the spot as her mind went nk. ¡°What made you say that?¡± Furrowing his brows deeply, he gritted his teeth tightly and said slowly after controlling his emotions, ¡°Ipared your voice prints to that of Sare¡¯s, and it¡¯s almost a perfect match.¡± Stepping out from behind the pir, he slowly paced toward her. His eyes, which were fixed on her back, didn¡¯t blink or rx for even a second, and the unease in his heart was like a big, ck patch of dark clouds hovering over the skies. Even he didn¡¯t know what he was worried about, but he felt that Elise was so near and yet so far from himself at the same time, as though they couldn¡¯t face each other honestly, and he could never walk into her heart. Reaching out his hand, he was about to pat her shoulder and call out her name when he heard her voice from the call, saying casually, ¡°It¡¯s only almost a perfect match.¡± He hung his hand mid- air and froze there, unsure whether to move forward or keep away. Relieved that he had used the word ¡®almost¡¯, Elise continued, ¡°Since it¡¯s not a perfect match, that shows that it¡¯s only simr. Voice prints and IDs are the same. Everyone has their own unique voice prints and IDs. That can¡¯t be wrong.¡± The more she spoke, the softer her voice became, and when she sensed that he didn¡¯t want to continue the topic, she decided not to go on. ¡°Are you really suspicious that I¡¯m Sare?¡± she asked tentatively. But there was no reply from him, and she urged, ¡°Alex, are you listening?¡± Behind her, Alexander turned off his phone slowly and stuck his hands into his pockets. Letting out a long sigh, he said with an exasperated look in his eyes, ¡°I¡¯m not suspicious. I know for sure that you¡¯re her.¡± For a moment, Elise was confused before she finally realized that the voice came from behind herself. Turning around, she then saw the hurt look on his face, and she asked in puzzlement, ¡°What happened to you?¡± Alexander couldn¡¯t be sure whether he shouldugh or cry; until now, Elise still didn¡¯t think that it was a big deal to hide her identity from him. However, when he gazed at herposed face, it suddenly struck him¡ªshe didn¡¯t trust him. Chapter 292 Chapter 292 Chapter 292 A Game the Couple ys,Coolest Girl in Town Is this the result ofparing the pros and cons after being together? Unwittingly, Alexander wondered just what kind of ce he had in Elise¡¯s heart. Very quickly, Elise reacted to the situation. From thest thing he said on the phone, he sounded a little fluky. ¡°What do you mean by what you just said?¡± She doesn¡¯t look like she wants toe clean at all, he thought speechlessly and opened the window containing information about Sare. Pacing to her, he then grabbed her hand and ced the phone on it. After making sure that she was holding the phone, he spun around and left without turning back. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Elise opened her mouth and wanted to stop him, but no words came out. Lifting the phone, she nced at it and suddenly understood what was going on. From afar, she watched his back disappear into the endless night, and she sighed deeply. She didn¡¯t realize when it had started, but she was actually connected to and able to feel the pain of this man. Just like now, even though there wasn¡¯t any interaction, her spirit gradually fell glum as he walked further and further away. Previously, Alexander did mention that he hated being deceived the most, and she had stepped on his bottom line. Despite that, Elise didn¡¯t think that it was such an unforgivable act that she tried to hide her identity in order to protect herself. Furthermore, her identity as the interpreter happened after they met, but there was simply no suitable opportunity for her toe clean. After all, she couldn¡¯t grab him suddenly and start pouring out to him all the skills she had learned since young. That would be simr to blowing her own trumpet; she couldn¡¯t do it, and neither would she do such a thing. All of a sudden, she felt a vibration on her hand, and it was a notification from Alexander¡¯s text messaging service. As he didn¡¯t set up a lockscreen, she could see the list of messages by just lifting her hand. There were some from thepany and also from the Griffith brothers. Staring at the screen of the phone, she burst into a giggle out of the blue and muttered to herself, ¡°Looks like he trusts me a lot.¡± A few secondster, she gathered her emotions and kept the phone away in her backpack. As if nothing had happened, she paced toward the dorms. She had to admit that everything was very comfortable when both of them were together by themselves, and if she had to choose one person to spend the rest of her life with, that person would definitely be Alexander. But a rtionship wasn¡¯t something that would work purely by logical analysis. With different values and life experiences, there would be disagreements about the same topic. In the end, couples still split up because they had different views in life. Both Elise and Alexander weren¡¯t ordinary people, and a rtionship was just an extra essory in their lives. While they might have it, it was not a necessity to them. All she could guarantee was that he was a different existence to herpared to everyone else. As for being unreserved, nobody could really open up another¡¯s heart to look into it. There was no need to sugarcoat something uncertain as the problem would always be there and wouldn¡¯t disappear by pretending to be big-hearted. ¡­ The next day early morning, Elise was still nestled in her bedsheets when she was awakened by her monitor, who had woken up before her. ¡°Elise, Professor Merlin from the Math Faculty is waiting for you downstairs.¡± ¡°Oh, I got it. Thanks.¡± In a daze, Elise climbed out of bed and put on a jacket before trotting off downstairs. Right after she reached downstairs, she saw from afar that Professor Merlin was standing at the entrance of the dorms with his back facing her. Quickening her steps, she jogged over. ¡°Professor Merlin, why are you looking for me so early in the morning?¡± The cold wind wheezed past her neck, sending a shiver through her body, and she quickly tightened the jacket around herself. Autumns in Tissote were always like this¡ªcold in the morning and evening, which would cause one to have a cold and fever if they were not careful. The delight on Professor Merlin¡¯s face was beyond words. ¡°Elise, I guess you already know that you¡¯ve passed the pre-trial stage, right?¡± Elise pressed her lips together and said, ¡°I know a little about it. It¡¯s all thanks to your guidance.¡± ¡°Hey, the most important thing in mathematics research is to seek truth from the facts, and you should graciously acknowledge the honor which belongs to you. There¡¯s no need to be so humble about it,¡± he said, adjusting the sses on the bridge of his nose. Despite what he said, he felt a trace offort at Elise¡¯s humility. ttery was not a thing Elise was ustomed to, and she smiled along awkwardly, not knowing what to say. Fortunately, Professor Merlin had a straightforward personality, and he immediately told her the purpose of his visit. ¡°I wanted to tell you that there will be a mathematics field award ceremony tonight. Get ready ande with me to expand yourwork.¡± After years of focusing on mathematics, Professor Merlin knew the various benefits of socializing. Despite his interest, there was only so much to his talent. However, it was different with Elise because he could see the endless possibilities of the country¡¯s mathematics field in her. For the passion in his heart, he would spare no effort to ovee all difficulties and open up the path for Elise. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s such a good idea.¡± Elise, who had little interest in parties and socializing, quickly found an excuse to turn it down. ¡°Those who could attend the ceremony are schrs like you, who have made great contributions to mathematics research. An unknown student like me is not qualified to sit at the same table with the other professors.¡± On the other hand, Professor Merlin merely thought that she was being polite and waved his hand, gesturing to her that he would take care of everything. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about this and just come along. I assure you that no one would dare to stop you.¡± Pausing, he raised two fingers and swayed it in front of Elise. ¡°Now, your name is more famous than mine in the mathematics field,¡± he said with a hint of pride. Since he had said that, Elise couldn¡¯t turn him down anymore and epted it sullenly. In the evening, she picked out and changed into a rtively simple white dress, getting ready for the ceremony. Before she left her ce, the phone in her backpack kept ringing. Following the sound of the ringing, she fished out the phone and saw that the screen of Alexander¡¯s phone was turned on. It was then she remembered that he didn¡¯t even tell her when he woulde and pick it up. As it was Danny who was calling, Elise thought there might be something important and picked up the call. ¡°Hello?¡± Just from one word, Danny was able to recognize her voice. ¡°Boss? Isn¡¯t this Alexander¡¯s phone? Why are you the one who¡¯s picking it up? Are you guys together?¡± After letting out a knowing ¡®oh¡¯, he turned gossipy. ¡°Could it be that¡­ both of you spent the night togetherst night and went all the way? Did you? Am I going to have a nephew soon? Goodness! No, I would like it if it¡¯s a niece as well¡­¡± Dumbfounded, Elise was speechless as well as helpless. This guy has such a rich imagination. Without even flinching, she shattered his dreams indifferently. ¡°You¡¯re overthinking. The truth is, Alex left his phone with me. If you¡¯re so free, thene over and pick it up for him.¡± In an instant, Danny was disheartened. Damn, there goes my baby niece. Lifelessly, he groaned, ¡°You have no idea what it¡¯s like to be single now that you¡¯re in a rtionship. I¡¯m still single while both of you are already a pair. If I don¡¯t race against time, how will I find the one for me? Moreover, I¡¯m not a messenger, and both of you are meeting everyday since you¡¯re still in the heat of a rtionship. Just pass it to Alex when hees to visit you on campus.¡± As Elise had no idea how to exin the problem between herself and Alexander to him, she suddenly slipped into silence. It was fine if he didn¡¯t bring it up, but now that he did, she suddenly felt that there was a hole in her heart, as though she was missing a piece. Both of them had indeed spent too much time together recently, and that was why she couldn¡¯t really get used to it when they didn¡¯t contact or see each other after such a long time. Am I getting used to the feeling of having him by my side? she wondered. Since she wasn¡¯t sure and neither was she in a rush to find out, she said something perfunctory and hung up quickly. ¡°Okay, then. I¡¯ll do it myself. Alright, I¡¯m hanging up now.¡± Then, she quickly ended the call. On the other end, Danny nced at his phone and saw that it had already returned to his contact list page. Recalling Elise¡¯s resolute attitude when she hung up earlier, he somehow felt that there was something odd about it. I didn¡¯t even tell her why I called, and she hung up just like that, as though she didn¡¯t want to speak about Alex, he thought. One is missing in action¡ª not picking up his calls or answering to his messages¡ªwhile the other is acting dodgy and hiding herself. Is this couple dancing to the same tune? Chapter 293 Chapter 293 Chapter 293 Suspected,Coolest Girl in Town In spite of that, there was no way for him to ask about it. On the other hand, Elise wasn¡¯t thinking as much as Danny was; she made her way to the mathematics award ceremony after hanging up. After all, she had already given her word to Professor Merlin; otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t attend such an event given her usual personality. Unexpectedly, before she stepped into the venue, she saw Alexander standing at the entrance. Thinking that he was here to retrieve his cell phone, Elise took out the phone from her pocket and passed it to the man with a stony face in front of her. ¡°Here, your cell phone.¡± Parting his lips, Alexander spat out the words unhappily. ¡°You think I¡¯m here for the phone?¡± After saying that, his face turned even more solemn. ¡°Why else are you looking for me, then?¡± ¡°Elise Sinir,¡± he uttered, deepening the tone of his voice while maintaining his anger. ¡°Am I not worthy of your trust in your heart?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that.¡± Previously, she wanted to avoid the marriage agreement, so she chose to keep many things in the dark. But after that, slowly through their interactions, she fell for Alexander as well. At that moment, a small crowd was starting to build up outside the venue. Looking at the man¡¯s grim face, Elise whispered, ¡°Alexander Griffith, I promised Professor Merlin that I¡¯d attend the ceremony tonight. Can I speak with youter?¡± However, it was as though Alexander didn¡¯t hear a thing she said, and he just stood there without a reply. Then, she grabbed his hand directly and ced the phone on his palm. ¡°Professor Merlin told me about this ceremony at thest moment, and I nned to return your phone personally. Alex, I just wanted to avoid the marriage agreement at first, but trust me¡ªI¡¯ve never nned to keep hiding things from you. Would you like to attend the ceremony together with me now?¡± Softly, he grunted in reply and grabbed her hand, leading her into the event hall. By the time they were inside, everyone else was already there, and the host was on the stage announcing the ten award winners, starting from the tenth ce. Elise didn¡¯t know anyone that was mentioned, until the host reached the seventh ce¡ªJanice Garcia. Receiving an award on the same stage as her was thest thing Elise wanted, and she thought, Just my luck! I really shouldn¡¯t have turned soft-hearted and agreed to Professor Merlin¡¯s invitation to this ceremony. After Janice got off the stage, Elise nced at her from the corners of her eyes, but saw that she was walking toward a man, and that man was none other than Faye¡¯s fianc¨¦, Johan Olson! They know each other?! While she was still in bewilderment over the fact that Janice and Johan knew each other, the host announced the first ce, and the spotlight was on her. Without any questions, she became the focus of all eyes. And Alexander was also exposed in front of everyone without so much as a warning! Seated at the audience seat, he was dressed in a ck suit, knees above each other with his hands stacked on top of them leisurely, looking casual and domineering at the same time. Stunned, everyone didn¡¯t think that Alexander cared that much about Elise. However, Elise also became a subject of Janice¡¯s jealousy. Why is she attending an academic ceremony like this when she has such an awesome fianc¨¦? Did she really obtain the first ce with her own abilities? ¡°I¡¯ve seen people bringing their families to receive an award, but I¡¯ve not seen anyone bringing their backers.¡± ¡°Exactly! Everyone knows your fianc¨¦ is Alexander Griffith, and while there¡¯s nothing we can say about the fact that you have the Griffith Family as your backer, there¡¯s no need for you to be so pompous about it.¡± Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°What do you guys mean by this? Are you implying that Elise got the first ce because her fianc¨¦ bought the position for her?¡± Addison stood up in a huff, feeling unjust. However, someone immediately argued, ¡°The rich have done no less of things like this.¡± ¡°Nonsense! The Mathematical Olympiad is strictly invigted, and there are surveince cameras as well. Are you people questioning theck of strict proctoring?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care if you guys don¡¯t believe me, but I won¡¯t allow you to tarnish my reputation like this.¡± There was no way that Elise would allow people to ruin her name this way. She had no regard for an Olympiad such as this, and after agreeing to Professor Merlin, she had nned to attend this ceremony quietly and leave after receiving the award. However, these people were simply too idle and picking a fight with her out of nothing. ¡°If you really want to stop the rumors, then prove it to us! President Griffith is here, and his family is so influential. How can we be sure that you didn¡¯t use the back door or a special ess?¡± Janice argued in anger. Her words made Elise knot her brows, and she sprang up, but Alexander quickly grabbed her hand to stop her. The next second, he stood up as well and ced her behind himself. ¡°Who are you to question my woman?¡± he asked, scanning across the room with razor-like eyes. In other words, he was saying that it was not up to an insignificant person to prove her abilities. In spite of that, there were many people in the hall, and they became daring because of that. ¡°If she didn¡¯t use your rtions to get this award, then prove it to us in front of everyone! I have a trial question here, which is a question by a renowned mathematician in the country. If you can solve it, I¡¯ll bow down to you and apologize.¡± After saying that, Janice whisked out her cell phone and showed the question. Step by step, she paced toward Elise, and after Elise saw the question, she smirked in indifference. This was a question she had solved when she was ten. ¡°I¡¯m not solving this question¡ª¡± ¡°I think you don¡¯t have the guts to!¡± Not knowing the reason behind Elise¡¯s refusal, Janice ignited the fire on herself. In response, Elise sneered, ¡°It¡¯s got nothing to do with guts. I¡¯ve solved this question before, and it will be unfair if I solve it again. Everything I do is based on my interest, so there¡¯s no need to prove anything to anyone.¡± Tonight, she was here because of Professor Merlin¡¯s invitation, and she didn¡¯t want to blow things up. ¡°It just looks to me that you¡¯re having chicken feet and spouting nonsense in this hall. Anyway, I won¡¯t acknowledge that you got the first ce!¡± Chapter 294 Chapter 294 Chapter 294 Moral Abduction,Coolest Girl in Town Thements came one after the other, and Elise was suddenly caught in the midst of their discussions. ¡°Shut up! If you don¡¯t stop your attacks, I¡¯ll hold all of you ountable ording to the law! My woman doesn¡¯t need to be evaluated by you people!¡± Alexander chided furiously. Even though Elise didn¡¯t think that things would turn out this way, she didn¡¯t want to exin herself further either because it was difficult to shut the mouths of people. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Covering Elise, Alexander brought her toward the exit. With his status, who would dare to stop him? After taking Elise out of the venue, Alexander took out his phone and wanted to call Cameron, but she stopped him. ¡°Forget it. There¡¯s no need to get so worked up with these people.¡± T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°But I can¡¯t allow them to nder you like this!¡± More than not wanting to waste his breath with these people, he was even more unwilling to see them hurt her in such a manner . But no matter what, he wouldn¡¯t let them off so easily! ¡°Thank you, Alex.¡± ¡°Why are you thanking me? I haven¡¯t done anything for real. I just can¡¯t let them walk all over you just like that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true because you stood up for me very well earlier.¡± She wasn¡¯t wrong about him, and neither did she choose the wrong man. Looking at Elise, who was smiling at him, he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Elise, what else are you hiding from me, exactly?¡± Chapter 295 Chapter 295 Chapter 295 Don¡¯t Waste Such a Huge Effort,Coolest Girl in Town Hearing that, Elise couldn¡¯t help but recall Alexander¡¯s lonely back when he walked away just not long ago, and she grabbed his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t you already know all that you should? Were you willing to marry a woman you¡¯d never met before?¡± She hadn¡¯t forgotten how disgusted the Griffith brothers were of her when they first met her back then in her ugly appearance, and how they treated her like an outcast. ¡°Then, why didn¡¯t youe clean to me afterward?¡± Holding her hand, he ced another hand of his softly on her shoulder and gently pulled her in front of himself. Their eyes met, and his fiery dark eyes were fixed so keenly on her that she couldn¡¯t look away. ¡°About that¡­ Think about it, Alex. If I had blurted everything to you afterward, wouldn¡¯t it look like I was blowing my own trumpet and seem very arrogant?¡± ¡°No matter what, you shouldn¡¯t hide anything else from me anymore after this. I¡¯m your fianc¨¦, and I should help you with anything.¡± Then, he pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight. Tight and heavy, his embrace also held a warmth and scent which belonged specially to him. After holding her for a while, he released her and asked, ¡°Should I drop you off at your dorm or your ce?¡± Elise gave it a thought and answered, ¡°At my dorm. I still have some things left to finish.¡± With that, she subconsciously felt for her cell phone, but her pockets were empty! Is my phone¡­ stolen? Seeing the stunned look on her face, Alexander asked in concern, ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°My phone has been stolen.¡± ¡°How did it happen? I¡¯ll get Cameron to check the surveince.¡± Something came into his mind all of a sudden, and the air around him turned cold. He didn¡¯t mind the cell phone itself because he could buy a new one for Elise if it was lost. What bothered him was the fact that someone actually had the nerves to steal right under his nose! ¡°Yeah.¡± Elise nodded and didn¡¯t say anything else. Although Elise was aware of the problem, she would like to find out what the culprit was nning in their minds since Alexander was already determined to find out who it was! Meanwhile, in a Bentley outside the event hall, Janice looked at the cell phone Johan was toying with and frowned. ¡°You¡¯ve been staring at this phone since you got into the car. Does it belong to Elise?¡± Earlier, she had seen someone pass this cell phone to him. ¡°Yeah,¡± Johan admitted. At the end of the day, Elise was just a woman, and he was confident that he could win her over. Despite that, Janice was puzzled. ¡°Does Elise have such a huge charm that it¡¯s worth your effort to pickpocket her cell phone?¡± Especially when it¡¯s a phone locked with a password, she finished in her head. Instead of replying, Johan merely smirked wickedly. ¡°My advice to you is to return the cell phone or throw it away. Do you think that a person like Elise wouldn¡¯t be able to find her lost cell phone? Also, don¡¯t forget how protective Alexander was toward her earlier!¡± Disgruntled, Janice thought, He can stare at a cell phone for such a long time and is so interested in Elise. If everything goes as he wants, then¡­ This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Previously, when he told me that it was a marriage of convenience, I couldn¡¯t fight it or snatch him away, but nowes another Elise Sinir. What does that make me, then? ¡°Alexander Griffith is nothing to me,¡± Johan snorted coldly, and a vicious smile appeared on his lips. I wonder¡ªwhen will Elisee looking for me? Chapter 296 Chapter 296 Chapter 296 Another Identity Discovered,Coolest Girl in Town At the same time, Cameron arrived at the scene very quickly, but the surveince was destroyed, and all the leads were gone. ¡°President Griffith, I¡¯m afraid that we can¡¯t find the culprit¡­¡± With his head lowered, Cameron was prepared to get a scolding. Seeing that, Elise said, ¡°Don¡¯t continue to investigate the cell phone. I don¡¯t mean anything else, but the person who¡¯s meant to appear will eventually show up.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll send people to follow you.¡± Holding her hand tightly, Alexander wouldn¡¯t allow anything to happen to her! However, Elise didn¡¯t really want that. ¡°That¡¯s not a good idea. I¡¯m attending sses, and if you send someone to protect me ¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make the proper arrangements so that you won¡¯t be affected.¡± He shed her a gentle smile and brushed the hair on her forehead to the back of her head. ¡°Okay, then.¡± Since he had already said that, there was nothing else for her to say. The whole way, Alexander didn¡¯t release his grip on her hand, and he was driving when she wanted to draw her hand away. Before getting out of the car, she warned him sternly because of this. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t do this anymore when you¡¯re driving. Do you think you¡¯re a rally driver, driving with one hand? Don¡¯t think that you can do as you please just because you¡¯re an amazing racer!¡± ¡°How did you know that I¡¯m an amazing racer?¡± Catching the main point, Alexander questioned her with narrowed eyes as he observed her. ¡°Of course I know. The young masters at home¡ª¡± ¡°Wait. Where were you when I was racing?¡± It wasn¡¯t that easy to fool him, and his eyes turned as sharp as an eagle¡¯s. Suddenly, Elise was stumped for words. ¡°You¡¯re Sue, the racer,¡± he said affirmatively. ¡°Yes.¡± At this point. there was nothing to deny anymore. In addition, he had mentioned a few times that he didn¡¯t like to be deceived. Without looking away, he parted his lips and asked in a solemn voice, ¡°Do you know that I¡¯ve been looking for you?¡± ¡°I know,¡± she answered with a nod. She really disliked this look from him. Under this gaze of his, she felt as though she was a criminal being interrogated. ¡°But I have to make it clear that I really didn¡¯t want to ept an arranged marriage at that time. However, the rules of thepetition were clear, and there was also the cash prize. So, do you think that I would let such a huge opportunity pass by?¡± She sighed before continuing her exnation. ¡°Even when you kept asking and looking for me, I could only keep avoiding it. Otherwise, what should I do once you discover my identity? There was no more racing activity after that, right?¡± ¡°Then, do you know that a few years ago¡ª¡± Alexander had yet to finish his sentence when a voice broke him off. ¡°Elise.¡± It was a woman¡¯s voice. Hearing that, Alexander furrowed his brows. But this voice was very familiar to Elise. It¡¯s Janice Garcia. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Are you looking for me?¡± Turning over to the source of the voice, Elise saw Janice walking toward her slowly. After seeing a nod from Janice, Elise released her seatbelt and opened the door, saying as she was getting out, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. You should go back and rest first.¡± Gazing at her, Alexander slowly curved the edges of his lips upward. Somehow, all the answers were already written a long time ago! ¡­ After getting out of the car, Elise knitted her brows slightly and asked, ¡°You¡¯ve been waiting here for me?¡± When she was still seated in Alexander¡¯s car and hadn¡¯t even opened the door or rolled down the window yet, Janice had already called out to her. What was this if not a deliberate effort? Again, Janice nodded. ¡°Just tell me directly what you want.¡± ¡°Elise Sinir, I hope you won¡¯t spread the word about me and Johan!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me this because I¡¯m not a busybody!¡± Chapter 297 Chapter 297 Chapter 297 There Can Only Be One of Us,Coolest Girl in Town The next day, Elise was shaken awake by a person while she was still dreaming, and that person was none other than Addison. ¡°Wake up, Elise. Someone came to deliver you a parcel and breakfast.¡± Since Elise was not a person who liked to stay in bed, plus she wanted to know as well who had sent her a parcel and breakfast, she got up. After opening the package, she saw a cell phone, which was delicately wrapped, and a card with big, bold words written on it: ¡®The SIM card is included. Call me after receiving this.¡¯ It¡¯s from Alex! All of a sudden, she was touched, and her lips turned upward into a smile by reflex. Immediately, she gave him a call. ¡°Have you had your breakfast yet?¡± A gentle voice echoed into her ears slowly and reached all the way into her heart, which skipped a beat and turned even warmer. ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me to give you a call after receiving the parcel? Isn¡¯t it good that I called you right away?¡± ¡°Yes, but I wish that you¡¯d take care of your health first,¡± he said with a smile. Meanwhile, Cameron, who came into Alexander¡¯s office to deliver a document, was amazed at the sight. Ever since Alexander announced that he and Elise were engaged, there had been more and more smiles on his face. The others always said that President Griffith has a ruthless personality and is decisive and aloof, but right now, he looks like he¡¯s a very approachable person. ¡°Okay, so I¡¯ll have my breakfast first,¡± Elise said, unable to mask the smile in her voice. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°You must be speaking with that sl*t, Elise, aren¡¯t you?¡± The sharp voice carrying meanments echoed into Alexander¡¯s ears, wiping the smile off his face and turning his expression stiff. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m already engaged to her, and she¡¯ll be your daughter-in- law in the future. How can you speak about her in this manner as an elder?¡± he grumbled unhappily with his brows knitted. Madeline¡¯s heels clicked on the floor as she came in, and she sneered, ¡°It would be better if she could be of some help to you, but what can she help you with? At the ceremonyst night, you totally lost your cool over a woman!¡± He already instructed someone to block the news about what happenedst night at the mathematics award ceremony, but he didn¡¯t expect that his mother would still find out about it. ¡°Who will protect my woman if not me?¡± he rebuked with a grim face. He would not allow anyone to nder Elise like this¡ªnot even his mother! ¡°Well said! Alexander Griffith, don¡¯t you forget that I¡¯m your mother, and I don¡¯t agree to this marriage. In addition, your grandfather had just passed away, so no wedding is to be organized for the next three years to show your respect!¡± she argued stubbornly and stopped in front of him. ¡°I know that, so you don¡¯t have to remind me in this way. Since you said that there would be no wedding allowed for the next three years, then what about Maya?¡± Even though Alexander didn¡¯t want to argue with her, her relentless attitude was wearing his patience thin. ¡°She¡¯s my goddaughter and great in all aspects, be it her family background or personality. So I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be an amazing help to you if you¡¯re with her. Besides the fact that your grandfather was friends with Elise¡¯s grandfather, what else does she have?¡± Losing all his patience, Alexander sounded a little more frustrated as he said, ¡°Mom, we¡¯re already engaged, and everyone in Athesea knows. Why are you saying such things? What will others think of me if I go back on my word now?¡± ¡°What will others think of you? Both of you are not actually married yet, and you can always cancel an engagement. I¡¯ve never liked her to begin with, and even more so after what happened yesterday.¡± She then snorted and continued, ¡°Whatever it is, I came here to tell you today that there can only be one of us¡ªeither me or her!¡± ¡°Do you really want to push things to this extent?¡± Alexander¡¯s face was stony, and his eyes turned icy all of a sudden. Thest thing he wanted was a confrontation with his mother. Seeing his face, Madeline sniggered, but she was heartbroken on the inside. ¡°I¡¯m not the one who wants to push things to this extent, but you¡¯re the one who¡¯s going against me. We¡¯re mother and son, and your father is just unreliable. Whose advice should you heed if not mine? Regardless, I¡¯m leaving my words here. If you insist on going against me, you can forget that I¡¯m your mother. Or else, I¡¯ll definitely drive out this woman named Elise Sinir and even make her disappear!¡± To begin with, Madeline already didn¡¯t like Elise, and especially after what happenedst night, she completely realized that she was nothing but a disaster! If they continue their rtionship, the one who will be affected is Alex! she thought. Furthermore, Elise has never been honest from the beginning. Who knows what else she¡¯s hiding behind her back? Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I dare you,¡± Alexander hissed through gritted teeth. When the words left his mouth, Madeline was stunned, and she turned to him in shock, thinking that she had heard him wrongly. But when she saw how steely he looked, she realized that everything was real¡ªAlexander had really said something so harsh to his own mother because of Elise. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I? Are you going to kill me if I really kill her?¡± Chapter 298 Chapter 298 Chapter 298 Continue to Follow Up on the Andersons,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°You¡¯re just pushing me to a corner, then,¡± Alexander spat out angrily, sounding determined. Stunned at his words, Madeline couldn¡¯t believe that he had said those things himself. Just because of Elise, our rtionship has turned so sour now? ¡°If you don¡¯t wish to see me do that, then you should break up with her while it¡¯s still not toote! Or else, you¡¯re just wishing for my death!¡± There was no way that she would back down so easily. After saying that, she spun around and left without looking back. After she left, Alexander immediately called Cameron into the room. ¡°Send more men to protect her. Nothing should happen to her!¡± ¡°Sure thing.¡± As the person who had been working by Alexander¡¯s side the longest, Cameron knew just how much he cared about Elise. At Tissote University, Madeline sashayed into Elise¡¯s dorm, chasing the dorm students out of her way as she went. ¡°Mrs. Griffith, you don¡¯t have to drag other people in just because you¡¯re unhappy with me. I¡¯ll come out with you.¡± Usually, Madeline was a gentle and presentable woman, and Elise knew exactly what she was trying to do. ¡°Birds of a feather flock together! Aren¡¯t you clear enough about my opinion of you? Last night, you dragged Alex with you and ced yourself in the limelight! If it wasn¡¯t because of you, he wouldn¡¯t have been the subject of everyone¡¯s criticism!¡± Clutching her branded purse, Madeline sauntered arrogantly and stopped in front of Elise. At such a close distance, Elise could clearly see the indifference in her eyes as well as her dislike for herself. In addition, from the looks of it, Elise reckoned that she had probably gone to look for Alexander first beforeing to look for her because she couldn¡¯t reach an agreement with him. Pursing her lips, Elise then slowly spoke to express her stand. ¡°No matter how much you make things difficult for me or no matter what you offer me, I won¡¯t leave Alex!¡± Both of them had promised each other that they would be honest with each other. Not only had they had been through so much together,Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. they even promised to be together forever. What would all those promises be if she gave up? However, Madeline merely sniggered. ¡°You¡¯re not giving up no matter what because you have your eyes on the fact that he¡¯s the inheritor of the Griffith Family! Wake up, Elise Sinir. The old master has already passed away, and no one is going to acknowledge this marriage!¡± Even though Madeline had seen Elise standing next to the famous real estate tycoon, Quentin Fassbender, and knew about the rtionship between them, she was still not the least impressed. ¡°This is between Alex and I. Moreover, he didn¡¯t know what I really looked like when we first started dating,¡± Elise said and sighed helplessly. Actually, she didn¡¯t mean anything else; she was just letting Madeline know that the rtionship between her and Alexander had nothing to do with possessions or appearance. In contrast, it was a result of sincere attraction after spending a lot of time together. In the end, her exnation was fiercely rebuked by Madeline. ¡°The cheeks of you to bring that up! Before this, you deliberately hid your appearance to seduce my son, and that goes to show just how scheming you are!¡± Speechless, Elise recalled that she first came to their ce because of the marriage agreement between their grandfathers and to nurture some feelings, but her most initial objective was to destroy the agreement. Who would have thought that things would develop to this? ¡°Mrs. Griffith, I¡¯m not after your son¡¯s wealth nor your family¡¯s influence,¡± she said earnestly after pursing her lips together. Otherwise, why would she confess to Alexander? ¡°What are you after, then? Are you trying to show off your wealth? Elise, since you¡¯re not after anything, why do you have to pester my son instead of anyone else?¡± Madeline asked instead, emphasizing on every word she said. It hit Elise that she could no longermunicate with Madeline, and she was worried that she would get into an argument with her once her emotions got the better of her. So, she decided topromise. ¡°Mrs Griffith, why don¡¯t you give us some time? If we¡¯re really not meant to be, we¡¯ll naturally break up even without your interference.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t¡ª¡± Suddenly, Elise¡¯s phone started to ring, and she felt that this call was her savior because it came at the perfect timing. ¡°I¡¯m going to pick up a call, Mrs. Griffith,¡± she said to Madeline and strode out of her dorm. ¡°What is it?¡± The person who called her was Jamie, and he asked in an aggrieved tone, ¡°Boss, Alex and you became the targets ofizens after attending the ceremony togetherst night. But why didn¡¯t you ask for my help? Are you abandoning me?¡± Elise knitted her brows. ¡°I¡¯ve never said anything like that. Is this issue still brewing on the Inte?¡± If it is, then I have to do something about it. ¡°Not anymore. I was browsing the Inte, and when I clicked on the link, it led to an error page,¡± he exined, still in his aggrieved voice. I got it now, Elise realized. That¡¯s why he thought I abandoned him. ¡°Get a certification of my assets. I¡ª¡± Just as she started to instruct him, she stopped herself all of a sudden. Since Madeline disliked her, a certification of her assets wouldn¡¯t change this fact either. So what was there to prove? ¡°Boss? Why did you stop halfway? What certification would you like?¡± Jamie asked after waiting a while and realizing that she didn¡¯t continue speaking. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just get someone to continue keeping an eye on the Andersons,¡± Elise said. The things Bertha and Jeanie said, in addition to various events, had been on her mind the whole time, and she even had a feeling that she had to do this¡ªshe had to figure out what was going on with the Andersons, or she wouldn¡¯t be at ease! ¡°Keep an eye on the Andersons? Boss, did they offend you?¡± ¡°No. Just do as I said,¡± Elise said, not exining more. In the end, all Jamie could say was, ¡°Okay.¡± After Elise hung up, Matthew called her. ¡°Are you free? There¡¯s something I would like to ask you. May I ask you out for a chat?¡± Chapter 299 Chapter 299 Chapter 299 Always Wanted to Defeat Me,Coolest Girl in Town When Elise heard Matthew¡¯s words, she was instantly stunned. Didn¡¯t the police arrest him? ¡°If you still think of me as a friend, thene. I¡¯ll send the address to your phone.¡± Shortly afterward, Matthew sent his location over. It was a famous Italian restaurant in the south of the city, where reservations were usually required, and the queue may even go up to a few days. Elise hesitated but still went over. To her surprise, Matthew had actually booked the entire restaurant. Why¡¯s he making it such a big deal? ¡°What urgent matter do you need my help with?¡± Elise was confused. Although she didn¡¯t know what happened after the police took him away, now that he was being so extravagant, she wondered whether Alexander had decided to let him go. ¡°Can¡¯t we talk while eating? Besides, I think there¡¯s no hatred between us, so why are you so defensive?¡± A smile yed on Matthew¡¯s lips as he teased Elise and poured her a cup of tea. Matthew isn¡¯t such a healthy person! Looking at him, Elise couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m being defensive. We didn¡¯t have the same interests in mind in the first ce. Matthew, since Alexander has spared you, you should turn over a new leaf.¡± Nevertheless, her advice was immediately rejected by him with augh. Matthew looked up at Elise and said with a low voice, ¡°Turn over a new leaf? Elise, you won¡¯t understand the pain if you weren¡¯t hurt. Do you know how I managed to survive for the past few years? Do you know how I escaped after the police arrested me that day?¡± If it hadn¡¯t been for Matthew¡¯s sudden announcement to establish himself, she wouldn¡¯t have known that he was an illegitimate child. Although she hadn¡¯t experienced Matthew¡¯s life, she could imagine what life was like as an illegitimate child. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . She couldn¡¯t persuade him back then, and seeing the hatred in his eyes now, she knew it wouldn¡¯t work now either. ¡°Then, why¡¯d you call me out here today? Do you want me to have dinner with you, or do you want me to pass a message to Alexander?¡± Elise never picked up the cup of tea Matthew poured for her. Instead, every question she asked had a hidden meaning. ¡°With my current attitude, is there anything else I need to convey to him? Elise, I heard about you and Alexander. His mother doesn¡¯t like you, but I¡¯m different. No one can tell me what to do.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Elise shot up in anger when she heard this. ¡°Did I say anything wrong? I was the first one to discover your true colors, and didn¡¯t youe here in the first ce to pick a husband among the five of us?¡± ¡°Yes, there¡¯s nothing wrong with what you¡¯re saying, but Matthew, I¡¯m now your brother¡¯s fianc¨¦e. I treat you as a friend, and I sincerely hope the best for you, so please stop being so obsessive.¡± ¡°So what?¡± Having gotten such a bleak response, Elise suddenly found him iprehensible. ¡°Isn¡¯t it enough that you killed Grandpa? If it wasn¡¯t because you¡¯re a descendant of the Griffith Family¡ª¡± ¡°Enough!¡± Elise was cut off by Mathew¡¯s furious roar. Elise froze. This was her first time seeing Matthew so angry. ¡°I called you here to ask if you want to be with me or not.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t!¡± Elise replied and threw the facts of the matter to his face. ¡°Even if I wasn¡¯t engaged to your brother, I wouldn¡¯t want to be with you!¡± With that, Elise got up to leave, but Matthew grabbed her. ¡°What, now? You wanna do it the rough way?¡± Elise let out a mockingugh. Without waiting for Matthew¡¯s answer or for her to exert strength again, several tall men in ck suits emerged and surrounded Matthew. Under their oppression, Matthew had no choice but to let go of Elise. Looking at the men, Elise remembered what Alexander had said. All of a sudden, her heart felt warm. Elise hesitated, then said, ¡°Matthew, I don¡¯t want to see you brothers destroying each other.¡± After that, Elise left the restaurant. All the while, the men blocked Matthew. He was the weaker party because he was alone, so he couldn¡¯t chase after her. After the men escorted Elise, Matthew couldn¡¯t suppress his anger and smashed the ss in front of him. ¡­ After Elise came out of the restaurant, the people Alexander had arranged disappeared from sight. She then went to the Griffith Group. Everyone in Athesea knew that she was engaged to Alexander, so naturally, the staff at Griffith Group was no exception. Navigating smoothly through Griffith Group, she arrived at his office, but he was nowhere to be seen. In the end, Cameron, who came back to fetch some documents, saw her. ¡°Miss Sinir, the president is in a meeting now. Would you like to have a drink?¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll notify¡ª¡± ¡°Let him finish his work first,¡± Elise interrupted Cameron. She didn¡¯te here to disturb Alexander anyway. But how could Cameron possibly have the guts to not inform his boss? Hence, he immediately went to the conference room to report Elise¡¯s arrival to Alexander. Before he finished speaking, Alexander got up and left, leaving a room full of puzzled executives. Upon seeing Alexander¡¯s behavior, Cameron smiled. As expected, Miss Sinir is different. In the president¡¯s office, Elise was picking up a magazine to read when Alexander¡¯s low voice sounded in her ear. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± His sudden appearance frightened her and caused her to jump. The next second, she saw him standing in front of her. He was wearing a suit, and he was frowning deeply, seemingly unhappy. Needless to say, Cameron must have told him. ¡°Weren¡¯t you in a meeting? Your work is important, so I didn¡¯t want to bother you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not happy because you didn¡¯t want to bother me.¡± Alexander slowly pursed his thin lips, and his voice was low. Knocks sounded at the door. With no intention of looking at the door, Alexander said inly, ¡°Come in.¡± After entering, Cameron seemed to have something important to report, but he only spoke after hesitating for a long time. ¡°Sir¡ªand Miss Sinir, since you¡¯re here too¡ªthe bodyguard you¡¯ve sent to protect Miss Sinir just came and said that Young Master Matthew met with Miss Sinir¡­¡± Before Cameron could finish, Elise saw Alexander¡¯s face darken. He¡¯s angry. Elise blinked at Cameron before taking hold of Alexander¡¯s hand. ¡°He didn¡¯t create any trouble for me. He just wanted to meet.¡± Having received Elise¡¯s blinking hints, Cameron got the message and left the office. ¡°Does he ever not cause you trouble when he meets you?¡± Alexander snorted coldly, his tone mocking and indifferent. Elise understood what he meant. ¡°If Grandpa were still here, he definitely wouldn¡¯t want to see you and Matthew in this state. If you didn¡¯t care about brotherhood, would Matthew still be alive and well right now?¡± Elise pursed her lips and spoke the truth. ¡°I¡¯ve already let him go, yet he¡¯s still testing my patience. How can I allow him to continue stirring up trouble?¡± Alexander looked gloomy and indifferent, and his tone was resolute. Matthew isn¡¯t backing down, and Alexander¡­ Sigh. It¡¯s really hard getting caught in the middle! ¡°All these years, I¡¯ve always held a grudge against Matthew. He has always wanted to defeat me.¡± ¡°Still, I can¡¯t just watch both of you destroy each other!¡± Chapter 300 Chapter 300 Chapter 300 Did I Fall For Your Trick?,Coolest Girl in Town Alexander didn¡¯t answer, but in the next second, he wrapped Elise in his arms. After hugging her for a while, he said, ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking, but I stand by what I just said: I can¡¯t allow him to continue stirring up trouble. What did he tell you this time?¡± Alexander went straight to the point. Elise was embarrassed when she remembered what Matthew had said to her. If she told him the truth, he would be furious. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. He had some immature ideas and told me to stand in line.¡± Eliseughed, wanting to change the topic. Alexander paused for a few seconds, then asked, ¡°Did my mother look for you?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Elise replied honestly. It was impossible to hide Madeline¡¯s displeasure toward her and the fact that she had met with her. Rubbing her head, Alexander said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her. You¡¯re mine. I¡­ I¡¯m sorry for the trouble she¡¯s caused you, but you have to trust me. Can you give me some time to deal with it?¡± She believed him, but she didn¡¯t believe that Madeline¡¯s attitude toward her could be improved. ¡°Your mother favors Maya a lot. I¡­¡± Elise let out a long sigh. ¡°Don¡¯t think so much!¡± Elise grew increasingly firm with her thoughts. The two of them looked at each other and smiled. Although they didn¡¯t say anything, at this moment, the silence spoke louder than words. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. After they hugged for a while longer, a rumbling sound rang out in therge office. Elise was embarrassed, and she just wanted to find a hole to hide in. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you to dinner.¡± Alexander abandoned his work and left as he wished. However, Elise didn¡¯t expect to bump into Madeline and Maya in the restaurant. Madeline was ring at her like an enemy, and the look Maya was giving her wasn¡¯t any better. Elise¡¯s mind whirled. What is this all about? ¡°Why don¡¯t you go eat with them?¡± Elise gently tugged on Alexander¡¯s sleeve and lowered her voice. Madeline had already told her off, yet here she was, out in public with Alexander. At this point, anyone would be angry. But, without saying a word, Alexander pulled her into the private room, leaving Madeline in a foul mood. ¡°Godmother, you can¡¯t be angry. If you get angry at her, you¡¯ll be letting her win. She brought Alex here on purpose to anger you.¡± Maya immediately stepped forward tofort Madeline as soon as she saw her darkened expression. It would¡¯ve been fine if she hadn¡¯t said anything, but as soon as she spoke, a trigger was pulled. Madeline¡¯s chest heaved. ¡°How can I not be angry? That b*tch¡­ What did I tell her? She actually turned a deaf ear to what I said. It¡¯s really giving me a headache!¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you can¡¯t get angry. Alex has just been momentarily captivated by that b*tch. When hees to his senses, she would naturally be nothing.¡± Not only was Maya persuading Madeline, she was persuading herself too. ¡°He won¡¯te to his senses! He even said that I could continue causing him trouble if I wanted him dead. I wonder what kind of potion that b*tch had given him!¡± Madeline snapped angrily. ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought that she would have such good cards to y, or that she had a godfather! Godmother, I always felt that her rtionship with her godfather is unusual. Since she wouldn¡¯t leave Alexander no matter what, could it be that she¡¯s a spy sent by them?¡± Maya suddenly remembered that Elise had a godfather, so she continued to ignite the me. Having been reminded by Maya of this fact, Madeline was instantly agitated. ¡°Maya, that may actually be true. No, I can¡¯t let Elise seed. Otherwise, the foundation of the Griffith Family will be nabbed by someone else!¡± The more Madeline spoke, the more anxious she grew, and she stepped forward to go confront Elise, but Maya stopped her. ¡°Godmother, if you just rushed in like this, she wouldn¡¯t possibly admit it, and Alex wouldn¡¯t allow us to go in.¡± ¡°What should we do, then?¡± Madeline felt anxious and troubled. Smiling, Maya whispered something into Madeline¡¯s ear, and only then did Madeline nod satisfactorily. Chapter 301 Chapter 301 Chapter 301 Seek Truth From Facts,Coolest Girl in Town Inside the private room, Elise was going to go to the restroom. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you!¡± As soon as she told Alexander that, he got up. Seeing his furrowed brows, Elise was between tears andughter. ¡°I¡¯m just going to the restroom.¡± ¡°What if my mom finds trouble with you?¡± This was what Alexander was worried about. Elise chuckled. ¡°Hadn¡¯t she already caused me trouble? She¡¯s out in public, so she wouldn¡¯t possibly not take care of her image. Don¡¯t worry about me. I won¡¯t be so easily affected.¡± She didn¡¯t bump into Madeline or Maya in the restroom, but she heard other people¡¯s discussion about her. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. ¡°Wow, I really didn¡¯t expect Young Master Alex¡¯s fianc¨¦e to have such a history. She willingly became her godfather¡¯s pawn, and she even got an abortion before!¡± ¡°Otherwise, why would she conceal her real appearance? She¡¯s just afraid of other people finding out about her, isn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°But she didn¡¯t reveal it when she got engaged! Oh, my God! Is there something wrong with Young Master Alex? He actually likes someone as ugly as her!¡± ¡°Maybe she hypnotized Young Master Alex!¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s hurry up and expose her¡­¡± When Elise heard their chatter, she immediately realized that someone had deliberately ndered her and Quentin on the Inte, causingizens to cyberbully her. Elise then called Jamie and ordered, ¡°Find out the ID number of the user who published false statements about me and Quentin. Find out who that person is!¡± Jamie froze upon hearing this. What false statement is she talking about? Why don¡¯t I know about it? ¡°Boss, was it posted on the Inte? Or¡­¡± Although his question was nonsensical, he truly didn¡¯t understand what was going on. ¡°What do you think?¡± Elise retorted coldly before hanging up the phone. Her expression was gloomy as she exited the restroom stall. The girls who were discussing her looked as if they had just seen a ghost, and they were shocked to the point of silence. Elise walked domineeringly toward them, then sneered, ¡°Unfortunately for you, I heard everything you just said. I just want to remind you all not to blindly follow the crowd if you don¡¯t know the truth. Otherwise, you might get into trouble with thew!¡± She wasn¡¯t a pushover who could be easily controlled. She was clear about the matter between her and Quentin, and she would never allow someone to create rumors and nder her. When one of the girls slowly recovered, she stood firm with her resentment toward Elise. ¡°If it¡¯s not true, why would someone expose you on the Inte? Besides, we just made a few remarks. What do you mean get into trouble with thew? Do you think we know nothing about thew?¡± Hah! This girl was caught red-handed by the topic of their discussion, yet she was still so bold and even justified her actions. Elise was amazed by her boldness. She sneered, ¡°You guys just made some remarks, but you¡¯re harming my reputation. Those who exposed me on the Inte just made some off-handedments. Have you guys ever seen anything unusual between me and my godfather? Also, have you ever seen me hypnotize Alexander? Let me remind you that there was never anything wrong with Alexander. What you said just now was nder, and you were even framing me. At first, I didn¡¯t want to hold a grudge against you guys; I just wanted to give a kind reminder. But now, it seems like¡­¡±As she spoke, Elise raised her voice and let out a coldugh. ¡°W-What are you going to do?¡± Her smile and tone frightened the few girls, taking away their ability to speak properly. Elise didn¡¯t back down, and her tone remained unchanged as she casually said, ¡°What could I possibly do? All of you had better not leave the restroom. Otherwise, if the surveince camera outside captures your faces, I¡¯ll lodge a police report and have you girls arrested anytime!¡± With that, Elise left without turning back. That¡¯s what they get for following the trend and being keyboard warriors! What Elise didn¡¯t know was that after she left, the few girls were truly afraid and dared not leave the restroom. However, the restroom stank. How could they keep on waiting inside? Covering their faces, they ran out of the restroom. Meanwhile, Elise returned to the private room. Upon seeing the smile on her face, Alexander was puzzled and asked, ¡°What are you so happy about?¡± ¡°I just dealt with a few people¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Just some Inte trolls. Someone supposingly exposed me and my godfather on the Inte and created rumors about us. I caught a few girls talking about it in the restroom, so I gave them a warning,¡± Elise exined. When Alexander heard this, his expression grew even nastier. ¡°Who on earth dared to expose you on the Inte? They¡¯re really asking for it!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already asked Jamie to handle this matter¡­¡± ¡°It would be fine if he could handle it, but I¡¯d better ask Cameron to investigate it too. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be at ease.¡± Alexander¡¯s face was tense, and he already had a suspect in mind, so he subconsciously asked, ¡°Elise, if my mom was the one behind this, what would you do?¡± ¡°Alexander, this is the same as me asking who you would save first if your mother and I fell into the water at the same time. Nevertheless, I would always seek truth from facts!¡± Chapter 302 Chapter 302 Chapter 302 She Tried Her Best,Coolest Girl in Town In fact, Elise didn¡¯t want things to get to this point either. Nevertheless, Alexander¡¯s guess was correct. Besides her¡­ No, there¡¯s also Faye! ¡°It¡¯s highly likely that it has nothing to do with your mother.¡± As soon as Elise said this, Alexander picked up on it. ¡°Then, who else could it be rted to? Who did you have a grudge againsttely?¡± ¡°Miss Faye Anderson,¡± Elise answered with a sense of mncholy. Initially, she didn¡¯t want to care about the Anderson Family, but when she thought of Bertha as well as Jeanie, who pretended to be crazy, she felt uneasy. ¡°I¡¯ll find out exactly who did it!¡± Alexander pursed his lips, and his expression was thunderous. Before they found out who did it, Quentin, Elise¡¯s godfather, went to look for her. ¡°Papa? Why are you here?¡± When Elise saw Quentin walking over from the opposite side, she was stunned. ¡°If I didn¡¯t show up, I don¡¯t know how else you would be bullied. I¡¯m looking for that fianc¨¦ of yours. He really is useless. How can something like this happen under his watch? What does he do for a living?¡± Quentin sneered coldly, utterly dissatisfied. Elise kept giving him a look, feeling troubled, but Quentin didn¡¯t relent. He already knew that Elise was having a meal with Alexander, so naturally, he noticed that Alexander was next to her. He had deliberately said those remarks for him to hear! ¡°I didn¡¯t protect Elise well, so¡ª¡± ¡°Indeed. You didn¡¯t protect her well, and? You¡¯re still trying to justify yourself?¡± Quentin shot Alexander a nce and snorted. Lowering his head, Alexander agreed. ¡°Yes, Papa. What you said is right¡ª¡± ¡°Who are you calling Papa? You and Elise aren¡¯t married yet! Other people may hear it if you say it here, and if you don¡¯t end up marrying Elise in the future, how is she supposed to find someone else?¡± Having been cut off by Quentin once again, Alexander stopped talking and simply stood humbly before Quentin. In terms of status, not only was Quentin a business tycoon, he was also a senior. More importantly, he was Elise¡¯s godfather. Since he had decided to be with Elise for a long time, her rtives and friends were his rtives and friends too. So as a junior, he should act like one. Elise hurriedly grabbed Quentin¡¯s wrist, then said in a low voice, ¡°Papa, this matter has nothing to do with him. Someone deliberately ndered me and wanted to ruin my reputation.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that rted to him? Ellie, before you met him, did you have to endure such nder?¡± ¡°Papa.¡± Elise shook Quentin¡¯s arm, signaling for him to not continue. Although she didn¡¯t have these troubles before she met Alexander, she was still in the countryside then. Moreover, none of these things were caused by him. ¡°You¡¯re still trying to protect him.¡± Shaking his head, Quentin could only sigh in response to Elise defending Alexander. Sure enough, it was hard to keep a girl at home when she was of age. ¡°You go out. I¡¯d like to speak to him alone.¡± Quentin motioned to Elise, who knew that once her godfather decided to do something, it had to be done. She cast Alexander a pitiful look, and at the same, she was embarrassed. She had tried her best¡­ ¡°The person who handled the cyberbullying wasn¡¯t you?¡± Before Quentin came, he had already gotten a clear understanding of the matter. ¡°It wasn¡¯t.¡± Alexander nodded. In the next second, Quentin immediately sneered, ¡°You¡¯re the president of the Griffith Group, and your family ranks first in Athesea. Yet, you need your fianc¨¦e to find someone else to solve this trivial matter? Although she¡¯s not rted to me by blood, in my heart, she¡¯s my biological daughter. If you¡¯re not capable of protecting her, you should be more alert and back off. I can introduce her to a lot more people who look like you!¡± When Quentin spoke, contempt was clear in his tone and expression. He had no regard for Alexander whatsoever. As a business tycoon, he could have the confidence to say that. With his head bowed, Alexander promised, ¡°It was indeed my negligence for not knowing about this matter as soon as it happened. But, no matter what happens, I¡¯ll always be on her side. I know that there are many people who are better than me, but I truly love her, and I have the ability to protect her.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. I¡¯ll do whatever it takes, even if I lose my life!¡± The whole time Alexander was talking, Quentin was studying him. If he wasn¡¯t sincere, Alexander would never treat a stranger with such a humble attitude. ¡°Doesn¡¯t your mother disagree? Have you figured out how to get through to her?¡± Quentin was satisfied with Alexander¡¯s answer, but the most important question remained. ¡°Papa, my mother and Elise are like both sides of my hand. No matter what, I can¡¯t and won¡¯t give up on either side. This will indeed make things difficult for me, but since I¡¯m engaged to her, then I¡¯ll naturally have to be responsible for her future. This is by no means an empty promise.¡± Quentin could see that Alexander¡¯s attitude was firm, but it was technically just an empty promise now. Anyone could express such an attitude. The important moment depended on the development of the matter and how Alexander handled it. But for now, he reckoned that Alexander was all right. ¡°Call your mother and tell her that I¡¯m inviting her to dinner tonight.¡± He would like to meet Madeline and ask her what was wrong with his goddaughter! ¡°Okay.¡± Alexander did as Quentin said, but after Madeline received the call, she was immediately frightened and began to pace back and forth in the living room. Her pale face exposed everything she was feeling. ¡°Godmother, what¡¯s the matter with you?¡± ¡°Elise¡¯s godfather, Quentin, asked to meet for a meal. He found out about it¡ª¡± ¡°Godmother, what are you talking about? What could he have found out?¡± Seeing how panicked Madeline was, Maya hurriedly interrupted her. How could Madeline not understand what Maya meant? However, Quentin was a huge figure in the business world. Could he be fooled? ¡°Maya, I¡¯m afraid this matter is¡­ If it doesn¡¯t work out, I can only be unfair to you.¡± Madeline hesitated, then finally let out a long sigh. As soon as Maya heard this, her expression changed in an instant. ¡°That won¡¯t do. They¡¯ll definitely hold me ountable. If they get my family involved¡­ Godmother, you¡¯re different from me. Isn¡¯t Alex with Elise? If Elise takes action against you, then it can only prove that she¡¯s not sincere about Alex!¡± Madeline figured that what she said was reasonable, but in the next second, she suddenly thought of an important point. Chapter 303 Chapter 303 Chapter 303 Beyond Justification,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°If I approve of her, doesn¡¯t that mean I have to ept her?¡± When Madeline thought of this, she shook her head vigorously. She just didn¡¯t like Elise. The most important thing was still the decision Jonah made in the first ce. They hadn¡¯t even met, yet they took a joke made between friends seriously. Elise, especially, appeared looking so ugly, but she still got to choose one out of the five. At that time, she was an ugly girl, so where did she get the courage from? ¡°Godmother, don¡¯t think about things so absolutely. What if it¡¯s not because of this matter?¡± Although Maya was also anxious about this matter, they couldn¡¯t afford to lose their heads now. Madeline¡¯s face was tense, and her brows were tightly furrowed. ¡°If Quentin isn¡¯t meeting me because of this matter, then why did he invite me to dinner?¡± Other than that, Madeline couldn¡¯t think of any other reason. ¡°Maybe Elise is just using him to get you to ept her. Godmother, let¡¯s not get to the worst conclusions. Go over there and see what happens. After all, different situations call for different measures.¡± Maya reassured Madeline, but in fact, she was afraid too. If she refuses to go, won¡¯t it be obvious that she feels guilty? Madeline nodded, figuring that Maya made sense. However, Madeline didn¡¯t manage to meet Quentin. Quentin and Elise were waiting in the private room while Alexander went home to pick up his mother. But as soon as he entered the house, the servant told him, ¡°Young Master Alex, Mrs. Griffith went out five minutes before you came back.¡± Alexander didn¡¯t expect that she would go to the appointment so early. As he drove out to chase after his mother, he tried to call her. The phone rang on, but no one answered. After calling twice, Alexander ran out of patience, so he sent her a voice message on WhatsApp. ¡°Just let me know if you¡¯re going or not.¡± This way, he could at least give Quentin an exnation. However, Alexander still didn¡¯t receive a reply. Madeline heard the phone call and the voice message. She wanted to reply, and she wanted to shout for help, but she couldn¡¯t make a sound. ¡°Mrs. Griffith, what are you afraid of? I should be the one who¡¯s afraid. Ever since I became part of the Griffith Family, you just had to give me a look for me to be scared. Now that Alexander has banished me, I can¡¯t go back to the Griffith Residence, and I can¡¯t appear in front of you in broad daylight.¡± Seeing Madeline¡¯s appearance, Matthew burst intoughter. Then, he turned off Madeline¡¯s mobile phone. Looking at the messages on the screen, Madeline was filled with despair. At first, she was distrustful of Matthew, but now, what she felt was hatred and fear! But Matthew didn¡¯t care so much. He ordered his subordinate to start driving, and the car drove off at an extremely high speed. ¡­ Meanwhile, Quentin and Elise were in the private room waiting for Alexander and Madeline¡¯s arrival. It was a rule not to order food when not everyone was present. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. They began talking about the recent stock market and real estate, so Quentin asked, ¡°When will you hand in the design drawings? You¡¯ve bezy ever since you came to Athesea.¡± ¡°I¡¯m attending school here, aren¡¯t I? Andst time, it wasn¡¯t ideal to divulge my identity. But, Papa, since you¡¯ve brought it up, I should of course at least give you one design.¡± Knock knock! Quentin was drinking tea when there was a knock on the door. Elise got up to open the door, only to see Madeline¡¯s retreating back. She came here but didn¡¯t enter? What is she doing? In any case, Elise couldn¡¯t just be indifferent because this was a dinner her godfather organized, and they invited Alexander¡¯s mother. She went out and chased after her all the way to the toilet. If Madeline had led her here, then she must have something to say to her. However, as soon as she entered the bathroom, she backed away in fright, and she broke into a cold sweat. Thest thing she expected was to see Madeline lying in a pool of blood! ¡°Mrs. Griffith! Mrs. Griffith!¡± Ignoring how scared she was, Elise quickly helped Madeline up and reached out to shake her, but Madeline was already unconscious. The blood filled her gaze, causing Elise¡¯s heart to beat even faster. Feeling frantic, she gritted her teeth and helped Madeline up, while at the same time used her phone to dial 911. It took time for 911 to dispatch help. Initially, she wanted to bring Madeline out, but all she could see was the bright red blood. She didn¡¯t even know what happened to Madeline, so she couldn¡¯t move rashly. She could only hold the unconscious Madeline and wait for the arrival of help. She notified Alexander too, but his line was busy. At this moment, a mockingugh sounded from Alexander¡¯s phone. ¡°Since ancient times, mother-inws have always been hard to handle. I really didn¡¯t expect that just to be with you, not only would Elise refuse my kind request, she even asked for her godfather¡¯s help to kill your mother. Tsk, tsk! The two of you are more ruthless than the other. You¡¯re really a perfect match!¡± Matthew wasughing like a madman. ¡°I reckon the one who hired the killer is you, right?¡± Alexander¡¯s expression was full of hostility, and he was gritting his teeth. ¡°Me? Alexander, although you¡¯ve let me go, what did you tell the people around you? I¡¯m as good as a dog now. I can¡¯t even do anything in public, so how could I possibly hire a killer? I just happened to know about it, so I just came to give you a kind reminder. Now, I just want to see what choice you would make! Hahahaha!¡± With that, Matthew hung up. And only then did Alexander realize that Elise tried to call him. When he returned her call, Elise didn¡¯t answer. At this moment, Elise was being surrounded by a group of police. The handcuffs dangling before her eyes were extremely dazzling. ¡°No, it has nothing to do with me. I didn¡¯t touch her¡­¡± Elise hurriedly exined. However, the policeman was unperturbed. ¡°We received a report from the public that a murder case had urred here, so our team immediately rushed over. If you didn¡¯t kill anyone, then what is this?¡± There was a huge pool of blood, so Elise knew that she couldn¡¯t argue anymore. ¡°I want to contact mywyer.¡± She also knew that she had been framed. There was a high chance that the person who knocked on the door just now wasn¡¯t Madeline, and she might have been lying in a pool of blood for a long time. At this moment, even if Madeline didn¡¯t like her, she still hoped that Madeline would be okay. ¡°Take her away,¡± ordered the police in charge. Hearing themotion outside the private room, Quentin walked out. When he saw Elise covered in blood, he was shocked. However, the police stopped him, not allowing him toe forward at all. Then, Quentin saw Madeline being carried out. This is a setup! ¡°Papa,ter, tell Alexander that I¡¯m innocent and that I have a clear conscience!¡± Elise shot one nce at Quentin before she was escorted away, which made her shout anxiously. There was no need for Quentin to pass the message, because Elise and Alexander crossed paths at the door. Chapter 304 Chapter 304 Chapter 304 You Can Forget About Living!,Coolest Girl in Town When Elise saw Alexander, she couldn¡¯t control her emotions and burst into tears in an instant. ¡°Alexander¡­¡± She called out his name, her voice stuck in her throat. She didn¡¯t need to say anything more, and neither did he. He took a step forward. ¡°Elise, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m the reason you¡¯re suffering such a grievance again¡­¡± Elise¡¯s head shot up abruptly. She didn¡¯t expect that at such a moment, Alexander would still believe her so unconditionally! Elise was then pushed forward by the police. Alexander called and ordered Cameron to go to the hospital, at the same time notified Danny and the others. Then, he went to the police station to hand in his call record with Matthew. Nevertheless, the police refused his evidence. ¡°You were the one who didn¡¯t hold Matthew ountable in the first ce, but now you want to conclude that Matthew did all this with just a single phone call? That¡¯s just wishful thinking!¡± Alexander was the president of the Griffith Group, and he was a highly-praised entrepreneur in Athesea. For some reason, the media had been rmed about this, so it was hard even if he wanted to get them to ept it for his sake. Alexander was indeed powerless to fight back. When Elise gave her testimony, she told them that she opened the door upon hearing a knock, then she saw Madeline¡¯s back, so she chased after her, only to find her lying in a pool of blood in the restroom. The police wanted to look through the surveince footage, but the surveince camera was damaged. There were even someizens who immediately ced the me on Quentin. ¡®Why did something happen to Mrs. Griffith? Isn¡¯t it because she stopped Elise from being with her son? As Elise¡¯s financial backer, Quentin must be unable to sit still.¡¯ ¡®Otherwise, how would you exin the fact that he asked to meet for dinner, and why did this happen to Madeline in this restaurant, of all ces?¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s already the 21st century, yet he still dared to perform this kind of illegal act. He must be severely punished!¡¯ Theizens didn¡¯t fail to criticize Elise and Quentin on the Inte, so much so thatBelongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. Quentin was detained for investigation. At the crime scene, the forensic detective only found the fingerprints of Elise and Madeline, and no one else had been there during that period of time. Everything pointed to Elise as the murderer! Jamie even rushed to the police station to im that there was an ulterior motive behind the usations made against Elise. ¡°Elise, I really didn¡¯t expect you to be so vicious! Didn¡¯t my godmother just say some things about you because she likes me and not you? Why¡¯d you have to do this to her? I¡¯m telling you: If my godmother dies, Elise, you can forget about living too!¡± ¡°This is still a police station. What nonsense are you going on about?¡± A police officer instantly disapproved of Maya¡¯s statements. Elise¡¯s head pounded when she heard the sobs. Never in a million years would she have thought that she would meet such a misfortune. Right now, it was futile to even exin herself! All she could do was hire awyer to defend her, but the date of the trial was yet to be determined. Undoubtedly, the person who was most satisfied with this oue was Matthew. Alexander tried to contact him, but ever since Matthew made that phone call, there was no trace of him anymore, and he wouldn¡¯t pick up any of his calls. Feeling helpless, Alexander could only send text messages. ¡®Matthew, if your enemies are me and my mother, why did you have to involve Elise? She¡¯s innocent.¡¯ Matthew saw it, but he just didn¡¯t reply. Beside him, Heather was worried as she watched him wordlessly hold a bottle of red wine. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking, but Alexander isn¡¯t someone to be provoked. What if¡ª¡± ¡°What are you afraid of? This matter has nothing to do with you. Even if Alexander finds you, he can¡¯t do anything to you,¡± Matthew sneered when he saw the worried look on her face. He had established himself and left the Griffith Family. He had clearly prepared everything carefully. As long as Alexander died and he killed off those people, the Griffith Family would belong to him alone, and no one would look down on him anymore. However, he never expected that Jonah would get in the car¡­ He never wanted Jonah to die. Alexander and the others regarded him as a criminal, but what was his crime? Being born into the wrong family? But, did he know that his mother was his father¡¯s lover? If he had known that he would be born as an illegitimate child, then he would have rather not lived. He obviously deserved a part of everything, but it was miles away from his grasp, and even the person he loved went to Alexander. Why should he be a target of scorn? Since he was having a hard time, Alexander could also forget about having a good life! When Heather saw the look in Matthew¡¯s eyes getting increasingly fiercer, she understood. Pursing her lips, she walked to Matthew¡¯s side and sat down, then leaned on his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m not worried about myself, Matthew. I¡¯m worried about you. I love you, so I can do anything for you, even if it means I have to die, but I can¡¯t just watch you lose your life. The person you¡¯re hurting now is the person closest to Alexander, and she¡¯s someone he loves!¡± ¡°When Madeline forced my mother to the verge of death, she should¡¯ve thought that she would meet such an end,¡± Matthew snapped, not taking this situation seriously at all. When he mentioned Elise again, there was a trace of evilness in his cold voice. ¡°No matter how I persuaded her, she wouldn¡¯t listen. So, I¡¯ll teach her a lesson and let her see Alexander¡¯s true colors!¡± Hearing that, Heather stopped talking because she knew that Matthew wasn¡¯t trying to teach Elise a lesson. Instead, he wanted her to compromise with him, and he wanted her to realize how good he was. Because Matthew was deeply in love with Elise! ¡­ At the police station, when Elise saw Jamie, she went straight to the point. ¡°Find me the bestwyer, then bring out my properties and all my various identities.¡± ¡°Boss¡­¡± Elise would never show off her identity and properties; she would never prove it to anyone. Right now, her situation was terrible. ¡°It¡¯s impossible to operate without someone backing me up. Follow up on the matter, and find out where Alexander¡¯s mother¡¯s car is, as well as where she¡¯s been and who she met with in the past two days. If you encounter any problems, you can go to Alexander,¡± Elise instructed Jamie. As soon as she said that, she received a signal from the police, so she walked back in. Watching Elise¡¯s back, Jamie wiped his tears away. If his boss hadn¡¯t fallen in love and didn¡¯t have a man, she wouldn¡¯t have had to deal with so much trouble. But, she had already made a choice, so there was no use for him to say anything now. The most important thing now was to bail her out first. Jamie went to investigate ording to Elise¡¯s instructions. The person he was going to investigate was Madeline, and she was now lying in the ICU with serious injuries. Jamie couldn¡¯t follow up with her, so he could only call Alexander. When Alexander picked up, he had just arrived at the hospital, and he didn¡¯t want to miss any calls during the crucial period. ¡°Uh¡­ my boss asked me to check your mother¡¯s whereabouts for the past two days. But my scope is limited.¡± Chapter 305 Chapter 305 Chapter 305 Ups and Downs,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°I¡¯ll ask Cameron to contact you,¡± Alexander replied, his voice hoarse. In the next second, he gave Cameron¡¯s number to Jamie. After he hung up the phone, Jack, Danny, and Brendan all surrounded him, anxiously asking him about the situation. ¡°Alexander, how did Elise get involved?¡± ¡°Is what the Inte saying about Elise true¡ª¡± Before Brenda could finish speaking, Danny interrupted sharply, ¡°Of course not! Boss has already revealed her identity. Didn¡¯t you have a cooperation with her? Your design and your song? What are you two thinking?!¡± It wasn¡¯t that Brendan wanted to draw that conclusion, but what had happened was too intense¡ªso intense that all of this didn¡¯t seem to be a coincidence at all, but rather a premeditated scheme! ¡°I¡­ But why is it that Quentin happened to invite Mom to dinner, and why was Elise by her side when this happened to her? Didn¡¯t the police already investigate it? There¡¯s no third person.¡± Alexander couldn¡¯t bear to hear spections about Elise anymore, so he suddenly yelled, ¡°That¡¯s enough! She¡¯s been with us for so long. Do we still need to guess what kind of person she is?¡± Danny immediately walked to Alexander¡¯s side and agreed. ¡°That¡¯s right. If she weren¡¯t a nice person, Grandpa wouldn¡¯t have liked her so much, and I wouldn¡¯t have acknowledged her as my boss!¡± Brendan lowered his head. The person who dared not speak up the most was him. Meanwhile, Jack was just curious as to why Elise was involved. ¡°About this incident, Elise was framed. I¡¯ll take care of it. During this period, you guys take care of Mom and be aware of Matthew.¡± As he spoke, Alexander shot his mother a subconscious nce. Madeline was now lying on a hospital bed, and she was using a heavy oxygen cylinder, next to which was a heart rate monitor. The doctor told them that she was in critical condition, and that she had suffered excessive blood loss. This reminded Alexander of the day Jonah left. ¡°Alexander, didn¡¯t the police arrest Matthew? What happened? Did he escape again?¡± Danny shouted in horror. ¡°He couldn¡¯t have done this, could he?¡± Jack frowned, feeling extremely displeased. Brendan¡¯s expression was the same. ¡°That¡¯s right. All of this happened so suddenly. Such things have never happened before. Alexander, say something. Does this have anything to do with Matthew?¡± ¡°When Elise called me, I received a call from Matthew. He did this, but I have no evidence.¡± At the mention of Matthew, Alexander clenched his fists. He shouldn¡¯t have let Matthew go just because of his grandfather¡¯sst words! ¡°Oh, did Matthew escape?¡± Danny was at a loss. The other two were puzzled too. Alexander finally exined, ¡°Not long after Matthew was arrested by the police, the officer who had been following Grandpa¡¯s case sent me a recording. Grandpa left me a message, telling me not to make things difficult for Matthew. He said that he was still a part of the Griffith Family, and that all these years had been rough for him.¡± At that time, he still didn¡¯t want to let Matthew go because he still reckoned that Matthew killed Jonah. If Matthew hadn¡¯t done something to the brakes, his grandfather wouldn¡¯t have died. However, Jonah¡¯s recording kept echoing in his ears, and he was reminded about how cautious Matthew had been in the Griffith Family all these years. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. This was Jonah¡¯sst wish, and he was almost speaking in a pleading tone. In the end, Alexander let Matthew go, but he didn¡¯t tell anyone, and he then issued an eviction order against Matthew. But instead of feeling gratitude and repentance, Matthew only felt a stronger hatred! Alexander reckoned that it was his fault. He brought harm to his mother and Elise! Seeing Alexander¡¯s look of self-me, Danny couldn¡¯t help butfort him, ¡°Alexander, how can you me yourself for this matter? It¡¯s Matthew who brought them harm. Now, there¡¯s no evidence, but it doesn¡¯t mean that there won¡¯t be! We¡¯ll just have to let Boss endure for a few days, then we can rescue her.¡± ¡°Yes, Elise isn¡¯t like those delicate girls. She can understand.¡± Jack echoed Danny¡¯s words and comforted Alexander as well. Brendan, on the other hand, was extremely ashamed. ¡°I misunderstood her just now. I know that now! When shees out, I must apologize to her in person!¡± Danny clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes at him. ¡°You don¡¯t say! If Boss found out that you misunderstood her just like everyone else, she would certainly beat you up! Alexander, shall we go visit her?¡± Alexander nodded. However, at the police station, they found out that someone had already visited Elise today, so they couldn¡¯t see her anymore. Danny could only assure his brother, ¡°Alexander, it¡¯s okay. We¡¯lle back tomorrow.¡± But, an hourter, Alexander received a call from Cameron. ¡°President Griffith, Young Master Jamie and I found out that Mrs. Griffith¡¯s car was intercepted and driven to the back alley before it turned out of the alley and went to the restaurant where she was supposed to meet Miss Sinir. Although there was no surveince, there were witnesses who said that they saw a person dressed like a richdy being propped up by someone, and another person was wearing the same clothes as her.¡± What Cameron just reported was the most important evidence. Undoubtedly, this was the best news for Alexander. But soon, Jamie extinguished that joy. ¡°President Griffith, the witness is unwilling to testify, saying that he¡¯s afraid of retaliation. Moreover, the footage captured by the surveince camera isn¡¯t clear. The license te number was cked out, and the car was scrapped.¡± ¡°Do you think this is what I wanted to hear? Cameron, you¡¯ve been working for me for so many years, so you should know what kind of assistant I want!¡± Cameron didn¡¯t dare to speak again. ¡°Bring all the surveince footage to the police station. Have you found awyer for her?¡± Alexander pressed on. Cameron answered truthfully, ¡°Miss Sinir¡¯s proof of properties has been brought out, and awyer has been appointed. We¡¯ll still need to wait a while before she can go to court, and there are many reporters at the entrance of the police station¡ª¡± The main method was to steer public opinion! Before he finished speaking, Danny shouted anxiously, ¡°Alexander, Old Master Sinir is here!¡± Chapter 306 Chapter 306 Chapter 306 Without a Single Hesitation,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°You three stay and take care of the situation¡ªI¡¯ll go home and take a look.¡± Alexander pursed his lips and left. Back at Griffith Residence, Alexander immediately noticed with a nce that Robin, who was sitting on the sofa, had a gloomy face on, while Laura sat beside him with a sad look on her face. They had just returned from the police station. The police refused to let Elise go, so they wanted to find Alexander, which was why they came to Griffith¡¯s residence. ¡°Mr. Robin, Madam Laura, I¡¯m deeply sorry for what happened.¡± Alexander stepped forward and bowed his head, admitting his mistake. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. Originally, neither Robin nor Laura noticed that he was back, but when they heard his voice, they immediately raised their heads. ¡°When I suggested this engagement with your grandfather, I thought that the rtionship between our two families wouldst forever, and that my girl would have a good home. Tell me¡ªwhat did you promise me when you first got engaged?¡± Seeing Alexander¡¯s remorseful look, Robin grew even more furious and tapped the ground with his cane angrily. Elise had an ident here, and it was rted to Alexander¡¯s mother. No matter what, Alexander was to me as he was the one who didn¡¯t take good care of his baby grandchild! ¡°I remember all of them. It was me¡ªI didn¡¯t take good care of her. I didn¡¯t have the ability¡­¡± When Alexander heard what Robin asked, he thought back, and his mind instantly took him back to how he and Elise looked when they met at the door of the restaurant. However, Robin didn¡¯t buy any of it. He continued to say angrily, ¡°Enough with the nonsense¡ªare your mother and Elise being framed? Or was it all your mother¡¯s acting?¡± At that point, all Robin could only think about was Elise¡ªhis dear Elise, who always told good news and not bad news. If Robin hadn¡¯t received this anonymous call this time, he really wouldn¡¯t have known that such a big thing had happened to Elise. He also did some digging and found out that Alexander¡¯s mother did not approve of his rtionship with Elise. ¡°Mr. Robin, this matter has nothing to do with my mother. They were framed, and I¡¯ve arranged for my subordinates to continue investigating until evidence is found. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let Elise be wronged for nothing!¡± Alexander said to Robin, guaranteeing her return and also showing his determination at the same time. Robin didn¡¯t listen to a word he said, but instead, he roared directly, ¡°I¡¯m not interested in what you said. Think of a way for me to meet Elise!¡± All of a sudden, Laura, who had not spoken before, shouted angrily as well, ¡°Besides, you don¡¯t have to promise us anything anymore. Yes, you are the heir of the Griffith Family, and your family indeed is great, but we, the Sinirs, are not so bad ourselves after all. That is it¡ªI will bring Elise with me. Forget the engagement or anything; we¡¯ve never epted a cent from you anyway. So when the timees, just hold a media conference and rify it then!¡± When he heard this, Alexander felt as if his heart was being stabbed by knives over and over again. But what could he say? Elise was their beloved grandchild. As a matter of fact, he knew very well that if he didn¡¯t investigate this matter thoroughly and clear Elise¡¯s name, he would never have the confidence to stand in front of the two of them ever again. With that in mind, Alexander immediately instructed Cameron to increase the manpower and material resources for the investigation. Soon, the police had received the surveince. With two parties investigating at the same time, they were able to quickly clear up the matter. Everything pointed to Matthew. In addition to that, Quentin also found a top defensewyer for them, so both Elise and Quentin were finally acquitted, while Matthew became wanted. At the same time, at a pier somewhere at Athesea. ¡°Matthew, don¡¯t evere back again. Let go of your hatred too. I just hope you¡¯ll be well. Otherwise, the police will get you¡­¡± The moment the police issued the arrest warrant for Matthew, Heather was the first one to be notified. So, she brought Matthew to the pier as soon as she heard. However, Matthew threw the card Heather gave him to the ground, and he was furious. ¡°What do you mean by this, Heather? You just can¡¯t wait for me to f*ck up and get caught, can you? Let me ask you this: To you, am I that ipetent? So iptentpared to Alexander Griffith that you think I can¡¯t even go against him?¡± He couldn¡¯te to terms with it¡ªhis n was clearly wless, but Alexander still managed to find a w, and he had now be a wanted criminal. There was no one around who could help him, yet Heather was trying to persuade him to leave like this. ¡°No, Matthew. I never meant that. I just hope you¡¯ll be well. You have seen Alexander¡¯s attitude toward Elise¡ªhow could he let you go easily this time?¡± Heather bent down to pick up the bank card and handed it to Matthew again with tears in her eyes. She really loved Matthew with all her heart. Even if Matthew was indifferent to her, she still couldn¡¯t watch him suffer alone. ¡°Matthew, c-can I go with you?¡± She was afraid, so afraid that she would never be able to see him again after parting with him this time. ¡°Heather¡­ I¡¯m a wanted criminal now.¡± Matthew looked at her¡ªhis heart was filled withplicated emotions. He never would have thought that she would be the one by his side when he was at his lowest, and she even wanted to go with him. Heather sobbed and choked. ¡°I don¡¯t care. I don¡¯t care about all that, Matthew. I just want to be with you¡­¡± ¡°Heather, thank you. Don¡¯t worry. When I kill Alexander, I will definitelye back and marry you!¡± He forcefully peeled Heather¡¯s hand off, pushed her away, and boarded the ship resolutely. Heather chased after him without hesitation. ¡­ ¡°President Griffith, Matthew took Heather Langford to international waters.¡± When Alexander brought Robin and Laura to greet Elise outside the police station, Cameron called him. ¡°Go after him! Bring him back, dead or alive!¡± When Alexander said these words, his face was expressionless¡ªthere was even a hint of cruelty in his eyebrows. Robin stood beside him, and he could hear what Alexander said clearly. The initiator was Matthew Griffith, Alexander¡¯s younger brother, and Matthew wanted to kill Alexander but instead identally killed Jonah. How could he not hold grudges when Matthew escaped this time? The infighting between this family was so serious. How could he allow Elise to be with Alexander any longer? So when he saw Eliseing out of the police station, he immediately led Laura to Elise and grabbed Elise¡¯s hand. ¡°Come. Let¡¯s go home!¡± He took her all the way to their car without even batting an eye at Alexander. When Elise saw what was happening, she understood it immediately. ¡°Grandpa, this has nothing to do with Alexander. Please don¡¯t me him.¡± Chapter 307 Chapter 307 Chapter 307 Still Worried,Coolest Girl in Town Laura scoffed. ¡°The one who framed you is Matthew Griffith, his brother, so tell me: Why would this have nothing to do with Alexander? Elise, your grandfather and I were very angry when we came here this time. Plus, we found out that Matthew was the one who secretly nned everything. These are all the more reasons for us to not let you stay here. Right now, we are opposing your marriage with Alexander.¡± ¡°Grandma, Grandpa, I understand that you are afraid that something would happen to me, but what can Matthew even do? Alexander and I are innocent, so there was no way he could hurt us.¡± ¡°What did you say when I first called you here? You¡­ Sigh¡­¡± When Robin heard Elise¡¯s argument, he let out a long sigh. It was really true when they say that it was hard to keep a woman at home. ¡°It¡¯s just that, Elise, you have to be extra careful. Matthew wille back at any time to take revenge. Even his mom doesn¡¯t agree with your engagement¡ªif it wasn¡¯t for her ident this time, I would have asked her about that in person!¡± As soon as that was mentioned, Elise immediately thought of Madeline, who was covered in blood. ¡°Grandpa, Grandma, I want to go to the hospital to check on his mother.¡± She knew she would still be worried if she didn¡¯t go to visit her herself. ¡°Go and visit her, then.¡± Robin sighed and looked at Alexander. ¡°If anything happens to my Elise again, I will not let you see the light of day.¡± After speaking, Robin tapped the ground twice with his cane again. ¡°I understand,¡± Alexander responded with a sincere attitude. Meanwhile, at the hospital. It was already a weekter when Madeline woke up. When she woke up, she saw Danny beside the bed and shouted agitatedly, ¡°Quick! Grab Matthew and send him to the police! He wants to kill me!¡± ¡°Mom, you¡¯re finally awake. Matthew has run away¡­¡± ¡°What did you say? Matthew ran away? I¡¯m¡­¡± Madeline was a little puzzled, but when she turned her head, she found that she was in a hospital ward. Through her being kidnapped and the incident that caused Jonah his life, she finally understood that Matthew was a person with a strong sense of revenge. As long as Matthew was still atrge, it was certain that he¡¯d be back for revenge! When Danny saw Madeline like this, he was very worried about her mental state. ¡°Mom, are you all right?¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Alex?¡± Madeline came back to her senses and hurriedly asked Danny. ¡°Elise¡¯s grandparents are here. Recently, Alexander has been busy with¡ª¡± Danny was supposed to continue with ¡®thepany¡¯. But before he could finish speaking, Madeline interrupted with a sneer, ¡°He must really be bewitched by her, isn¡¯t he? His own mother is in the hospital, but all he wants to do is to please her rtives!¡± ¡°Mom, you can¡¯t say that. Elise was even detained by the police because of you. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. Mom, why¡ª¡± Why do you have to get in the way of their rtionship? Before he could finish speaking, Madeline interrupted again with a high voice, ¡°Why what? I just don¡¯t like Elise Sinir. She is so scheming at such a young age, so I just don¡¯t think she is worthy of being the daughter-inw of the Griffith Family!¡± Chapter 308 Chapter 308 Chapter 308 Can You Give Me a Chance?,Coolest Girl in Town As soon as Madeline¡¯s words escaped her mouth, she was immediately dismissed by a cold voice. ¡°Why is my granddaughter not worthy of being the daughter-inw of the Griffith Family?¡± Robin came in with a cane, and Laura was by his side. The faces of the two were as atrocious as could be. Madeline was embarrassed for a while¡ªshe never thought that they woulde to the hospital. However, in just a moment, she quickly regained her calm and cold demeanor. Madeline put on a proud posture. ¡°It¡¯s because the Sinir Family can¡¯tpare to our Griffith Family in everything. Though she is pretty, what is the use of that? She¡¯s merely a decoration piece¡ªshe can¡¯t help Alexander with his business like my goddaughter can!¡± When she saw that the situation had turned out like this, she figured she could just tell them everything honestly at that point. In her eyes, it didn¡¯t matter how bad she¡¯d be perceived as long as she could drive Elise away from Alexander! ¡°Mom, why are you acting this way? Elise is very helpful, and she is even friends with Jack¡¯s manager. Last time, she even assisted Jack to modify his song, and not to mention Brendan¡ªwith the help of Elise, the items he designed are all a hit!¡± He was basically implying that since she was already so capable and could help them make money, how was she not helpful? Madeline red at Danny, hoping that he would shut up. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t like our Elise. We only came here today just for peace of mind. Since you¡¯re awake now, let me tell you properly: We don¡¯t agree with this engagement either!¡± It was clear that Elise and Alexander truly loved each other¡ªshe was very reluctant to separate from him, but now that it hade to this, Robin would never ept their rtionship! ¡°Oh, that¡¯s even better!¡± Madeline sneered coldly. This was the first time she met the old couple of the Sinir Family, and they parted on a sour note. ¡­ When Alexander arrived at the ward, Madeline, who was lying on the bed, shouted that she wanted to be discharged. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Alexander frowned, his face full of displeasure. ¡°I¡¯m doing this for your own good. Your heart was taken away by Elise. Do you honestly think that my death would be a relief for you?¡± Alexander was disappointed. After this matter of life and death, not only did Madeline not mellow down, she intensified instead. These words just added fuel to the fire. Alexander was packing her things, and when he heard her words, he threw the things in his hand angrily. ¡°Mom, you¡¯ve really let me down. If you are still stubborn, I can only step down from Griffith Group.¡± ¡°How dare you!¡± Madeline would never have imagined that Alexander would give up on Griffith Group for Elise! Alexander had managed the Griffith Group for many years now. How could he just get out of the game? ¡°No. How could you just let go of thepany like this? Besides, all your brothers have no interest in managing the business. And don¡¯t you know the Griffith Group was your grandfather¡¯s hard work?¡± Madeline persuaded him strongly¡ªshe was obviously flustered. Alexander smiled coldly. ¡°Mom, since you are so powerful, you can manage thepany yourself.¡± How could Madeline not hear the sarcasm in his words? ¡°Do you have to make things like this just because of Elise?¡± Madeline felt a deep pain in her heart, and her head was dizzy. Alexanderughed bitterly, but his tone was unchanged. ¡°Isn¡¯t this what you wanted to see? I¡¯m just doing what you want. Mom, who is your ideal daughter-inw? Maya? Just because she is your goddaughter?¡± Alexander¡¯s words were spoken clearly. However, as soon as his words fell, Maya¡¯s voice rang. ¡°Alex, I really love you, but I have never asked for anything from Godmother. If I have the luck to be your wife, I will of course cherish the opportunity!¡± She looked at Madeline and Alexander pitifully, but even then, her ck eyes were full of hope and longing. ¡°I¡¯ve only ever loved Elise in my life, and only she can be my wife!¡± Alexander¡¯s thin lips twitched, and his voice rang. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I don¡¯t think you need to be discharged from the hospital anymore. Just continue to stay in the hospital, and I¡¯ll call the doctor toe over and examine you wellter!¡± After speaking, Alexander turned around and left. Madeline shivered angrily. ¡°Because of Elise, you are insinuating that I¡¯m sick in the head? Alexander, I think you are the one who is sick¡ªyou¡¯ve been bewitched by her!¡± ¡°Alex¡­¡± Maya chased after him. Alexander¡¯s pace was fast, so she could only speed up her pace. Immediately, she ran in front of Alexander. Being afraid that Alexander would push her away, she could only grab onto his sleeves. ¡°Alex, can you not walk so fast? Can you listen to what I have to say?¡± Maya panted heavily. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to talk about between us.¡± Alexander waved his hand and immediately shook off her hand before distancing himself from her. However, Maya persisted, and her attitude was very firm. ¡°Yes, there is. Do you remember what you said when we were young? You said you would protect me, and I¡¯ve been holding onto it ever since. Alex, I know Elise is very important in your heart, and I am trying to do all I can about it, but can you give me a chance? Can you not give up before I even have the chance to prove myself?¡± Her eyes were zed with ayer of tears as she said this. Alexander wasn¡¯t moved¡ªnot even a tiny bit. He was stoic and expressionless. ¡°I have her now, so I don¡¯t need anything to happen between us. Maya, you are quite excellent. I hope you can find a good man soon.¡± After speaking, Alexander left without looking back. That one sentence sent daggers flying right into Maya¡¯s heart! She couldn¡¯t ept it at all. So, she immediately contacted Elise. ¡°Elise, I have something I want to talk to you about alone. It¡¯s the truth about the scandals that you and your godfather once had on the Inte. Haven¡¯t you always wanted to know who was behind it? Come and meet me, and I¡¯ll tell you then.¡± On Elise¡¯s side, Robin and Laura were packing up and preparing to take Elise back to the prairie on the northwest as soon as possible. Chapter 309 Chapter 309 Chapter 309 Cyberbullying,Coolest Girl in Town Elise couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°Did you do it? Or was it Alexander¡¯s mother?¡± Matthew had already escaped, so how could there be anyone else who dared to oppose Alexander? ¡°You will know when you¡¯re here. What¡¯s wrong? Are you scared?¡± Maya didn¡¯t expect Elise to be so direct, but she wouldn¡¯t give up if she didn¡¯t meet with Elise today. ¡°Scared? Never.¡± After saying such a bold sentence, Elise went to the address that Maya suggested. The location Maya chose was opposite the entrance of a cafe. The moment their gazes met, Maya hooked her lips and smiled arrogantly and proudly. ¡°Elise Sinir, I really don¡¯t know why you stay by Alex¡¯s side. Today, my godmother has already said that she will match the two of us together. If you¡¯re someone that knows your ce, stay away.¡± She had heard many persuading her to leave Alexander. But her life was her own, so why should she listen to these people¡¯s words¡ªespecially words from a prideful person like Maya? ¡°Then have you asked for Alexander¡¯s opinion? Did he agree to it?¡± Elise couldn¡¯t help but feel amused. He hadn¡¯t even agreed yet, and she was already there imagining things on her own. ¡°Alex is just temporarily infatuated by you, while I have known him since childhood, so of course he knows me more than he does you. So don¡¯t make me do this the hard way!¡± Maya mmed the table. Honestly, Elise held no hostility toward Maya. After all, the persistent people in a rtionship were very humble and extreme, but Maya shouldn¡¯t be so arrogant in front of her. She was not a servant of the Dahlen Family, so she didn¡¯t have to take this from Maya at all! ¡°Do you even have the ability to?¡± Elise sneered softly, not taking Maya¡¯s words to heart at all. However, it wasn¡¯t because Alexander had arranged for someone to protect her secretly, but because she genuinely wasn¡¯t one bit afraid. But unexpectedly, Maya immediately kneeled down in front of her without saying a word. She begged very bitterly and humbly. ¡°Elise, I beg you. I can¡¯t live without Alex. Can you give me the chance to be with him? I know I¡¯m wrong, so please forgive me¡­¡± As she said that, Maya also knocked her head on the ground. Elise was immediately speechless. Is Maya actually acting in front of me? Elise watched on with a cold expression, but in the next second, many reporters appeared, and the shlights from the camera were flickering constantly. That was when Elise instantly understood Maya¡¯s true intention. ¡°Elise, I really didn¡¯t mean it. I know what I said was too much, but I also really love Alex. Even if you don¡¯t agree, you didn¡¯t have to do this to me, right?¡± As she spoke, Maya covered her left cheek and sobbed. It was such an epic performance that Elise couldn¡¯t help but feel like giving her a thumbs up. It was a shame she wasn¡¯t an actress. ¡°Maya, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re ridiculous, doing such a low-level thing? You covered your face and gave the media the illusion that I hit you, but have I actually hit you before? Also, you said that I was giving you a hard time. This restaurant has surveince cameras, so shall we get the tapes to see who is the one lying and acting?¡± Elise folded her arms. She had faced her fair share of ridiculousness recently. At this point, she didn¡¯t know whether to be angry orugh at the ridiculousness. ¡°Why is it that at this point, you still have to me everything on me? I know I shouldn¡¯t have asked you out today. If I could really give up on Alex, why would I beg you like this? Huh?¡± Yuck! What a b*tchy thing to say. Elise didn¡¯t want to talk nonsense with her, so she went directly to the clerk to get the surveince tapes. But what was revealed in the tapes made Elise even more speechless. Although Maya chose the position facing the hall, there was a tree next to her, which blocked the camera the moment she kneeled down. Therefore, only the scene of Elise being domineering was seen in the surveince. ¡°Miss Sinir, what else do you have to say for yourself now? If it were wrong to love someone, then why would anybody still bother to love? We should all just be nuns and celibates!¡± ¡°Miss Dahlen was just telling you the truth; you didn¡¯t have to be so irritable, right? Everyone has the right to love. Besides, you and Mr. Griffith are already engaged. Don¡¯t you trust Mr. Griffith in the least?¡± ¡­ When Elise heard these reporters¡¯ pressing questions, she directly hit back. ¡°The surveince just happened to be covered, so she can say anything she wants. Didn¡¯t you all see the surveince? I didn¡¯t do anything to her from the beginning to the end, so how am I the one giving her a hard time?¡± Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. Are these people blind? ¡°Words cut deeper than knives.¡± ¡°If you think my words would kill Maya, then let her die. If I am guilty, please let thew punish me. Don¡¯t tell me all of this nonsense now!¡± As soon as these words left her mouth, reporters swarmed around Elise. Immediately, Elise pushed them away and quickly fled the scene. She didn¡¯t want to exin to those people about what she didn¡¯t do, but in their eyes, she was running away. They even described at length how she was bullying others and disrespectful. Hence, Elise was directly criticized by them. All the while, Faye was just watching the whole thing unfolding online amusingly. She didn¡¯t think it was enough of a big deal, so she exposed Elise¡¯s involvement in her family affairs on the Inte as well. In a split second,izens canceled and attacked Elise. ¡®Who does she think she is? Does she think she is really rich? Does she really think of herself as a savior? How is it her ce to butt in on other people¡¯s family affairs?¡¯ ¡®She¡¯s on her high horse, but she¡¯s actually just pretending and doesn¡¯t know anything. I don¡¯t like this kind of garbage the most¡ªshe doesn¡¯t deserve to be in Athesea at all!¡¯ ¡­ When Maya saw that everyone was speaking for her, she even made a special video. In the video, she looked pitiful with her crying eyes and running nose. She took the me upon herself. ¡°Don¡¯t scold Elise like this because it¡¯s my fault. In fact, it¡¯s also my own ipetence. If I were good enough, Alex wouldn¡¯t be with her, and here I am, being delusional and begging her to give Alex back to me. All of this is impossible, so I shouldn¡¯t be so delusional¡­¡± Following that, the netizens cyberbullied Elise even more fiercely. ¡®Wow. So Elise Sinir was the mistress that destroyed other people¡¯s rtionships? Ew, I really didn¡¯t expect someone to be such a scumbag at such a young age. This is f*cked up!¡¯ ¡®There are more f*cked up things toe! Did you know? When Elise was in the small county town, she was a prostitute, and the reason why she came to Athesea was just because she wanted to help her rich godfather to get to the Griffith Family¡ªit was abined work from inside and outside, you know?¡¯ ¡®How are you so certain?¡¯ ¡®Of course I am! I was the father of the child in Elise¡¯s womb, and I am Elise¡¯s first man!¡¯ Chapter 310 Chapter 310 Chapter 310 Are You Breaking up With Me?,Coolest Girl in Town The post instantly caused millions ofizens toment, and it exploded virally on social media. Elise felt like she could almostugh from the anger. Can¡¯t these people find a more innovative way to destroy me? Aizen said he was her first ever man, then he even talked about her aborting their child. Are these people mentally retarded? How could they just believe whatever people said so easily? Alexander called her as soon as he heard the news. ¡°Where are you now?¡± Elise answered, ¡°I just finished meeting Maya, and I¡¯m on my way home now.¡± Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. ¡°Wait for me,¡± Alexander said, then he hung up immediately after. Although he didn¡¯t say much, Elise already understood. When she got home, Laura couldn¡¯t helpining to her, ¡°I told you not to go, but you didn¡¯t listen, and look what happened! You have been exposed to such negative scandals. How are you going to get married in the future?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go. We can¡¯t stay here anymore. Even if you don¡¯t want to stay in the Northwest, I have many friends, and I¡¯ll introduce you to a good one. The Griffiths are simply too condescending!¡± Robin hit his cane on the ground over and over again. Elise didn¡¯t take it seriously. ¡°How would I know that such a thing would happen today if I hadn¡¯t gone? It was bound to happen sooner orter. Grandpa, Grandma, I know you are worried about me, but I can¡¯t leave now.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Both of them almost asked in unison. ¡°If I leave now, doesn¡¯t that mean I¡¯m admitting to all of their usations?¡± Elise asked with a smile. Robin nodded, signaling that he felt what she said was indeed true. ¡°Right now, I¡¯m going to find out the person who ndered me and make an example out of them!¡± She wanted to tell everyone that she was not someone they could easily mess with! ¡°Then you have to leave with us after you have dealt with this matter!¡± Laura immediately spoke with a very serious tone. She knew that Elise must have her own opinions, but everything she said was easier said than done, especially considering Madeline¡¯s prejudice. A marriage that was not blessed by elders would end up unhappy. So, they might as well end it before it all started. Elise didn¡¯t say a word, but Robin took advantage of the situation to persuade her. ¡°Elise, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t agree with you two being together. You two had a marriage contract at the beginning, and I was also optimistic about Alexander when you got engagedter. But didn¡¯t you see his mother¡¯s attitude? If she can be so disrespectful and rude to us, wouldn¡¯t it be even worse for you? Grandma and I didn¡¯t raise you just to see you suffer.¡± As he said that, Robin felt emotional and showed a disappointed look as he let out a long sigh at the same time. When Elise saw this, she felt a surge of complicated emotions. Although she couldn¡¯t bear to leave Alexander, now¡­ She reckoned she should listen to her grandparents. As for her and Alexander¡­ If they were fated to be together, they couldn¡¯t be separated no matter what. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll leave with you when this is all over!¡± Elise finally nodded. Not long after, Alexander came. Both Robin and Laura didn¡¯t say anything when they saw him. They even left the room for the young couple to talk. Elise looked at him. She tried to open her lips to speak, but she stopped herself immediately. In fact, it was hard for her to speak up, but some things couldn¡¯t be dyed, and some words would be better said sooner rather thanter. ¡°Alex, you have seen everything on the Inte. After I solve them all, I will go back to Northwest with my grandparents¡­¡± ¡°Can you not go?¡± Alexander knew that if he couldn¡¯t solve the current situation properly, it would be better for Elise to return to the Northwest first in this case. In the next moment, he immediately pulled Elise into his arms. ¡°I¡¯ve let Matthew escape, but this time, I will handle it well. Elise, trust me¡ªI will protect you well. Can I go with you?¡± The Griffith Group was never something he really wanted to take over in the first ce. He only took over because he was the eldest son of the Griffith family and because he was the older brother. Besides, it was also because the family needed such a person at that time. Everything was as he said to his mother in the hospital today¡ªhe could do without Griffith Group. Elise was startled by Alexander¡¯s words. ¡°How can you?¡± If he leaves with me, wouldn¡¯t that mean giving up thepany? ¡°Alexander, I know your sincerity toward me, but you are the heir of the Griffith Family, so you should take care of your family¡¯s property. Your mother doesn¡¯t like me now, but one day, she¡­¡± Chapter 311 Chapter 311 Chapter 311 The Mastermind Behind This,Coolest Girl in Town Elise didn¡¯t have to say the rest. Alexander nodded and hugged her even tighter. It didn¡¯t take long for Jamie to find the person who imed that he was Elise¡¯s first man on the Inte. He was tall, thin, and tanned. Elise directly brought him to the front of the media. ¡°All of you, take a look at him. Do you think that I, Elise Sinir, have such bad taste in men? You all say I love money, so why would I find a poor man? Look at him¡ªhe does not look at all wealthy nor rich.¡± In other words, if anyone really fell for such a man, they were probably blind. The man was still denying it as he shouted, ¡°When you were with me, you said that as long as I was good to you, you didn¡¯t care about the rest. Elise, why are you saying such hurtful things to me now? Have you forgotten our good times?¡± Boom¡ª As Alexander was about to rush up again, he was quickly stopped by Elise, who pursed her lips and shook her head at him slowly, signaling him to stop. It was a live broadcast, so if Alexander actuallyid his hands on that guy with so many people watching, the media would definitely use it against them, and things would get out of hand. Elise grabbed Alexander¡¯s hand tightly, and she stared at the man coldly. ¡°You keep saying that we were a couple, so tell me: Where is my red mole?¡± ¡°Come on. Don¡¯t try to trick me. You don¡¯t have any red moles on your body!¡± How could the man not know that Elise was just deliberately trying to trick him? He didn¡¯t forget what that person told him. No matter what came his way, he had to deal with all of them¡ªonly then could he get more rewards! Elise said nothing but sneered coldly. Right then, she pulled down her cor. ¡°Since you said that we were a couple, how could you not know that I have a red mole here? Also, do you have any proof that you have lived in the Northwest before? Do you know my nickname? Do you know my background?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Elise¡¯s bombardment of questions rained down on him, and he couldn¡¯t manage to answer any of them at all. When she saw how flustered he was, Elise raised a cold and stern smile while facing the camera. ¡°If you can¡¯t tell who is lying here, I strongly doubt your qualifications as a reporter. Alexander, call the police and tell them that I also want to contact awyer. I want to know the possible sentence for a person who is ruining my reputation and is inciting cyberbullying toward me.¡± After saying this, Elise took Alexander¡¯s hand and left. When the man heard Elise¡¯s words, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning. Within a split second, he instantly panicked and begged for mercy. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was wrong, and I shouldn¡¯t have taken other people¡¯s money to nder you. I was blinded by money, Miss Sinir. Please spare me¡­¡± Spare him? As soon as she heard his so-called apologies, Elise found it amusing. If she was the kind of girl with such a weak and forgiving mentality, she would have been dead from all the pressure by now. Why should I forgive someone who would do harm to people for the sake of money? However, I have to find out who was the person behind this. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. Elise stepped back and said indifferently, ¡°Well, I guess I can spare you, but you have to tell me: who told you to do this? If you expose to the media how that person contacted you, I will let you off this time.¡± Since he had been exposed in front of the media, it would be extremely difficult for this man to get out of this fully. Since others could try to harm her, it was only natural for her to take revenge. In order to save his own skin, the man exposed how he was contacted by the person and even disclosed that person¡¯s contact information to the media. Alexander asked Cameron to further investigate using the information, and he found out that Maya was the mastermind behind this. In addition to the scene that Maya caused after she asked Elise toe to the restaurant, it was clear who was in the right and the wrong. Alexander took advantage of the situation to express his stand. ¡°I have only one fianc¨¦e¡ªshe is Elise Sinir, and I love only her. Anyone who dares to hurt her would mean they are going against me, and I will not spare anyone who tries to hurt her!¡± They called the police immediately, and the police arrested Maya shortly after. She hadmitted intentional harm and nder. As long as Elise said the word, Maya would be sentenced to three years in jail. She took advantage of this situation to show those who wanted to harm her that she was not an easy target! However, how could Madeline and the Dahlens be willing to let this happen? The Dahlens somehow got Elise¡¯s contact number and began to call her one by one. They would send text messages if she didn¡¯t answer ande to her door if she didn¡¯t reply. In fact, Madeline was the mastermind behind all of these acts. ¡°Elise, you¡¯ve gone too far. Are you going to send Maya to prison just because she loves Alex? Why are you so jealous? If that¡¯s the case, do you want to send all the girls who fancy Alex to jail as well? Can you even manage to do that? You¡¯d better arrange for someone to release Maya immediately, or I will make the two of you regret this!¡± Madeline sat on the sofa arrogantly, which made the old couple of the Sinir Family extremely furious. But what could they do? Chapter 312 Chapter 312 Chapter 312 Fine, Do as You Wish,Coolest Girl in Town After all, Robin and Laura couldn¡¯t bear to make such an unreasonable move as Madeline. They could only point angrily in the direction of the door¡­ ¡°If you came as an elderly, Elise would naturally wee you. But if you only came to judge and criticize, I¡¯ll tell you this: Elise didn¡¯t do anything wrong, so we won¡¯t ept your criticism. Laura and I will never allow her to be bullied like this!¡± ¡°Mom, haven¡¯t you caused enough trouble?¡± Alexander roared in anger. What is she doing here with the Dahlens? Maya is obviously the one at fault and guilty here, so why put this all on Elise? ¡°Alex, cut that crap! I don¡¯t need you to criticize me. Everyone is aiming for peace, but Elise wants to force people to death! I will put my words here: You have to let Maya go right now!¡± Madeline angrily and outrightly refuted Alexander¡¯s words. Meanwhile, Maya¡¯s parents did not have her toughness. In order to save their daughter, they could only kneel down before Elise. ¡°Miss Sinir, I beg you to let our daughter go. Maya was wrong. When she¡¯s released, I will definitely bring her to apologize to you, and we promise you that we will make sure she won¡¯t have anything to do with Alexander ever again! Please¡­ I beg of you¡­¡± Aside from begging her, Maya¡¯s parents even began to kowtow toward Elise. Elise was very upset to see such a scene, and she was indeed swayed. However, Alexander remained tough and said coldly, ¡°If she knew she was wrong, would she still have done such a thing? You can¡¯t just apologize because she¡¯s afraid of facing legal sanctions. If everyone did this and apologized for killing someone, should we then pretend that nothing happened?¡± Alexander wouldn¡¯t want to allow Maya to escape like this, and he didn¡¯t want Elise to spare her at all. If she didn¡¯t learn her lesson properly, she would never know what she did wrong! ¡°Alex, you grew up with Maya. She was such a kind girl that she would help those poor children and homeless old people whenever she went out, so how could she possibly kill? She only did such a wrong thing because she didn¡¯t think it through in the first ce. Can¡¯t you give her another chance? I promise you¡ªwhen she is released, I will take her out of here and never let her disturb you again, okay?¡± The Dahlens were crying so pitifully, and their voices were choked with tears¡ªevery word they said stirred Elise¡¯s heart. That being so, Alexander was not moved. ¡°Alexander, stay out of this matter!¡± Madeline narrowed her brows, shot him a re, and warned him in a low voice. When he heard that, Alexander merely sneered, ¡°Elise is my fianc¨¦e; how can I not get involved in this matter? Mom, it¡¯s okay that you don¡¯t like Elise, but you shouldn¡¯t bring them here like this. If you still see me as your son, take them and leave immediately!¡± ¡°Or what? Are you going to denounce our mother-son rtionship?¡± Madeline felt both pained and ridiculed after hearing Alexander¡¯s words. He was her son that she had raised for more than 20 years. Her husband was already estranged from her, and now even her son? Madeline was reluctant to ept this fact. ¡°Alexander Griffith, I¡¯m your mother. Do you think the person I favor could be that bad? The person who loves you will not be bad; she can help you in every way, and she¡ª¡± ¡°Even if you praised Maya to the sky, Mom, I won¡¯t fall for her,¡± Alexander interrupted Madeline coldly. When Elise saw the fighting between Alexander and his mother because of her, she interrupted softly, ¡°Stop fighting, both of you. As long as Maya holds a media conference to publicly admit what she had done to me and promises not to find trouble with me in the future, I will let her go.¡± Elise pursed her lips and spoke slowly. This was her greatest tolerance. Robin and Laura both knew what kind of person Elise was, and since she had already made a decision, they wouldn¡¯t say anything anymore. However, Alexander was more than unwilling to do so. Nevertheless, Elise gestured at him, not wanting him to say anything further. In the next second, Alexander announced directly in front of everyone, ¡°Miss Madeline Bowen, I want nothing to do with you in the future. From now on, I will sever all rtions with you.¡° ¡°You¡ª¡± Madeline would never have thought that Alexander would cut off his rtionship with her so brazenly in front of so many people. She pointed at Alexander¡¯s nose and almost didn¡¯t manage to catch her breath. ¡°You don¡¯t want me, your mother, because of this woman?¡± Madeline asked Alexander hoarsely with tears in her eyes. Alexander didn¡¯t want to see her like this and turned his back to her. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want you; it¡¯s that you pushed me away. Go, and don¡¯t hinder us anymore. I have decided to leave this ce with Elise.¡± Alexander pursed his lips, and he sounded in pain. He had made it very clear in the beginning that he didn¡¯t want things to get to this point, but she was forcing him to do so every step of the way. Maya¡¯s parents were relieved when they heard what Elise said, and of course they wanted to lecture their daughter immediately before she changed her mind. Both Robin and Laura, who were observing this situation, also gave Elise a look before they left the room. Soon, only Alexander and Madeline were left in the living room. Madeline did not leave; she only stared at Alexander quietly. At this point, she asked him calmly and coldly, ¡°Let me ask you: Are you really determined to be with Elise Sinir?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point of you asking this? Didn¡¯t you and my dad get together because of love? Why do you push everyone to such extremes?¡± Madelineughed out loud after hearing this¡ªher heart was hurt. In fact, she had heard simr words from Alexander¡¯s father. At the time, he questioned her so coldly and hated her so cruelly as well. He told her that he hated her and said that she was too extreme. But was it all her fault? ¡°Wow. You Griffiths are truly all useless. Well, fine. Since everything is my fault, then I¡¯ll grant your wish!¡± Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. Madelineughed, and herughter grew more and more miserable. Alexander felt extremely ufortable hearing that. He then turned his head hastily, only to see his mother rushing over to him like a maniac. Alexander wanted to grab her, but she grabbed the dagger on the coffee table instead¡­ Almost immediately, he heard the sound of a sharp dagger piercing into flesh and saw a crimson river flow¡­ Chapter 313 Chapter 313 Chapter 313 What Am I to You, Then?,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°Why?¡± Alexander asked in a hoarse voice, his throat stinging with emotion. He even had difficulty breathing. Of course, his first instinct was to pick his mother up. However, Madeline clutched his hand firmly and demanded with all her might, ¡°I¡¯ll go to the hospital only if you promise me that you¡¯ll break up with Elise¡­¡± Alexander didn¡¯t expect his mother to be so unrelenting and stubborn even at this critical moment. ¡°Mom¡­¡± Madeline shoved Alexander away at once. ¡°Well then, just watch me die!¡± Alexander¡¯s heart twinged when he saw Madeline¡¯s attitude. Mom even dared to stab herself in the heart with a knife. Is there anything else she wouldn¡¯t do? he thought. However, he couldn¡¯t just sit by and watch his own mother bleed to death in front of him either. Thus, he forcibly picked her up, letting her struggle in his arms. When Alexander emerged with Madeline in his arms, Elise, Robin, and Laura were taken aback by the sight of blood. After a moment¡¯s silence, Robin and Laura shook their heads. ¡°You¡¯d better go back with us, Elise. Just forget about saying goodbye to Alexander. Let¡¯s go,¡± Robin said with a long sigh. Elise was stupefied. Laura then said, ¡°You¡¯ve seen the situation now, Elise. His mother¡¯s so upromising in her stance. Even if you end up marrying Alexander, you¡¯ll only have a hard time getting along with his family. Let¡¯s go.¡± She tugged at Elise. In the end, Elise nodded. Love wasn¡¯t just a matter between two people, so she couldn¡¯t just sit by and watch Alexander being caught in such a dilemma. ¡­ Madeline was in critical condition since the knife went right into her heart. Alexander stayed close to her without letting her out of his sight. When the surgery was done and she was sent to the intensive care unit for observation, it was already 9.00PM. At first, he wanted to give Elise a phone call, but he put his cell phone back into his pocket after taking it out. He thought it would be better to meet her directly at home, but when he arrived, her spacious apartment was pitch-dark. Is she asleep? he thought, but a slight feeling of anxiety crept over him¡­ Subsequently, he entered the passcode and went in, only to find the house empty. She¡¯s gone¡­ Alexander couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. He quickly took out his cell phone, but it didn¡¯t show any iing text messages or phone calls. He never thought Elise would leave, nor did he expect her to not even leave him a message. Why would this happen when we¡¯ve gotten everything straight between us? No, I¡¯m gonna ask her about this! However, before he could set off, a call came in from Danny. ¡°Hurry up ande to the hospital, Alexander. Mom¡¯se around, and she¡¯s now demanding to see you. She said she¡¯ll refuse medical treatment if she doesn¡¯t get to see you. We couldn¡¯t stop her no matter what¡­¡± Alexander could only turn back in the face of Danny¡¯s desperate urging and Madeline¡¯s extreme behavior. He knew where Elise was, so he could go to her anytime, but he couldn¡¯t overlook his mother¡¯s extreme behavior at the moment. If he waste, she would die. At the hospital, Alexander¡¯s eyes were sore when he saw his mother. Madeline¡¯s face was ghastly pale, but her eyes were stern and ferocious. Even before Alexander came up to her, she fiercely said, ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want Maya. I can look for someone else for you, but you must break up with Elise!¡± Danny and the bunch didn¡¯t expect this to be the reason Madeline had Alexander called over. On the other hand, Alexander set his jaw grimly. Pulling a long face, he looked as ck as thunder; even his voice was oppressive. ¡°Do you really loathe her that much?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you already know the answer to that question? If you insist on choosing her¡­¡± Madeline began darting her eyes around. Seeing how Madeline¡¯s eyes searched for Elise, Alexander snapped at once, ¡°Don¡¯t give me that, and stop looking for her! She¡¯s gone!¡± Madeline was delighted. ¡°That¡¯s perfect. I¡¯ll set you up on a blind date tomorrow.¡± Danny and the others couldn¡¯t wrap their heads around this. Elise came from a prominent family background and was very capable. The young lady was only 19 years old, but she was a skilled singer, gamer, and fashion designer. She was both pretty and rich, so why would Madeline dislike her? And besides, Elise was a warmhearted person, which made her and Maya as different as chalk and cheese. Is it only because Elise doesn¡¯t know how to please her? However, Alexander replied, ¡°If you have the energy to set me up on a blind date, you might as well take good care of yourself. I¡¯m here to tell you to knock it off. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll die too¡ªunless you want me to die in front of you!¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± Upon hearing his words, Madeline stared nkly at him. She mumbled, ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± Alexander let out a sneer. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like you¡¯ve threatened me less often. Don¡¯t forget whose son I am. Since you can do it, why can¡¯t I?¡± he replied. Then, he turned around and left without hesitation. Madeline¡¯s chest ached with anger, but she dared not summon up a lot of strength. After all, she had just stabbed herself ruthlessly in the chest. Alexander was gone, and the remaining Griffith boys were disappointed with Madeline, though they couldn¡¯t say anything else at this moment. Alexander left thepany¡¯s matters in Cameron¡¯s hands. ¡°Please take care of thepany while I¡¯m away. If it¡¯s too much for you to handle, just go to my mom or anyone else from the Griffith Family.¡± How can I take care of thepany if I can¡¯t even keep my loved one by my side? Meanwhile, Elise took out her cell phone again and again. She had entered Alexander¡¯s phone number and composed text messages, but she neither called him nor sent him a text message. Whenever she wanted to do so, she would always recall the pool of deep red blood, as well as how anxious Alexander looked while carrying his mother in his arms. Grandma said this will be amon urrence in the future if I don¡¯t cut my losses. If that happens, both Alexander and I will be suffering for a long time. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. After getting off the ne, she and her grandparents were picked up by their butler. Elise didn¡¯t say a word along the way, though. The next day, all her ssmates and teachers asked her where she was, and so did Danny and Jamie¡ªbut not Alexander. Alexander should¡¯ve realized by this time that I¡¯m gone, yet he didn¡¯t send me any text messages. Is he angry with me? thought Elise. However, she didn¡¯t expect to see Alexander. The man stood before her with bloodshot eyes and a haggard face; he even had dark green stubble on his chin. ¡°You¡­¡± Elise wanted to say something, but she didn¡¯t know where to begin. Alexander asked, ¡°Elise, you left and stayed as you please. What am I to you, then? A piece of garbage that you throw away whenever you want?¡± Chapter 314 Chapter 314 Chapter 314 Could You Stop Making Things Difficult for Me?,Coolest Girl in Town Upon hearing Alexander¡¯s words, Elise instantly felt wretched. It wouldn¡¯t be an overstatement to say that she was heartbroken. However, after taking a deep breath, she replied as indifferently as she could, ¡°Your mom¡­ You¡¯d better go back, Alexander. I can¡¯t bear the responsibility if anything happens to her.¡± However, the more indifferent she looked on the outside, the more vulnerable she felt deep down. The fact that Alexander hade to her at this critical moment was enough to speak for itself, but she couldn¡¯t just sit by and watch his mother go to extremes. That was how cruel reality was. ¡°Elise.¡± Alexander called out to her and grabbed her hand, clenching it so tightly that she couldn¡¯t pull her hand out of his grasp at all. ¡°I¡¯ve made myself clear to my mom. I¡¯m the man who calls the shots in the Griffith Family. I manage both thepany and the household, so everyone respects me, fears me, and tters me. I¡¯m at the top of the business world, but you aren¡¯t there, Elise. If you¡¯re not there, I don¡¯t want any of those,¡± he said, tightening his grasp. Elise¡¯s pupils reflected Alexander¡¯s figure as the couple was only inches apart. She saw the man very clearly, especially the pain in his eyes. In an instant, her voice got stuck in her throat. She wanted to say something, but she didn¡¯t know where to begin. Just then, Laura came out with a look of displeasure. ¡°Can¡¯t we stay away from that difficult mother of yours?¡± Her words rendered Alexander at a loss for a reply. His mother¡¯s extreme behavior was still fresh in his mind, let alone Elise¡¯s and her grandparents¡¯. He was reluctant to part with Elise, nor was he willing to give up, but all words paled into insignificance at this moment. In the more than 20 years of his life, this was the first time he felt so powerless and helpless. Laura then persuaded, ¡°I know you¡¯re a nice kid, so go back. A man has too many responsibilities on his shoulders, not to mention that you¡¯re not an ordinary man. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. Elise¡¯s grandpa and I only wish her to live a happy and peaceful life.¡± She gave Alexander a wave of dismissal. The next instant, she took Elise¡¯s hand and turned back. Elise merely threw a nce at him without saying a word. This was quite a heavy blow to Alexander. ¡°Eli¡ª¡± He called out to her, trying to stop her. However, the instant he spoke, he felt like his throat was being squeezed by a pair of invisible large hands. He could neither say a word nor breathe. No, I can¡¯t let her leave just like that! I can¡¯t let this be the end of us! he thought. He ran after them, but as soon as he took a step forward, everything went ck before his eyes. As hisst bit of consciousness slipped away, he heard Elise anxiously calling out to him¡­ ¡­ ¡°Alexander! Alexander!¡± Elise called out to Alexander again and again. She tried to shake him awake, but he didn¡¯t respond. Panicked, she could no longer care about anything else. She called the butler over and had Alexander rushed to the hospital, keeping close to the man along the way. Laura and Robin couldn¡¯t bear to see such a situation either, so they could only let Elise do so. Elise waited until five in the afternoon. Seeing that Alexander was still unconscious, she hurriedly ran to a doctor. ¡°Doctor, didn¡¯t you say that the patient in Bed 23 only fainted because he got too emotional and didn¡¯t have enough rest? Why is he still unconscious?¡± She was scared to death while sending Alexander to the hospital at the time. She really feared that something might have happened to him and that his life might be in danger, and it wasn¡¯t until the checkup was done that she felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest. However, Alexander was still unconscious after she had stayed with him all day, and she dared not move him around lest the worst-case scenario might happen. The thought of such a situation alone made it difficult for her to breathe. The doctor was a woman. She was holding the medical record in her hand. ¡°Bed 23? Who¡¯s the¡­ Elise?¡± Elise was anxiously waiting for the doctor¡¯s reply, but who would¡¯ve thought that thetter would look up at her with a look of astonishment? Upon seeing the woman before her, Elise was startled as well. ¡°Are you working here?¡± She recognized the woman at a nce. She was Jessica Bet, Elise¡¯s childhood ymate, who had gone to the same primary school and junior high as Elise. They had contacted each other less often since the Bet Family moved away during Elise¡¯s first year in high school, so it surprised Elise that they would meet again in the hospital this time. ¡°I¡¯m working here as an intern, you remember? My grandpa¡¯s ill, and he insisted oning back, so we moved back here,¡± Jessica exined roughly. Then, she asked, ¡°Is anyone in your family hospitalized?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my¡­ friend.¡± Elise pursed her lips while collecting herself. She had nearly blurted out that Alexander was her fianc¨¦, but now, she could only be friends with him. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you to take a look, then. I¡¯ve just taken my turn on duty.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Elise nodded and led Jessica to Alexander¡¯s ward. When Jessica saw how handsome the person lying in bed was, she immediately teased Elise with a smile, ¡°Hey, he¡¯s your boyfriend, isn¡¯t he?¡± From the door, she noticed Alexander in bed at a nce, especially his prominent brow ridge, pronounced features, and deep-set eyes. Elise didn¡¯t exin her rtionship with Alexander since she was very worried about him at the moment. ¡°Please check on him first, Jessica. If you can¡¯t, then help me bring your supervisor over.¡± ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Jessica nodded with a smile. Then, she went to the head of the bed. Just as she was about to take out her stethoscope, Alexander suddenly opened his eyes, startling both her and Elise. ¡°You don¡¯t have to check on me. I¡¯m fine.¡± He didn¡¯t look very well, and his thin lips were pinched together. His voice sounded steady and resonant to Jessica. Compared to when he was unconscious just now, the man was even more attractive at this moment. Seeing that Alexander was perfectly fine at the moment, Elise said, ¡°Since you¡¯re alright, I¡¯ll be going back.¡± With that, she turned around and was about to leave. Her words instantly snapped Jessica out of her thoughts. She quickly backed away, suggesting, ¡°Well, why don¡¯t you two have a chat first? I¡¯ve got something else to attend to, so I¡¯m leaving.¡± She took a deep breath and turned around, but Alexander¡¯s deep eyes shed before her mind¡¯s eye, and she couldn¡¯t seem to get them out of her mind. ¡­ As soon as Jessica left, Alexander immediately threw back the covers and got out of bed. He closed in on Elise, asking, ¡°Why are you doing this? You love me and are worried about me, no?¡± Elise pursed her lips while clenching her fists. ¡°Do I need to exin it to you over and over again, Alexander? You¡¯re no longer a kid. And besides, some words are meaningless to say.¡± She was unbearably indignant. Was all of that an act he put on to sound me out on purpose? I was worried to death just now! she thought. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s childish of you to behave like this, Alexander?¡± ¡°I admit that I was pretending to some degree, but I wasn¡¯t pretending back when we were in your apartment,¡± Alexander replied. Having seen through Elise¡¯s feelings at this moment, he pursed his lips and exined, ¡°I¡¯m scared, Elise. I just want to be with you while we can.¡± He reached out his hand to Elise. However, Elise swiftly dodged him before his hand could touch her. ¡°I really want to be with you, Alexander, but it¡¯s too difficult for us to stay together! Could you stop making things difficult for me?¡± Chapter 315 Chapter 315 Chapter 315 What Can We Do to Make Her Happy?,Coolest Girl in Town Alexander could hardly describe his feelings when he heard Elise¡¯s words, which were spoken gently in a croaky voice. ¡°Have you made up your mind?¡± ¡°Well, your mom¡¯s determined to stop me. There¡¯s a saying that has been true throughout the ages: you can¡¯t have your cake and eat it too.¡± It was both appropriate and inappropriate to apply the saying to the present moment, but the saying was true since Elise and Madeline could never live peacefully together. Alexander didn¡¯t respond, though his ck eyes were full of sorrow. Elise felt bad when she saw him like this, but she could only force herself to put up an apathetic front at the moment. She said coldly, ¡°You¡¯re not worried that something might happen to your mom, Alexander. In that case, don¡¯t you worry that something might happen to me?¡± Upon hearing her say so, Alexander immediately got anxious. ¡°Elise¡ª¡± However, Elise replied, ¡°I¡¯m not joking with you. Right now, I just want to move on and live my life with Grandpa and Grandma. My engagement to one of the Griffiths was decided by Grandpa and Grandpa Griffith back then. Now that Grandpa Griffith has passed away and Grandpa doesn¡¯t want me to marry into the Griffith Family, it¡¯s only a matter of course that our engagement is annulled.¡± She was relieved to see how anxious Alexander looked. Rather than staying together with him regardless of the consequences, she wanted to see the man doing well. ¡°I¡¯ll rify the matter between us, Alexander. Just go back early if you¡¯ve got nothing else to say.¡± With that, she turned around and left without looking back, ignoring Alexander no matter how he called out to her from behind. Alexander wanted to run after Elise, but his legs felt so heavy at this very moment as though they had been filled with lead. He couldn¡¯t take the first step no matter what¡­ ¡­ Elise met Jessica again when she entered the elevator. Noticing at a nce that Elise was feeling down, Jessica approached her and asked, ¡°Did you two have a quarrel?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t a quarrel, actually.¡± Elise pressed her lips together, though she didn¡¯t feel any better. It would be fine if she only had a quarrel with Alexander, for they could at least get back together happily after making up. The awful thing was that they didn¡¯t even have a slim chance of being together. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, then? Did you two run into some obstacles? We used to tell each other everything, Elise, so feel free to tell me about it. Don¡¯t suppress your feelings, or you¡¯ll break down easily.¡± Jessica patted Elise on the shoulder. Elise shook her head. It was true that she and Jessica had been friends who kept no secrets from each other, but they had been separated for years. At the moment, she no longer had the strength to talk about her rtionship with Alexander. Surprisingly, Jessica came to her the next day and even brought many presents for Robin and Laura. Upon learning that it was Jessica, Robin and Laura received her cordially. They even persuaded Elise to hang out with her. Not only that, but they also had their outing mapped out scrupulously. Elise knew Robin and Laura were worried that she might suffer from depression, and they thought it good that her childhood best friend coulde and keep herpany. However, she really didn¡¯t have much energy for it under the present circumstances. Just then, Jessica asked, ¡°I can tell that you¡¯re feeling down. You¡¯d better give vent to your emotions, or it¡¯ll be bad if you suffer from depression. The problem between you and your boyfriend, is it because his family disapproves of his rtionship with you?¡± Elise didn¡¯t expect that Jessica would actually guess it right. After a few seconds of shock, she nodded. ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± She¡¯s figured it out already. There¡¯s no point denying, she thought. Jessica encouraged, ¡°If you two are deeply in love with each other, you shouldn¡¯t be in thrall to the present. The Elise I know isn¡¯t someone who would be defeated by some minor difficulties!¡± Elise replied with a sigh, ¡°But his family spurns me. You didn¡¯t see the extreme lengths his mother had gone to. She even dared to stab herself with a knife to force him to break up with me.¡± That scene is really unthinkable. Even now, I¡¯m still scared, she thought. Jessica asked straightforwardly, ¡°Is his mother mentally disturbed or something?¡± Elise pursed her lips, saying, ¡°Nope. She¡¯s just prone to extreme behavior, and she¡¯s prejudiced against me. It¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t want to put him in such a difficult position. Anyway, thanks foring to see me, Jessica, but I don¡¯t feel like going out these days.¡± ¡°Well, in that case, all the more you need to have fun. How about I take you to a party tonight? If you¡¯ve made up your mind, then you should get over him as early as possible. Don¡¯t let him keep on pestering you either, or you two will torture yourselves to death, no?¡± Jessica asked while offering Elise a piece of advice. Elise thought about it for a moment and finally nodded. Even though Elise agreed to go to the party with Jessica, she was in no mood to doll herself up, so it was Jessica who picked her evening dress and put makeup on her. ¡°Look at that long face of yours. Everyone will know that you¡¯re in a mood if you go out looking like this. Cheer up, sweetie! It¡¯s just a man, isn¡¯t it? If his family doesn¡¯t approve of you, then find someone whose family does. It¡¯s not like you can¡¯t marry anyone other than him, anyway!¡± Jessica advised Elise. Elise knew that Jessica wouldn¡¯t have advised her like this if they weren¡¯t close. Even so, how can I really do that? Alexander is the man I gave my heart to, and we broke up not because we no longer love each other or because one of us betrayed the other¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± She quickly stopped thinking about it. The more she thought about it, the more her head hurt. At present, she could only find something else to do to divert her attention. With that, she and Jessica left the Sinir Mansion. Robin watched the twodies leave before letting out a heavy sigh. ¡°What a poor child Elise is! I thought I could let her live like a princess, but now, she can¡¯t even be together with the man she loves the most. This is really¡ª¡± Laura frowned on Robin¡¯s words, though. She argued, ¡°That only proves that they¡¯re not meant to be together. If they¡¯re meant to be together, nothing can keep them apart.¡± Robin nodded silently in agreement. ¡°You¡¯re right. If they¡¯re meant to be together, nothing can keep them apart.¡± Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. Laura replied with a snort, ¡°That¡¯s right, so stop worrying about this. Now, let¡¯s think about how to teach Madeline a lesson and how to make our Elise happy.¡± Robin nodded upon hearing Laura¡¯s words, but he was troubled. ¡°How can we make her happy now that she¡¯s upset? Find her parents? It¡¯s been almost 20 years, but there¡¯s no news at all¡­¡± Chapter 316 Chapter 316 Chapter 316 The Masked Man,Coolest Girl in Town Laura let out a sigh with a doleful look. ¡°Let¡¯s send more people out and throw money at it. Otherwise, Elise will be left alone when we die.¡± Ever since she and Robin took Elise back from the orphanage and kept her around them, they had been treating her as their own granddaughter. If it weren¡¯t for the present reality, they really wanted to keep it a secret and keep Elise by their side. However, their lives were finite. Robin replied, ¡°I¡¯ll have it arranged ording to the situation. Sigh! Alexander¡¯s a nice brat, but his mother¡¯s lost her mind!¡± He subconsciously struck the ground with his stick. When he recalled Madeline¡¯s tone of voice when she had spoken to them the other day and the extreme lengths she had gone to, he was instantly filled with anger. Laura patted him on the back. ¡°Alright, calm down now. Aren¡¯t we going to teach her a lesson? We¡¯ve got to let her know that the Sinirs aren¡¯t a presence that she can look down on as she pleases!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Robin nodded and immediately made a phone call. Meanwhile, Elise arrived at the party with Jessica. The party was a feast for the eyes as drinks flowed freely among the guests. However, Elise noticed that everyone at the party was dressed in either a suit or an evening dress. All the guests, male or female, were not only good-looking but also well-proportioned in stature. Is this¡­ She turned to look at Jessica in shock. Jessica let out a chuckle. She exined, ¡°It¡¯s a matchmaking party, but I was afraid that you wouldn¡¯te with me if I told you about it. Why don¡¯t you just grab a handsome guy and take a picture with him to tell your boyfriend to give up?¡± Elise was rendered speechless. It was never necessary to end her rtionship with Alexander in such a way, and besides, she didn¡¯t like such asions either. ¡°Jessica, it¡¯s not that I want to make you look bad, but I only came with you because you said it was a party. Well, I¡¯ll be waiting for you outside,¡± she said, before turning around. She had barely made a few steps when Jessica grabbed her and said anxiously, ¡°Elise, I swear that I didn¡¯t mean anything else. I just didn¡¯t want you to forget that there are plenty of other fish in the sea. It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t feel like seeing someone else. Just help me check out my date then!¡± I¡¯ll be in trouble if Elise leaves. That guy has explicitly told me to bring Elise over. Otherwise, I¡¯ll never get that fifty million! Elise hesitated for a while before relenting. ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Well, Jessica means well, and she¡¯s even brought me over. And besides, we used to be such good friends, so it¡¯d be rude for me to turn around and leave right now, she thought. However, after the twodies stood for a while, some people came over and chatted them up, and some even directly asked for their WhatsApp contacts and phone numbers. As if that wasn¡¯t amazing enough, someone even unted his educational background, his property deeds, the keys to his luxurious cars, and his credit cards, looking for a wife on the spot! To top things off, this guy was pretty handsome. Jessica couldn¡¯t help but ridicule, ¡°Does that guy even need toe looking for a wife when he¡¯s so rich and good-looking? Is he out of his mind or something?¡± Elise tacitly agreed with her words. After all, how could those rich and powerful men like him be short of women around them? ¡°Maybe,¡± she echoed. Just then, Jessica suddenly eximed, ¡°Wow! Look, Elise! Look at that masked man!¡± Elise felt Jessica shaking her arm vigorously, so she could only follow thetter¡¯s gaze¡­ She saw a man dressed in a ck suit, who was about six feet tall and wearing a silver mask. Holding a ss of red wine in his hand, he stood alone in a corner, looking mysterious and charming in profile alone. However, Elisemented, ¡°Perhaps he¡¯s also an ugly man.¡± If he isn¡¯t, then why is he wearing a mask? What is he shy about now that he¡¯s joining a matchmaking party? Jessica didn¡¯t agree with her, though. ¡°Ugly? Elise, how could such a man be so attractive if he isn¡¯t handsome in the first ce?¡± Elise turned to look at Jessica in surprise. Is she taking a shine to him? Jessica took Elise¡¯s arm, confirming thetter¡¯s suspicion. ¡°Come on, Elise! Let¡¯s go chat him up.¡± Jessica went up to the man without hesitation, and Elise had no choice but to follow her. She had to admit that Jessica really had some nerve.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. She took Elise¡¯s hand and went straight up to the man wearing a silver mask, saying, ¡°Can we have your contact number, gentleman? Either your phone number or your WhatsApp number¡¯s fine. Of course, it¡¯ll be best if we can add you on WhatsApp.¡± For the first time in her life, Elise didn¡¯t know whether to stand or leave as she stayed beside Jessica. The man nodded. ¡°Sure. Add me then.¡± However, he signaled Elise to add his contact information instead. Elise was dumbfounded. It was Jessica who asked for the man¡¯s contact information, and she never said a word from beginning to end. Why would the man think that it was her who wanted to have his contact information? Just then, Jessica whispered in her ear, ¡°Just add him first and forward his number to meter, Elise. It¡¯s the same, anyway.¡± She even shook Elise¡¯s arm while pleading with her. As a result, Elise had no choice but to add the man on WhatsApp. ¡°I¡¯ve got something to deal with, so I¡¯ve got to go. Let¡¯s chat later on WhatsApp,¡± the masked man said. Then, he turned around and left. Elise immediately forwarded the man¡¯s WhatsApp number to Jessica, but thetter snatched her phone away. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t delete his WhatsApp number so quickly. Do you think he¡¯ll add me? You didn¡¯t tell him the situation, after all.¡± ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll make it clear to him,¡± Elise replied. I wonder what¡¯s wrong with that guy¡¯s mind. Why would he get the wrong idea that it was me who wanted his contact information? ¡°We can¡¯t make it clear to him right now. Let¡¯s have some fun for a while and wait for him toe to us.¡± Jessica giggled as she put Elise¡¯s cell phone away. Not only that, but she even dragged Elise to the dance floor. The music was electrifying, plus Jessica was beside her, so it was difficult for Elise not to dance to the beat. After dancing through a few songs, she got tired and found a ce to sit down and rest. Jessica handed her a ss of fruit juice. ¡°How does that feel, huh? Do you feel much better now?¡± Elise nodded. Admittedly, she danced with all her heart to the rhythm of the music without thinking about anything else just now. Jessica then advised her, ¡°Please don¡¯t mind me talking too much, Elise. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m more philosophical about things. Since there are so many obstacles between you two, then you should stop thinking about this. You just saw how many men asked for your WhatsApp number, no? You¡¯re also a goddess in the eyes of others, so why humble yourself in front of others?¡± Undeniably, her words made sense. I¡¯ve never thought of humbling myself before anyone. It¡¯s just that¡­ Never mind, there¡¯s no point in mentioning these anymore, thought Elise. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± She stood up, wanting to go back since she was tired. However, before she could get to her feet, she slumped heavily back onto the stool. Furthermore, she felt weak all over! ¡°Jessica¡­¡± Her first instinct was to call for Jessica, as she realized that something was wrong with the fruit juice she just drank. However, Jessica merely stood across from her while staring at her indifferently. Chapter 317 Chapter 317 Chapter 317 You¡¯re Despicable, Matthew!,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°Why?¡± Elise frowned. Jessica¡¯s indifference said it all¡ªthe party, the masked man who had added her on WhatsApp, and herck of strength at the moment. Jessica pursed her lips before saying to Elise, ¡°Because I can benefit from it, that¡¯s why.¡± Money made the world go round, so even the best of friends would turn against each other in the face of interests. Elise replied calmly, ¡°I can pay you double of what the person has promised you. Get me out of here!¡± She didn¡¯t expect that Jessica would stab her in the back. If I don¡¯t get out of here as soon as possible right now, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll¡­ However, Jessica interrupted Elise¡¯s thoughts with a cold sneer. ¡°Where are you supposed to find the money to pay me double, Elise? Won¡¯t your grandparents get suspicious if you divert so much money? Stop deceiving me and wasting your energy here!¡± With that, she dragged Elise to her feet. Elise was too weak to struggle due to the drug¡¯s influence. At this very moment, she felt like a fish on the chopping board. Soon, Jessica dragged her out of the party and through a long hallway. By the time they arrived at a suite, Elise had lost consciousness. Jessica dragged Elise into the room and threw her onto the bed with some effort. Then, she took out her cell phone and made a phone call. A little whileter, someone pushed the door open and came in¡ªhe was none other than the man wearing a silver mask just now. Jessica stood in front of Elise right away. ¡°I¡¯ve brought you the person you want, so what about the thing I want? Don¡¯t give me an empty promise. I want fifty million transferred to my bank ount right now!¡± The man snorted in a low voice. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t pay you less than what you¡¯ve asked for.¡± They stood confronting each other for about half a minute as Jessica stared at the man before her. A little whileter, Jessica¡¯s cell phone registered a text message telling her that the money had been transferred to her bank ount. Only then did she put her cell phone away in satisfaction. Before she left, she even looked back and nced at Elise. However, the man ridiculed her, saying, ¡°For what are you pretending to bepassionate right now? You¡¯ve sold her out, after all.¡± His words instantly crushed the only kindness left in Jessica. That¡¯s right. I¡¯ve betrayed Elise for fifty million. However reluctant and unwilling I am, I¡¯ve already done it. There¡¯s no turning back anymore, she thought. After taking a deep breath, she left without looking back. ¡­ Elise felt her head swimming when she came around, but she immediately came to her senses upon recalling what she had gone through before passing out. After looking at her surroundings in horror, she found herself lying naked on the two-meter-wide Simmons bed. This is¡­ Did I¡­ ¡°You don¡¯t have to be surprised, nor do you have to doubt it. We¡¯ve had sex.¡± Elise instantly recognized the deep, hoarse voice as it reached her ears from a distance. It¡¯s Matthew! She turned sharply to look at where the voice hade from, and sure enough, the man who was leaning against the bathroom door in a white bathrobe was none other than Matthew, who had a wicked smirk on his face at this very moment. At the sight of the scene, Elise instantly felt as though she had been plunged into iced water. Her body ached all over, and her head was throbbing. Not only that, but she had been set up by her friend, so she had no idea what had happened after she lost consciousness. Moreover, she recalled what Matthew had said to her before running off earlier. ¡°You¡¯re despicable, Matthew! Do you think you can turn the tables by doing this? I¡¯m telling you, I¡¯ll make sure that you die a horrible death!¡± She clenched her teeth hard while clutching the quilt. At this moment, she really wished she could pounce on Matthew and rip him to shreds. Matthew sneered. ¡°So what if I¡¯m despicable? Who cares whether I¡¯m brilliant or despicable as long as I can get what I want? I¡¯ve sent our pictures to Alexander and your grandparents, Elise. If you want to protect your chastity, then marry me and have Alexander stop hunting me down. Otherwise¡­¡± He didn¡¯t finish his sentence, but what he meant was very clear. If Elise didn¡¯t do as he said, he would publish the pictures, making her lose all standing and reputation. Flying into a rage, Elise grabbed the bedsidemp and hurled it at Matthew, but he dodged it effortlessly.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Since she was naked, she couldn¡¯t jump on him. Left with no choice, she pointed to the door and growled in an angry voice, ¡°Get out of here¡ªscram!¡± However, Matthew responded with a cheeky grin. ¡°I¡¯ve put your clothes on the head of the bed. Come out once you¡¯ve gotten dressed. I¡¯ll be waiting for you outside.¡± Elise¡¯s chest heaved up and down in anger. At the moment, she didn¡¯t feel any sorrow; all she had inside her was mes of anger. To think that I was set up by Matthew and betrayed by Jessica like this! I swear that I¡¯ll definitely get even with them for the humiliation I suffered today! However, her clothes were nowhere to be seen, so she had no choice but to pick up the clothes on the nightstand that Matthew had prepared for her. It was a red deep V-neck dress that did little to hide the red marks on her chest and neck, which hurt when she touched them. Matthew wants to destroy Alexander and get his hands on everything that belongs to the Griffiths. Moreover, he¡¯s now driven into a tight corner, so he¡¯ll really do anything! Well, I¡¯ve got to face up to reality, but I¡¯ll never do as he says! thought Elise. The first thing she did was to search for her cell phone, but she couldn¡¯t find it. Therefore, she called 911 using the room¡¯s fixed-line telephone. However, the instant the call was put through, a slender hand reached over and ended the call for her. Elise looked up to see Matthew staring wickedly at her with a hint of smugness on his stony face. I was naked just now, so my movements were restricted. Now¡¯s the opportunity! She swung her fist at Matthew, but he didn¡¯t dodge it. The punch hit Matthew right in the jaw. Of course, Elise wasn¡¯t the kind of weak woman who would only cry whenever something happened to her, so she kneed him while swinging her punch at him. In the end, though, Matthew dodged Elise¡¯s knee. Then, he grabbed her waist, trapping her in his arms. Resting his chin on her shoulder, he said with an unrestrained guffaw, ¡°How can I satisfy you in the future if you hurt me? Elise, I¡¯m by no means inferior to Alexander. I¡¯ll be guiltless as long as you all do as I say. Besides, if he really loves you, then what¡¯s wrong with giving me everything that belongs to the Griffith Family? And with your family¡¯s help, I¡¯ll definitely be able to establish my own career and build my own business empire in Athesea.¡± Matthew was looking forward to his future, but Elise felt sick to her stomach upon hearing his words. ¡°That¡¯s your wishful thinking! Do you think I wouldn¡¯t find those people after you cut off the phone? I¡¯m telling you, Matthew¡ªI, Elise Sinir, will never be a pawn in your hands!¡± ¡°But you¡¯re already mine now. Who are you gonna help if you don¡¯t help me? Elise, do you think Alexander will still want you now that you¡¯re already in such a state? Say, how can Madeline possibly ept you if she learns that you¡¯ve slept with me? Haha¡­¡± Matthew looked up and guffawed. Heather heard his guffaw very clearly outside the door as it reverberated across the room. He hurts Elise with such words, but in reality, he¡¯s reluctant to hurt her, she thought. Matthew had called her over at the critical moment, and she couldn¡¯t forget how he looked at Elise as if thetter was a rare treasure. ¡°I¡¯ve destroyed you, Heather. I can¡¯t destroy her as well.¡± Chapter 318 Chapter 318 Chapter 318 Don¡¯t Push Your Luck, Matthew,Coolest Girl in Town The louder Matthewughed, the more deste Elise felt deep down. She really never thought she would fall into Matthew¡¯s hands. Having seen the extreme lengths Madeline had gone to, she couldn¡¯t see a happy ending for her and Alexander. And now, Matthew¡¯s sudden appearance cut off everything between her and Alexander right away. She might have been grateful to him if he had done this in another way, but now¡­ She clenched her teeth while ring at him with bloodshot eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself, Matthew! I¡¯ll neverpromise, even if it means that I¡¯ll have to die with you!¡± The stronger the hatred in her eyes was, the more determined she was to go against him. Matthew felt a sudden twinge in his chest when he saw Elise like this. He really didn¡¯t want his rtionship with Elise toe to such an extent, for he also wanted her to look at him with her heart full of joy and anticipation and her eyes full of tenderness like when she looked at Alexander. ¡°Elise, don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m now driven into a corner by Alexander. I am willing to do anything. You don¡¯t care about it, but what about your grandparents? And what about the Sinir Family¡¯s reputation, huh?¡± He seized Elise by the throat, but he didn¡¯t tighten his grip. However, Matthew¡¯s words made Elise unable to breathe. He¡¯s right. Everything he said is true. How can I not care about Grandpa and Grandma? she thought. ¡°Matthew, I¡¯ll definitely send you to jail myself!¡± She clenched her fists. The next instant, however, Matthew threw her to the wall andughed. ¡°In that case, you¡¯re really cruel. How could you want me to die? A day together as husband and wife means endless devotion for the rest of your life, no? Would you treat Alexander like this if he were the one you slept with?¡± Nobody would¡¯ve gotten hurt if there was noparison made. Elise turned her head away since she didn¡¯t want to waste her breath arguing with Matthew. It¡¯s not worth wasting my breath on another word when we can¡¯t see eye to eye! Then, Matthew said, ¡°Just stay here for the next few days, Elise. Before you do anything, think about whether you can do it or not and what the consequences will be if you do it.¡± With that, he let go of Elise. He did what he said, leaving Elise alone in the room. Elise wanted to make a bolt for the door, but Matthew shoved her back into the room. Elise was inwardly furious when she saw the door being closed. Instead of pounding the door or yelling, she went to check the window and the balcony. Good Lord, she thought. The window had security grilles installed, and there was no balcony. Moreover, she was on one of the higher floors, so it was quite impossible for her to call for help. She couldn¡¯t get through to anyone using the fixed-line telephone, and her cell phone was missing. Now that she was locked in this room by Matthew, she had nowhere to turn for help. However, she wasn¡¯t discouraged. Instead, she began thinking about a countermeasure. Meanwhile, Matthew discovered Heather as soon as he came out. Seeing that she was unable to hide in time, he immediately understood everything. ¡°You¡¯d better go back to your parents, Heather. Otherwise, it¡¯ll really be toote for everything.¡± Heather looked up at him, her eyes full of anxiety. ¡°Then what are you gonna do?¡± Matthew pursed his lips and thought about it for a long time. ¡°I¡¯m going to the Sinirs to ask for Elise¡¯s hand in marriage.¡± Matthew¡¯s serious about it. Once he goes to the Sinir Family and embarks on this path, there¡¯ll be no turning back. If I leave him, he¡¯ll really be all alone, thought Heather. ¡°No, I¡¯m not leaving!¡± She hugged Matthew while shaking her head desperately. ¡°If I leave you, Matthew, you¡¯ll be alone. Who¡¯s gonna help you then? I¡¯ve been yours from the moment I gave myself to you. Even if I die, I¡¯ll die beside you!¡± Heather was firm in her stand, but her words made Matthew¡¯s heart ache. He knew about Heather¡¯s feelings for him, but he couldn¡¯t reciprocate her feelings since he had lost his heart to Elise. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Heather¡­¡± Feeling a lump in his throat, he prised Heather¡¯s hands away from him. I shouldn¡¯t have made that move that night! ¡°It had nothing to do with you since I did it of my own ord. Matthew, no matter what you¡¯re gonna do, please let me stay beside you. If you¡¯re going to the Sinirs, I¡¯ll help keep an eye on Elise!¡± suggested Heather. Matthew pressed his lips together, but he nodded in the end. As Heather had said, he had no one else at his beck and call other than her at present. ¡­ Robin and Laura were surprised by Matthew¡¯s visit. They knew how Matthew had hurt Elisest time, but they didn¡¯t expect him toe to their home directly. Robin angrily used him for being ungrateful, saying, ¡°What are you doing here? You shouldn¡¯t havee here if you knew to be grateful!¡± However, Matthew took out his cell phone right away and showed the pictures of Elise being together with him. Robin flew into a rage upon seeing the pictures. He immediately tried to snatch Matthew¡¯s cell phone, but how could he, an old man, be a match for Matthew? Moreover, Matthew came well prepared, so he wouldn¡¯t let Robin have his way, of course. Putting away his cell phone, he said right away, ¡°As you can see, Elise is now mine. I¡¯m here this time to fix the date of our wedding with you directly.¡± Trembling with rage, Robin took the walking stick in his hand to hit Matthew. Matthew took the hit without dodging it. Then, he pursed his lips and uttered, ¡°It¡¯s useless for you two to be angry now that what¡¯s done is done. She¡¯s now the only person I can count on to turn things around. Marry her to me and help me finish off Alexander and Madeline. Otherwise, I¡¯ll make these pictures public.¡± Well, I¡¯m a despicable rat in Elise¡¯s eyes, but who cares? I don¡¯t mind being despicable as long as I can get my hands on her and be together with her. It¡¯s fine as long as we¡¯ll be happy together in the future. ¡°That¡¯s bullshit! How can I possibly marry Elise to a despicable rat like you?¡± Laura got emotional as well, and she lunged at Matthew. ¡°Where did you take my Elise? Give her back to me!¡± She pped him twice across the face. Matthew didn¡¯t dodge her ps either. ¡°What¡¯s done can¡¯t be undone no matter how you two hit or scold me. You know me and my current situation; I can stop at nothing to get what I want. Let me ask you onest time: are you two gonna help me?¡± He held up his cell phone as he uttered the words coldly through thin lips. He only meant his words as a notice and a threat. Elise wouldn¡¯t have allowed it if she had seen the scene. But what else could Robin and Laura do? After all, they couldn¡¯t let Matthew destroy her by publishing these pictures. In the end, they gave in. ¡°Alright. As long as you bring Elise back, we¡¯ll let Elise marry you and help you get everything you want.¡± Matthew knew it was a sin to do so, but what else could he do? He could never forget his mother¡¯s death, as well as how Madeline had ostracized and ridiculed him over the years. He was also a member of the Griffith Family, so why should he be disrespected? This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. ¡°I¡¯ll bring Elise back to you three dayster, but you two must have our marriage certificate prepared by then. I know it¡¯s not difficult for you two to do so.¡± Laura didn¡¯t expect Matthew to make so many demands, so she disagreed, of course. ¡°You¡­ Don¡¯t push your luck, Matthew!¡± However, Matthew then showed the video on his cell phone with augh¡­ Chapter 319 Chapter 319 Chapter 319 You¡¯re an *sshole, Matthew!,Coolest Girl in Town The person in the video was none other than Elise, who was sitting on the edge of the bed with a look of anxiety. ¡°You¡­¡± Robin was choked with anger. He never thought that his dear granddaughter would actually be held captive by Matthew! Laura lunged at Matthew and grabbed his cor hysterically. ¡°Free Elise at once, or I¡¯ll never forgive you!¡± Matthew had nothing to fear, though. He even chuckled, looking like a cold-blooded viin. He replied with augh, ¡°I¡¯ll free her, of course. Otherwise, how am I gonna marry her?¡± His words pounded Robin and Laura¡¯s hearts like a sledgehammer. Matthew was a despicable and shameless man, and they understood Elise better than anyone else did. Elise must¡¯ve been coerced into marrying Matthew; there was no other way. However, if they didn¡¯t agree to his demands, Elise¡¯s life would certainly be threatened. Thus, their only option right now was to calm Matthew down and have him free Elise first. At the same time, though¡­ The Griffith Family¡¯s problems can only be solved by the Griffiths themselves. Havinge up with a n, Robin replied coldly with a grave expression, ¡°We¡¯ll give the orders, but how are you gonna get married without the bride, Matthew? Now that Elise is already yours, we can¡¯t possibly sit by and watch you destroy her reputation!¡± Matthew was simply as bold as brass. ¡°The wedding¡¯s scheduled for three dayster. Just give the orders and make the arrangements.¡± Robin didn¡¯t ept his demands, though. ¡°How can we talk about the wedding date if we can¡¯t see Elise? The people are gonna make aughingstock out of us Sinirs!¡± However, Matthew asked in reply, ¡°Won¡¯t I be making a fool of myself if I don¡¯t get to see Elise at our wedding?¡± He knew very well that Robin and Laura hated his guts right now. How could they possibly n for his wedding with Elise with all their hearts? They would have Elise break up with him by hook or by crook. I¡¯m not that stupid. And besides, Elise is my only lifeline, so I¡¯ll never let go of her! Seeing how determined Matthew was, Laura softened a little. ¡°Well, since you¡¯re marrying Elise, we¡¯ve got to see her in person and ask for her opinion, right?¡± Matthew smirked. ¡°Does her opinion still matter right now?¡± His smirk looked especially conceited in Laura and Robin¡¯s eyes, but they could do nothing to hold Matthew down since Elise was now in his hands. Just then, Matthew parted his lips, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As long as you announce the date of our wedding, I¡¯ll naturally have Elise freed and brought back.¡± The date of the wedding will be known all over the world once it¡¯s fixed. When I make an issue of the pictures then, Elise will definitely give in and marry me! he thought. With that, he turned around and left without waiting for Robin and Laura¡¯s response. Robin struck the ground heavily with his stick while burning with anger. ¡°Damn that *sshole! What makes him think he deserves our Elise? That¡¯s simply wishful thinking!¡± I¡¯ve seen a lot of shameless people, but I¡¯ve never seen someone as shameless as him before! he thought. He was worried about Elise¡¯s safety, but he couldn¡¯t really do as Matthew had said either. After all, they couldn¡¯t hold the wedding as scheduled after the date of the wedding was announced, especially when Elise was still Alexander¡¯s fianc¨¦e at present. A lot of people will gossip about it if someone¡¯s fianc¨¦e is suddenly going to marry his younger brother instead! thought Robin. Therefore, he called Alexander right away. Alexander had just received a text message from Matthew, but he had yet to read the text message at this moment. Robin scolded him, ¡°Alexander, you¡¯d better do something about the members of your family! Are they nothing but a bunch of weirdos and *ssholes? How can he depend on a woman to get what he wants? Does he honestly think he¡¯s an emperor who can demand for whatever he wants?¡± At this moment, Alexander didn¡¯t know that Robin was referring to Matthew. Trying to soothe Robin¡¯s anger, he replied in a low voice, ¡°Please calm down first, Mr. Robin. Could you tell me about the matter in detail?Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Did anyone from our family offend you?¡± He hadn¡¯t been visiting the Sinir Family these days, and Madeline had been behaving herself since he had Danny and the others to watch over her in Athesea. Robin reprimanded angrily, ¡°Who else do you think I¡¯m referring to? He nearly had Elise sent to jailst time, and now, he¡¯s gotten his hands on her by despicable means and even wants her to marry him! He¡¯s simply living in a dream world!¡± Upon hearing Robin¡¯s words, Alexander instantly realized who the old man was referring to. Robin was referring to Matthew. He¡¯s gotten his hands on Elise by despicable means¡­ Alexander¡¯s heart clenched at the words as he recalled the text message Matthew had just sent him. After all, Matthew was now full of hostility and vengeance against him. Alexander¡¯s hand almost trembled as he opened the text message. When he saw the intimate photos of Matthew and Elise that Matthew sent him, he felt like he had been dealt a heavy blow to the head, and his mind went nk. He couldn¡¯t breathe, for he felt as though his throat was being squeezed by a pair of invisiblerge hands. Pangs of pain throbbed in the left side of his chest. ¡°Deal with the members of your family yourself, Alexander. I¡¯ll never let Matthew off since he¡¯s hurt Elise this time. Also, I¡¯m gonna get back at your mother this time for the hostility she showed toward Elise earlier!¡± Robin said angrily before hanging up. Alexander didn¡¯t listen carefully to the words. At this moment, his face was sullen, and his eyes were bloodshot. Rage oozed from his every pore, making him look like a demon who had juste from hell. He called Matthew. Matthewughed conceitedly. ¡°You¡¯ve seen the pictures, right? Alexander, do you honestly think you¡¯re so outstanding that everything in the world belongs to you? She¡¯s now mine, and she¡¯ll marry me very soon! Haha¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re courting death!¡± Alexander clenched his teeth as his eyes popped with anger. If Matthew were before him right now, he would¡¯ve died at his hands long ago! Upon hearing Alexander¡¯s words, Matthew imagined seeing the man standing before him in a towering rage, and hisugh grew even more conceited. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare to kill me. If I¡¯m dead, Elise will lose her husband, right? Also, you¡¯d better not try anything funny. If I vent my emotions on her in the heat of the moment¡­¡± ¡°Matthew, you *sshole!¡± Alexander couldn¡¯t hit Matthew, so he punched his fist into the wall as his anger went to his head. Matthew heard the loud bang, which made him feel incredibly smug right now. He put forward his conditions to Alexander with a sneer, saying, ¡°It¡¯s your mother who taught me all this. Why care about the process and means as long as I get what I want? All I know is that I¡¯m happy right now. Alexander, I have more than one copy of the pictures I sent you. If you love Elise, hand over everything you have right now. Otherwise¡­¡± Alexander¡¯s heart ached terribly. It¡¯s really crazy of Matthew to do this! But what can I do? It¡¯s my fault for being incapable of protecting Elise, so how can I let Matthew hurt her again at the moment? he thought. ¡°Grandpa would¡¯ve given you what you wanted even if you didn¡¯t fight for them¡­¡± Chapter 320 Chapter 320 Chapter 320 All He Cares About Is Elise,Coolest Girl in Town However, before Alexander could finish his sentence, Matthew quickly interrupted, ¡°Stop ying mind games with me.¡± Alexander looked as ck as thunder. ¡°Don¡¯t hurt her. I¡¯ll give you everything you want.¡± ¡°Really? Well then, give me the share transfer agreement. Have Cameron do it right away. I¡¯ll take it as your wedding gift for Elise and me.¡± Matthew guffawed without restraint; he could even imagine the scene of his wedding with Elise before his eyes right now. Taking the opportunity, Alexander replied, ¡°I will, but I have to meet you before this.¡± ¡°Not a problem.¡± How could Matthew not know Alexander¡¯s purpose in asking to meet him? However, he had nothing to fear since Elise was in his hands. Matthew soon met up with Alexander. But before they said anything, thetter swung his fist and punched him hard in the face. ¡°What¡¯s the point of getting angry now? Elise is already mine, so she¡¯s got no choice but to marry me.¡± Matthew wiped the blood off the corner of his mouth with a conceited smile. The more furious Alexander was, the more excited he got. After all, he had seen Alexander have his moments too many times over the years. ¡°How could youy your hands on her? How could you do that, Matthew?!¡± Alexander gnashed his teeth in rage. Consumed with anger, he lost his head and punched Matthew again and again. Of course, Matthew wouldn¡¯t keep refraining from fighting back, so he wrestled with Alexander. He asked in reply with a sneer, ¡°Why couldn¡¯t I? Did you guys ever give me a way out? You¡¯ve led such a free and easy life over the years, Alexander. What¡¯s wrong with me bringing you down? It was all your fault! If it weren¡¯t for you, Grandpa wouldn¡¯t have died, and I wouldn¡¯t have had designs on Elise!¡± Seizing Alexander by the cor, Matthew shifted all the me onto him. He had wanted to get on well with the Griffiths from the moment he joined the Griffith Family. He never wanted the right to inherit the Griffith Family¡¯s property. Not only that, but he didn¡¯t even give a damn about those money. However, everyone looked down on him, and he was annoyed by the unjust treatment. Why couldn¡¯t he own everything Alexander had? He was also a member of the Griffith Family, after all. Seeing how unreasonable Matthew was, Alexander was thoroughly disappointed with him. ¡°You¡¯re really a hopeless case, Matthew!¡± he said in a condescending manner before pursing his lips. ¡°Are you sure you have the time to inherit the shares even if they¡¯re transferred to you? You¡¯re now a fugitive. Even if you manage to force her into marrying you, do you think the police will let you off?¡± Matthew¡¯s case had been ced on file. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have had to flee. Furthermore, Elise wasn¡¯t the kind of person that took insults lying down. If he wasn¡¯t holding her captive, she would¡¯vee out and made a scene at the police department long ago. Am I doing all this for nothing? No, I¡¯m not! Even if I die, I have to obtain all of this and get back at them before my death! thought Matthew. ¡°Elise is now in my hands. If you want her to stay alive, then do exactly as I say. I want the shares transferred to me at once, and I also want to hold a wedding for Elise and me. Alexander, even if I die, Elise will still be my wife. Your rtionship with her is doomed!¡± he said to Alexander fiercely. Toward the end of his speech, the smile on his face grew more and more twisted. At this moment, he had be a psycho; all he had was hatred and the pleasure of taking revenge. What else could Alexander do? Now that Elise was in Matthew¡¯s hands, he couldn¡¯t possibly risk her life, so he could only do as Matthew said by having Cameron transfer all his shares and right of inheritance to Matthew¡¯s name. Cameron had been working for Alexander for years, and thetter had never transferred any of these to anyone else even when he was away from Athesea. Therefore, he deduced at once that something had happened to Alexander, and he called the police immediately. Only then did the police learn that Matthew was in the Northwest and was holding Elise captive. They contacted Alexander, asking thetter to calm Matthew down first. Alexander emailed Matthew the transfer agreement that Cameron had sent him. ¡°I¡¯ve done what you said, but I want to see her now. Otherwise, I won¡¯t take these to the notary office for notarization.¡± Matthew was inwardly touched when he saw the transfer agreement. The thing I¡¯d been trying as hard as I could to get, he just transferred it like it was nothing. Why can he enjoy so many things when he and I are both Dad¡¯s sons? Is it only because he¡¯s the eldest son? he thought. He was both indignant and resentful. ¡°Why do you want to see my wife? Alexander, you just need to do as I say. I can¡¯t force you into notarizing the documents if you don¡¯t want to, but you¡¯d better think twice about it. Elise¡¯s grandparents can also give me money if I want!¡± Matthew¡¯s words weighed on Alexander like a huge boulder. Elise¡¯s grandparents must¡¯ve been worried to death, he thought. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. He would even give Matthew his life if thetter wanted him to, let alone his money. ¡°Well, you don¡¯t want me to see her, but can¡¯t I at least talk to her on the phone?¡± He met Matthew halfway, remembering how the police had told him to calm the man down first. Matthew let out a sneer. ¡°Do you think you still need to call her now, Alexander? Or do you think she¡¯ll still answer your phone calls?¡± Indeed, Elise¡¯s different from other women; she¡¯s never shed a tear up to now. But why should I give Alexander such an opportunity? he thought. ¡°I¡¯ll only give you ten minutes, Alexander. If you don¡¯t have the documents notarized, I¡¯ll publish the pictures. I¡¯m ruined, anyway, so I don¡¯t mind having my beloved woman ruined with me,¡± he said. With that, he hung up right away. I¡¯ll let Alexander have a taste of what it feels like to be powerless! What else could Alexander do? He couldn¡¯t let Matthew do that, so he could only do as thetter said. However, Madeline showed up and stopped Cameron just as thetter was about to have the documents notarized. She called Alexander and scolded him, saying, ¡°What does Elise¡¯s life or death have to do with you? Are you crazy? How could you have these transferred to Matthew? Do you think Matthew can manage the Griffith household well? Don¡¯t forget that he¡¯s now a fugitive!¡± Alexander furrowed his brow. He never thought that his mother woulde out and be an obstacle at this critical moment. ¡°Since they¡¯re all mine, why can¡¯t I transfer them to someone else? Don¡¯t stop me and spoil my ns.¡± Upon hearing his words, Madeline was instantly consumed with anger. ¡°Spoiling your ns? What the hell¡¯s wrong with you, Alexander? Why must the Griffiths give up all our property to save Elise when something happens to her? Who does she think she is?¡± ¡°She¡¯s my fianc¨¦e¡ª¡± ¡°No! I¡¯ve never acknowledged Elise as your fianc¨¦e. I have all the documents with me right now, and I¡¯ll never allow you to do it. I will not allow it, Alexander! Do you hear me?!¡± Madeline rebuked angrily, her face as ck as thunder. Alexander didn¡¯t want to argue with Madeline, though. ¡°You¡¯d better give Cameron the documents if you don¡¯t want me toe back and get it done myself.¡± He no longer had the strength to argue with her at the moment, for all he cared about was Elise. ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± Madeline hollered. Chapter 321 Chapter 321 Chapter 321 Alexander had no intention to prolong the conversation. He then ended the call before making another to Cameron. ¡°Is there no way to amend the documents?¡± ¡°Mrs. Griffith must have thought of that beforehand. She¡¯s now hoarding the document and even told thepany¡¯s shareholders that you¡¯re passing your share and thepany¡¯s rights to inheritance on to Matthew. And they¡¯re heavily against it.¡± Cameron didn¡¯t know Alexander¡¯s decision was for the sake of Elise until the phone call between Alexander and his mother earlier. Giving away his honor and benefits without any hesitation, he loves her that much, huh... ¡°Thanks,¡± Alexander replied tly as he frowned. Given how Matthew had gone this far unscrupulously, if Alexander refused topromise with him, Elise would definitely be the first one to take the hit. He didn¡¯t manage to protect her, so how could he allow her to be harmed the second time? At once, he summoned his private jet. About two hourster, the jetnded on the grassy yard of Griffith Residence. At his arrival, Danny was stunned. He ordered Cameron to handle the matter, but now he¡®sing back himself? ¡°Alexander, what happened to Boss? Why did you hand everything over to Matthew? Is he threatening her?¡± Danny shot a volley of questions. Although he was once resentful toward Elise, ever since he was beaten by her fair and square, he wholeheartedly surrendered and started treating her as his real boss. It pained him to see the lengths his mother would go to hurt her, and he didn¡¯t want things to escte to the point where Alexander and their mother turned against each other.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°She¡¯s currently in a bad spot. You know Matthew well. Give him a call. If he¡¯s willing to change his mind, I might let him off easy.¡± Despite his aggressive words, Alexander¡¯s face revealed only agony. After all he has done, killing him off is only merciful! ¡°What about you, then?¡± Danny chased after his brother. Without even turning around, Alexander coldly blurted, ¡°Company.¡± Naturally, he had to head to the company after knowing his mother had perturbed their shareholders. Danny, still following after his brother, inquired, ¡°It¡¯s true that Mom¡¯s overstepping her boundaries, but we¡¯ve all known she¡¯s always been like that. And she hasn¡¯t recovered from her injury, so can you go easy on her?¡± Those words, however, battered Alexander¡¯s heart. After all, he wasn¡¯t someone who would easily make an enemy out of his own mother. ¡°Make the call, Danny.¡± He pursed his lips, attempting to collect his feelings before extending his arm to give his brother a pat on the back. Among the chaos, one thing he was pleased to find was that his little brother was much more mature than how he used to be. Having reached thepany, Alexander was weed by the stony res of the shareholders. With that, the shareholders started reprimanding him. ¡°You know you¡¯re not the only owner of Griffith Group, and that Matthew is in no way capable of managing apany. How could you transfer your shares over to him?¡± ¡°You know damn well what kind of a person he is. Are you trying to destroy what we had built?¡± ¡°You must have spent too much time with that Elise woman! Can¡¯t you see she¡¯s tearing you and the company apart?¡± Seeing how the shareholders were rebuking him, Madeline felt satisfied. More precisely, she had been ecstatic since the moment Alexander showed up, as that suggested the aplishment of her ns. Whatever Matthew intends to do to Elise is solely up to him, and I couldn¡®t care less. They could both die in a car crash and I won¡®t even shed a tear! At how the shareholders were each pressuring him by standing on the moral high ground, Alexander coldly scoffed. ¡°Why, everyone of you¡­ Do I no longer have the right to pass on the shares that¡¯s legitimately under my name?¡± Those words, spoken to the shareholders, were also targeted at his mother. He frankly continued, ¡°I didn¡¯te here to beg for anything, for I¡¯vee only to notify all of you this I have my rights and liberty on how I manage my own affairs. Anyone who wishes to challenge that can bring it to the court.¡± Alexander had always been an intimidating figure in Griffith Group, and no one dared to defy him. After all, he was already the president of thepany at such an early age, and his achievements had surely astounded many. Moreover, with such an overbearing aura he was emitting, no one was bold enough to raise their voice. Nheless, his speech left a fatal blow in Madeline¡¯s heart. With how he brought up ¡°going to court¡± right in front of her, he was obviously provoking her with awsuit. From the start of her rantings to the moment where she stabbed her own chest with a knife, all of those memories shed across Madeline¡¯s mind, and she couldn¡¯t repel them. Bearing the stinging ache on her chest, she was finally able to see clearly Alexander¡¯s emotions and attitude-how he was willing to neglect her for Elise¡¯s sake. What¡®s the point of persisting any more? Let alone filing awsuit, he wouldn¡®t even care if I actually die of how arrogant she was, a change of mind was only a matter of epiphany. Upon the realization, she handed the documents to Alexander. Drained, hollow, she couldn¡¯t even speak a word. Instead of grabbing the documents, Alexander was rather concerned about his mother. ¡°Are you okay? Let me send you to the hospital.¡± At the end of the day, they were still family, so there was no way Alexander¡¯s feelings wouldn¡¯t falter. Nevertheless, Madeline shoved his hand away. ¡°Take the documents and go save Elise. I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± In fact, debating about her condition was no longer relevant. However, to Alexander, her behavior was totally out of character. Swiftly, he grabbed her arm and pleaded with a raspy voice, ¡°I¡¯m begging you. Stop causing me troubles at such a crucial time, okay?¡± All he wanted to do now was to rescue Elise from Matthew¡¯s hands as quickly as possible. He was utterly exasperated by all these shenanigans. Look at what I¡®ve be in my own son¡®s eyes! All of a sudden, Madelineughed at herself. She had always taken things to the extreme, always threatening to kill herself when things didn¡¯t go her way. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not that eager to die yet. I just need some time alone.¡± She attempted to push Alexander away, but thetter grasped her even tighter. Given her atrocious condition, Alexander wouldn¡¯t feel any less burdened to leave her alone. ¡°You pushed me into Griffith Group when I was still in my teens. Now that I¡¯m an adult, why can¡¯t I choose whom I intend to spend the rest of my life with? You¡¯re my dearest mother, and that¡¯s an unchanging fact no matter what happens, no matter how you end up. All I ever wanted is to be happy following my own heart. If you haven¡¯t been stopping me, she would¡¯ve already be mine. Do you know that?¡± If it weren¡¯t for his mother, Elise wouldn¡¯t have returned to the Northwest prairie. Sadly, any further quarrel would only be a waste of time as things were already in the past now. Upon those words, Madeline felt suffocated. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to speak a word. Right. If it weren¡®t for me, they would¡®ve been bound to each other. Chapter 322 Chapter 322 Chapter 322 ¡°¡­¡± Madeline began, but her words got stuck in her throat. She had thoughts to express, but couldn¡¯t find where she should begin with as she was haunted by her terrible, horrendous mistakes. Eventually, she muttered, ¡°Will you still be able to¡­ begin again?¡± Without turning back and responding, Alexander grabbed the documents and left. Yet, in his mind was nothing but resolute answers. No matter what happened, Elise would stay Elise-the woman he would never give up on. Before Alexander got into his private jet, he received a call from Quentin. ¡°Are you Griffiths handling the Matthew situation, or should I do it for you?¡± Apparently, Quentin, too, was informed about Matthew¡¯s capture of Elise. ¡°I¡¯ll handle it,¡± Alexander coldly replied. Since Matthew was also one of the Griffiths, it was only right for him to settle the family affair. In the meantime, Matthew boasted before Elise, ¡°Did you know? Alexander decided to transfer the shares under his name to me in exchange for your freedom. Your grandparents are also begging me. I know that they tensely wished for your release, but what are they gonna do if I¡¯m not going to let you go?¡± At that moment, Elise couldn¡¯t find the words to describe her own feelings. Alexander knew that she was confined under Matthew¡¯s grasp. With how deranged Matthew was growing, Alexander must have figured out what his brother did to her. She was aggrieved, incandescent, but unfortunately, she was no match for Matthew. There was nothing she could do for the time being as he was threatening her with her grandparents. ¡°Do you think you own everything after getting what you want, Matthew? You¡¯re a wanted man. Do you seriously think you can run from this?¡± she questioned with an icy gaze. Her words pierced right through Matthew¡¯s heart. The term ¡°wanted man¡± felt like a smack to his face. ¡°What do you know? You think I chose this? Do you know what Madeline did? My mother¡¯s life was forced out of her because of that witch! Do you know what she¡¯s been doing under the radar all these years: If it weren¡¯t for my luck, I, Matthew Griffith, would have died in her hands!¡± Matthew, whose emotions were stirred, was screaming his words as if he was in hysteria while clutching Elise¡¯s shoulders and violently shaking them. If this was in the past, she would have sympathized with him. But that was no longer the case. ¡°Why do you think others should pay for your agony? Alexander let you off thest time. If you¡¯re truly grateful, restarting wouldn¡¯t be an issue, you know?¡± Elise leered at him. Matthew scoffed at her words. ¡°Restart? As if it¡¯s that simple! Tell me, Elise, if you were in my shoes, would you still be able to forgo this grudge of mine?¡± After all, only two that had undergone the same torment could truly rte to each other. But at this point, Jonah had already passed away. Alexander was innocent, but so was she, so why was she the one that was dragged into the matter? ¡°Alexander and I already broke up. There¡¯s no use taking me hostage. Do you really expect you can lead him by the nose with what you¡¯ve done?¡± Elise snickered as she provoked Matthew. The Alexander she knew was extremely vengeful, especially toward Matthew, who had repeatedly tilted him. Even if Alexander wouldn¡¯ty a hand on him out of family ties, she herself wouldn¡¯t forgive him so easily. Matthew was shocked to see the hatred and determination in her eyes as he was reminded of the first time she revealed her real self. He was the one who saw her first, and their beginning was so pleasant. How did things turn into such a disaster? The thing that disturbed him the most was the fact that everything he set his eyes upon and everything he could have had were all taken away by Alexander. ¡°You wish to kill me? Even under this circumstance, you wish to kill me?¡± Despite knowing the answer, Matthew persistently shot the question, and felt a tingling soreness in his throat while he was at it. ¡°Does a scrub like you even deserve to live?¡± Elise hit him with a piercing gaze. She never confronted him back when Jonah was in trouble, and she even treated him as a friend. Later when Matthew asked her out, she thought he could still redeem himself. However, she now finally understood that a pitiful man¡¯s devastation was only brought forth upon him by himself. Matthew was aware of Elise¡¯s grudge for him, and how much she wanted him dead. Yet, he decided to live, to live until the day where both Alexander and Madeline would eventually kneel before him. At that moment, Heather walked in carrying a bag of lunchboxes. Without speaking a word, she ced the bag down and headed out. As she was leaving, Elise quickly stopped her. ¡°Wait a minute, Heather. I need your help. Can we go to the bathroom for a sec?¡± However, Heather did not stop walking. She had no intention to help Elise, to which Matthew voiced. ¡°Help her out Elise was the unobtainable gem to Matthew¡¯s life as Matthew was to Heather, and Heather deeply hoped for her to thoroughly disappear from the universe. Nheless, she had no choice but to listen to Matthew¡¯s order. After entering the bathroom, she grew impatient at Elise¡¯s stillness. -Cut the crap, Elise. Just tell me what you want¡± She hated even imagining them being together-Matthew putting himself down just to please Elise. ¡°Why are you following after Matthew so pettily? Are you going to raise his kids after he has one: Have you ever stopped and thought about how your parents would feel: Elise countered with a series ofThis belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. questions. Disconcerted, Heather replied, ¡°F*ck off with your sentiment cards. You just want a way out from me. Forget it, Elise. That¡¯s impossible.¡± Elise stared at her and continued to interrogate, ¡°Then what? Do you think you, the essory to murder, can escape this once Matthew kills: Think about your parents before you do anything stupid. You¡¯re the only daughter they have, aren¡¯t you?¡± Heather was around Elise¡¯s age. If it weren¡¯t for Matthew, she would still be living hervish life with her family in her parents¡¯ loving arms. Nheless, she was now living a nomadic, unstable life, so not missing home was indubitably a lie. Sadly, to her, giving up on Matthew would be much more excruciating than dying. ¡°Stop talking. You can¡¯t change my mind.¡± At once, Heather turned around and left, but was immediately grabbed by Elise. ¡°If you¡¯re not leaving Matthew, are you willing to sacrifice your own life for him? And if you die, how are your parents gonna feel? There¡¯s still time to pull out from this, Heather.¡± ¡°But I can¡¯t just stand idly and watch him die right in front of me. It hase to this, Elise. There¡¯s no way back. And you should know that.¡± Heather understood Matthew had made peace with death before he decided to do all this. She had spent too much time and effort to keep herself by his side, willingly, and regardless of the insignificance of assistance she could provide. ¡°You can¡¯t change her mind. So I suggest you spend your time on things that matter more. A perfect wedding, for instance.¡± Chapter 323 Chapter 323 Elise turned her head around, only to find Matthew leaning against the bathroom door frame. He seemed to have heard everything they said. Like a predator with keen eyes, he was constantly tracking Elise, his prey. He revealed a grin that bore no amicability, as if he was mocking her for her attempt to rebel. ¡°Let¡¯s go out,¡± he blurted. As usual, Heather heeded his order and said nothing more, leaving Elise without turning back. Once the door was shut, Matthew¡¯s grin turned into a glower. He walked into the bathroom and forcibly dragged Elise out before throwing her ferociously onto the couch. Beside the couch was a coffee table, where on top of ity the trending bridal magazines, along with a number of blue files neatly stacking on top of each other. ¡°You have one night to decide which gown and diamond ring you like best. The other ones are wedding ns given by the bridalpany. Keep them if you like it. If you¡¯re not interested in any of them, I¡¯ll make the choice.¡± He condescendingly red at Elise, who was rubbing her wrist that was aching. Even under the pain, she wouldn¡¯t reveal a trace of vulnerability on her face. It was as if she was born with nobility and pride flowing in her blood, and such a dominant woman was the only one right for him. However, he was reminded of Alexander, the man who always put himself above all else, who always stepped on him like an ant, and who always thought he knew it all. The jealousy and rage from the mere thought of Alexander was driving him insane, so he didn¡¯t dare to dwell on it. With that, he shot Elise an inexplicable gaze before leaving the room and mming the door shut. Meanwhile, Heather was making tea in the living room. Striding over, Matthew threw himself onto the couch before staring at the ceiling. He then shut his eyes, letting out a heavy sigh. Heather felt her heart ache at the sight of that. Thereupon, she fetched him a cup of hot tea and sat down beside him. ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself too hard.¡± Disregarding her concern, Matthew reminded, ¡°These days are most crucial. We can¡¯t afford any mistakes.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Heather nodded, though she felt somewhat bitter. Her loyalty to Matthew was unwavering, and that was indubitable. However, Elise¡¯s words left some doubt in her burning-for-love heart. Is staying by his side unconditionally really the best choice for him? Besides¡­ She touched her abdomen. The child was given to her by God, but she knew very clearly that Matthew would reject it without any hesitation. ¡°Matthew.¡± She inquired, ¡°If we finally seed, will there still be a ce by your side for me?¡± Hearing that, Matthew subtly grimaced. Although he had a soft spot for her, he insisted on keeping up his apathetic facade. ¡°I¡¯m not like those guys. Since things have happened, I¡¯ll take full responsibility for it. Even after Elise and I got married, I will pay for all of your expenses, and you won¡¯t have to be burdened by anything.¡± ¡°Is responsibility all there is between us?¡± Heather¡¯s voice was rather raspy. She couldn¡¯t stop tears from welling up in her eyes. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Matthew sprung up from the couch and walked toward his bedroom. ¡°I¡¯m tired. We¡¯ll talk about this next time.¡± Having said that, he hastened his feet and vanished from Heather¡¯s vision in just a couple of steps. In that instant, no one in the house had a calm mind. Elise, unaware of the situation between the other two, was still nning her escape. After countless times of her vision brushing over the magazines and wedding ns on the coffee table, her eyes shone as she remembered something. She recognized one of the magazines was published exclusively for the members of a certain luxurious brand in the city. Although its products¡¯ quality didn¡¯t live up to its poprity, all the items were subscription based and tailormade, so all of its subscribers would each receive limited-edition goods periodically. Given Matthew¡¯s current situation, he wouldn¡¯t dare to splurge so openly. Thus, he must have received the magazine-the one currently in Elise¡¯s hands-from an old acquaintance of his. If she was able to figure out who it came from, she could leave traces for the outsiders and lead them to her. The problem is, how should I bring up the topic of the magazine naturally? After an entire night of pondering, an idea finally popped up in her mind right before dawn. The next day, Matthew pushed open Elise¡¯s door. When he entered the room, she was already in her garments looking neat, casually sitting on the couch as she read the magazines on the table. ¡°So what will it be?¡± He ced one of the two cups of hot coffee in his hands on the table before her before taking a seat on the couch across from her. Crossing his legs, henguidly took a sip of his coffee. Frowning, she pushed the magazines on the table away. ¡°At least find a girl to practice with if you really wanna marry me. Simply picking some women¡¯s magazines based on some men¡¯s judgment, you¡¯re not really good at this, are you?¡± Having lived together with her for the past few days, Matthew was already used to her erratic behavior, but he treated it merely as acting. Smiling, he ced his cup on the table. ¡°Well, I do adore how you¡¯re way smarter than an ordinary woman. You saw right through me. I mean, can you me me? It¡¯s my first time marrying somebody, and I only had guy friends to ask advice from. Just tell me which one of the designer gowns you favor.¡± ¡°I prefer something from abroad, but it might take at least three months from ordering, production, and delivery. Can you afford to wait that long?¡± Elise deliberately troubled him. ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± He candidly admitted, yet his expression was rather amiable. He jokingly replied, ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m gonna need you-my fianc¨¦e-to give me a chance. You can pick whatever that¡¯s locally made. I¡¯m sure the Sinirs and Alexander will definitely do anything to help you.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Elise harrumphed before she purposefully mocked, ¡°And here I thought you loved me so much you could fly me to the moon if I ever wanted to. It seems like you¡¯re just a dependent little man. In this aspect, Alexander¡¯s no doubt the winner.¡± There was a trace of indescribable emotion in Matthew¡¯s eyes when he sensed that Elise was deliberately provoking him. She must havee up with a terrible idea, and is waiting for the opportunity to stab me in the back when she gets it! However, he was in a good mood today, so he didn¡¯t care to argue regardless of the mockery she threw at him. After all, he would never allow her to leave. ¡°Don¡¯t you know? I¡¯m a wanted man, so my life is naturally my priority. Otherwise, you¡¯d be spending the rest of your life as a widow.¡± Matthew rested his hand on his knee, tapping on it from time to time, ¡°I can¡¯t determine how much patience I have Jeft to wait for your answer, so it¡¯s best you tell me what you want before I leave, or I¡¯ll force whichever gown I like on you.¡± That was exactly what she had been waiting for. With that, she pretended to be reluctant and gritted her teeth. ¡°You wish! Since I¡¯m forced to pick one, I¡¯ll pick something I like. Lay¡¯s highlight of the month¨C I want nothing else other than that.¡± Al once, Matthew revealed a pompous grin as he tidied his attire. ¡°Wise and timely, that¡¯s my fianc¨¦e alright. You¡¯re much cuter this way.¡± After he said that, he turned around and left. When he walked past the doormat in his glowing leather shoes, a small pil formed on the mat before it quickly returned back to normal. Once the door was shut, Elise let out a long sigh of relief. Right now, that Lay magazine she read earlier was concealed under the very mat Mathew stepped on. Most fortunately, he didn¡¯t seem to have noticed it. Chapter 324 Chapter 324 In fact, Matthew hadn¡¯t realized there was one less magazine. However, he wouldn¡¯t allow Elise to make a fool out of him right under his nose. Therefore, after exiting the room, instead of rying her request to her family, he went into the study room and turned on hisputer and googled for Lay Magazine. To him, a wedding gown meant nothing more than a woman¡¯s garment, but for her to make the choice so specifically, she must have had her underlying reasons. After all, the woman was too intelligent to not be cautious of. He looked into every detail of the magazine assiduously, from its founders to its current board of shareholders. After identifying nothing suspicious, he slowly pulled out his phone and dialed Alexander¡¯s number. Meanwhile, Alexander, who was on his way to meet Jessica, saw the call and instantly hit the brakes, pulling his car over by the road. After collecting his feelings and making sure he could draw all his concentration at the conversation, he hit the ¡°ept¡± button on the car¡¯s monitor. After all, he couldn¡¯t afford to miss any detail in Matthew¡¯s words. Right when the call was epted, he was greeted with Matthew¡¯s impatient tone. ¡°Took you long enough. Perhaps you don¡¯t cherish her life as much as I expected.¡± ¡°I¡¯m busy preparing for your wedding, so I hope it¡¯s not all crap that¡¯sing from you.¡± Alexander had no intention to blindly follow Matthew, or he would be walking right into his maniption. Another minute wasted meant another minute Elise was in danger, and he couldn¡¯t bear to risk that! Hearing that, Matthew subconsciously gripped his phone. One thing he loathed extremely was Alexander¡¯s pompous attitude, as if he was donning a crown and an ego that could shatter upon a light tap. In that instance, a suffocating silence surged. Alexander was growing more anxious as he heard nothing but silence from the other side. As he was about to lose control, Matthew¡¯s familiar voice sounded once again. ¡°I¡¯ve sent the wedding n to the company email. As for the wedding gown, Elise wants Lay¡¯s highlight of the year. Time¡¯s kinda tight, but I believe you¡¯ll handle it. After all, this is Elise¡¯s wish.¡± Afterying out the conditions emotionlessly like it was a business deal, Matthew suddenly sounded fascinated as hecently quizzed, ¡°The woman of your life is preparing for her marriage with me. How do you feel, Alexander?¡± ¡°Not good.¡± Alexander openly expressed his disconcertment. ¡°If you¡¯re the one who lost his woman to another man, would you still be able tough?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Matthew grinned as hey back against his leather chair, casually replying, ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m the one doing the snatching. I got what I want, and soon, I will receive everyone¡¯s blessing. Enough. I don¡¯t wish to waste any more time with a loser. Just do as I ordered, and do not tarry. Or I can¡¯t guarantee whether what you see next is an unharmed, living person, or an ice-cold body.¡± Before Alexander could respond, he hung up the call. ¡°Beep¡­ Beep¡­ ¡°The static noises in the phone sounded rather irritating, and that distraught Alexander. Matthew was so meticulous that he allowed not the slightest loophole for Alexander to figure out Elise¡¯s whereabouts. Despite the helpless sensation that was agonizing him, he had to remain calm in order to analyze the message within Matthew¡¯s words. Wedding n, gown¡­ What are they hinting at?Elise¡¯s intelligence is out of this world, so there¡¯s no way she would surrender so easily. In other words, there must be a hidden message behind these two things. Having thought of that, he sent Cameron a text to summon all of the key managers to an emergency meeting, where they were ordered to scrutinize the wedding n in thepany email, as well as Lay Magazine. After leaving hismand, he started his vehicle and headed toward Jessica¡¯s location. Jamie, who had been waiting by the gates for almost half an hour, finally caught Alexander¡¯s car in sight. Before Alexander was even out of the car, he hastily went to him. ¡°Is there news about Boss?¡± Although he intended for them to exchange information while walking into the building, Alexander revealed nothing but his cold scowl as he was walking, as if he heard nothing from Jamie. Seeing that, Jamie didn¡¯t care to persuade him and tacitly kept quiet and guided him to Jessica. The clubhouse, apparently extravagant, was filled with waiters that were all attractive men, as well as consumers that were mostly singledies. People would even refer to the ce as ¡°reverse brothel.¡± At the door of Room 101 stood a tall, muscr bodyguard. At Jamie and Alexander¡¯s arrival, he opened the door for them to enter. The scenery in the room was highly obscene, where numerous nude men were stripdancing on the stage, unting their figures. In the corner was a group of rather fresh-looking men, each in their space, ring at each other. Yet, each of them had their own unique charm. Among all that was happening was Jessica sitting alone in the center of the couch, enjoying what she had in her vision. At first nce, Alexander couldn¡¯t recognize her, but it was no fault of his as no one in the world would ever assume the woman in front of him, who was covered in jewelry and heavy makeup, to be the innocent Jessica he knew. At that moment, Jamie gave a signal to his underlings, who then barged into the room and cut the music. The music ended, and so did the crowd¡¯s chanting. And so, everyone in the room looked toward the entrance. ¡°F*ck y¡¯all lookin¡¯at? Get the f*ck out!¡± Jamie yelled overbearingly. Even the men that were aggressively staring earlier lowered their heads and retreated along the walls. Very soon, Jessica became the only Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. person in the room. ¡°You know why I¡¯vee.¡± Alexander cut to the chase as he had done his research. ¡°I do.¡± Jessica was awfully calm, as if she wasn¡¯t surprised at all by his presence. Jamie, however, was as hasty as a bull, hurrying forward and kicking all the liquor bottles off the table. ¡°Then be quick with it! Where¡¯s my boss?¡± ¡°Beats me.¡± Jessica was, nheless, telling the truth as she was clueless about Elise¡¯s whereabouts. After receiving the payment, she had never contacted Elise ever again. ¡°Don¡¯t make me beat a woman up. Spit it out!¡± Jamie gave no special treatment to women. Anyone who dared toy a finger on his boss had only death to face, regardless of their gender. Alexander, on the other hand, was remarkablyposed. Steadily, he stated, ¡°Tell me how Matthew found you, how you contacted each other, how many times you¡¯ve met, and where. Don¡¯t miss out on a single detail.¡± Unable toprehend the motive of his interrogation, Jamie frowned and shrugged as he was filled with confusion. ¡°Boss has already been kidnapped. What¡¯s even the point of discussing the cause and effect now?¡± Then, he turned his attention back to Jessica, his gaze razor-sharp and prating. ¡°You know what? We can only win a scum in her game by bing another scum. Otherwise, she won¡¯t crack.¡± He clenched his fists. If necessary, he wouldn¡¯t even mind taking things into his own hands as long as he got the information regarding Elise. Moral obligations no longer mattered to him. After voicing his threat, he took a few steps backward as two of his brawny men that were standing by at the door charged into the room toward Jessica. Before the men couldy their hands on the woman, Alexander sternly yelled, ¡°She¡¯s thest person who saw Elise. Will you be able to uphold her responsibilities once you kill her?¡± Chapter 325 Chapter 325 Reminded of that, Jamie could only suppress the anger within him. ¡°Where¡¯s Matthew?¡± Alexander interrogated Jessica with a tone colder than the harshest winter as he red at her with a gaze sharper than the tip of a spear. ¡°Who¡¯s Matthew?¡± Jessica crossed her arms, calmly lying against the leather couch. She had yet to know how horrendous a man like Alexander could be. ¡°The man who sent you fifty million.¡± Alexander¡¯s face was, as ever, unaffected, though the fists he was concealing in his pockets were flexing. Typically, he wouldn¡¯t touch another woman, but given that Elise¡¯s life was at risk, if Jessica still remained uncooperative, he might as well break the gentlemen¡¯s code. Hearing that, Jessica seemed to have recalled something, mindlessly replying, ¡°Oh, him. Who knows. We only knew each other for a few days. We¡¯re hardly acquaintances. Why would he tell me what his ns are?¡± Jamie scornfully scoffed. ¡°Hardly acquaintances? So you¡¯re saying Matthew¡¯s an idiot who would simply give money to any woman he meets on the streets?¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°Can¡¯t recall saying that.¡± She lifted her ss of champagne on the table and elegantly took a sip. ¡°Then again, nothing is impossible in this world. If a boring woman like Elise could be craved by a couple of men, what¡¯s wrong with me having a few pursuers who would give me anything I want?¡± Tilted, Jamie stomped forward and mmed the ss out of her hand as he stepped on the couch with one leg. He leaned his entire body onto the woman and pointed his finger at her nose, threatening, ¡°Stop fooling around! There¡¯s ¡®hardly acquaintances¡¯ and then there¡¯s ¡®pursuer.¡¯ Seriously, which one is it?¡± It would be a lie if she said she wasn¡¯t afraid to be oppressed by such a big man. Nheless, she was still a doctor. With her emotions fully under control, she easily shook off her nervousness. ¡°Come on, is it against thew to have some fun?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make me hit a woman!¡± Jamie¡¯s patience had reached its limit ¡°Who¡¯s stopping you?¡± Jessica shamelessly stuck her body against Jamie¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯d take money from literally anyone. Why¡¯d you think I¡¯m scared of you?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Jamie was rendered speechless by the woman¡¯s irrationality. As he expected, the woman was harder to reason with than anyone else. At that moment, Alexander came over and dragged Jamie behind him. He then took a deep breath to maintain hisposure. ¡°Elise has always treated you as a good ssmate and a good friend. Why are you doing this?¡± ¡°A good friend?¡± Jessica snickered. ¡°What kind of good friend always steals the spotlight of others? I was supposed to be the ss representative back then. Ever since she transferred to our school, I was always hard stuck at second ce, losing all my deserved honor to her, so what gives? Sure, she was slightly better than me in her studies, but that¡¯s it! What gave her the right to remain above me all the time? I was pissed. I want her out of my life. I want her to have a taste of what it¡¯s like living under someone else¡¯s shadow!¡± Alexander expressionlessly listened to her. When the room was silent again, he slowly blurted, ¡°Is that it?¡± In order to tear someone apart, one should first understand what was going on in the opponent¡¯s mind. As for Jessica, someone who couldn¡¯t ept anyone else being better than her, she was prone to making hasty mistakes, and it would hardly break a sweat to goad her into regretting something she¡¯d done. ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± She revealed a look of utter defeat. ¡°Murder, torture, do as you like. I¡¯ve had my share of pleasure, and I¡¯ll die without regrets.¡± However, Alexander was unresponsive. He stared wordlessly at her for almost half a minute. It wasn¡¯t until he sensed a trace of fright in her eyes that he showed her a knowing smirk. ¡°There¡¯s a chance of me forgoing what you did to Elise and not calling the cops on you. I might even turn a blind eye to the assets under your name, which you could continue to make good use of.¡± Surprised by his announcement, Jessica frowned. ¡°Are you joking?¡± ¡°I never joke.¡± Alexander gazed her right in the eyes. Suddenly, his eyes darkened and malice surged within. ¡°But if you choose not to cooperate with me, not just you, but your parents as well as your little brothers will each have their fate turned into the biggest jokes you¡¯ll ever know.¡± ¡°What do you want!¡± Immense terror gushed in her heart. ¡°The me is all on me! Don¡¯t drag my family into this!¡± ¡°Why, of course.¡± Alexander shot her a terrifying grin and a re that bore no delight. ¡°The me is all on you, but why¡¯d you drag Elise into this? Since you¡¯re not seeing reason, I guess I¡¯ll y your game to see who¡¯s more unreasonable.¡± Jessica had never been met with a gaze as icy as his. Her entire body was trembling under his leer, as if she had absolutely lost control of her own nerves. Subconsciously, she gulped and dared no longer to talk back to Alexander. About time. Knowing he had triumphed in the psychological war, Alexander loosened his face and returned to his humble self. ¡°Tell me everything you know about Matthew since your first encounter till yourst rendezvous and everything you¡¯ve spoken to each other. Every. Single. Thing.¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± Jessica copsed onto the couch and began telling stories between her and Matthew. In the meantime, Elise was still under Matthew¡¯s grasp. After ending the call with Alexander, in order to leave no traces, Matthew no longer had any interaction with the outside world; he spent every day at home. Nevertheless, with three people living under the same roof, a restock of consumables was only inevitable. Although he had stocked up the portion of his and Heather¡¯s, now that Elise was here, he had to go out alone in the afternoon to acquire some more edibles. Not in the slightest was he worried about Heather turning her back on him, but he still left a message to her, forbidding her to have any private interaction with Elise. Before leaving, he locked the doors from outside and carefreely departed. All this time, Elise was leaning against the door to listen to the activities outside her room. After hearing the lock of the door and ensuring Matthew had left, she started pacing around her room, figuring out how to break out of it. Through herst attempt, she knew there was no way to escape if she continued staying in her room. Thus, the only measure was to get out of the room. However, Heather wouldn¡¯t come over on her own ord; Elise had toe up with a way to lure her over. Sadly, all Heather cared about was Matthew, and nothing else in the house would be able to draw her attention. Wait. Me! I¡¯m ¡°nothing else¡±! No matter how reluctant one was, they would still attempt to look after the person their loved ones desired to protect. Having thought of that, Elise resolutely sped her hands and punched the ss window of the wardrobe beside her. As the ss shattered, blood stains were seen on the ss fragments. In that instant, her hand was covered in blood. Only under careful observation could one identify the fragments of ss stuck in her flesh. Unsure whether there were cameras around her, she proceeded to strike the walls with her bloody hand while smashing things that would cause ring noises. Meanwhile, Heather was watching her in the security room. Despite Elise¡¯s actions, she showed no reaction at all. She even thought, Why is such a crazy b*tch receiving all the goodness¨Call of Matt¡¯s love? All of a sudden, a horrifying idea popped up in her mind. If she no longer lives, then I¡¯ll be Matt¡¯s closest woman! Chapter 326 Chapter 326 As the ill intent wafted in her mind, she could no longer suppress the demon within her. As if she was possessed, she lost control of her own emotions. With that, she grabbed a fruit knife in the living room and hid it in her sleeve. Deranged, she unlocked the door to the room confining Elise. As Elise, on the other hand, was about to bang on the door, the door was pushed open. When she looked Heather in the eye, she immediately knew the woman in front of her wasn¡¯t the Heather she knew. Although she couldn¡¯t quite put Heather¡¯s shift in behavior into words, her presence undoubtedly put her on edge. With a still face, Heather stared at Elise for a couple of seconds. She scanned at thetter¡¯s injured hand before stating aloofly, ¡°You¡¯re hurt.¡± ?Baffled, Elise was only reminded of her injury then, to which she awkwardly replied, ¡°Right. I didn¡¯t even realize it until you mentioned it.¡± Perhaps it was the stupefaction upon seeing Heather¡¯s sudden change that made her forget the sting on her hand. With a knowing look, Heather took a step into the room and shifted her body sideways to allow Elise a path out of the room. ¡°I¡¯ll treat it outside. Matt will kill me if anything happens to you.¡± As she spoke, she carried a tremendous determination within her, which she revealed not on her face, but under her glistening eyes. As subtle as it was, Elise was able to sense it, and she grew even more cautious. At the same time, she was tempted by her goal, as she had her keen eyes fixated on the main door which was right opposite her bedroom¡¯s door. She would be able to escape once she stormed out the bedroom. Nheless, Heather wouldn¡¯t be so kind to let her off. There was no telling if she could still breathe after exiting through the door. However, when she thought of her grandparents and Alexander, she gritted her teeth and decided to give it a try. Under Heather¡¯s scorching gaze, Elise grabbed her injured hand and walked out the room. When she was passing by Heather, her steps subconsciously decelerated. Heather watched as Elise walked past her. It wasn¡¯t until Elise¡¯s back was fully facing her that she revealed a vicious expression. In a sh, the knife that was in her sleeve was already raised above her head, All she had to do in that instant was stab her. In that case, the me could be easily deflected by saying the then-dead woman, who was trying to escape, were identally murdered in a circumstance where Heather was forced to use a knife after a massive effort of trying to stop her from running. As such, there would no longer be an Elise Sinir in the world. Simultaneously, Matthew wouldn¡¯t me her for Elise¡¯s death. Bearing that in mind, Heather grasped her knife even tighter and held it even higher before going for the forceful stab. It was a perfect execution, except for the fact that she had forgotten the giant mirror in the living room that was reflecting every detail of her actions. Elise saw the glinting knife in the mirror, and without any contemtion, she dodged the stab with her agility harnessed from years of experience as a veteran racer. ordingly, Heather missed her attack. And when she realized it, Elise was already at the living room¡¯s couch. ¡°Why are you trying to kill me?¡± Elise glowered, unable to take in what just happened. Heather gnarled her teeth and pointed the knife at Elise. Her facial expression resembled that of the most gruesome demons. ¡°Because you don¡¯t deserve Matthew, and you ruined him! Thus, you should pay for it with your life!¡± Having said that, she recklessly charged toward Elise. Due to the injury on her hand, Elise couldn¡¯t attempt to disarm her. She could only run around the couch as she evaded each attack from Heather. Very soon, they ended up in each other¡¯s previous positions, facing each other. Heather squinted her eyes as she panted, anxiously holding the knife toward Elise. ¡°Stop running. You can¡¯t run away from this, Elise. This is your life, destined to be ended for the sake of Matthew and I. Just face the reality!¡± ¡°You face the reality!¡± Elise coldly gazed at her, unable to figure out how idiotic could a woman be to be willing tomit crime for a man¡¯s attention. ¡°Matthew never loved you! Whether I exist or not, he won¡¯t truly care about you! How much longer are you nning to deceive yourself?¡± ¡°Shut up! You¡¯re lying! Matt and I are in love. His actions toward you are only out of envy for Alexander. I¡¯m the only person who really understands him! We¡¯ve been together for so long, and I¡¯m the only one that deserves him. Once you¡¯re out of the picture, the three of us can finally live happily ever after!¡± Heather was so drunk in her fantasy that she¡¯d lost all rationality. Among her words, Elise caught something rather critical. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ pregnant?¡± She looked at Heather¡¯s t stomach and inquired, to which Heather gave no response, but her silence obviously admitted the existence of a tiny life within her. Instantly, Elise¡¯s eyes lit up. She switched up her strategy and aggressively taunted, ¡°Once you kill me, your child will have a murderer for a mother. How happy could that be?¡± Hearing the terms ¡°child¡± and ¡°murderer¡± in the same sentence, Heather was triggered. Forcibly, she woke up from her fantasy, only to find the knife in her hands, before turning to Elise in fear and agitation. She realized she had been too hasty. In mere minutes, she simply wanted Elise to disappear so that all her issues could be resolved. Overly immersed, she hadpletely forgotten about thew and the consequences of killing. She had to admit that Elise had moved her. Even if it was for the sake of her children, she shouldn¡¯t be attempting such a crazy stunt. Seeing as she slowlyid down her weapon, Elise sincerely stated, ¡°You can stille back from this. As long as you¡¯re willing to change, it¡¯s never toote to turn back. In the same way, if you let me go, I promise not to investigate Matthew once I return safely. I can even help you get out of this ce, to somewhere nobody could recognize you. Think about it. Isn¡¯t that what you want?¡± ¡°What I want¡­¡± Heather muttered as she lost herself in thought. Watching as she¡¯d lowered her guard, Elise immediately turned to the main door of the house and started counting down in her heart. Five, four, three, two¡­ one! Swiftly, she dashed to the door and ferociously pushed down the door handle. To her surprise, the door remained unopened. What. Am I supposed to pull this instead? Pushing and pulling, she found all her attempts were in vain, as if the door was fused with the walls. Sensing the loud disturbances, Heather regained her senses. ¡°Trying to escape?! Not a chance! Matt says he¡¯ll die if you¡¯re gone. No! Don¡¯t run!¡± Her mind went overdrive just by imagining Matthew being in danger. At once, she rushed toward Elise and grabbed her, attempting to drag her back into the bedroom. As Elise had just arduously broken out of the cursed bedroom, going back into it would mean more torment. Thus, she endured the pain on her hand as she withstood the dragging force from Heather. Consequently, the knife that Heather had yet to unhand was probing Elise¡¯s stomach. The more force Elise exerted, the deeper the tip of the knife pressed against her flesh, as if it was about to pierce through her clothes and her tender skin. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Under the tense situation, Elise improvised. Instead of resisting, she pushed along Heather¡¯s force. Heather, unable to react in time, fell down. The two of them tripped together, and Elise was on top of Heather, pressing thetter¡¯s hand against her body. With that, Heather loosened her grip as the sharp knife fell onto the ground with a nk. Regaining her senses, Elise swiftly picked up the knife and pinned Heather down with one hand, holding the knife at her throat with the other. ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± Chapter 327 Chapter 327 Chapter 327 With the icy de of the dagger touching her neck, Heather instinctively flinched back. When she lowered her gaze to see the offending dagger, her breathing hitched. She was someone who highly valued her life. To top it off, she also had people that she loved ¡°You won¡¯t dare.¡± Heather narrowed her eyes, attempting to see how far Elise¡¯s limits stretched. Elise curved her lips up, but her smile didn¡¯t reach her eyes. ¡°You can try me.¡± 110 Heather could see from Elise¡¯s eyes that she had thrown all caution to the wind. In the end, Heather didn¡¯t push her luck. Elise knew a little about fighting in the first ce. Now that she had a dagger, she had the upper hand completely. Once she had ascertained that Heather wouldn¡¯t continue fighting, she finally moved on to the next step. ¡°Get up,¡± she threatened. Still holding Heather, she turned to nce at the door. ¡°And open the door,¡± she urged. Heather obediently did as she was told, moving over to grab the handle. However, the door wouldn¡¯t open. ¡°It¡¯s locked.¡± ¡°You better not be ying any tricks.¡± Elise actually didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, try it yourself.¡± Heather raised her arms in surrender. ¡°You¡¯re Matt¡¯s only chance of turning the tables. You think he¡¯ll let you escape so easily?¡± Elise had enough of pointless bbering. Matthew coulde by any time now. She didn¡¯t have much time to waste. Every second was precious. ¡°Turn around.¡± After getting Heather to stand with her back to her, Elise pointed the dagger at Heather¡¯s back while she tried to open the door with her free hand. In the end, there was no miracle. No matter how much strength she poured in, the handle remained resolutely in ce. Heather smiled, pleased. ¡°Matt¡¯s going toe back soon. And before that happens, you better go back to the room, or I can¡¯t guarantee what kind of treatment you¡¯re going to receive otherwise,¡± she reminded. Go back? Wouldn¡®t that be waiting around like a sitting duck? Elise wouldn¡¯t admit defeat so easily. Thus, she put away her dagger and began to search for another escape route. Heather, on the other hand, was no match for Elise. They both knew this fact deep down, so she didn¡¯t escte the situation any further. Like she was watching a show, Heather coldly looked on as Elise searched from the kitchen all the way to the study with nothing to show for it. She once again mocked, ¡°Stop wasting your time. This ce is completely sealed off. There¡¯s no other exit apart from that door.¡± In addition to that, that door was specially made. No de was going to scratch that door, and axes wouldn¡¯t be able to break it down. Other than getting its key to unlock it, there was no other way to get that door to open. Elise returned to the living room once more and looked at Heather dejectedly, who was enjoying the show. These two are mad for constructing such a huge hidden space out of nowhere. Am I really never going to escape? Just as Elise was about to fall into despair, Alexander¡¯s familiar low voice sounded from outside. ¡°Elise, are you in there?¡± Elise¡¯s eyes instantly lit up, and she whipped around. ¡°I¡¯m here! Alexander! I¡¯m inside!¡± He found me. He really found me. She knew she could trust this man. ¡°Okay, got it. Don¡¯t get overexcited.¡± Alexander unhurriedly calmed Elise before he continued in an unrushed manner, ¡°I¡¯m going inside now. Stand a little further away.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Elise took a few steps back, leaving a few feet of distance between the door and herself. The next moment, something could be heard smashing away at the door. One strike, two strikes¡­ Elise could even feel the floorboards shaking, but there was absolutely no sign of the door opening. Not long after that, the smashing sounds stopped. Elise heard Alexander again. ¡°Elise, hide. Find a room or stay far away from the door. Can you do that?¡± He deliberately made his voice louder. Elise nced around before nodding at the door. ¡°Yeah. Is the kitchen far enough?¡± ¡°Yes. Go and hide. I¡¯ll go inside two minutester for you.¡± Having said that, Alexander disappeared. Elise quickly headed to the kitchen and locked the door to wait for her rescue soon. Heather sat unperturbed on the couch as though she had just heard the biggest joke in her life, waiting for Alexander to once again hit another dead end. She had said before that the door would not be opening unless unlocked with its key. The next moment, though, there was a loud crash as the wall across her suddenly crumbled. Immediately after, an SUV rushed at her. Heather quickly raised her arms in front to shield herself. With the piercing sound of brakes screeching, the SUV stopped just a hair¡¯s breadth away from her. She barely escaped with her life. Alexander opened the door of the vehicle and got out. Once he had determined the location of the kitchen, he quickly ran over and opened the door. The moment he saw Elise, all his defenses came crashing down, and he drew Elise into his arms without a care in the world. He held her tightly, wishing that he could have her permanently in his life. ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± Alexander said, his voice choking up. ¡°I know.¡± Elise had never felt so safe before. ¡°Thank you, Alexander.¡± Alexander shook his head, hisrge hand moving up and down as he patted her fluffy hair. ¡°Sorry I came toote.¡± The sticky feeling he got when he touched her hand instantly made Alexander frown. That striking red on her hand when he looked down was like a knife, stabbing right into his heart. ¡°What happened? Did you get hurt?¡± Alexander¡¯s heart hurt, but he didn¡¯t dare to touch Elise, fearing that he would hurt her Elise had already weathered through the worst of the pain. By now, the pain had numbed, so she didn¡¯t really feel anything much. She smiled as she shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just a small scratch. It¡¯s no big deal.¡± Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. But Alexander wasn¡¯t going to easily give up on this matter. This ce waspletely sealed off, and other than Elise and that other woman, there was no one else here. He knew very well just who the culprit was, and a chill instantly rose in his eyes. He lifted a hand and gently ced it on Elise¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Wait for me for a bit,¡± he soothed. Subsequently, his lips curved up. Although he was clearly smiling, the rest of his expression was filled with cruelty. Retrieving Elise¡¯s dagger, he took a deep breath before he headed to the living room for Heather, who still hadn¡¯t calmed down from the initial shock. As Elise watched his departing figure, she instantly understood what he was going to do. She hastily ran after him and pulled on his sleeve to stop him. ¡°This has nothing to do with her. I actually hurt my own hand.¡± Alexander¡¯s anger had reached its boiling point. He simply thought that Elise was making up excuses because she was softhearted. He didn¡¯t listen to her. Elise could seemingly see the embers of fury in Alexander¡¯s eyes burnrger and faster; he was close to losing control. Realizing this, she was both delighted yet panicked. In her frantess, she grabbed the hand that Alexander held the dagger with, forgetting her own pain as she held on with both her hands. ¡°It¡¯s true¡ªI wanted to hurt myself to make them take me to the hospital so that I would get a chance to escape. Alexander, are you going to kill because of me? If you end up in prison and this happens to me again, who¡¯s going to look for me?!¡± She was pr¨¢ctically begging now. Having felt her warmth, Alexander instantly snapped out of his rage. Carefully, he held her face, her expression currently filled with both love and worry. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. With me here, there won¡¯t be a next time.¡± With that, Alexander tossed a frigid look at Heather¡¯s way before he turned to open the door of the SUV. Quietly, he carried Elise and helped her into the passenger seat before he moved over and got into the driver¡¯s seat. Start the engine, get ready, back up. Done. His face was icy as he stepped on the gas, as though this was the only way that would make him feel like he wasn¡¯t useless for not even being able to protect his beloved Chapter 328 Chapter 328 The sound of the engine got more and more distant. Heather stood on the spot for a full thirty seconds before she gradually came back to her senses. As she looked at the rubble and destruction on the ground, the first thing she thought of was that Matthew was certainly going to me her for not being able to guard Elise well. If Matthew thinks that I¡¯m useless. I might not be able to stay by his side anymore. ¡°No, I definitely can¡¯t leave Matt¡­¡± Heather mumbled as she began to pace around the space. Soon, her attention was drawn to the small fruit knife by the kitchen¡¯s entrance. After just a second of hesitation, she walked over and picked up the knife. Then, she ruthlessly stabbed it straight into her left arm. When Matthew drove back, he could see that the walls on the first floor had already partially caved in. Furious, he smacked his steering wheel. Did you escape again, Elise? Although it wasn¡¯t very likely, he still had a little hope as he revved the car. Once the car came to a stop, he immediately ran inside the house without even taking the time to pull out his keys. The moment Matthew stepped into the living room, he promptly noticed that the door to Elise¡¯s room was wide open. Hisst hope waspletely extinguished then. When he snapped out of it, he finally noticed Heather lying injured on the couch. Hunching over, he gently shook her. ¡°Heather?¡± Heather wasn¡¯t actually unconscious; it was just an act for Matthew. Seeing him panicking, she slowly opened her eyes. ¡°Elise worked together with Alexander. She escaped after she stabbed me. I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± she weakly exined. Now that his chance to turn the tables was gone, Matthew was incensed. However, he couldn¡¯t let his anger show with the pale-faced Heather there. All he could do now was set this matter aside and help her up. ¡°You aren¡¯t to me. You were alone-how could you have possibly taken on both of them at once? Let¡¯s get you to the hospital first.¡± Meanwhile, at the emergency room, the nurse applied some ointment for Elise. After telling her about some things she had to look out for, the nurse left the room. Not long after the nurse left, Alexander came in. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. It had been a long time since they saw each other. After experiencing the whirlwind that was earlier and calming down, Elise and Alexander somehow ended up a little more polite and reserved with each other. Elise pressed her lips together. In order to make Alexander rx, she said jokingly, ¡°The nurse was really patient.¡± Alexander stood in front of her expressionlessly. He didn¡¯t speak, simply opting to look at her without moving. His dark eyes glimmered under the lights, an indiscernible glint shining in them. It got awkward. Elise wasn¡¯t a master at easing the atmosphere. So, she pretended to shrug casually and averted her gaze. ¡°You¡¯re always like this.¡± Alexander¡¯s voice suddenly rang out, low and deep. Chastisement and exasperation could be heard in his words. Elise looked up at him, her pretty little face scrunching up a little. She couldn¡¯t figure out how she had gotten on his nerves again. Alexander could see through her confusion. Angry, he lifted a hand to pinch his forehead, but in the end, he deted helplessly. He just wanted Elise to know that her safety was always the priority. Clearly, though, she didn¡¯t pay attention to that. Otherwise, she would have just patiently waited for him to save her instead of hurting her hand like that. Nheless, he knew that she didn¡¯t like him nagging her, so he had no choice but to swallow those words. When he neared her, he reached out and pulled her in for a hug. Ever since the day Elise was kidnapped, Alexander had been on tenterhooks. It was only now that he finally rxed. From then on, he made a promise to himself that he would never let anyone take Elise away from his sight again. After an unknown amount of time, Elise couldn¡¯t quite breathe from being hugged for so long. Just as she was about to remind Alexander to ease up, he released her. ¡°Let¡¯s go back first. This ce is too close to where Matthew is. It¡¯s not safe.¡± Alexander took off his jacket and draped it around Elise¡¯s shoulders. They then quickly drove away from the hospital. Over an hourter, the SUV drove past the Griffith Residence¡¯s gates. This wasn¡¯t Elise¡¯s first time here, but an awkward look still came over her face when she saw Alexander offer her a hand after the vehicle had stopped. Just because she had just escaped from a dire situation didn¡¯t mean that some things could be easily overlooked. Madeline was the one uncrossable gulf between them. Having only just escaped from Matthew¡¯s clutches, Elise truly didn¡¯t want to go in and be treated like some pariah while bearing verbal attacks that never should have been directed at her. Knowing what she was worried about, Alexander stretched his hand out further, his gaze sharp and determined. ¡°Trust me, many things have changed since then. You won¡¯t be disappointed.¡± Elise looked at him. Under the sunlight, his face looked even more bewitching and lively. He looked like he had walked straight out of a painting. US Just as Alexander said, that distant, excluded feeling that had kept creeping in her heart before didn¡¯t arise. Everything in front of her was real. He was right. There was no other person in the world who could have followed the trail and located her with just a wedding dress. With how well Alexander understood her, did she have anything else to worry about? At that thought, the darkness in Elise¡¯s expression dissipated, leaving behind a faint smile. She ced her dainty hand in Alexander¡¯s. They then walked hand-in-hand into the Griffith Residence together, the ce that she had repeatedly left in fear and panic. The rest of the Griffiths were currently busy at this hour. Madeline was the only one at home, nursing her injuries, and coincidentally, they ran into each other. The moment their eyes met, Elise looked at Madeline. She attempted to trust Alexander and awkwardly twitched her lips up in an effort of goodwill. Seeing her safe return, Madeline studied Elise; her clothes were disheveled and messy, unlike the image of the perfect daughter-inw that she had in mind. Her first instinct was to reject Elise, but then, she caught sight of the apathetic look in Alexander¡¯s gaze through the corners of her eyes. In the end, she sighed. With no other choice, she reined in her thoughts and nodded, epting Elise¡¯s offered smile. ¡°You¡¯re back atst. You¡¯ve been through a hard time. Go upstairs and get some rest.¡± She then called a servant over. ¡°Mrs. Hilda, tidy up the guest room. Bring Miss Sinir some clean clothes.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Hilda acknowledged in a respectful tone. Having said all she wanted, Madeline turned and headed for the couch in the living room, coffee cup in hand. She didn¡¯t even wait for Elise to thank her. Everything took time. The fact that Madeline didn¡¯t reject Elise and allowed her to stay was already the greatest concession she could make. As for when she would be able to sincerely ept Elise, there was still a long road ahead. Madeline had just turned around when she heard Alexander speak to Hilda. ¡°No need for that. Elise, you can stay in my room. Bring the things there.¡± Madeline paused before lowering her head to stir her coffee indifferently. After years of interacting with other upper-crustdies, she had already trained herself to discern the truth behind a person¡¯s words and actions. She knew very well that Alexander had said that on purpose for her-he wanted her to know that Elise was not a guest in this house. Elise initially thought that Madeline would make a stand and make some unreasonable demand, but to her surprise, Madeline didn¡¯t show any reaction after hearing Alexander. It startled Elise. By the time she snapped out of her shock, Alexander was already leading her upstairs by the hand. Elise nervously followed behind him. It wasn¡¯t until they had gone to the second floor and disappeared into the elevator that she was certain-Madeline had truly changed. Chapter 329 Chapter 329 Chapter 329 Elise had no idea what had happened between the mother and son, but one thing was clear: she probably wouldn¡¯t have to worry about her rtionship with Madeline in the future. This brought her more joy than escaping from imprisonment. Both Elise and Alexander stayed at the Griffith Residence for an hour. When they left, Madeline didn¡¯t press her with questions, allowing Elise¡¯s bright mood to continue. On the way back to Sinir Residence, Elise could no longer hold herself back. She was all smiles as she looked at Alexander. ¡°Did you hypnotize your mother?¡± she teased. A smile tugged at the corners of Alexander¡¯s lips, and he deliberately yed along .with her. ¡°Guess.¡± ¡°You definitely did.¡± Elise had been bothered about the situation with Madeline for a long time. Now, she felt unbelievably rxed. Still, she couldn¡¯t help her curiosity. Dialing down her expression, she attempted to pry the truth from Alexander. ¡°Come on, tell me: what kind of sorcery can make someone have a personality change? I need to learn it.¡± Alexander grinned mysteriously. ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡± He was the only one who needed to know about that time when he fought tooth and nail against the world and practically estranged himself from his family. Telling Elise would simply put more stress on her. Elise rolled her eyes at him balefully before she mulishly turned her head to the side. ¡°Still keeping secrets from me. If you¡¯re not going to say it, then don¡¯t. I¡¯ll keep my secrets from you in the future too.¡± Screech Alexander mmed on the brakes, pulling over by the side of the road. The sudden stop made Elise lurch forward before her seatbelt catapulted her back firmly into her seat. When she turned around, she saw Alexander looking at her with a sad and hurt look on his face instead of the smug look he had been sporting just before. ¡°What is it?¡± Elise was baffled. ¡°You said that you¡¯re going to keep your secrets from me?¡± Alexander¡¯s expression was dark, an ugly sight. For a moment, Elise was at a loss for words. It was only then that she realized she had stepped on a sore spot for Alexander. Just hiding her identity had caused many arguments between them. He had always disliked secrets, and now that Elise openly said she was going to hide things from him, he would of course disagree. Since Alexander managed to resolve the issue with Madeline, Elise decided to cheer him up. She looked at him with puppy-dog eyes and a cheeky smile on her face. ¡°All right, I¡¯m sorry-I shouldn¡¯t have made such a joke. I promise that I definitely won¡¯t hide anything major from you.¡± Alexander¡¯s gaze softened a little. ¡°Not even the small things,¡± he pointed out. Whoops, he got me there. Elise initially wanted to sneak in a loophole, but she hadn¡¯t expected Alexander to be so sharp-eyed. He didn¡¯t even give her any wriggle room. With no other choice, she smiled harder. ¡°Heehee, got it. I¡¯ll do as you say.¡± Only then was Alexander satisfied. He started up the engine again and sped off toward the Sinir Residence. Robin and Laura were already waiting for them. The moment the security guard announced Alexander¡¯s arrival, the old couple promptly helped each other to hurry to the door to wait. Before the car even came to aplete stop, they¡¯d eagerly tottered over to the passenger seat with their walking canes. ¡°Elise, my darling granddaughter¡­¡± Elise was pulled into a hug by Laura the moment she alighted from the car. When Laura noticed that Elise¡¯s right hand was hurt, her heart ached so much that tears came to her eyes. ¡°Are you seriously injured? Oh, darling, you should have stayed at the hospital if you¡¯re hurt. Why did you have to rush back?¡± Laura might seem like she was chastising Elise, but every word of hers was filled with love. Robin gripped his cane hard with both hands wordlessly, his brow furrowing deeply. Worry was in as day on his face. ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t worry. I was actually responsible for that injury myself. It¡¯s not all that bad; it doesn¡¯t hurt-see? I¡¯m perfectly fine, right?¡± Worried that her grandparents didn¡¯t believe her, Elise hastily waved her hand a few times. Laura quickly stopped her and patted her with exaggerated movements, ¡°All right, you heartless little girl. You¡¯re going to break your poor grandma¡¯s heart!¡± she chastised ¡°That¡¯s enough. Poor Elise has suffered enough. Let¡¯s continue this inside,¡± said Robin. It was only then that the four of them noisily headed inside the house. They had only just sat down when Alexander¡¯s phone rang. He took a look at the caller¡¯s name; it was Cameron. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to take this call.¡± Robin lowered his gaze as he dipped his head slightly. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Having gotten Robin¡¯s permission, Alexander went to the balcony with his phone in hand. Laura ignored this as she simply fired off all her questions at Elise. ¡°Ellie, Matthew didn¡¯t mistreat you, did he? That madman is practically inhumane!¡± ¡°No. Don¡¯t worry about that, Grandma¡­¡± Robin listened to their conversation while asionally ncing at the balcony, where Alexander was, to look at him thoughtfully. Not long after that, Alexander hung up and came back to them to indicate that he had to leave. ¡°There are some urgent things that I need to finish up at work. I apologize beforehand for leaving Elise in your care.¡± Robin¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to apologize for. Elise is my own granddaughter; why should I find her presence a problem? Go. Don¡¯t evere back without any good reason.¡± Upon hearing Robin¡¯s tone, both Laura and Elise instinctively turned their heads to look at him. ¡°What are you saying¡­¡± Laura asked. Elise also couldn¡¯t figure out what was going on. Her grandfather had always been a good-natured man, and he was usually friendly to others. But why was he being so antagonistic today? As a man as well, only Alexander knew what Robin was thinking. He wasn¡¯t angry with this either as he gently smiled to show that he was fine with Robin¡¯s words. ¡°No problem.¡± He then turned to Elise. ¡°I¡¯ll come backter for you,¡± he said ¡°Okay.¡± Elise nodded demurely, showing some sort of constion for him. Alexander pressed his lips into a thin smile before he rxed and left. The moment he left, Laura turned on Robin. ¡°What is wrong with you? He saved your precious granddaughter, so why were you in such a rush to chase him away?¡± ¡°What do you know?¡± Robin distastefully frowned, wanting to say more but also trying to stop himself. ¡°You forgot how¡­ never mind. In any case, he and Elise are not meant to be. It is better to cut your losses instead of dragging things out.¡± Having said that, he exhaled deeply. However, his gaze remained on Elise, studying her perhaps on purpose, perhaps not. Elise was sharp enough to realize that her grandparents were hiding something from her. ¡°Grandpa, did something happen while I was away?¡± Alexander had always been respectful toward his elders. He probably wouldn¡¯t have started an argument with her grandparents. Elise truly didn¡¯t understand he was such a perfect man, and every parent out there fell over themselves to have him as their son-inw. Why did her grandparents suddenly seem to dislike him so much? Could thew of equivalent exchange also apply to familial rtionships instead of being limited to material things? If one¡¯s rtionship with one side of their family improved, would the rtionship with the other side worsen? Was Elise fated to never be able to have both families bless their rtionship? Laura already understood Robin¡¯s hints, so she hastily covered for him. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. What could have happened while you were away? We were just worried about you.¡± But Elise wasn¡¯t so easily deterred. Laura¡¯s hesitance was a clear sign that she was not telling the full truth, and besides, neither grandparent was good at lying to her. Sighing, she ced a hand on the back of Robin¡¯s hand. ¡°Grandpa, you know that you can¡¯t hide things from me. Just what happened actually? Tell me, please,¡± she said patiently. Deep down, Robin knew that it was only a matter of time before Elise found out the truth. With no other choice, heid out everything about the photos and videos that Matthew had sent. ¡°I¡¯m doing this for your own good. Regardless of Matthew¡¯s wicked ways, he and Alexander are still brothers at the end of the day. Now that something like this has happened, you two must break off your rtionship no matter how reluctant you are. Girls can only live their lives with pride if they know how to love and respect themselves. Do you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡±Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Chapter 330 Chapter 330 Chapter 330 Elise understood what her grandfather meant. If she truly slept with Matthew, then she couldn¡¯t pretend as if nothing had happened, nor could she continue to enjoy Alexander¡¯s love while ignoring everything, regardless whether Matthew and Alexander were brothers or not. It didn¡¯t matter whether she didn¡¯t want to or if she wasn¡¯t the one at fault. Sometimes, though, fate was just that fickle and unreasonable. There was no room for argument. It might be painful at first, but Elise knew deep down that people could eventually leave. If that was what fate intended, then all she could do was adjust her mindset and force herself to ept it. But before that, there were some things that she needed to understand fully first. ¡°Did you save those photos?¡± Elise asked Robin. ¡°Well¡­¡± An ufortable look came over Robin¡¯s face, but he quickly caught on as to what Elise meant. He tested the waters. ¡°Did you actually¡­?¡± But Elise¡¯s words proceeded to extinguish his hope that had just flickered back to life. ¡°I¡¯m not sure either.¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s just like you said; I wasn¡¯t awake when those photos and videos were taken. I was indeed unconscious for a while, unaware of anything. I can¡¯t confirm whether Matthew had actually done any of that to me.¡± ¡°I understand what you mean.¡± Robin nodded solemnly to indicate his understanding, but he was still troubled. ¡°It¡¯s my fault. I was so furious by that b*stard that Ipletely didn¡¯t think of that. I didn¡¯t save any kind of evidence¡­¡± If that was the case, it seemed that the only proof of whether or not Elise and Matthew had intercourse was purely through Matthew¡¯s say-so. In truth, Elise wasn¡¯t actually all that hurt by this. She was the victim at the end of the day. Even if she had lost her purity, the one who should be shamed and humiliated was Matthew. She would not feel like she was lesser because of this. Elise was in a rush to find out the truth simply because she wanted to tie up loose ends with Alexander; she didn¡¯t want them to part in such a confusing manner just because of Matthew¡¯s nderous ims. Seeing how her grandfather med himself, Elise couldn¡¯t bear to keep asking any further. Instead, sheforted, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Grandpa. I¡¯m your granddaughter; something as small as this won¡¯t get me down. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll deal with this properly.¡± Robin looked at her with a heavy gaze, his weathered eyes still filled with heartbreak. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for you¡­¡± Later that afternoon, Elise took a nice nap at home after a hot shower. Unknown to her, however, Matthew had already begun a new round of counterattacks as shey sleeping peacefully in her familiar bed. Earlier when Alexander and Elise arrived at the Sinir Residence, various magazine publishers and newspaper outlets received pictures of Matthew and Elise lying topless on a bed together, seemingly all at the same time. These photos were like a bomb, sending shockwaves everywhere. The entire entertainment industry went into overdrive to churn out articles, every outlet wanting to be the first to hog the top trending search by utilizing the controversy¡ª¡¯Alexander Griffith¡¯s Fianc¨¦e Cheating on Him With His Own Brother -as the focal point. Some unscrupulous people simply skipped the magazine path, simply publishing the photos via blog posts or even videos to draw traffic. In just an instant, the inte was abuzz with discussion. Presumably, Alexander had left Elise earlier to deal with this issue. Inside the meeting room, the hastily-assembled emergency PR team sat around the table. They argued until they were red in the face, all of them putting their heads together over this PR nightmare for one reason, and one reason only-to prevent Elise¡¯s name from being tarnished. ¡°¡­Shifting the public¡¯s attention is the most important thing right now. Listen to me and find a B-lister to take the fall. We¡¯ll certainly be able to shift a lot of the heat away like this.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just treating the symptoms, not the cause. Why don¡¯t we get in touch with those tforms and request them to take those topics down? It¡¯s going to take more effort, but we¡¯ll be able to root out the problem. We won¡¯t have to worry about thosements spreading like wildfire. They¡¯ll start spreading again at just the slightest mention otherwise.¡± ¡°I say that we just get the legal department to write up a letter to go after those major content creators who are purposely directing the narrative! We¡¯ll make an example of them!¡± ¡°No, you listen to me¡­¡± These public rtion contingencies all had some w to them, but none of them 14.45 MUG. Chapter 330 were up to Alexander¡¯s standards. He sat there quietly in his seat, letting those at the meeting table to squabble like no tomorrow. Yet, he seemed to be in apletely different world, for the aura around him was so chilly that it terrified the others. There was no doubt that Matthew decided to go for this dirty blow because he wanted to force Elise into a corner, to force her to be tied to him. But he was mistaken: Elise could be reasonable, but she would not be coerced. Such a drastic move would only make Elise even more sure to keep him away at arm¡¯s length. However, this wasn¡¯t the problem that Alexander was considering. There was only one thing that he was concerned about no one would be able to get past him in the future to hurt Elise. Collecting his thoughts, he lifted his hand and rapped the table. ¡°Knock, knock¨C¡± Instantly, the PR team fellpletely silent. All of them turned their gazes in unison to their employer. ¡°Looks like you still don¡¯t know what the name ¡®Elise Sinir¡¯ means. I¡¯ll say this once, and once only¡ª as long as I, Alexander Griffith, still remain in this seat, then Elise¡¯s reputation is also the Griffith Group¡¯s reputation.¡± At that, Alexander lifted his left hand to look at his watch. ¡°It¡¯s 1.28 p.m. now. You¡¯ve already wasted 18 minutes and 23 seconds. By 2 p.m, I hope that I will no longer see the name ¡®Elise Sinir¡¯ on any social media tform. Use all means possible. If that is not the case by then, all of you will be handing in your resignation letters.¡± The office descended into a suffocating silence. Other than Alexander, everyone else had the exact same expression, as if the same expression had been copied and pasted onto their faces, all deep frowns and solemness. Alexander had given them only half an hour, but it wasn¡¯t all that difficult to figure out which was Alexander¡¯s most preferred way to deal with this PR case, considering their knowledge. Most importantly, asking Alexander any questions now when he was in this state was a surefire way for them to get a one-way ticket to death. These people had only two choices: they could just stand there and do nothing, waiting for the seconds to tick down while the public grew even louder. They would take the me before they packed their bags to leave. Or, they could stick it out and voice their questions to Alexander, only to be killed on the spot with that murderous gaze of his. Both paths led to death, and no one dared to be the first one to make a move. After a while, Cameron could no longer take it, and decided to give everyone a frustrated reminder. ¡°Are you all zombies or something? Mr. Griffith has spoken-do everything that you can to solve this, no matter the price. Get a move on already!¡± At thest word, the group of people who had still been sweating buckets just moments ago promptly sprang from their seats and rushed out of the meeting room. Once everyone was gone, the meeting room fell into silence again. Alexander tilted his head up as he leaned back in his seat. His eyes were gently closed, but a frown could be seen on his forehead, looking out of ce on that chiseled face of his. Cameron couldn¡¯t help but console his employer when he saw Alexander¡¯s tired form. ¡°I¡¯m sure Miss Sinir won¡¯t take all this to heart.¡± Alexander merely sat there motionlessly without answering him. No one knew whether he¡¯d heard him. Cameron felt awkward at theck of response. After a few seconds of silence, he brought up the task that Alexander had assigned to him earlier. ¡°The general vicinity of the area where Miss Sinir was found has been checked thoroughly-they still haven¡¯t caught the culprit.¡± ¡°They still haven¡®t caught the culprit.¡± Upon hearing those words, Alexander felt like he had been given a harsh p. How many times had Matthew slipped away right under his nose? The crux of the problem wasn¡¯t whether Elise minded what the media said about her; instead, it was whether he could put Matthew in his ce. If he had protected Elise properly, none of this would have happened. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. It was time to put an end to everything. Chapter 331 ?Chapter 331 When night came, Elise decided to have dinner with Robin and Laura. Her grandparents had nearly gone mad with worry before she sessfully escaped from Matthew''s clutches, so she didn''t intend to go out that night. However, she still didn''t see any sign of Alexander when the clock struck ten and both grandparents had already gone to bed. Elise felt a little antsy at that. She repeatedly paced between her room and the balcony, her eyes fixed on the road that led to the Sinir Residence, searching for Alexander and his car. After some time, Elise''s pacing came to a halt in the living room. There, she btedly realized that she was actually eager to see Alexander. Or to be more precise, she was already eager to see him even though they had only been apart for an afternoon. When did Elise be so attached to him? As she was immersed in her thoughts, her phone rang from where it was on the coffee table. She paced over to pick it up. The moment she saw Alexander''s name on the caller ID, she immediately answered the phone. Alexander''s voice was pitched very soft and low, as though he was afraid of startling her. "Were you asleep?" "No," Elise answered honestly. "I slept a lot this afternoon, so I haven''t been able to fall asleep now. I''m a bit bored." "Come down, then," Alexander said. "Huh?" Elise didn''t quite process that, standing there stiffly for a few moments before she whirled around and ran toward the balcony. With the aid of the yellow glow of the streetlights, she could see Alexander, dressed in a leather trench coat. The belt around his midsection perfectly brought out the lines of his waist, making him look even taller and slender. All of a sudden, Elise felt like she couldn''t control herself as she hung up and dashed outside without even throwing on a jacket. Their eyes met. Before Elise could even speak, Alexander undid his belt and draped his coat around her. "You still came here even though it''s sote already?" Elise asked. Alexander''s gaze was soft, and his voice was so lovingly gentle. "I wanted to see you. I''ll only be able to rx once I''m sure that you''re still here." Elise didn''t quite understand what he was getting at. If he wanted to make sure that she was safe, a simple phone call would have sufficed. There was no need for him to personallye here.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. At the sight of Elise''s expression, Alexander knew that she was lost again. His smile deepened, and he reached out to pull her into his embrace. Someone-Elise had forgotten who- had once told her that the act of hugging could soothe one''s heart. So, was Alexander trying to soothe himself by hugging her? Is it because of what Grandpa said earlier? Figuring that was the case, Elise felt a little apologetic. "Grandpa didn''t have any had intentions. Please don''t take what he said to heart." "Silly, I can''t even begin to express my gratitude. Why would I be angry with your grandfather?" Alexander released Elise and took a step back. Their gazes met again. When Elise recalled the matter of the photos, her eyes began to glimmer. She didn''t feel quite at ease. Strange. She was clearly almost out of her mind with impatience when Alexander still hadn''te to see her. Now that he was actually here, she didn''t even dare to look him in the eye. "Elise," Alexander called out to her. "Him?" Elise whipped her head up, only for her eyes to immediately meet Alexander''s fiery ones. Instantly, heat rushed to her face. But before she could react, Alexander''s cool lips had already pressed themselves against her lips. All Elise could feel was the jolts of electricity zipping across her nerves. Her entire body burned. It wasn''t until their breaths got heavy that Alexander reluctantly separated himself from her. The edges of his lips twitched up into a gentle smile. "See? Nothing has changed. Isn''t that right?" Her body was the most honest part of her. That kiss alone was proof enough that they were the best match for each other, nothing would change that fact. And smart people didn''t need any further exnation for that. Atst, Elise smiled as well. She voluntarily stepped forward and pressed herself against his chest. "Thank you for loving me so deeply, Alexander." Alexander didn''t speak. They both stood under the streetlights just like that, leaning against each other. Meanwhile, Robin watched everything from where he was upstairs, unable to sleep because of his concern and worry for Elise The next day, Elise changed into a casual outfit before she strolled to campus. The moment she stepped into the dorm, Janice stopped her. "Elise, why are you back?!" The corners of Elise''s mouth awkwardly twitched as she scoffed. "Heh... Does it matter much whether Ie back or not?" She didn''t like to interact much with people like Janice. The reason being, once they had their sights set on someone, they could never be shaken off. Janice looked around before she said mysteriously, "Elise, I won''t be someone that a country bumpkin like you can just shrug off in the future: I''m pregnant, and the baby is Johan''s." Chapter 332 ?Chapter 332 Elise sucked in a breath, her eyes widening as she stared at Janice¡®s t abdomen in astoundment. She couldn¡®t believe that there was already a new little life forming inside there in just those few days that she had been gone. To top it off, Johan was definitely not a good match for Janice. Elise truly didn¡®t understand why Janice insisted on dying on the hill that was Johan Olson even though she was a ster student at Tissote University, enjoying the best education there was¨Cshe clearly had a bright future ahead. And most importantly, if Johan¡®s fianc¨¦e, Faye, were to find out, Janice might lose her life, never mind the baby growing in her belly. Meanwhile, however, Janice still seemed unaware of the dangers she was about to face as she continued to talk excitedly to Elise. ¡°Now that you¡®re pregnant, you should talk with Johan as soon as possible about your marriage. If the baby arrives with no status and no father, it will be detrimental to both you and the baby.¡± That was Elise¡®sst reminder to Janice. She didn¡®t want to continue to bother with whatever had happened in the past between them. It was different from how she imagined things would go, but she wouldn¡®t need to keep wasting her breath on Janice anymore. Having said all that, she smiled and prepared to leave. ¡°Elise, can you help me?¡± Janice furrowed her brows together, as though she had been deeply hurt. Did someone spike her water or something? Why did Janice suddenly do a 180?! Elise had a hard stance on this. Her face darkening, she reached out to push Janice away in an attempt to leave. However, Janice''s grip was like a vice; she refused to let go of Elise. In their tussle, Janice suddenly lost her bnce and tipped backward. Elise''s first reaction was to ensure the baby''s safety, so she frantically twisted her body to the side to keep Janice from falling. While she managed to help reduce the impact for Janice, both of them still fell over by the door. The back of Elise''s head struck the door, and she instinctively reached up to rub at it. But before she could register the pain, she heard Janice''s choking sobs. "My stomach, it hurts... Help me..." Subsequently, a few passing students called an ambnce to send them both to the hospital. Elise was sitting outside of the emergency room, waiting for the doctor to finish checking Janice when Alexander called her. Immediately after pressing her phone to her ear, she heard Alexander''s rich voice. It made her feel significantly more at ease. "I''m already outside your dorm. Let''s go have lunch." "I''m at the hospital," Elise said. Instantly, Alexander panicked. Even his tone changed. "What happened? Which hospital are you at?" "I''m not sure, but it''s the one closest to campus. You..." Beep Before she could finish speaking, all Elise could hear was the long beep of a call that had ended. She pulled her phone away to look at it, only to see that Alexander had already hung up. As she stared nkly at the screen, the emergency room light dimmed. The doctor then emerged from the room. "Is the patient''s family here?" Elise only returned to her senses after hearing the doctor''s voice, getting up to greet him. "I''m her ssmate. Is she all right, doctor?" "We''ve already given her emergency care. The baby is safe, but I still suggest for her to remain here so that she can be observed for the next few days. Call her family so that the paperwork for her stay can be filed," the doctor said. "Understood. Sorry for all the trouble." "It''s what any doctor should have done." With that, the doctor left. Not long after that, a nurse wheeled Janice out and moved her into a regr ward. After hooking up an IV, the nurse urged, "There are limited beds. Her family should hurry up and file the paperwork."This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. Elise nodded repeatedly. Now that she was involved, she had no choice but to ask Janice for her family''s contact. "You''ll have to inform your family. What''s their phone number? I''ll help you call them." Once she handed Janice off to her family, Elise could withdraw, she would''ve fulfilled her duty as a responsible citizen. But how could Janice reveal her pregnancy to her family? She looked away to the side, her lips sealed. Elise could see through her thoughts, and so she patiently asked again, "Okay, so you don''t want your family to find out. How about your best friend then? Or any other friend?" Janice remained silent. Elise was a little angry now. "Janice Garcia, do you think that I''ll hesitate to leave you here alone?" "Then just let me die alone," Janice said huffily without even turning to look at her. Elise smacked a hand to her forehead. She wasn''t Johan; was there any point in Janice losing her temper at her? That being said, Elise wasn''t actually able to bring herself to do it. Thus, she took the bills and headed to the first floor to settle the procedures for Janice''s hospitalization. Just when she reached downstairs, she ran into Alexander. "Perfect timing, ..." "I''m d you''re safe." Elise had been prepared to vent, but Alexander already had her in a bear hug before she could finish her rant. And so, she swallowed her words. She could clearly sense Alexander''s relief after he hugged her. This guy... Did he think I was the one who got hurt? Chapter 333 ?Chapter 333 That was, indeed, Alexander¡®s thought. After he felt her warm presence, he finally cased up. Elise didn¡®t dislike Alexander¡®s contact, but the gazes from the other families in the lobby was ufortable. With no other choice, she tugged on the hem of his shirt. ¡°We¡®re at a hospital,¡± she reminded. Alexander reluctantly pulled back before he held her by the arm and thoroughly inspected her. Once he had confirmed for himself that she was unhurt, he rxed. ¡°Why are you all the way here?¡± Elise shrugged helplessly and brandished the bill in her hand. ¡°I was forced toe.¡± .Alexander took the bill from her, seemingly understanding the gist of the situation when he saw Janice¡®s name on it. ¡°Since when were you two close?¡± Elise squeezed out a pained smile. ¡°Is ¡®no idea¡¯ a good answer?¡± In truth, Elise had no idea how she ended up getting involved with Janice either. In her worldview, there were only two colors¨Cck and white. There was no room for gray. She and Janice were already like fire and water; they should be constantly butting heads with each other. It was Elise¡®s fault for being so soft¨Chearted. She had wanted to maintain a good rtionship with her ssmates, but she never expected Janice to try and climb up the status hierarchy. Now, she couldn¡®t shake her off even if she wanted to. Just my luck, Elise mentallymented. Alexander¡®s lips curved up. ¡°The friendship between girls is always a mystery,¡± he joked. ¡°You can stuff it.¡± Elise had a sour expression on her face. ¡°A passing acquaintance is not a friend, and a one¨Coff act is not enough basis for friendship. I can even say that the president is my friend, but is that possible?¡± ¡°With how skilled and talented you are, that¡®s not out of the realm of possibility,¡± Alexander said with a straight face. Elise immediately pulled a face, squinting to re at him. It was then that Alexander knew he had crossed the line, so he immediately changed his tune. ¡°Okay, I¡®ll stop teasing you. Since you don¡®t want to stay here,e with me. I¡®ll let Cameron handle this.¡± ¡°Great. I¡®ve had to put up with the smell of disinfectant the entire morning, and I¡¯m sick of it.¡± Now that Elise already knew that Janice was a giant pain, all she wanted to do was keep a wide berth from her. She didn¡®t even care that she was causing more trouble for Alexander anymore. Alexander smoothly pulled her outside. ¡°There¡®s a new restaurant that opened recently. The vibe is nice. It¡®s a good ce to rx.¡± "Sure." Elise''s lips thinned for a moment as she smiled. She had no intention of telling him about the truth with Janice. She just hoped that this would be the end of having to do anything for Janice. From now on, they would not get involved in each other''s lives. Alexander wasn''t lying. The restaurant was in the suburbs, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city. The air was fresh, the environment serene. If Elise focused, she could even smell a faint sweet scent floating in the air. The restaurant was built around ake. It was an open-air establishment. Every few yards, there was a pavilion, and they all had booths. She and Alexander picked a spot with a better view of theke, and they ordered all of the restaurant''s signature dishes. Elise was starving after all that busywork earlier that morning; she had already begun to dig in even though not all of the food had arrived. Alexander poured a ss of warm water and ced it within her arm''s reach. "Don''t worry. I won''t be stealing your food," he said, seemingly as a joke. Elise froze for a moment before she btedly came to her senses. She had been rude by eating like that, so she hastily stopped. Alexander actually wanted to tell Elise that she didn''t have to be so restrained around him, but his heart melted at the sight of her bashfulness. He selfishly drank it all in for a while, engraving this honest side of her in his heart. His only response to her was a faint smile. Right at that moment, Alexander''s phone rang. He nced at the screen through the corners of his eyes. It was Cameron. There was no need for Cameron to call him over the minor nuisance that was Janice. So, it had to be about Matthew. "I''m going to take this call, okay?" Alexander asked for her permission, picking up his phone to head to an empty pavilion nearby. "Go ahead." Elise was overjoyed on the inside. This way, she could eat to her heart''s content without having to worry about her image. The moment Alexander left, Elise grabbed one of the desserts, scooping up arge spoonful to wolf down. Instantly, a satisfied smile rose on her face. "Oh, that just hits the spot-" The food on the table was ted beautifully. All of it tasted absolutely wonderful and delicious, but the desserts were mind-blowing. Just as she was about to take another bite, a rich male voice rang out above her. "Get the pastry chef to send two more of his signature desserts to this booth." Elise caught sight of Johan staring at her sinisterly the moment she looked up, a pretty woman in skimpy clothes by his side. His arm was wrapped snugly around the woman''s slender waist. It was more than evident just how close those two were. At the memory of Janice lying weakly but stubbornly in a hospital bed, Elise couldn''t help but feel her stomach churn. All of a sudden, her appetite left her. However, Johan seemed enthusiastic. "If you like the food, you cane here more often. This restaurant is one of my investments. If you evere back here again, everything will be on the house." Elise''s expression chilled. She put down her food and deliberately put as much distance between them as she could. "There''s no need for that. I''m not one to ept charity. I''m not so poor that I can''t even pay for a single meal," she said ndly. With that, she steepled her fingers, supporting her chin with her hands as she looked up at him. A harsh glint shone in her pretty eyes. "If you have the time to make idle chit chat with a woman you have no ties to here, why don''t you direct some of that attention to those you share your bed with?" Johan didn''t know about Janice''s pregnancy. He instinctively looked at the woman next to him upon hearing that. Thinking that Elise was talking about her, a sly look shed across his eyes. He then reached out and seductively gripped the woman''s chin. "Tell Miss Sinir here how I treat you," he said, seemingly in a teasing way. The woman smiled bashfully. "Everyone in Tissote knows that you''re the best at understanding a woman''s heart. Naturally, you''re the kindest man out there." A pleased look appeared on Johan''s face. He then turned to look at Elise and smugly raised an eyebrow. "Heard that?" "Yeah," Elise said evenly. "You cast a wide.".Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. This guy was a casanova, no different from any other yboy out there. He''d go for any woman he couldy his eyes on. Johan instantly picked up on Elise''s implications. She was clearly mocking him fo. being a "manwh*re" among men, who would not reject anything that moves. At this, he gritted his teeth, his expression changing. A cold look was present in his eyes now. This woman''s words are as barbed as ever, leaving no room for mercy. He hated it with every fiber of his being, but he also felt inexplicably excited. How exciting would it be to conquer woman like this? He released his hold on the scantily-d woman and walked into the booth. cing both palms on the table, he leaned over to look at Elise. "You know me so well, Miss Sinir. Could it be that you have eyes for me?" he asked with a half-smile. "Eyes for what?" Alexander''s rich voice instantly shattered the sinister atmosphere hanging over the booth. Johan immediately straightened up at Alexander''s voice. By the time he blinked, Alexander was already right in front of him. When their eyes met, their gazes seemingly morphed into invisible des, battling with each other. Neither of them would yield. After standing off against each other, Alexander lowered his gaze to condescendingly scan Johan from head to toe. He then chuckled coldly. "Maybe your honeyed words? Your greed? Or maybe how you''re impotent because of how you overindulged while still in your youth?" he asked. "What did you say!" Johan''s eyes bugged out of his skull, his fist unconsciously clenching up. Alexander, however, was unbothered. He maintained his smile as he slowly answered, "What? Was I right? Did I strike a nerve?" For a moment, Johan was struck speechless, unable to answer Alexander''s question. His chest heaved from anger. One could attack man for his looks, his height, or his physique. But the one thing one could never attack a man for, though, was his virility. Chapter 334 ?Chapter 334 Alexander said it in such a delicate way that Johan¡®s answer did not matter anymore. It was undeniable that thetter was frustrated and embarrassed. Because both of them were famous big shots in Tissote, the atmosphere became tense and suffocating at once with the two men in a stalemate. Fortunately, the waiter was observant and quickly went to inform the manager upon perceiving the awkward situation. Since the manager was also a shrewddy, she knew that could not afford to offend either party. So, she thought of a way to separate them. ¡°Mr. Olson, your client is still waiting for you.¡± Initially, Johan was still thinking about how he should put this to an end, and the opportunity soon came. Despite feeling pleased inwardly, he still feigned an impatient look as he cast a side nce at the manager with a long face before looking at Alexander again. ¡°Mind you. No one will forever be on a roll. You¡®re just lucky today but we¡®ll wait and see,¡± Johan gritted his teeth and warned Alexander. Thereafter, he put his arm around hispanion¡®s waist and left. Meanwhile, the manager and waiter stood aside with their heads lowered. It was only after Johan and the woman had walked away did they go up to apologize to Alexander. ¡°I¡®m so sorry for the interruption, Mr. Griffith. Your meal will be on the house today. Besides, I¡®ll ask the waiters to send another bottle of first¨Css wine. Please forgive us and don¡®t take it to heart.¡± Alexander had no intention to put the manager in a difficult position to begin with, so he looked down and nodded. ¡°Mm¨Chmm.¡± Hearing that, the manager curled her lips slightly and was overjoyed. ¡°I shall excuse myself first then.¡± As she said that, she gave a look to the waiter behind her, and the two quickly left. On the other hand, Elise had been observing this female manager¡®s performance and realized she was very sharp, so she couldn¡®t help praising her. ¡°This manager is rather observant¨Cshe knows it¡®s worse to offend you than Johan.¡± Hearing that, Alexander smiled faintly and went back to his seat. ¡°Do you think she¡®s just a manager?¡± Elise was confused. "Isn''t she?" Seeing that Elise had already finished half of her dessert, Alexander put his beside her. "To be precise, she''s actually the owner of this restaurant." Surprised, Elise couldn''t help but look toward the direction where the manager left again. In the restaurant they were currently dining in, one meal could easily cost up to ten thousand. Hence, it was deemed as a restaurant of the highest standard in Tissote. With that said, the female manager was indeed extraordinary to have this kind of achievement at such a young age. "Let''s drop this topic." Alexander was not too interested in other people''s matters, so he switched the topic. "Do you feel like getting revenge?" "What?" Elise was stunned for a moment. Alexander lifted his brows and did not exin further. Elise looked at his expression and understood at once. Then, she waved her hands about and rejected him. "I didn''t take it to heart." After saying that, Elise thought something was not right, so she quickly added, "However, a jerk like him indeed deserves a lesson." While Janice was alone staying in the hospital, Johan was swaggeringly having a good time out here. Anyone who saw this situation would want to teach him a lesson. Elise was not a busybody, but she would readily lend a helping hand to a stranger who was faced with injustice, let alone Janice. Pressing her lips, Elise pondered for a while and had an idea in no time. She looked at Alexander and said excitedly. "Mr. Griffith, would you like to help establish justice?" Alexander looked at Elise''s quirky expression and smiled in affection. "I''d love to." Thereafter, Elise grabbed Alexander''s phone over and sent a message to the major news forums in the city before returning the phone to Alexander again, satisfied. "Your phone, sir." "What did you do?" Alexander was curious as he had rarely seen Elise this bubbly. "You''ll know tomorrow." Saying that, Elise then finished the remaining half of the dessert in one gulp. The next day, when Johan woke up on the big bed in a high-end hotel, the woman beside him was still sound asleep. Dressed in a bathrobe, he got out of the bed to pour a ss of wine. Then. he drank it while walking toward the living room and sat down on the couch to read the news habitually. However, a few minutes after he started scrolling through his iPad, his finger stopped midair above the screen. *Famous model Vivian is exposed for living a promiscuous life and has had illicit rtionships with numerous magnates. It is alleged that Vivian is diagnosed with an STD, and several famous individuals have already gone for a checkup at hospitals as of now..." Johan thought he had read it wrongly, so he quickly put down the wine ss in his hand and zoomed in on the screen with his two fingers. After confirming that the Vivian mentioned in the news was none other than the woman lying on his bed, Johan was so annoyed that he threw the iPad right away and snarled loudly, "F*ck this wh*re!" The iPad was smashed onto the cupboard''s ss, and Vivian was awakened by the noise. Ruffling her hair, she sat up on the bed in a daze. Before she could open her eyes, Johan grabbed her hair and gave her a fierce p in her face. After falling back to the bed after getting hit, Vivian covered her face in pain and whined pitifully. "What is this about, Mr. Olson? Didn''t we have a great timest night? You hurt me..." Johan scolded while putting on his shirt, "Shut up, you b*tch! You got me in deep trouble! If something really happens to me, I''ll kill you!" Vivian stopped whining at once and could only sob softly as she did not dare to look at Johan. Even after thetter had left, she still did not understand how exactly she offended him. After that, Johan spent an entire two hours undergoing every possible checkup. It was only until the result was released to confirm that he was not infected with any disease did he feel relieved and leave the hospital. "You got frightened pretty bad, huh?" Suddenly, Matthew appeared beside Johan. Hearing that, Johan turned to look at Matthew''s direction sulkily. In one nce, Johan immediately recognized the young master who was once on the big headlines. "Damn! Yet another Griffith! What an unlucky day!" he tutted.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. "Not at all. You need to be clear of one thing I''m not your enemy at all." Matthew raised his right hand and shook his index finger. Then, he walked up to Johan and stood in front of him. "Don''t you want to find out who is the one who got you into such a fright?" Suspicion arose in Johan the moment he heard Matthew''s question. Frowning, he pondered inwardly and remembered that while waiting for the checkup reports, he read through the news again. Just as Matthew had said, the main focus should be on the news that Vivian contracted a disease and had sugar daddies. However, as the incident developed, a few influencers who had huge fan bases exposed old pictures of him and Vivian on social media. As such, he actually became the focus of public opinion instead. Most importantly, even the Anderson Family was made known to the news. It had only been a few hours since the news was out, yet Faye had already sent Johan tens of messages to question him, which made him frustrated. To think about it, Johan thought it indeed seemed like someone was deliberately plotting this. He lifted his eyes to nce at Matthew again. Narrowing his eyes, he asked tentatively as he roughly had a guess, "Are you saying... it''s Alexander?" Matthew lifted his brows with a smile and said, "The Olson Family is also famous in the city. Besides Alexander, who else could be this influential to be able to order around all the major media in the city at the same time?" "Why should I believe you?" Johan stared at Matthew dubiously. "Of course you have to believe me." Matthew stuck out his chest with confidence written across his face. "An enemy''s enemy is a friend, isn''t that right?" Chapter 335 Chapter 335 Johan¡®s eyes darkened slightly as he sank into deep thoughts. Matthew was now a fugitive, so the only reason he initiated toe to Johan was that he wanted to use thetter to go after Alexander. However, this encounter did not really mean much to Johan as even without Matthew, he would sooner orter make Alexander suffer too. However, the point was what advantage would he garner from Matthew? On the other hand, Matthew actually came prepared. Seeing Johan¡®s hesitation, he continued to rub Johan¡®s nose in the dirt. ¡°As far as I know, you just lost to Alexander in the auction recently. It has just not been long since then, yet you¡®re getting screwed over by him again. One would rather die than be humiliated. Don¡®t you want to seek revenge on him a hundredfold like a real man?¡± Johan sneered coldly as he understood what was going on. ¡°You¡®re trying to provoke me?¡± Matthew curled his lips and put on an innocent smile. ¡°I¡®m just unhappy with his actions.¡± Johan shrugged and had no intention to do Matthew this favor. ¡°I¡®m not interested in the dispute between you guys. However, let me remind you that there are quite a number of policemen around this area, so watch out.¡± After saying that in a surly voice, Johan left directly without waiting for Matthew to respond He was not that stupid. Although Alexander and Matthew were on bad terms, they were a family after all and this rtionship could not be denied. If he agreed to join Matthew to teach Alexander a lesson today, he would be the only one suffering if the two men reconciled in the future. As such, he had no intention to be involved in this losing proposition. Meanwhile, hatred shed through Matthew¡®s eyes as he stood at the spot and watched Johan leave. One who lost his position and influence would easily be bullied by the others. He¡®s just an ape who indulges in debauchery. How dare he too look down on me?Fine. I should teach you a lesson then. Elise received a call from Janice the moment she came out of the restaurant. Just as she was hesitating whether to answer the call, Alexander directly snatched her phone from the side and switched off its power. ¡°Being indecisive will only put you at a disadvantage. Since when did you be this soft¨Chearted?¡± Elise knew she was in an indefensible position, so she did not retort Alexander¡®s words but merely stuck out her tongue mischievously and admitted his allegation. Moments like this would show the difference between the personalities of a man and a woman. Although Elise was strong and independent, she was a girl after all, so she would be indecisive when faced with the vulnerable ones. ? Nevertheless, the situation now was rather good-since Alexander shielded her from all these, she did not have to get involved with Janice anymore in the future. Moreover, she had sought revenge on behalf of Janice today, so if Janice still had some integrity, she should know how to resolve the current plight. Sometimes, having strong support would actually make one weak. In contrast, when she realized that she waspletely on her own, she would learn to fix her problems herself. "Do you want to go home or to school?" Alexander asked. "School. There should be a lot of outstanding matters to be solved by me after such a long leave." In fact, this was her original n for the morning, but it was postponed due to Janice''s emergency situation. Elise disliked the feeling of umting pending tasks, so she wanted to settle all of them today. "Head to Tissote University." Alexander ordered. "Yes, sir." Cameron quickly started the car engine to send both of them to the university Half an hourter, the car stopped at the entrance of the university. Alexander''s eyes turnedzy andplicated as he sat in the car and watched Elise walk away. "How''s the matter of hiring a private bodyguard going?" "Everything is ready. The bodyguard will enter Tissote University as Miss Sinir''s ssmate. I''ve coordinated with the university to arrange for them to stay in the same hostel too." "Alright," Alexander hummed indifferently as he kept his eyes glued to Elise. It was only to this extent that he could be slightly relieved as he would never allow the situation to happen again-where Elise could not be contacted or located for several days. When Elise walked into the hostel, it was extraordinarily quiet because Addison and the others were napping. ?o, Elise softened her steps and walked toward her bed. Walking toward her ce, she realized there were several notebooks of different colors ced on her desk. She opened them to see the pages fully packed with notes of different subjects. At one nce, Elise could tell from the messy handwriting that these notes were written by Addison. Feeling touched, Elise smiled. Addison rarely attended sses on normal days, but she actually took down all these notes for her. A friend in need was a friend indeed. While Elise was still feeling touched, Addison suddenly turned around on the bed behind. "Hey. Elise. You''re back. I''m hungry; please order some delivery for me. I feel like having meat dishes..." Addison leaned half of her body against the bed frame and started acting in a coquettish manner before even opening her eyes. "Sure. What do you want to have?" Elise agreed readily. "Since you were kind enough to help me take notes, I don''t mind buying you some more expensive food-I''m fine if you want to dine out too." Hearing that, Addison widened her eyes at once and became sober immediately. "Seriously? Are you going to buy me a feast?" "Mm-hmm." Elise nodded and exined with a smile, "But not now as I''ve just had lunch not too long ago. Is dinner okay? "Of course!" Addison kicked away her nket immediately and started putting on her shirt after getting out of bed. Elise thought Addison did not hear her clearly, so she reminded her, "We''re only going at night. Don''t you want to sleep in a little while more?" "You don''t get it. Health is the greatest wealth, and nothing is more important than eating. I need to get out of the bed now to wash up, take a shower, and put on some makeup. Even so, I''m afraid that I won''t have enough time and you might still need to wait for me toward the end!" While saying that, Addison quickly jumped down the bed and darted toward the washroom to start washing up. On the other hand, Elise observed Addison quietly from the side. She always felt that the innocence in Addison was rare among those of their age. and that made Elise feelfortable getting along with her for some reason. In short, there was a world of difference between Addison and Janice. At the thought of Janice, Elise rubbed her brows again as she started pondering how she should deal with her after she was discharged. Just then, the ttering sound of high-heels emerged from outside the door, and the source of the sound approached closer. In no time, a tall woman, who had a long ponytail and donned a leather suit strutted into Elise''s room. The woman had apelling aura, and she started sizing up every corner of the room with her eyes which had heavy eyeliner applied to them the moment she entered the room. Puzzled, Elise asked, "Excuse me. May I know who you are looking for?" "Are you Elise Sinir?" the woman turned around to look at Elise and asked. "That''s me." Elise stood up slowly. While answering to the woman, she racked her brain to recall if she had ever provoked ady of this style, but to no avail. "Great. I''m your new roommate cum private bodyguard, Miller Mikey." While saying that, Miller hurled the luggage she was carrying over her shoulder onto the only vacant bed in the room and called dibs on the space. "Who sent you here?" Elise was still confused-she was here to study, not preparing for a battle, so how weird would it be to have a bodyguard following her around? "I can''t tell you that at the moment. All you have to know is that I''m here to protect you." Saying that, Miller pulled out the closest chair to her and sat down. Thereafter, she lit up a cigarette and started smoking while staring at the floor in a daze.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Elise frowned as she wanted to continue asking her something. Just then, Addison came out of the washroom to see the room''s door wide open and an overdressed woman smoking swaggeringly in the room, so her immediate hunch was that someone wanted to mess with Elise again. Without hesitating. Addison pointed at Miller and darted over fiercely. "Who are you?! How can you simply barge into our dorm, and you''re even smoking! Mind you. I''m going to report you to the discipline master now. Stop smoking already!" After saying that, Addison reached out her hand to snuff out the cigarette. However, before she could reach the cigarette butt, Miller sprang up all of a sudden, pressed Addison''s face on the table, and seized both her hands from the back. "It''s dangerous here! Leave quickly!" Miller ordered Elise, who was behind her, in a serious manner. While saying that, she exerted more force on Addison, which made thetter whine in pain, "Ouch... Ouch... Help me! Help me, Elise!" Chapter 336 ? Chapter 336 Feeling pain, Addison quickly asked for help, ¡°Elise, find the dorm manager and call the police!¡± ¡°Stay there and don¡®t move!¡°As Miller said that, she tightened her grip, making the other scream out in pain. ¡°Stop!¡± At once, Elise eximed. ¡°There must be some misunderstanding between the two of you. We¡®re roommates, not enemies¡­¡± ¡°Roommates?¡± ¡°No way!¡± Both Addison and Miller screamed in sync before they looked at each other with hatred and contempt. ¡°Elise, are you serious? It¡®s only been a few days since youst came to school. How could you have forgotten how many roommates we have? Look at this person. The way she dresses is so shady. How could she be from our school?¡± Addison added. Hearing that, Miller retracted her neck slightly before she took a nce at her outfit. She donned a leather shirt, leather pants, and knee¨Chigh leather boots. She¡®d prefer to say that it was a bold style she had and was nothing close to a shady person. The contempi between the two continued to brew as none of them would take a step back. Feeling helpless, Elise could only start from Miller. ¡°You can let go of Addison first. I¡®ll take responsibility if anything happens.¡± Since Miller was here to protect Elise, she¡®d likely listen to Elise. Just as Elise predicted, Miller obediently let go of Addison without showing any changes in her expression. After that, Miller took a few steps back to distance herself from Addison. Upon gaining the freedom of movement, Addison quickly went to Elise¡®s side and hugged her arm before scrutinizing Miller again. She then said with doubt, ¡°You¡®re really our new roommate?¡± Looking at the two of them expressionlessly, Miller only noticed the look that Elise was giving her. Immediately, Miller understood what she wanted to convey. Thus, she reached for the bag from the bed before fishing out the student identification card that she had just gotten. The card was then passed to Addison. ¡°Affirmative.¡± Taking it over with both her hands, Addison started flipping it back and forth to check it. She seemed even more serious than a police officer at work, showing just how badly she didn''t trust Miller. Needless to say, it was rude to do so. Elise then pulled Addison to a side and hinted for her to cut it out. Obviously, Addison understood what Elise was trying to say. She then returned it back to Miller before apologizing. "I''m sorry that I''ve misunderstood you. However, you really don''t look like a student." Nevertheless, Miller did not reply. She simply turned around and started organizing her things. Thinking that she was probably mad at her, Addison took the initiative to make up. "You''re Miller, right? I didn''t mean to be mean to you. We''re roommates now, so don''t hesitate to let me know if there''s anything that I can help you with." Regardless, Miller didn''t reply. She proceeded to take out another cigarette from a cigarette box before twirling it before her fingers. Out of instinct, Addisonmented, "You can''t smoke in the dorm..." Before she could finish her sentence, she trailed off to not make things even more awkward than it already was. Adding extraments now would definitely be detrimental to their rtionship. Al that moment, the atmosphere became even more suffocatingpared to when they were arguing Elise, who was watching their interaction from the sidelines, felt that the situation was amusing as she thought Addison was just a straightforward person who had yet to be mature enough not to judge a person by their looks. As a cold and introverted person, Miller wouldn''t be too warm even without the misunderstanding earlier. However, what happened had happened. In Addison''s eyes, Miller must be holding a grudge against her for the trouble she had caused. However, Elise couldn''t bear to see Addison suffer like that. Hence, she decided to help out. "Miller, Addison is a nice person. Don''t take what happened earlier to heart" Hearing what Elise said, Miller made an effort to exin, "That''s just how I am. I''m not used to being close to people, so don''t mind me." At once, Addison smiled after hearing Miller speak up. Following that, she replied in a sympathetic manner, "Don''t worry, I''m not a social butterfly either. I don''t like socializing with people, but maybe not as bad as you do. It''s fine, I''ll cover for you in the future!" Hearing that, Miller hummed in response but her emotions were just too hard to read. Nevertheless, the ice between them had been broken since they hadmunicated. So, it was time to leave the past in the past. As Elise nned to treat Addison to dinnerter, she took the chance to wee Miller. Thus, the three of them went to a restaurant that served food at a reasonable price.. Both Elise and Miller didn''t have much preference toward food, so the job of cing the order fell on Addison. Though Addison had previously announced that she would order everything she wanted to eat at Elise''s treat, she felt otherwise after seeing the price of the dishes on the menu. "Elise, their food seems a liule expensive. How about we choose another restaurant? I don''t want you to go bankrupt after buying me a meal..." Addison said as she recalled that she hadn''t eaten anything sincest night. At that moment, she was so hungry that she could devour a whole cow. With a chuckle, Elise replied, "That''s not necessary. I can still afford to buy you a meal. Just eat to your heart''s content. Who knows? I may look to you for your notes to copy again." "Waiter" "If that''s the case, I''ll just go ahead. Excuse me, waiter. I''d like to order this, this..." In the end, the table was filled with dishes. Elise and Miller simply ate a little while watching Addison eat. When Elise was touching up her makeup by applying ayer of lipstick, she saw something from the side of her eye that made her frown. It was only this afternoon that she had given Johan a lesson. And yet, the jerk had a new partner and was hanging out with her in a public space not long after. Shaking her head, Elise convinced herself that she should just turn a blind eye and not bother the crazy dog. Just as she was turning her gaze away. Janice suddenly came up in the picture, blocking Johan from walking forward. Just like that, the trio began to argue near the counter. Obviously, Johan treated Janice as if she was the problem. Every time Janice tried to touch him, he''d push her away. Amidst the fight, Janice lost her footing and fell backward. Fortunately, one of the waiters was quick to give her a hand and saved her from falling to the ground. Hence, an ident was avoided. However, he continued to say. "Stop saying nonsense. You''re not my only woman. If all of you came up to me and asked me to take responsibility, can''t be capable of helping all of you, can I? If you continue to bother me, I''m calling the cops." At this moment, Elise couldn''t just sit and watch any longer. So, she walked over in a haste and protected Janice. "Are you okay?" "Elise?" Janice was surprised to see her there. "I''m fine." Not bothering to speak logic into Janice, Elise turned to ask Johan, "Are you even a man? How could you do that to the mother of your child?" "What nonsense are you saying?" Johan still didn''t know that Janice was pregnant. "You didn''t tell him yet?" Elise directed the question to Janice. With a shake of her head, Janice replied, "No. I haven''t found the time to." "Come here with me." Johan let go of his partner before saying that to Janice. Then, he made his way out of the restaurant. With a happy expression on her face, Janice followed suit. Looking at the back of her figure, Elise felt worried. At this moment, Miller appeared all of a sudden and gave Elise a gentle reminder. "There''s a price to pay for getting involved in others'' business. I hope that you will not get us into trouble."This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. After saying that, Miller went in the direction of the washroom. Though Elise knew that Miller meant well, she couldn''t forget about the innocent child that Janice bore. After hesitating for a moment, Elise still felt very concerned, so she left the restaurant too. Chapter 337 ?Chapter 337 Standing by the entrance of the washroom, Miller stopped and turned back. Staring at Elise who was leaving the restaurant, she silently made a phone call to Alexander. Seeing that the call concerned Elise, he picked up the call almost immediately. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Miss Sinir is a little busybody,¡± Miller said in a sarcastic manner. Recalling the incident where Janice left the hospital on her own ord, he quickly picked up what was going on. ¡°If that¡¯s not the case, how would you have a job to do?¡± Hearing that, Miller was speechless. ¡°My job is to protect Miss Sinir from external harm. If she heads in the direction of trouble, idents can happen. You can¡®t me me if that happens.¡± At this moment, Alexander started tapping on his phone screen before typing out a few words calmly. ¡®You¡®ll get amission.¡® ¡°Deal.¡± Just like that, Miller hung up the phone and went after Elise. Before she left, she even paid the bill for Addison. After crossing a street, Elise finally saw Johan leading Janice to a shady alley that no one would notice. Slowing down her footsteps, she took a nce to check out what was going on, but the sound of a person struggling beat her to it. Taking a close look, Elise noticed the presence of a few men in suits. They had Janice¡®s hands and legs tied up and even had her mouth sealed. They were slowly dragging her to the other exit of the alley. ¡°What are you guys doing?! Let her go!¡± As it was a matter concerning life and death, Elise didn¡®t hesitate to stand forward, hoping that her presence would scare the people. Nheless, the men continued to drag Janice. Only Johan slowly turned back and gave Elise a suggestive smile as he quickened his footsteps. Knowing that she did not stand a chance against these men, she quickly fished out her phone to call the police. ¡°Hello, is this the police department? I¡®m calling from the alley next to Xedd Business Center. I¡®ve just witnessed a kidnapping case, so please send help over!¡± Amidst the call, a ck SUV came from the opposite alley. Then, the few men shoved Janice into the car before closing the door and leaving the scene. Immediately, Elise chased after the car, hoping to catch the car te number. However, the ck SUV had gone far by the time she reached the end of the alley. Needless to say, she didn¡®t manage to see the car te number. Just as she was feeling troubled, a sharp sound of a car stopping could be heard. The next moment, the car stopped right before her with Miller in the driver¡®s seat. ¡°Get in.¡± Miller was wearing a pair of shades as she sat in the driver¡®s seat. She tipped up her chin toward the passenger¡®s seat, telling Elise to get into the car. Stumped, Elise quickly snapped out of it before walking past the back of the car and getting into it. Miller¡®s driving skills were notcking behind that of Elise. In no time, they were already chasing after Johan¡®s car on a flyover. To avoid letting the opponent notice that they had a tail, they could only hide among the cars. After an hour, the SUV finally drove into an area that had a messy pathway. Despite having followed them closely, they still lost the SUV at a crossroad. Left with no choice, the two ended up getting out of the car to ask pedestrians on the street before they continued their way on foot. Finally, they found Johan¡®s car in front of an old house. Just as they were closing in, the SUV was suddenly revved up and driven off. By the time Miller and Elise ran to the entrance of the house, the car was missing from their sights after a turn. Obviously, they were not going to sessfully chase them on foot. ¡°Forget it.¡± Catching a breath, Elise nced at the door that was left ajar before saying, ¡°Let¡®s go in and take a look.¡± Miller was already on her way when she nodded in response. Standing in front of Elise, she pushed the door that was half rotten open. Due to the age from the looks of the door, the connecting piece between the door and its frame made an odd creaking noise. Hence, Miller and Elise put their guards up. As the door slowly opened, they were met with nothing spooky as they anticipated. Regardless, they saw Janice lying there in a pool of blood. When Elise saw the scene, her mind was blown off. She had a hard time registering that Janice, who was living and kicking earlier, was now lying on the ground without budging. Between her legs, scarlet red fresh blood was trickling down all the way to her ankles. It almost seemed like it signified that her life was already at its end. With that, Elise immediately walked over and squatted by Janice''s side before picking her up from the cold ground. "Janice? Janice! Can you hear me?" At this moment, Elise felt that her heart lunged up to her throat. Because of her, Janice was now lying in a house that nobody would pass by. If she died, it''d take a long time before anyone would find out. She would have been simply arguing with Johan in public and leaving alone safely if Elise didn''t intervene. However, Janice regained consciousness the next moment. She was using all the strength she could muster to plead. "Elise, save my child. Save us..." After saying that, she fell unconscious in Elise''s embrace. "Call for an ambnce," Elise said. It didn''t take long before the ambnce reached the road outside. However, the ambnce couldn''t enter through the alley, so Miller carried Janice out. En route, they got a phone call from Addison who was left at the restaurant. "Elise, did you two get lost in the washroom? Why are you still not back after so long?" As Addison said that, she burped beforeughing cheekily. "If you don''te back any sooner, your share of desserts are going to be finished!" "Go ahead and eat." Elise lowered her head and took a nce at Janice, who had breathing support on, and said in a serious manner, "Miller and I are dealing with something, so we won''t being back any time soon. The bill has already been paid. Go back to school after you''re done eating." "Did something happen?" Addison asked in concern. "Nothing. A friend got hospitalized. It''s someone you don''t know. I''m going over to the hospital now," Elise exined. "Alright, that sounds serious. You guys go ahead. I''ll be fine alone." "Alright." After hanging up the phone call, a call from Alexander came through. Just as she was about to pick up, the ambnce came to a stop. As they had to help the nurse get the patient out of the vehicle, Elise could only put her phone away. When Janice was finally sent into the operation room, Elise sat on the long chair in the hallway as she returned Alexander''s call. Having witnessed what happened to Janice, Elise had lost hope in romantic rtionships. Hence, her tone was inevitably monotonous. "What is it?" A child was a product of love. Elise believed that Janice and Johan must have liked each other when they decided to get intimate.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. However, how could a man be so cruel to a person he shared such an intimate connection with? "Is Janice in bad shape? You sound unhappy." Noticing her tone, Alexander made it a point to speak more gently. "Still in operation." Suddenly, Elise had a question. "Do all men give and take their feelings as they wish? As long as they don''t love the person anymore, is the person who was once the dearest to them worth nothing more than an ant?" Hearing that, Alexander was speechless. "Are youparing me to Johan Olson?" Chapter 338 Chapter 338 Though Elise didn¡®t mean it that way, she could not help but make aparison upon hearing what Alexander said. The love that she desired was a love that wouldst long. Those who chose to give up halfway were all fake love. To her, it was not being together at all or being together forever. Humans changed too quickly nowadays. So, she just couldn¡®t judge a person¡®s changed character based on love¨C¨Ca feeling that could not be seen or touched. Perhaps she would end up with a situation like Janice¡¯s¡ªcloser than ever the first moment, yet could not wait to end her life in the next. Suddenly, it reminded her of a saying that implied blood¨Crted bond was always more solid than that of non¨Cblood¨Crted. When a couple got married, there would always be some distance between them as they weren¡®t bonded by blood¡ªeven though they were already a family. Did she really want to get to that point with Alexander? ¡°Why are you not speaking?¡± Feeling that she was a little distracted, Alexander halted his steps. He had a bad feeling that this incident with Johan was making her lose hope in love. ¡°Elise.¡± Alexander called out to her softly before continuing in a gentle tone, ¡°I¡®m not going to say anything to sugarcoat the situation, but please give me a chance. See how I¡®ll do. You don¡®t have to push me to a dead end so quickly. Can you do that?¡± A little dazed, Elise nodded as she listened to the call on her phone. ¡°Alright.¡± After saying that, she hung up the phone call. Alexander was hoping to listen to her voice longer, but the beeping sound signified that the call had already ended. As he exited the phone call information page to the home page of his phone, he felt a little upset. Johan Olson was a shame to all men. It seemed that Alexander had to free up some time aside from going up against Matthew to deal with that fe! ? At that thought, Alexander lowered his head before swiping his phone screen again. With his eyes locked at the name "Cameron, he made a phone call. "Tell the Andersons that I''ll ept their invitation," he said.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. "Okay. Is there anything else?" Cameron asked politely. "Nothing. Focus on Matthew for now. Other things are unimportant." At this moment, his head was filled with the desire to see Elise. All of a sudden, he recalled the day at the opening ceremony of her school. He bumped into Elise who was dealing with his driver and that gave him an idea. At once, he picked up his phone before getting into his car to head to the Garcias. After two hours, Janice was dered to be out of the dangerous state. She was then moved into a normal ward. Not only was her fetus gone, but she''d also even have to work harder if she wished to bear a child in the future. All the while, Elise stayed in the ward. Janice had regained consciousness not long after the operation, but she didn''t say anything. She simply stared at the ceiling as tears escaped from the side of her eyes. It was wetting the bedsheets, but she didn''t seem to be stopping anytime soon. Though Elise didn''t agree on many things that Janice did, she still felt heartbroken seeing how Janice seemed to be suffering. "Stay strong. You will get another baby in the future. Fortunately, you''re still alive. You will be able to get everything you want in the future as long as you don''t do anything stupid anymore." Elise consoled as she patiently wiped the tears off Janice''s face.. However, no matter what she said, Janice stayed lying there like a rag doll that was lifeless. She simplyy there without budging and reacuing. The pressuring atmosphere was giving Elise a headache. Hence, she got up, wanting to go out and get some fresh air. Just as she turned back, she saw a man with arge build and a face full of facial hair standing outside with a worried expression. Upon realizing that Elise was looking at him, he quickly hid away. Feeling odd, she walked over and opened the door. The man didn''t leave; he was standing by the door where she couldn''t see. Though the man seemed to have a rough edge on the outside, he gave people a feeling that he was dependable. The positive energy he had on him couldn''t be covered by his facial expression as he naturally gave off an earnest vibe. "Who are you looking for?" Elise asked politely. "I''m Cedric Adams. I''m the bodyguard of Janice''s father," Cedric introduced himself as he took a nce into the ward. Obviously, he was very worried. "How... is Janice now?" "She''s not in any danger, but she has to stay in the room and rest up for some time," Elise replied. She then asked, "Did Janice''s father send you? Why did he note over himself?" "N-No..He quickly denied before stuttering, "I''m just worried about Miss Garcia, so I came. Mr. Garcia doesn''t know about this." "Oh?" Elise didn''t understand. "Since you said that you''re just the bodyguard, you must not be very close to Janice. Now, she needs people to take care of her. You''re not the most suitable candidate for that. Do you happen to know if she has other friends? Preferably girls. It''ll be easier that way." "I get your gist, Miss Sinir. I will find two helperster. I won''t make more trouble for you. However, please watch over Miss Garcia before theye. I hope that she won''t do anything silly," he said with a serious expression. "That''s not a problem," Elise promised. She couldn''t suppress her curiosity, so she asked, "But why should I trust you? I don''t even know if you''re really a bodyguard. How can I leave Janice in your hands?" "I have identification!" Immediately, he fished out a green police officer identification card. On the first page, there was an official stamp and a picture. Taking a quick look, Elise deemed that it looked real enough. "You don''t have to worry now." Cedric offered a smile. "Well, I''ll try." Elise nodded. "Alright, I''ll go prepare then. Please hang in there for a while longer. I''ll bring people to take over soon." After saying that, Cedric left the clinical ward. The next time he came back was an hourter. When he came back, he had brought over fourdies. One of them was in charge of cooking, another in cleaning, while the other two would help Janice in showering and going to the washroom. Standing in the hallway, Elise watched as Cedric told thedies about Janice''s habits and preferences. Seeing the scene, Elise had her suspicions. "Miss Garcia is a little germaphobic. When you change her sheets and help her with showering, please do it diligently. As for the cooking part, she doesn''t like food that''s sweet, but she likes vorful dishes, especially western food. However, now that she''s recuperating, it''s better to not cook anything spicy..." In no time, thedies were given a quick brief and started to work. Quickly, they started to do their job in and outside of the ward. However, the person who directed everything had not made an appearance in front of Janice. He simply stayed outside in the hallway as he monitored everything that was going on. Once, Elise noticed how Cedric seemed to be upset and down at times as he looked at Janice who was lying in bed. It was shocking to see how a strong man immediately turned soft and hesitant when it came to Janice. At that moment, a realization dawned upon Elise. Cedric knew about all of Janice''s likings so clearly down to the details. What else would it be if it wasn''t that she had his heart? Someone was willing to self-destruct for Janice. Suddenly, Cedric got out of the trance and shifted his gaze. At that moment, his eyes met that of Elise, who was watching him. Noticing that his secrets were probably out, he was caught off guard. He then looked away before lowering his gaze. Without beating around the bush, Elise asked, "You like her. You like Janice, don''t you?" Chapter 339 ? Chapter 339 Many things had happened at school in the past few days. Perhaps it was not the right time to return. Hence, she decided against going back to school for the time being. Not to mention, she had to deal with Johan. There were some things she had to prepare for. As Alexander steered the vehicle, he couldn¡®t help but peek at her expression from the side of his eyes through the rearview mirror. She seemed to be in a trance. She even looked colder than she sounded on the phone earlier. Seeing that, Alexander felt upset inside. He had made the effort to find Cedric to let her know that true love existed. After witnessing that kind of scene, she should have recollected faith in rtionships. So, she wasn¡®t supposed to be as nonchnt as she was now. What went wrong? Alexander couldn¡®t figure it out. As he was deep in thought, a car that was going in the forward direction bumped into the rear of his vehicle. At once, he stepped on the brakes and stopped his car steadily. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Not concerned about his own safety, Alexander quickly unfastened his safety belt before turning over to check if Elise was hurt. As the two vehicles simply brushed each other, she only felt a minor jerk in the car. Shaking her head, she reassured him. ¡°I¡®m fine. We should get out to apologize andpensate them.¡± Right turns were not allowed here. However, Alexander turned right when he was in his train of thoughts. Therefore, he was responsible for the ident. ¡°No, there¡®s no need. Just get down the car and wait a little while for me. I¡®ll stop the car by the roadside and let Cameron take over.¡± It wasn¡®t every day that he could spend some time alone with her. Thus, he didn¡®t want to waste it on trivial matters as such. Earlier, he should¡®ve been more careful. Fortunately, Elise was fine. Otherwise, he wouldn¡®t know how to face her. A man who couldn¡®t even drive properly didn¡®t have the qualifications to take up the responsibility of their future. Meanwhile, she was still figuring out ways to defeat the Olson Family. Without thinking much, she unbuckled the seat belt before opening the door of the car. Then, she made a beeline to the roadside to wait. When she got down, the driver of the car behind was already knocking on Alexander¡®s window. After some discussion between the two, Alexander rolled down the window to ask her to get back into the car. ¡°Let¡®s go. They don¡®t wish to ask forpensation. Let¡®s clear the road for them quickly. It made her feel that something was fishy. When she got out of the car, she noticed that the car that bumped into theirs wasn¡®t cheap. The repairing fees would easily go up to ten thousand. Moreover, Alexander was clearly in the wrong. Hence, it was a closed case. Not to mention, Alexander was in a rush. If they asked for more than necessary, he might even agree. Why would the opponent give up such a huge amount of money? At that thought, she turned over to look at the car behind. The two cars were still in the position where they collided. Hence, the car wasn''t very far away from her. From where she stood, she could somehow see how many people were seated in the car. There was only the driver sitting in the front, while the back seat was filled with a bunch of silhouettes. It looked like there were three or four people. Obviously, they were squeezing there. That doesn''t look right, Elise thought. With the ability to get a driver, the owner must wish for afortable ride. Why would they squeeze together when there was an empty seat in the front? Just as she felt that something was off, she suddenly heard a muffled noise from the back of the car. It sounded as if someone was kicking around from the inside. Lately, there had been a lot of news on kidnapping incidents of young girls. When Elise was looking through Johan''s entertainment circle gossip, she saw two postings on missing persons. With Alexander''s car blocking the way, the car behind couldn''t leave. Since they were in public, nothing too bad could happen if she checked it out. After contemtion, she ignored Alexander''s calling before making her way toward the trunk of the gray BMW Just as she tried to open the door, the driver suddenly pointed at her before calling out in a fierce tone, "Hey! What are you doing?!" If he has nothing to hide, why would he be so anxious? That was Elise''s thoughts exactly.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. The next moment, she pressed on the button to open the door. At the same time, the man in the car locked the car doors. Therefore, no matter how much force she used, the car door was not budging. Seeing that she was trying so hard for nothing, the man inside rolled the window down slightly before showing her a middle finger-it was his way of telling her to mind her own business. Immediately, that ticked her off. At once, she threw her bag away before eximing in the streets, "Help! These people kidnap girls! Come catch the human traffickers!" Due to the initial ident, there had been some traffic build-up behind. The drivers were all waiting outside their cars, hoping that they could leave soon. Once they heard ''human traffickers, it was easy to rte it to the recent news reports. In no time, they courageously came forward to the car. Seeing that things were getting out of control, the driver of the BMW quickly walked up to try and take Elise away. "I''m warning you. Don''t you spew nonsense! Your car was the one that hit my car! I was kind enough to not ask you to pay me back, so what more do you want?!" However, she was having none of that as she persisted, "Really? Why do I feel like you''re hiding something? Since we''re responsible, and your car is so expensive, why are you in such a rush to leave without gettingpensation? You must be hiding something illegal in your car. Don''t you guys think so?!" "Indeed!" The people hated human traffickers the most. Hence, she was getting a lot of backups. Some of the people even had their fists clenched as they were ready to fight. Seeing that the driver couldn''t even deal with a woman, a macho man in the car pushed the door open and was about to hit Elise. But before his hand touched her, Alexander appeared in the nick of time and kicked him, sending him flying off. At this moment, an olddy came out of the car trunk of the BMW in a haste. Before she could even stabilize her footing, she wailed, "Help! Call the cops! Will anyone save this olddy here?!" After getting a closer look, Elise found out that it was none other than Bertha Jenkins. Chapter 340 ?Chapter 340 Since Elise knew who she was, there was no reason for her to just stand by and watch. Therefore, she quickly went up to Bertha and identified herself as she was afraid that the olddy was dizzy. ¡°Old Mrs. Anderson, do you still remember me? We met before at the Anderson Residence.¡± ¡°I remember you! You are that lovely girl!¡± Bertha eximed while she tightly held onto Elise¡®s arm. She had already recognized Elise the moment thetter emerged from the car. If she didn¡®t know about Elise¡®s personality, why would a ragged olddy like her even dare to ask for help? Oh no! I forgot about Jeanie! As soon as Bertha thought about Jeanie in the car, she immediately dragged Elise to take a look at the rearpartment of the vehicle. ¡°Good girl, please save me and my daughter¨Cinw!¡± Elise didn¡®t resist and allowed herself to be dragged all the way to the rear end of the car as she craned her neck to see what was going on inside. Sure enough, she instantly saw Jeanie whom she met thest time, but Jeanie was now being trapped by a muscr man. Judging from the situation, Elise had remained still as she thought there was no point for them to wrestle in such a small space. Meanwhile, as Alexander had already gained the upper hand and defeated the two other men, she suddenly had an idea. She squinted her eyes and shouted a warning, ¡°Your partners have already left you and the police will be here soon. Do you really want to fight with them while being trapped here?¡± Even though the man had received payment to kill these two women, he was instructed in advance to do so with secrecy, so he could never allow himself to be apprehended by the police. He had wanted the money badly, but he wasn¡®t ignorant about his situation, so he quickly pushed Jeanie away and escaped from the car door. Although the crowd was angered by what the man had just done, it wasn¡®t to the point where they would sacrifice themselves for justice, so after halting him for a few seconds, they finally released him when they saw how vicious he looked.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. After making sure that the man was gone, Elise released Bertha and went to ask Jeanie about her situation. ¡°Mrs. Anderson, are you alright?¡± Even though Jeanie was still in a state of shock, she nodded her head and answered, ¡°I¡®m fine. Don¡®t worry about me.¡± Elise brought the two women back to her home after much trouble. Robin had always been enthusiastic toward visitors and after hearing what Jeanie and Bertha experienced, he made some hot tea to calm them down. ¡°Please forgive me. It¡®s not some fancy tea,¡± he said embarrassedly while Elise served them the tea. ¡°What are you talking about? We were only able to escape danger today thanks to the granddaughter that you both raised.¡± Bertha received her cup of tea and downed it instantly. Due to the critical situation that she experienced earlier, her heart was still racing When Elise saw how outright Bertha was, she took the initiative to fill Bertha¡®s cup with tea again and asked, ¡°I think I saw that driver before. Isn¡®t he a driver for the Anderson Family? Why would he¨C¡± The moment Elise mentioned the driver, Bertha was instantly enraged as she waved her hand and said resignedly, ¡°It¡®s hard for me to know. All I can say is that it is a disgrace to our family!¡± ¡°I understand that every family has their problems. If you don¡®t wish to talk about it, we won¡®t force you to.¡± Robin was experienced enough to know the schemes and plots in most elite families, but he wasn¡®t willing to inquire about another family¡®s affairs. Sometimes, knowing too much might not be a good thing. ¡°I¡®m fine with talking about it. I just hope that you won¡®tugh after hearing what happened.¡± A tired Bertha shook her head while ncing at Jeanie next to her. At the moment, the eyes of the two women were filled with helplessness and despair. Without waiting for the Sinirs to respond, Bertha began exining the whole situation, "What happened in the Anderson Family is no secret to everyone in Tissote. My husband and son passed away at an early age, leaving us two women to support the family, but sadly, my daughter-inw suffered a trauma back then, causing her to be mentally unstable. Since she was unable to take on any responsibilities, thepany fell onto the only hope in our family, who is my granddaughter-Faye. It was something reasonable for us to do at that time, but we never expected her to harbor evil intentions. When I found out that she is dealing with others behind our backs and is about to destroy the hundred-year foundation our family built, I tried to stop her, but it only made her more desperate to get rid of the two of us.." While quietly listening to her story, Elise nodded her head in agreement from time to time. As expected, only a monster would fall in love with a man like Johan. I always thought that Johan is already the pinnacle of evil, but I never expected them to be in cahoots with each other. She tightly clenched her fists as she couldn''t wait to teach Faye and Johan a lesson. "B"stard!" Robin was so enraged that he raised his cane and banged it on the floor multiple times. "How could one do such a cruel thing to the elders who raised them?" While listening to them, Laura couldn''t help but sigh constantly. It''s terrible that their own child is doing this to them. Although Elise isn''t rted to us by blood at all, she always treats us well. Compared to Bertha and Jeanie, Robin and I should thank the gods for this blessing. Once Bertha released all her emotions, it felt as though a dam had been broken down and she could no longer control herself. As her eyes became wet, she hastily lifted her sleeves to wipe away the teardrops from the corners of her eyes. Elise felt really bad as she looked at Bertha, but there was nothing she could say. The only thing she could do was to remember all this and avenge the older folks by teaching those two terrible people a lesson. After thinking about it, she suddenly couldn''t wait to do something, so she said goodbye to the elders in a hurry. "Grandma, Grandpa, you all can continue talking. I need to head to my room to do something." "Alright," Robin replied. Then, Elise nodded her head at Bertha and Jeanie to say her goodbyes. Just as Elise was about to return to her room, she immediately saw the uninvited Faye the moment she turned around. "Miss Sinir, long time no see. Do you still remember me?" Faye came into the house. Without answering Faye, Elise thought whether it was time to hire two bodyguards for Robin and Laura; otherwise, other people would think that the Sinir Residence was some ce that anyone could simply wander in. The moment Faye walked in the door, she initially ignored Bertha and Jeanie. Instead, she turned toward the two elders of the Sinir Family and respectfully said, "You two must be Old Master Sinir and Old Mrs. Sinir. I can see that you two are remarkable people. No wonder Miss Sinir has been properly raised and I really envy her." "Thank you for your praise." Robin moved his head to one side and replied to her cynically. "It''s all because Elise is a hard-working girl. It has nothing to do with us, but if you want to learn something from us, we''ll dly teach you a thing or two. At least we still remember what our ancestors have taught us." He was indirectly using Faye of being ungrateful and disrespectful to her elders. Of course Faye understood the meaning behind his words, but instead of being enraged, she smiled and pretended to act dumb. "I definitely want to get the chance to learn from you, but I''m afraid that today is not the day. My mom and grandma had an ident today and suffered a lot of shock. I have to bring them back so that the doctors can check if they''re alright." After that, she stepped forward and forcefully grabbed Bertha''s arms. Ignoring her resistance, Faye dragged Bertha outside with force while her face revealed a threatening smile. "Grandma, I think you should go back with me. Without you and Mom, the Anderson Family''s huge enterprise will lose its backbone and I can''t support it alone!" As soon as Jeanie saw Faye, she was weirdly angered as she ran over to hit Faye. "Let her go, you good-for-nothing little fox. Let her go!" Faye wasn''t able to block her with one hand, so she released Bertha for the time being before pushing Jeanie away. "Are you crazy?" When Jeanie fell on the floor, Faye red at her and tidied her messy hair while gritting her teeth. At the moment, she hadpletely lost that image of a nobledy when she first entered the door. Chapter 341 ?Chapter 341 For some reason, Elise¡®s heart ached when she saw a helpless Jeanie on the ground. With concern etched on her face, she walked over to help Jeanie to her feet. ¡°Mrs. Anderson, are you hurt?¡± However, Jeanie was in such a daze that she had almost mistaken Elise as thete Yoona, so she shook her head in disappointment and apologized, ¡°Elise, I¡®m sorry to cause you all this trouble.¡± Elise felt bad after hearing those words. ¡°This is no trouble at all. If you don¡¯t mind, you and Old Mrs. Anderson can stay in the Sinir Residence for a few more days.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Jeanie¡®s face brightened as she hugged Elise¡®s arm. After patting Jeanie on the back of her hand as a sign of assurance, Elise looked at Bertha and asked, ¡°Old Mrs. Anderson, what do you think?¡± Since Jeanie had psychiatric issues, Bertha was the one who made all the decisions. Even though Bertha would love to stay, she found herself in a difficult position. Although Faye is a b*tch, she is right about something. Since she has taken over the Anderson Family, the enterprise that our ancestors have built will all be destroyed if it¡®s left aside to rot. A mere nce was enough for Elise toprehend that Bertha couldn¡®t abandon the Anderson Family¡®s enterprise. I hate scumbags like Faye and Johan anyway. Once I¡®m done teaching them a lesson, I won¡®t mind returning the Anderson Family¡®s enterprise to Old Mrs. Anderson, but of course, it depends on whether she is willing to ept my help. After listening to Elise¡®s offer, Bertha was only more hesitant. When Faye heard that Elise was willing to allow the two elders to stay, her beautiful eyes were instantly filled with murderous intent as she gritted her teeth in anger and warned, ¡°Miss Elise, this is my family¡®s matters, so I hope that you can stay away from it. What rights do you have to keep my mother and my grandmother at your own house?¡± Robin refused to see Elise being bullied, so he mmed his crutches on the floor a few times to make a thumping sound and retorted, ¡°Even if Elise has no rights to do so, what rights do you have after harming and disrespecting your own mother? The two of them are grown adults, so they have the right to decide where they want to stay. A young girl like you shouldn¡®t have any say in this!¡± The moment he said those words, the atmosphere in the Sinir Residence instantly changed as Faye felt a huge pressure above her. She quickly scanned the house and squinted her eyes before answering in a faint tone, ¡°It seems like the Sinirs have decided to go against me. Am I right?¡± ¡°Although we sometimes shy away from trouble, we are not scared to lend a helping hand whenever we see any injustice. Miss Anderson, before you take these two away with you, let¡®s talk about how you¡®ll exin to the police that the driver and bodyguards you hired had tried to take the women¡®s lives!¡± Laura roared after being silent for such a long time. Her words stabbed Faye deep in her heart, which left her startled. However, she was able to quickly regain herposure. ¡°There is no need for me to exin anything to you. I only have one question to ask. Will you let them go?¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Robin and Laura sounded their disapproval and simultaneously tilted their heads to the side¡ªa sign that they were not willing to give up. Meanwhile, Elise felt a warmth inside her heart after seeing how her grandparents stood up to the injustice. Even so, she didn¡®t want them to be involved in the trouble that she had brought to herself. Therefore, she suggested, ¡°Since Mrs. Anderson and Old Mrs. Anderson had suffered today, how about you allow them to stay at the Sinir Residence for the night? I¡®ll send them to you myself tomorrow. What do you think, Miss Anderson?¡± One night is enough for me to do all the things I want. As Faye thought about it, she felt that there was nothing they could do in one night, and if worsees to worst, she could just ask someone to constantly monitor the Sinir Residence. However, right before she could respond, she was interrupted by Bertha''s words. "There''s no need for that!" Bertha firmly shouted. "I''ll go back with you, but Jeanie will stay here. Your mother isn''t in a condition to do anything at the moment. All you need is me." After listening to her suggestion, Faye was delighted since she would be able to stay close to her grandmother without having to deal with Jeanie. However, Jeanie immediately rejected the idea when she heard that Bertha was about to sacrifice herself. "Mom, you can''t go with her!"Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. "Stay here and remember this. I won''t allow you to lose your life in front of me!" Bertha had already made up her mind as she patted the back of Jeanie''s hand before quickly releasing her grip. Then, she turned to leave. Jeanie wanted to chase her, but she was stopped by Elise. She could tell that Bertha was sacrificing herself to secure Jeanie''s life by not allowing Jeanie to set foot into the now dangerous Anderson Residence. Faye left right after Bertha. Elise then personally arranged for Jeanie to stay in the guest room beside her bedroom. "Mrs. Anderson, you can stay here for the next few days. If there''s anything you need, I''ll go and buy them for you tomorrow." "Good girl, I don''t need anything." Jeanie was so casual and easy to get along with that she could suppress her displeasure whenever she faced any inconveniences, showing her inherentdylike temperament. Elise replied with a giggle. Even though she wanted to chat with Jeanie more, she felt pressed for time, so she simply used an excuse to leave. "I have some things to attend to and you should get some rest too. I''ll be back to check on you." "Go ahead. Don''t worry about me." Jeanie didn''t ask for more as she was grateful to be able to see Elise a few more times. After that, Elise left her room and went to her bedroom before taking out her dustyputer. She initially only wanted to fulfill her grandparents'' dream of witnessing her building her own family and career as well as living a normal life, but by the looks of it now, she realized it wasn''t an easy task to live a peaceful life. Looks like I can''t escape from my former profession after all. Being someone obsessed with cleanliness, she used a piece of wet tissue to wipe away the dust that had piled up on theptop casing until she could see the logo. Then, she pressed the power button with satisfaction. There was no password or icon on the desktop. After Elise typed something on the keyboard, an autorun interface suddenly popped up on theputer screen a few minutester with the word ''login'' at the center. Meanwhile, in the office of an investment building far away. Nathan was casually holding a cup oftte when a login notification popped up on hisputer screen as well. It wasn''t a big deal until he noticed the login icon-a capital A. He was so shocked that he nearly spilled histte on himself. "A?!" Nathan''s jaw dropped at the idea of the mysterious master in stocks-A resurfacing after 6 years. He quickly entered the chat box and sent a message through a special code: "Is this you, My beloved A?" On the other side, a resigned Elise sighed at the text that slowly appeared on her screen. It has been 6 years, but he''s still so childish. She wasn''t in the mood to chat with him, so she went straight to the point. ''Are you interested in having a go at Cittadel''s market?'' The Olson Family was a listedpany and they had joined the stock market for earnings a long time ago. Ever since Faye had gained power in the Anderson Family, she quickly followed their footsteps and joined the world of stocks. Elise rationalized, Topletely defeat them, I must attack them from the stock market. If I must do this, I must do it cleanly and swiftly. Chapter 342 Chapter 342 Nathan wasn¡®t interested in the insignificant domestic stock market since he was recently more involved in the international stock market, which had a capital flow of easily hundreds of millions. However, now that the A had invited him, he had no reason to reject the offer, so he replied: ¡®It will be my honor.¡¯ As soon as the message was sent, the other party immediately went offline. For now, he just needed to wait for A to contact him again. While rubbing his hands together with a smirk, Nathan stared at the chat box on his screen the entire time as a me of excitement slowly began to burn in his eyes.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. He couldn¡®t wait to see what kind of surprises A would bring. On the other end, the moment Elise logged out of the software, she immediately began to update theputer¡®s system. It had been 6 years since she used thisptop in which technology had already advanced tremendously over the years. Although some hackers these days would still find it hard to crack the firewall she installed 6 years ago, the system was no longer a match against the top hackers in the world. For her to be well hidden from the Inte in today¡®s technological world, herputer would need an upgrade. After all, for A to resurface once again, it would be a big deal for many people. After everything was settled, Elise returned herputer back to where it belonged and prepared to head out to purchase some necessities for Jeanie. As she was leaving, she realized that Alexander¡®s car was still parked outside. Al the moment, he seemed to be focused on something while he sat inside the car. The sunlight that reflected off the car made it difficult to see what was going on inside, but she was still able to see his chiseled jawline. He still looks as charming and gentle as ever: Elise was stunned for a moment as she thought that he would leave immediately after sending them here. Then, she walked toward him and knocked on the window of the passenger seat, When Alexander heard the sound and saw that it was Elise, he smirked subconsciously while setting aside the tablet in his hands and rolled down the window. ¡°Are you going out? Do I have the honor to be your driver for the day?¡± She knew that he was busier than the average person since the entire Griffith Group had rested on his shoulders and he sometimes wouldn¡®t even have the time to eat, so she didn¡®t want to waste too much of his time. ¡°I¡®m just going to the nearby supermarket to buy something. I can just walk there, so you don¡®t have to drive me. You should go back to yourpany first,¡± she responded faintly. However, Alexander didn¡®t give her an answer. Instead, he unfastened his seatbelt and went out of the vehicle to open the door for her like a gentleman. ¡°I can go to thepany any time, but I can¡®t meet my fiancee all the time. Can¡®t you allow me to be ?elfish for one time? Elise had no other choice, so she nodded her head and entered his car. There weren¡®t a lot of people at the supermarket, but when they appeared together, they attracted a lot of attention. As she passed by the drug store in the mall, she noticed the bottle of cold medicine that the Sinir Family always had when she was a kid was on sale, so she went over and picked it up to have a look. After all these years, the price and packaging still remain as cheap as ever. Then, the promoter approached her and introduced, ¡°Miss, the one you¡®re holding now is a freebie. You can collect it after you purchase any product from Olson Pharmaceuticals.¡± ¡°A freebie?¡± She pointed at the cold medicine in her hand. ¡°Yes.¡± The promoter smiled and nodded. Without saying anything, Elise returned the bottle of medicine back to the shelves. ¡°Thank you.¡± Before leaving, she took a quick nce at the medical products from Olson Pharmaceuticals. They were all ced at the front and it stood out from the others. Suddenly, a hint of coldness shed through her beautiful eyes, which was enough to make anyone''s heart sink. Although she was able to hide her expression well, she wasn''t able to escape Alexander''s eagle eyes as he captured her little reaction. Soon after, he casually mentioned Frazier Pharmaceuticals'' current situation. "The Olson Pharmaceuticals has been in rapid development in recent years to a point where all their rivals are now in trouble. I would say that Frazier Pharmaceuticals is impressive enough to survive until now despite being one of their rivals." "That doesn''t sound like apliment." Elise picked up a soft towel and ced it into the cart. Alexander chuckled and calmly continued, "The Fraziers arecking in management, so it makes sense that they are being taken advantage of. After all, the market would be more epting toward new ideas." As she listened to him, she stopped in her tracks and listed her head to look at him with her cold yet stubborn eyes. "From my point of view, there''s a sense of belonging only when working on new ideas with oldponents. If everything is new, there will be no sentiments. What do you think?" He lowered his gaze and noticed that under the lights, her skin was particrly fair while her irises in the color of merlot slickered delicately under her narrow eyshes. As he couldn''t control himself, he took a deep breath to calm himself down, but a smirk still escaped from his lips. "Are you talking about the people or the medicine?" Elise immediately understood the meaning behind his words and quickly dodged his burning eyes before pretending to casually walk forward while saying. "I''m talking about both. Like what you just said, the Fraziers'' problem is their management but not their products. I think that ethicalpanies like them are better than those who only focus on building fancy brands for theirpany." Alexander followed her with augh. "I agree, so let''s hope there''s a savior who can help the Fraziers out." "There will be." Elise murmured in such a soft tone that no one other than herself caught it. Over at the cashier, her phone rang just as she was about to make the payment, so she had to move aside to answer the call. Therefore, he took out his phone to pay instead before standing aside to wait for their purchased items to be bagged. "Professor Merlin, is there anything I can help you with?" Elise spoke into her phone. "Elise, please tell me the truth. Did you really solve those questions yourself?" Professor Merlin asked in a stern tone as if she hadnded into trouble. "Yes," she answered with confidence. "Come to my office. Do you still remember where it is?" A polite Elise answered, "I do." "You muste now. We''ll be waiting here for you," he said firmly before ending the call. After hearing Professor Merlin speaking to her in such a stern and rushed tone, she was confused, especially when he had always been polite and gentle to her in the past. What''s going on today? Also, he mentioned ''we'' just now, so who else is there? Elise had a bad feeling about what was about to happen, as if a storm wasing. Then, Alexander collected the bags and saw her zoning out with her phone in her hand, so he approached her and asked with concern, "Who were you on the phone with?" She snapped out of her daze and shook her head. "It was from the school. They want to see me right now." "Alright. I''ll send you there." She didn''t dare to refuse Professor Merlin when she heard how anxious he was on the phone. On the way to the school, she had received a message from Addison, which read, ''Ellie, go and take a look at the school forum now! Chapter 343 Chapter 343 ¡®What forum:¡® Elise was confused. Moments after she replied to Addison, she immediately received a link from Addison. In addition to the logo and symbol of Tissote University, there was an additional link to the website that was appended. The moment she clicked on it, she could see the topic College Entrance Examination Schr giarized on Mathematics Competition¡® trending at number 1 on the main page. The topic was not even up for a day, but there were already thousands of users joining the conversation, including students from Tissote University, the alumni and even parents.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. The one who started the conservation was someone bearing the name ¡®Vignte¡®as their username. In his post, he used Elise of giarizing the work of a famous mathematician, which earned her the approval for the schrship. The person even tagged the mathematician and requested Tissote University to seriously handle the situation. It was clear that the person was going after Elise. A sense of coldness and ruthlessness swam in her eyes when staring at the big words Vignte! Everything ising after me all at once. Great. I was about to do something about it anyway. Now, I can settle everything in one go. ? She wanted to see exactly who was behind the username=Vignte. Alexander had noticed a change in Elise''s expressions and asked, "Do you need my help?" She closed her phone and stared straight ahead. "No, I can handle this myself" Her answer came with courage and certainty, as if the entire world was always against her. Without saying much, Alexander drove Elise to the faculty''s office building and went straight to the girl''s dorm afterward. At the moment, Miller was sleeping in the dorm. When she received his call, she quickly went down in her messy hair and a pair of flip-flops. Since she had just woken up from sleep, she walked toward Alexander and spoke to him with a bad temper, "Boss, can you please notify me in advance if you want to surprise me? Bodyguards are humans too!" Alexander''s limousine and his charming appearance had already attracted a lot of attention. Now that Miller was standing in front of him in a thin sexy strap-top, the girls on the upper floor of the dorm couldn''t help but crane their necks and create a series of gossips on their possible love story. "You are now on overtime, so I''ll double your pay." He was never stingy when it came to his own subordinate. Then, he went straight to the point. "Elise is currently at the faculty''s office building. Please change your clothes and check on her." Although she was reluctant toply. Miller''s life principle was to never decline any sort of opportunity to eam more money. She initially didn''t wish to go through any fuss, but after knowing that she would be paid double, she quickly waved her hand and agreed. "Noted. I''ll head there right now." On the other side, Elise knocked on Professor Merlin''s door Knock! Knock! "Professor Merlin, it''s me." "Come in," he uttered in a deep voice. As soon as she came in, she could see all the higher-ups of the school in the room, including the principal and Olive. However, she wasn''t familiar with the other two whom she only recognized as professors in the Mathematics Faculty Elise bowed to greet them before looking at Professor Merlin. "Professor Merlin, is there anything I can help you with?" He nodded and sincerely answered, "Elise, you know I always think highly of you as a student." She wasn''t surprised what he meant after browsing through the forum, so she gave a polite smile and replied. "You don''t have to beat around the bush." As he was shocked by her uprightness, he slightly nodded and turned around to pick up two sheets of paper under his file beforeying them t on the desk A calm Professor Merlin then asked, "This is your calction for the mathematics questions back then. Can you check whether it is yours?" Elise nced at the paper and maintained herposure. "Yes." "I remembered that you told me that you solved these questions alone without any guidance." "That''s right." She followed up with a faint smile. "Then, that settles it. This question was from the schr, Adrian Cole. He has personally admitted that there is only one person who has been able to solve this question ever since it was first formted because it has a highlyplicated solution. Whenparing his solution to Miss Sinir''s, we can see that she has simplified the solution to a point where it ispletely different!" "Okay," an indifferent Elise murmured. Chapter 344 ?Chapter 344 She paused for a moment to look at Professor Merlin. ¡°Professor, if I remember correctly, there will be a mathematicspetition on an international scale in a month¡®s time. Am I right?¡± ¡°That¡®s correct.¡± He nodded. ¡°Would you like to join? It¡®s just that¡­ you don¡®t have the relevant experience, so you might not know that the prerequisite for participating in the internationalpetition is to obtain first ce at a national mathematicspetition. I¡®m afraid¡ª¡± ¡°There¡®s nothing to be afraid of,¡± Elise instantly interrupted. ¡°There are so many countries in the entire world. I believe there must be at least an ongoing national mathematicspetition. I¡®llplete the prerequisite before the International Mathematics Competition.¡± After she finished speaking, she found an excuse to leave as she didn¡®t want to waste any more time. ¡°If there¡®s nothing else, I have another appointment to attend. I¡®ll take my leave first.¡± ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡± Professor Merlin waved at her. He didn¡®t want to discourage her as she was the only hope of the current batch of students at the Mathematics Faculty.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Elise smiled and nodded before retreating indifferently. When she reached the door, she saw Miller overhearing their conversation from a corner. ¡°Why are you here?¡± After asking the question, she momentarily froze when she understood that it was part of Alexander''s arrangement. However, Miller couldn''t be bothered to exin her reasons to Elise. She merely shoved her hands in her pockets and turned around to walk in front of Elise. As Elise trailed behind her, she suddenly remembered that she had a lot of tasks to attend to in the future. Therefore, it was not a good idea for Alexander to always pick her up from now on. After some consideration, she stopped walking and said, "Miller." Miller paused and furrowed her thin eyebrows, wriggling her right foot arrogantly like a man as she stood on the ground. "What?" she asked. "Do you know how to drive?" Elise smiled. "Do I have to be a part time driver as well?" Miller was instantly shocked to hear that. Half an hourter, in an automobile store somewhere in the city, Elise walked into the store with Miller behind her. She was nning to choose a more economical, low-profile car. Jamie wouldn''t reject her request if Elise had asked for a car, but based on his extravagant habit, he would buy her an ostentatious car that would attract attention wherever she went. Thinking of this made her give up on the idea. The sales manager had noticed them from the beginning. As Elise and Miller looked like students, he thought they were here just to window shop, so he ignored Elise. Meanwhile, a stylish man entered the automobile store with a woman in his arms. The sales manager immediately recognized that the man was Jeremy and approached him obsequiously. "Mr. Olson, you are just in time-a new car arrived yesterday. Would you like me to test it with you?" While chewing bubblegum in his mouth, Jeremy nced around the lobby and spotted Elise seated on the couch at the guests area. It''s been a while since Ist met a student. His lips curled into a smile as he shoved the woman in his arms to the manager. He signaled the manager with his eyes and ordered, "Bring my girlfriend to test the car instead." Upon hearing that, they both excitedly headed over to the new car while Jeremy sat opposite Elise and appraised her unabashedly from head to toe. She''s not breathtaking, but she''s quite good-looking. Miller saw the evil intentions in Jeremy''s eyes instantly and kicked the tea table. As the sses fell to the ground, the water sshed on his body. "F*ck!" He quickly stood up and wiped the water away from him. When Elise saw this, she could not stopughing out loud. Jeremy''s anger instantly abated as he saw her reaction through the corner of his eyes. Then, he smiled sneakily. "Go ahead andugh, prettydy. I don''t mind getting wet for you again if that makes you smile! Chapter 345 ? Chapter 345 As soon as Jeremy finished speaking, Miller took another ss and directly sshed the water on his face. Because of what Miller did, Jeremy¡®s face was now soaked. His hair, which he had carefully styled, was now ruined and revealed his ugly features. Then, he grabbed Miller¡®s hoodie and clenched his fists. ¡°You b*tch! I¡®m already patient enough to deal with you, yet you don¡®t appreciate it!¡± As it was too big of amotion to ignore, the sales manager quickly ran over to them. ¡°My goodness, what happened to you, Mr. Olson?¡± Miller merely toyed with the string on her hoodie. She rolled her eyes at Jeremy in disgust as she disagreed with his spoiled behavior of a wealthy kid. Now that he was triggered by the sales manager¡®s surprise, Jeremy was instantly enraged and threw the problem back to the manager. ¡°Look at this! How are you going to settle this?¡± he questioned after turning his head to look at the manager, who quicklyforted him. "Worry not, Mr. Olson. We will definitely give you a satisfactory reply." Moments after the sales manager said those words, the obsequiousness on his face instantly disappeared as he arrogantly summoned two salesmen. "Both of you, please help them out of this store." The most he could manage at this point was simply to say ''please! It had always been a no-no to chase one''s customers out of the store. Now that the entire store was full of other customers, both salesmen exchanged nces with each other, but none of them was willing to perform the task. Seeing that his words fell on deaf ears, the sales manager anxiously berated, "Useless scums! You guys are faster than anyone else when it''s time to get your sry, yet you are all cowards when it''s your turn to speak up!" With that, he walked to Elise and Miller. Looking at the defiance on Miller''s face, he instantly felt that she was a quite difficult person to deal with, so he turned and looked at Elise with feigned kindness. Then, he arrogantly begged, "Miss, please immediately leave the store with your friend so that you won''t cause any more trouble for the rest of our customers." Elise shed a slight smile. "Aren''t we your customers as well?" You guys are just students without any formidable background, but the other person is the Young Master of the Olson Family. Do I really need to spell it out for you? "Mr. Olson is our VIP customer. Based on his education and ss, I''m sure he won''t be stirring up trouble. Hence, please leave immediately." The manager raised his tone as he became more confident.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. She calmly looked at him as though she was looking at a clown. "Just because he spends more money, he has better manners. Is that what you are saying?" The manager raised his head loftily, having no regard for Elise at all. "This is the rule of life. Youngdy, since you are just a student, you should return to school and carry out your duties as a student. Even if you drive this car home, others might think it''s from your sugar daddy. Please take my advice and get out of here while you still can!" They are just students whom no one has heard of. Even if they could fork out the money to buy the cars, how much fortune can they have? On the other hand, Jeremey Olson ispletely different. The Olson Group is like a gold mine. As long as I suck up to him, I don''t have to worry about money for the rest of my life. Elise snorted inughter. "Sure, you are one of the most eloquent men I''ve seen. Since this is the case, I''ll make youpletely speechless." With that, she took the card that Jamie had forcefully given her and approached one of the salesmen. "Please hand this card over to your store owner." It was the Kellers'' Card, which was the symbol of prestige and status. She thought, Now, it''s my turn to see how long this pompous manager can keep smiling! Chapter 346 ? Chapter 346 ¡°Youngdy, just give up on the thought of speaking to the store owner. To tell you the truth, mymands wo uld equate to being from the owner himself. You can¡®t afford to offend Mr. Olson, so if you are smart en ough, you should immediately leave and stop making a scene here.¡± When he noticed that Elise didn¡®t take his advice, the sales manager forwent his manners and immediately be came anxious. I have nothing to be afraid of. With Jeremy supporting me, it¡®s impossible that I would be threatened by these two girls As Elise remained silent, the sales manager shrugged. ¡°You have already affected our business by ma king a scene here. Believe it or not, I can send you to the police station right away!¡± He became even more arrogant as time went by, for he was sure that Elise and Miller were merely pret ending to locate the store owner to look impressive. Miller, who had been observing the situation all this while, waved the phone in her hand and said grimly, ¡°I have already recorded everything and I can upload it online at any time. Let¡®s show t heizens and let them decide who¡®s right.¡± The moment he heard that, the sales manager was momentarily stunned before a harsh expression too k over his face. He immediately tried to catch Miller to snatch the phone from her.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Right at this moment was a sturdy woman¡®s voice ringing at a normal volume. ¡°If that¡®s the case, let¡®s call the police!" The crowd looked over at the source of the sound and saw Elise holding her phone up high to indicate t call with 110. At the same time, her lips were slightly twitched into a smile that did not reach her eyes. My grandmother told me that if I¡®m not the reason for the trouble, don¡®t be afraid to make a scene. I''ll make sure that he suffers 100 times worse when ites to bullying me! Chapter 347 ? Chapter 347 When the sales manager saw Elise calling the police, he steadied himself and calmed down as he walk ed toward Jeremy. ¡°Mr. Olson, I¡®m really sorry that this incident has ruined your mood today. I wonder w hether you could give us a hand here and just let things slide.¡± Jeremy pulled a long face and nodded. ¡°Since you have made such a request, I¡®ll stop pursuing this ma tter.¡± ¡°Thanks for your understanding, Mr. Olson.¡± ¡°It seems like you guys are still unclear about the current situation.¡± Elise¡®s voice suddenly rang. ¡°It¡®s his decision to stop pursuing this matter, but I have already called the police. No one can leave before they arrive.¡± There are simply too many good¨C for nothings recently. Now that he has offended me. I have to teach him a lesson so that I can have pea ce of mind. Otherwise, my eyes would be polluted if I meet him again. As soon as she finished speaking, two policemen walked into the store and looked at the crowd before asking in a sonorous voice, ¡°Who called the police just now?¡± ¡°It¡®s me,¡± Elise loudly replied. The policeman walked to her and took out a notebook to make notes as he asked, ¡°You called us to report sexual harrassment?¡± ¡°Sexual harassment?¡± the store manager immediately frowned after he heard that. If the news spread out, no one woulde to our store again! ¡°Good day, Officer. I¡¯m the manager of this store and I can prove that the youngdy here is just making stuff up. She is trying to make a scandal of our current car exhibition and they are deliberately sabotaging our business. Please, bring her back to educate her.¡±Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. The policeman was annoyed to see them bickering and wanted to bring all the involved parties back to the police station. "Each of you have your own reasons to defend yourselves. Now, who should I listen to? All of you, follow me back to the police station now!" Elise could tell that the sales manager¡®s face immediately paled, so she gave a slight smile before casua from?¡± Chapter 348 Chapter 348 ¡°The city center, which is the nearest police station to this ce,¡± the policeman replied casually ¡°In that case, you are directly under the General Administration of Athesea?¡± Elise enquired. The policeman nodded. ¡°That''s right.¡±Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. "Alright. Thanks.¡± With that, she continued to fiddle with her phone. He was rather perplexed at her question, but his confusion deepened when he identally glimpsed at her phone. Elise¡¯s phone was quite different from the usual ones. There were codes scrolling around the ck screen with only two white spaces that seemed to be used to enter the username and password. What is this advanced technology? Thinking that it might be a recent game, the policeman did not take it seriously. Meanwhile, next to them was Miller, who quietly sent a message to Alexander while no one was paying attention to her. The city center police station. There was no need to exin much to intelligent people. Alexander was on his way to Matthew''s hiding spot, but he understood that Elise and Miller ran into trouble as soon as he saw Miller''s message. His brows tightened into a frown as he immediately changed direction and headed for the city center. Catching Matthew was way less important than Elise¡¯s safety. On the other hand, at the police station in the city center, the usually serene lobby became even quieter after Elise and the rest of the people were brought over. Miller did not even try to exin; she merely showed the policeman the video she took. However, after he finished watching the video, hemented in a nonchnt tone, ¡°Now that I''ve seen the video, I want to let you know that it''s a waste of effort to use the other party of sexual harrassment with just this piece of evidence.¡± "So:* This was within Elise¡¯s expectations, so she was not too surprised to hear this. "So, it''s very likely that the powerful man whom you have just used might even sue you for defaming him. If you have a criminal record in the database, it''s not a trivial issue anymore,¡± the policeman solemnly exined. Elise immediately understood that he was also bribed by Jeremy. She leaned against the chair without any change in her expression. Instead, she wanted to continue the game further. ¡°What if there are other videos that could prove I was being harassed?¡± ¡°No one else, including myself, saw that, though.¡± The policeman gave a sarcastic smile, thinking that she was just merely putting up a tough front. Then, he gave her a quick solution. ¡°Then again, since the other party also said some rude things, I think it''s fair for them to apologize to you. I''ll ask the manager to apologize to you and this matter ends here. What do you think about this?¡± With that, he shot the sales manager a nce. Unable to hide the glee on his face, the sales manager quickly smiled and insincerely apologized, ¡°Sorry about that, youngdy.¡± His nonchnt tone made him look as though he was teasing Elise. Once the policeman was able to get the apology out of the sales manager''s mouth, he quickly dispersed the crowd. ¡°Alright. Problem solved and you may leave ordingly.¡± ¡°Wail,¡± Elise immediately solemnly said. ¡°I didn''t agree to that.¡± As long as the bully does not get the punishment, he will always use his power to do the same thing. It''s not an easy task to ask us to leave. Chapter 349 Chapter 349 The policeman was also preparing to leave, but he could only stop in his footsteps and return to Elise when he heard her words. "What do you want then?¡± His expression darkened. Alexander appeared by the door. ¡°Talk to my girlfriend''swyer.¡± As soon as he finished his sentence, he had already arrived at the lobby. After surveying the surroundings, he directly walked to Elise, who was standing at the corner, and leaned toward her. ¡°Are you alright?¡± he asked gently. She nodded her head. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°If I''m not here, should I let my fiancee be bullied instead?¡± Alexander grimaced At this moment, the policeman¡¯s phone began to ring. When he looked at the caller ID, he was surprised to see that it was his boss.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. He cleared his throat and walked to a corner before answering the call. After avoiding the rest of the people, his tone immediately became respectful. ¡°Is there anything I can help you with?¡± "Hey, were you in touch with a woman named Elise Sinir? Never offend this extremely important lady!¡± The policeman froze upon hearing that. ¡°What is her background?¡± ¡°That''s not important. What you should know is that you can''t afford to offend her. If this matter is not ideally resolved, both of us will be in trouble!¡± The policeman frowned at his phone. You should have called ten minutes ago. How am I going to resolve the current situation now? Chapter 350 Chapter 350 On the other hand, after Jeremy left the automobile store, he met Johan, who was also out looking for girls. They hit it off with each other and booked a private room in a club. Just as one of them had flipped a card, which was the Ace of Spades, the music of the room instantly came to a stop. After that, a group of uniformed police officers immediately switched on the brightest lights and interrupted their fun. ¡°Damn it! Who is it that doesn¡¯t know the rules around here?¡± Jeremy swore as he ced the ss of wine in his hands down. When he saw the police, he managed to stop himself from cursing any further. "Which one of you is Jeremy Olson?¡±Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°I am. What''s wrong?¡± he replied in annoyance. ¡°Bring him away.¡± With that, two policemen went to subdue him. But of course, Jeremy refused to be treated in such a way as he was having a good time before this, so he shook them off and red up. ¡°Bring me away? What are the reasons for that? What crime did Imit?¡± ¡°If you are innocent, would we be here to catch you? Jeremy Olson, you are guilty of sexually harrassing Elise Sinir and Miller Mikey. Please return to the police station with me for further investigation!¡± Jeremy froze for a moment before he remembered the two girls back at the automobile store. Then, he furiously cursed, ¡°B*tches!¡± While narrowing his eyes, Johan stood in front of Jeremy and shook his head at Jeremy to indicate that he shouldn''t be rash. After all, it would bring them no good to offend the policemen. When Jeremy saw that, he finally withdrew his hands and calmed himself down. Johan finally turned around to smile at the officer, Kevin Summers, ¡°Sir, we will follow you back.¡± Things must be very interesting with Elise around. Half an hourter, the sirens red in front of the police station as a group of policemen hastily shuffled into the lobby. Elise¡¯s eyes narrowed as she steeled herself to meet Jeremy''s enraged expression. However, she saw Johan instead and sighed. What an unfortunate coincidence! Then, Jeremy quickly walked into the station and ced his arms around Johan''s shoulders as he spoke in Johan''s ears. What is going on here? Are they brothers? Chapter 351 Chapter 351 Chapter 351 A phrase immediately appeared in her thoughts¨Cbirds of the same feather flock together. When Jeremy was speaking into Johan¡®s ears, Johan¡®s gaze had never left Elise as he surveyed her m aliciously. They had already discussed how to resolve this incident on their way over. As long as the people at the automobile store insisted that it was Elise and Miller¡®s fault, the girls would be sued for defamation instead. Even if Alexander was here, he could do nothing about it. Does Clearly works fine?This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 352 Chapter 352 Johan''s eyes narrowed coldly as he calmly directed the topic at Alexander. ¡°Alexander, your family is not the most powerful family in Athesea. Do you really think that there''s no one else in the Olson Family to back me up and that I''m such an easy target to be bullied?¡± Alexander''s expression remained indifferent. ¡°You are wrong. It''s my fiancee who wants to y by thew now. If I were to bully you, you won''t even have the time to react,¡± he replied impatiently. "You¡ª" Johan was so furious that he was stumped. ¡°We have already taken a step backwards. We would be perfectly fine to apologize, but since you guys are so unforgiving, our family will join the fight until the very end!¡± When he saw both parties sizing each other up from the beginning, the policeman said timidly, ¡°Miss Sinir, since both young masters from the Olson Family have already realized their mistakes and are willing to apologize with somepensation for you, why don''t you also take a step back and stop giving them a hard time?¡± Elise turned around to look at the policeman without any expression in her eyes. ¡°So, in your words, if they apologize, I must ept it?¡± she calmly asked. "What I''m saying is that it''s a good thing to know one¡¯s mistakes and repent. Everyone should have the opportunity to turn over a new leaf and we should be more generous with others.¡± Generous? You are clearly asking me to take the treatment silently. Without even lifting her head, Elise retorted, ¡°I''m sorry. I was never taught to be generous with people who are rude to me. Haven''t you heard that women are usually unforgiving and petty? Unfortunately for you, I''m such a woman.¡± ¡°Fine! I have finally witnessed how well you are with words!¡± the policeman bellowed. He had never been spoken to in such a way, so he couldn''t care less about his boss¡¯ reminder as he was now overwhelmed with anger. ¡°Since that''s the case, let''s go by thew then. You said you were harassed, but where is your witness? The other girl? She is your friend, so she wouldn''t be the witness. If there isn''t any new evidence, you better be prepared to be sued for defamation and fraud!¡± How dare an insignificant policeman determine the authenticity of a witness¡¯ words! Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Chapter 353 Chapter 353 Chapter 353 Meanwhile, the employees from the automobile store had also interjected, ¡°I saw these two women approaching our client first, but after they were rejected, they turned around to use him of sexual harrassment!¡± ¡°Indeed. From the beginning, Mr. Olson has been keeping his distance from them. There¡¯s no reason at all for him to harass them!¡± ¡°I also saw that bothdies had no intention to purchase the car as soon as they entered the store. Yet, they sneakily followed our young and well-dressed client.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°I can be the witness! Mr. Olson often visits our store and he has always been a polite person. On top of that, he even brought his girlfriend along on that day. He is a wealthy person of status, so there¡¯s no need at all for him to harass others!¡± Everyone had chirped in with their thoughts on the case, which made the lobby of the police station noisier than the market. However, they shared onemonality: the unanimous im that Elise was at fault and she was using Jeremy. ording to their words, he was the poor victim instead. Chapter 354 Chapter 354 After the policeman heard the rest of the witnesses¡¯ ims, he no longer had any hesitation. His expression darkened as he ordered, ¡°Bring these two liars whomitted nder and fraud into jail¡± However, Madeline had arrived in her high heels just as the policeman took out his handcuffs. "Wait." She immediately stopped the policeman walking toward Elise. Then, her gaze swept around the room. When she saw the two young men from the Olson Family, her expression immediately changed. If I''m not here on time, Alexander is really going to offend the people from the Olson Family for Elise¡¯s sake. I me it on Cameron! If he told me that Alexander was at the police station from the very beginning, instead of dying the time and only telling me the truth after I had forced him to, the situation wouldn''t be this intense! After a moment of silence, Madeline added, ¡°We shouldn''t just rely on word of mouth. It can''t prove the guilt of either party. I''ve been to the automobile store and I know that there are surveince cameras where the customers are. Just check the footage and we will know for sure who is at fault here.¡± With that, her gaze discreetly swept past Elise. She was not here to speak up for Elise. However, since Elise was Alexander''s fiancee, her current actions had also concerned the Griffith Family''s reputation. On top of that, the other party was the most adored young masters from the Olson Family Johan and Jeremy. If this matter was not properly settled, both families could bear a grudge against each other for the rest of eternity. It was still unconfirmed whether Elise would marry Alexander, but if the rtionship between the Olson Family and the Griffiths soured, it would be difficult to repair the damage done. Once we get hold of the surveince footage, it''s fine if Elise is really being harassed. If that is not the case, then I have to assert myself as an elder here and minimize the impact of the situation so that it would not reach a bad stage. Sure enough, the store manager had already thought of this and shrugged nonchntly. ¡°Unfortunately, the cameras were broken two days ago and since it coincided with our system update, the cameras were not switched on for the past two days. I''m a good citizen, you know. If I had the footage, I would have taken it out long ago. Do I need you toe here to give me such advice?¡± Madeline frowned upon hearing that. If there''s no surveince footage, are we going to just listen to their one-sided story and determine Elise as the guilty party? She sighed and med Alexander for his judgment. I have already told him that Elise is not ideal. She is just treating us as a stepping stone to achieve a higher status.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Now that she knows I don''t approve of her, she''s setting her eyes on the Olson Family. I''m also a woman myself, and I''m sure that I''m not wrong on this. This is not the time to think about this, though. As long as Elise is still Alexander''s fiancee, I have to clean up this mess for them. With yet another sigh, her expression briefly changed into a smile as she walked to Jeremy and Johan. ¡°Both of you are the young kids from the Olson Family, aren''t you? I''m Alexander''s mother and I even held you when you were just babies. You can address me as Mrs. Griffith.¡± When they both heard that, Jeremy and Johan exchanged gazes and understood what the other person was thinking. What the hell? Judging from her tone, is she nning to suck up to us? Madeline continued without any change in her stance, ¡°There''s a good working rtionship between the Griffiths and the Olson Family. Personally, I think we shouldn''t ruin the rtionship because of a small misunderstanding. Both of you will also take over the family business one day, so you guys should understand that having a friend is better than a foe.¡± ¡°You are right, Mrs. Griffith, but I don''t understand what you are implying here,¡± Johan said nkly. He deliberately feigned confusion to pretend that he did not understand that Madeline wanted them to make up. She was not annoyed by them. After all, she was the one asking them to forget about this matter. Then, she humbly and kindly continued, ¡°In that case, I''ll go straight to the point. Elise is my son''s girlfriend, so she¡¯s considered a part of the Griffith Family. If both of you are willing to help us out and forget about this matter, the Griffith Family will definitely remember your efforts.¡± Alexander''s expression changed when he heard this and reminded her, "Mom, what nonsense are you saying?¡± "You shut your mouth,¡± Madeline retorted in disgust. ¡°I''m here cleaning up your mess for you, so you and your girlfriend better keep quiet.¡± Of course, by ¡°girlfriend¡¯, she was referring to Elise, who would never take such an attitude. She walked to Madeline and coldly asked, ¡°Mrs. Griffith, it has been less than five minutes since you arrived. Are you so sure that I''m the one at fault here?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Madeline lowered her voice to exin, ¡°You are from the countryside, so you don''t know the rules here and I don''t me you for that. I also don''t object to your rtionship with Alexander, but you can''t do anything you like using the name of the Griffith Family. There are some things where you simply don''t insist that you are right. I''m now teaching you how to interact in an upper-ss society. Please remove your judgment where you think that I''m deliberately picking on you again.¡± It was true that Madeline was being fair and square this time around. She was doing this for the benefit of the Griffith Family without having any intention to give Elise a hard time. However, the only w in this was that she never stood in Elise¡¯s shoes. Madeline''s words were like a bucket of cold water that was thrown on Elise. She instantly understood that the greatest obstacle between her and Alexander wasn''t Madeline, but the many rules of society itself. And she had always hated such rules. Ever since the Griffith Family started, they had their own unique way of interacting with others. If her interests were at a conflict with the Griffith Family one day, Elise could see herself being abandoned by Madeline without any hesitation. That was not what she wanted either. Elise wanted to live her life courageously. Then, she took a deep breath and turned to walk to the policeman who had been taking notes on the situation. ¡°Can I borrow yourputers for a bit?¡± she asked calmly. Chapter 355 Chapter 355 The policeman stopped typing on the keyboard when he heard her request, but he only nodded after a moment of hesitation. ¡°Okay, but give me a minute. I have to exit some applications first.¡± He left the desktop homepage open for her along with some applications that required a username and password to login before getting up to give her the seat. Soon, the sound of her typing on the keyboard was louder than all the other sounds in the lobby as many people¡¯s attention shifted to her. Although Alexander already knew that she was once a hacker, he was still taken aback by her typing speed. He had interviewed the head of information security at hispany himself, but the person was obviously not on the same level as Elise. Not long after that, Elise built an external proxy to connect to the automobile¡¯swork and hacked into their internal surveince camera. Once she had gotten hold of the important scenes, she quietly logged out from the proxy. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. After she had finished all that, she turned the monitor to face the crowd and yed the video. In the video, Jeremy had been staring her down as soon as he entered the store. After he sat opposite her, he behaved like a hooligan and looked at her even ruder than before. In order to make her case, Elise even focused on Jeremy and zoomed in on him, making his lecherous expression clearer to others, Hence, everyone no longer had their doubts as to who was the one at fault. ¡°Is it clear for you now, Mrs. Griffith?¡± Elise impassively looked at Madeline. Madeline waspletely stunned as she did not expect the situation to bepletely overturned by Elise in such a short time. Thinking back on how she had forced Elise to take a step back for the Griffith Family only moments ago, she was at a loss for words. Elise never expected much to begin with and she turned her intelligent yet icy gaze on the policeman. ¡°Is this clear for you as well?¡± Her calm tone hadpletely embarrassed the policeman. With that, she turned around and prepared to leave. When she passed by Madeline, she came to a halt andmented in disappointment, ¡°I really don¡¯t understand why as a mother, you refuse to believe in your son¡¯s choice and would rather help the outsiders instead.¡± We have to uphold our dignity and pride ourselves. If we keep asking others to protect us, everything will be taken away from us sooner orter. All this while, Elise had been patient and forgiving toward Madeline only because Madeline was Alexander¡¯s mother. However, she could no longer force herself to be an obedient girl who would tolerate everything. She was true to herself, unafraid of any powers or any attacks directed to her. With that, she started walking out of the lobby at such a quick pace that Alexander had to slightly jog to keep up with her. Before Elise could even push him away, hisrge paws had already grabbed her small hands as they walked outside. Just as she raised her head, she could see his side profile with the perfect jawline from her angle, as if he was the product of an angel. It was enough for her to calm her anxious heart just by looking at him. Hence, she did not shake him off and allowed him to hold her hand instead. Chapter 356 Chapter 356 Chapter 356 Jeremy had always been the target of paparazzi because of his status and his behavior. This time around, the news of him and Johan being imprisoned was instantly on the trending page. Everyone had been guessing the identity of the mastermind who dared to challenge the Olson Family¡¯s dignity. Meanwhile, all hell broke loose in the Olson Family as well. SA ¡°Elise is the one who caused my son to go to jail? Which family is she from?¡± ¡°I have no idea,¡± the policeman replied truthfully in a timid voice. ¡°I only know that her fiance is Alexander Griffith and he is indeed not an ordinary man.¡± Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. As soon as Amelia heard Alexander¡¯s name, she instantly knew who he was. After all, the circles of the upper-ss society were tightly knitted, so everyone knew each other fairly well. Whenever they gathered, they wouldin and gossip apart from carrying out some entertainment activities. From what I have heard from Madeline, I bet Elise is the girl from the countryside who clings onto Alexander and wants to use the Griffith Family to increase her status. Madeline is usually quite courteous, so she would not easily offend others. I bet it¡¯s Elise who is behind all this. I heard from Madeline that Alexander has been smitten by this countryside vixen. He doesn¡¯t even listen to his mother anymore, as if he is under a spell. Alright. In that case, I will help Madeline to weed the trouble from her family to vent my anger! ¡°Where is she now?¡± Amelia asked with a darkened face. ¡°She is a student of Tissot University, so I think she might be on campus now,¡± the policeman replied grudgingly. ¡°Very well. I want to have a good look at what this vixen looks like.¡± With that, she left in her high heels. At this moment, Elise and Addison were attending their lectures. Just as the lecturer was about to y his powerpoint slides, they heard a shrill woman¡¯s voice. ¡°Elise Sinir of the Mathematics Faculty, don¡¯t let me look for you in every ssroom and get your *ss out of there!¡± Even though Amelia was quite far away, Elise¡¯s name had clearly rang throughout the entire lecture hall. Elise had always been famous in the university to begin with. Now that someone insulted her with her full name, everyone in her ss shifted their attention to look at her. The lecturer was a well-tempered man who decided to ignore this and he merely tapped on the ckboard to remind the students to pay attention to him. However, Amelia did not throw in the towel. She had found a loudspeaker somewhere and recorded her voice into it. Then, she repeatedly yed the recording throughout the entire campus. ¡°Elise Sinir, you b*tch! If you dare to do whatever you like, you should dare to man up to your actions. I dare you toe out to meet me now! Stop hiding there like a coward!¡± ¡°Elise Sinir, you¡ª¡± Although Amelia¡¯s insults did not annoy Elise, the lecturer was infuriated. He removed his sses and threw his notes on the desk as he said in a low voice, ¡°What a menace to our education!¡± An annoyed Elise sighed as she took the initiative to stand up. ¡°Sir, I¡¯ll handle this.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that. I will contact the university¡¯s security immediately. We will not allow such progress to be impeded by such behavior!¡± However, as he was rather elderly, he forgot to wear his sses again due to his impatience. Hence, he fumbled around and did not make the call even after a long time. As Elise could not stand hearing Amelia continuously repeating the word ¡®b*tch, she left her seat and walked out of the hall. By the time she had arrived on the ground floor, she noticed Amelia holding a loudspeaker, along with her bodyguards, as they directed the loudspeakers at the lecture halls. ¡°Uncultured b*tch.¡± With that, Elise clucked her tongue. Although Elise¡¯s voice was quite soft, Amelia seemed to have sensed Elise¡¯s presence and immediately turned around; it was just in time to meet Elise¡¯s careless gaze. When they locked eyes, they sharply stared down at each other, each refusing to give in to the other. Chapter 357 Chapter 357 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 357 At this moment, Amelia took measure of the woman before her. The woman was dressed in a in and simple manner. Her clothing was decent and tasteful, and even her face was ordinary with nothing remarkable about it. It was only that her gaze seemed deep and unruly-Amelia could tell at first nce that the woman was not one to be easily messed with. However, Amelia wasn¡¯t an easy target to pick on either. Thus, she took control of her emotions and rocked up to Elise in her pair of stilettos. Since the world wasn¡¯tcking in gossip, the academic building was packed to the brim with curious onlookers within seconds. ¡°Elise Sinir?¡± As Amelia was already a tall woman, her heels had allowed her to tower half a head over Elise; currently, she had her chin lifted loftily and was imperiously looking down at Elise. The Olson Family had been doing well in Tissote all these years. Amelia hadn¡¯t needed to disy her arrogant manner to others in a while; in her imagination, her stature was enough to weaken the knees of these country bumpkins. However, the truth was that Elise had folded her arms across her chest and sneered at Amelia, looking so scornful that she might as well be watching a clown perform at the circus. The treatment that Amelia had never experienced before irritated her so much that she raised her voice as she repeated, ¡°I asked you whether you were Elise Sinir.¡± With her expression still the same, Elise remained quiet and stared at Amelia for a moment before calmly replying, ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t speak with strangers. Personal habit.¡± The answer made Amelia gasp angrily. Stranger Personal habit? How dare she! Amelia was the apple of the Olson Family¡¯s eye! How dare this yokel behave like she is above my level! Elise was as what Madeline had said-truly ignorant to etiquette and ungrateful to her superiors to the point where she spoke rudely to an elder. Thus, after a moment of thought, Amelia raised a hand before she dropped it to p Elise¡¯s cheek so hard that Elise¡¯s head turned to one side. ¡°This is for your disrespect,¡± she told Elise, narrowing her eyes haughtily, before raising another hand. ¡°And this is for yourck of sense!¡± Yet, before the second blow couldnd on her, Elise had caught hold of Amelia¡¯s wrist. A surprised Amelia met Elise¡¯s gaze once more only to notice that the previously clear eyes were now filled with a murderous rage. More importantly, Elise¡¯s slender fingers were so powerful that they felt like they were going to snap Amelia¡¯s wrist in half at any second. ¡°I was careless to let you hit me the first time, but you don¡¯t actually think you could be so lucky, do you?¡± Elise growled in a bloodthirsty manner. By now, Amelia was in so much pain that she had scrunched her face. As she gritted her teeth and hissed, she involuntarily leaned into Elise, trying in vain to alleviate the pain in her wrist, while snapping at the bodyguards behind her, ¡°Are you all dead? Hurry up and help me!¡± Only then did the bodyguards come to their senses and rush toward Elise. However, as soon as they arrived closer toward her, she disyed her martial prowess by kicking them both to the ground in session. Meanwhile, Addison was rushing downstairs and couldn¡¯t help patting her chest in relief when she saw the two bodyguards on the ground before shouting at the top of her lungs, ¡°Are you okay, Elise?¡± After having seen Amelia p Elise without warning from the upper floors, Addison had hurried downstairs without thinking, only to realize that Elise had single handedly dealt with all three of them. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Elise answered slowly as she nced behind her. ¡°Take a step back, Addy. I don¡¯t want you to get hurt by ident.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± A helpless Addison nodded before retreating into the doorway of the academic building to watch from afar, Seeing that Elise had dealt with the bodyguards, Amelia surrendered and tossed her shoulder bag onto the floor so that she would have a free hand to grab Elise¡¯s hair. However, Elise inevitably caught the free hand as well. She wasn¡¯t in a good mood as ofte, so she didn¡¯t feel that she should be med for her ruthlessness at this woman¡¯s insistence on staring down the barrel of a gun. After all, if Elise had endured being pped, what else could the woman get away with? Thus, she exerted force without mercy, which caused Amelia¡¯s knees to give out beneath her. As she kneeled before Elise, she cried out in pain, ¡°Ow, ow, ow¡­ Help!¡± The two previously defeated bodyguards then rose to their feet and wanted to tackle Elise again, only to have her re menacingly at them as she strengthened her grip on Amelia¡¯s wrists. Amelia¡¯s wrists had dislocated with a click and it caused her so much pain that she began to cry. ¡°Help me, please! She¡¯s going to kill me! Help me!¡± Upon seeing that, the bodyguards no longer had the courage to approach the two women. By now, even the school security guards had rushed over and were shocked to witness this scene. They had been told that there were outsiders causing trouble. e V Why did it now look like it was a female student who had the upper hand? as Moreover, judging by the student¡¯s demeanor, she was trained in martial arts. ¡°M-Miss¡­ Please calm down and release the other party. It¡¯s against the rules to pick fights in school! If there¡¯s any quarrel between you both, we can see the dean for mediation. Please don¡¯t make any extreme moves!¡± a slightly older security guard advised Elise after summoning the courage. As she raised her left eyebrow, Elise turned her head to look at him. What on earth is he talking about? That was when she saw that the spectating students had begun to cheer for her. ¡°Wow, amazing!¡± ¡°F*cking awesome, dude!¡± ¡°You go, girl! Hang them out to dry! Give them another left hook!¡± She sighed in exasperation and thought, What busybodies. She noticed from the corner of her eyes that on the floor where her ssroom was, her teacher was spectating as well. However, he looked much graver than he had before. As Elise knew very well, this wasn¡¯t a scene he wanted to witness. To prevent the situation from deteriorating any further, she finally released Amelia¡¯s wrists. The moment Elise did so, Amelia lost her bnce and toppled heavily onto her dislocated wrists as she had no time to react. The pain made her scream and asrge beads of tears rolled down her cheeks in two thick tracks, washing away most of her makeup, her image as a gentlewoman was utterly destroyed. Biting her lip, she tried her best not to sob in public to preserve thest of her dignity. Finally, under the apaniment of the security guards, both of them were taken to the office of Olive Goodman, the university dean. Because Amelia was in so much pain, a house doctor had to be summoned to reduce the swelling in her wrists before the office could finally regain its peace. The moment Amelia was finally able to lower her wrists, she began to attack Olive. ¡°So, you¡¯re the dean. Is this what Tissote University students are like? How could they assail such a weak, vulnerable woman like me so brutally and savagely? Is this how your students are taught? This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. This is assault. I¡¯m going to take both her and your school to court!¡± While, at first, she hadn¡¯t thought of how to deal with Elise taking her son to court, she now had a solution. Assault was even worse than nder and harassment, and with this upper hand on Elise, she could make life a living hell for the woman, After what she experienced, getting Elise to drop thewsuit wouldn¡¯t be enough. No-Elise was about to find out the consequences of offending the Olson Family! Chapter 358 Chapter 358 Chapter 358 A scornful Elise stared at Amelia. Like Johan and Jeremy, this woman was so good at crying foul when she was the one who came to cause trouble. After a moment of consideration, Elise decided that while she did in fact have no direct quarrel with Amelia, she still had harbored no goodwill for any of Johan and Jeremy¡¯s family members. Very well. If the boys are going to send someone else to fight on their behalf, I might as well deal with all of them in one fell swoop. And so, she opened her mouth only to have Olive speak up first. ¡°Were you the one who assaulted this woman, Elise?¡± No such serious altercations had urred ever since Olive became the Dean of Tissote University. If it was not handled well, this incident would be a stain on her resume. Therefore, it didn¡¯t matter who Elise was and where she came from. Olive would go to any means necessary to resolve things as quickly as possible. ¡°Yes,¡± a calm Elise answered. ¡°So, you¡¯re admitting to provoking a fight on school grounds?¡± Olive pushed her sses up her nose, slightly calming down at the confession. As long as she could get Elise to bear all of the responsibility and make any necessary apologies and reparations for Amelia¡¯s grievances to dissipate, the problem would be resolved on its own. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Despite her poprity in school, Elise didn¡¯te from much of a background. On the other hand, Amelia Olson had appeared on the cover of an entertainment magazine more than once and she was even highly valued by Stanley Olson, the patriarch of Olson Family. As the apple of Stanley¡¯s eye, Amelia only needed to tell someone to jump before they would ask how high. Even though she had overstepped her boundaries somewhat by trespassing on school grounds with her bodyguards, she was ultimately injured. If the situation was not handled in a manner that was satisfactory to her, there was no doubt that the school would be in hot water. For the sake of the bigger picture, Elise would have no choice but to take the loss. After all, she was part of the school; surely she could understand Olive¡¯s difficult position. Unfortunately, Elise would not y along and she only scowled before saying impatiently, ¡°I was defending myself. Everyone at the teaching building saw it, Dean Goodman.¡± The title was bitten out sharply, as if in question of the dean¡¯s intelligence. Of course, that was exactly what Elise meant to do. It was ridiculous to her for a dean not to only refrain from figuring out the truth and protect the students¡¯ interests, but to partner up with an outsider to indiscriminately pressure her. Anyone with a weaker mental constitution would have broken down by now. However, Elise had not. She would not. If anyone was going to break down, it would be Amelia. At this time, when he read the news on the campus forum about Elise being pped, Danny immediately set aside his matters at hand to rush in the direction of the university while calling Alexander at the same time. At this moment, Alexander was in a video conference with his foreign work partners and had his phone ced on silent. Since the call was from Danny, Alexander reflexively set his phone aside forter. Danny waited until the call automatically disconnected before sending a text message to Alexander. ¡®Your wife is being bullied at school! Come ASAP!¡¯ Then, Danny stepped on the elerator and zoomed off in the direction of the school. How dare that woman assault someone from the Griffith Family! Did she not value her life any longer? At a red light, he picked up his cell phone once again to peruse the pictures that were posted to the forum. The more he nced through them, the more he found the showily dressed woman to look familiar. Finally, as the light turned green, he recalled who she was. Wasn¡¯t she Jeremy Olson¡¯s mother? Meanwhile, Alexander carelessly nced at the contents of the text message that had appeared on his cell phone before his gaze darkened. Nevertheless, he kept his expression neutral and appeared to still be focused on what the other party of the video conference said. It was only that below the screen, his long, well-defined fingers grabbed hold of the device and began to type rhythmically against it. Soon enough, Danny received a reply on his side. ¡°An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth? Every syble seemed emphatic. ¡°Very well.¡± After seemingly having immunity now that Alexander had given his permission, Danny floored the elerator and zoomed off with a screech. At first, Olive thought she could have immediately rescued the school¡¯s reputation only to have Elise¡¯s words ruin her effort. Now that she was irritated, she huffed incredulously before ring at Elise with her bulging eyes. ¡°What do you mean by that? Are you calling my abilities into question? Do you think you can criticize the work of whomever you wish simply because you¡¯re good at your studies? Look at what you did to Mrs. Shoal. However smart you might be or however good your grades are, a bad character makes you rotten to the core and means that you¡¯ve utterly failed as a person!¡± Somewhat disdainfully, Elise shrank back. However, it was for no other reason than that Olive was leaning in so close that she was nearly spitting on Elise¡¯s face. When Olive finally finished speaking, Elise seamlessly stepped aside to increase their distance, Then, she pulled a piece of wet wipe from her purse to clean her own face before calmly heading to clean Amelia¡¯s hands. Naturally, Olive was so incensed by the series of actions that she stomped her foot. ¡°Elise Sinir! Now is not the time to be focused on sanitation! I¡¯m teaching you a life lesson. How dare you act like this!¡± A nonchnt Elise finished cleaning Amelia¡¯s hands before folding the piece of wet wipe in half. Then, she lifted her hand with her eyes set on the bin next to the desk. With a toss, the wet wipe arced through the air andnded unerringly inside the bin. Only after withdrawing her hand did an indifferent Elise finally stare at the dean and sneer cynically, ¡°Naturally, I pay attention to my lessons, Dean Goodman, but not everyone is qualified to teach.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that? Are you saying I¡¯m not your teacher if I don¡¯t personally conduct your lessons?¡± a confident Olive snapped with a raised voice. ¡°Let me tell you something, Elise Sinir-As long as you are a student at Tissote University, I have the right to sanction you, but you don¡¯t have the right to tell me what to do. How dare you call my qualifications to teach you into question! Students like you should be exposed to the media!¡± Chapter 359 Chapter 359 Chapter 359 As soon as Olive finished shouting that, Danny barged in, challenging, ¡°Alright, then! Let the reporters see how you teach students!¡± Only now was he skidding to a perfect stop after having raced up the stairs so quickly that he nearly knocked several bystanders over and wrenched the door handle open with his momentum. ¡°Sorry your help arrivedte, Boss!¡± he panted before ring fiercely at Amelia. ¡°I thought we were going to summon some reporters. Why not do it now so that the whole nation can see how you treat delicate female university students, Amelia Olson?¡± With that, Danny pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and unlocked it. Then, he pulled up the recording that he had downloaded from the forum of Elise being pped, and tossed the phone right at Amelia. The corners of Elise¡¯s mouth tugged downward in embarrassment. Delicate?Is he referring to me? Clearing her throat, she turned sideways to remind him, ¡°Don¡¯t go too far.¡± Nheless, Danny only raised an eyebrow at her, as if to indicate for her to wait and watch. Meanwhile, Amelia had reflexively raised her hands to catch the phone, only to scream in pain as it impacted her broken wrists. So weak were her limbs right now that one of the bodyguards had to step forward to help her right the phone. The video was taken from an angle that showed Amelia¡¯s face very clearly and even somewhat untteringly. Used to being fawned over by professional photographers, she was somewhat disdainful of it. However, when she realized the situation that she was in, she immediately instructed the bodyguard, ¡°Delete it! Delete it at once! Break the phone!¡± Understanding her meaning, the bodyguard immediately held his arm aloft, about to drop the phone to the ground. However, Danny chose that moment to point out indifferently, ¡°Break the phone if you must, but this video is already on the school forum. I fear someone has already sold this baby to some reporters in advance, Amelia. Looks like you¡¯ll be trending very soon!¡± At that, Amelia was so incensed that her chest rose and fell rapidly, and she slightly lifted her somewhat less painful left hand to point at Danny¡¯s nose. ¡°What kind of trash are you? Even your mother respects me. How dare you nder me behind my back?¡± With a sneer, he responded, ¡°Apologies, but I¡¯m no trash. I¡¯m a person, and a very handsome one at that. You, on the other hand, should look in a mirror!¡± ¡°Danny Griffith!¡± Amelia roared. ¡°I don¡¯t me you for being bewitched by Elise, but you¡¯d best know your ce. I¡¯m stepping in on your mother¡¯s behalf, so you¡¯d better not interfere!¡± N?velDrama.Org content. Upon hearing that, Danny snorted as he thought, How dare she bring up our family name into this while bullying a member of our family? Throughout his life, he had met many shameless people, but none as shameless as her. After spitting internally at her, Danny opened his mouth to start yelling when a hurried Alexander beat him to the punch. ¡°What are you going to do about it if we interfere?¡± The older sibling asked before calmly walking over to Elise and lifting a hand to cup her p-reddened cheek. With a frown, he asked very gently, ¡°Does it still hurt?¡± Chapter 360 Chapter 360 Coolest Girl in Town Chapter 360 C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. At this moment, Elise shook her head. ¡°I thought you said you had a conference that had been put off for so long that you had to get it done today. Why are you here now?¡± With a sigh, Alexander parted his lips to say with some resignation, ¡°Company affairs are a small matter inparison to your affairs.¡± The answer nearly made goosebumps rise on Danny¡¯s arms. Since when did my brother turn so sappy? And so, he coughed with his fist raised to his lips. Uh¡­ you¡¯re in public. Please watch your image-¡± Immediately, Alexander shot him an icy re, prompting him to mime a zipping movement over his mouth. Following that, Alexander scooped up Elise¡¯s hand before standing shoulder-to shoulder with her and staring emotionlessly at Amelia. ¡°You said my mother instigated you to attack Elise. Do you have any proof?¡± Cowed by his imposing demeanor, Amelia choked on her own words for a moment before stammering, ¡°I-It¡¯s just idle chatter during our normal get-togethers. Who would make a recording of it? I¡¯m helping you discipline your future wife, Alexander. Don¡¯t be so ungrateful!¡± Ignoring thetter half of her statement, Alexander red murderously at her before pressing through his teeth, ¡°That means you have no proof. I¡¯m only going to say this once-apologize to her!¡± Contemptuously, Amelia sneered, ¡°What grounds does a country bumpkin have to get an apology from me?¡± Narrowing his eyes, Alexander told her even more ominously, ¡°On the grounds that she is my fianc¨¦e and the future co-owner of the Griffith Group. Assaulting her is an assault on me. But if you feel that it doesn¡¯t matter whether you offend Griffith Family, then by all means, leave.¡± Though Amelia was terrified by Alexander¡¯s demeanor, she still took the chance to say tentatively, ¡°I am your mother¡¯s best friend. How are you going to answer to her if you harm me?¡± With an unchanging expression, he peered down at her and answered lightly, ¡°Only one member of Griffith Family will have the final say in the future, and that¡¯s me. Unfortunately for you, I¡¯m not a particrly magnanimous person.¡± Chapter 361 Chapter 361 The statement was like a wake-up call to Amelia. Based on Alexander¡¯s capabilities, there was no doubt the power in the Griffith Family would eventually end up in his hands. It meant that even if she could get away with what she did today, her precious son would suffer in the future. After everything that happened recently, the Olson Family n was badly affected. There was no saying whether they would be able to preserve their position in Tissote even after using up half of the resources that they had previously saved. Hence, it would be sheer folly to go up against the Griffith Family now. However ambitious Amelia might be, she was still a mother. What wouldn¡¯t she do for her children? And so, after a long moment of consideration, she swallowed and turned away from the door that she had begun to walk toward. Going up to Elise, she lowered her head and said in a small voice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m to me for what happened today.¡± C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. Her voice was only slightly louder than a mosquito¡¯s hum. Having too much fun to let things go just like that, Danny fanned the mes from the sidelines. ¡°I never knew I would be going deaf at such a young age. Did someone say something?¡± The Olson cousins¡¯ reputation was known so far and wide that there weren¡¯t many rich young people in Tissote who weren¡¯t afraid of them. However, Danny wasn¡¯t one of those people. Not only was he unafraid of them, he even wished the two families would have aplete falling out so that he would have free rein to teach both the cousins and this woman a proper lesson. Whoever touched his people would learn the meaning of death! Already having put up with the humiliation, Amelia couldn¡¯t help cursing him in her heart for saying such a thing before reluctantly repeating more loudly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Sinir. I shouldn¡¯t have hit you. I hope you¡¯ll be gracious and forgive me!¡± That was the most she could do. If they continued to make things difficult for her, then she wouldn¡¯t hesitate to have a fall out with them. At worst, the two families would just fight to the death. Even though both Elise and Alexander could tell what Amelia was thinking, they didn¡¯t expose her. Some people did not know the meaning of fear until they had brought cmity upon themselves. Abruptly, Elise found the enthusiasm to say good-humoredly, ¡°You may leave now.¡± The moment Amelia heard that, she turned and left without a second nce. Unfortunately, what she failed to realize was that although Elise appeared to have spared her, the younger woman actually hadn¡¯t offered a single sentence of forgiveness from start to finish. No, Elise had nted a ticking time bomb instead. Death wasn¡¯t scary¡ªthe scary part was knowing that you were about to die but not knowing when. It seemed like the Olson Family n had really brought trouble upon themselves now. Chapter 362 Chapter 362 After stepping out of the office with Danny and Alexander, Elise did not return to ss. Being a discerning man who had no wish for bing a third wheel, Danny found an excuse to leave. ¡°Well, since everything has been resolved, I should go. I need to prepare for the SK Group¡¯s assessment.¡± ¡°The SK Group?¡± Elise asked with a rare look of interest on her face. ¡°Yup.¡± Danny nodded before borating with considerable pride, ¡°You know the FBI? The SK Group is something like that, but with a broader scope of business. Basically, as long as you have a request, they should be able to get it done for you. Previously, they were active on the dark web, but this is the first year that they¡¯re openly recruiting members. All of the powerful families in Tissote have their eye on it.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Elise¡¯s reaction was rather indifferent. All of a sudden, Danny got the impression that he was speaking to a brick wall. At first, he thought she was familiar with the SK Group because she had an identity as a hacker, but it seemed even she had domains that she was unfamiliar with. Still, she doesn¡¯t have to react so indifferently, does she? For a moment, he was at a loss. After spending so long with Alexander, Elise seemed to have be much more taciturn, giving Danny the impression that she was no longer as approachable as she used to be. Thankfully, his phone chimed at that moment, rescuing him from the awkwardness. After pulling out the phone and reading the notification on it, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll borate some other time. They¡¯re hounding me now. I¡¯ll see youter.¡± ¡°Go on, then,¡± Alexander said mildly. On the way back to Elise¡¯s dormitory, the couple ran into Miller and Addison, who looked like they were in a hurry. ¡°Are you okay, Elise?¡± Addison panted, breathing somewhat unevenly as she bent over and clutched at her waist. Immediately after Elise was taken away, she rushed off to find Miller. Ever since their first meeting, she had considered Miller to be virtually undefeatable. As far as she was concerned, Elise wouldn¡¯t suffer any losses even with the presence of two additional bodyguards as long as Miller was there. On the other hand, Miller didn¡¯t show any drastic reactions, since she could tell from the way Alexander was shielding Elise that she had arrived toote. Shrugging her shoulders, she exined, ¡°I couldn¡¯t make it here earlier. The academic buildings for the Humanities Faculty and the Mathematics Faculty are too far apart. Perhaps I should sneak into the Mathematics sses from now on?¡± At the end of the day, Miller was someone Alexander was forced to use his connections to get into Tissote University. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Even though he managed to get her transferred to the same dormitory as Elise, the Mathematics Faculty was Tissote University¡¯s top-performing college. Apart from having shes of brilliance while collecting money from others, Miller¡¯s foundation in mathematics was so atrocious that she not only failed to meet the minimum requirements for admission, she didn¡¯t even perform well enough for her results to be faked. And so, she could only be assigned to the Humanities Faculty, which had the lowest requirements for admission. Although Miller¡¯s question was directed at Alexander, Elise didn¡¯t seem to mind as shemented, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I didn¡¯t suffer any losses, anyway.¡± ¡°I think you should,¡± Alexander said at the same time before realizing that his opinion differed from Elise¡¯s. After sharing a nce with her, they came to a tacit agreement. ncing from Elise to Alexander, Miller remarked carelessly, ¡°That¡¯s settled, then. I¡¯ll attend the Mathematics Faculty sses from now on. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m here to study, anyway.¡± With great incredulity, Addison stared at the trio. Chapter 363 Chapter 363 Worried about leaving the two elderly people at home alone since Jeanie was staying overnight, Elise decided not to remain at the dormitory that night. On the way home, she remembered what Danny had said, so she suddenly asked, ¡°Does the Griffith Family really require the $K Group¡¯s power?¡± ¡°Not really. That organization operates on the fringes of thew and isn¡¯t easily controlled. It¡¯s just that other families are vying for it as well, and we¡¯d be at a loss if we didn¡¯t catch up¡± Alexander answered casually, more focused on driving. ¡°I see.So, it¡¯s in high demand simply because many people are vying for it.¡± She turned her head to look at him. ¡°And you? Are you intending to ally with them?¡± With a mild chuckle, he answered, ¡°I don¡¯t really wish to.¡± After a pause, he borated, ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m so against it, either; in fact, as long as the SK Group ignores all of the families, the fuss will die off very quickly.¡± ¡°They sound like a sh*t stirrer based on how you¡¯re talking about them,¡± she teased. Alexander chuckled deeply in response. ¡°If they heard you say that through a wiretap, we would be in big trouble.¡± ¡°They wouldn¡¯t dare,¡± she responded without boration. Somewhat surprised by Elise¡¯s reply, Alexander studied her casually through the rearview mirror, but she had already turned her head away, obviously having no intention to exin herself. So, he dropped the topic. Meanwhile, ever since leaving the police station, Madeline had been acting soullessly. Her mind kept reying the words that Elise and Alexander had said to her before they left. Even when Adam set her lunch out in front of her, she didn¡¯t respond. ¡°Are you okay? You¡¯ve been acting strangely ever since we returned this afternoon.¡± He finally put down his fork, intending to have a good talk with her. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she replied absent-mindedly. To Madeline, Adam had never paid much attention to the family¡¯s activities, so there was no point in discussing her concerns with him now. Not intending to drop the topic, he opened his mouth, about to say something when her cell phone rang. Without looking at the caller ID, she put the phone to her ear. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me, Mrs. Griffith. Do you have time to talk?¡± Upon hearing Amelia¡¯s voice, Madeline spared her husband a single nce before standing up and taking the phone call out on the balcony. Only after sliding the ss door shut did she say more loudly, ¡°We can speak freely now, Madam Olson.¡± ¡°In that case, I won¡¯t beat around the bush. I¡¯m sure you know what happened between my son and your future daughter-inw. You should know why I¡¯m seeking you out.¡± Amelia¡¯s tone was calm and not the least bit beseeching. After a lifetime of being put on a pedestal, she had her nose in the air; it was difficult for her to learn how to humble herself. However, while Madeline did not care much about that, she was momentarily at a loss for how to respond to something concerning Elise and Alexander. Noticing Madeline¡¯sck of a reaction, Amelia continued to speak to her own interests. ¡°Young people are arrogant; it¡¯s very normal for them to get into shes. That being said, we can¡¯t conduct our affairs based on what¡¯s happening right in front of our faces alone. Given that both the Olson and Griffith Family are famed and respected ns in Tissote, we¡¯re bound to have interactions again in the future. Wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°I understand. It¡¯s simply that¡­¡± In all honesty, Madeline wasn¡¯t even sure if she could call the shots on Alexander¡¯s behalf, let alone Elise¡¯s. ¡°Mrs. Griffith!¡± Hearing the hesitation in her voice, Amelia immediately hardened her attitude. ¡°Jeremy and Johan are responsible for the future prosperity of the Olson Family n. If anything happens to them, I dare not guarantee that no one else within my family would take drastic action. By that point, the situation will have deteriorated beyond our control!¡± Miserably, Madeline fell silent as she knew that Amelia was correct. The Olson Family n hadn¡¯t had a good reputation in Tissote in recent years. There were no lengths to which they wouldn¡¯t go and if the Griffiths forced them into a corner, they would have no choice but to retaliate, Ultimately, it was better to have one more friend than one more enemy. After yet another moment of silence, Madeline finally threw caution to the wind and said into the phone, ¡°I¡¯ll try, but I can¡¯t make any guarantees. Also, Mrs. Shoal, don¡¯t think this is because the Griffiths are afraid of the Olson Family n. If anything, I¡¯m merely humoring you!¡± With that, Madeline hung up. C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. At the end of the day, she was still the only mistress of the Griffith Family. She wasn¡¯t going to let anyone intimidate her just like that. Nevertheless, setting her anger aside, she opened up her contacts and located a number with a gray avatar next to it. And then, she made a call to the number. Very quickly, the call connected. Without making any small talk, she got straight to the point. ¡°Where is he?¡± Only after going to the supermarket and buying a ton of ingredients did Elise and Alexander return home. After dropping Elise off at the door, Alexander headed back to work. As she started preparing lunch, Jeanie entered the kitchen to help. However, used to being pampered and waited on regardless of her state of mind, there wasn¡¯t much Jeanie could do but rinse the vegetables. d to see Elise, she began to start up some idle chatter. ¡°In today¡¯s world, there aren¡¯t many young women left like you who would make both a wonderful homemaker and a fantastic conversationalist at a dinner party, Miss Sinir.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case. There are many such women in the world,¡± Elise answered carelessly. ¡°It¡¯s simply that you haven¡¯t met them yet.¡± ¡°That might be true.¡± Jeanie nodded before sighing wistfully. ¡°I have, indeed, not left the house or experienced the outside world in a long time.¡± Coming to the abrupt realization that she had misspoken, Elise paused in the midst of cutting up the vegetables tofort sympathetically, ¡°You¡¯re young yet. There¡¯s no rush.¡± Upon hearing that, Jeanie muttered pessimistically, ¡°I fear I won¡¯t live to see that day as long as my daughter is still around.¡± Inexplicably, Elise felt a dull ache in her chest, as if she could sense Jeanie¡¯s pain. And so, she put down her knife and lifted her head to meet Jeanie¡¯s gaze in earnest. Solemnly, she told Jeanie, ¡°I can help you. As long as you speak up, I can help you clean it all up.¡± The sudden goodwill took Jeanie aback but when she recalled what Faye could do, she furrowed her brow. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ve put you on the spot enough these few days, and I don¡¯t wish to cause Sinir Family any trouble by involving you in my family affairs.¡± BA ¡°But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s any trouble,¡± Elise told her earnestly. ¡°I¡¯m only doing what I want to.¡± Indeed, Elise never looked into things too deeply and only followed her heart. If she wanted Jeanie to stay, she would allow it; if she wanted to help Jeanie, Jeanie only needed to speak up. Elise¡¯s only precondition was that it was what the other party needed. To the best of her ability, Elise tried to look as genuine and sincere as possible to Jeanie so that the other woman would know she could be trusted. Meanwhile, a voice in Jeanie¡¯s head told her Elise could be relied upon. On the other hand, another voice told Jeanie that Elise was too good to be hurt. The former simply would not drag the young woman into the bottomless hellhole that was the Anderson Family. And so, after the momentary stand-off, Jeanie finally glossed over the topic with augh. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this any longer. We¡¯d better get moving. Starving must be the worst fate for an old person!¡± It was her subtle way of declining the offer. Understanding Jeanie¡¯s meaning, Elise could only drop the topic. Lowering her head, she picked up the knife and continued prepping for lunch. It was only that, in the time following that, they each had a load on their mind now and could no longer chatter as cordially as they had before. Chapter 364 Chapter 364 In the winter, Tissote¡¯s skies grew dark rather early. By 6.00 PM, the lights in the living room had to be turned on. For tonight¡¯s dinner, Elise had prepared some food to be shared with the others at the dinner table. Even though the dishes were nothing but ordinary home-cooked food, they were fragrant and colorful. As Jeanie sat down at the dinner table, she nearly drooled. ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll be having more servings than usual tonight.¡± Robin chuckled warmly in response. ¡°Good, good. Don¡¯t be a stranger. Make yourself at home.¡± ¡°Of course I will. I haven¡¯t experienced such a homey atmosphere in a long time.¡± All of a sudden, Jeanies throat itched. When she recalled Bertha staying all alone at the Anderson Residence, she couldn¡¯t help sniffling with her head lowered. Since the rest of them knew what Jeanie had been through, they could only watch on sympathetically without saying anything. Realizing that she had brought the mood down, Jeanie hurried to tuck her feelings away and commented, ¡°Ah-look at me misspeaking again. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Let¡¯s drop the issue and start eating. We can¡¯t let Elise down!¡± ¡°Indeed! One can¡¯t function on an empty stomach. Once you¡¯ve eaten, you¡¯ll find the strength to go up against anything!¡± Laura hurried to add. And so, the atmosphere dissolved into harmony once more, with both food andughter being shared around the dinner table. It wasn¡¯t until the sound of high heels clicking against the ground that the sound ofughter abruptly stopped. Standing on the stone step of the open doorway was Madeline, staring at the full dinner table in confusion and feeling an indescribable sense of pressure. Although Elise had long stopped feeling any goodwill toward Madeline, she was ultimately Alexander¡¯s mother, and it didn¡¯t seem appropriate to send her away when she hade all the way there. So, left with no other choice, Elise could only stand up and wee her in. After a round of introductions and an extra ce setting, everyone at the table considered themselves acquainted. Despite not being very approving of Elise and Alexander¡¯s rtionship, Robin treated Madeline as courteously and thoughtfully as he would any other guest. Knowing that Elise¡¯s parents had both passed away and that Laura and Robin had only each other to rely on, Madeline imagined the elderly couple was eager to facilitate Elise and Alexander¡¯s marriage. Thus, using that as leverage, she began to approach the topic in a roundabout way. **Truthfully, I quite like Elise, but she¡¯s still young enough to be impulsive and incapable of looking at the broader picture. I think she still needs to be disciplined by her elders.¡± Having no appetite for the home-cooked food, Madeline spooned herself a perfunctory few spoons of food. Laura and Robin¡¯s expressions sank when they heard that. Surely Madeline hadn¡¯te to them so that she could criticize their precious granddaughter? Even Jeanie found the woman¡¯s remarks to be amiss, so shemented blindly, ¡°Ah -children have their own opinions these days. The times are different now. There¡¯s nothing we as elders can do but put up with it. Now, Mrs. Griffith, try some of these prawns. Elise made them herself. They¡¯re quite good!¡± With that, Jeanie ced a prawn on Madeline¡¯s te using her own fork. Eyeing the fork that had previously been in Jeanie¡¯s mouth with distaste, Madeline frowned and shoved the te away. This is what the lower sses are like-even with so many people crammed around a tiny, rickety dining table for dinner, they fail to consider the virtues of a serving utensil. Naturally, everyone at the dining table took Madeline¡¯s naked disdain to heart. Even the usually good- tempered Jeanie couldn¡¯t help showing a sliver of unhappiness. Is this Elise¡¯s future mother-inw¡¯Surely she¡¯s too difficult to get along with. Won¡¯t Elise suffer if she marries into that family in the future? This won¡¯t do! And so, Jeanic made up her mind to talk Elise into reconsidering the marriage. After all, it involved not only Elise but two families as well. A wrongful marriage would very well be cause for lifelong regret! On the other hand, Robin did not have as much patience and only pped his fork down onto the table with a clink before growling, ¡°I suggest you be blunt, Mrs. Griffith. I¡¯m sure us country folkck the social finesse that you possess and would fait to grasp what you were getting at. I would hate for you to have wasted all this effort ining here.¡± Any discerning person would be able to tell that he was livid. However, always having considered herself to be above others, Madeline didn¡¯t take his reaction to heart and only fixed her expression before starting haughtily, as if he genuinely hadn¡¯t understood, ¡°Allow me to be clearer, then.¡± She paused and nced at Elise, ¡°The person you got into a dispute with today is a member of one of heir family has always Tissote¡¯s most powerful ns-the Olson Family n. Now, their family been on good terms with the Griffiths and our two families have many involved interests. A fall out would bring about unimaginable consequences. What I mean to say is that you should be the bigger person and let the two Olson kids go so that you can save both our families a great deal of embarrassment. What do you think?¡± **Kids?¡± Elise mocked with a smirk. ¡°Are you sure a kid would do what they did?¡± Startled by the coldness in her gaze, Madeline was momentarily cowed before she could resume her overbearing demeanor. ¡°At any rate, since you¡¯re to be the Griffith Family¡¯s daughter-inw, you¡¯ll have to put the interests of the Griffiths first. Don¡¯t forget-you¡¯re Alexander¡¯s fianc¨¦e. Everyone will remember your impulsive actions as the actions of the Griffith Family. Surely you don¡¯t need the entire family to clean up after you?¡± Smash! As soon as she finished speaking, Robin swept his hand out, knocking his ss to the ground and causing his drink to spill in a puddle. ¡°Forget about the marriage, then!¡± he shouted From the very beginning, the Sinirs had found the Griffith Family¡¯s rtionships to be tooplicated, anyway. They never wanted Elise to be in too much contact with Alexander, especially not after what happened with Matthew. Yet, Elise always talked about how good Alexander was and how unique the Griffith Family had to be to get to the point that they were at today. It was only for that reason that Robin and his wife hadn¡¯t forced the two to separate. Based on Madeline¡¯s attitude today, however, he made up his mind that no matter what they were talking about or whether Elise was in the wrong or right, the engagement between the Sinir Family and Griffith Family would never continue. The apple of their eye was not to be subjected to humiliation by the Griffiths just like that! On the other end, Alexander reached his workce and was about to get out of his car when he suddenly noticed through his rearview mirror a very suspicious figure lurking around the corner of an alleyway. Acting like he hadn¡¯t noticed it, he got out of the car and went into the caf¨¦ across the street. Using the wall and the waitstaff as his cover, he hid himself behind a ss wall where he could observe the other party. Sure enough, the other party followed him inside very quickly and stood at the door, searching furtively for him. Averting his gaze, Alexander left his hiding ce and boldly walked through the crowd in the direction of the shop¡¯s back door. Finally, around the bend of the alleyway where the coffee shop¡¯s back door led, he shoved his pursuer up against the wall. ¡°Tell me who sent you.¡± ¡°No one. I¡¯m a reporter. I have the right to take pictures and ess public ces. Surely you¡¯re being over-sensitive, President Griffith!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± A rising tone was the only warning the man received before Alexander exerted pressure and caused the reporter¡¯s left wrist to dislocate. ¡°Ow!¡± the man shouted in pain. Calmly, Alexander reached for the man¡¯s uninjured hand. ¡°Now for this side¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll talk! I¡¯ll talk!¡± The man whimpered before admitting in a quavering voice, ¡°Mrs. Griffith sent me. She wanted me to keep tabs on you at all times. I¡¯m only doing this for the money. If you¡¯re going to me anyone, me your mother!¡± Chapter 365 Chapter 365 The moment Alexander rushed to the Sinir Residence, he could feel that there was something wrong, especially with Robin. In the past, the elderly man was always polite toward him but today, his eyes were clearly giving out a signal that he couldn¡¯t wait to kick Alexander out of the house. Meanwhile, Madeline didn¡¯t know what was going on behind her. However, her expression instantly darkened when she saw that Robin was disrespecting the Griffith Family. In a cynical tone, she sneered, ¡°Everyone can make fake promises, but can they really fulfill that promise? Why don¡¯t you ask your granddaughter if she can stay away from my son? Since we are going to be a family, what¡¯s wrong with getting used to it in advance?¡± Madeline paused for a moment and squinted her eyes to look at Robin¡¯s reaction. Seeing that he was speechless, she sinirked and continued with her ridiculous speech. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m not asking Elise to commit any murderous acts, l¡¯un just asking her to be merciful and forgive those two boys in the Olson Family n, This is something that¡¯ll make everyone happy, not to mention that Elise has nothing to lose by doing so, so I don¡¯t understand why it can¡¯t be done. Elise, are you saying, that you are not satisfied with me as your future mother-inw, so you¡¯re deliberately confronting me? Is that what you want?¡± Throughout herments, Madeline nced at Elise from time to time to apply more pressure onto her. After listening to what she had to say, Robin could no longer suppress the anger inside of him. ¡°That is enough, Mrs. Griffith!¡± His voice was so loud that even Alexander, who was standing at the door, could hear his every rage. ¡°My granddaughter doesn¡¯t need the Griffith Family to gain a higher status. Instead, you should be grateful that she chose to marry into your family. She isn¡¯t an item for you to sacrifice for your own personal gain. The Griffith Family isn¡¯t that worthy for our Elise to put aside her principles and submit to all of you!¡± There seemed to be a raging me burning in Robin¡¯s eyes as his chest began to puff out angrily. However, Madeline seemed to think that his words were a big joke, so she chuckled. ¡°Are you saying that my son isn¡¯t worthy of your daughter? That is the funniest joke I¡¯ve ever heard! You¡ª¡± ¡°Enough!¡± Before she could finish her sentence, Alexander interrupted her as he couldn¡¯t stand listening to her. Hearing his voice, Madeline felt a shiver down her spine. As she slowly turned her head, she could see his gloomy face approaching her. ¡°Alexander, why are you¡ª¡± she mumbled while standing up. ¡°Are you about to ask why I am suddenly here?¡± He stood still in front of her with a chilling expression that would terrify anyone. ¡°Not only did you ask someone to follow me, you even found someone to look into me. Are you really that desperate to control my life? Am I your son or a puppet for you to control?¡± C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. ¡°How could you speak to your mother like this?¡± Alexander¡¯s re was so frightening that Madeline didn¡¯t dare to look him straight in the eye, so she kept on avoiding his gaze. ¡°You know that I love you the most. I asked someone to follow you because I was worried about your safety. You should know that Matthew¡ª¡± Alexander didn¡¯t give her a chance to finish her words as he thundered, ¡°Enough! I don¡¯t want to hear about it anymore.¡± With eyes as cold as ice, he uttered coldly, ¡°Mom, this is myst warning to you. Elise is my limit, and no one can change it. From now on, I don¡¯t want you to meet her again without my presence. Even if you two meet each other, I will still stand by her side if there¡¯s any conflict. I don¡¯t want to make you sad, but if you intend to hurt the person I love, then I have no other choice.¡± ¡°W-What are you saying?¡± Madeline was so startled by her son¡¯s words that she couldn¡¯t react to it in time. ¡°Are you really going to cut ties with your own mother just for her?¡± He straightened his back and uttered every word firmly. ¡°If it¡¯s necessary, then yes.¡± At this point, Madeline couldn¡¯t believe the words that just came out of his mouth. I was only asking a favor from Elise, but he is now willing to cut ties with me? Doesn¡¯t he know that he is my son?! Why is he so sure that he¡¯ll stand by that woman¡¯s side forever? She felt an ache inside her heart while the rage and shame drove herpletely insane. ¡°Fine! If you want to cut ties with me, I¡¯ll allow it! From today onward, you are no longer my son! You¡ª¡±She paused for a moment while pointing at Alexander before turning toward Elise. ¡°And you! Since you don¡¯t have any respect for the Girffith Family and are not willing to make any sacrifices, let me see how determined you are. Tomorrow, I want you to publish a statement in the newspapers and disassociate yourselves from the Griffith Family!¡± Alexander narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°Are you sure you want to go down this road?¡± Everyone knew that the Griffiths had a morous reputation, but they themselves knew clearly that after what happened with Matthew, the family was now riddled with problems. If Alexander actually decided to leave the family, it would certainly cause a huge mess. However, Madeline was now filled with anger, so she didn¡¯t think about it carefully as she yed along. ¡°Show me to what extent you are willing to sacrifice for her!¡± And so, Alexander took a deep breath and uttered, ¡°As you wish.¡± Then, he gave Cameron a call in front of Madeline. ¡°Go and contact all the reporters we are familiar with. I want them to send out a statement tomorrow that I¡¯m disassociating myself from the Griffith Family.¡± ¡°What?¡± Cameron was stunned. ¡°Come again, President Griffith? Do you really want to disassociate yourself from the Griffith Family?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to repeat myself.¡± With that, Alexander hung up. Listening to the call, Madeline was so frustrated that her face turned red. ¡°Fine! I¡¯m d that I¡¯ve raised such a wonderful son!¡± However, Alexander stared at her emotionlessly, as if none of this had anything to do with him. Truth was, Madeline knew her son well enough to know that she would never receive any reaction from him so in the heat of the moment, she simply directed her anger toward Robin and Laura. ¡°I see now, Old Master Sinir. This is the granddaughter that you two have raised. Look at how well she has manipted my son to turn against me. He used to respect me, but look at what he has be now! Are you finally satisfied?¡± she roared before turning toward Laura. ¡°Old Mrs. Sinir, we are both women, so I understand that taking care of our husband and children is our responsibility. We don¡¯t have a say in our husbands¡¯ nature, but we are deeply responsible for what our children be in the future. I know that I shouldn¡¯t say this, but seeing how unreasonable Elise has be, don¡¯t you think that outsiders will look at you differently from now on since you are the one who raised her?¡± ¡°Y-You-¡± Laura had been friendly to everyone all her life, so she had never been mocked in this way. At that moment, she couldn¡¯t catch her breath and she held her chest as she fell backward. Fortunately, Robin was quick enough to hold her, Elise also instantly got up from her chair to support her from behind. ¡°Grandma? Grandma!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll call an ambnce right away.¡± Alexander quickly reacted to the situation. However, Madeline was still gloating on the sidelines, ¡°Look at the lot of you! If you can¡¯t handle this kind of pressure, I can¡¯t imagine what will happen when you actually be the inws of the Griffith Family. You are just a house of old and fragile people. How dare you say that you are not using us to elevate your status!¡± Suddenly, Jeanie, who had been quiet the whole time, mmed her hand on the table and shouted, ¡°You cruel woman! Can¡¯t you see that Old Mrs. Sinir is in trouble? How dare you keep spouting nonsense? You¡¯re right. Elise is indeed not suitable for the Griffiths because I¡¯m afraid that she¡¯ll be influenced by people like you and be a scum in the future!¡± Chapter 366 Chapter 366 ¡°Who are you? What right do you have to stick your nose into other people¡¯s business?¡± Madeline was powerless in front of Alexander, but she was never afraid of outsiders. ¡°I¡¯m not qualified to say anything, but at least I know how to be nice to other people. If you want others to do something for you, you must first look at what you have done to others rather than controlling other people¡¯s lives just because you think you are superior.¡± It was rare for Jeanie to have a clear mind and she didn¡¯t n to stop her mouth now. ¡°People usually see themselves in other people. If you¡¯re saying that Elise is plotting something against the Griffith Family, does that mean your initial family was more powerful before you married into the Griffiths?¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± After Madeline¡¯s true intentions were exposed, she was left speechless, so she put on a disdainful look as if she was too noble to argue with her. ¡°Barbarians! You are all barbarians! The truth is there for everyone to see, so I won¡¯t waste my time arguing with you!¡± ¡°Enough!¡± Elise shouted while holding Laura in her arms. ¡°Alexander, you better take your mother away; otherwise, I can¡¯t promise what will happen to her!¡± A dark aura seemed to have enveloped her entire body. Robin and Laura were her absolute limit, so she would never allow someone else to hurt them no matter who they were. At the moment, Elise looked like a cold and lonely demon that just crawled out of hell, and it was a side of her that Alexander had never seen before. At that point, he began to feel anxious as he knew that if he didn¡¯t do anything quickly, he would no longer be able to enter Elise¡¯s heart. Without any hesitation, he grabbed Madeline¡¯s wrist and dragged her out forcefully. The Griffith Family¡¯s car was parked at the entrance, so he immediately shoved his mother inside and mmed the door shut. ¡°Send her back home.¡± After giving the driver his order, Alexander turned around and ran back into the Sinir Residence. Madeline didn¡¯t even have the chance to call out to him, only feeling a sense of loneliness inside her heart. Sighing, she took out her phone and called Amelia. *Mrs. Shoal, I¡¯m afraid that I can¡¯t help you.¡± ¡°What are you saying, Mrs. Griffith? Don¡¯t tell me that you can¡¯t even help me out on this? Or are you deliberately making excuses to stall me?¡± Amelia sneered. ¡°Mrs. Shoal, how could you say that?¡± Madeline didn¡¯t expect Amelia to bite back at her, and she was rather infuriated. ¡°Do you know that I had a big fight with my son because of you? How could you suspect that I¡¯m stalling you? If I wanted to find an excuse, I wouldn¡¯t havee here to be yelled at by everyone!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested in you and your son. I only have one thing to say-if anyone dares to touch my son, I won¡¯t hesitate to give my own life to protect him! Mrs. Griffith, I hope you know what you are doing!¡± ¡°Hey¡± Before Madeline could speak, the call ended. Upon seeing that, she angrily threw her phone aside. I knew I shouldn¡¯t have helped her. Now, I¡¯ve been put in a difficult position! When Alexander rushed back into the Sinir Residence, Laura was in a very bad condition. When he left earlier, she could barely open her eyes but now, her breathing was weak and she looked like she was fading away. Elise, on the other hand, was holding onto her grandmother tightly, as if she was a little kid who was afraid to let go of her precious toy. Looking at the situation, Alexander felt an ache inside his heart, and he felt it hard to catch his breath Then, his phone rang. ¡°Hello, did you call an ambnce to the Sinir Residence? There¡¯s a problem. We are blocked by a traffic ident at a nearby intersection and can¡¯t get through for the time being. See if you can find a way to move the patient out!¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Alexander quickly hung up and stepped forward to carry Laura out of the house. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± Elise suddenly reached out to grab his wrist with a frightening force. ¡°She can¡¯t stand any bumps for now!¡± Just as Alexander approached her, Elise seemed toe to her senses and her pretty eyes shed with a sharp light. The very next second, she entrusted Laura to Jeanie and rushed into her bedroom. When she came back, she had a set of needles in her hands. Elise thenid out the silver needles on the coffee table and turned toward Alexander. ¡°Help me move Grandma here. Be careful.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± He nodded his head, his expression dark. With a few helping hands, they finally helped Laura to lie t on the couch, unharmed Then, Elise skillfully picked out some of the thinnest silver needles on the coffee table before sticking them into Laura¡¯s head and hand. As soon as she stuck in thest needle, Laura immediately took a deep breath before her eyes gradually opened. Her cloudy eyes looked stunned for a moment as she turned her head aside to look at everyone. ¡°What happened to me?¡± Looking at her, Elise breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°You¡¯re fine, Grandma. We¡¯ll go to the hospitalter on to do a detailed check-up.¡± I¡¯ve always kept a close eye on Grandma¡¯s lifestyle so logically, she should be strong enough to endure the anger thates with Madeline¡¯s words. It was then that Elise suspected that something else was wrong with Laura, but the former couldn¡¯t detect it with just the silver needles and her pulse. Finally, the ambnce arrived at the scene 20 minutester. Robin was still worried, so he followed in the ambnce while Alexander drove Elise and Jeanie, following closely behind. Originally, they wanted to send Laura to a nearby clinic but since she was now in a better condition, Alexander made the decision to send her to the best hospital in Tissote. The attending doctor was Thomas Davis, a long time friend of Alexander¡¯s. After the inspection, Elise and Alexander were both called into his office. ¡°Old Mrs. Sinir¡¯s situation is a bitplicated.¡± Thomas sat at his desk while looking at the report in his hands repeatedly with a tense expression. ¡°Just tell us what¡¯s wrong,¡± Elise uttered calmly. For some reason, Alexander felt that she was acting very abnormally. Therefore, he instinctively reached out to hold her hand. The moment he touched her, he couldn¡¯t help but suck in a breath. Her hand is so cold and it seems to being from her very blood. At some point, Elise no longer had any temperature. Seeing how calm she was, Thomas put down the report in his hands and looked at her seriously, his expressionplicated. ¡°We detected a chronic toxin in Old Mrs. Sinir¡¯s body.¡± ¡°She was poisoned?¡± Elise unconsciously clenched her fists tightly so Alexander did the same, engulfing her entire fist. ¡°Yes.¡± Thomas nodded. ¡°The toxin is tasteless. At first, the patient will not have any adverse reaction when it enters the body but when it umtes over time, the patient¡¯s organs will fail rapidly once the attack urs.¡± A momentter, he spoke in a somewhat apologetic tone. ¡°Old Mrs. Sinir only has six months left at most.¡± Immediately, Elise took a big gulp while her eyes turned red. N?velDrama.Org content. As her body trembled uncontrobly, she clenched her fists so hard that her nails almost embedded in her flesh. Alexander felt the unusual movement in his palm, so he quickly released his hand and saw her hurting herself. ¡°Elise.¡± He held both her hands in his palms and spoke in an almost pleading tone. ¡°Please calm down. I beg you. Stop torturing yourself!¡± Chapter 367 Chapter 367 Elise did not give any response. Instead, two hot tears escaped her eyes and fell on Alexander¡¯s hand. It felt so hot that his heart skipped a beat. The person before him seemed to have lost her soul. I have to find her! he thought. Panicked, Alexander had no choice but to stimte her using another method. ¡°If you don¡¯t pull yourself together, who will help you to search for the person who harmed Grandma? Elise, both Grandma and Grandpa need you. You can¡¯t afford to copse at this moment!¡± The next instant, Elise¡¯s soulless eyes regained focus and she released both her hands. He¡¯s right. I haven¡¯t taken revenge on the person who harmed Grandma, so I can¡¯t afford to lose my sense now. Since it¡¯s poison, there must be an antidote or a cure. I will save Grandma¡¯s life even if I have to turn the world upside down. Returning to her senses, Elise took a deep breath. Her eyes were not as tender and watery as before; right now, they were sharp and full of determination, and most would not dare to meet her gaze. Meanwhile, Alexander felt relieved that Elise was back to her usual self and he asked, ¡°Dr. Davis, is there any cure?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t be sure right now. We have to conduct further tests and do some checkups, but we can try some powerful drugs. The effect will depend on its clinical manifestation.¡± Thomas Davis had encountered plenty ofplicated conditions having been a doctor all these years, but he had never seen any symptoms like what Laura was showing at the moment. Hence, even he himself was not confident that he could treat the patient. ¡°I understand.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the treatment to you, but I would like my grandmother to receive supplementary traditional medical treatment as well simple acupuncture treatment, to be exact. I suppose that won¡¯t affect your treatment, will it?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Thomas shook his head. ¡°I happen to know a professor from the Institute of Traditional Medicine. I¡¯ll invite him over and we will have a joint consultation. I believe that we will receive some good news soon.¡± However, Elise rejected his kind offer and she murmured, ¡°No, thank you. I don¡¯t feelfortable leaving this to others. I¡¯ll handle the traditional medicinal treatment myself.¡± Thomas was stunned to hear that. Although he knew Elise was not insulting him, he was still astonished by the confidence that this youngdy radiated. ¡°It¡¯s great to hear that you can perform acupuncture, Miss Sinir.¡± Thomas nodded, but after a brief hesitation, he tactfully reminded, ¡°However, traditional medicine is a vast and profound subject. You have to be skillful in it in order to use it in clinical treatment. Old Mrs. Sinir¡¯s condition doesn¡¯t allow any ws.¡± To him, Elise was a youngdy who, at the very most, was able to maintain herposure during critical times. Perhaps she was passionate about acupuncture, but she stillcked reverence toward diagnosis and treatment of illnesses. A patient¡¯s life was not something one should joke about, so utilizing half-baked skills in treatment was akin to murder. ¡°Dr. Davis, I respect your opinion and I have faith in your expertise, but you missed the fact that no one knows my grandma¡¯s condition better than I.¡± With that, she rose up and left the office. Looking at her walking away in confidence, Thomas felt inexplicably frustrated. He was the youngest attending physician in Tisotte. Countless patients and their family members scrambled to have him treat them and their loved ones; even the rich treated him with respect and did not dare to raise their voices before him. However, thisdy named Elise Sinir made him feel as if he was a quack doctor who cheated people out of their money, a nobody who no one could recognize when he was out and about, or someone who didn¡¯t deserve any attention or respect. ¡°Is she the fianc¨¦e that you chose?¡± Thomas raised his left brow, a depressed look on his face. ¡°I must say, she has quite the personality.¡± Alexander patted him on his shoulder. ¡°Her grandmother is one of the two family members that she has left. Please try to understand that.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no use even if I understand that. Didn¡¯t you hear what she said? She said that she wants to treat the olddy herself. That¡¯splete nonsense!¡± It wasn¡¯t a false usation. Truth was, none of the professors from the Institute of Traditional Medicine dared to announce to the public that they were proficient in Traditional Medicine before their hair turned white. A girl at Elise¡¯s age would only be a beginner in the field, yet she was going to practice her skills on a patient whose life was at stake. Although they were a family, as a doctor, Thomas couldn¡¯t allow such an unprofessional thing to happen under his watch. Alexander calmly cast him a nce before looking toward the door. With narrowed eyes, he exined, ¡°Before Old Mrs. Sinir was sent to the hospital, she passed out once and it was Elise¡¯s acupuncture that saved her life.¡± ¡°She passed out once?¡± As Thomas wasn¡¯t informed about that, he had aplex look in his gaze when he heard Alexander¡¯s exnation. Just as he had mentioned, Laura¡¯s first episode was the most critical one. She would have lost her life if something had gone wrong. If the truth was indeed like what Alexander had said, whereby Elise had saved her life, it meant that Thomas had definitely underestimated her. However, Alexander didn¡¯t respond. After a moment of silence, he left and went after Elise. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. At the entrance of the ward, Elise sat on her own on the bench in the hallway. She looked to the front with empty eyes and nobody could tell what she was thinking. The next second, her phone beeped. It was a notification about a deposit into her bank ount. ¡°10,000,000 has been deposited into your ount ending with the number 2138. Your current bnce is¡­¡± She lowered her head and nced at it, a strong murderous intent shing across her eyes. 10,000,000. In Tisotte, where every square meter counted, the amount of money couldn¡¯t even afford a decent office building, The Olson Family n is treating me like a beggar, huh? Great! I¡¯ve given them an opportunity, so it¡¯s not my fault that they refused to take it. Alexander, who saw her from afar, felt distressed. A girl, who had been as gentle as water, had be like this; she was now so cold hearted that she had a hard time warming herself to others. If he had been able to make a firm choice when it came to choosing between his mother and Elise sooner, things might not havee to this point. Alexander resented himself for the countless times when he had hesitated. This was why at that moment, he made up his mind. Anyone who dared hurt Elise, no matter who it was, would only face one consequence, which was to disappear from their sight and from the face of the Earth. Alexander sat down beside Elise. He then wrapped his long arms around her and took her into his embrace, hoping that he was able to transmit some of his warmth to her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t handle my mother¡¯s matters properly.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. Mrs. Griffith was used.¡± Elise clearly knew what had taken ce. ¡°I¡¯m not stupid. I¡¯m aware who the real culprit behind this is.¡± ¡°Alexander.¡± She suddenly called out his name before she asked, ¡°You have onest chance-do you want to break up with me? I won¡¯t be as kind as I used to be after this.¡± Upon hearing that, Alexander pursed his lips, thereafter wrapping his arms around her. Pressing his face against hers, he whispered in her ear, ¡°Coincidentally, I don¡¯t want you to be kind anymore. I just hope that my Elise won¡¯t be upset from now on.¡± Chapter 368 Chapter 368 Elise calmly allowed Alexander to embrace her, but there wasn¡¯t a slightest emotion in her eyes when she dered, ¡°I want the Olson Family n to disappear from the face of the Earth forever!¡± In response, he tightened his arms around her and said, ¡°Sure.¡± Meanwhile, shocking news spread in Tisotte¡ªthe renowned investor, Nathan York, had suddenly arrived in Cittadel and he now stayed at the Gold Peace Hotel in Tisotte. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. As Nathan had control over the funds of investors from all over the world, his sudden appearance at this point of time had caused a huge impact. No matter who he chose, be it the Olson or the Griffith Family, his choice would produce a new hegemon in the country¡¯s domestic economics. The moment Amelia and Johan received the news, they immediately rushed toward the hotel. Usually, the information of the hotel customers would be kept confidential to prevent harassment from the outsiders. However, as the Olson Family n was booming with signs to even surpass the other influential families, the hotel manager dared not offend Amelia, so he allowed her to go to the penthouse. Nheless, as soon as Amelia and Johan of them exited from the lift, they were stopped by Nathan¡¯s personal bodyguards. His bodyguards were foreigners with burly figures, and they were taller than the two of them by at least a head. Although Amelia tried her best to persuade them to allow them to meet Nathan, the bodyguards wouldn¡¯t budge. Hence, they had no choice but to leave as they were afraid to annoy a VIP of this level. If Nathan chose to coborate with the Griffith Family because of this, they would be doomed. When they arrived at the hall, they bumped into Elise and Alexander, who happened to rush to the hotel at that time. When the two parties crossed paths, they eyed each other with a menacing nce, and even the hotel employees next to them quietly dodged away. Chapter 369 Chapter 369 Chapter 369 Let Him Take Care of Them for the Time Being,Coolest Girl in Town If looks could kill, Amelia would be nothing but ashes at this point. ¡°Who would have thought that even up to this day, you guys could still catch wind of Mr. York so fast?¡± Amelia muttered sarcastically. Ingratiating with the powerful and looking down at the weak was a norm among the upper-ss society. Now that the Griffith Family was at a disadvantage, most people would stand by the sidelines and go so far as to avoid mentioning them. Truth was, Elise had acquired the news about Nathan¡¯s arrival via a special channel, but Alexander didn¡¯t mind the process. All he knew was that this would be a battle that the two of them would be facing together as one. He squeezed Elise on her shoulder and took the initiative to walk past them from the side, having no intention to be held up by Johan and Amelia. ¡°Mr. Hayden!¡± Amelia suddenly called out to the lobby manager. ¡°These two people are going to barge in and disturb your valuable customers without making an appointment. Are you going to just stand and watch?¡± What she said put Mr. Hayden on the spot. Both parties were people he couldn¡¯t afford to offend. He initially had nned to turn a blind eye on them and the matter would have passed, but now that Amelia had dragged him into it, he wouldn¡¯t be able to be out of the picture without making a choice between them. However, one wouldn¡¯t require much contemtion when it came to making a choice between the Olson Family n, who was strong in the share market and various aspects, and the Griffith Family, who was suffering a huge loss and was neglected by many at the moment. After some consideration, Mr. Hayden went up to Alexander and Elise, thereafter blocking their way. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Griffith. You know how things work here. The customer staying in the penthouse dislikes any visits.¡± ¡°What if I insist on going up?¡± Alexander¡¯s expression sank and a murderous intent shed across his eyes. ¡°Mr. Griffith, please don¡¯t put us on the spot.¡± Mr. Hayden bowed his head before he raised his hand to gesture to the other hotel staff toe over to block the hallway. It was apparent that Alexander wouldn¡¯t be able to go in unless he did it by force. ¡°It seems like you two refuse to ept the reality that the Griffith Family is now nothing!¡± Amelia mocked, her tone gloating. A wicked smile yed at the corner of Johan¡¯s lips as he walked up to Elise. Then, he made a few turns around her while his malicious gaze roamed all over her body as he offered, ¡°Miss Sinir, if you are willing to say a few nice things to me, I¡¯m more than happy to give you a hand and allow you to take a look at the penthouse. What do you say?¡± ¡°Save your breath.¡± A hint of impatience appeared in Elise¡¯s eyes as she eyed him with narrow eyes. ¡°If you look at me with that perverted gaze for another second longer, I swear I will destroy them!¡± Being well-aware of how fierce Elise was in character, Johan shrank backward as his heart leapt into his mouth. Although the woman seemed tender and weak, she exuded an intimidating presence when she decided to go all out. However, men were like cats, a creature that had the courage to do absolutely anything as long as it wasn¡¯t life-threatening. This was why when Johan remembered that the Olson Family n was at an advantage at the moment, the urge to stir something up overtook him again. He let out a cold chuckle and continued to lock his pervy gaze on Elise¡¯s long legs that were exposed under her skirt. A sharp gleam shed across her eyes, her hand making a slight move by her side and a silver needle slid to her fingers. Nheless, before she could make a move, Alexander flung his fist violently at Johan, and thetter copsed on the floor. He threw punches after punches like a madman, and Johan was unable to fight back at all. In the end, Alexander lifted a foot and stomped on Johan¡¯s chest. A shock look spread across Elise¡¯s face but she soon regained her calmness and quietly kept away the silver needle between her fingers. ¡°Alexander Griffith, how dare you? Aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯ll make sure that the entire Griffith Family will go down together with me?!¡± With blood trickling down the corner of his lips, Johan tried to struggle and put on a brave front. An impassive Alexander stepped on him even harder¡ªso hard that Johan was unable to even raise his head. With his head glued to the floor, he resembled a tortoise that was flipped upside down, and the only parts he could move around were his limbs. The hotel customers that passed by discreetly took out their phones to record the scene. Ignoring the bystanders, Alexander nonchntly took out his phone and dialed a number. ¡°I¡¯m at Gold Peace. The new manager that you employed seems to dislike me.¡± The person on the other end of the line replied to him and Alexander hung up a few secondster. The next instant, Mr. Hayden¡¯s phone rang urgently. Fishing out his phone, he noticed that it was a call from the general manager of the hotel. His hand trembled and he dropped the phone on the floor. However, he immediately squatted down to pick it up before epting the call with his heart in his mouth. Before he even said anything, the person on the other end of the line roared, ¡°What did you do? How could you stop Alexander? Don¡¯t you treasure your job? Give full cooperation to all his requests if you still wish to stay!¡± ¡°Y-Yes, sir! I-I¡¯ll do so right away!¡± The call was killed even before Mr. Hayden finished his sentence. He gulped, inwardly curious as to why the general manager would side with Alexander. However, he obediently stepped forward and apologized to both Alexander and Elise. ¡°President Griffith, Miss Sinir, pleasee this way. I¡¯ll lead you to the penthouse.¡± He paused for a moment and continued, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for that. When Mr. York checked in here, he specifically instructed that nobody¡ªnot even the hotel employees¡ªis allowed to step foot into the penthouse. So, I was put on the spot as well.¡± Alexander darted a look at him from the front. ¡°Is that so?¡± he questioned, his voice stern. ¡°You weren¡¯t put on a spot when it was the Olson Family n that you were dealing with, were you?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Mr. Hayden was rendered speechless, his face pale. Meanwhile, Alexander, who was in no mood to lecture him, bent over and gripped Johan¡¯s chin instead. As he stared at thetter¡¯s eyes and examined them carefully, he stated indifferently, ¡°Indeed, your eyes don¡¯t match your face well. I¡¯lle and get them in a couple of days.¡± With that, he abruptly released his grip and retracted his hand before turning around and returning back to Elise¡¯s side. ¡°Darling, we are meeting a client today, so we shouldn¡¯t let blood spill for the time being, alright?¡± Darling? Elise was stunned to hear that. This seemed to be the first time he addressed her with such endearment. After a while, she returned to her senses and nodded cooperatively. ¡°Sure, let him take care of them for the time being.¡± Alexander revealed a slight smile in response. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± After they had barely taken two steps, the lift doors suddenly slid open and the bodyguards from the penthouse were seen stepping out of the lift. The moment Mr. Hayden saw that, he immediately rushed forward to ask, ¡°Is there any request from Mr. York? Do let me know and I¡¯ll make sure that it is carried out right away.¡± However, the bodyguard lifted a hand and pushed Mr. Hayden to one side, then marched in the direction of Elise and Alexander. ¡°Mr. Griffith and Miss Sinir?¡± he said in Chinese, his voice husky. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Alexander politely nodded. N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°Mr. York would like to meet you two.¡± The bodyguard stated in Chinese, then gave way to the duo, inviting them into the lift. Mr. Hayden attempted to get into the lift as well but was stopped by the bodyguard, who exined, ¡°Mr. York said that he only wants to meet Mr. Griffith and Miss Sinir.¡± Then, the bodyguard coldly pressed on the lift button to close the lift doors. Looking at the slowly closing doors, Mr. Hayden gulped in horror. What¡¯s going on? Could it be that the news out there is fake and the Griffith Family is not suffering any losses? Not only was the general manager afraid of offending Alexander and giving him special treatment, but why is this VIP treating the two of them like this as well? Meanwhile, news about Nathan epting Alexander and Elise¡¯s visitation instantly spread throughout the hotel and gradually on the Inte. Chapter 370 Chapter 370 News about the coboration between Nathan and Alexander resembled a bomb that suddenly exploded in Tissote¡¯s business world, creating huge ripples. Thepanies that previously had been taking a wait-and-see approach instantly acquired arge number of the Griffith Group¡¯s shares. While the outside world was in turmoil, the presidential suite in the penthouse waspletely unaffected. When Elise and Alexander entered the room, Nathan was seen sipping wine on the couch with his legs crossed. ¡°Have a seat.¡± Holding a tall wine ss with his slender hand, he pointed at the couch beside with his other hand. Currently, his whole demeanor seemed somewhat unfathomable. A hint of impatience shed across Elise¡¯s eyes. The older he is, the more pretentious he bes, she thought to herself. If it weren¡¯t for Alexander¡¯s presence at the moment, she would have walked up to Nathan and given him a good smack on his head to help him to clear his head. Alexander had long heard about Nathan¡¯s reputation. As they both were capable people, they exchanged a simple nce and treated each other politely. ¡°Where¡¯s A now?¡± Nathan got straight to the point and asked. ¡°You meant the long-lost Stocks Master?¡± Alexander had heard about the ssic coboration between Nathan and A years ago and was aware that the two of them were close. However, he gently shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to tell you that we don¡¯t interact with A much.¡± Only then did Alexander understand why Nathan had specially requested to meet them¡ªthetter seemed to have mistaken their rtionship with A. Upon hearing that, Nathan nodded without replying, but his gaze was inadvertently attracted to Elise. He found the girl rather special. When facing a tycoon of the business world, not only did she not show any admiration or respect, but what piqued his curiosity was the fact that she seemed to treat him as though he was invisible. N?velDrama.Org content. At the moment, she waspletely unfazed by him. Upon noticing his gaze, Alexander subconsciously wrapped Elise¡¯s hand in his. ¡°This is my fianc¨¦e, Elise Sinir.¡± He introduced her to Nathan in such a way that it was rather obvious what he meant. Nathan was stunned to hear that, but he then let out a soft chuckle. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the renowned President Griffith to feel so insecure in front of your girlfriend.¡± Alexander cocked his head to one side, responding with a sense of humor as he murmured, ¡°Well, I can¡¯t help it when my girlfriend is so popr.¡± Upon hearing that, Nathan nodded. ¡°The two of you have such a close rtionship. Keep it up.¡± Seeing that the two of them hadn¡¯t been able to get to the point after so long, Elise decided to do so herself. ¡°Hey.¡± She suddenly peered at Nathan and muttered impolitely, ¡°If you have the time, do hang around more with the bunch of fools from the Olson Family n. Don¡¯t shut yourself in the room all the time. You are making yourself seem like a damsel who doesn¡¯t leave the house!¡± Nathan was taken aback by what she said. It had been so long since anyone had dared to speak to him in such a manner. A damsel? Standing at six feet two, I can be categorized as a sensual man even whenpared with the foreigners. Yet, I¡¯m akin to a shy damsel to her? Such poor eyesight she has! Alexander was equally shocked by Elise¡¯s rude attitude, so he quickly exined, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. My fianc¨¦e is quite the maverick and often has surprising ideas. She doesn¡¯t bear you any ill will.¡± Nathan nced at Alexander then at Elise, feeling totally stupefied. A had contacted him online and had asked him to try his best to cooperate with the two of them. And so, he had thought that it wasn¡¯t a stretch for Alexander to know A with his capabilities. However, now that Nathan thought about it, a person like Elise seemed to be more to A¡¯s liking. ¡°I¡¯m not that petty.¡± Nathan waved his hand. ¡°A friend of A is also a friend of mine. Rest assured, I¡¯ll announce my investment in the Griffith Group¡¯s stocks. Olson Pharmaceuticals will be the least of your worries by then.¡± Just as Alexander opened his mouth in an attempt to thank Nathan, Elise, who was beside him, abruptly stood up. ¡°I asked you to get in touch with the Olson Family n. How hard is it for you to understand that?¡± At that instant, both Nathan and Alexander were puzzled. ¡°Girl, do you know what will happen if I get in touch with them?¡± Nathan patiently asked with a frown. Alexander¡¯s fianc¨¦e has quite the temper. I reckon that soon, there will be another hen-pecked man in this world. ¡°The good news will spread. Everyone will think that they have gained the support of international investors, and the defeat of the Griffith Family has been destined. The Olson Family n will be making tons of money and their worth will increase exponentially.¡± The words came out of her mouth so rapidly, as though she didn¡¯t even need to think about it. Nathanughed. ¡°Since you know about it, why are you requesting me to get close to your fianc¨¦e¡¯s opponent? Perhaps you are not getting along well with President Griffith and you want to teach him a lesson? Forgive my bluntness, but I have to say that this lesson you¡¯re about to give him is a little too harsh. If you were to do so, the Griffiths may not be able to make aeback.¡± As Nathan spoke, he furtively cast a nce at Alexander, gesturing to thetter to get his fianc¨¦e under control. Elise might be clever, but she was still unclear about the rules of the business world. Nathan could have stood by, but he patiently reminded her for the sake of A¡¯s request. On the contrary, Alexander, who knew Elise really well, was aware that she wouldn¡¯t joke around at this point of time. The only reason she would make such an unusual decision would be that she had other ns. After some contemtion, Alexander gently patted the back of her hand tofort her, which instantly calmed her irritation. After collecting herself, Elise said, ¡°If memory serves, A¡¯s original words were for you to assist us from the sidelines but not take over the decision making. Mr. York, did you misinterpret A¡¯s true intention?¡± Nathan peered at Elise. Her eyes were stunning. Although she was still young, he was able to tell from how she looked now that she would be a beauty when she reached adulthood. For some reason, he was able to feel a powerful yet shockingly unprecedented intimidating presence at that moment¡ªit somewhat resembled what A made him feel when he or she was behind the screen. I must be seeing things, he mused to himself. How could a teenage girl be A, a miracle who had saved thousands of people from the disaster back then? He averted his gaze and asked, ¡°Are you saying that A has other ns?¡± ¡°Mr. York, your head works slower than I imagined.¡± Elise then insinuated, ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s the long years you have stayed abroad that caused you to forget about a ssic saying in Cittadel. ¡®In order to The business elites from the whole world could be found on Wall Street and among those who revolved around Nathan were some of the most outstanding women. Yet, he had never seen such a horrifyingly devastating aura on a young face like hers. Elise gave him a sense that she certainly would be able to do anything that she promised. In all honesty, shepletely resembled A. ¡°Okay.¡± A fighting spirit ignited inside Nathan somehow, so he quickly agreed to her request. After exchanging their contact details, the two of them left. The next day, news about Nathan York ying golf at the golf course together with the Olson Family n instantly made the headlines of the major media. While lounging on the sun lounger, Johan triumphantly guffawed when he saw how exuberant he seemed in the newspaper. He nced at Nathan, who was standing yards away swinging his golf club, and suddenly had the courage to dial a number. ¡°Let¡¯s go and practice with President Griffith!¡± Chapter 371 Chapter 371 Ever since Laura had been hospitalized, Jeanie was left all alone at the Sinir Residence. Two days later, Faye, who had been secretly watching over the situation, barged into the house and took Jeanie away by force. Meanwhile, Elise and Thomas were working hand in hand to remove the toxin in Laura¡¯s body. He had heard from Alexander that Elise saved Laura¡¯s life using a silver needle, but without seeing it with his own eyes, he still had reservations and refused to believe that a freshman student would have such profound knowledge and skills in traditional medicine. However, the truth soon gave Thomas a p in his face. The moment Elise opened the bag that contained her needle set, it was as if she changed into a different person. Her way of inserting the needles was gentle yet firm. Laura¡¯s condition slowly improved as Elise inserted the needles, some color gradually returning to her face. After Elise had inserted thest needle, Thomas conducted a test on Laura and found that the amount of toxin in her body had dropped, and all the health indicators were closer to the norm. He was acquainted with many physicians of traditional medicine and most of them were gentle in nature. They tended to ovee hardship with gentleness, doing activities like Tai Chi. However, the acupuncture technique that Elise had demonstrated that day was rather aggressive. To Thomas¡¯ knowledge, only the top traditional medicine physician in the country, Mr. Monnay, had skills that were on par with hers. Nheless, Mr. Monnay had retired a few years ago and nobody knew his whereabouts. Rumor had it that his acupuncture technique which could bring back the dead was at the risk of being lost. Never in a million years would Thomas have thought that he would be so fortunate to see this skill set on another person. Presently, Thomas excitedly went up to Elise and stood right in front of her. ¡°Miss Sinir, may I know what¡¯s your rtionship with Mr. Monnay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not rted to him.¡± Elise had no time for small talk, so she went straight to the point and asked, ¡°Did my grandmother¡¯s condition show any improvement?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Thomas dropped his previous cold and aloof bearing, and reced it with a bright grin on his face. ¡°Miss Sinir, the acupuncture technique that you have just used is known to bring back the dead in the medicine world. Although it may sound a little exaggerated, you have indeed brought Old Mrs. Sinir back from the brink of death!¡± Upon hearing that, Elise heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Thomas replied, then continued to probe, ¡°You are actually Mr. Monnay¡¯s disciple, right? And he has passed down his ultimate technique to you, I believe? Miss Sinir, saving lives is a noble deed that should be practiced by many. I wonder if I have the honor to discuss Mr. Monnay¡¯s supreme technique with you?¡± Elise, however, looked at him impassively. ¡°You asked so many questions. Which one of them should I answer first?¡± ¡°It¡¯s up to you.¡± Thomas spread his hands, looking generous. Studying the treatment method of variousplex illnesses was the ultimate pursuit of these devotees of the medicinal field, so being able to be exposed to any one of Mr. Monnay¡¯s skill sets were enough to be considered a blessing from above. Hence, as a junior of Mr. Monnay in the industry, Thomas was in no position to be picky, although he wouldn¡¯t really do so in the first ce. Nheless, Elise simply denied him. ¡°No.¡± Thomas was stunned and the smile on his face became stiff. ¡°Are you saying that you are not Mr. Monnay¡¯s disciple, or you don¡¯t wish to teach me acupuncture?¡± he asked resignedly. ¡°Both.¡± After she said that, Alexander happened to being over in her direction, so Elise mercilessly turned away and left, leaving Thomas behind. A devastated Thomas then wailed, ¡°Alexander, your fianc¨¦e is too heartless!¡± Alexander rolled his eyes at the doctor before holding onto Elise¡¯s hand. As the duo waited for the lift, the former reminded, ¡°Take good care of Old Mrs. Sinir. I won¡¯t forgive you if anything happens to her!¡± With that, the two of them entered the lift, leaving a dispirited Thomas alone in the hallway. Oh, God! Not only did I fail to find Mr. Monnay, but I couldn¡¯t get Elise to teach me even when she was right in front of me! Could it be that I will never have the chance to learn those secret acupuncture skills in this lifetime? I surely won¡¯t be able to die in peace! After exiting from the hospital, Elise and Alexander got into the MPV that had been prepared for them. They had made appointments with the presidents of major banks in Tissote, hoping that they would be generous enough and provide loans to the Griffith Group. This would help to stabilize the shares of the Griffith Group after the share market opened the next day. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. The high-end club was located in a rather remote area, where one had to pass by a man-made forest to reach the destination. Just as Alexander was driving past the forest, headlights of a few cars suddenly lit up the ce. In the blink of an eye, a number of jeeps charged out from the forest and onto the road, sandwiching Alexander¡¯s car in the middle. Fortunately, Alexander stomped on the brakes in time and avoided crashing into the car in front. The moment their car stopped, a group of people, who were dressed like hoodlums, alighted from the vehicles around with baseball bats in their hands and surrounded Alexander¡¯s car. Just as Elise was about to ask them about their identities, Jeremy showed up in the middle of the road, thereafter pushing his way through the crowd to the center. Still dressed in his spoiled-rich-kid attire, he walked up to the car headlights. After confirming that Elise and Alexander were able to see him clearly, he abruptly leapt onto the hood and started to smash at the car using a baseball bat. Alexander and Elise kept an impassive expression as they watched his actions. It was only when Jeremy¡¯sst blow landed on the windshield that Alexander quickly leaned over Elise to protect her. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of the car.¡± Alexander was worried that the other people Jeremy had brought over would all step onto his car. If that were to happen, they would be sitting ducks. Elise nodded before she opened the car door from the other side and alighted from the car. After Alexander got out of the car, he went around the vehicle to head to her side. The two of them then stood close to each other, not a hint of fear on their faces. ¡°Jeremy Olson, it seems like you have a death wish.¡± Murderous intent filled Elise¡¯s eyes. She had initially nned to let him live for a couple of days more, but since he had showed up to seek death, she didn¡¯t mind sending him on a trip to Hell! Standing on the top of the car, Jeremy looked down at them. Her words made him guffaw until he slumped on the top of the car, as though he had heard the joke of the year. As he cackled like a monkey while holding his tummy, he pointed at both Alexander and Elise and mocked, ¡°You two are hrious! You are about to die and yet, you are threatening me? This is the funniest joke that I have ever heard all my life! Ha!¡± Finally, he was tired from all theughing, so he jumped off the car by holding onto the hood to support himself. Walking up to Alexander, Jeremy looked into the other man¡¯s eyes and provoked, ¡°President Griffith, don¡¯t you call yourself the most outstanding man in Tissote? Why are you in someone else¡¯s trap today? Not only that, it seems like both you and your fianc¨¦e won¡¯t be able to escape here unharmed!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± An unfathomable curvature appeared at the corner of Elise¡¯s lips as she raised her left eyebrow and questioned, ¡°What do you want, then?¡± Jeremy let out a scoff as he looked at Elise. Swaggering up to her, he brought his face close, so much so that it almost touched hers. ¡°Don¡¯t you understand what I want, hottie? The Griffith Family is now left in the dust. If you follow me, I will guarantee that you will be as happy as a king!¡± ¡°Do you want to test out how it feels to be as happy as a king?¡± Elise asked cryptically. Jeremy revealed a suggestive smile, and his gaze on Elise became even more passionate. ¡°It¡¯s no fun when I¡¯m the only one who¡¯s happy. You have to be with me, of course. That¡¯s when we can have all the fun we want!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Elise agreed without hesitation. The next second, she drew out a silver needle from her sleeve and swiftly jabbed it into Jeremy¡¯s neck. Jeremy hissed in pain, subconsciously holding the spot where he was jabbed. The next second, he felt something happening to his body, especially in hisher region. It was swelling and it hurt like it was going to explode at any time. Looking at Elise in horror, he shouted, ¡°What did you do to me?!¡± Chapter 372 Chapter 372 ¡°I thought you wanted to have a good time? I¡¯ll grant your wish right now. I¡¯m sure it would be awesome, right?¡± Elise¡¯s eyes darkened and her lips curved into a smile, but there was an intriguing expression on her face. Jeremy could only feel a chill run down his spine and he was quite sure that he was about to face death. Elise had the looks of a weak damsel but then unexpectedly, she was ruthless when she made a move. Trying hard to suppress the pain in his body, he raised the baseball bat in his hand and pointed at Elise. ¡°Give me the antidote.¡± Although it sounded like something straight out of a film, right now, it seemed that the only logical exnation for the pain in hisher region was because he had been poisoned. ¡°Sure,¡± Elise stared at him coldly. ¡°Come over here, then. I¡¯ll give you the antidote.¡± She paused for a moment and purposely shot him a deep look as she spoke. ¡°Well, that¡¯s if you dare toe over here.¡± If she hadn¡¯t mentioned thest sentence, perhaps Jeremy would really have gone over to her. However, after hearing her words, he found himself quite uncertain of the situation. It was because he had gotten too close to her earlier, and that had given her the chance to take action. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. He wasn¡¯t sure how many weapons this woman had on her but if she had gone all out to attack him, perhaps he would not be standing here alive. As soon as Jeremy thought of that, he didn¡¯t dare to take a single step forward. He even retreated by a couple of steps and maintained his distance from Elise. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you scared?¡± Elise snorted. ¡°You don¡¯t have the guts despite being horny. Is that all you have to offer?¡± Jeremy¡¯s expression turned immediately as he was triggered by her taunts, but he didn¡¯t dare to take a step forward. Without hesitation, he gestured for his henchmen standing behind him to take action. ¡°Everyone, get her! Break the guy¡¯s leg and capture the girl for me. I¡¯ll deal with her personally once we¡¯re back at our base.¡± Upon hearing that, the hooligans who were raring to make a move instantly rushed forward in unison. Just then, Elise clenched her fists and there was suddenly a vicious look that shed across her eyes. ¡°Hold on!¡± Suddenly, Alexander spoke up. He had a domineering air to him that was gained from all of his years in the corporate world, and it caused everyone present to be stunned in ce. At that point, he swept a cold look across the room and immediately turned around to open the door to the backseat of the car. Shortly after that, he dragged Elise over. ¡°Elise, wait for me for a short while.¡± Meanwhile, Elise tugged at his arm as she looked at the huge number of hooligans in front of them and she hesitated slightly, ¡°I want to help, too.¡± However, Alexander curved his lips slightly and ced both of his hands on her shoulders. Subsequently, he lightly massaged her shoulders and looked at her with a dark gaze that was filled with tenderness and love. ¡°Do youck confidence in your fianc¨¦?¡± Instantly, the anxious feeling she had dissipated upon hearing his words and she smiled at him. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it that way. I just wanted to help¡­¡± ¡°Behave yourself and stay in the car so that I won¡¯t have to worry about you. That would be the biggest help you could offer.¡± Alexander was sincere in his words and Elise¡¯s heart softened as soon as she heard him. In the end, she didn¡¯t bear to go against his wishes so she obediently sat inside the car. At the same time, Alexander took off his jacket and handed it to her. ¡°Hold on to this for me for the time being.¡± Elise nodded in response. ¡°Okay.¡± Subsequently, he shut the car door and turned around to face the hooligans, his expression murderous. ¡°I¡¯m in a hurry, so juste all at once so I can end this as soon as possible.¡± Alexander had a rxed posture and he spoke offhandedly, behaving as if he was a king gracing his subjects as he exuded a victorious aura. Just then, the scar-faced man leading the hooligans took the bait and he angrily spat on the ground. ¡°F*ck! You¡¯re just acting tough! I¡¯ll have you begging for mercy on the ground soon enough!¡± Soon after that, indeed, everyone started to raise the baseball bat in their hands. Meanwhile, Alexander remained still and those that got too close to him found themselves hurtling in the air andnding two meters away from his flying kick. Soon after that, he came to blows using both his hands and feet. Instantly, the opposing hooligans were groaning on the ground while Alexander maintained his protective stance by the car. Gradually, half of the men were found on the ground while the other half retreated out of fear. They exchanged looks with each other, but neither of them dared to take a step forward. Just then, Alexander had lost his patience so he picked up a baseball bat that had dropped by his feet and immediately rushed toward the group of hooligans. He had a murderous intent and each blow that he inflicted was ruthless. Soon enough, there was only one man left standing¡ªJeremy. Alexander flung away the baseball bat he was holding and reached out to unbutton the top button of his shirt while walking toward Jeremy. At that moment, Jeremy was already in so much pain that he had to lean on a nearby car to stand. As soon as he noticed Alexander walking toward him with a monstrous look, Jeremy tried hard to suppress his pain and raised the baseball bat next to him with gritted teeth. ¡°Don¡¯te near me! If you dare toy a hand on me, my mom will make sure that the Griffiths disappear from the corporate world by tomorrow! Every single member of the Griffith Family will die along with me.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± However, as soon as Jeremy finished his words, he suddenly clutched his crotch and fell to the ground with a distorted expression on his face. He fell headfirst to the ground and moaned loudly. ¡°Elise Sinir, you b*tch! What have you done to me?! Come out and help me! You b*tch!¡± Just then, Alexander walked forward and he stood condescendingly in front of Jeremy. The former had heard thetter yell out ¡®b*tch¡¯ multiple times, and he became quite frustrated. And so, Alexander went ahead and squatted down before sending a blow to the back of Jeremy¡¯s neck. Instantly, Jeremy copsed into a pile onto the ground. ¡°Don¡¯t let him lose consciousness. I want him to experience the excruciating pain and feel for himself how those poor girls he mistreated felt in the past.¡± Elise walked slowly toward them from the back. She didn¡¯t know Jeremy that well but judging by howpatible he was with Johan, it was quite obvious that the two siblings were pretty much simr in their characteristics. Johan was pretty much a scum, so Jeremy¡¯s personality wasn¡¯t too far from that either. Elise had purposely added something to her silver needles to deal with such despicable males that showed no respect for women. The effect of that ingredient was longsting and it wouldst for at least ten hours, which was sufficient to let Jeremy experience the extremely tormenting feeling. Right now, he was quite lucky that he had fainted. In the end, Alexander stood up and took his jacket from Elise. Putting it on, he jokingly mentioned, ¡°He was getting too rowdy. I prefer the silence right now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Elise lowered her head and nced at Jeremy, who was currently unconscious in a heap on the ground. Suddenly, an interesting idea came to her, so she squatted down and ced a needle on his head with her silver needles. Evidently, Alexander knew that she wasn¡¯t helping him recover and he smiled. ¡°Have youe up with a new method to punish someone?¡± ¡°Pretty much so.¡± Elise feltpletely unsympathetic right now and she clumsily poked a thin silver needle right into Jeremy¡¯s head before withdrawing it gradually. Afterpleting that, she got up and flicked her hands without showing any mercy to him. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Although Alexander had no idea what she had done, he didn¡¯t ask any further questions. He only caught up to her and they drove off toward the direction of the club in the car with the broken window. Meanwhile, Jeremy was syed on the ground and he resembled a corpse. Despite the hooligans¡¯ efforts to wake him up by shaking him hard, he remainedpletely unconscious. By the time Elise and Alexander arrived at the club, a couple of bankers coincidentally walked out of the front entrance together and the two groups bumped right into each other. ¡°Excuse us for beingte. We had an ident along the way.¡± Alexander maintained aposed look and gestured an invitation with a wave of his hands. ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s head inside. Give me a chance to foot the bill.¡± The bankers exchanged looks with each other but neither of them said anything. Just then, there was a shrill voice that rang out and it sounded like it was getting louder and louder. ¡°Are you trying to run off to seek help?! Forget about it!¡± As soon as the words hit, Amelia appeared in front of Alexander and Elise almost instantly. Within moments, Alexander could tell the oue of the situation¡ªthese bankers were very unlikely to be on the side of the Griffith Family. There was a much bigger possibility that they might even join forces with Amelia to deliver a lethal blow on the Griffiths. This could be quite aptly described as a capitalist never finding it in them to provide help, but would always y a part in twisting the knife on one. Chapter 373 Chapter 373 Amelia stood there and stared patronizingly at Alexander. With a contemptuous look on her face, she commented, ¡°I gave you a chance but you refused it, so today¡¯s oue is all of your own doing.¡± ¡±Are you so sure that you¡¯ll win by just currying favors with a couple of bankers?¡± Elise lifted her left eyebrow and shot Amelia a meaningful look. ¡°A couple of bankers?¡± Amelia scoffed, ¡°You¡¯re quite full of yourself, aren¡¯t you? Do you realize the amount of cash flow that can be approved by one single banker? Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. The loan approved for the Olson Family by any of them would be sufficient to bring the Griffiths down to their knees if I directed the money into the share market.¡± ¡°Well, a loan has to be repaid eventually,¡± Elise retorted. Her gaze flickered and there seemed to be an unexinable glimmer in her eyes as her whole body exuded coldness. ¡°It would be repaid for sure!¡± Amelia had been targeting the Griffiths over thest couple of days in the stock exchange market, which was why thetter were in a losing position at the moment. As such, Amelia was full of arrogance and she paid no heed to anyone else. With a half-smile, she continued, ¡°Well, it would not be using our family¡¯s money but your future family¡ªthe Griffith¡¯s¡ªmoney.¡± ¡°Mrs. Shoal, your n is quite well thought out indeed.¡± Even Alexander couldn¡¯t help but voice out mockingly. ¡°Thanks for thepliment.¡± Amelia epted his words and was lost in thought. Suddenly, she muttered to herself, ¡°Everyone seems to think that you¡¯re god¡¯s gift to the world and the whizz in the corporate world, but look at yourself right now. You¡¯re not even a match for a mere woman like me.¡± As soon as she said that, she moved forward and patted Alexander on the shoulder. ¡°Dear nephew, your worst mistake was to force us into the brink of desperation. After all, one would definitely scramble to save themselves in a tight situation, so you should keep this lesson in mind. You might no longer be able to achieve such an exalted position and experience all of thesepetitive business dealings for the rest of your life!¡± Just then, Amelia purposely heaved a sympathetic sigh and turned to speak to the bankers behind her with an exasperated tone, ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys about to leave? Do you actually n to stay on and discuss coboration ns with Mr. Griffith and his fianc¨¦e?¡± ¡°We¡¯re leaving right now¡­¡± Amelia was currently Nathan¡¯s favorite person and she could even interfere in their overseas dealings, so they were afraid of offending her. They had no choice but to handle her very carefully. ¡°Mrs. Shoal, aren¡¯t you afraid that cmity will befall your future generations if you continue with your vicious actions?¡± Elise had a smile on her face but it did not reach her eyes. Meanwhile, Amelia found Elise¡¯s words quite perplexing, so the former merely assumed that this was a final struggle and that thetter was merely trying to get back at her with such words. As such, Amelia rolled her eyes and dismissed those words before walking off without a backward nce. Meanwhile, Elise watched as the group walked off into the distance. Then, she took out a clunky ck-colored flip phone from her bag with a stony expression. She typed out a message in code in front of Alexander and hit the send button soon after that. ¡±Did you text someone?¡± Alexander nced at the simple-looking cell phone and asked in surprise. ¡°Yup.¡± Elise didn¡¯t say much. Subsequently, Alexander took a deep breath and raised both of his eyebrows. Shortly after that, he muttered sulkily, ¡°Your phone¡­ It looks quite special.¡± ¡°Do you like it? I¡¯ll get one for you.¡± Elise didn¡¯t even bother to nce at him. At that point, she was quite focused on waiting for a reply from the other party. Just then, Alexander shrugged but didn¡¯t respond to her words. In fact, he preferred a sleeker and less clunky phone. I don¡¯t even know how she can hold such a clunky phone in her dainty hands. On the other end, Nathan had a slightly exasperated smile on his face upon receiving the text from A. ¡®Here¡¯s a question for you. What¡¯s my favorite thing to do?¡± This was a piece of cake, so Nathan responded instantly. ¡®Stand someone up.¡¯ A would contact him once or twice practically every year and would usually mention making a trip to the mountains, but each time the trip didn¡¯t materialize. Furthermore, there was an instance whereby Nathan had already arrived at the designated meeting ce but as it came to their meeting time, A didn¡¯t turn up at all. Two dayster, she sent him a text with the following words as her exnation, ¡®I¡¯m not in the mood to meet.¡¯ It was fortunate that A was a whiz in stock operation. Otherwise, if anyone else had done the same thing, Nathan would definitely have ughtered that person. Meanwhile, Elise saw the reply and she swiftly tapped out a reply. ¡®I want the Olson Family to experience the torment you went through too.¡¯ After replying to his text, she switched off her phone and ced it into her pocket before walking away holding onto Alexander¡¯s arm. She behaved as if nothing had happened. As for Alexander, he didn¡¯t ask her anything, but paced himself ording to her footsteps and silently apanied her. There were bound to be some secrets between them, but both of them had a mutual understanding of not delving too deep into it. Perhaps sometimes having some boundaries would bring about more benefit. Meanwhile, Nathan, who was seated in front of hisputer, found himself seemingly at a loss for words. Her words sound like a snub directed at me. Gosh! Who are you exactly, A?! I¡¯m quite keen to know! On the other hand, Amelia was halfway to her destination when she received a phone call informing her that something had happened to Jeremy, so she rushed off to the hospital frantically. However, upon her arrival, she found a bunch of doctors who didn¡¯t know what treatment to provide and a gang of hooligans who were beaten up badly. As for Jeremy, he remained unconscious in the ward and he resembled someone in a vegetative state as hey there immobile. Amelia instantly rushed to his side and shook his body. ¡°Jeremy? Jeremy! Say something to me! Mom¡¯s here!¡± Jeremy¡¯s consulting doctor was afraid of dying the prognosis, so he quickly moved forward and mentioned with a concerned voice, ¡°Mr. Olson¡¯s condition seems quite strange. There¡¯s no obvious wound on his body and we haven¡¯t detected any form of substance that could tranquilize him. However, for some reason, he seems to be in an unconscious state. Honestly, we have no idea how to proceed with the treatment.¡± ¡°What do you mean that you don¡¯t know how to proceed?! You¡¯re a doctor! How can you say such things?¡± Amelia pointed a finger at the doctor and ranted, ¡°It looks like you guys are not good enough and this is just an excuse to make you look good. I¡¯m warning all of you right now¡ªyou¡¯d better make sure that Jeremy remains fine until I find the best doctor to treat him! Otherwise, the whole hospital will bear the consequences!¡± At that point, everyone in and outside of the room held their breaths anxiously. Two hourster, Amelia spent a fortune and managed to gather all of the top specialists in each specialty located in Tissote toe together and treat Jeremy. However, everyone shook their heads upon receiving the diagnostics and expressed their regret that they had never encountered such a condition, so there was nothing they could do about it. One of the oldest professors mentioned something to Amelia before he left, ¡°You might need to get to the root of the problem, Mrs. Shoal. I think you should find out whether Mr. Olson has offended anyely.¡± He heaved a sigh after saying that and turned to leave the room. Meanwhile, Amelia was stunned in ce for quite some time before she finally came to her senses. After calming down, she turned to stare viciously at Jeremy¡¯s underlings. ¡°Tell me¡ªwho did this to him?¡± ¡°It was¡­ Alexander and his fianc¨¦e. Mr. Olson asked us to teach them a lesson, but he insisted on taking action personally and none of us could stop him from it. Then, once we arrived, he was ambushed by the girl. Before they left, she used her needles to poke Mr. Olson in his head. By the time we got to him, he had already lost consciousness.¡± ¡°Elise?¡± Amelia was quite surprised. ¡°Are you pulling my leg?¡± She¡¯s just a country bumpkin who relied on the Griffith Family to get to her current position! How could she even know how to turn an alive and kicking person into such a vegetative state? Chapter 374 Chapter 374 Chapter 374 Always Been Such a Badass?,Coolest Girl in Town The next day, Elise had just walked out of Laura¡¯s hospital room when Amelia arrived. Noticing Amelia¡¯s aggressive stance, Alexander quickly stood protectively in front of Elise. ¡°Elise, you b*tch! What have you done to my son?!¡± Amelia pointed a finger at Elise and her pair of sultry-looking eyes were currently widened out of anger. Amelia had gathered all of the well-reputed doctors in town but none of them dared toe up with a treatment n. The only one who had worked up the courage to try had nearly resulted in Jeremy¡¯s heart to stop beating. Jeremy was clearly on the brink of death, so Amelia no longer dared to take things lightly and she had assigned someone to locate Elise sincest night. As soon as dawn broke, Amelia rushed over. However, Elise was expressionless and she casuallymented, ¡°There¡¯s no rush to thank me. It was fairly easy for me to grant your son¡¯s wish.¡± ¡°Bullsh*t!¡± Amelia spat on the ground out of anger. ¡°I¡¯m not here to thank you! You¡¯ve caused my son to be in a critical state. Do you think that you¡¯ll be able to get away with this? If anything happens to Jeremy, I¡¯ll have you know that you won¡¯t be the only one to suffer the consequences! That olddy inside the room won¡¯t be able to avoid the consequences either!¡± As soon as Alexander heard Amelia being so rude toward Laura, he furrowed his brows into a single line and his expression turned quite ferocious. ¡°Mrs. Shoal, mind your manners.¡± He had already regarded Laura as family, so he would not allow any outsider to threaten or be rude to her. Meanwhile, Amelia noticed Alexander¡¯s protectiveness toward Elise and she raged at him. ¡°You used to be one of the well-reputed bachelors in town but look at you right now! The entire Griffith Family is ruined because of you, yet you¡¯re still unrepentant and insist on being with this woman! It¡¯s such a shame for Madeline to have a son like you!¡± Despite Amelia¡¯s abusive words, Alexander remained indifferent and he maintained his usual regal look befitting of his role as the president of Griffith Group. Soon after that, he responded calmly, ¡°Grandma is taking a nap so if there¡¯s anything urgent, we can talk it through somewhere else. Let¡¯s not disrupt her sleep.¡± ¡°I just want to talk right here! There¡¯s nothing wrong with that!¡± Amelia behaved as if she had nothing to lose and she went on non-stop, ¡°I want that old fogey inside to hear for herself and realize how evil-hearted the granddaughter that she brought up has turned out to be. When she passes on to the afterlife, let¡¯s see how she would be able to face the Sinir ancestors! If I was in her position, I would choose death over living under such mortifying circumstances!¡± The ordeal with Jeremy¡¯s heart nearly stopping had been a huge shock for Amelia, so she was unable to control her emotions right now. As soon as she said that, however, Alexander suddenly sensed a slight breeze from his back. In the blink of an eye, Elise had rushed forward to stand in front of Amelia, thereafter reaching out to strangle her. Elise used up all of her might, which resulted in Amelia unable to even struggle to get away. The older woman could merely swat at the former¡¯s wrist helplessly, but she slowly found herself losing her bnce as she was lifted into the air. Amelia saw the murderous look in Elise¡¯s revengeful eyes and that was the first time ever that she sensed fear. N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°Alexander, why are you still standing there? Save me! Do you want your fianc¨¦e to be charged for murder?¡± ¡°Alex¡­¡± However, Amelia could only say so much before she found herself losing the energy to speak as her face flushed bright red from theck of oxygen. At that point, she stared at Elise with desperation in her eyes, shock in her gaze as she used her expression to plead for mercy. However, Elise was unmoved by all that. She stared at Amelia, who was currently just like a tiny ant in her hands, and realized that if she tightened her grip slightly, thetter would lose her life right away. In all honesty, Elise waspletely unperturbed about the potential bloody scene that might ensue, and there was no inkling of fear in her eyes at all. Her grandmother was her absolute limit, and Elise would not allow anyone to hurt her grandmother¡ª even by just verbal curses. After quite some time, Alexander noticed that Amelia¡¯s face had turned purple due to theck of oxygen and he finally stepped forward. Soon, he reached out and wrapped his hand around Elise¡¯s tensed wrist. ¡°Grandma¡¯s in the room. Don¡¯t give her undue stress.¡± He spoke in a soft voice and it was as if he couldn¡¯t bear to startle her. Just then, she suddenly came to her senses too. Elise relinquished her hold on Amelia, and thetter subsequently fell to the ground as she found herself devoid of support. After Amelia had recovered from a coughing fit, she clutched at her throat and ran off, stumbling toward the direction of the lift. As she ran off, she swore vehemently, ¡°Just you wait and see, you b*tch! I¡¯ll definitely seek revenge for my son! The Griffiths will definitely face bankruptcy and by then, even if you beg me for mercy, I won¡¯t let things slide!¡± ¡°You¡¯re too noisy!¡± Elise frowned with a frustrated look on her face. Upon saying that, she got ready and was about to rush forward to stop Amelia from leaving. However, Amelia quickly hid behind a life-sized vase and she covered her face using the leaves of the indoor nt. She behaved as if by doing so, she would be able to evade being discovered. Suddenly, Alexander reached out to stop Elise. He shook his head at her and signaled for her to keep calm. In response, Elise gritted her teeth and flung his hand aside before turning her head to look toward the elevator. Then, she spoke with an indifferent voice. ¡°The day that the Griffiths face bankruptcy will be the day of Jeremy¡¯s demise!¡± However, Amelia didn¡¯t pay heed to Elise¡¯s words, as she merely assumed that thetter was exaggerating to dy the time. As soon as the doors to the elevator opened, Amelia swiftly ran into it and pressed vigorously on the button to shut the door. A momentter, she disappeared from Elise¡¯s view. Right after Amelia left, Elise then sat down in the corridor, right in front of the entrance to the ward. She exuded a depressing aura that made one reluctant to approach her. Upon seeing that, Alexander paused for a moment. Then, he lifted his feet and moved next to her before sitting down. He took both of her hands into his and pressed them lightly into his palms. Subsequently, he gave her a massage from her fingers to her wrist¡ªreddened by Amelia¡¯s blows. ¡°You should be a masseuse.¡± Elise teased him. Alexander merely smiled lightly and continued to give her a massage. ¡°That could be in the books. Miss Sinir, as my first customer, how do you find my service?¡± ¡°It¡¯s eptable.¡± Elise turned her face in the other direction and she started to consider something else. ¡°Then that means I would have to put in more effort.¡± Alexander paused and soon after that, he changed the topic. ¡°Have you always been such a badass?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t like that before.¡± Alexander was just about to ask for the reason for her change but then her dismissive voice rang out gradually, ¡°In the past, once I made a move, all that was left would be dead bodies.¡± Significantly speechless, Alexander took some time to respond. ¡°It looks like both Amelia and Jeremy owe me their lives, then.¡± After all, Jeremy had been defeated by Alexander. If Elise had taken action herself, perhaps his suffering would be a hundred times over compared to right now. Earlier on, if Alexander hadn¡¯t stopped Elise, Amelia would most likely have lost her life right there and then. Presently, Alexander¡¯s eyes fell on Elise¡¯s hands as he massaged them gently, the reddened scratch was quite ring to the eyes. Slightly dejected, he heaved a sigh. Subsequently, he tried to confer with her by asking, ¡°Could you promise me not to get involved in any fights if I¡¯m by your side in the future?¡± The long, reddened scratch on her porcin skin affected him very much. However, Elise refused to lie to him so she murmured, ¡°I¡¯ll try not to.¡± After all, a marriage was not guaranteed tost forever. Besides, in their case, they were merely engaged to be married. It was Elise¡¯s grandmother, after all, so she could never stand by and watch on as her family was treated rudely. Meanwhile, Alexander was quite dumbfounded. In the end, he vowed to himself to hone his responsiveness so that the next time Elise was about to take action, he would be able to react fast enough to stop her. Chapter 375 Chapter 375 Chapter 375 Rise From the Dead,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°It looks like you¡¯re nning to spare Jeremy¡¯s life for the time being?¡± Alexander mentioned. ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡± Elise frowned as she tried to recall when she had said that. Meanwhile, Alexander lifted his head to stare at her, his dark eyes glimmering as he revealed a slight smile. ¡°Or perhaps you are of the opinion that your fianc¨¦ would really let the entire Griffith Family¡¯s fortune go down the drain?¡± Elise caught on to his words right away. Alexander had the utmost confidence that he could keep the Griffiths from bankruptcy. In that case, she had no excuse to go up against Jeremy, which meant his life would be spared. Just then, Elise furrowed her brows into a thin line and she frustratedly replied, ¡°I¡¯ve overlooked that.¡± At that point, Alexander lifted his hand to ruffle her fluffy hair. ¡°It¡¯s alright. A stunning girl with a boyfriend wouldn¡¯t need to lift a finger to seek revenge.¡± Stunning girl?! In all honesty, Elise felt that Alexander was exaggerating. After all, once someone like her takes offense against a person, she would definitely go after the other party¡¯s life. She held her grudges, and did not forgive nor forget. Only Alexander could choose to go against his conscience and turn a blind eye to that. Elise¡¯s expression was serious when she removed his hand and teased, ¡°President Griffith, it¡¯s not right to judge someone by wearing blinkers.¡± Alexander smiled in response. Then, he naturally took her hands and wrapped them around his waist so she seemed to be hugging him by default. Soon after that, he reached out and pulled her into an embrace using his long arms. ¡°I can¡¯t help it when I¡¯m faced with you.¡± He didn¡¯t n to change either. It was a natural instinct to be biased toward someone you love. Elise felt her face flush red and it felt as if there was a magical spell that had been cast on her, so she didn¡¯t dare to move a muscle. The two of them remained in an embrace for quite some time until the elevator doors from nearby opened and a middle-aged couple in their forties walked out of the elevator. They stared at the hospital room nearby for a short while before heading in their direction. ¡°It¡¯s here.¡± The woman nced at the room number and agitatedly pinched her husband¡¯s arm. ted, both of them exchanged looks with each other before she reached out to push the door handle. ¡°Stay right there!¡± Elise hollered at them. The tenderness in her eyes disappeared and she became quite wary. ¡°Who are you?¡± She had clearly seen the gloating look that shed across the duo¡¯s faces. They had a calctive and greedy expression and almost instantly, she was on her guard. The woman¡¯s smile stiffened upon being interrupted and she scrutinized Elise for a short while before speaking up exasperatedly, ¡°We¡¯re the patient¡¯s family members. Who are you anyway?¡± ¡°Oh? You¡¯re the family members?¡± Elise expressionlessly raised her left eyebrow as she started to study the duo carefully. The Sinirs did not have many rtives but the familial ties were quite strong between family members, so Elise could remember each of them clearly. However, these two were the exceptions. From her memory, this duo had never appeared before. She noted their appearance and saw that they were dressed quite ordinarily. Perhaps they¡¯re very distant rtives that we hardly ever see. Just as Elise was feeling quite perplexed, the middle-aged man, who had remained silent all this while, walked forward and stood protectively in front of the woman. Subsequently, he spoke arrogantly. ¡°I¡¯m the patient¡¯s son, Joshua Sinir, and we¡¯re here to visit my mom. What are you two up to anyway? Why are you behaving shiftily by the doorway to my mom¡¯s room?¡± Elise noticed his indignant look and she couldn¡¯t help bursting intoughter. Did he rise from the dead? These imposters are so unprofessional! They should at least find out our family background properly. Indeed, Laura had a son but he had passed away more than ten years ago and he was no longer alive. These two must have gotten the news of Laura¡¯s critical condition, so they had rushed to the hospital to im a share of the Sinir family fortune. Meanwhile, Joshua found Elise quite strange and he frustratedly spat out, ¡°You¡¯re a lunatic¡­¡± After saying that, he ced a hand on his wife, Maureen¡¯s, shoulders and reached out his other hand to push the door handle. Just then, Elise instantly reacted to that and she moved forward to grab Joshua¡¯s hand. She easily grabbed him and she pushed him against the wall by the room. ¡°Oh my god! Where did this lunatice from? Help! Is there anyone there? There¡¯s a lunatic here assaulting us! Hel¡ª¡± Maureen immediately yelled out for help as soon as she saw her husband get into trouble. However, Elise only red at Maureen, thereafter covering thetter¡¯s mouth with her hand. Maureen then stood still in ce with a frightened expression on her face, but she didn¡¯t dare to utter another word. ¡°Let go of me! Who are you to stop me? Is it now a crime to perform my duties as a son by visiting my sick mom?!¡± Joshua had half of his face pressed against the wall and heined loudly. Just then, he nced sideways and noticed Alexander, who was dressed immactely, by the side and he growled at him, ¡°You must be this lunatic¡¯s family, right? Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Hurry up and grab her off me! I¡¯m warning you¡ªif I get hurt, you won¡¯t be able to get away with this lightly!¡± However, Alexander had a resigned look on his face. She just promised me that she wouldn¡¯t easily get into a fight, but it¡¯s just been a couple of minutes and she¡¯s already broken that promise. This is tough¡­ He stood leaning against the wall with a difficult expression and he seemed quite lost as to what to do. ¡°I do sympathize with your encounter but unfortunately, I¡¯m no match for her. She¡¯s very good at fighting and she has some money too. If I help you right now, what if shees after me after this?¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to be afraid of? I¡¯m here, and I can guarantee your safety. Our family¡¯s rich so once you save me, I¡¯ll arrange for my men toe and take care of her immediately!¡± As soon as Joshua said that, Elise tightened her grip from behind, causing him to moan from the pain. ¡°This darn girl is so strong! Maureen, hurry up and call security!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Maureen nodded her head earnestly and turned around to head downstairs. Suddenly, arge hand stopped her from the side. Alexander stood overbearingly and stared at her. The warm expression from his face had completely disappeared and his expressionless, dark eyes made one reluctant to approach him. Maureen gulped upon sensing his oppressive aura. The corridor was considered to be quite wide but when faced with Alexander, she did not think that she could ignore his presence and run past him. She nced at him with a terrified look before turning to stare at her husband, who was moaning painfully. Out of desperation, she turned around and opened the door to the room and she yelled as she rushed inside, ¡°Mom, help us! Mom!¡± At that point, a look of annoyance shed across Elise¡¯s eyes and she quickly changed her posture and forced Joshua¡¯s arms behind his back. Then, she marched inside with him in tow. Laura was a light sleeper, so she was jolted awake by Maureen¡¯s yells. Dazedly, the former opened her eyes and as soon as she saw the person by her bed, a spark of anger appeared in her cloudy eyes. ¡°Mom, there¡¯s a lunatic outside who¡¯s about to kill Joshua! Hurry up and get some help!¡± At that moment, Elise marched into the room with Joshua in tow. Meanwhile, Joshua instantly went down to his knees as soon as he saw Laura. ¡°Mom, your unfilial son is back!¡± Laura¡¯s brows were tightly furrowed but she didn¡¯t respond to his words. On the other hand, Elise had assumed that these two were imposters, so she pushed Joshua toward Alexander and moved forward to grab Maureen so that she could throw them out of the room. ¡°Mom! Mom, say something! It¡¯s fine if you refuse to see me but what about your grandson? Don¡¯t you want to see him?¡± It was only at the mention of her grandson that Laura finally reacted. ¡°Let them stay.¡± Upon hearing that, Elise paused in her tracks and quickly released Maureen. Shortly after that, the former turned to look at Joshua, who was currently weeping badly. How can this guy possibly be Grandma¡¯s biological son?! Chapter 376 Chapter 376 Chapter 376 Send Us off to the Afterlife,Coolest Girl in Town The fact was, Elise had made a wrong judgment. These two, who didn¡¯t look like they could possibly be rted to the Sinirs, were in fact Laura¡¯s son and daughter-inw. Elise and Alexander quickly released them, and Joshua rushed forward to the other side of the bed before sobbing loudly while he clutched at Laura¡¯s leg. ¡°Mom, do you know that I was frantic with worry upon hearing the news that you were hospitalized?! You gave me such a fright!¡± Meanwhile, Maureen followed suit and wailed, ¡°That¡¯s true, Mom! We made our way here in a rush and left everything else behind. Now that we¡¯re back in town, we won¡¯t be leaving anytime soon. We¡¯ve made up our minds to stay by your side and take care of you!¡± However, Laura shot them a disgusted look before she lifted her eyes to nce at Alexander standing by the doorway. ¡°Griffith boy, we¡¯ve got some personal family matters to settle. We¡¯ll be fine without you.¡± There was a sh of surprise across Alexander¡¯s face but he quickly recollected himself and maintained hisposure. Turning to look at Elise, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you outside. Yell if you need anything.¡± It was indeed quite inappropriate for an outsider like him to interfere in the Sinir Family matters, but these two strangers had popped out all of a sudden so he didn¡¯t want to leave Elise and Laura to face the duo themselves. However, Alexander had no choice but to retreat and wait outside. Elise nodded her head. Just as he was about to walk out, Laura voiced out once again, ¡°Elise, you can wait outside too.¡± Upon hearing that, Elise was taken aback but she obediently murmured, ¡°Sure.¡± However, she shot a warning look at Joshua and Maureen before turning around to walk out of the room. Subsequently, she left and shut the door gently behind her. She didn¡¯t leave immediately but paused by the doorway for a short while. From the ss window by the door, she saw quite clearly how Laura pushed the couple aside and made them go down to their knees. Subsequently, both parties seemed to be quite agitated but Elise couldn¡¯t hear their conversation. Elise frowned as she had never seen Laura behave this way. Even when Madeline had been rude toward Laura, thetter didn¡¯t lose herposure at all, unlike today. Meanwhile, Alexander approached Elise and held her shoulders before steering her to take a seat by the side. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t worry too much. Grandma knows what she¡¯s doing and everything will be fine,¡± Alexanderforted her. ¡°I hope so.¡± Elise was uncertain about that. Suddenly, she thought of something and she grabbed Alexander¡¯s wrist before staring at him intently. ¡°Do you really think that they are Grandma¡¯s family members?¡± Elise was aware that she was adopted but to her, she was her grandparents¡¯ only next-of-kin so she considered herself to be their actual granddaughter. However, Joshua and his wife had appeared all of a sudden, causing Elise to feel uneasiness welling up within her. She was afraid of being kicked out from a fixed rtionship and then she would be left on her own, without any sense of belonging. The truth was always quite odd that way. She wasn¡¯t afraid of bloodshed nor sacrificing herself, but she was terrified of being without any family. Alexander wasn¡¯t quite sure what was on Elise¡¯s mind but he could tell that she didn¡¯t quite like Joshua and his wife. After some consideration, hemented, ¡°They might not be. It doesn¡¯t make sense that you haven¡¯t met them at all if they are part of your family. Ultimately, there must have been fundamental issues in the existing family for the family to fall apart this way.¡± ¡°Elise, you¡¯ll always have me.¡± Alexander took her hands into his and tried to share some of his body warmth with her this way. ¡°Besides, staying under one roof and having the same blood coursing through your veins doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re a family. A home can only exist with love. You¡¯ll always be Old Mrs. Sinir and Old Master Sinir¡¯s granddaughter. This is something that will never change.¡± Elise found that her troubled heart suddenly calmed down significantly and she stared at the person in front of her, who was utterly sincere as he tried his best to keep guard of her fragile heart. Suddenly, she realized that she no longer wanted to put on a tough front so she dropped her defenses and gently leaned on his shoulders. ¡±Alexander Griffith,¡± Elise called out his name. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m here,¡± Alexander responded. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong.¡± She merely wanted to hear his response. They sat leaning against each other and after half an hour, the door to the room flung open from the inside. Subsequently, Joshua and Maureen walked out of the room. C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. After they had shut the door behind them, they sniffled and wiped off their snot before moving forward to face Elise. ¡±Elise, it must have been tough on you over thest few days. From now onwards, you can leave your grandma in our hands. You must be quite tired, too. Go home and take some rest.¡± Joshua put on an air due to his position as her elder and he gave out his instructions without bothering to ask for her opinion. ¡°No, I¡¯ll stay here and take care of Grandma.¡± However, Maureen interjected, ¡°Joshua, why don¡¯t you go back with Elise to get some supplies?¡± As she said that, she frantically signaled with her eyes to Joshua. At that point, he caught on to it and he changed his tune. ¡°That¡¯s true. I should go back and visit Dad.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, Elise. Lead the way.¡± He then reached out to grab Elise¡¯s hand as he spoke. Meanwhile, Elise immediately took a step backward and avoided him. Her distant expression was still full of wariness. ¡°Why did you move away?¡± Joshua was slightly upset. ¡°We¡¯re family now. Are you worried that I¡¯ll harm you?¡± As for Elise, she didn¡¯t respond to his words and only allowed the tense situation to persist. As soon as Alexander saw that, he instantly went forward to talk to Joshua. ¡°Mr. Sinir, my car¡¯s downstairs. I can give you guys a ride.¡± ¡°Are you Elise¡¯s fianc¨¦?¡± Joshua nced at Alexander with a profound look in his eyes, and he nodded approvingly as soon as Alexander confirmed it. ¡°That¡¯s great. You¡¯re quite polite and way more approachable than her. Since you¡¯ve offered, how about I go down and wait for you guys? Hurry up and don¡¯t make me wait for too long, though.¡± Upon hearing that, Alexander revealed his signature gentlemanly smile and took out a key from his pocket. ¡°Here you go, Mr. Sinir.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Joshua took the keys in his hands and left before them. After he left, Maureen couldn¡¯t quite muster it to face Elise by herself, so she scurried over and opened the door to the room. Meanwhile, Elise was just about to walk into the room too but Alexander stopped her. ¡°My men will watch over Grandma, but Grandpa¡¯s home by himself. Are you sure that you¡¯ll be at ease by that?¡± As soon as he mentioned Robin, Elise calmed down significantly. She nced into the room and saw that Maureen was serving Laura some water with a fawning look, so she became slightly at ease. Elise then took another look at Laura before turning around decisively. ¡°Let¡¯s head home.¡± After half an hour, the three of them finally arrived at the Sinir Residence. Robin was taking a nap in the lounge when they walked into the house. Elise moved forward to greet him softly, ¡°Grandpa, we¡¯re back. Grandma¡¯s doing quite well today.¡± However, Robin had his head down as he moved slowly to sit up from the chaise. Right after he opened his eyes, Joshua suddenly rushed forward. ¡°Dad, it¡¯s me! I¡¯m back!¡± Robin was startled by Joshua¡¯s sudden outburst and the former retreated backward. As soon as the elderly man saw the person standing in front of him, he grabbed his cane by the side and flung it. ¡°You b*stard! You¡¯re a scoundrel! Why are you back here?! You should have just died out there! Get lost!¡± Enraged, Robin stood up from his chair abruptly and went after Joshua with the cane. It was only after a while that the former finally stopped chasing Joshua out of the room. Taking deep breaths as he held onto his cane for support, Robin shouted, ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you! Get lost right now!¡± Meanwhile, Joshua maintained a flippant attitude. ¡°No worries, Dad. I know that I¡¯ve been quite unfilial and I deserve this beating. We¡¯re family and I¡¯m sure that that¡¯s your way of showing your concern so don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t take offense. I¡¯ll still take care of you until you get to your deathbed.¡± ¡°Y-You scoundrel! I know your ns! You¡¯re not back here to take care of us but you¡¯re here to send us off to the afterlife!¡± Chapter 377 Chapter 377 Chapter 377 Adopted Child,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°Dad, don¡¯t be upset. Everyone would want their kids to be there when they pass away! Death is inevitable. The most important thing is to pass away with dignity, and we¡¯vee back this time to uphold your dignity. It would be your mistake if you didn¡¯t appreciate our filial act.¡± Joshua maintained his cheeky attitude without even regarding himself as an outsider. ¡°You¡ª¡± Robin was angered to the point where he found himself out of breath and all of a sudden, his head spun. Clutching at his chest, he keeled over. As soon as Elise and Alexander saw that, they rushed forward to support Robin and they shifted him to the chaise. Right after he was ced into a supine position, Elise swiftly took out the needles that were always on her and lifted Robin¡¯s left hand to poke him on the tip of his fingers. It was only after repeating that a few times that Robin¡¯s breathings gradually stabilized. Meanwhile, Joshua stretched his neck and peered over. There was a sh of disappointment across his face upon realizing that Robin was fine. ¡°Look at you! You¡¯re so frail. If I hadn¡¯te back with Maureen, who else would be able to sort out the funeral ns if something actually happened to you?¡± ¡°Shut up!¡° Elise rolled her eyes at him. ¡°I¡¯ve tolerated your bullsh*t for long enough, and I¡¯ll rip your tongue out if you continue to say another word!¡± ¡°How dare you interrupt when your elder is speaking?¡± Joshua lifted his chin proudly, exuding utter confidence without a single bit of fear in him. ¡°Do you think that you¡¯re fit to be addressed as an elder?¡± Elise had an indifferent expression on her face as she coldly mentioned, ¡°Grandpa and Grandma are my only family members. I don¡¯t care who it is, but I¡¯ll make sure that whoever dares to hurt them pay the price!¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Joshua snorted mockingly as he countered, ¡°From what you just said, do you mean that you¡¯re going to teach me a lesson? Well, I don¡¯t think that an outsider like you would be able to stop me from returning to my own home!¡± Meanwhile, Robin¡¯s eyes widened upon hearing the word ¡®outsider¡¯ and he struggled hard to lift his hand. Then, he pointed to Joshua by the doorway and he weakly muttered, ¡°Y-You¡¯d better shut your mouth!¡± ¡°Why should I shut my mouth? That darn girl should be the one to shut up!¡± Joshua arrogantly spat at Elise. ¡°Darn it! Who do you think you are anyway?! You¡¯re just an adopted child and an outsider with a differentst name! How dare you behave so insolently in someone else¡¯s house!¡± Upon hearing that, Elise clenched her fists by the side of her body tightly and there was a restrained look that crossed her face. She gritted her teeth and tried toe up with a retort but in the end, she didn¡¯t utter a single word. He¡¯s right. No matter what, he¡¯s the son of the Sinir Family so they are rted by blood. Blood¡¯s thicker than water, so perhaps Grandpa and Grandma do care about their biological son the most. On the other hand, Alexander was pained as he saw something sh across Elise¡¯s face, and the last time he had seen that was during their encounter with Madeline. And so, he was adamant that he would not stand by and do nothing. In the end, Alexander walked over to stand by Else and he wrapped his broad, warm hand around her tightly clenched fist and he eximed loudly, ¡°The future lady of Griffith Group can choose to act recklessly however she wants. Mr. Sinir, do you have a bone to pick with my fianc¨¦e?¡± ¡°The Griffith Group?¡± Joshua¡¯s expression turned upon hearing that and he asked quite materialistically, ¡°Do you mean thepany of the Griffith Family from Tissote? Are you the one leading thepany?¡± ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± Alexander puffed out his chest but he didn¡¯t bother to say much. However, his imposing manner was exuded quite naturally. Meanwhile, Joshua stared at Alexander scrutinizingly before nodding as he had already weighed out the pros and cons. ¡°Alright, then. Since that¡¯s the case, I won¡¯t take offense against this brat!¡± Joshua purposely reacted magnanimously as he reassured Alexander. C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. Subsequently, he nced at Elise and warned, ¡°You should be thankful that you found such a great guy!¡± Although Joshua had left town at an early age, the Griffith Family was well-renowned to be one of the noble families in Tissote and it was unwise to cross their path. This was why he deemed it eptable to give Alexander some leeway. It will make it much easier to interact with him once I inherit the Sinir Family business after the two old folks pass away. Just then, Elise had neared her tolerance level for Joshua¡¯s smugness, so she suddenly exerted force and was about to take action against him. However, instantly after that, Alexander pressed lightly on her shoulders to signal her to keep her calm. In response, Elise paused in her tracks as she heard Alexander¡¯s voice rang out from next to her. ¡°I think you¡¯ve made a mistake. I was the one who pursued Elise. She wasn¡¯t the one that made the move. I would kill for her to marry me right now so whatever she wants to do or whatever she¡¯s after, I will definitely achieve it for her.¡± Alexander paused for a moment upon saying that and he revealed a sly smile. ¡°Even if I have to kill someone for her, I would not hesitate at all.¡± He put emphasis on hisst sentence and every single word he mentioned spoke volumes. Meanwhile, Joshua looked at Alexander, who had a half-smile on his face, and the former suddenly felt quite uneasy for some reason. After all, Alexander was used to being decisively merciless in the corporate world and his domineering aura overpowered Joshua despite thetter¡¯s age. I¡¯m back for the family fortune, so it would be worthless if I lost my life, As soon as Joshua realized that, he chuckled cheekily. ¡°Ha! President Griffith, you must be joking. We¡¯re a family so there¡¯s no need to resort to any killing. There¡¯s no need for that.¡± Joshua said that with a nce at Elise before raising a hand to p himself on the mouth. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Elise. It¡¯s my fault for not watching my words. Please don¡¯t take those words to heart. It doesn¡¯t matter whether you were adopted or not. We¡¯re all part of the Sinir Family, right?¡± Elise, however, was used to Joshua¡¯s lowly behavior. Although she was tempted to strike him to teach him a lesson, she was much more concerned about identally triggering Robin so in the end, she didn¡¯t say a word and turned around to go andfort the elderly man. ¡°Grandpa, you need plenty of rest right now and you shouldn¡¯t lose your temper.¡± ¡°Gosh!¡± Robin frowned and heaved a sigh. ¡°Elise, don¡¯t you take what that scoundrel said¡ª¡± Before Robin could finish his sentence, Elise had already mentioned expressionlessly, ¡°I knew about that earlier on.¡± Robin¡¯s expression stiffened when he heard that and after quite some time, he finally came to his senses. Significantly stunned, he asked, ¡°W- What?! Howe?¡± We kept this a secret for so many years and it was a well-kept secret, so how did she find out?! At that point, Elise calmly ced a nket on him and she spoke as she covered him with it. ¡°There was once when you spoke to Grandma and you guys brought it up by ident. I heard the conversation then.¡± Suddenly, Robin was unable to contain himself as he felt quite guilty and pained. After quite some time, he finally managed to utter, ¡°Ellie, your grandma and I have always regarded you as our own granddaughter!¡± ¡°I know that,¡± Elise replied matter-of-factly. ¡°And it¡¯s the same for me. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine.¡± Meanwhile, Robin heaved a sigh without saying a word. He knew Elise quite well and she was generally one who kept everything to herself. It was quite likely that this incident would result in herpletely mming up. Just then, Robin lifted his head to stare at the ceiling. Suddenly, he recalled something and he nced toward Alexander with a hopeful look. Ellie is quite taken by him so perhaps from now on, he could be her support. Behind the side-door, Jeanie stood astonished against the wall with her mouth agape. She had heard every single word quite clearly. Elise isn¡¯t the Sinirs¡¯ biological granddaughter and she was adopted! Yoyo? Could she possibly be my Yoyo?! Chapter 378 Chapter 378 Chapter 378 Not Cruel Enough,Coolest Girl in Town Now that Robin¡¯s condition had stabilized, Joshua sauntered into the house and began to look around eagerly. ¡°You heard what Mom said, didn¡¯t you, Dad? She said my wife and I are to remain in the family home. I¡¯m going to need to know where the bank passbooks and cards are so that I can pay for Mom¡¯s expenses; it¡¯s not as if you¡¯re fit enough to deal with those now.¡± Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°You useless ingrate! I knew you¡¯d never change for the better. You¡¯ll get your hands on the money over my dead body. Get out of my house now!¡± Robin thundered, his eyes wide with fury. Joshua, however, paid no mind to the old man¡¯s anger as he said indifferently, ¡°I¡¯m not leaving until I fulfill my duties as a son. Besides, you don¡¯t speak on behalf of the rest of the family, so whatever you say isn¡¯t final!¡± Meanwhile, Elise crouched in front of Robin with her head down, but there was no hiding the murderous rage that radiated off her. Alexander had kept his gaze on her from the beginning and he instantly sensed her hostility toward Joshua. He quietly walked up to Joshua with a frown and said, ¡°Mr. Sinir, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s appropriate that you stay here for the time being. Why don¡¯t youe with me and I¡¯ll arrange for more suitable amodations?¡± ¡°No, thanks,¡± Joshua rejected drily. ¡°Why would I stay somece else when I have a home?¡± With that, he reached for a nearby chair and sat down decisively. A dark gleam shed in Alexander¡¯s eyes and he no longer put up a courteous front as he asked coldly, ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to take me up on my offer, Mr. Sinir?¡± An indignant Joshua red at him before he closed his eyes and shook his head firmly. ¡°I will not hear of it.¡± The Griffiths might be powerful, but even they could not interfere with private family matters. There was nothing wrong with Joshua staying in his family home and taking care of his father, and not even the police could challenge that. I don¡¯t have to be afraid of anything! ¡°Well, that¡¯s too bad then,¡± Alexander drawled. Without another word, he whipped out his phone and made a call before he instructed tly when the other line answered, ¡°Cameron, bring a couple of men over. Also, have someone clean up my downtownmercial duplex, the one that has been left unused.¡± ¡°W-What do you think you¡¯re doing? Are you going to drag me out of here by force? Watch it, Alexander¡ªthe society is under the rule ofw and what you¡¯re about to do is illegal!¡± Joshua snapped, looking nervous as he jabbed an using finger in Alexander¡¯s direction. Alexander merely ignored him as he kept his phone, thereafter crossing over to Elise and Robin. ¡°I¡¯ll help you up to your room. You need to rest.¡± As a matter of decency, Robin was better off not seeing what would happen next. That being said, Alexander was also, by implication, asking for the old man¡¯s permission. Robin was Joshua¡¯s father, after all, and he had every right to stop Alexander from throwing Joshua out of the house. Robin was a man who had experienced lots in life and it didn¡¯t take him long to hear the subtext in Alexander¡¯s words. After a moment of hesitation, he nced over at Elise, and atst reached out to allow Alexander to help him up. The old man deliberately staggered in the process and she hurried to hold his other arm, steadying him. Presently, he clutched both their hands tightly and said wearily, ¡°I¡¯m getting old. I don¡¯t have the luxury of being bothered by what goes on in this household. I leave it to both of you to call the shots.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll stay right by Elise¡¯s side,¡± Alexander promised solemnly. Robin nodded and allowed the matter to rest. Upon seeing this exchange, Joshua cried out, ¡°Dad, you can¡¯t just turn a blind eye to this! At least¡ª¡± He wanted to rush up to them and plead his case, but when he caught the dark and dangerous look Alexander threw at him, he froze in ce. Suddenly afraid, he dared not move a muscle. He could only stand still as he watched the three figures retreat toward the backyard and when he shook off his fear btedly, he could hardly believe that he had allowed some young punk to intimidate him. No, if I want to get what rightfully belongs to me, then I¡¯ll have to be cruel, or this guy will screw everything up for me! Chapter 379 Chapter 379 Chapter 378 Not Cruel Enough,Coolest Girl in Town Now that Robin¡¯s condition had stabilized, Joshua sauntered into the house and began to look around eagerly. ¡°You heard what Mom said, didn¡¯t you, Dad? She said my wife and I are to remain in the family home. I¡¯m going to need to know where the bank passbooks and cards are so that I can pay for Mom¡¯s expenses; it¡¯s not as if you¡¯re fit enough to deal with those now.¡± ¡°You useless ingrate! I knew you¡¯d never change for the better. You¡¯ll get your hands on the money over my dead body. Get out of my house now!¡± Robin thundered, his eyes wide with fury. Joshua, however, paid no mind to the old man¡¯s anger as he said indifferently, ¡°I¡¯m not leaving until I fulfill my duties as a son. N?velDrama.Org content. Besides, you don¡¯t speak on behalf of the rest of the family, so whatever you say isn¡¯t final!¡± Meanwhile, Elise crouched in front of Robin with her head down, but there was no hiding the murderous rage that radiated off her. Alexander had kept his gaze on her from the beginning and he instantly sensed her hostility toward Joshua. He quietly walked up to Joshua with a frown and said, ¡°Mr. Sinir, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s appropriate that you stay here for the time being. Why don¡¯t youe with me and I¡¯ll arrange for more suitable amodations?¡± ¡°No, thanks,¡± Joshua rejected drily. ¡°Why would I stay somece else when I have a home?¡± With that, he reached for a nearby chair and sat down decisively. A dark gleam shed in Alexander¡¯s eyes and he no longer put up a courteous front as he asked coldly, ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to take me up on my offer, Mr. Sinir?¡± An indignant Joshua red at him before he closed his eyes and shook his head firmly. ¡°I will not hear of it.¡± The Griffiths might be powerful, but even they could not interfere with private family matters. There was nothing wrong with Joshua staying in his family home and taking care of his father, and not even the police could challenge that. I don¡¯t have to be afraid of anything! ¡°Well, that¡¯s too bad then,¡± Alexander drawled. Without another word, he whipped out his phone and made a call before he instructed tly when the other line answered, ¡°Cameron, bring a couple of men over. Also, have someone clean up my downtownmercial duplex, the one that has been left unused.¡± ¡°W-What do you think you¡¯re doing? Are you going to drag me out of here by force? Watch it, Alexander¡ªthe society is under the rule ofw and what you¡¯re about to do is illegal!¡± Joshua snapped, looking nervous as he jabbed an using finger in Alexander¡¯s direction. Alexander merely ignored him as he kept his phone, thereafter crossing over to Elise and Robin. ¡°I¡¯ll help you up to your room. You need to rest.¡± As a matter of decency, Robin was better off not seeing what would happen next. That being said, Alexander was also, by implication, asking for the old man¡¯s permission. Robin was Joshua¡¯s father, after all, and he had every right to stop Alexander from throwing Joshua out of the house. Robin was a man who had experienced lots in life and it didn¡¯t take him long to hear the subtext in Alexander¡¯s words. After a moment of hesitation, he nced over at Elise, and atst reached out to allow Alexander to help him up. The old man deliberately staggered in the process and she hurried to hold his other arm, steadying him. Presently, he clutched both their hands tightly and said wearily, ¡°I¡¯m getting old. I don¡¯t have the luxury of being bothered by what goes on in this household. I leave it to both of you to call the shots.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll stay right by Elise¡¯s side,¡± Alexander promised solemnly. Robin nodded and allowed the matter to rest. Upon seeing this exchange, Joshua cried out, ¡°Dad, you can¡¯t just turn a blind eye to this! At least¡ª¡± He wanted to rush up to them and plead his case, but when he caught the dark and dangerous look Alexander threw at him, he froze in ce. Suddenly afraid, he dared not move a muscle. He could only stand still as he watched the three figures retreat toward the backyard and when he shook off his fear btedly, he could hardly believe that he had allowed some young punk to intimidate him. No, if I want to get what rightfully belongs to me, then I¡¯ll have to be cruel, or this guy will screw everything up for me! Chapter 380 Chapter 380 Chapter 380 I Want to Hear What You Think,Coolest Girl in Town The power struggle between the Griffith Group and Olson Pharmaceuticals was getting heated, and while Alexander had been careful not to bring this up in front of the rest of the Griffiths, it didn¡¯t stop them from worrying either. With immense pressure from the family, Adam had no choice but to have Alexander return home so they could get to the bottom of the brewing business war. Alexander had wanted to keep Elise out of the murky situation, but her insistence had worn him down and he eventually agreed to let her participate in the Griffiths¡¯ family conference. Upon arriving at the Griffith Residence, Elise and Alexander saw that nearly everyone in the family had turned up and there were even a few unfamiliar faces. They had all squeezed themselves into the living room and seemingly filled up every avable space. These were all rtives whose livelihoods depended on the sess of the Griffiths and Griffith Group. When Jonah had been in charge, his authority had overpowered any rumor or threat that loomed over thepany¡¯s reputation. However, now that Alexander had taken over his grandfather¡¯s ce, the sudden and seismic shifts that happened were making everyone uneasy. In particr, they had heard from some unconfirmed sources that the only reason why Alexander was waging war against the Olson Family was because he wanted to avenge his fianc¨¦e; while this alone did not sit well with the rest of the Griffiths, there were also some who started to question his ability to lead thepany. After all, none of them cared about a woman¡¯s dignity and they certainly didn¡¯t think it was worth gambling on the family fortune. As such, they treated Elise as the cause of all this and her faults far outweighed Alexander¡¯spse of judgment. Presently, as she walked into the house, everyone¡ªeven the most distant of the Griffiths who had never met her before¡ªeyed her with unadulterated hostility. If looks could kill, she would have died from a thousand cuts the moment she walked past the threshold. Meanwhile, upon noticing his family¡¯s unfriendly gaze, Alexander blinked and took Elise¡¯s hand in his. He was unfazed and his gestures were slow and steady. He had as good as told everyone that Elise was his woman, his only choice, and anyone who dared to scorn her would do well to remember their ce. Elise, on the other hand, had been expecting something like this way before their arrival. Her expression had betrayed nothing and despite the circumstances, she was centered and unfazed. Indeed, her stature and her temperament did not sit well with a lot of people. Alexander had been fielding controversies left and right ever since he coupled with her, but maybe he would finally make a decision today. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there. Take a seat,¡± Madeline said, breaking the long and stifling silence. Elise had intended to cross over and boldly take her seat among the Griffiths, but at that moment, Alexander said drily, ¡°No, thanks. It¡¯s gettingte and I¡¯d like to drop Elise home as soon as possible. Whatever it is you have to say, juste right out with it.¡± ¡°Will you take a look at that? Are the elders gathered here today nothing more than chopped liverpared to some woman¡ªsome outsider? I don¡¯t know how any of you see it, but I think this boy¡¯s gone stupid from love!¡± The man who said those words shook his head in disapproval. He was a senior family member who made sure to criticize in that exact capacity. When everyone else heard this, they muttered their agreement, though they dared not speak up against Alexander directly. They worried about no one but themselves, but feigned concern for the whole family and assumed a self-righteous air as though they were fighting for a just cause. Alexander narrowed his eyes dangerously as he zoomed on the man who made that scathing remark before he withdrew his gaze as a form of pointed ignorance. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Then, his eyes flickered over to Adam instead. ¡°I want to hear what you think, Dad,¡± he said calmly. Chapter 381 Chapter 381 Chapter 381 Abdication,Coolest Girl in Town Adam had been frowning since the moment Elise and Alexander walked in, but when he heard his son¡¯s prompting, he let out a weary sigh. Then, he slowly looked up at Alexander and asked hesitantly, ¡°I¡¯ve always had faith in your capabilities, son, but now that things havee to this¡­ I think it¡¯s best if you exin yourself to your uncles.¡± ¡°And why should I?¡± Alexander countered coolly. ¡°They never wanted me to exin myself when they were profiting off my management, but suddenly a little crisises along and I¡¯m expected to face the gallows? I had no idea that the Griffiths are bottom-feeders who switch sides when it¡¯s convenient to do so.¡± ¡°Who do you think you¡¯re talking to, boy? Watch your mouth!¡± the man from earlier barked angrily. He obviously spoke on behalf of those who were restless and disapproving of Alexander¡¯s recent business maneuvers. As the man stood up, he exasperatedly mmed the table while furiously adding, ¡°Even your grandfather did not disrespect us like this when he was alive, Alexander, but here you are, thinking you¡¯re above us now that you¡¯ve taken his ce! Let me make one thing clear: we only came today because we want you to choose¡ªare you going to keep our best interests at heart, or are you going to give up everything for that woman? I suggest you carefully think about this!¡± Alexander chuckled darkly. ¡°I see that my grandfather¡¯s altruism has given you a false sense of achievement.¡± There might be underlyingplexities to the Griffths¡¯ corporate and family interests, but one thing was for sure: without Jonah at the heart of it all, the others would not be doing as well as they now did. The distant rtives would never have attained their fortune without the Griffiths, but now, it seemed that they were intent on using their status to force the Griffith Family¡¯s hand. As it turned out, the Griffiths had been equipping the traitors with power all along. Presently, after having heard Alexander¡¯s retort, the man faltered and turned to look at Madeline for help. The both of them exchanged a nce like they were telepathicallymunicating with each other. Naturally, Alexander and Elise caught the silent exchange. ¡°Mom,¡± he called out tly. ¡°What is it?¡± Guilt colored Madeline¡¯s features as she stiffened at her son¡¯s voice. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. When she turned to look at him, she inadvertently met Elise¡¯s piercing gaze, although she quickly avoided it and willed herself not to look in Elise¡¯s direction. ¡°Did you call these folks over?¡± Alexander bluntly called her out. Up until now, he still couldn¡¯t understand why his own beloved mother was so obsessed with tearing him and Elise, the love of his life, apart. Madeline¡¯s breath hitched, but she could not for the life of her come up with an answer. She knew her son was far too sharp-witted to fall for any of her lies; it would only take him seconds before he saw through her pretenses. After what felt like a long moment, she inhaled deeply and blurted out, ¡°Yes, I was the one who called them over. What was I supposed to do, Alexander? I can¡¯t just watch you throw your life away like that and drag the rest of the family down with you! Come back to your senses, son. You can still walk away before disaster strikes.¡± Scenes like this had happened so frequently that they started to look like fragments of the same, unending nightmare that he could not shake off. He had finally grown tired of it and with an almost resigned tone, he bit out coldly, ¡°In that case, all the Griffith Family matters will be yours to deal with from now on!¡± Chapter 382 Chapter 382 Chapter 382 The Abandoned Daughter,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°I certainly hope you¡¯re hearing yourself,¡± Madeline pointed out gravely. Although she wasn¡¯t the least bit surprised by Alexander¡¯s decision, she still wanted to give him onest chance to change his mind about this. ¡°Oh, believe me, I hear myself crystal-clear.¡± Alexander gazed at her steadily. ¡°We won¡¯t be seeing each other as much as we used to from now on, Mom, so take care. Same goes for you, Dad.¡± After having said that, he spun and assessed the rest of his rtives condescendingly before he drawled with a sadistic gleam in his eyes, ¡°You know, I wonder how thepany might fare in the stock market tomorrow once word of my leaving the Griffiths gets out. I guess we¡¯ll have to wait and see, won¡¯t we?¡± His sardonic words lingered heavily in the air, and he deliberately took in the interior of the house onest time before he leaned into Elise to whisper, ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll take you home.¡± She nced around the room and when her gaze swept over the rtives Alexander was leaving behind, she looked almost as if she was sorry for them. At that moment, she parted her lips and addressed them for the first time today, ¡°Soon you¡¯ll find out that you¡¯ve lost two valuable blue chips today.¡± Under the baleful scrutiny of the crowd, Elise and Alexander held hands and headed for the door. ¡°Alexander!¡± Now that he had finally lost patience with his family, Danny jogged up to the couple and cried out, ¡°I¡¯lle with you!¡± He already had enough of the twisted schemes of the Griffiths. However, Alexander pped a hand on the younger boy¡¯s shoulder and said somberly, ¡°Stay here and take care of Mom and Dad for me.¡± ¡°But I¡ª¡± Danny began to protest, hoping he could convince Alexander, but upon seeing the steely look on Alexander¡¯s face, he sighed in defeat. ¡°Fine.¡± With onest look at Adam, Alexander walked out the door and never turned back. After Elise and Alexander left, the rest of the Griffiths were plunged into chaos, one that seemed more colossal than they could have ever imagined. Now that Alexander wasn¡¯t around to strategize thepany¡¯s profits, the Griffith Group was nothing more than an empty shell. As soon as news of his departure broke, the family would inevitably witness a bloodbath on the stock exchange. While the majority of the family scrambled to think of feasible solutions, there were a few who deeply regretted attending the so-called intervention today. A small number of rtives decided to adopt a smarter approach by calling up their stock agents, thereafter selling their shares in Griffith Group to the Olson Family n. However, while they were racing to clean the mess they had created, none of them realized that this was all but Alexander¡¯s smokescreen. Meanwhile, over at the Sinir Residence, Jeanie finally summoned the courage to knock on Robin¡¯s bedroom door. ¡°Come in,¡± Robin said, thinking that Elise had returned. He slowly sat up in bed and leaned against the headboard before he waited for someone to enter. ¡°Old Master Sinir,¡± Jeanie greeted courteously from where she stood at the doorway. ¡°Mrs. Anderson? Is there something I can help you with?¡± he asked. Her hands were sped tightly as she tugged anxiously on her fingers. She tried to find the right words, but after a while, she blurted out, ¡°I was wondering whether you could lend me some cash, maybe just a few thousand.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± He nodded. He didn¡¯t think anything strange of her request and rather considered it as a matter of fact as he said, ¡°Well, of course you¡¯re going to need some money for convenience, what with you being alone and all.¡± ¡°No, no.¡± Jeanie vehemently waved her hand. ¡°The money isn¡¯t for my personal use. I¡­ I need it for ab test!¡± She couldn¡¯t bring herself to lie to Robin, not after all the kindness the Sinirs had shown her. ¡°Oh? C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. Whatb test might that be?¡± Robin asked almost instinctively, but as soon as he did, he winced at the bluntness of the question. He quickly added, ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me if you don¡¯t want to. I¡¯ll hand you my card in a bit and you can withdraw the amount as you like.¡± ¡°No, no, it¡¯s nothing secretive.¡± Not wanting this conversation to drag on any longer, she took a deep breath and exined solemnly, ¡°I need the money to run a DNA test to see whether Elise and I are rted.¡± ¡°Are you saying Elise is your child?¡± he asked in shock. ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet.¡± Jeanie was trying hard to suppress the excitement growing in her, but she couldn¡¯t hide her smile as she continued, ¡°I have a really strong feeling that she is my daughter, though. I can¡¯t shake the idea that I might be right. I guess you could call this a mother¡¯s sixth sense.¡± When Robin heard this, he nodded slowly before he heaved a sigh and pointed out, ¡°You know, Elise has always had it rough. When we found her, she didn¡¯t look like she was lost, but rather abandoned¡­¡± Jeanie froze at this. Old Master Sinir is testing me. He¡¯s saying that he thinks Elise has been abandoned by us when she was a child, and at the same time, he¡¯s tacitly telling me to give up on reuniting with her after what I¡¯ve put her through. ¡°I swear to heaven and earth!¡± Her fingers intertwined and her knuckles turned white as she continued, ¡°I¡¯ve never stopped looking for Yoyo, nor have I ever thought about giving up on her, but I was¡­ I was¡­¡± I was too useless. Before she could finish her sentence, she broke down in tears. With a cracking voice, she went on to say, ¡°No mother would dream of abandoning her own daughter. I didn¡¯t even get to tell her how much I loved her. Yet, from the very moment I saw her the other day, I knew that she was my Yoyo! You know, she might have let me stay out of generosity, but in truth, I intentionally stayed so I could get close to her. I must have subconsciously treated Elise as my own daughter, and when I heard you all mention that she was adopted, I instantly knew that she is my daughter. I can¡¯t be wrong about this!¡± He was moved by her words and sentiments, but he had raised Elise like his own for well over a decade and he couldn¡¯t bring himself to let her go. As such, he remained silent in protest. As if sensing his objections, Jeanie rushed to exin, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Old Master Sinir. The test will only be a confirmation for me; I won¡¯t try to bring Elise home to the Anderson Family. Knowing how heartless they are, I¡¯d be worried for Elise¡¯s safety too. She¡¯s my flesh and blood, so I won¡¯t try to take away the happiness she has now. Please believe me!¡± There was hardly a greater form of persuasion than the tears of plea a mother shed for her child. Robin was quiet in thought for a long moment and atst, he nced over at the only dresser in the room and said tly, ¡°Open the first drawer on the left and pick any card you want. The pin is XXX¡­¡± ¡°Thank you! Thank you so much!¡± Jeanie gave the old man a ny degree bow. After that, she was so grateful and overwhelmed after obtaining the bank card that she hadpletely forgotten Elise¡¯s stern reminder as she left the house. She was oblivious to the fact that there had been a figure hovering nearby the Sinir Residence and spying on her every movement. At the sight of Jeanie¡¯s departure through the front door, the spy swiftly made a call. ¡°Madam has left the house.¡± On the other end of the phone, Faye narrowed her eyes and instructed coldly, ¡°Follow her and make sure you stay hidden.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± After having heard this, she hung up the call. She was presently standing by the French windows in her office and gazing out at the cityscape that was decorated with skyscrapers. As she stared through the ss, her mind began to wander. I¡¯ve called that woman my mother all these years, but even now, there is still an invisible barrier between us. She¡¯s only been gone from home a couple of days, but it seems as if she¡¯s in better spirits now, and it¡¯s all because of that schoolgirl named Elise. Jealousy seized her as she tightly hugged herself, her nails digging into the skin of her arms. However, she loosened her grip as the barest hint of a smile brushed over her lips. Well, I suppose this could work out for the better. I might even be able to find out which cards my mother and grandmother have up their sleeves. As far as Faye was concerned, the Anderson Family was hers. No one and nothing could stop her from getting what she deserved. Chapter 383 Chapter 383 Chapter 383 Trading Secrets,Coolest Girl in Town The spy followed Jeanie all the way to the DNA test facility and waited until Jeanie left before paying a small bribe to get insider information from theboratory employees. As it turned out, Jeanie had wanted to confirm the biological rtion between herself and someone of the name of Elise Sinir, hence the trip to the facility. When Faye heard this, she was so agitated that she shoved everything off her desk and let them tter to the ground. On the other end of the phone, the spy dared not breathe or interrupt when he heard the sound of breaking ss and tumbling objects that followed Faye¡¯s fit of rage. After what felt like a long pause, Faye finally replied in a sinister manner on the other line, ¡°Go and get me those results; I want them as soon as they¡¯re out, no matter the cost.¡± ¡­ The next day, in light of the steady regression that Griffith Group experienced on the stock exchange, the financial news added insult to injury by publicizing Alexander¡¯s resignation. Given that he had been the leading figure of authority in thepany, his departure plunged stakeholders into a panic they had never felt before and they hurried to sell off the shares they had in hopes of recouping some of their losses. Incidentally, Amelia announced that ns for the Olson Family to acquire Griffith Group were underway, whichunched the price of their shares to new heights on the stock exchange. Nearly everyone who kept up with the news in the city knew that the Olson Family would inevitably emerge victorious in this power struggle. For the sake of sess, she decided that it was best to see Nathan and have their pending partnership formalized in writing. With Johan in tow, it wasn¡¯t until after he and Amelia had arrived at the hotel that they were told of Nathan¡¯s departure. A huge bribe had been forked out before Nathan¡¯s bodyguard caved into the temptation and told them of Nathan¡¯s whereabouts. Upon obtaining the information, Amelia and Johan set off to look for Nathan. Little did they know that Nathan had left to badger someone as well and that someone happened to be none other than Elise. Over at the Silverton Clubhouse, he was lobbying Elise with no small amount of persistence. ¡°I¡¯ve thought about this, and I think you know A¡¯s whereabouts. I can¡¯t stand not knowing the truth; you need to tell me where A is right now! Or you could tell me what the deal is between you and A.¡± Finally, desperation kicked in as he urged, ¡°Fine, I¡¯llpromise! How about if you just tell me whether A is a man or a woman? That isn¡¯t too much to ask, right?¡± s, all his wheedling was to no avail, for she merely stared ahead absentmindedly as she sat on the couch with her arms crossed. Across from Nathan, Alexander could no longer stand his relentless badgering. ¡°President York, how do you think your investors might feel if they find out that their best pitchercks fortitude? I wonder if they would reconsider their investments.¡± ¡°Get off your high horse,¡± Nathan snapped, ring at Alexander indignantly. ¡°And you¡¯re one to talk, Mr. I-Left-My-Family-Fortune-Behind! Haven¡¯t you heard that the mighty who have fallen would still command more respect than the average person? Do you honestly believe that I¡¯d have taken on all those investors and capital without a contingency n? I would have made a joke out of myself!¡± Alexander nodded before he pointed out coolly, ¡°I think you already have done so.¡± Indeed, Nathan was behaving like an idiot right now; he was aimlessly pacing around as he nced from left to right. He looked like he was a couple of cards short of a full deck. ¡°Hmph! Don¡¯t get all haughty with me! I bet you want to know who A is as much as I do,¡± he retorted wickedly. ¡°Aside from me, A might be the only other person in this city who could help to restore the Griffith Family¡¯s glory.¡± When she heard this, Elise quietly shot Nathan a look. Alexander, too, merely smiled and offered no retort as he allowed Nathan the pleasure of blowing his own trumpet. Much to Nathan¡¯s oblivion, the man who carried himself with such easy grace despite the recent controversies had been strategizing and nning since the beginning. As far as Alexander was concerned, Nathan was nothing but a pawn. It was during times like these when Elise would find herself doubting that Alexander was all that he seemed. He certainly had the makings of someone who exceeded the capacity of a mere sessor to the Griffith Group. At this time, her phone vibrated and pulled her out of her thoughts. She flipped open her phone and read the message that had popped up on the screen. After noticing this, Nathan sneaked up behind the couch and subtly peered at her screen from over her shoulder. When he saw that the symbol on the screen was the same one that marked his correspondences with A, he nearly choked and spat out his beer. The message on the screen read, ¡®There¡¯s someone looking into you. What¡¯s your take on this?¡¯ Nathan sputtered and began to cough violently as disbelief crashed over him like a tidal wave. In truth, he had paid SK Group a hefty price for them to look into A¡¯s whereabouts as well as Elise¡¯s background. He was almost certain that the message was sent by a member of SK Group, which meant Elise was likely in the group, too. Elise, on the other hand, seemed unfazed as she looked up at him and asked in a steady voice, ¡°You had someone look into me?¡± ¡°Old habits are hard to change; I¡¯ve been in the business industry long enough to know that it¡¯s always better to be cautious. Trust me, I bear no ill intention,¡± Nathan exined with a grin. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t think the absence of ill intentions justifies the act of snooping,¡± she countered darkly, narrowing her eyes. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Again, the intimidating gleam that seemed so at odds with her image shed in her eyes once more. A chill ran down his spine and he suddenly had a bad feeling about being here. He snapped out of his reverie when Elise said calmly without looking up, ¡°I¡¯m A.¡± Nathan fell silent, exasperated by how easily the lie rolled off her tongue. He made to leave and as he walked toward the door, he grumbled under his breath, ¡°Do your research before you spew such nonsense, little girl. You were probably doing finger-painting in grade school when A was reigning over the stock market¡­¡± He had only just reached the exit of the clubhouse when Amelia and Johan obstructed his way. ¡°Mr. York!¡± Amelia greeted with a dazzling smile. ¡°The Griffiths are going to hit rock bottom by the time the stock exchange opens tomorrow. I think it¡¯s high time we discuss that coboration and put it down in writing, don¡¯t you?¡± While Nathan had never evaded them on purpose, photos of them being seen together had been captured from the media more often than not in recent times and rumors of an uing coboration had circted throughout the industry. In actuality, Nathan had yet to agree to a coboration, which made Johan see him as a wild card. For each day that the coboration remained unconfirmed, the risk of Nathan joining Alexander¡¯s forces only grewrger; at this rate, it would only be a matter of time before the Griffiths would return in social graces. While it meant the Griffths¡¯ defeat tomorrow might be definite, it certainly would not be permanent. However, with Nathan on his side, Johan could entirely wipe out Griffith Group. Presently, Nathan was still fuming and he had no patience to deal with Johan and Amelia. Without much thought, Nathan brusquely dismissed them, ¡°I know. Go and get the contract drawn up.¡± An overjoyed Amelia asked, ¡°Really? Oh, it¡¯s splendid to know you¡¯ve made up your mind. Shall we go over the details tomorrow morning?¡± He hummed in response, then turned to burrow into his car with the same irritability as a grizzly bear. As Johan and Amelia watched Nathan¡¯s car speed away, he said slowly, ¡°Aunt Amelia, we¡¯re so close to winning this.¡± Chapter 384 Chapter 384 Chapter 384 The Day of Miracles,Coolest Girl in Town It waste at night and the entire Griffith Family had already drifted off into sleep when Penny, a member of the household staff, pried open a small gap in the door of the backyard. Through the gap, she could see Matthew¡¯s figure standing on the other side of the door; he looked to have been waiting for a while, and not wanting his patience to run out, she quickly and cautiously informed, ¡°Young Master Alexander has decided to sever ties with the rest of the Griffiths. It was quite the scene!¡± In the dimness, his cold and sinister face seemed to brighten at the news. ¡°I see. Well done, Penny.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for praise.¡± Whatever Penny was doing now went against her good conscience and she was already uneasy as things were. However, she knew she didn¡¯t have a choice, not while Matthew was threatening to hurt her grandson, who had only just started schooling not too long ago. ¡°I¡¯d be grateful enough if you could keep your word and leave my family unhurt, Young Master Matthew.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, Penny; I wouldn¡¯ty a finger on your family as long as you cooperate with me,¡± he drawled with an icy smile. ¡°Well, you best keep that in mind!¡± After having thrown the words brusquely over her shoulders, Penny closed the door to the backyard and lightly tread back into the house. She had never done anything as unsettling as this before, and to make matters worse, she was cohorting with a criminal whom the police were after. She had a feeling that she would not be able to get any sleep for the rest of her days. Meanwhile, under the moonless night sky, Matthew slowly turned away from the house and walked into the distance as he took the phone out of his pocket¡­ The next morning, news of Alexander cutting off the Griffiths broke all over the city, and along with it came word of the Griffith Family¡¯s hard fall from grace. Within an hour of the stock market opening, the Griffiths saw a steep decline in the value of their shares that amounted to hundreds of billions; they were merely a fraction away from entirely falling out of the market. The Securities Regtory Commission were worried that a shift in market dynamics such as this would turn the shareholders manic and it was only when the Commission intervened that the Griffith Group was saved from plummeting even further. Despite the damage control, everyone knew that the Griffiths¡¯ reign wasing to an end; the thread that tied them to capitalist privileges was fraying fast and it would break at any second. While chaos took the stock market by storm, Elise was tucked away in the ssroom and listening to an open lecture. Addison was sitting next to her, but she seemed restless as she tapped her pen against the desk, sighing every once in a while like she was pondering life¡¯s biggest conundrums. At some point, Elise finally couldn¡¯t stand the girl¡¯s intive disposition any longer and asked softly, ¡°Normally, you¡¯d be ying video games by now. What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood,¡± Addison answered with a weary sigh, sounding depressed. ¡°My dad¡¯s business ran into some problems; they¡¯re saying we might be bankrupt soon. When that happens, I won¡¯t be able to stay in college anymore. I¡¯d probably have to immediately find work so that I can pay my dues.¡± ¡°That sounds pretty serious.¡± Addison had always been the life of the party, as if she had not a care in the world. Elise didn¡¯t think that things could turn so bleak that bankruptcy would be in the books. ¡°Right?¡± Addison sighed again. ¡°Unless a miracle¡ªlike a really big one¡ªhappens, my family would end up like your boyfriend¡¯s and we¡¯d have to wind up thepany for good.¡± She was wallowing in self-pity, but as soon as she heard herself, she hurried to exin, ¡°Sorry, Elise¡ª I¡¯m not saying that your boyfriend¡¯s family would be bankrupt; I just thought that our situations are close enough byparison¡­¡± To be fair, though, the Griffiths will be devastated by hundreds of billions worth in losses if they were to go bankrupt. She couldn¡¯t imagine how the Griffiths would pull through. Conversely, Addison¡¯s family was facing a much smaller setback. The debts that came from their bankruptcy wouldn¡¯t be enough to entirely crush them and they could pay those off if they just tightened their belts a little. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Elise said, not at all bothered. She lowered her gaze in thought before she asked, ¡°Does your dad invest in stocks?¡± Addison shook her head, a little stunned as she pointed out, ¡°You overestimate me, Elise. Stocks are for upmarket Patiently, she began to exin, ¡°I was thinking that it wouldn¡¯t be hard for your dad to make some money from buying stocks now that the market is experiencing a giant shift in dynamics. It¡¯s a good investment opportunity.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really know about stuff like this,¡± Addison confessed sheepishly. She might have been a major in Mathematics, but the concept of stocks was foreign to her and she treated it with more fearful respect than curiosity. After all, she was from a middle-ss family; the only things she had ever heard about stocks were how someone racked up insurmountable losses and how someone else had leaped off a ledge after their stock prices took a huge dip in the market. Either way, the stock market was not a yground for the faint-hearted. More to the point, Addison¡¯s father was a down-to-earth man with principles. He liked knowing that the profit he earned was out of honest work and while the pace was much slower than investing in stocks, it still gave him a peace of mind. ¡°Take it easy. People like us aren¡¯t meant to be millionaires overnight!¡± Those were the words with which he imparted his wisdom and philosophy and Addison kept those same words close to her heart. At this moment, Elise narrowed her eyes as she gazed at the lecturer who had decidedly taken a passionate stance on teaching before mystifyingly adding, ¡°Tomorrow will be a miraculous day, and those who believe in miracles will be rewarded.¡± For some reason, Elise¡¯s cryptic demeanor had only made Addison want to trust her more. Her hands darted out to grab Elise by the wrist as she stared at Elise with a fanatic gleam in her eyes, ¡°Elise, I believe in you. I¡¯ll have my dad gamble what¡¯s left of our money on your boyfriend!¡± Elise let out a light chuckle at the girl¡¯s sudden bold decision. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. The Griffiths are rotten to the core, and so is their worth.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The spark of hope that Addison had felt seconds ago now died. ¡°Does that mean that the Griffiths are bound to go bankrupt and that our family has no better investment options?¡± ¡°Not really,¡± Elise replied. ¡°Frazier Pharmaceuticals could make for a good investment. You could tell your dad to gamble on this, but you have to be quick and get the shares by today, or there won¡¯t be any left by tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Addison agreed. She had no idea what Elise meant, but she knew that the girl wouldn¡¯t set her up to fail. Behind them was a boy from their faculty, who had heard every single word of their exchange. The Olson Family¡¯s press conference was about to start at 10:00AM that morning and all members of the media had already arrived. They were all waiting for Nathan to show up. This would mark the dawn of a new era in Tissote wherein the Olson Family would climb to the top of the social pyramid. However, when 11:00 AM rolled around, Nathan was still nowhere to be seen. The reporters were growing agitated as they chattered among themselves. They were beginning to wonder that the Olson Family had pulled a feint and that Nathan had never agreed to working with them in the first ce. Even as the crowd grew doubtful, they dared not leave the scene, for the Olson Family was already reaping rewards from the seismic shift in the stock market. Backstage, Amelia and Johan were beside themselves with panic. Everyone was calling Nathan¡¯s phone, but none of them was able to get hold of him. It took another half an hour before both Amelia and Johan realized that Nathan had bailed on them, and that he had never intended to attend the press conference today in the first ce. As it turned out, the billions that they had raked in from the stock exchange and their skyrocketing worth were not enough to impress him. He had decided to humiliate them in front of the press and the public! Johan was frantic as he called Nathan¡¯s number incessantly, but Nathan never picked up even once. Eventually, his phone died and he threw it onto the floor as he cursed angrily, ¡°Who the hell does he think he is? He¡¯s just some agent! Does he really think the Olson Family can¡¯t do better without him?!¡± He had only just finished ranting when Amelia¡¯s phone rang. Thinking it might be Nathan, she quickly answered the call and pressed the phone to her ear before demanding anxiously, ¡°Hello? Mr. York, where in the world are you?¡± The person on the other line said something, and whatever it was made Amelia grow grim. When she hung up the phone, she turned to look at Johan as she said gravely, ¡°Come with me.¡± Chapter 385 Chapter 385 Chapter 385 A Lawsuit,Coolest Girl in Town In the VIP lounge of the bank, the bank president¡ªRemus Sawyer¡ªwas seated on the couch with an apologetic look as he tried to exin, ¡°I wish I could approve the loan for the Olson Family, but right now, the Anti-Corruption Commission is breathing down my neck; one wrong move is all it takes for these people at the ACC to drag me in for an interrogation. I¡¯m afraid my hands are tied.¡± A few days ago, an anonymous letter had been addressed to the Anti-Corruption Commission, and after looking into these matters, the Commission had called Remus over to their offices that morning for a brief chat over a cup of coffee. As things were, he knew that he had to draw the line with the Olson Family before the Commission cracked down on the case. The Olson Family would go down alongside his career the moment the Commission decided they had both been guilty. Johan was now pacing the lounge with a grim look. It took a while before he stopped and sat down next to Remus to urge, ¡°Find a way out of this, or search for another bank willing to approve a loan in our favor. We¡¯ve already told the public that we¡¯d be acquiring the Griffiths¡¯ business! What will the people say if they find out our ns have been stymied?¡± Remus sighed. ¡°Vicious rumors spread much faster than you might think. There are no other banks who would consider approving a loan for you, at least not without first putting their lives on the line. How about if you push this acquisition back by a year, or maybe half a year?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous, Mr. Sawyer. The stock market is as brutal as it is vtile, but it thrives on information and rumors. We can¡¯t afford to wait that long. Besides, you promised us that you¡¯d approve the loan, that you¡¯d take care of it. And now here you are, leaving us high and dry!¡± Amelia used, her voice rising by several octaves. ¡°I¡­¡± Remus couldn¡¯t find the words to defend himself because she was right. ¡°I wish I could keep my promises, but I didn¡¯t think the Commission would take an interest in this all of a sudden!¡± The next morning, a Twitter thread began trending around cyberspace. At the time the Olson Family was supposed to kick off their much-anticipated press conference, Alexander had taken to his personal Twitter ount to announce that he had invested hundreds of billions of capital into Frazier Pharmaceuticals, thereby bing thepany¡¯s second largest shareholder. He also cleverly attached a photo of himself exchanging a friendly handshake with Nathan. Anyone who saw the thread guessed that Alexander had managed to secure capital from Nathan and that the both of them were officially working together. When the news broke, the stocks for Frazier Pharmaceuticals saw a steady rise in value on the market. As for the Olson Family, the fact that Nathan had bailed on their press conference coupled with their inability toe up with the capital to acquire the Griffiths¡¯ family business only affirmed the rumors¡ªthe Olson Family had not a single backer for their ns. The stock price for Olson Pharmaceuticals fell so rapidly that it tanked within the short span of the morning. Elise was in the passenger seat as she stared at Alexander¡¯s photo with Nathan on Twitter. She clicked her tongue in mock disapproval and pointed out snidely, ¡°I can¡¯t believe you guys bought Frazier Pharmaceuticals behind my back!¡± Alexander gave a low chuckle. ¡°With your brilliance, I highly doubt the purchase would have escaped your notice. The thing is, the whole thing was pretty much up in the air untilst night, and by the way, I was the only one who invested in Frazier Pharmaceuticals. You told me you didn¡¯t want to see thepany go down without a fight, so I looked into it and decided to buy up the shares. That¡¯s all that happened.¡± Elise immediately sensed that there was something fishy underscoring this incident. She turned to look at him inquisitively as she drawled, ¡°Mr. Griffith, from what I recall, you left behind your family fortune, so how in the world did you get your hands on hundreds of billions in capital?¡± She gasped dramatically. ¡°Oh! You have a secret bank ount somewhere, don¡¯t you? And you didn¡¯t tell me anything about it!¡± ¡°Your insinuations hurt me. You only had to ask and I would have told you everything. s, my dearest Elise, when was thest time you showed any interest in what I was doing?¡± he countered sadly. He knew her indifference toward life was carved into her bones, and even though he was her boyfriend, he enjoyed no special treatment. In fact, it seemed as if the only people who could stoke Elise¡¯s sentiments were her grandparents. Admittedly, there were plenty of times when he felt she had to be tethered to him by a thread. He had to draw her in bit by bit so that she would allow her walls to copse, but as soon as he released that thread, she would drift away and treat him with the same indifference as she did the rest of the world. Meanwhile, she parted her lips to say something, but words deserted her. At this moment, the piercing sound of Alexander¡¯s ringtone filled the car. He wore his Bluetooth earpiece and answered the call, but he hung up several seconds after quickly muttering, ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Elise asked. He pulled over by the curb and let out a frustrated sigh before he said slowly, ¡°The Griffiths have decided to file a lawsuit against me.¡± He paused at this, then nced over at her as he borated, ¡°To be precise, the ones who are suing me are those rtives you saw the other day. They¡¯re alleging that the ten-billion capital I invested in Frazier Pharmaceuticals belonged to the family company and that I stole it. Basically, I¡¯m being used of embezzlement.¡± ¡°How despicable of them,¡± Elise pointed out in disgust. ¡°They were the ones who wanted you to leave the family without taking any part of the fortune and now that you have capital, they¡¯re leeching off you again! You might call them rtives, but they¡¯re nothing but bloodsuckers!¡± The twinge of exasperation that Alexander felt seemed to dissipate as soon as he heard her words. She made him feel as if he was protected and that reassured him to no end. ¡°You don¡¯t seem the least bit concerned about where I obtained the capital,¡± he noted with self- deprecating humor. She frowned in thought before looking at him innocently as she asked in all seriousness, ¡°Why would I be concerned over such a small sum of money?¡± He felt his brows rise to his hairline as he was rendered speechless by her remark. As it turned out, he had underestimated her, for ten billion was, to her understanding, a ¡®small sum of money¡¯. Over on college grounds, Addison had seen Alexander¡¯s car from a distance and by the time he pulled up at the dormitories, she barreled down the stairs to greet him and Elise. Elise had only just stepped out of the car when she saw Addison hurtling toward her. ¡°We pulled through! We really did! You¡¯re incredible, Elise!¡± the girl cried happily as she wound her arms around Elise¡¯s neck. ¡°We recovered every cent to cover our debts, and now all the red has been cleared off our ledger! You¡¯re practically an oracle, Elise!¡± At the sight of this, Alexander let out a dry cough. ¡°Miss Whitlock, I¡¯d appreciate it if you could keep a polite distance from my fianc¨¦e.¡± He was secretly envious of how these girls could just hug things out, regardless of whether it was a joyous or a grave asion. Unfortunately, Elise was so used to putting up a strong front that the only times he could give her comforting embraces were when she was extremely vulnerable or devastated, which didn¡¯t happen often enough. Addison chuckled and untangled her arms from Elise¡¯s neck, but the next second, she drew Elise in by the waist and glued herself onto thetter. ¡°I will do no such thing! I¡¯m going to stick to Elise for as long as I can. I might even marry her!¡± Alexander frowned. Great, now I have to watch out for both guys and girls who pine after my woman. Could you just stop being so attractive, Elise? For my sake? While this was happening, Elise merely raised her hands, feigning innocence as she shot him a look that said, Well, what am I supposed to do about this? You can¡¯t keep a diamond from shining. After a quick round of jesting, Addison finally stood to the side like a loyal and faithful disciple. She followed Elise as she pressed, ¡°So, what should we do next, Elise? What other stocks should my dad invest in?¡± As soon as Elise heard this, she stopped in her tracks and turned to regard Addison somberly. ¡°Addison, you have to remember that stock investment isn¡¯t something you can depend on forever. It can be addictive to gamble on such things and win, but you have to draw the line somewhere or you could spiral into self-destruction.¡± ¡°Self-destruction?¡± Addison repeated in shock before she patted her chest to soothe the fear that budded in her. ¡°My goodness, that sounds terrifying! In that case, I¡¯ll get my dad to stop dabbling in stocks. All I want is for him to live like the honest man that he is.¡± Elise hummed in response, then pped Addison¡¯s shoulder consolingly as she added, ¡°Maybe self- destruction might have been an exaggeration on my part. What I really meant to say was that you can¡¯t blindly invest in something without first assessing the probabilities. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. You¡¯re a Mathematics major, and it shouldn¡¯t be hard for you to understand how stocks work if you put some effort into it. That way, you won¡¯t be easily misled or tricked into making poor investments. Do you understand?¡± Addison nodded, seemingly in a daze. She would like to think that Elise¡¯s words made sense, but at the same time, she was baffled by them. Chapter 386 Chapter 386 Chapter 386 Slit Her Throat,Coolest Girl in Town That same afternoon, the Olson Family dered their bankruptcy at the end of the stock trading and thepany assets were frozen while the court issued a bankruptcy order. Amelia presently appeared to be in a daze as she sat next to Jeremy, letting out long and tired sighs every once in a while. She wondered how she was going to tell her son that she had gambled the entire family fortune away. There didn¡¯t seem to be a gentle way to break the news, and with his poor state of health, she wasn¡¯t sure whether he could ept the blow. Then, Jeremy woke up with a violent coughing fit and the heaving made his body shudder. Within seconds, he was coughing up blood. ¡°Doctor! Doctor!¡± Amelia looked as if she had gone insane as she scrambled out of the room, and she returned with the consulting doctor and a team of nurses in tow. While the medical team went about the emergency life-saving procedure, she stood out in the hallway and watched the entire episode through the ss. It was only a full hourter that Jeremy¡¯s condition was stabilized, but the doctor walked out and informed wearily, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. We¡¯ve done our best, but we can¡¯t promise that he will survive the next fit.¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t say that! My son was perfectly fine, so don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s terminally ill all of a sudden!¡± Hot tears streamed past her cheeks as she gripped the doctor¡¯s arm and begged, ¡°Please, please save my son. He¡¯s only twenty; he¡¯s still a child! He¡¯s too young to die!¡± However, the doctor could only sigh ruefully and he couldn¡¯t make any promises. Atst, Amelia was exhausted from all the crying and she suddenly grew calm as she recalled Elise¡¯s warning from the other day at the clubhouse. ¡°When the Griffiths wind up thepany for good, that will be the end for Jeremy.¡± While the Griffiths were not bankrupt on paper, they were already on the verge of bing so and this coincided with Jeremy¡¯s inexplicable deterioration in health. Elise has to be the one behind all this! There isn¡¯t anyone else! At the thought of this, she dried her tears and slowly sat up from the floor before she rose to hurry out of the hospital. She forked out a huge sum of cash, and within an hour, she managed to locate Elise. However, upon seeing the address, Amelia froze in astonishment. Elise was currently at the Silverton Club, the very same ce where Nathan had told Amelia and Johan to hold the press conference. Seized with a bad premonition, Amelia nearly retreated from the confrontation, but the thought of keeping Jeremy alive overwhelmed all reason. With a deep breath, she clenched her jaw and barged into the clubhouse. She was practically moving on instinct, but when she hurtled through the doors of the VIP lounge, she saw Nathan sitting insouciantly inside with Alexander and Elise. The three of them formed some sort of insidious triangle as they upied the two couches in the lounge, and it was clear to see from their dynamics that they had known each other for quite some time. ¡°Mr. York¡­¡± Amelia began, a little startled as her gaze fixed on the man. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you.¡± Nathan, however, was heartless as he pretended not to know about this. ¡°Oh, really? I had no idea. I mean, I¡¯m sure there are plenty of things you have to deal with at the moment. Why are you so anxious to see me, Mrs. Olson?¡± She was as pale as a white sheet in fury before she turned red as blood rushed to her face. The Olson Family¡¯s bankruptcy would have been headline news among the investors, and for a prominent figure like Nathan, there was no way he hadn¡¯t heard about it. He¡¯s just pretending to be baffled on purpose! However, as things were, she had no leverage against him. The three of them were already on the top of the capitalist food chain and she was the bird whose wings had been clipped. She could neither soar above them nor make him bend to her every whim. ¡°O- Oh, it¡¯s nothing,¡± she finally responded bitterly through gritted teeth. ¡°Well, that¡¯s good to know,¡± Nathan replied impassively, indulging in cruelty. At the sight of his cold indifference, Amelia grew outraged, but she forced herself to turn away from him. She took two steps closer to Elise instead and barked, ¡°Come with me to the hospital right now, Elise! You¡¯re the one who hurt my son, so you¡¯ll have to save him!¡± Regardless of the financial troubles that gued her family, themanding edge in her tone did not seem to have softened. Elise wasContent ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. unbothered as she countered coolly, ¡°Do you have proof to support that usation?¡± ¡°Of course I do! Everyone saw you touch him, which means you¡¯re the one whonded him into such a sorry state! Don¡¯t you dare deny this!¡± Amelia spat. ¡°I had no idea that your son was so weak that he could be terminally ill from a light touch. Is he perhaps made of fine china and he¡¯d crack at the slightest bump?¡± Elise asked. At that moment, it was as if panic had turned Amelia¡¯s brain to mush. She wasn¡¯t in the mood to argue with Elise now and decided that pleading was the best way to go. As she humbled herself, she begged, ¡°Please, Elise, you have to save my son. He¡¯s too young to die like this. I¡¯d do anything you want if you save him!¡± Elise wickedly eyed Amelia as she pointed out, ¡°The Olson Family has no fortune to their name, and you¡¯re nothing but a street rat now. What right do you have to bargain with me?¡± It was only then that hard realization dawned upon Amelia as she fearfully took in the apathetic look on Elise¡¯s face. She finally understood the full extent of Elise¡¯s intelligence and how a young girl like her could make all the right moves through cold, hard calction. Barely a month had passed since the Olson Family¡¯s first encounter with Elise, but that was enough time for them to slowly lose everything. She¡¯s a force to be reckoned with, Amelia thought with a chill down her spine. All this aside, Elise was the only one who could save Jeremy and Amelia had no choice but to beg. Amelia had been a proud woman all her life, but at that moment, she cast her pride away and fell on her knees, her bones hitting the cold, hard ground. Bowing her head, Amelia could finally see why Thaddeus had such high regards for Elise. In hindsight, she should have heeded her father¡¯s advice and known better than to trifle with the girl. ¡°My son and I were wrong to have done all those things to you in the past. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive us and give my son a chance to live. I promise you he¡¯ll change for the better!¡± ¡°It¡¯s toote,¡± Elise drawled icily. ¡°I gave you plenty of chances¡ªlike back at the car dealer and at the police station, just to name a few asions. Jeremy could have changed for the better after he was rescued, but he didn¡¯t.¡± Then, she paused and held Amelia¡¯s gaze impassively. She parted her lips and emotionlessly added, ¡°You have to pay the price eventually for all the bad things you did.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it enough that the Olson Family lost everything?!¡± Amelia shrieked, thumping her chest with her fists all curled up. ¡°You took away our money, our reputation and our ce in society. We have nothing to lose now but the life of a young one and you don¡¯t even try to sympathize with us! How could you be so heartless?!¡± Am I heartless? Elise wasn¡¯t sure about this question, but she knew that an apology from Amelia was equivalent to sweeping the past under the rug. No longer wanting to stick around for this conversation, she turned to address Alexander, ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Alexander nodded and said in the direction of the doorway, ¡°Take this woman out of here immediately.¡± The next second, two men in suits walked into the lounge and nked either side of Amelia, thereafter dragging her out. ¡°No! I won¡¯t leave until Elise promises to save my son! I¡¯d rather die than be dragged out like this!¡± Amelia struggled in the security guards¡¯ vise-like grip, and inadvertently, she caught sight of the cabs that were built into one side of the wall. Seized with determination, she broke free of the guards¡¯ rein and threw herself hard against the cabs. The head-splitting pain that followed the collision made her see stars and ck spots in her vision. Fresh blood trickled down from her forehead almost instantaneously, staining half her face. She reached up to press a hand to her wound and tried to find her bnce. When she did, she slowly opened her eyes and looked at Elise darkly, then bit out in a strained voice, ¡°If you don¡¯t save my son, you¡¯ll have to watch me die right here right now!¡± The whole room fell into a deathly silence as Elise and Amelia faced off against one another. The tension brewed and after what seemed like an eternity, an unaffected Elise took a deep breath and said, ¡°Then go ahead and die.¡± Amelia¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief as she couldn¡¯t imagine anyone being so ruthless. The wheels in her mind turned as she concluded, Elise is only saying this because she thinks I wouldn¡¯t kill myself out of desperation. She swallowed convulsively as she grew numb to the pain of her wound. Mortality made her fear death, but she was more afraid of seeing her son die than anything else. If she had to choose, she wouldn¡¯t pick living if it meant her son couldn¡¯t be saved. A steely look shed across her bloodstained face, and with onest re at Elise, she ran out of the lounge. A few minutes later, one of the bodyguards brisk-walked into the room and reported, ¡°That woman ran into the kitchen and slit her own throat with a knife!¡± Chapter 387 Chapter 387 Chapter 387 The Mad and the Foolish,Coolest Girl in Town Elise¡¯s expression shifted when she heard this. Nathan was the first to break the shock silence that came with the information. ¡°Is she dead?¡± he asked. ¡°No,¡± the bodyguard replied. ¡°She barely got through any skin and the slit isn¡¯t deep enough to kill her. She¡¯s already been sent to the hospital.¡± To one side, Alexander noticed Elise let out a slow breath of relief and he raised his hand to dismiss the guard while saying, ¡°That will be all.¡± When the guard left, she muttered without making much sense, ¡°Even a person like her would do anything to save her son.¡± And I never even got to see my own biological parents. Am I just not good enough? She then thought about what Joshua had said¡ªthat she was only adopted, and no matter how close of a bond she and her grandparents might share, they were ultimately separated by theck of blood rtion. If it all came down to choosing between her and Joshua, there was no telling whether Robin and Laura would or wouldn¡¯t pick Joshua. Elise would always be the one left behind; abandonment was a fate she had been born into. ¡°Everyone is different,¡± Alexander prompted meaningfully, pulling her out of her thoughts. ¡°Maybe,¡± she murmured as she spun and headed for the door. At the sight of this, he rose from the couch and asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°To save Jeremy.¡± She had changed her mind; regardless of whether Amelia would survive the ordeal, she would still spare the woman¡¯s son. It didn¡¯t take long for Alexander and Elise to arrive at the hospital. Under Elise¡¯s expert skills in acupuncture, Jeremy regained consciousness from hisa, though hisst memory was the one from the other day when he had badgered Elise. Now that he was looking at her the moment he opened his eyes, his hand flew to his neck as he demanded warily, ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± ¡°Your mother¡¯s been hospitalized,¡± Elise exined icily. ¡°What? What the hell did you do to my mom?!¡± he roared as he bolted upright in bed. ¡°You little b*tch! I swear I¡¯ll make you pay if anything happens to my mom!¡± She narrowed her eyes and shot him a dangerous look. ¡°Keep saying that if you want to be aatose forever.¡± Jeremy knew better than to challenge her, so he shut up like she told him to. When Elise left, he hurried to look into Amelia¡¯s whereabouts. By the time he found her room, Amelia was already awake. ¡°Mom! Are you alright? Why would you do such a thing? Tell me who it was that pushed you into doing something like this. I¡¯ll make them pay!¡± he cried, throwing himself down in the seat next to her bed as he sobbed pathetically. He might be an incorrigible troublemaker, but he still loved his mother dearly. ¡°There, now; you¡¯re awake and that¡¯s all that matters. I¡¯ll be fine as long as you are, my child,¡± a weak Ameliamented. ¡°How are you ¡®fine¡¯ right now? Look at the state of you! I won¡¯t just sit here and take this without a fight. I¡¯ll find that person who did this to you and make them pay. Was it Elise? That scheming little witch has gone too far this time! I¡¯ll find her and if I can¡¯t kill her myself, I¡¯ll hire someone to do it!¡± ¡°Stop!¡± Panic settled over Amelia as she reached up and clutched Jeremy¡¯s shirt, drawing him closer with a frantic gleam in her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Don¡¯t go around saying stuff like that anymore. That woman is someone we can¡¯t afford to trifle with!¡± With slow hesitation, she added, ¡°In the few days that you¡¯ve been unconscious, the Olson Family has gone bankrupt.¡± A loud ringing filled Jeremy¡¯s ears like his mind had just imploded. ¡°That¡¯s impossible! I don¡¯t believe you. You¡¯re lying! The Olson Family is a titan in the industry and we have William and Nathan on our side. How could we have lost everything?¡± ¡°You fool! Don¡¯t you understand? Nathan has been on Elise¡¯s side from the very beginning! He only got close to us for us to lower our guard!¡± ¡°What?¡± He crashed to the floor in a miserable heap. Bewildered, he started to recall everything that had culminated into this. Now that he thought about it, it was no wonder that Alexander and Elise could ess Nathan¡¯s suite whenever they liked, but the Olson Family could not. As it turned out, the wheels of Elise¡¯s ns had been set in motion without Amelia and anyone else in the Olson Family realizing it. Everything had been a ploy to begin with. How terrifying can one woman be? Jeremy thought with a shiver. Presently, Amelia let out a sigh. She stared at the ceiling with a faraway gaze as she added, ¡°It was our fault for pushing Elise¡¯s limits. We need to know our ce now and we have to realize that our glory days havee to an end.¡± ¡°No! I won¡¯t do it! I won¡¯t go down like this!¡± Jeremy couldn¡¯t ept the fact that he had gone from riches to rags as soon as he had woken up from hisa. As though having gone insane, he roared and howled, then rushed out of the hospital the same way Amelia had earlier at the clubhouse. A few dayster, news of him getting beaten into a pulp headlined the entertainment gossip column. He suffered such severe brain damage from the assault that rumor had it he wouldn¡¯t be the same person even after treatment. Unable to cope with this cruel twist of fate, she lost her mind. Meanwhile, Elise had gone through the paperwork for Laura¡¯s discharge from the hospital and brought Laura home. Following several rounds of acupuncture, Laura had already regained her mobility and Elise decided to bring her grandparents to seek medical help abroad after a month or two of recuperation. In order to celebrate Laura¡¯s discharge from the hospital, Joshua had been released from custody as well. After having not seen or heard from Joshua for the past few days, Maureen was ecstatic to see her husband return and the couple staked out a corner to talk about something in secret. Elise was helping Laura into a seat when she saw Jeanie sighing. Upon sensing that Jeanie might be in low spirits, Elise followed her into the kitchen and asked, ¡°You look a little down, Mrs. Anderson. Is something the matter?¡± Jeanie turned away as soon as she heard Elise¡¯s voice and quickly dabbed her tears. ¡°I-It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m fine.¡± While Jeanie thought she was being subtle, Elise actually saw through her gestures and grew even more worried. As she approached the older woman, Elise said gently, ¡°Mrs. Anderson, you know about my being adopted by the Sinirs, and that I¡¯m not biologically rted to my grandparents, but that doesn¡¯t change the fact that our bond is real. If you see me as family, Mrs. Anderson, you don¡¯t have to hide anything from me or be so courteous toward me.¡± Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Jeanie sighed. Since Elise had persuaded her, she reached out to take the girl¡¯s hand as she said wistfully, ¡°I was feeling dejected about how a girl as wonderful as you didn¡¯t turn out to be my daughter.¡± She paused, then mused thoughtfully, ¡°And I¡¯m upset because I went to get a DNA test done after I found out you were adopted. In the end¡­ You have no idea how much I wish you were my daughter!¡± Elise felt her heart leap to her throat, but she maintainedposure as she asked, ¡°You went to get a DNA test done?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Jeanie froze for a moment before she quickly apologized, ¡°Yes, I went out to deliver the DNA sample to the facility that ran the test for me. I¡¯m sorry for not staying home like you told me to, Elise.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m worried about something else,¡± Elise exined gravely. ¡°Something else?¡± A baffled Jeanie couldn¡¯t quite understand what else could worry Elise other than the trip she had made to the DNA test facility. With a sigh, Elise decided to be frank with the woman. ¡°Faye has hired someone to keep an eye on you and the spy has been watching you from outside the house all this time.¡± ¡°What?¡± Jeanie ced a hand over her heart and as the bted realization sank in, she muttered, ¡°Does that mean Faye knows about the test?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be too concerned about that.¡± Elise briefly pondered on this, then met Jeanie¡¯s gaze as she asked somberly, ¡°Mrs. Anderson, could you give me a copy of the DNA test results?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all just a bunch of technical data. Would you be able to understand the data at all?¡± Jeanie asked. ¡°No,¡± Elise replied bluntly. ¡°Maybe I could trace the data source, though.¡± Jeanie couldn¡¯t quiteprehend this, but she did as she was told and returned with the test results. Elise took the results and went back to her room, then somehow hacked into the facility¡¯s database by using the facility¡¯s name and the serial number printed on the test results. When she saw the real report leap out at her from the screen, she stared at the computer for long enough that one might think she had turned to stone. Chapter 388 Chapter 388 Chapter 388 Forcefully Remove People From My House,Coolest Girl in Town The woman whom Elise saved was actually her biological mother. For so many years, she had hoped to meet her mother and live with her, but when all of this was within reach, she suddenly became overwhelmed. At the same time, Faye also saw the real report. That woman is actually Yoona! She¡¯s not dead; she¡¯s actually still alive! Faye tightly squeezed the identification report until the document became wrinkled. She seriously wished to crush it as if doing this would remove the big stone weighing on her heart. In fact, she had worked so hard for so long toy out her ns to reach this position, so she knew she must not allow Yoona to appear and affect everything. Just as she was about to think of a solution, the office door was violently pushed open from the outside. Her secretary had stood in front of Johan to block him but that could not stop him from striding forward. ¡°Mr. Olson, you can¡¯t go in. Miss Anderson is¡­¡± As the secretary spoke, Johan had already walked up to Faye. The secretary lowered her head to immediately apologize, ¡°Sorry, Miss Anderson, I couldn¡¯t stop him¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. You may leave first.¡± Faye waved her hand to dismiss the secretary. When the door closed, Johan sneered, ¡°Faye, you really are busy, huh? Your own fianc¨¦ has to make an appointment to see you.¡± She unhurriedly returned to the chair and sat down. Only then did she slowly say, ¡°You should know very well that we are only engaged and not married. We can break off the rtionship at any time.¡± ¡°I know. Even lovers will break up in the face of hardship. If I were you, I would also make the same choice,¡± he admitted. ¡°Good to know,¡± Faye spoke in a formal tone. ¡°In that case, please leave.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t rush to drive me away. I haven¡¯t finished talking yet.¡± Johan pulled out the chair and sat down, crossing his legs with a leisurely look on his face. At this moment, she could not hide the disgust in her eyes and said in a mean manner, ¡°You know, I truly admire you. When everyone was fighting over the family assets, you were not worried at all, and I even had to continuously push you before you would make a move. Now that the Olson Family is facing bankruptcy, you¡¯re again not worried at all. You have a good mentality.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Johan wasContent from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. not annoyed. Instead, he smiled before he ced his fingers on his chin. As he stretched his neck, he said quietly, ¡°Well, I have a great girlfriend.¡± ¡°Hey.¡± Faye made a gesture of stopping him. ¡°That was long before; I have nothing to do with you now.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Johanughed dryly as he revealed a calcting smile. ¡°Faye, do you really think you can get rid of me? I did many dirty things for you and retained all that evidence. If you drive me away and make me unhappy, I might make a mistake. We will all be suffering by then!¡± Silence fell in the room. Narrowing her eyes, Faye stared at Johan across the table. She had underestimated this man whom she had thought only knew how to drink and be merry and did not expect to actually be countered by him. Those matters that couldn¡¯t be brought to light would cause her to lose her position in the Anderson Family and even get herself imprisoned if they were leaked. As Faye thought of these, her expression changed and she instantly smiled again. ¡°Then, it seems that we can¡¯t dissolve our rtionship in the near future. In that case, let¡¯s endure each other¡¯s presence for a while.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Johan reached out and took Faye¡¯s hand in his before he kissed it gently. ¡°I knew it, my dearest. You wouldn¡¯t watch me die without lending a helping hand, right?¡± The smile on Faye¡¯s face gradually deepened, but what she thought in her heart was that she wished nothing more to tear him apart. ¡­ That afternoon, Faye took Johan and a few policemen to knock on the door of Sinir Residence. ¡°Is anyone there?¡± The leader of the police in charge shouted loudly. ¡°Is there anyone?¡± ¡°Who is it? What¡¯s so urgent?¡± Maureen hurriedly went over to open the door. She had only just opened it when all five people barged in. ¡°Hey, hey, hey, who are you looking for?¡± She hurriedly blocked their way. ¡°Are you Jeanie Gray?¡± the policeman asked. She shook her head. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then, who are you?¡± the policeman asked again. ¡°I¡¯m the mistress of the house!¡± Maureen eximed; it was only a matter of time before the old woman¡¯s life was over anyway. ¡°Then have Jeaniee out, please. We need to take her to the station.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know her,¡± a resentful Maureenmented. ¡°You guys are weird. Why are you here at the Sinir Residence looking for someone with thest name of Gray?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t know her, why are you dying us?¡± With that, the police headed inside. She looked at the man¡¯s uniform and did not dare to stop him, so she just trotted all the way to the front and walked in front of them. Jeanie was walking with Laura in the courtyard. When Faye came in and saw her, she feigned distress and ran up to hold Jeanie¡¯s hand. ¡°Mom, what are you doing? You are Mrs. Anderson of the Anderson Family. How can you behave like a servant and take care of other people¡¯s elderly?¡± Johan also followed suit and echoed, ¡°Yes, Mrs. Anderson, just come back with us. Faye has been talking about you all day and she can¡¯t sleep well.¡± As Jeanie heard those words from the two of them, she stood still. They then looked to the police and said, ¡°Officer, we¡¯ve found her.¡± ¡°In that case, bring her back.¡± Beforeing here, Faye had informed them that Jeanie was a mentally ill woman who did not usually behave like herself. She had gotten lost, only to be detained by the Sinir Family. Thus, this time, they were here to bring her back. After all, mentally ill patients did not have the right to make their own decisions and their guardians had to either make the decision to keep them at home or admit them to the mental hospital. In any case, it was not possible for them to stay in the homes of outsiders. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving! I¡¯m not going back!¡± Jeanie resisted and shook off Faye¡¯s hand, but she was grabbed by the bodyguard Faye had brought and was dragged out in the next second. ¡°Stop!¡± At this point, Alexander and Elise entered the courtyard and saw this absurd scene. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Alexander asked coldly. ¡°How dare you forcefully remove people from my house!¡± ¡°What? I¡¯m bringing my mother back to my own home. Do I have to tell you that in advance? Alexander, you¡¯re way too full of yourself.¡± Faye rolled her eyes at him. Then, she said to the police, ¡°Officer, we¡¯ll take her away first!¡± The police nodded. ¡°Go back and be reunited with your family!¡± ¡°How dare you take her away from here!¡± Elise suddenly spoke up, her voice icy. The policeman stiffened and said angrily, ¡°What are you talking about? The daughter wants to bring her mother home, so how can you stop her? If her family does not agree to her staying here, you¡¯re illegally abducting and detaining her, which you¡¯ll be sentenced to prison for! Do you understand?¡± ¡°Are you sure her family doesn¡¯t agree?¡± Her face was cold. ¡°Where is her family member who agreed to Jeanie staying? Why do I not know about it?¡± The police officer spread out his hands as if he had heard some big joke. Chapter 389 Chapter 389 Chapter 389 The Anderson Family¡¯s Daughter,Coolest Girl in Town ¡°I agree,¡± Elise said coldly. ¡°You?¡± The police officer stared at her up and down for a moment. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Elise Sinir.¡± When the police heard this, his expression darkened. ¡°Well, stop cracking jokes here. I¡¯m busy and have no time to joke around with you. You¡¯re a Sinir, not an Anderson. How dare you speak up about this!¡± With that, he turned around to urge Faye to take Jeanie away. At this time, Elise¡¯s voice rang out again. ¡°I am Jeanie¡¯s long-lost daughter, Yoona Anderson.¡± Her voice was not shrill, but every word was loud and clear and it shocked everyone present. Everyone looked at her as they waited for an exnation. However, she just calmly walked up to push away the two hands holding Jeanie before taking her away. Jeanie waspletely stunned by what Elise had just said and she hadn¡¯t returned to her senses as she was dragged away by Elise. As for Faye, she quickly reacted by rushing over. Then, she grabbed Jeanie¡¯s other hand and said fiercely, ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll believe it? The whole city knows that the Anderson Family¡¯s other daughter died long ago. Elise, even if you¡¯re a gold-digger, you should find another family to harm!¡± ¡°Let go!¡± Elise said in a stern voice. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it!¡± a stubborn Faye replied. ¡°No matter what, I have to take my mother away today!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Elise slowly inclined her head and raised an eyebrow to look at her. ¡°It looks like you want me to remind you how you bribed the staff of the DNA identification center, tampered with the DNA report, and imprisoned Old Mrs. Anderson and Mrs. Anderson.¡± ¡°Y-You¡¯re talking nonsense!¡± Faye¡¯s eyes shed with panic, but she quickly calmed down again. Then, she smoothly added, ¡°My grandmother is old and she always needs someone around to watch her. As for my mother, she has a certified psychiatric report from the hospital, and she needs to be ced under continual observation too. If you¡¯re trying to say that this is me imprisoning them, I¡¯m sure the officers will be a good judge of that!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Elise sneered. ¡°If you¡¯re observing them so diligently, why would they still be kidnapped? Was that an ident or a deliberate set-up? Officer, don¡¯t you think this is extremely strange?¡± ¡°Elise!¡± Faye was so agitated that her voice rose higher. ¡°You don¡¯t need to demonize me here. In any case, I am legally my mother¡¯s daughter and the only heiress of the Anderson Family. I am also her current guardian, so I am qualified to take her away!¡± With that, she turned to the officer and begged, ¡°Officer, you have read all the legal information, so please help me take my mother home!¡± ¡°Miss Anderson, don¡¯t worry. With me here, no one can separate you and Mrs. Anderson!¡± Then, the police officer ced his hand on Elise¡¯s hand that was holding Jeanie. ¡°Miss Elise, please let go and don¡¯t obstruct our duty. Do not interfere with us!¡± Elise did not move but increased the force in her hand by squeezing Jeanie¡¯s hand even tighter. As the pain was being transmitted to Jeanie, she regained some sanity, but she did not feel the pain at all. Instead, when she looked at Elise¡¯s face close at hand, she inexplicably felt peace and she believed every word that Elise said. She knew that Yoona had returned! At this moment, Elise¡¯s expression was gradually changing in which there was already a killing light in her eyes. The police officer was frightened by her aura, so his other hand inched toward the gun at his waist. He thought that Faye was probably right: Elise Sinir of the Sinir Family was actually crazy. I have to be on guard. Seeing that the situation was about to get out of hand, Alexander strode forward to squeeze both the officer and Elise¡¯s hands. ¡°Elise,¡± Alexander called out in a low voice. ¡°Rx. Please rx. Mrs. Anderson will not be taken away. Trust me.¡± When she heard that, the furious Elise finally calmed down and her delicate hand gradually slipped off from Jeanie. At that, the police breathed a sigh of relief and released his gun. ¡°Well, to be honest with you, you should not be interfering with the family affairs of others. Why bother making a fool of yourself?¡± After the admonishment, the police signaled to Faye to hurry up and take Jeanie away first. Faye immediately understood and along with Johan, she fiercely dragged Jeanie to the outside. When they reached the door, they were suddenly blocked by a crowd of people. Cameron was blocking the door with a group of bodyguards, leaving no possibility for Faye and Johan to escape. When the police saw that they were being blocked, they became angry. ¡°What are you trying to do? Are you part of the underground? How dare you restrict the freedom of the police in broad daylight! Are you aware of thew or not?¡± After that, Alexander slowly waved at Cameron. Cameron nodded respectfully before he took a document from the assistant behind him, crossed the courtyard, and gave it to Alexander. While holding the document, Alexander slowly said, ¡°This is the paternity report of Elise Sinir and Jeanie Gray, also known as Mrs. Anderson. It proves that Elise is Jeanie¡¯s biological daughter. The DNA identification center is located right here in the city, so if anyone does not believe this report, you may immediately head there with my people to verify it.¡± With that, he threw the report at Faye¡¯s feet. Then, he looked at the police and asked, ¡°Officer, are we now qualified to allow my mother-inw to stay?¡± The police officer looked at him with some doubt before he turned to pick up the report. Only when he saw the 99.99% probability of a confirmed paternity test did he look at Faye with chagrin. ¡°Miss Faye, what¡¯s going on here? Didn¡¯t you say that Elise is not a rtive of the Anderson Family and is illegally detaining your mother? How do you exin this?¡± Faye had no way to exin, so she gritted her teeth and red at Elise with resentment and anger. She had underestimated Elise too much; even though she had already spent money to expunge the data from the identification center, Elise still had the real report. What a vindictive woman! She pretends to be pure and harmless, but in reality, she still wants to im her heritage andpete with me for the Anderson Family¡¯s assets! The police took a look at Faye¡¯s expression and knew that what Alexander said was true, so he felt embarrassed. ¡°It¡¯s hard for the police to judge family affairs. You can solve your family¡¯s crap yourself! We¡¯re not going to care anymore!¡± After saying that, he threw the report aside and left in a rage. Alexander¡¯s men did not stop the police and allowed them to leave. Over in the courtyard, Jeanie squatted and picked up the report again. C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. After reading thest page, she then held it like it was treasure. Then, she walked toward Elise and hugged her tightly. ¡°Yoyo, my daughter, you¡¯re finally back! I missed you so much!¡± Elise had always felt that she was sensible enough to control her emotions. However, when Jeanie hugged her and cried bitterly, her own emotions were immediately thrown into chaos. Chapter 390 Chapter 390 Chapter 390 Let¡¯s Get Married,Coolest Girl in Town Faye¡¯s hand that was at her side unconsciously clenched into a fist. She gritted her teeth in indignation as she watched the two of them embrace each other. For more than 10 years, she had forced herself to be outstanding and excellent, but Jeanie and Bertha didn¡¯t even care a hoot. Elise was just a worthless girl who did not have family at an early age, so she was iparable to Faye, but Jeanie still considered Elise as a treasure. But even so, Faye still quickly forced herself to calm down, took two steps forward and reminded Jeanie, ¡°Mother, this is such an important matter; it is better to be cautious. Although I also want my sister toe back, we know for a fact that she died. I wonder if the sudden appearance of this woman iming to be my sister could be a fraud.¡± ¡°You shut up! My heart clearly knows whether she¡¯s the real Yoyo or not!¡± Jeanie released Elise before tightly holding her hand again. In a stubborn manner, she said, ¡°Elise is Yoyo, and Yoyo is Elise. She is my daughter!¡± Being yelled at had caused Faye to be taken aback and momentary ruthlessness shed in her eyes, but soon disappeared again. Then, she said quietly, ¡°Mother, the Anderson Family has to decide if she is Yoyo. It¡¯s not up to you alone!¡± Elise inexplicably felt annoyed. ¡°It¡¯s not up to you either.¡± ¡°Please leave, Miss Anderson.¡± Alexander immediately said. ¡°This is a private ce and a small one at that. We can¡¯t amodate this many people for now.¡± An exasperated Faye nced at the bodyguards crowded all over the courtyard, knowing that she couldn¡¯t touch them, so she had to leave. As soon as she and her companions left, the bodyguards also withdrew. Soon, everyone returned to the main hall and sat down where Elise then exined why there were two DNA identification reports. ¡°What a load of balderdash!¡± Robin was so angry that he hit the table. ¡°What, do they think that Elise cares about that tiny bit of assets the Anderson Family own?¡± All those present did not dare to answer. Joshua and his wife weren¡¯t happy as they thought that if Elise didn¡¯t return to the Anderson Family to fight for the family assets, could she be waiting to inherit the Sinirs¡¯ family assets instead? After all, they did not agree to this. Elise was just a foster daughter, and there were no blood ties between her and the Sinir Family, so why should she have a share of their family assets? Of course, the couple did not dare to voice those words aloud, but only quietly made ns in their hearts. As for Jeanie, she kept grabbing Elise, afraid that Elise would disappear again. It was only after a long time that she made up her mind and said, ¡°No, Yoyo, you must fight for it. Everything in the Anderson Family was originally yours to begin with!¡± Her illness seemed to have suddenly gotten better and she analyzed the situation seriously. ¡°Faye does not have good intentions and the Anderson Family has long since be warped in her hands over the years. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Only when my Yoyo returns can the Anderson Family revive.¡± Elise stoically listened, as if what Jeanie had said was someone else¡¯s business and had nothing to do with her. In the room full of people, everyone had their own preupations. Robin and Laura were still reluctant to let Elise go. Suddenly, Alexander posed a rather inappropriate question. ¡°Mrs. Anderson, please rify to me this: are you telling Elise to go back because you sincerely miss your daughter, or do you simply need her as a tool to fight for power and benefits?¡± His expression darkened as a rare trace of anger surfaced on his face. When it came to Elise, he would cast all his values aside and only cared about her. Hearing that suddenly caused Jeanie to freeze. It was a long time before she reacted and repeatedly apologized to Elise. ¡°Yoyo, I did not mean that. I just felt that I¡¯ve owed you too much and want to give you all those things. I¡¯m not fighting for my benefit, I¡¯m not¡­¡± she exined anxiously and was suddenly a weak woman with no opinion. She was as incoherent and panicked as a child who had done something wrong. ¡°I know.¡± Elise covered the back of Jeanie¡¯s hand with hers. She faintly reassured Jeanie, ¡°I didn¡¯t think that way.¡± ¡°T-Then¡­ Will you acknowledge m-me?¡± Jeanie stammered. Things had happened so fast that she forgot to ask what Elise thought, and now that she reflected on it, she was indeed a bit disrespectful. ¡°No matter what, I am your daughter. That is a fact.¡± Elise¡¯s face was expressionless, making it impossible to distinguish her exact mood at the moment. ¡°You can stay here in peace now.¡± She motionlessly pushed Jeanie¡¯s hand away and casually found an excuse to leave. ¡°I¡¯ll go back to my room and rest for a while.¡± ¡°Go on,¡± Laura responded. Elise nodded, and only then did she go back to the courtyard. After she left, Robin sighed. ¡°She can¡¯t get over the news.¡± Laura gave him a look and nodded silently. However, Jeanie was fidgety. ¡°Does E-Elise hate me?¡± ¡°Give her some time,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look,¡± Alexander offered as he got up to walk out. Outside the door of Elise¡¯s room, he reached out and knocked twice. Knock knock. However, there was no response. He fell silent and thought for a while before he pushed the door open. In the room was Elise seated in front of the dressing table and staring at the mirror. Alexander walked over and stood behind her, his big hand gently resting on her shoulder. ¡°Are you okay?¡± She ignored his words and instead looked at the mirror, muttering, ¡°Who am I really?¡± Elise or Yoona? Should I be a different person and live a different life? She couldn¡¯t figure out how to transition between the Sinir Family and the Anderson Family. He bent down and hugged her from behind. His cheek pressed against hers as he tried hard to warm her with his body. ¡°You are Elise and you are also Yoona. Most importantly, you are my fianc¨¦e. You are you; your name is just a name. No matter what your name bes tomorrow, you are always yourself.¡± ¡°Maybe my name is more than enough to confuse you,¡± Elise said self-deprecatingly. ¡°What, am I so useless in your heart?¡± Alexander joked. Then, he became serious again. Looking at Elise¡¯s reflection in the mirror, he said solemnly, ¡°I will always recognize you, no matter what your name is. I will always remember you. Marry me, Elise. I want to have a family of our own with you.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t we already engaged?¡± Elise asked. ¡°I mean, let¡¯s get married.¡± His voice rose a bit, his gaze firm and sincere. Elise¡¯s expression finally changed. Although she could see him in the mirror, she still turned and met his eyes. ¡°You really want to marry me?¡± When he heard that, Alexander sighed andughed. ¡°When have I not wanted to?¡± ¡°Maybe you will change your mind later.¡± ¡°I am only afraid that you will change your mind, so let¡¯s just get married, Elise. I want to be with you for the rest of my life.¡± Chapter 391: Let’s Get Them Home Chapter 391: Let¡¯s Get Them Home At that, Elise finally smiled. She squeezed Alexander¡¯s hand on her shoulder and nodded seriously. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Alexander looked at her, pleasantly surprised. ¡°You are willing to marry me? There¡¯s no need for more observation?¡± ¡°You want me to refuse?¡± she joked. ¡°Of course not,¡± he said before he carried Elise. When she reacted, she was already lying on the bed. Then, Alexander attempted to remove her clothes, but he violently stopped and rose from Elise¡¯s body. Looking at her flushed cheeks, he couldn¡¯t help but wish he could take her right now. However, he could not. Thest time was an ident and from now onward, he would not simply do anything with her as she deserved perfection. ¡°Not yet,¡± Alexander said. ¡°We have a long road ahead of us.¡± With that, he carefully rearranged Elise¡¯s clothes and retreated from the bed. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you outside.¡± Afraid that Elise would be embarrassed, he took the initiative to open the door and walked out. Only then did Elise sit up on the bed, covering her hot cheeks and recalling the intensity of what happened earlier. In fact, if he wanted to, she would have given herself to him. However, it was also because of his self- control earlier that her bitter heart became unusually sweet all of a sudden. Then, she straightened her clothes and tidied her hair to quickly calm herself down. Now that the matter of Elise being the daughter of the Anderson Family hade to light, Faye wouldn¡¯t be able to sit still. Even if Elise did not fight with her for the assets, Faye would not allow her to exist like that next to her, which meant that Elise had to immediately stabilize the situation and think of a good way to deal with everything. Thus, the two of them reentered the main hall together. ¡°Elise.¡± As soon as Jeanie saw Elisee in, she rushed forward in excitement while wringing her hands together. She did not dare to touch Elise, but only deliberately lowered her body to make herself slightly hunched over. ¡°I¡¯ve thought it over and everything is up to you. Whether you want to return or not, as long as it¡¯s your wish, I¡¯ll support you. I don¡¯t want anything other than just to live with you. Can I stay with you?¡± Elise looked at Jeanie¡¯s already wrinkled face. She suddenly thought that even though she hadn¡¯t seen Jeanie when she was younger, she could also imagine that Jeanie must have been a sight to behold. ¡°Mom,¡± Elise called softly. Jeanie was surprised and as if she was afraid of mishearing Elise, she quickly asked, ¡°What did you just call me?¡± ¡°Mom,¡± Elise called out again as a smile gradually appeared on her face. ¡°Ah!¡± An excited Jeanie looked at her as her eyes moistened at once. Even though she wanted to hug Elise very much, she forced herself not to. She knew that Elise wasn¡¯t used to her presence yet and had not fully epted the reality that they were mother and daughter. Until Elise had done so, she would not get used to physical contact with Jeanie, which was something Jeanie didn¡¯t mind. She could wait; she had been waiting for more than ten years anyway, so what did it matter? As long as Elise was her daughter, even if she had to wait for a lifetime, she was willing to do that. As she looked at Jeanie¡¯s restrained look, the corners of Elise¡¯s mouth were unconsciously lifted. She seemed to be able to feel Jeanie¡¯s happiness at this moment. Blood ties are really something wonderful, Elise thought. Maybe it¡¯s not so bad to suddenly have another mother and another identity. Since the matter hase to this and it can¡¯t be changed, why not graciously ept it? In the evening, all of them sat together and ate a pretty good meal. After sending Alexander away, Elise logged on to the SK Group¡¯s intr. Although Laura seemed to have recovered, only Elise knew in her heart that the toxins in Laura¡¯s bloodstream were like a time bomb. Once it exploded, nobody could cure Laura. Before that could happen, Elise had to think of all the ways she could try to resolve the problem. After bypassing the organization¡¯s administrators, she directly contacted ¡®Aldric¡¯, who was known as a miracle doctor. ¡®Aldric¡¯ was just a codename and the other party¡¯s real name was ude Strike. ¡®Urgent. Return at once.¡¯ ude¡¯s name was taboo and banned in the country, and even if one was just searching it, the undercover police hidden within the intework might capture the offender. If one was captured, one would be thoroughly investigated. Of course, it was something Elise would not involve herself in. ude, who was far away in Fornd, heard the message alert and stopped almost immediately to take out his phone to check. ¡®Send the details.¡¯ Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Elise immediately sent Laura¡¯s medical records. He leaned against the wall, and after a moment of cursory reading, he had a rough judgment of what was going on. ¡®Blood exchange transfusion. Will live a few more years.¡¯ The surgical procedure of blood exchange transfusion was extremelyplicated and doctors who were not 100% sure would not dare to do so. However, for ude, it was only a small matter and not a big problem. Even so, his message told Elise that the toxins still could not bepletely removed. In any case, it could only resolve the immediate situation first. Then, Elise sent him the home address. ¡®Can you return as soon as possible for the surgery? Name your price.¡¯ ude didn¡¯t even think about it and replied directly. ¡®See you next week.¡¯ After sending that, he ced the phone back into his pocket with a smile of satisfaction. As she closed the chat window, Elise looked up information about the Anderson Family, and other than finding basicpany information and the family members¡¯ rtionships, there was one column that caught Elise¡¯s attention: the family members¡¯ blood types. Faye¡¯s blood type was Type O when Jeanie¡¯s was Type A and Austin¡¯s was Type B. Thus, their combination could never produce a child with Type O blood. Elise remembered that from the first time she met Faye, Faye had always stressed that she was Jeanie¡¯s own daughter. At that time, when Jeanie¡¯s mind was not lucid yet, the woman had vaguely mentioned that Faye was someone else¡¯s child. Elise had not taken what Jeanie said to heart, but now it seemed that everything made sense. Faye was not a member of the Anderson Family at all. When Elise remembered the unconscious Austin and Trevor, she immediately closed theputer and walked to the main hall with a serious expression. ¡°Mom, do you know which hospital my father and my brother are staying in?¡± Elise asked with a serious expression. ¡°Yes, do you want to go see them? But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible to see them. The hospital wards are guarded by Faye¡¯s men, so it is impossible for us to go,¡± an unhappy Jeanie replied. ¡°Let¡¯s go get them home!¡± Chapter 392: It Managed to Slip Through You Chapter 392: It Managed to Slip Through You At Pinewood Hospital, Elise and the others were blocked outside the hospital gates. The guard, who stood in front of the iron gate, spoke in an aggressive manner, ¡°Sorry, without the consent of the patient¡¯s family, you can¡¯t enter!¡± ¡°We are the family members of the patients who live here. We want to see Austin and Trevor Anderson. Why can¡¯t we enter?¡± Jeanie asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about this, but we have rules here. Anyone who wants to enter has to obtain the approval of the hospital director! Nothing else matters,¡± the guard responded unfeelingly. ¡°What a load of crap!¡± Jeanie no longer cared about her image. With anxious red eyes, she continued, ¡°Why should I need your approval to see my husband and son? You¡¯re not a hospital but a private prison!¡± She wasn¡¯t far from the truth. The hospital had a reputation for expensive medical care that discouraged ordinary folk, but the middle and upper sses continued to admit people here. The hospital had implemented militarized management and those who were sent in were folks like Austin and Trevor¡ª unconscious or paralyzed. Other than palliative care, there was nothing the hospital did and there was no patient who had ever healed and left the ce. On the surface, it was a nursing home for the terminally ill, but in reality, it was a powerhouse for the famous and powerful to fight for power and benefits. Some people had also tried to save their loved ones from Pinewood Hospital and they even reported to the police in an attempt to have the hospital searched, but the police found that there was no vition ofw on the hospital grounds. In the end, because the patient¡¯s guardian didn¡¯t agree for the patient to be discharged from the hospital, the rescue attempt had failed. Thus, those who frequented this ce were mostly the winners of conflicts over fame and fortune and they were also cold-blooded beasts who did not care for blood kinship at all. ¡°Whatever you say. Anyway, without the director¡¯s approval, no one will be able to get in!¡± The guards were overly inflexible as they gripped the electric batons in their hands, as if they were about to raise the batons next and subdue those who had no ability to resist. ¡°You¡¯re illegally confining them! Do you no longer observe thew?¡± Jeanie roared and tried to fight with the guards. As the guards were all huge and tall and had obviously underwent a lot of physical training, a light push from them was enough to send Jeanie staggering backward whereupon she almost fell down. Luckily, Elise was quick to grab her in time. C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Elise asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Jeanie shook her head with a sigh. ¡°Yoyo, you see, we can¡¯t enter. These guards not only have electric batons, but the hospital security guards are all armed. I tried a few years ago to get Trevor and Austin out, but as a result¡­¡± ¡°Oh? There are guns here, huh?¡± Elise suddenly became interested. She released Jeanie and blocked her from the guards before walking up to them to have a word. Then, she asked sharply, ¡°If I remember correctly, the guns in our country are controlled and you are not from the military hospital either. Where did you get those guns?¡± ¡°Noment!¡± The guard¡¯s mouth was sealed and hepletely refused to say anything more. He raised his chin as if he was looking down on them. In the office of the hospital director of Pinewood Hospital, Faye was leisurely sipping hot coffee with her legs crossed and her expression calm. While Elise and the others were still enroute, Faye had received the news and rushed over in advance. She exined to the hospital director before giving him a sum of money, which made him so happy that he even ordered for the reserve guards toe over to deal with Jeanie and the others. Now that the gates were locked and the guards were armed, there was no possibility for Elise and the others to rescue the patients unless they grew wings. Knock knock. An abrupt knock on the door made Faye raise her eyebrow. ¡°It¡¯s all ready.¡± Johan stood at the door, his face calm. After having lost the Olson Family as his backer, although he still retained the status as Faye¡¯s fianc¨¦, in reality, it was no different from being her senior assistant. ¡°Got it.¡± She casually ced the cup on the coffee table before she rose to her feet to walk toward the door. Her gaze was cool and indifferent while her every step was steady. He fell behind her; as he looked at her straight back, a trace of cunning shed under his eyes. This woman is ready to even sacrifice her own father and brother. As her fianc¨¦, how long can I survive? Right now, she wants me to help her deal with Austin and Trevor, which is why she still cares about me. What about after this matter has passed, though? Now that she has already started looking for what I have against her, I must make preparations in advance. Outside the gates, Elise¡¯s expression was ugly. She impatiently took out her phone and nced at the time before her face eased up thereafter. ¡°They should be arriving soon.¡± No one knew what she was talking about and only the guard responded, but with little patience, ¡°I advise you not to wait. You can¡¯t get into this hospital as there are some powerful people above the hospital director, understand?¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Elise responded with little emotion. In the next second, they could hear the sound of cars parking behind them. Everyone turned to see several cars slowlying to a stop. One of the car doors opened to reveal a handsome, middle-aged man in sses getting out of the vehicle. Then, he pushed through the crowd and walked over to Elise, after which heined, ¡°It¡¯s been so long since you have returned, yet you didn¡¯t evene to see me?¡± ¡°I was busy.¡± Elise only said three words. ¡°Again?! There is always time to have a meal, no matter how busy you are. Your aunt has often nagged you about that. You must find some time this month to return with me!¡± he said again. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about thister.¡± Elise lifted her chin in the direction of Pinewood Hospital. ¡°Let¡¯s settle this first. This ce is under your jurisdiction, yet it managed to slip through you.¡± She had a strange tone, which made the man pursed his lips. ¡°I just took office less than two months ago. I can¡¯t do everything at once.¡± Elise shrugged and didn¡¯t answer. The man also did not say anything but turned to look at the secretary behind him and gave a signal. Then, the secretary directly approached the guards. ¡°Who is in charge here?¡± the secretary asked. ¡°Me!¡± The guard in charge puffed out his chest. ¡°Open the gates. Mayor Bull wants to enter for inspection.¡± ¡°Mayor Bull? I¡¯m the mayor too, you know! No proof, no talk!¡± The guard didn¡¯t believe it. The secretary did not say more, but merely turned around and pointed at a group of men whom he had brought. Then, he nodded. The group of men came straight forward before two of them suddenly took out their guns and aimed at the guard¡¯s head. ¡°Now, will you open the gates?¡± the secretary questioned in a deep voice. The guard was so scared that his legs were as soft as jelly. His eyes were fixed on the two guns above his head as his voice trembled. ¡°Y-Yes, yes of course. Keep the guns away first and I¡¯ll open the gates for you.¡± The secretary inclined his head and the two men with the guns took a step back. As he recovered from the shock, the guard held his heaving chest and immediately knelt down. ¡°I was insolent, Mayor Bull. Please forgive me, I¡¯m just a guard. What¡¯s inside has nothing to do with me!¡± When Jeanie saw this situation, she couldn¡¯t help but pull Elise aside to ask in a whisper, ¡°Yoyo, how did you know Mayor Bull?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Elise responded, feigning confusion. ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with him. I just reported the situation.¡± Jeanie looked at her strangely as she was obviously not convinced. If anyone could directly call the mayor¡¯s phone, his life would be chaotic from the incessant phone calls from the public. Chapter 393: Save Lives First Chapter 393: Save Lives First Besides, considering how kindly Mayor Bull had spoken to Elise, it was obvious that their rtionship was closer than what Elise had made it out to be. However, now was not the time to talk, so Jeanie didn¡¯t dare to ask more questions either. She looked at the hospital gates, which were as strong as the city walls, slowly open and tightly clutched the corner of her coat as her hopes were once again ignited. Under Mayor Bull¡¯s lead, Elise and Jeanie, along with Alexander¡¯s men, smoothly entered the hospital. The hospital director heard the news and intercepted them at the entrance of the inpatient department. ¡°You¡¯re the mayor, Simon Bull, right? It¡¯s a pleasure to have you here. Wee!¡± The man had greeted them with smiles and even extended his hand toward Simon, trying to curry favor. Simon¡¯s expression did not change as he nodded and simply let the other party¡¯s hand hang in the air while asking tly, ¡°Where are Austin and Trevor Anderson¡¯s wards?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± After awkwardly withdrawing his hand, the hospital director replied with some difficulty, ¡°Mayor, our hospital has its own rules. Without the consent of the patient¡¯s family, outsiders are not allowed to visit the patient.¡± Simon inclined his head to look at Elise. ¡°Do you agree?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± she answered indifferently. He nodded and looked at the people whom he brought. ¡°Go in and search the ce.¡± With that, more than a dozen armed men swarmed into the inpatient building. The hospital had only two security guards with guns and they were immediately taken by Simon¡¯s men before having their own guns unloaded. Five minutester, Faye and Johan were forcibly removed from the building too. ¡°Mayor, we¡¯ve found the patients in question. When we went in, their oxygen tubes were removed and these two people were in the wards at that time.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Jeanie almost fainted when she heard this. ¡°Where are the patients? Are they still alive?¡± Austin and Trevor relied on the machines to support their lives and after so many years, they had long been dependent on the machines. If the oxygen tubes were rashly removed, it might cost them their lives. ¡°We¡¯ve already called for help.¡± The person who spoke earlier paused before looking at the hospital director with disgust. ¡°This is such arge hospital, but there is not even one professional doctor on duty! You¡¯re ying with the lives of your patients!¡± As soon as he finished, Jeanie rushed toward the inpatient building, shouting anxiously as she ran, ¡°Trevor, Austin, I¡¯ming! You must hold on!¡± Simon¡¯s gaze burned as he eyed the hospital director andmented, ¡°Look at what you¡¯ve done!¡± Elise was about to enter the ward to check the situation when Simon suddenly called after her. ¡°Elise, come here and carefully tell me. What is going on?¡± ¡°Not now,¡± she responded. ¡°We have to save lives first!¡± With that, she ran into the inpatient department and ran up the stairs as Alexander followed her. When they entered the ward, Jeanie was lying on top of Austin and sobbing, ¡°Austin, hold on. The doctor will be here soon. Don¡¯t leave me! Don¡¯t leave me and Yoyo. Our daughter is back, so you can¡¯t leave us!¡± Even though Elise felt that she was emotionally strong, she still couldn¡¯t control her tears after seeing this scene. She stopped at the door of the ward and looked at the two men on the hospital beds from afar with an indescribable feeling in her heart. Although she had already seen their photos on theputer, her feelings were different from before now that she saw them with her own eyes. ¡°Elise.¡± Alexander¡¯s voice had jolted her back to her senses. She walked quickly to Austin¡¯s side, took out the set of needles prepared long ago, and began to administer the needles on him. Then, Alexander silently walked to the other side and helped Jeanie to the side. Elise was so focused on using the needles that she was unaware of Simon and his secretary entering. Although Simon was aware about Elise¡¯s identity, he was still surprised when he saw her professional needle techniques. How many weird things had she learned behind my back? The time in the ward seemed to slow down during the whole quarter of an hour. Elise¡¯s strength diminished bit by bit just as the number of silver needles dwindled from her bag as well. When thest needle was inserted into Austin¡¯s temple, the man, whose breath was weak, violently opened his mouth and sucked in arge mouthful of air. He opened his eyes in the next second and looked at the ceiling in shock. When Jeanie and Alexander saw that, they rushed over almost simultaneously. Jeanie hugged Austin and cried with joy. ¡°Austin! You¡¯re finally awake!¡± Elise had almost copsed due to excessive physical exertion, but fortunately Alexander moved quickly and steadily caught hold of her. ¡°Are you okay?¡± His pair of thick eyebrows were tightly wrinkled while his eyes were full of heartache. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just used too much energy.¡± Her voice was full of exhaustion. ¡°He is already fine, but he has been unconscious for too long, so his body is extremely weak and he cannot get out of bed. Wait for me to rest for a while before I¡ª¡± Before she could even finish, she passed out. ¡°Elise? Elise!¡± Alexander hurriedly carried her, walked out of the ward, found an unused empty room, and let her lie down to rest. He sat by the hospital bed and reached out to cup her cheek, his fingertips feeling the contours of her face, wishing nothing more than to suffer on her behalf. ¡°You just can¡¯t stop trying too hard, can you?¡± heined in a low voice. However, Elise had slept peacefully, perhaps because he was around and soon the sound of even breathing sounded. He felt amused, yet he had no choice but to apany her. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. On the other hand, Faye and the others were also brought into the ward. The hospital director knew that everything was over for him, so he limply copsed onto the floor as he gazed vacantly ahead. Faye, however, was still high and mighty and she shrugged off Simon¡¯s men with disgust when she came in. Yet, when she saw that Austin had regained consciousness and was even talking to Jeanie like a normal person, she instinctively trembled as if she had seen a ghost. She froze for some time before she reacted and rushed straight in, falling on her knees in front of Austin¡¯s hospital bed. ¡°Dad, you¡¯ve finally woken up! I¡¯ve missed you so much!¡± Faye buried her face in the quilt and tried to squeeze out her tears. ¡°You beast! Murderer! Get out of here! Don¡¯t act in front of us!¡± An agitated Jeanie pointed at Faye and cursed. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± As he had never seen his wife look like this before, he was a little confused for a moment. In his impression, Jeanie was the gentlest woman whom he had ever known and she never argued with anyone. Why was she behaving like she was a different person now? ¡°Austin! Did you know that after you and Trevor were involved in the car ident, it was this woman who wanted to prevent you two from receiving medical care? I stopped her, but they locked you guys up here instead. Do you know what this ce is? It¡¯s the Pinewood Hospital where peoplee to die! If it weren¡¯t for Yoyo, you and Trevor would have died in this woman¡¯s hands earlier! Trevor is still receiving emergency aid in the ward as we speak!¡± Austin¡¯s mind quickly went through what Jeanie said and he grabbed the most critical keyword before asking, ¡°Who are you talking about? Yoyo? Isn¡¯t she dead?¡± At the mention of Elise, Jeanie finally calmed down. As she tightly held his hand, she answered happily, ¡°She¡¯s not dead. She¡¯s still alive and well! She saved me and our whole family!¡± Chapter 394: The Dispute Chapter 394: The Dispute ¡°Really?¡± Austin was still a bit overwhelmed. As far as he could remember, his daughter Yoona had died at an early age, and now she was back from the dead? It was just like a dream. He could not wait to do something to prove that it was not a dream, so much so that he squeezed Jeanie¡¯s hand extremely hard, but he didn¡¯t even realize it. However, as Jeanie knew that people who had been in aa for a long time would have difficulty adapting to reality, she didn¡¯t scream in pain. Rather, she gently patted the back of his bare hand instead to soothe her husband¡¯s emotions. Austin had taken over the Anderson Family long before his ident, and as a calm head of the family, he soon recovered. ¡°Get up first,¡± he said tly as he looked at Faye. ¡°If you keep crying, who will help me to understand the truth?¡± He had roughly remembered Jeanie¡¯s words. Since Faye could send him to the Pinewood Hospital, it was clear that she had long controlled the Anderson Family, which made it difficult for him to regain control of the family. Thus, he had to make long-term ns, and the first thing to do was to dispel Faye¡¯s worries. The reputation of Pinewood Hospital was excellent and so, the probability for evidence left against Faye was extremely low. In that case, having a falling out with her wouldn¡¯t help anything; it was better to take this opportunity to have her lower her guard. At the moment Faye heard that Austin was going to give her a chance to defend herself, she immediately stopped sobbing and looked up at him with tears in her eyes. ¡°Dad, I didn¡¯t! I didn¡¯t do those things! It was those elders of the Anderson Family. They forced me! If I didn¡¯t send you here, they were going to take over the Anderson Family¡¯s estate! They know that I am a girl, so even if I hold the position as the head of the family, it will not pose a threat to them, so they deliberately forced me to make a choice, Dad. I had no choice but to agree in order to protect you and my brother, and to protect our family!¡± Jeanie listened to Faye¡¯s nonsense, then couldn¡¯t help but point at her and curse, ¡°You lie! It is obvious that you imprisoned me and your grandmother before forcibly taking away the family¡¯s assets. How dare you put the me on others! Well, even if you exin all this, what about earlier? The Mayor¡¯s men saw with their own eyes how you pulled out your father¡¯s oxygen tube! How do you exin that?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t me! When I came in, the oxygen tube had already fallen out and I was about to go to the nurse when those people barged in and grabbed me!¡± Faye cried out in unhappiness. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, ask them whether they saw me yanking the oxygen tube off! You ask them!¡± C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. She remembered clearly that when those people came in, she was admiring the way her father and brother had slowly stopped breathing, and it was the hospital nurses who pulled out the tubes, leaving no substantial evidence of the crime at all. Moreover, Austin obviously still cherished their father and daughter rtionship, so he would not believe it. This gave her even more strength to argue. As long as it was said sincerely enough, what was false could be true. Maintaining her unhappy nce at Jeanie, Faye stood up and wiped her eyes before she angrily walked toward Simon Bull, the mayor. Then, she questioned, ¡°Mayor Bull, please have your mene forward and tell everyone whether they saw me pulling off those oxygen tubes.¡± Lowering his eyes, Simon sized up the woman in front of him. It only took 10 minutes for her to calm down from the panic she had felt when she was caught, and now she was questioning others instead. She was indeed right, though; to convict her, someone really had to witness her in the act. As he thought about this, he turned to look at the men at the door and said, ¡°Tell the truth.¡± The man who saw what happened originally thought that Faye was going to kill the two patients to silence them, but now that she had just said so, he was really confused. He really didn¡¯t see her pulling the oxygen tubes after all, but he knew very well that in this situation, if he told the truth, the woman would definitely be free from suspicion. However, since the mayor had spoken, he could only reluctantly open his mouth and borate, ¡°When I came in, I really didn¡¯t see anyone pulling out the oxygen tubes, but the only people in the ward were only her and her fianc¨¦, and the two did not look like they were trying to save the patients!¡± ¡°What should I look like for you to believe I am trying to save them?¡± Faye asked rhetorically. ¡°How do you know we weren¡¯t going to save them? Maybe we were just waiting for the nurse and doctor toe? You don¡¯t know anything, so how can you say I¡¯m a murderer? Those are my dad and my brother. They¡¯re my family and I owe them everything, so why would I kill them?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± The man stopped talking. He only knew how to protect people and fight criminals, so he was terrible at debating. ¡°You what? You barged in indiscriminately and almost dyed me to search for someone to rescue my father and my brother. If they die, can you afford to pay for this?¡± The more Faye said, the more agitated she became and even she believed she was innocent. Johan, who hadn¡¯t dared to speak, was astonished to see this situation, but in a sh, a brilliant idea came to mind. Such an eloquent woman! Even if he couldn¡¯t be himself for the rest of his life, it won¡¯t do him any harm to follow her around. He made up his mind at that moment that he had to take Faye again, both in person and in heart. The man looked embarrassed after hearing Faye¡¯s question. He lowered his head and did not dare to speak, as if he had really done something wrong. Thus, Simon was not able to make a judgment for a while. ¡°All right.¡± At this time, Austin spoke. ¡°Since it was a misunderstanding, and Trevor and I are fine, there¡¯s no need to bother so much. I am exhausted and need to rest, so this matter will end here!¡± With that said, Faye also didn¡¯t continue to argue. After all, it was a family matter and now that victim had chosen to let the matter slide, Simon couldn¡¯t force his decision on anyone. After saying a few more words, he left the ward and turned his head to look for Elise. When Simon entered, Elise had just woken up. He went over and instructed her to lie down. ¡°No need to get up. Look at how weak you are! Properly lie down. There¡¯s no need to get up for me.¡± ¡°Well, I have to try,¡± she joked weakly. A helpless Simon looked at her before he changed the topic and asked with a grave expression, ¡°Are you really the Anderson Family¡¯s daughter?¡± Elise nodded andughed. ¡°I just found out not long ago.¡± He sighed. ¡°The Anderson Family has a lot going on. If you want to get involved, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll get into trouble.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve caused a lot of trouble in the past anyway,¡± she calmly reminded him. ¡°You¡¯ve suffered a lot too!¡± Simon admonished, but with a doting tone. ¡°All right, I¡¯m just reminding you. Be careful, and if there is anything, you can find me and your aunt. Don¡¯t be shy, understand?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Elise didn¡¯t say yes or no. He knew her nature, so he did not force her to make a decision. Now that he had left his home phone number and personal number, he made a move first. He had only just left when Jeanie walked in with Austin. ¡°Yoyo, your father and I are here to see you!¡± Chapter 395: I Don’t Agree to the Marriage Chapter 395: I Don¡¯t Agree to the Marriage Finally, Elise allowed Alexander to help her sit up. Then, Austin sat on the chair next to the hospital bed while Jeanie stood behind the chair. The three of them were seated facing each other, and there was some silence for a while. Alexander felt that Elise was a little squirmy, so he also dragged a chair and sat down on the other side, and his big hand gently squeezed her palm and rubbed it softly. Elise felt his attentiveness, so her body rxed, and the corners of her mouth held a smile. When Austin watched the exchange between the two, his face showed a gratified look. ¡°I heard Jeanie say that you two are engaged?¡± Jeanie did not introduce much about Alexander, only saying that he was the son of the Griffith Family in Tissote. ¡°Yes.¡± Alexander took the initiative to answer. ¡°Elise has agreed to marry me, and we are considering when best to hold the wedding.¡± Austin was now a bit anxious and frowned. ¡°Elise is not yet old enough to get married, right?¡± This brat looks like an upright man and is good-looking, so there should be no shortage of interested women. Why is he interested in my daughter? ¡°Let young people decide their own business,¡± Jeanie saidfortingly. She was delighted with Alexander. ¡°How can this be?¡± Austinined. ¡°Yoyo has been on her own for more than ten years, and she just came back. She hasn¡¯t spent much time with her family yet, so how can she get married? Besides, a girl¡¯s destiny is not necessarily to get married and have children!¡± ¡°You old thing!¡± Jeanieughed. ¡°Then why did you marry me right away as soon as I reached the legal age of marriage? If we didn¡¯t get married and have children, how would Yoyo and Trevor be born?¡± When Austin heard that, his face was a bit embarrassed as he said, ¡°We¡¯re not the same. Now we are talking about our daughter, so don¡¯t you interfere.¡± ¡°How can I not interfere? Yoyo is my daughter¡­¡± The two of them argued back and forth. Yet inexplicably, Elise felt sweet instead of aggravated when she listened to them argue. It seemed that family problems did not seem so terrible after all. Alexander knew Austin could not bear to let Elise go, but he did not wish to retreat as well. So, he said with dominance, ¡°Elise has agreed, and I¡¯ve already had people arrange the wedding. As for marrying her legally, I can only wait. But please rest assured that after the wedding, my assets will all have her name on them.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I agree only today? You have given out instructions?¡± Elise was confused and felt that she had fallen into his trap. However, Alexander was honest and looked innocent. ¡°This is the digital era. Since you¡¯ve agreed, I¡¯ve already gotten Cameron to prepare for the wedding. There¡¯s nothing wrong with making early preparations; we can resolve problems earlier too.¡± In fact, he had long started to prepare for the wedding and had even changed several wedding nners. So far, they were still bidding for the best wedding program. Since it was for Elise, it must be the best without anypromise. ¡°Okay, you can just decide whatever you like. Don¡¯t ask for my opinion, though.¡± Although Elise had never been married, she knew that nning a wedding was troublesome. She hated making decisions and overthinking about all this. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It won¡¯t bother you.¡± Alexander promised in a good-natured way. It was so difficult to get her as his wife, so he would not ruin their lifelong happiness because of some minor issues. Austin was still arguing with Jeanie, but when he saw Alexander and Elise¡¯s sweet interaction, he felt something was blocking his heart in an ufortable way. No matter what Jeanie said, he stopped listening. ¡°No, I do not agree.¡± Austin¡¯s face darkened, and so the atmosphere in the ward instantly tensed up. Hearing that, Jeanie froze for a moment, then opened her mouth to persuade him, only to hear Austin continue, ¡°Yoyo is my daughter and the treasure of the Anderson Family. It is impossible for me to agree to marry her off so casually!¡± Alexander was taken aback for a moment, not expecting Austin to overreact. Elise knew little about Austin, but she felt resistance from the bottom of her heart to this kind of hard discipline. ¡°This is my life; I can make my own decisions.¡± Elise stubbornly looked at Austin. The resentment buried deep in her heart seemed to be triggered. When she met Jeanie, she had feelings of loss and resentment from being discarded and forgotten, which were now suddenly set off from Austin¡¯s unexined misogynism. She naturally would not let her emotions flood in and affect her, but it did not mean she would ept the reality and obediently be their doll. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°At such a young age, you haven¡¯t seen clearly how big the world is, so what decisions can you make? When deciding who to marry, you should not listen to men¡¯s superficial words and think you¡¯ve seen through them!¡± Austin said, ring at Alexander. ¡°You¡¯re not a man?¡± Elise asked tly. ¡°How can I be the same?¡± Austin furrowed his brows. ¡°I am your father and the only man in this world who won¡¯t hurt you!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true,¡± Elise said. ¡°If you will not hurt me, why was I alone and stranded out in the world?¡± ¡°T-That was an ident, Yoyo.¡± A moment ago, the man who was still full of energy deted like a balloon, and all of a sudden, he looked like he aged more than ten years. In the face of Elise¡¯s ruthlessness, he was just a father who had made his child suffer for more than ten years and was heartbroken over it. No father could withstand such me, so after he finished, his eyes watered before Elise could react. As if he wanted to atone, he began to cry hoarsely. Seeing this, Alexander hurriedly spoke up. ¡°Let¡¯s put the past aside for the time being. Mr. Anderson, how do you intend to deal with Miss Faye?¡± Austin hurriedly sniffled and tried topose himself to maintain his decency. Just when he wanted to open his mouth, Faye barged in. ¡°Elise, my dear!¡± She walked to the hospital bed with a concerned face and said agitatedly, ¡°Are you better? It¡¯s been a hard day for you. Thanks to you, Dad was able to wake up again, and Trevor is already awake too. Just rest well and don¡¯t worry anymore!¡± Elise looked at her in silence, her expression indifferent. Faye was really good at ying up the act, and Elise felt that everyone from suchrge families was a natural actor. ¡°Elise will naturally be well!¡± Jeanie said in annoyance. ¡°Mother, why do you talk to me in this tone again? I exined to you that those were all misunderstandings before. I had to do certain things to protect this family. Now that my sister just came back, you are so eager to remove me from this family?¡± Faye said, looking as if she was about to cry. ¡°Humph, you¡¯re just an adopted daughter, anyway. You¡¯re no longer useful¡ª¡± ¡°Enough!¡± Austin interrupted with a dark face and said, ¡°What adopted daughter? Faye and Yoyo are our own daughters and are our family! I think you are mistaken! What nonsense are you saying?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s mistaken! You¡¯re confused from youra! Yoyo saved you, yet you do not defend her and defend a murderer instead!¡± Chapter 396: No Intention to Go Back Chapter 396: No Intention to Go Back ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing,¡± Austin said unhappily. ¡°Anyway, from now on, no one is allowed to mention that Faye was adopted.¡± ¡°You! I¡¯m done arguing with you!¡± Jeanie couldn¡¯t win against Austin, so she simply shut her mouth and felt resentful. I don¡¯t understand what happened. Before thea, Austin was a man who could distinguish between right and wrong, so how could he be so unwise in this matter? Elise watched all this with cold eyes, but she was not too surprised. Even Alexander also understood that the problem had no solution now. The superficially well-behaved, perfect adopted daughter who had been raised within the family for more than ten years juxtaposed against the sudden appearance of the biological daughter, and Austin had obviously made his choice between the two. ¡°I¡¯m tired, so please leave.¡± Elise¡¯s longing for her family suddenly dissipated, and her tone was cold and icy. ¡°Right, you take a good rest,¡± Austin said. ¡°Your sister has already made arrangements. There is a car outside waiting for us, so we will go back first, and when you are well-rested, you can have someone send you back to the Anderson Residence.¡± With that, he stood up. Holding the arm of the chair, he turned around to prepare to leave. As he turned around, Elise¡¯s icy cold voice resounded from behind. ¡°No need, I already have a home. I¡¯ll leave the Anderson Family to you and your precious daughter.¡± When Austin heard this, he slowly turned around in confusion and snapped, ¡°What do you mean you have a home? The Anderson Residence is your home. You are the eldest daughter of the Anderson Family, and since you havee back, you should live in the Anderson Residence and wait for the wee back ceremony we¡¯ll hold for you. How could you live somewhere else by yourself? That¡¯s inappropriate!¡± ¡°Let Elise decide these matters on her own!¡± Jeanie already felt guilty about Elise, and she did not want Elise to suffer again. ¡°All of us live in the same city and are not far away from each other. We can see her at any time we want. Let¡¯s give Elise a little time, Austin?¡± After thinking about it, she added, ¡°The people who raised Elise are an old couple. Elise owes them for raising her all this while. We can¡¯t ask her to be ungrateful and leave them behind without care like that, can we?¡± Austin thought about it and was persuaded, so he nodded and said, ¡°Then when you go back this time, exin the situation to them, then officially move back. If the old couple has no one to support them, they can live in the Anderson Residence too. Their kindness is worth supporting them for the rest of their lives.¡± ¡°I have no intention of going back,¡± Elise refused sharply. ¡°What?¡± Austin didn¡¯t hear clearly for a moment, so he looked at her weakly and asked again. Jeanie understood more or less about Elise¡¯s nature. Fearing that the father-daughter duo would sh again, she hurriedly interjected, ¡°Nothing. Let¡¯s just go ording to what you said. Elise knows how to handle things, and you are also tired, so let¡¯s hurry back first!¡± Austin nodded slightly and did not refuse. Only then did the group leave. Even so, the atmosphere in the ward didn¡¯t get better. Alexander knew Elise was angry at Austin and would not listen to any exnation at this time. In fact, he knew that just now, even if Austin showed malice toward him on the surface, he did not feel that it was wrong at all. He knew that it was just a father trying his best to defend and protect his daughter. A father¡¯s love is perhaps more internalized, Alexander thought. Then, Alexander apanied Elise and stayed at the hospital for another two hours before returning to the Sinir Residence. When Laura saw that only the two of them hade back, she couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Did you save them?¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Elise¡¯s response was light, and after she finished, she walked toward the side door. ¡°I¡¯m a bit tired; I¡¯ll go back to my room first.¡± Laura instinctively sensed that something was wrong, and when Elise was far away, she grabbed Alexander to ask about the situation. ¡°What¡¯s going on here? She was all excited when she left. Who has upset my Elise again?¡± ¡°She¡¯s okay, Grandma. Elise was saving people and expending too much energy, so that¡¯s why she¡¯s like this.¡± Alexander didn¡¯t want to make the older woman worry too much. ¡°Is that so?¡± Laura looked at him with doubt. ¡°Mm.¡± Alexander nodded and changed the topic. ¡°Grandma, Elise has agreed to marry me today, so we are ready to get married. I hope you and Grandpa can give us your blessing.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve thought it through?¡± Robin came out of the house. ¡°Definitely,¡± Alexander said. ¡°From long ago until now, from the beginning to the end, the only one I want to marry is her.¡± ¡°In that case, then go and prepare. Everything must be done ording to tradition, and my granddaughter must have the best of everything.¡± ¡°Thank you, Grandpa! I promise you I will give her the best!¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Robin didn¡¯t say anything else but lowered his head to think about Elise. If they seeded in saving Elise¡¯s real father and brother, the Anderson Family should be grateful and escort Elise home. Why did shee back by herself instead? It seems that this Anderson Family, too, is no good! Humph, since they despise my precious granddaughter so much, it¡¯s better for her not to go back! Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Meanwhile, at the Anderson Residence, the news that Austin and Trevor had woken up had spread, and by the time the two arrived home, they were already blocked by a bunch of rtives. It took a while to finally get rid of all the people. Austin just got into bed when Jeanie wanted to talk to him about Elise and Faye, but he raised his hand and asked the maid to call Faye over. Faye came quickly with a well-behaved look. ¡°Dad, you wanted to see me?¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Austin nodded and said in a serious tone, ¡°Get the preparations done. Tomorrow, hand over the company to me and your brother. All these years that we are not here, you¡¯ve taken over thepany¡¯s affairs alone. I¡¯m sure it has been very hard for you. In the future, just stand behind your brother and me, and be a carefree little princess.¡± As soon as Faye heard this, her expression became a bit unpleasant, but she hid it well and did not show it too obviously. ¡°Dad, you just woke up, and your body has not recovered yet. What I mean is that I am already familiar with all those businesses anyway, so it doesn¡¯t matter if I do it for a day or two more. Why don¡¯t you and Trevor take a break for half a month first, and I will continue to take care of the company for the time being? If you two fall ill any further, I will feel bad.¡± Faye pretended to be worried. ¡°I think that you simply do not want to hand over the control!¡± Jeanie was extremely exasperated with Faye. ¡°Let me remind you, thispany is still under your father¡¯s name, so if you do not want to be thrown out of the family, then hand over everything right now!¡± ¡°Jeanie!¡± Austin spoke impatiently again. ¡°Why do you always use this tone with Faye? Did you forget that when Yoyo didn¡¯te back, it was Faye who apanied us? Without her, how sad we would be during those days! I¡¯ve said before that the matter of the adoption cannot be mentioned again, and that we are all family. You are not allowed to hold a grudge against Faye because of that misunderstanding again.¡± Jeanie¡¯s face was dark, and she didn¡¯t answer. After a long time, she remembered Bertha, who was imprisoned, and with a sudden sh of inspiration, she grabbed Austin¡¯s hand and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, call your mother and ask her! Then the truth wille out!¡± Chapter 397: She Might Change Her Mind Chapter 397: She Might Change Her Mind Austin waved his hand. ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. Mom is old, so let¡¯s not bother her.¡± ¡°For now, I just want to return to thepany as soon as possible. It¡¯s a sizable enterprise, so I cannot allow it to die in my hands!¡± ¡°How are you so stubborn?¡± Jeanie was fuming at Austin¡¯s conservative outlook. ¡°You¡¯ve really gone blind!¡± With that, she sent Faye a death re before stomping out of the room. A grin crept into the corners of Faye¡¯s mouth, betraying her inner thoughts. My dear mother, it¡¯s still too early for you to be going up against me. ¡°Faye.¡± Austin suddenly called her name. ¡°What is it?¡± Faye was so caught up in her delight that she almost forgot to respond. ¡°I¡¯ll be off to take over thepany tomorrow, so you don¡¯t have to go. If you find staying home a bit boring, you can hit up the others in the family for the preparations to wee your sister to the family. She has been through a lot out there, so make sure that every part of the ceremony is the way it¡¯s supposed to be. Make it as grand as you can so that she will be given due justice.¡± ¡°For sure. I look forward to her return as well.¡± Faye readily agreed, but she was still a little reserved about handing over thepany. ¡°Still, thepany has undergone drastic changes recently, so I think I should serve as your assistant. The shareholders have gotten more powerfultely, and they¡¯re starting to get ahead of themselves. I fear that if you face them alone, you¡¯ll get so worked up you might not be able to take it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a bad idea. We¡¯ll do that, then.¡± Austin dropped his persistence, while Faye sighed in relief. After a few exchangesced with fake concern, she went out and closed the door behind her.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. In the room, Austin gazed in the direction Faye went, the look in his eyes gradually getting fiercer. The next day, Austin returned to thepany as promised and took over the president¡¯s office once again. On the other hand, Faye stood in front of the desk with a man and a woman by her side, making introductions. ¡°Dad, I¡¯ve appointed them as your assistants. If you have any ns you need to carry out, you can give them the orders, and they¡¯ll make it happen.¡± Austin gave them a nonchnt look, then nodded. ¡°Good. That¡¯s very thoughtful of you.¡± Faye¡¯s smile was innocent, but she was actually sneering in her heart. The president¡¯s position and Austin¡¯s return didn¡¯t matter to her; after all, all the employees in Anderson Pharmaceuticals still obeyed her, so it wouldn¡¯t matter whether she still held the position. Hah! My poor and innocent father will soon have a taste of how hard it is to do things without me. As she was entertaining her thoughts, a secretary came knocking on the door behind. ¡°President Anderson, someone by the name of Mr. Alexander Griffith is here to see you.¡± ¡°Let him in.¡± Austin nodded, then looked at Faye and said, ¡°You can leave with them first. I want to have a good look at your sister¡¯s future husband.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Faye didn¡¯t question anything as she turned around and left. At the door, she passed by Alexander and exchanged meaningful nces with him. In the president¡¯s office, as soon as Faye went out of sight, the smile disappeared from Austin¡¯s face. When Alexander came in, he was greeted with the sight of a stern and steady president. ¡°Good day.¡± Alexander took a seat in front of him. Austin quietly examined him for a solid two seconds. ¡°I heard you cut ties with the Griffith Family, and you¡¯re working alone now? And you took over Frazier Pharmaceuticals, right?¡± he drawled. ¡°Just a little something on the side,¡± Alexander said lightly. ¡°With your qualifications, you could¡¯ve looked for someone better than Elise. Why are you in such a hurry to get married?¡± Austin asked. ¡°She¡¯s the one, so it has got to be her.¡± Alexander was straightforward. Austin half-closed his eyes as he remained silent, as if contemting the truthfulness of those words. After a long while, he spoke up. ¡°It is true that the Fraziers¡¯ worth has risen considerably, but you must understand that the pharmaceutical industry is one of the country¡¯s pirs. The Anderson Family has remained steadfast in this field for years, so it is still fundamentally different from the Fraziers. I¡¯m afraid this is not enough to ask for my daughter¡¯s hand.¡± Alexander smiled faintly as he took those words in his stride. ¡°Name your price. I promise I won¡¯t ask for discounts.¡± ¡°What, I¡¯m selling my daughter now?¡± Austin¡¯s expression turned cold. ¡°No, of course not.¡± Alexander remained calm. ¡°I just want to express my sincerity. I would sacrifice everything I have for Elise.¡± With that, the two faced off for a long while before Austin finally decided to break the silence. ¡°Show me your sincerity, then. In one month, you have to join Anderson¡¯s board of directors on your own. If you can do that, I will agree to your marriage with Elise.¡± ¡°One month?¡± Alexander raised his left eyebrow as he asked. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Too short for you?¡± Austin responded. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it,¡± Alexander said lightly. ¡°It¡¯s too long a time, and I simply cannot wait that long. What about one week? You don¡¯t understand Elise; if I drag it on for too long, I¡¯m afraid that she might change her mind.¡± Austin was surprised, but he quickly recovered himself and nodded in satisfaction. ¡°All right, one week it is. Let¡¯s see how great my future son-inw is.¡± ¡°I will not let you down.¡± ¡­ At Dawn Vi, Nathan York sat on the couch, swirling some blood-red liquid in a winess he was holding. The irresistible scent of the liquid was continuously emanating from the ss. In the corner of the room, Elise was engaged in a game of darts. Her gaze seemed to meld with the dart in her hand. A few secondster, she swiftly threw the dart,nding on the bullseye and knocking out another dart before it. ¡°Oof, who pissed you off this time, Elise? You¡¯re feral,¡± Nathanmented as he took a sip of the wine. Elise didn¡¯t even bat an eye as she raised her arm, taking aim once again. ¡°Let me guess. I heard your good old father took in a daughter he shouldn¡¯t have, and when he woke up, he didn¡¯t take it up with Faye, nor did he me Pinewood Hospital. I¡¯d say he¡¯s more forgiving than a saint.¡± Nathan¡¯s voice was light, but every word he spoke wasced with mockery. The next second, Elise turned around, and the dart in her hand flew right at him. Almost immediately, a figure dashed out from a door at the side and blocked off the dart right before it touched Nathan. Nathan turned around, realizing the situation all toote. He was so frightened that he jumped up and screamed, ¡°What the f*ck! Are you trying to kill me?¡± With that, he took the dart from the man in front of him and said, ¡°I thought you¡¯re only good with needles, but I never knew you¡¯re so adept with darts as well. Does A y this too?¡± ¡°You¡¯re trying too hard to get information from me,¡± Elise narrowed her eyes and said warily. ¡°Heh¡­ If you were more open about it, I wouldn¡¯t have to go to such lengths, would I?¡± Nathan grinned, completely ignoring the fact that he was breaking character. ¡°Elise!¡± Just then, Danny ran in, only to witness Nathan¡¯s behavior. ¡°You¡¯re Nathan York?¡± Danny asked in confusion, for he had heard from the news that Nathan never smiles. Chapter 398: You’re on the Losing End of the Deal! Chapter 398: You¡¯re on the Losing End of the Deal! ¡°Do I not look the part?¡± Nathan shrugged. ¡°No,¡± Danny replied in an ever so monotonous sounding tone. With that, he went right over to Elise and announced dramatically, ¡°Elise, you¡¯re the only one who can help me now!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Elise always preferred to cut to the chase. ¡°Help me look for someone with your geniusputer skills!¡± Danny said. Elise simply looked at him as she awaited his next words. ¡°ude Strike!¡± Danny began to exin, saying, ¡°You know I¡¯m busy trying to join SK Group these days, right? Just now, the recruiter sent out the entrance exam, and the task is to locate ude, the legendary doctor!¡± ude himself was part of SK Group, so his tracks were hidden by the group themselves. Wouldn¡¯t it be counterintuitive to ask newbies to take on this challenge? ¡°What¡¯s the other task?¡± Elise asked, trying to keep her hopes up. ¡°What other task?¡± Danny looked extremely confused. Elise was speechless, and her eyelids dropped. This guy doesn¡¯t even know that the entrance exam for SK Group always has two options to choose from! Well, it¡¯s not like I can do anything about it. ¡°Never mind that. Where did you get the exam information from?¡± ¡°Someone in the field. It¡¯s like an endless hierarchy, veryplex stuff. I had to pay 200,000 to register.¡± Elise had never been so speechless in her entire life. He¡¯s on the losing end of the deal! Does this guy even think? He paid them money and promised to help them look for ude free of charge! ¡°Can you still contact the person who took your registration fee?¡± Elise looked at Danny, exasperated. ¡°Yep.¡± Danny nodded innocently. ¡°He gave me a private number.¡± Elise crossed her arms and said in annoyance, ¡°Call him up.¡± ¡°What for? I haven¡¯t even found the guy.¡± ¡°I have,¡± Elise replied, irritated. ¡°Really! Whoa, you truly have mad skills, Elise! I¡¯m calling him up right now. Haha! I¡¯m going to be the only person who joined the group this year! You know, once the task was announced, everyone immediately went to team up and stuff¡­¡± As he spoke, he took out his phone and managed to find the person on his contacts list. He then proceeded to make the call before the other person picked up. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°Hello, I found ude!¡± Danny eximed excitedly. Meeting! Set up a meeting! Elise stood opposite him and tried to get her message across by mouthing her words. Danny didn¡¯t get the message. He covered the receiver with his hand and leaned over to ask, ¡°What?¡± Elise sighed, exasperated. ¡°I said, get him to meet you in person,¡± she hissed. ¡°Oh, all right, okay!¡± Danny was stunned, but he gave her an ¡®OK¡¯ sign before going outside with the phone. A few minutester, he jumped in excitement and announced, ¡°Done! We¡¯re meeting at The Waterway Restaurant!¡± As soon as Danny finished speaking, Nathan couldn¡¯t help but burst outughing. Then, he put a hand to his mouth in an attempt to hide his subsequentughs. ¡°What are youughing at?¡± Danny realized that the news wasn¡¯t so reliable after all. They had imed that Nathan never even smiled, much lessughed, but the reality was proving otherwise. Also, Danny felt that Nathanughed like a wicked man, and he really wanted to just send thetter a punch across the face. ¡°Nothing.¡± Nathan held back hisughter though he appeared to be hiding something. At this point, Elise couldn¡¯t stand by and watch anymore, prompting her to challenge the man, asking, ¡°Do you believe that people from SK Group would reveal themselves at The Waterway Restaurant so easily?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with The Waterway Restaurant?¡± Danny couldn¡¯t even begin toprehend. ¡°Big business deals are made at The Waterway Restaurant all the time. That ce is good with privacy!¡± Nathanughed even louder now, and he was still chuckling as he got up before walking to Elise. Patting her shoulders, he said, ¡°Your friend is a little, uh, naive.¡±bAfter saying that, he strode outside with the expressionless man who had rushed into the room just now. ¡°What does he mean by that?¡± Danny red warily at Nathan¡¯s figure. He must be looking down on me. Elise decided not to answer the question and changed the topic. ¡°What time did you agree on?¡± ¡°Tomorrow evening at 9,¡± said Danny. ¡°Got it,¡± Elise replied before throwing the remaining three darts in her hands. The dartsnded steadily on the target. Danny¡¯s gaze followed the darts to their target, and by the time he hade to, Elise was gone. He scratched his head in confusion, muttering to himself, ¡°What¡¯s going on? So weird¡­¡± ¡­ By the time Elise returned to the Sinir Residence, it was already 11 at night. Joshua and his wife were trying to tter Robin and Laura by washing their feet for them. When they saw Elise walk in, they said mockingly, ¡°Elise, remember, you¡¯re still a girl. How can you be outside all day and onlye home at this hour? Our reputation might be ruined if word gets out!¡± ¡°Exactly! Your grandmother recently got discharged from the hospital, so you should stay here and take care of her more often!¡± Elise pretended not to hear them as she walked in and reached out to feel Laura¡¯s pulse. ¡°Grandma, do you still feel palpitations?¡± ¡°Once in the afternoon, I think. I¡¯m feeling much better now,pared to before. Don¡¯t worry too much about me, and don¡¯t take your uncle¡¯s words to heart,¡± Laura answered. ¡°I¡¯ve never,¡± Elise said calmly. ¡°I¡¯m going back to my room now.¡± ¡°Go ahead,¡± the two elders said simultaneously. ¡°Okay,¡± Elise responded, then went back to her room. Seeing her calm countenance, Robin and Laura couldn¡¯t help but feel worried. However, Joshua failed to react to the situation as he chastised, ¡°Look at her! It¡¯s just as expected of an outsider. See who¡¯s helping you do all the dirty work at the most important times¡ªme, your own son!¡± Hearing that, Robin immediately kicked over the basin they were using to wash feet, and the water sshed all over Joshua. ¡°Dad! What are you doing?¡± Joshua shot to his feet and wiped away the water on his body with a used towel. ¡°Elise isn¡¯t someone you can lecture!¡± Robin said in exasperation. ¡°Just because of that?¡± Joshuained gloomily. ¡°Did I say anything wrong? Am I not the person looking after you and taking care of you? Your old age is getting to you, Dad. You should know who¡¯s closest to you!¡± Robin looked away and didn¡¯t even bat an eye. ¡°I¡¯d rather have you hire a care worker!¡± ¡°Mom, did you hear what Dad said?¡± Joshua turned to Laura, injustice written all over his face. ¡°Why? What did he say?¡± Laura wasn¡¯t the least bit considerate as she barked, ¡°If you keep picking on Elise, the two of you will have to leave as soon as you can!¡± Chapter 399: Elise Will Not Be Marrying You Chapter 399: Elise Will Not Be Marrying You It was early in the morning the next day when Austin visited the Sinir Residence with Jeanie. They were getting along well at first, but when they talked about where Elise should belong in the future, Robin and Laura started to take on less friendly behavior. The atmosphere was tense for a long while, then Austin broke the silence. ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Sinir, you have taken good care of Elise all these years. However, she must return to where she came from. She has Anderson¡¯s blood running in her veins, and no one can change that. We wish for her toe back to us, but it doesn¡¯t mean that she has to cut off ties with the Sinirs. We just want to fill in the missing parts of her life. I hope you can understand.¡± Robin nodded, for there was nothing wrong with Austin¡¯s words. However, when he thought of Elise¡¯s lonely return home yesterday, he wasn¡¯t quite willing to let go. As soon as Elise left their line of sight, they wouldn¡¯t know of her sufferings or anything that happened to her among that den of snakes. Laura cut to the chase as she said right out, ¡°Mr. Anderson, ording to what I know, your second daughter isn¡¯t easy to get along with, correct? How can you guarantee that Elise would be safe when she goes over to your ce?¡± Austin nodded. ¡°I understand your concerns, but Elise is our biological daughter. She has gone through so much suffering, so we¡¯ll give her all the love we can when she returns. We¡¯ll take extra care of her, and we¡¯ll treat her way better than her other siblings.¡± ¡°A sensible calction.¡± Laura refused to believe him as she asked, ¡°The Sinirs have everything that Elise needs, so if she continues staying here, she would be the only precious daughter of the Sinirs. However, if she returns to the Andersons, she¡¯ll have topete with her other siblings and counter all the plots they¡¯ll pit against her. She¡¯s better off remaining as she is!¡±Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°I¡­ am afraid that¡¯s not possible,¡± said Austin. ¡°I have already sent orders to prepare the ceremony where she would be recognized as an Anderson. Soon, the whole city, even the whole country, will know that Elise is my daughter. If she continues to stay outside, people might think that we¡¯re treating her unfairly.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a matter within the family, so you shouldn¡¯t care about what others think. In the end, you¡¯re just trying to benefit the Anderson Family.¡± Robin waved his hand. ¡°That¡¯s enough talking. You cannot have Elise, and that¡¯s final!¡± The atmosphere was tense once again, and Joshua took the opportunity to barge in on the conversation. ¡°Dad, why are you so stubborn? Elise is just a child you picked up, and she¡¯s not even a real Sinir. Now her own family ising to take her back, and they have every right to do so. Why are you holding on to her so firmly? You have taught me to be a good person, but now, you¡¯re just like a bad guy who has taken someone else¡¯s belongings and hidden them!¡± ¡°Be quiet!¡± Robin reprimanded, ¡°You have no right to speak here. Just the sight of you drives me mad, so get lost!¡± ¡°Stop telling me to get lost! I¡¯m your only son, and you can¡¯t just dispose of me when you feel like it!¡± Joshua retorted. He couldn¡¯t care less about his pride. As long as he stuck around with the Sinir Family, its property would fall into his hands, eventually. ¡°You¡­ You b*stard!¡± Robin was so worked up that he was at a loss for words. He hit his cane on the ground, which produced two heavy and muted knocks. Seeing this, Austin knew that his chance had come. ¡°Mr. Sinir,¡± Austin stated, ¡°I know I shouldn¡¯t talk about the circumstances in your family, but I can see that Elise won¡¯t be entirely happy even if she stays here. Since it¡¯s the same on both sides, it¡¯s only reasonable that she stays with her biological parents, yes?¡± As he spoke, he looked toward Joshua, as if hinting that with Joshua¡¯s presence, this family would still have its fair share of troubles. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me!¡± Elise suddenly walked in from the side door. The look in her eyes was cold, and it roused feelings of guilt within certain individuals. She walked in and looked around at the people gathered in the room, then she raised her voice and announced. ¡°Since everyone¡¯s here, I¡¯ll say this onest time. No matter how my identity changes, as long as Grandpa and Grandma are alive, I will forever stay with the Sinirs. This decision will not be swayed by any person or any matter!¡± ¡°Yoyo, I mean, Elise, please calm down. Your father means well; he just wants you to have a part of the family. You know well that it belongs to you in the first ce!¡± Jeanie was a little anxious because she didn¡¯t want to lose her long-lost daughter again soon after finally finding her. Jeanie didn¡¯t care about anything else; she just wanted to be with her daughter. Elise looked at Jeanie calmly, but she didn¡¯t say anything. Just then, Austin¡¯s phone suddenly rang. He frowned as he unlocked his phone, immediately jumping to his feet when he read the message he received. Jeanie leaned over to look, but Austin quickly turned off his phone and put it in his pants pocket. ¡°Who is it from?¡± Jeanie asked. She knew something was up from the way Austin reacted. ¡°Nothing, just some spam mail.¡± Austin steeled his expression as he spoke. With that, he looked toward Elise, frowning and hesitating. Then, he finally said, ¡°Since you wish to live with them, we¡¯ll let you have your way. However, we still expect you to be there for the ceremony. This is your responsibility, all right? I¡¯ll be waiting for you, Yoona.¡± He strode out as soon as he finished his words. When Austin stepped out of the hall, Elise¡¯s cold voice rang behind him. ¡°There¡¯s no need to wait. I have no interest whatsoever in the Andersons. I wee your visits, but I will never go to you.¡± Austin turned around to nce at her. A million emotions rushed through his head, but he stayed silent till the end and left without looking back. Jeanie, however, was less willing to leave. She looked at Elise and sped her hands together, saying humbly, ¡°Yoyo, if you don¡¯t want to go back, can I stay here with you? I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with your dad. He still refuses to chase Faye away. I really don¡¯t want to stay another second in that house!¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Elise responded calmly. Outside the Sinir Residence, Austin sat in the car and took out his phone. He had aplicated expression as he stared at the scandalous photo of Matthew and Elise in bed. Elise was engaged to Alexander. If this photo got out, Alexander would still be fine, maybe get joked about for a while, but Elise would face far worse consequences simply because she was a girl. He was more worried that the owner of this photo would leak it during the ceremony. Now, he could do nothing but cancel the marriage between Alexander and Elise. Hence, even if this incident was leaked, they could im that it was just young people in love. Then, when everything blew over, they could make a statement to rify the situation, so they wouldn¡¯t be affected too much by the chaos. At that thought, Austin dialed Alexander¡¯s number again. Alexander was checking the proposal for the wedding, and he immediately picked it up when he saw that it was a call from Austin. ¡°Mr. Anderson, I think we¡¯re still a long way from the deadline we agreed on,¡± Alexander said. ¡°I had a change of mind,¡± Austin said. ¡°Elise will not be marrying you.¡± Chapter 400: My Enemy Chapter 400: My Enemy ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± Alexander¡¯s expression was frozen on his face. Austin thought for a while, then tried dropping hints. ¡°Matthew is one of the Griffiths, and there¡¯s this thing between him and Elise¡­ Well, anyway, with that sort of rtionship, she mustn¡¯t be married to any of you. As her father, I have to ensure that she stays unharmed.¡± Alexander went silent for a while, after which he blocked the receiver of his phone as he told everyone in the office, ¡°We¡¯ll take a break for 15 minutes. Everyone out.¡± Within a minute, everyone else had already left the room. It was only after that when Alexander returned to his call with Austin. ¡°You mean that photo with Matthew and Elise?¡± Austin was stunned, for he didn¡¯t expect Alexander to know about this. ¡°Since you already know, there¡¯s no reason for me to hide. If anyone learns of the history between your brother and Elise, the only one to be hurt will be Elise, and you know it. If you¡¯re a gentleman, you would call off the wedding,¡± Austin said. ¡°Impossible.¡± Alexander then repeated his vow, iming, ¡°I have to marry Elise!¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying that you want to go against me?¡± Austin¡¯s voice turned cold. ¡°Do you think you¡¯re qualified enough to fight me just because you have Frazier Pharmaceuticals and that measly amount of money you got from the stock market?¡± ¡°You are Elise¡¯s father, so I won¡¯t hurt you. However, anyone who dares stand in the way of my union with Elise will be my enemy!¡± Alexander said gravely, every sybleced with warning. ¡°All right, then. We¡¯ll see how you spout nonsense when you get in trouble!¡± With that, Austin hung up. In the office, the look in Alexander¡¯s eyes grew cold. He was lost in his own thoughts as he tried to guess where Matthew was at the moment. Just as expected, I should¡¯ve gotten to the root of the problem while I had the chance. New problems will keep popping up if this does not end well. Alexander had to think of a way to lure Matthew out. As he was thinking, his phone vibrated again. It was a message from Brendan telling him that Adam was hospitalized. He gave it a quick nce, then took his phone with him as he left the meeting room. Elise had received the news at the same time, so the two of them were headed for the hospital simultaneously. However, Alexander got there before Elise did. In the ward, Adamy on the bed, and Madeline was apanying him. Alexander hadn¡¯t seen them in a few days, but Madeline seemed to have aged considerably. A few strands of her hair were turning white, and there were wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. Even though Adam was the one on the hospital bed, he appeared to be in better health than Madeline. When Alexander walked in, he called lightly, ¡°Dad.¡± Hearing his voice, Madeline got up in excitement as she waited for him to greet her. In the end, however, Alexander didn¡¯t seem like he would open his mouth again, and Madeline was terribly heartbroken by that. Does this mean that he was serious when he said he wanted to cut off ties with me? ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Adam acknowledged his presence before he turned to look at a chair beside him. ¡°Sit down.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Alexander¡¯s face was cool, without much emotion. ¡°How did you end up in the hospital?¡± Adam let out a long sigh, as if unwilling to recount the events. Madeline did Adam¡¯s job instead. ¡°It¡¯s all because of those rtives! My goodness, all of them gathered at our house and imed that if the Griffiths went bankrupt, they would die right in front of us! Some of those in power even pointed at your dad and told him that his own son abandoned him, then your dad got so worked up that he fainted.¡± Madeline adjusted the nket for her husband, then turned to Alexander andined, ¡°And you. If you knew that Frazier¡¯s stocks would rise, why didn¡¯t you tell the Griffiths? I don¡¯t mind if you don¡¯t care about those distant rtives, but how are you willing to watch your own family die?¡± Alexander was indifferent as he looked coldly at her and retorted calmly, ¡°You¡¯re the one who asked me to choose.¡± ¡°But I never thought you¡¯d choose that woman! What spell did she put on you? What sort of son would abandon his family for a woman?¡± Madeline used. ¡°You are my son, and you have my blood running in your veins. Blood is thicker than water, is it not? Pleasee to your senses, Alexander. We¡¯re the people closest to you! Don¡¯t you see the suffering we¡¯re going through?¡± Just then, Elise had already arrived and was standing outside the door. However, when she heard Madeline¡¯s voice, she stopped dead in her tracks. ¡°One has to pay the price for one¡¯s decisions.¡± Alexander¡¯s voice rang calmly in the ward, and no one could hear any emotion in it. ¡°Elise is my woman and fianc¨¦e. If you keep badmouthing her, I¡¯ll have to take my leave,¡± Alexander said coldly. Adam sighed hastily. ¡°What did I tell you? You shouldn¡¯t have forced him!¡± ¡°You know nothing. This is all Elise¡¯s fault! She brought misfortune to all of us. Grandpa Griffith is dead because of her, and we¡¯re next on the list! She also brought ruin to our family, but she¡¯s still clinging on to Alexander like no one¡¯s business! I can¡¯t rest in peace as long as they¡¯re still together!¡± Alexander¡¯s expression was frightfully dark. In the end, he inhaled and turned around to leave. ¡°Alexander,¡± Adam called to him in a frail voice. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Alexander could abandon his mother, but he couldn¡¯t cut ties with his father. ¡°Dad, if there¡¯s anything you want to tell me, just go ahead and talk,¡± Alexander said. ¡°I¡­ Well, I don¡¯t know how!¡± Adam¡¯s face was guilt-ridden as he hesitated, unable to humble himself. Alexandar, however, could guess what he wanted to say. He spoke calmly, saying, ¡°You want me to fork out some money to help the Griffiths through these trying times, is that right?¡± Adam didn¡¯t respond, silently admitting. ¡°It¡¯s only proper for you to give us money. Alexander, when you took over thepany, you were also in charge of the whole family. You are responsible for the survival of the Griffiths, so you can¡¯t just stand by and watch. If you aren¡¯t willing to give us even one cent, how would you be able to face your family in the future? We¡¯re asking you to do this for your own good,¡± Madeline cut in. Alexander ignored her and continued to ask, ¡°Dad, is this what you want?¡± ¡°Alexander, oh, Alexander! Just let me live for a few more days, please. Our home has turned into hell, so if you don¡¯t do anything about it, your mom and I would have no ce to call home.¡± At this point, Adam seemed to be out of choices. ¡°All right.¡± Alexander agreed almost immediately because it was his duty as a son, after all. ¡°Then you agree toe back and cut ties with that woman?¡± Madeline asked in delight. ¡°No,¡± Alexander replied coldly. ¡°I will be marrying Elise very soon. I can give you my money and my life, but as long as I am breathing, I want to stay by Elise¡¯s side. I want to be someone she can depend on all her life.¡± ¡°W-What sort of son are you?! You¡¯ll be the death of me one day!¡± Madeline shouted in anger and disappointment. Alexander remained silent, for he didn¡¯t want to worsen the conflict. Even if the whole world disapproved of his rtionship with Elise, he would still stay with her. He lowered his gaze as he contemted, but then quickly caught sight of a small figure entering his field of vision. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Alexander was shocked by her presence. ¡°If I weren¡¯t here, how much longer do you n on being bullied?¡± Elise said, then walked right past him to look Madeline in the eyes. Chapter 401: Come With Me? Chapter 401: Come With Me? ¡°You¡¯ve been preparing to die ever since I got together with Alexander. It¡¯s been a while since then, but you still have enough energy to lecture people. Not bad.¡± ¡°Does it even matter to you if I died or not? Of course you¡¯d want me to die. Once I do, you can continue causing harm to my son and the Griffiths, and no one else will stand against you. You¡¯re just wishing for my death, aren¡¯t you?!¡± Madeline narrowed her eyes, hatred burning in her gaze. ¡°Me? Causing harm to Alexander? What about you, then? You forced Alexander out of your home in order to separate us and fulfill your own whims. You didn¡¯t spare him a penny, but now that you¡¯re in trouble, you want to take everything he has so that you can fill in that stupidly huge hole in your family! People talk about give and take, but the Griffiths won¡¯t give and only want to take! You¡¯re like parasites living off Alexander, drinking his blood and feasting on his flesh. Look, you¡¯re just taking advantage of his good nature so that you could bully him to death! Alexander is humane and can¡¯t bear to mistreat you, but I¡¯m different. I have no care about these things. If you bully my man, I¡¯ll pay it back tenfold! Yes, I¡¯ve said it. Alexander is the man I chose to love, so if anyone wants to take advantage of him, no one can stop me from making that person pay, not even Alexander himself!¡± With that, she turned around to look at Alexander. She pretended to be acted all street thug-ish as she said half-jokingly, ¡°From now onward, you don¡¯t have to ease the tension between us anymore. Come with me, won¡¯t you? I can guarantee that I won¡¯t bully you the way they did.¡± As Alexander gazed at her defiant face, he felt a spring breeze blow gently in his heart, dissipating the fog of troubles inside him. In all honesty, her words weren¡¯t nicely phrased, but they had enough power to melt his ice-cold heart. A loving look spread across his face as he smiled and reached out to ruffle her soft hair. He said ever so softly, ¡°All right, I¡¯ll step down and follow you all my life.¡± Elise shook her head like a disobedient puppy, then suddenly thought of something and jumped up. She proceeded to wrap her arms around Alexander¡¯s neck, turning into a sloth that clung tightly to its tree named Alexander. ¡°Come on, then, my new follower. Let¡¯s go home.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± Alexander chuckled a little, then turned around and carried her in his arms. It wasn¡¯t until they got in the car that he finally let Elise down. When Elise got into the car, she had also calmed down. A red tint spread across her cheeks as she remembered her bold actions just moments ago. When Alexander got in his own seat, she averted her gaze shyly. Alexander was about to start the engine when he realized Elise¡¯s abnormal behavior. With a hand on the steering wheel, Alexander turned and looked at Elise for a few seconds beforeughing jovially. ¡°Hahaha! Weren¡¯t you bold just now? What, you¡¯re blushing now that it¡¯s over?¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Elise reached out to cover Alexander¡¯s mouth. Alexander was stunned, but he buried his face in her palm. Then, he propped himself up and nted an indirect kiss near her mouth, for her hand was in the way. After that, he returned to his usual position in his seat. On the other hand, Elise remained seated, but when she recalled the scene just now, her whole face turned red from the tips of her ears right to the base of her neck. Even the part of her palm that he kissed was numb and burning. Gosh, I¡¯m such a sucker for romance. Alexander, however, pretended nothing had happened as he changed the subject and said in a serious tone, ¡°Where are we going now? Do you want to go home?¡± ¡°You bully,¡± Elise muttered under her breath. ¡°What?¡± Alexander turned around and moved as if he were ready to lean in again. Elise quickly corrected herself and cried, ¡°Nothing! Let¡¯s go to The Waterway Restaurant!¡± ¡°To talk business?¡± Alexander raised an eyebrow. ¡°Not me. You¡¯ll know when you get there. Now let¡¯s go!¡± As if having a plotted n, Elise¡¯s tone was mysterious. ¡­ At The Waterway Restaurant, Danny had arrived earlier than the agreed time. About half an hourter, a waiter opened the door to let in a fierce-looking man who had a scar running across the bridge of his nose. The man took a seat opposite Danny. Danny was a little excited, for it was his first time meeting someone from SK Group face to face. ¡°Where is ude?¡± the man asked coldly. ¡°Um, you¡¯ll have to wait a bit. The person who knows his whereabouts is on their way,¡± Danny said, grinning. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Hearing that, the man slowly raised his head and looked at Danny suspiciously. ¡°Are you toying with me?¡± ¡°No way!¡± As Danny spoke, he took two sses of wine poured out beforehand and walked to the man, passing one ss to thetter. ¡°So many people are dying to get into SK Group, and I wouldn¡¯t ruin my future either. Come, have a drink. The wait shouldn¡¯t be too long.¡± Despite some hesitation, the man still put the ss to his lips. However, as soon as his mouth touched the ss, he froze. Then, he slowly ced the wine back on the table, his expression tensed yet stoic. ¡°Who exactly are you?¡± The man narrowed his eyes, a wary tone in his voice. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Seeing the man¡¯s refusal to drink, Danny was a little upset and took his own emptied ss as he walked back. ¡°Why would youe to meet me if you look down on me?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe that a greenhorn like you would try to endanger someone from SK Group.¡± ¡°Who are you calling a greenhorn? What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Danny sat down as he tried to knock his former arrogance down a few pegs. After he was done, he finally realized the main point. ¡°What did you say? Endanger you? Since when? I even offered you some wine you refused to drink!¡± ¡°And you¡¯re iming that you didn¡¯t poison the wine?¡± ¡°Poison? What poison?¡± Danny was terribly confused. ¡°Is the wine poisoned?¡± As soon as he said it, his mouth began to froth. Danny seemed to have felt something as he reached up and touched the froth. Before he could react in shock, he was knocked out on the table. The man also realized that he was tricked, so he got up in an attempt to escape. At the same time, the door was opened from the outside, and in came Elise and Alexander. Chapter 402: Just This Once Chapter 402: Just This Once Elise walked to Danny and gave him a gentle push. Seeing hisck of response, she facepalmed and turned to Alexander. ¡°Your brother is a little slow, isn¡¯t he? You first.¡± Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Alexander shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re his boss, so you first.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember getting a subordinate this weak.¡± Elise¡¯s face was full of disdain. ¡°I don¡¯t have a brother this weak either,¡± Alexandermented unsympathetically. Completely ignored, the man could clearly see that they were provoking him, so he interrupted, asking, ¡°Who are you guys?¡± Hearing that, Elise and Alexander both turned and looked at him innocently. ¡°We¡¯re just passersby who came to capture you.¡± Elise had a half-smile on her mischievous face, and she didn¡¯t look serious at all. Alexander exchanged gazes with her and smiled, his eyes filled with endearment. The man was speechless. What are they doing? Are they here just to flirt in my face? ¡°Hmph, not a chance!¡± With that, the man dashed to the door and raised a fist aimed at Alexander. However, the fist never found its target because something had blocked its path. Alexander gripped the man¡¯s wrist, the gentleness in his face reced by a frosty re. ¡°I honestly expected more out of SK Group.¡± Alexander¡¯s tone was filled with sarcasm. Hearing that, Elise red at him. A real member of the SK Group will never be this fragile. However, she didn¡¯t voice her thoughts. ¡°You want to know where ude is? It¡¯s not too difficult,¡± Elise uttered nonchntly. ¡°However, you have to tell us who you¡¯re selling this information to.¡± ¡°I could tell you, but you¡¯ll have to carry the secret to your graves!¡± the man announced in arrogance. Before the man could finish, a silver needle slid into Elise¡¯s left hand, and with its momentum, she flung the needle at the man, piercing thetter behind the ear. The man instinctively reached out to cover the spot he was pricked. In a split second, he felt himself losing control of his body, as if the needles hit an acupuncture spot. No matter how hard he tried, his limbs wouldn¡¯t move. ¡°What did you do to me?!¡± Elise smirked cheekily before reaching out to her index finger to push him ever so lightly. Thud! Even with the gentle nudge, the full-grown man fell t on the floor. Instantly, his eyes widened in terror, like a prey sensing that its death was near. Chapter 403: For the Love of God! Chapter 403: For the Love of God! ¡°Spit it out, or I¡¯ll make you,¡± Elise muttered. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything!¡± The man was so scared that he began sweating profusely. This woman is so strong; I¡¯ll be dead if she hits me! ¡°Oh.¡± Elise pped her hands. ¡°Go on, then.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°B-But what am I supposed to say?¡± The man was near tears. ¡°For the love of God! You need to at least tell me what you want to know!¡± Elise bent down and showed him another silver needle. ¡°If you refuse toe clean, you¡¯ll have yourself to me.¡± With that, she raised his hand with slight disdain and drove the needle in. Almost instantly, the man felt pain and itches all over his body, as if there were millions of ants biting every single vein, and even his bones hurt. The man couldn¡¯t move at all, and as the pain in his body grew stronger, tears were uncontrobly shed. He thought he would prefer death over this torture anytime. Observing his reactions, Elise could see that this man wasn¡¯t lying. Well, well. I guess I have to investigate further when I return. After leaving The Waterway Restaurant, Elise returned to the Sinir Residence. After checking Laura¡¯s pulse and carrying out acupuncture on her, Elise walked toward the backyard. The door to Jeanie¡¯s room was open, and Elise identally nced inside as she walked by. She found Jeanie zoning out on her seat by the bed, sighing. Elise sighed and changed her course as she walked inside. She couldn¡¯t avoid Jeanie¡¯s sorrow, no matter what she tried. Whenever she saw Jeanie in low spirits, she felt equally sorrowful, and she could feel something heavy lodging in her chest. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Elise still wasn¡¯t used to calling Jeanie ¡®mom¡¯. Perhaps it was because she found it hard to ept the fact or hadn¡¯t grown ustomed to it. Maybe things will get better over time. Seeing Elise walk in, Jeanie hastily got up and held her daughter¡¯s hands. She was overjoyed as she said, ¡°You¡¯re back! You must be tired; where did you go today? You didn¡¯t fight with Alexander, did you?¡± Elise smiled wryly. ¡°You have so many questions. Which should I answer first?¡± ¡°Ah, my bad.¡± Jeanie was a little embarrassed, but still, she asked, ¡°Have you had dinner?¡± ¡°I did, with Alexander. We had something just now,¡± Elise replied honestly. After a momentary pause, she asked, ¡°You didn¡¯t look too happy just now. What happened?¡± Jeanie sighed, and the frown returned to her eyebrows. ¡°It¡¯s your brother. He survived that day, but now he can¡¯t feel anything in the lower half of his body. I don¡¯t know if he would ever be able to stand up¡­¡± Chapter 404: Sound Him Out Chapter 404: Sound Him Out Elise paused as she was reminded of her brother. Ever since she returned from Pinewood Hospital, she hadn¡¯t seen Trevor again and had eventually forgotten about him. Soon, she recalled the time she gave Austin an acupuncture treatment, thinking about the symptoms she could have easily missed. Things would have gotten worse if I hadn¡¯t detected those symptoms, but Austin¡­ Upon a brief contemtion, Elise decided to leave Austin aside first and look into Trevor¡¯s condition. ¡°Bring Trevor to me tomorrow. I¡¯ll treat him.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± Jeanie looked at Elise in surprise, but that look onlysted for a short while before it was reced with a worried expression. She then asked in a concerned manner, ¡°You nearly fainted when you treated your dad thest time a few days ago, so are you sure you¡¯re going to be okay? Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself, Yoyo.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ve had enough rest.¡± Elise smiled faintly and patted the back of Jeanie¡¯s hand. ¡°For now, that¡¯s going to be the n, and I¡¯ll see him tomorrow.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Jeanie nodded her head repeatedly, happily looking at Elise while feeling grateful for having a daughter like her. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Please rest early. I need to return to my room and get ready for tomorrow¡¯s session.¡± ¡°Alright. Make sure you rest well because I don¡¯t want you to push yourself too hard. I¡¯m sure your brother will understand if your treatment doesn¡¯t seem to work on him, so it¡¯s going to be okay,¡± Jeanie replied. Elise pursed her lips without responding to Jeanie¡¯s words. Upon returning to her room, she sat down in front of herptop and started running a program with it to give ude a call. When ude saw the call, he immediately answered the call and put it to his ear. ¡°Father, is the rescue mission really so urgent that you have to call me personally?¡± ude agitatedly asked. ¡°Did you fall out with the organization?¡± Elise used a voice changer to alter her voice, making her sound like a man speaking. ¡°No way!¡± ude smiled and answered, ¡°My dad owns the organization. Furthermore, I¡¯m living my life well, thanks to you all, so why would I want to ruin it by stepping on everyone¡¯s toe in the organization?¡± Elise nodded, thinking ude was not aware of the matter as she expected. Thus, it naturally urred to her that the problem was with SK Group instead. ¡°Have you booked the flight?¡± Elise changed the subject. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t, but you should know that I¡¯m wanted by a lot of people back in the country, so I had to sneak back with a fake alias,¡± ude exined. ¡°Alright. Stay safe.¡± Elise emotionlessly hung up the call, fixing her gaze on herptop monitor screen that was showing the profile picture of the organizational member online. In fact, she had noticed that the core member of the organization, Joseph Fuller, would log in approximately two minutes after she signed in almost every single time. Thus, she was sure that it was no coincidence as she suddenly had a bad feeling about the mystery. She then waited for a few minutes and opened the chatbox with Joseph, deciding to send him a text message to sound him out. ¡®I want to quit.¡¯ Two minutester, Joseph replied with a few messagesing in one after another. ¡®Where are you?¡¯ ¡®Are you in some kind of trouble?¡¯ ¡®Don¡¯t do anything reckless. Get back to the headquarters. We will protect you.¡¯Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. While Elise set her eyes on the messages that kept popping up, her gaze turned cold and indifferent because she knew she wasn¡¯t texting with Joseph. After all, Elise knew Joseph was aware of how much SK Group meant to her and that he would usually justugh it off. Thus, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder who exactly was on the other end. Who is this person? Is he controlling the entire SK Group, or has he just taken Joseph¡¯s ce? In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, Elise replied to the text message. ¡®It¡¯s personal. Don¡¯t dwell too much on it.¡¯ As soon as Elise¡¯s message got through, she immediately shut down the software and upgraded her anti-tracking system before turning off herputer. At the same time, she couldn¡¯t stop wondering who was onto SK Group and had sessfully infiltrated the organization. Other than that, she knew whoever was posing as Joseph had started tracking information about the other core members of the organization. For that, she believed she had just be the target of this mysterious stalker. Nheless, Elise knew that the mysterious person behind the screen still hadn¡¯t figured out how to destroy her anti-tracking system, so she considered her discovery a wake-up call and decided to take necessary precautions against who might be plotting against her. ¡­ The next day, Trevor was taken to the Sinir Residence after breakfast, where the private guardian saw him and escorted him in a wheelchair. Then, they stopped in the courtyard outside the parlor before someone wheeled him into the room. Meeting Elise for the first time, Trevor was seen with a surprised look on his pale face. In that instant, the sibling duo appeared to be slightly embarrassed, especially when they exchanged gazes. ¡°Thank you so much, Elise.¡± Trevor opened his mouth with all his strength, struggling to look up. At the same time, Elise walked closer to him and calmly helped him up. ¡°Lie down still.¡± Trevor nodded andy down as he was told. Then, he took off his clothes and covered his private part with a towel. After that, Elise reached for her needles and put them aside, whereupon she picked one of them and took a closer look at it right before her eyes. Then, she turned her attention to Trevor and said, ¡°This is going to sting a little. So, brace yourself.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Trevor said, subconsciously clenching his jaw. Soon, Elise nted needles all over his legs, piercing his skin with the sharp needles. At the same time, Trevor began to feel a tingling sensation but endured it without making a sound. Soon, his forehead was covered with cold sweat when thest needle pierced through his skin. It was only then that he let out a painful scream shortly before the persisting pain overwhelmed him. Nheless, Trevor was happy deep down because that meant his legs could feel again. Meanwhile, Elise stood aside calmly, observing the veins beneath his skin and heaving a sigh of relief when she saw the blood flowing through them. ¡°Hang in there. Once the blood can flow through your veins, you should be able to get back on your feet again,¡± Elise said. Simultaneously, Trevor was unable to give her a response, only clenching his jaw with his eyes closed in order to remain as calm as possible to protect his pride as a man. However, he eventually passed out after hanging in there for a moment. ¡°Young Master Trevor! Young Master Trevor!¡± the nurse shouted almost at the top of her lungs, unknowingly drawing Jeanie¡¯s attention as it prompted her to barge in. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Trevor? Is he alright? What happened?!¡± Jeanie rushed to the bed and set her eyes on Trevor, who was unconscious, seizing Elise¡¯s hands in a panicky manner. ¡°Yoyo, is he going to die? Please tell me he¡¯ll live.¡± Jeanie spoke with tears welling up in her eyes. Needless to say, Elise felt as if someone was squeezing her heart, sad and emotional. She then knitted her eyebrows and answered, ¡°He just fainted. So, it¡¯s not a big deal. He¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Alright! That¡¯s good to know!¡± Jeanie patted her chest in relief despite her furrowed brows. Finding it hard to see how Jeanie was tormented by her own anxiety, Elise came up with an excuse and told the guardian to take her out for a walk before the room was filled with peaceful silence. Half an hour later, Elise pulled the needles out of Trevor¡¯s skin, whereupon thetter woke up. He then moved his neck and subsequently his legs at will, just as a surprised look shed across his face. When he was about to sit up straight, he was suddenly held back by the thought that he only had a towel covering his private part. Thus, he was forced to continue lying down in an awkward manner. Thinking something went wrong, Elise leaned closer and kept her eyes on his legs. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you alright?¡± Trevor smiled in embarrassment. ¡°Elise, this isn¡¯t appropriate, considering our¡­ gender differences.¡± Elise paused shortly before she realized what was going on and looked away. ¡°Excuse me. I should probably leave you with some space.¡± Chapter 405: Think Before You Speak Chapter 405: Think Before You Speak Meanwhile, Faye arrived in the front yard with Johan right beside her. Both of them were seen standing under a tree while facing away from the living room, seemingly brooding on something. At the same time, Elise, who was walking Jeanie to the living room, instantly reacted with a cial look on her face when she was greeted by them. Upon hearing footsteps, Johan looked up and gently pulled Faye¡¯s sleeve. Then, Faye walked closer to them and asked, ¡°Mom, Elise, how is Trevor?¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Jeanie shook off her hand in an annoyed manner. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Can¡¯t wait to see your brother dead so that no one will fight you over the inheritance?¡± At that moment, a disdainful look shed across Faye¡¯s face before it was quickly reced by a helpless look. ¡°Mom, this is seriously a misunderstanding! Trevor has always treated me well, so why would I want to see him dead?¡± ¡°I beg to differ. After all, we don¡¯t know what a person is thinking in his or her head unless we¡¯re one family!¡± Jeanie didn¡¯t believe Faye¡¯s words as she seized Elise¡¯s hand and entered the living room. Soon, Trevor showed up upon changing his clothes. ¡°Trevor!¡± Faye agitatedly rushed to her brother, hugging him while resting her head on his chest. ¡°This is awesome! I¡¯m so happy to see you!¡± Trevor was caught off guard by Faye¡¯s sudden reaction, pausing for a while, whereupon he distanced himself from her. Then, he curled his lips upward and faked a smile. ¡°Faye, are you really happy for me?¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Thinking Trevor had something to imply, Faye frowned with a brittle smile on her face as she appeared to be a little awkward. ¡°O-Of course, Trevor. Why do you ask?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Trevor gave her an ambiguous look, staring at her with his piercing gaze. ¡°Anyway, you¡¯re a grown-up now, so I guess it¡¯s better for us to keep our distance. After all, it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate for a man to be that close to an engaged woman,¡± Trevor said while looking at Johan. By doing so, he indicated his intention to draw a line between Faye and the Anderson Family. In fact, Trevor was aware of what happened the other day. While Austin might be in the clouds about what was going on, Trevor had zero tolerance for those who tried to do him and his family harm. I¡¯ll be the one to keep my family safe, and that starts with keeping my guard up against these people. In the meantime, Faye awkwardly retracted her hand and curled her lips upward, trying to y dumb. ¡°You haven¡¯t lost your sense of humor, Trevor. I¡¯m still an Anderson even after I¡¯m married. In fact, my marriage won¡¯t change the fact that I¡¯m your sister and the daughter of the Anderson Family.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s not always the case.¡± Trevor put on an ambiguous smile. ¡°You belong with your husband as soon as you¡¯re married. That¡¯s something people always say about marrying off their daughters.¡± Faye was seen with a stiffened smile on her pale face. She then quietly stood aside and angrily replied, ¡°Johan and I are still trying to work things out, so don¡¯t you worry about me, Trevor!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t,¡± Trevor replied coldly. Then, he turned around and approached Elise, extending his arms to hug her before she could even react. ¡°Wee back, Elise!¡± With Trevor¡¯s arms tightly wrapped around her, Elise subconsciously wanted to free herself from his grasp but soon softened up in his embrace. Trevor¡¯s sincere hug felt so natural and heartwarming, different from Alexander¡¯s affection, which was filled with passion. Upon taking a deep breath, she was able to feel a familial bond once again with someone else other than Jeanie. When Faye saw their interaction, she clenched her fists and jaw viciously. Ew! Who does Elise think she is? She is just a peasant who hails from a poor vige. God knows how much filth she is carrying with her. Come on, Trevor! Do you seriously want to get your hands dirty by touching her? Am I, like, dead to him? He has no problem hugging Elise but won¡¯t do the same thing with me because of our gender differences. At that moment, Alexander came in through the main door and felt helpless at the sight of what he saw. It looks like my wife is getting more and more popr, isn¡¯t she? Oh dear, Elise. I guess I¡¯m getting so jealous that I want to hide you from the rest now. Meanwhile, Faye noticed Alexander¡¯s presence and reminded Trevor in an ambiguous manner. ¡°Trevor, you may not have known about this, but Faye is actually engaged, and her fianc¨¦ is none other than Mr. Alexander Griffith. Are you sure he won¡¯t be jealous to see you hugging his fianc¨¦e?¡± Upon hearing Faye¡¯s words, Trevor slowly let go of Elise and turned his attention to Alexander. When the two men exchanged gazes with each other, they tacitly nodded as a gesture to greet each other. Then, Trevor casually replied, ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. After all, there is nothing wrong with a brother hugging his sister. Furthermore, Yoyo missed out on all the love she should have gotten over the years, so it¡¯s time I paid her back with my overdue brotherly love.¡± ¡°But Elise is no longer a kid either.¡± Faye gritted her teeth in resentment. Trevor looked down a little and set his eyes on her in a surprised manner. ¡°Seriously, Faye? Are we doing this right now? I remember you used to be kind and understanding.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Faye was rendered speechless by how Trevor described she used to be, knowing it would make her look petty if she continued to find fault with both of them. Thus, she changed her tune and said, ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. I was just afraid that the indecency would make Elise seem like a spoiled child and show her in a bad light if an outsider witnessed all this.¡± ¡°I can spoil my child as much as I want to, but that¡¯s none of your business.¡± Jeanie sized her up with a disgusted look on her face. Since Johan was counting on Faye to get rich, it didn¡¯t sit well with him to see her face all the humiliation and insults by herself. Thus, he stood up for her and said, ¡°Mom, Faye was giving a gentle reminder out of her good faith, so was that really necessary?¡± Trevor looked askance at Johan with a darkened look. ¡°That¡¯s the Anderson Family¡¯s affair, so who are you to interfere?! I don¡¯t care whether you¡¯re going to be the Anderson Family¡¯s son-inw, but you¡¯re in no position to boss my mother around!¡± ¡°Trevor, you need to think before you speak! Am I not a sister to you?¡± Faye lost her temper, deciding not to hold back anymore when Trevor insulted Johan. ¡°Oh, really?¡± Trevor acted like he just caught on to something and turned around to seize Jeanie¡¯s hand, gently patting it. ¡°In that case, I suppose we should stay away from someone who can¡¯t think? After all, we¡¯re not uncultured swine, are we?¡± While Elise couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter, Jeanie appeared to be in a good mood and gave Trevor a thumbs-up. ¡°Good job, Son!¡± As Faye¡¯s anger got the better of her, she decided not to give in anymore and stomped off immediately. In the meantime, Johan red at Trevor with his clenched jaw and followed right behind Faye, but his fianc¨¦e suddenly stopped at the door and turned around to berate him. ¡°Why did I even fall for a piece of crap like you back then?¡± Steaming and piqued, Johan ced his hands on his waist and flipped the hem of his vest to his back like a rooster that was ready to fight. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. I¡¯m a piece of crap, but who else would stand by your side besides me? Do you honestly think there is anyone else who¡¯dy eyes on you?!¡± Chapter 406: I’ll Kill You Before I Take My Own Life Chapter 406: I¡¯ll Kill You Before I Take My Own Life Faye¡¯s eyes were filled with murderous intent, as she couldn¡¯t stand the fact that even Johan, whom she called a piece of crap, would look down upon her. Why did you return, Elise? Everything was fine until you came back. I was the one who had been watching over the Anderson Family over the years, so what makes you think you can juste back and take away all my credit and the love that was meant for me? No! This is not how it¡¯s supposed to work. You¡¯re never going to take what¡¯s mine away! After the brief yet intense argument between Faye and Johan, things ended on a sour note. ¡­ Meanwhile, Trevor looked at Elise after they managed to make Faye and Johan leave the courtyard in a pique. ¡°Pack your stuff ande with me, Elise. Don¡¯t hesitate because I won¡¯t let anyone hurt you as long as I¡¯m in the Anderson Family.¡± Robin and Laura nodded their heads, thinking the man from the Anderson Family was not entirely silly as he was known to be. Deep down, they were happy that their granddaughter was finally reunited with her original family. Nheless, Elise shook her head and replied, ¡°No, it¡¯s just way too inconvenient for me to stay at the Anderson Family because I still have to treat my grandmother.¡± ¡°I see. I understand.¡± Trevor nodded and walked closer to Laura and Robin. ¡°If both of you wouldn¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to arrange a bigger house for everyone in the Sinir Family to live in. By then, both of you could move into the house with my mother. What do you say?¡± ¡°Trevor, are you moving in too?¡± Knowing her son¡¯s decisiveness, Jeanie couldn¡¯t help but worry about Austin, whom she loved deeply despite his silliness. After all, she couldn¡¯t bear to leave him alone in the house. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°Yeah,¡± Trevor answered firmly. ¡°We owed Yoyo so much over the years, so I was thinking it would be good for all of us if we stayed close to each other.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this.¡± Elise felt ufortable with Trevor¡¯s enthusiasm. ¡°Not to this extent.¡± Trevor looked up, helplessly feeling a stab of pain inside of him. ¡°So what? I don¡¯t have to do anything for you since you don¡¯t need me to, do I? If that¡¯s the case, what else can I, as your brother, do for you?¡± In fact, he had heard a lot of stories from Jeanie a few hours after he woke up from his unconsciousness, which was how he knew Elise was raised by her grandparents and subsequently given a hard time by the Griffith Family. Therefore, when Elise was treating him, he told himself that he would protect his sister from that moment on. I¡¯ll be the person she can lean on. That way, she won¡¯t have to bear everything on her own. At that moment, Elise had no idea what to say and only reacted with silence. In the meantime, Trevor turned his attention to Robin and asked, ¡°What do you think, Grandpa?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a problem with that.¡± Robin was satisfied with Trevor, wishing thetter was his grandson on the inside. Then, he dly said, ¡°You know what they say, the more the merrier. We¡¯re happy with that decision.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get it done right away.¡± Trevor gazed at Jeanie. ¡°Mom, please summon the maids from our home to help Elise and the rest pack their stuff.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Jeanie answered. Upon exchanging gazes with his mother, Trevor quickly left the ce to do what he should. When he walked past Alexander, he paused and put on a stoic expression. ¡°You. Come with me.¡± Soon, Alexander turned to Elise for help, but thetter only shrugged her shoulders as a helpless gesture. It was then that he smiled and followed Trevor out of the house. Standing beside a rock mound just outside the door, Trevor asked Alexander for a cigarette when he got closer. ¡°You got a cig?¡± Ever since Alexander¡¯s fallout with Madeline, he always carried a pack with him. Thus, he calmly took his cigarette box out of his pocket and handed it over to Trevor with a lighter. Then, Trevor took a cigarette out of the box and lit it up, whereupon taking a puff. Exhaling the smoke into the air from his mouth, he warily gazed at Alexander. ¡°You like my sister, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I love her.¡± Alexander bared his heart to Trevor. Trevor gawked at Alexander before he slowly looked down. ¡°I died once and came back to life, of which I believe you¡¯re aware. So, if you ever dare to mistreat Elise, I swear I¡¯ll kill you and take my own life.¡± He looked up once again, ring at Alexander with a pair of eyes that resembled an angry beast. ¡°I don¡¯t joke with anyone besides my family.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t have that chance,¡± Alexander calmly said, filled with confidence. Fixing his eyes on Alexander, Trevor was like an experienced hunter who found his prey until the cigarette in his hand became too hot for him to hold it any longer. Upon tossing it aside, he stepped on the cigarette and replied, ¡°Well, it¡¯d better be that way.¡± He then ced the lighter and the cigarette box into his pocket and walked away. Meanwhile, Alexander was left behind in ce, having his eyes on Trevor until he disappeared from sight, whereupon he returned to Elise in a ponderous manner. At that moment, Faye and Laura were happily chatting with each other as Alexander directly walked up to Elise. ¡°What were you both talking about?¡± Elise asked in a soft voice. ¡°Your brother said he wants to kill me,¡± Alexander yfully replied. ¡°Do you guys have a bitter history?¡± Elise tilted her head and looked at the man. ¡°Nope.¡± Alexander chuckled and added, ¡°But now we do.¡± While all mothers-inw can get along with their sons-inw well, why do all brothers-inw have to be so mean to their sister¡¯s husband? ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Elise squinted and poked the man¡¯s chest with her index finger while threatening him. ¡°Stop beating around the bush and tell me what you guys were talking about.¡± Alexander wrapped his fingers around her index finger and said, ¡°Long story short. If I ever betray your love, I¡¯ll be as good as dead.¡± Elise chuckled and said, ¡°Indeed, if you ever dare to fool around, I¡¯m going to castrate you!¡± ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t risk losing my third leg.¡± Alexander made a dirty joke. Elise quickly pulled her hands out of her pocket and covered the man¡¯s mouth, ring at him with her eyes. ¡°Are you asking for trouble? Grandpa and the others are still right here!¡± Alexander smiled without saying a single word in response. Later that night, they moved into a house that was twice as big as their previous one. While the Sinir family was happily having their reunion dinner, Faye and Austin were staring at each other back in their own house. Noticing Austin¡¯s emotionless expression, Faye handed him a bowl of soup and said, ¡°You need to drink more of this, Dad. In fact, I told Mrs. Hardy to use only imported organic ingredients. After all, I know you just woke up and have to attend to yourpany¡¯s affairs, so your health should be prioritized.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Austin took the bowl and took a sip of the soup. Then, Faye filled her own bowl with soup while saying, ¡°What kind of daughter is Elise? She didn¡¯t even bother to pay you a visit after you recovered from your illness.¡± ¡°Yoyo has always been by her side all this time, so let her be.¡± Austin¡¯s expression remained the same, which revealed very little about what was on his mind. Upon a brief silence, he looked at Faye and said, ¡°You¡¯re turning 25 this year, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yeah, Dad. I¡¯m turning 25 in two months.¡± Faye smiled and added, ¡°I¡¯m d you still remember.¡± ¡°Of course. You¡¯re my daughter! So, why would I forget about that?¡± Austin calmly said, ¡°In that case, you should probably find a time and hold your wedding with Johan. It¡¯s about time you get married, seeing now that you¡¯re in your mid-twenties.¡± The smile on Faye¡¯s face slowly faded when she heard that. Did the two of them n this together? Trevor just implied that I belong with Johan instead, and now Austin wants me to proceed with my wedding. Is there no ce for me in the family? Chapter 407: Is That Not Enough? Chapter 407: Is That Not Enough? Faye gritted her teeth while trying to maintain the smile on her face. ¡°I¡¯m not in a rush, Dad. I still want to stay with you guys for a few more years to take care of you guys.¡± ¡°Others might gossip about us if they knew that someone at your age is still staying with her parents. Besides, you can still be a filial daughter by visiting us often after you¡¯re married.¡± Faye ced her soup bowl down and mindlessly picked at her vegetables while giving another excuse. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, but Johan¡¯s career is still unstable due to changes in the Olson Family, and he will probably need a few more years before he wants to settle down.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard a little regarding this as well. Tell Johan not to worry, though. He can live with us after you guys get married and work in ourpany. Since we are a family, we should all work together to expand Anderson Pharmaceuticals.¡± Austin continued eating with a naive look on his face. Since Faye wasn¡¯t able to resist his requests any longer, she had no choice but to ept them for now. ¡°I¡¯ll find the right time to talk to him about it.¡± Then, the two of them stopped talking to each other. After the meal, Faye went out to look for Johan. Before Johan¡¯s family dered bankruptcy, the entire family¡¯s assets were frozen, and Johan only managed to save a two-bedroom house outside of the city after exhausting all means. It was already 9.00PM when Faye reached the house. She found it hard to suppress her disgust as she sat in Johan¡¯s cramped house, and she took a long while to get used to the ce before taking the initiative to break the awkward silence. ¡°Everyone was just tensed in the afternoon, so just take theirments with a pinch of salt.¡± Nevertheless, Johan, who was leaning on the fridge in the kitchen a distance away, burst intoughter. ¡°What can I do even if I¡¯m offended? Who am I to pick a fight with the gracious Miss Anderson?¡± Faye pursed her lips. Why is he so petty for a grown man? ¡°I know that you aren¡¯tfortable with what happened, so you can say whatever that¡¯s on your mind, and I won¡¯t mind. I¡¯m just here to tell you that we are facing a disaster right now. Austin is trying to kick me out from the Anderson Family,¡± she exined calmly. ¡°Sounds about right. Two ungrateful family members, huh? A match made in heaven indeed,¡± Johan commented nonchntly. ¡°If you have the energy to make snarky remarks, why don¡¯t you use your brain to think about how you¡¯d be dead if it weren¡¯t for me considering your issue with Elise.¡± Faye stood up before turning around to look at him. ¡°Think of Jeremy and Amelia. If you don¡¯t want to end up as a lunatic, get yourself together. With my wisdom and your strength, we will be able to destroy everything in front of us!¡± ¡­ There were many empty rooms in the Sinirs¡¯ new residence, and Alexander initially nned to pick a room to stay in. However, he recalled Trevor¡¯s warning to not stay together with Elise in any form before they got married, so he had no choice but to rent another residence next to them. Since Sinir Residence was noisy because of Joshua and Maureen¡¯s presence, Elise had been spending her days at Alexander¡¯s. Both of them shared a liking for tranquility, so they minded their own business without disturbing each other. Meanwhile, Eagle, whose real name was Moses West, had been following Elise around ever since what happened at The Waterway Restaurant. Nevertheless, he made himself at home as heid on the swinging chair outside with a cap, basking in the warm sunlight, while Alexander and Elise worked in the house. At the same time, Danny had been visiting them daily to be on standby so that he could get an opportunity to join SK Group. Right then, Trevor, who was stifled after returning from hispany, ran over to Alexander¡¯s ce to look for Elise in anger when he couldn¡¯t find her at home. Coincidentally, he saw Elise resting her head on Alexander¡¯s thighs when he was about to enter. Immediately, he clenched his fist and ced it before his mouth before clearing his throat. ¡°Ahem!¡± While staring at Trevor nonchntly, Elise continuedying on Alexander¡¯s thighs before asking, ¡°Do you want me to grab some medicines for you? The kind that will be sure to heal your throat.¡± Trevor had a helpless look on his face. ¡°Yoyo, you need to keep your distance from him since you guys are not getting married yet. All men are trash, and you can¡¯t let them take advantage of you just like that. They won¡¯t learn to appreciate things they can get easily.¡± ¡°Looks like you¡¯re a man as well.¡± Elise got up. ¡°Or are you not one?¡± ¡°O-Of course I am one!¡± Trevor almost choked on his words. ¡°Then, you¡¯ve lost your credibility.¡± Elise looked unbothered. ¡°Moreover, we¡¯ve already done much more intimate things together, so why can¡¯t I lean on him?¡± At this moment, Danny, who was drinking water, sputtered. What a straightforward person. At the same time, Trevor¡¯s face went red from anger as his gaze toward Alexander became more hostile. ¡°Ahem.¡± Alexander couldn¡¯t help but clear his throat before exining in an awkward manner, ¡°What Elise was trying to say is that we have been together for a long time, so we are used to holding hands and hugging each other. You¡¯ll get used to it too, Trevor.¡± Then, he fixated his gaze on hisptop guiltily while sneaking nces at Elise from the corner of his eye as he tried to avoid Trevor¡¯s murderous re. Dear Elise, I¡¯m really not prepared for what¡¯s happening after you find your biological family! Nheless, Trevor¡¯s eyes widened even more after he heard Alexander before he started gritting his teeth. Does he really think that he can fool me by lying?! He¡¯s an animal. Elise is still so young, so how dare he¡­ He smacked his head in despair before murmuring to himself, ¡°All of this is my fault. All of this is my fault¡­¡± If I could find her earlier and teach her about the boundaries between male and female, Alexander wouldn¡¯t have been able to take advantage of her! ¡°Who got your knickers in a twist?¡± Elise asked in an innocent manner, while Alexander shrugged and acted as if he knew nothing. ¡°It¡¯s nothing!¡± Trevor huffed before sitting down on a chair. ¡°I see.¡± Then, Elise took a needle out. ¡°Why don¡¯t you let me stab you with a needle to let you ventte your anger?¡± Right then, Trever was rendered speechless. He really felt like his little sister was insane. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Trevor waved her off. ¡°I got pissed off because of Faye and Dad.¡± As Elise wasn¡¯t interested in those two, she kept her needle quietly and didn¡¯t try to continue the conversation. On the other hand, Trevor was waiting for Elise to ask him what had happened. However, after not hearing anything for a while, he turned around to see Elise munching on a bag of nuts, and his expression darkened instantly. Is a bag of nuts more important than me as an older brother? Alexander quickly tried to make the situation less awkward. ¡°What happened?¡± Upon hearing that, Trevor¡¯s facial expression looked better before he sighed and exined tiredly, ¡°The entirepany is full of Faye¡¯s people, and I don¡¯t even have the right to get a one million budget as the manager. Instead, I have to get the money using my bank card. How humiliating is that? Worst of them all, Dad doesn¡¯t seem to care about what happened!¡± ¡°Are you seriously depressed just because of that?¡± Elise didn¡¯t even bother batting her eyes. ¡°Can¡¯t you just remove all of the people she nted?¡± ¡°It ain¡¯t that easy. All of them are on managerial levels, so firing all of them in such a short period will cause thepany to be paralyzed!¡± Trevor eximed. ¡°Counteroffer them, then,¡± Danny snuck in before chiming in with a grin. ¡°My brother once told me that as long as your offer is good, getting a business deal is not impossible!¡± Despite that, Trevor smiled wryly. ¡°You¡¯re right, but that is if my offer is good. Do I look like I¡¯m capable of doing that right now, Young Master Danny?¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t help you if that¡¯s the case.¡± Danny shrugged before leaving. Right after Danny left, a bank card was tossed on the table in front of Trevor. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°There¡¯s a hundred million in this card. You can use it for now,¡± Elise remarked before she continued munching on her nuts. At the same time, Trevor frowned while staring at the thin card on the table. He waspletely stunned. Noticing that, Elise looked up before asking with an innocent look on her face, ¡°Is that not enough?¡± Chapter 408: Are You Trying to Break the Promise of Marriage? Chapter 408: Are You Trying to Break the Promise of Marriage? Not enough? That¡¯s too much! What Trevor imagined was him giving Elise his credit card and assuring her he would support her for the rest of her life instead of the other way around. A whileter, he finally came back to his senses before asking seriously with a frown on his face, ¡°Where did you get all this money?¡± Although Trevor was speaking to Elise, his eyes were fixated on Alexander. Did this guy try to bribe my sister using money? However, Alexander immediately exined himself nonchntly, ¡°Beats me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember.¡± Elise leaned back onto the couch before cing her right leg above her left leg and swinging her legs a little. Then, she pondered for a moment before saying, ¡°I probably received this money as medical fees after treating patients in the past. I have too many cards with me, and it¡¯s not like I keep track.¡± Since Trevor knew about Elise¡¯s medical skills, he was relieved when he heard her exnation. Nevertheless, he returned the card after contemting for a moment. ¡°I can¡¯t take your savings away from you. This money means a lot to you.¡± While saying that, Trevor couldn¡¯t help but think to himself, You can only get so much through blood, sweat, and tears. She must have worked for years to be able to get so much money! Although a hundred million was nothing to the Anderson Family, this was Elise¡¯s hard-earned money, and Trevor didn¡¯t want to use it to pay those useless executives. ¡°Things that can be resolved with money aren¡¯t a problem. Besides, this doesn¡¯t affect my savings much. A hundred million is probably the least among all of the medical fees that I¡¯ve received, so be my guest.¡± When Elise took her sses off, her overbearing aura was revealed as well. Upon sensing her aura, Trevor quietly took the card, despite having more and more questions in his head. Was it my delusion? Did I just sense a tremendous charisma from my sister, who is in her twenties? Maybe there are still more secrets that I don¡¯t know of yet. Elise wore her sses after seeing Trevor keep the card in his pocket, and the atmosphere finally quieted down again. As Trevor¡¯s little sister, Elise didn¡¯t mind giving him some money. Nevertheless, she wouldn¡¯t give Austin or Faye the opportunity to disrupt her world. Since Trevor had a campaigner personality, he left not long after taking the money. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. ¡­ Later that evening, Elise turned off the lights in her room before she started working on herptop. As the person who reced Joseph had the guts to put ude on a bounty, it meant that this wasn¡¯t their only move, and she had to get Joseph¡¯s ount password to be able to predict that person¡¯s next movement. However, she failed no matter how many times she tried. It was obvious that the other party was already prepared, and Elise couldn¡¯t hack into their ount at all. Who would have such great anti- investigating knowledge and technical skills? None of the people that Elise had encountered in the past were as strong as this person currently. Sighing in annoyance, she eyed the time on theptop to see that it was already 11.55PM. Therefore, she turned off herptop and decided to sleep. Right when Elise walked toward her bed, her sensitive ears picked up on footstep sounds next door before the sound of a car engine rang out. Where would Alexander go sote at night? Taking her phone out, she opened up the GPS application that she had coded herself and frowned as she watched the red dot on the screen move. When Elise took Alexander¡¯s phone to y with his games yesterday, she had secretly set up a GPS on his phone that would mark and save his location if he stopped for more than five minutes. A whileter, Elise closed her phone and slept without worry after seeing the red dot making its way back home. The next morning, she purposely woke up early and rushed toward Alexander¡¯s ce. However, she couldn¡¯t find him or Cameron. Frowning, Elise reopened her GPS application curiously. On the screen, the red dot ovepped a blue dot that indicated Elise¡¯s location, suggesting that Alexander was in the household as well. Right then, she zoomed in to the map and walked toward Alexander¡¯s room ording to the map¡¯s indication. However, Elise opened the door to see no one inside besides Alexander¡¯s phone lying on the table quietly. Immediately, she felt uneasy and contacted Cameron, thereupon thetter picked up the phone call in no time. ¡°Miss Sinir, what can I help you with?¡± ¡°Where is Alexander?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Young Master Alex is at the courtyard house. He¡¯s probably still resting right now,¡± Cameron answered calmly. ¡°I¡¯m in his room holding onto his phone right now. Do you still want me to continue this?¡± Elise asked with an icy voice while Cameron fell into silence before he stuttered a little. ¡°Young Master Alex is safe right now, so you don¡¯t have to worry, Miss Sinir.¡± ¡°If he¡¯s safe right now, does it mean that he wasn¡¯tst night? Cameron, you¡¯re a terrible liar. Just tell me what happened.¡± Elise¡¯s facial expression became serious while her grip on her phone tightened instinctively. Nevertheless, Cameron remained quiet. ¡°You can refuse to answer, but that would mean that you guys never treated me as a part of the family at all. If that¡¯s the case, Alexander doesn¡¯t have toe to look for me anymore. If you think this is a good way to resolve your issue, you may keep quiet.¡± Elise fell into silence while staring ahead of her before narrowing her eyes. She wasn¡¯t joking and really hated being left out of the circle. Elise allowed Alexander to have secrets, but she didn¡¯t allow him to endure danger on his own. Despite most people thinking that their significant other hiding their pain away and getting past tough situations without consulting anyone was a considerate move, that wasn¡¯t the case for Elise. Elise had been through thick and thin with him, and she didn¡¯t wish for him to hide the truth from her when he faced hardships. To her, a loving couple should be able to endure hardships together. After two minutes of silence, a voice rang out from the other end of the call. ¡°Are you trying to break the promise of marriage?¡± This time, it was Alexander. Chapter 409: The Wolf Has a Winning Game Chapter 409: The Wolf Has a Winning Game When the Shepherds Quarrel Although Alexander was trying hard to sound normal, Elise could still hear how weak he sounded. Even so, she sighed in relief, knowing that he was at least alive. ¡°Send me your location now,¡± Elise demanded sternly before hanging up without giving Alexander the chance to say anything. One minuteter, Cameron sent Elise their location through text. Following the GPS, Elise found a double-story wooden cable. After she headed upstairs, she immediately saw Alexander on the bed. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Alexander was topless, but his shoulder to waist was covered byyers of bandages to hide his injuries. Despite that, Elise could tell that his wounds were deep from the amount of blood that was seeping through the bandages. Still, this wasn¡¯t enough to make Alexander look so pale. Right then, Elise walked forward and grabbed Alexander¡¯s wrist before checking his pulse. Nheless, her expression became grim when she felt his pulse. ¡°You don¡¯t have to check.¡± Alexander huffed for air. ¡°It¡¯s the same poison that Grandma had as well. However, mine is worse.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Elise¡¯s mind was in a mess. Why do the people around keep getting poisoned by incurable poisons? Is this a coincidence, or is it intentional? Alexander opened his mouth a little. He initially wanted to exin himself, but he turned toward Cameron, who was standing at a side, when he realized he was in no condition to talk. ¡°Please exin what happened.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± Cameron replied dutifully before exining what had happenedst night to Elise. Upon hearing him, Elise paused. ¡°You should get out now. I¡¯ll start performing acupuncture on him now. There¡¯s too much poison in his body, and he needs to get them out as soon as possible.¡± After Cameron gave Alexander a look and got thetter¡¯s approval, he headed downstairs. Meanwhile, Alexandery down under Elise¡¯s help before she took her carry-on needle kit out. Then, she took a chair and ced it next to the bed before she started performing acupuncture. During the entire session, Elise was frowning, and cold sweat started forming around her forehead due to her excess concentration, while Alexander stared at her with a slight frown. ¡°Are you still angry?¡± Although Elise ignored Alexander¡¯s question at that moment, she purposely strayed from the angle the needle was supposed to enter while increasing her force, causing him to suck in an icy breath from the excruciating pain. When he closed his mouth, she took the needle out before inserting it two inches away. Right then, Alexander didn¡¯t know if he shouldugh. Even if I¡¯m suffering from illness, this girl really can¡¯t hold her temper back and has to vent, huh? ¡°We are even now,¡± he said in a joking manner. ¡°How are you still trying to flirt when you¡¯re literally losing your life?¡± Elisemented in an unclear tone while her hands continued moving. ¡°I won¡¯t lose my life since you¡¯re here,¡± Alexander assured with a smile. Right then, Elise paused and looked up at him. ¡°Are you trying to marry me because I¡¯ll be an extremely capable private doctor that will help you out for free?¡± ¡°Seriously? Am I that mean of a person?¡± Alexander frowned before exining, ¡°I¡¯m just trying to say that you¡¯re my everything. As long as you¡¯re alright, nothing will happen to me.¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°Stop with your sweet-talking, Mr. Griffith. I have reasonable ground to suspect that your past isn¡¯t as clean as you im it to be.¡± ¡°I swear.¡± Alexander raised his right hand and held three fingers up. ¡°I learned everything on my own.¡± ¡°Stop it.¡± Elise grabbed Alexander¡¯s hand while he was making a swear before jabbing a needle on his middle finger and asked, ¡°When did you find out that I installed the GPS in your phone?¡± ¡°Back then.¡± Alexander had a proud look on his face. ¡°You underestimated how much you meant to me, future Mrs. Griffith. You need to know that I¡¯m constantly watching over you.¡± This time, Elise didn¡¯t make anyments because she knew he wasn¡¯t exaggerating, after all. When they were together, Elise would always meet Alexander¡¯s passionate gaze whenever she looked up at him. An hourter, she went downstairs weakly before giving Cameron a paper that she was holding. ¡°Go to the ck market with this and get me all the items listed. Be quick.¡± When Cameron noticed how exhausted Elise was, he quickly helped her to get to the couch. ¡°Miss Sinir, I think it¡¯s better if I go after Dr. Davis arrives. How could I leave you like this right now?¡± ¡°Just leave.¡± Elise sounded impatient as she still held a grudge against him after the call during the afternoon. This was Cameron¡¯s first time hearing Elise speak in a cold manner. Knowing that he couldn¡¯t negotiate with her, he obeyed hermand. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll return as soon as possible.¡± Then, he ran out. At the same time, Alexander, who was walking downstairs, saw what happened andmented, ¡°Cameron is slow to react, and he might not even know that you¡¯re angry at him. Besides, I was the one who didn¡¯t allow him to tell you.¡± Elise gave him a look from the corner of her eyes before crashing onto the couch. She was so tired that her eyelids were struggling to stay open, so she wasn¡¯t in a mood to think about what Alexander had said. When she was about to fall asleep, she quickly opened her eyes widely before straightening her posture. ¡°By the way¡ª¡± Right then, Elise¡¯s face darkened when she saw Alexander grabbing an iced beer from the fridge. ¡°What do you think you are doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just take a sip. It¡¯s fine,¡± Alexander replied lightly. ¡°And what makes you think that way?¡± Elise asked. ¡°It¡¯s just an injury anyway. I know I can¡¯t eat spicy food, get simted or move a lot, but no one said anything about not being able to drink,¡± Alexander answered confidently. ¡°Are you a doctor?¡± Elise gave herself a jab without even flinching before her exhaustion went away immediately. Then, she walked over to Alexander and snatched his beer bottle away before instructing in a serious manner while staring at him, ¡°From today onward, you¡¯ll have to control your temper, stop eating overly seasoned food, stop smoking and staying up, andstly, stop drinking.¡± Alexander frowned. ¡°Why does that sound more suitable for a person in retirement?¡± ¡°That¡¯s how it is,¡± Elisemented. ¡°How else do you think Grandma managed to survive until now, even though she was poisoned?¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Alexander stopped struggling. Since I¡¯ve offended the demon queen, I guess I¡¯ll have to suffer punishment from her. Chapter 410 Your Master Is Here! Chapter 410 Your Master Is Here! At this moment, Elise nodded in satisfaction before opening the beer bottle and taking a chug. Then, she asked again, ¡°Didn¡¯t Cameron say you went to snatch your opponent¡¯s goods? Where are the goods? What is it?¡± The goods definitely weren¡¯t ordinary for three different parties to fight after it at the same time. ¡°Since I snatched someone else¡¯s treasure, of course, I¡¯ll have to hide it quickly,¡± Alexander smirked. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you along to see it tonight.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Elise took another chug before throwing the beer can on the table. She was still not used to the bitter taste of beer. Two hourster, Cameron and Thomas came back at the same time. ¡°Come on. Let me help you with your wound.¡± Thomas walked over to help Alexander get up. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Elise stopped him before she tilted her head to look at Cameron, who was behind Thomas. ¡°Did you get all the ingredients?¡± ¡°All of them but the hyacinth serum. I asked a few suppliers, but all of them didn¡¯t have it,¡± Cameron exined. ¡°That¡¯s just like not getting anything at all.¡± Elise massaged her temples. ¡°Whatever. I¡¯ll make a call to get my people to send the hyacinth serum over.¡± Then, she took her phone and went to the balcony to make a call. At the same time, Thomas had his hand on his chest while he exhaled. ¡°Thank God. I thought I was going to lose my job.¡± Then, he urged Alexander toward his room in a slightly excited manner. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go! I¡¯ve received a new type of medicine that can guarantee your wound to heal within a week once you¡¯ve used it. Let¡¯s apply it and show your fianc¨¦e the beauty of modern medical treatment!¡± When Elise returned, Thomas was already applying medicine on Alexander. Nevertheless, she wasn¡¯t anxious at all. Instead, she eyed the medicine that Cameron was holding before she instructed, ¡°Get a pot and boil all of these ingredients together with six bowls of water until there¡¯s only half a bowl of water left.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Cameron replied in a calm manner before entering the kitchen. Just like what Alexander imed earlier, Cameron had already forgotten about the fact that Elise yelled at him earlier. Elise was the one to feel somewhat embarrassed. Still, she never mentioned it again and made a mental note to make it up to Cameron in the future. Twenty minutester, Alexander came out of his room together with Thomas after his wound was bandaged. Right then, a person with a thin face and puckered lips entered the room. ¡°May I know who Miss Sinir is?¡± ¡°There is only one woman here,¡± Thomas replied. Upon hearing that, the man immediately walked toward Elise before giving her the wooden box that he was holding with both hands. ¡°Miss Sinir, this is the hyacinth serum that you requested.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Elise reached out to take the wooden box. ¡°You¡¯re wee. It¡¯s an honor to be able to serve you, Miss Sinir.¡± Then, the man gave her a name card. ¡°Miss Sinir, this is my name card. You may contact me directly if you need my service again, and I¡¯ll definitely help you out.¡± The man emphasized hisst few words before smiling at her and leaving the house. When Danny came back again, Elise was busy in the kitchen. ¡°Alex, is Elise making you a hearty lunch?¡± Right then, Alexander gave Danny a look as if he was a fool. Elise was right. This guy¡¯s IQ is worrying. How could hee out with the conclusion that Elise is cooking when the entire house is filled with the scent of herbal medication? N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. Nevertheless, Danny had an innocent look on his face. Why is Alex judging me when I didn¡¯t even do anything? While he was deep in thought, Elise came out of the kitchen with a bowl before cing the bowl in front of Alexander. ¡°Finish it up.¡± Lowering his head to look at the bowl filled with a ck liquid that had an odd smell, Alexander frowned instinctively. However, a look at Elise¡¯s expression told him he couldn¡¯t refuse, so he quietly took over the bowl of medicine and held his breath before gulping the medicine down. Right after he finished the medicine, Elise took the bowl back and gave Cameron, who was standing behind her, a look. ¡°Cameron.¡± Instantly, Cameron nodded and walked toward Alexander¡¯s back before grabbing onto his arms with both hands. At the same time, Alexander, unaware of the situation, chuckled bitterly. ¡°Am I really that weak to you?¡± Nheless, he lost consciousness after saying that as his legs went soft. Fortunately, Cameron was able to support Alexander¡¯s weight by grabbing his arms. ¡°What the f*ck? What is happening?¡± This was the sentence that Danny had repeated the most during these few days, as he waspletely stupefied. When will anyone tell me what is happening? How can my idol be so weak within a span of a day? Still, no one bothered to give him an exnation. After taking Alexander back to his room, Elise went into the room next to him andy down on the bed as well. A night quickly went by after the two of them got in bed. Chapter 411 Chapter 411 The next day, while Alexander was walking toward the room next door, he said, "Pack your things.I¡¯ll bring you to see the treasure I snatchedter." Upon hearing that, Elise quickly got out of the bed and took her bag before dashing downstairs. After Alexander had changed his outfit, they started heading toward the location where the ¡®treasure¡¯ was hidden. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. However, Elise¡¯s phone rang when she got into the car. Within a few seconds after cing the phone next to her ear, her face darkened. After the call ended, Elise instructed Cameron coldly, "Head to Athesea General Hospital now." Chapter 412 Chapter 412 "What''s wrong?" Alexander asked. "Trevor got beaten up," Elise answered with an emotionless expression on her face. Upon seeing her expression, Alexander knew it was a serious matter. Reaching out to grab her hand in his, he patted her shoulder gently to reassure her and ended up holding her hand throughout the entire journey. When they got to the hospital, Elise was told that Jeanie was also injured while protecting Trevor. After they rushed into the hospital, they quickly ran into Jeanie, who was supported by a nurse.Her head was bandaged, and she looked really weak. Trevor''s condition was worse.He was lying in bed and couldn¡¯t get up at all, immediately returning to his old self. In Trevor¡¯s ward, Austin was quiet while sitting next to his bed, and the atmosphere in the ward was extremely tense. "What happened?" Elise broke the silence, as she couldn''t handle the depressing atmosphere any longer. Although her words were directed to Jeanie, the usually straightforward Jeanie hesitated before muttering inaudible sentences. Elise turned toward Austin.However, it was a given that he wasn¡¯t willing to talk to her. "Tell me what happened," she turned to Trevor and said in an annoyed manner. I''m here to help them resolve their problems instead of causing more trouble for them, so why are they hesitating to talk? "I got scammed and ckmailed." As Trevor''s entire head was covered in bandages and only his eyes and mouth weren''t covered, he was having a hard time trying to exin what happened. "I took the money you gave me to make a deal with thepany¡¯s financial director, but I didn¡¯t expect him to spike my drink.When I woke up, there was a woman sleeping next to me, and the woman''s brother came in with a group of men before I could try to escape and beat me up." He paused for a moment before continuing, "They refused to settle things peacefully and were adamant about destroying my reputation, so they''re probably on the way to prepare an expos¨¦ at some media firms." "Did you do it?" Elise asked coldly. "Of course not." Trevor was sure before he asked in an angered manner, "Do I look like I have to force women to be with me?" "What''s the use of saying all these now?!" Jeanie, who had been quiet all along, snapped. "The man said that if Trevor doesn''t marry the woman, they''ll sue him for sexual assault! His future will be ruined if that happens!" "Mom, why are you so worried? As long as I know that I¡¯m innocent, he can sue me however he wants.I refuse to believe that the police will frame an innocent man!" Trevor eximed. "What do you know?! You''re still single now! If the news about these gets out, who would still want to marry you?!" Jeanie argued anxiously. "If no one wants to marry me, so be it! Since Yoyo is already back, you can put her and her kids in your will, then! I don¡¯t care about these, anyway!" I don¡¯t get it! Why are they this worried? "That''s enough!" Austin snapped, causing everyone to shut up before he said with a dark look on his face, "Stop it.I¡¯ve already invited the woman''s family out to have a talk with them.We will continue this discussion at home." Right after that, a loudmotion rang out outside of Trevor¡¯s ward. When Elise wanted to turn around to see what was happening, the door was pushed open from the outside, causing her to lose her footing and fall into Alexander''s arms. "Austin, I took a cab and came here right after knowing that you wanted to meet me!" The man who spoke was the womans father, Leeroy Field. His eyes were narrowed, making him look like a calctive man, and his loud voice was beyond annoying. Leeroy shook Austin¡¯s hand before he turned toward Trevor and pretended to be kind. "Oh, no! How could my son do this to you?! He should have been gentler since we will be a family soon!" "Who wants to be in a family with you?!" Jeanie snapped. "I''m guessing this is Mrs.Anderson." Instead of getting mad, Leeroy smiled. "It¡¯s fine.You have the right to be mad since my son really went overboard this time.Still, you have to put your emotions aside, as we still have to discuss our children¡¯s marriage!" "I won''t marry your daughter.Just give up!" Trevor used thest bit of his energy to reject Leeroy stubbornly. "You''re not the one making the call here." Leeroy chuckled before turning toward Austin. "Isn¡¯t that right, buddy?" Leeroy came prepared. When he entered the ward and saw Austin¡¯s expression, he knew they were holding the Anderson Family by their throats. Even if he were to make an outrageous demand, the Anderson Family would surely do it for them. At the same time, Austin¡¯s silence, despite the unwilling look on his face, was a form of acknowledgment. "Say something, Dad!" Trevor pulled on Austin¡¯s shirt in an agitated manner. "I''m definitely not going to marry a woman I don¡¯t even know!" "You''re definitely not going to marry her?! You shouldn''t have ended up in a bed together with her if that''s the case!" Austin was pissed off as he reprimanded loudly. Right then, almost everyone in the hospital hallway could hear him. Elise had met too many people like Austin, friendly on the outside but calctive on the inside. All he cares about is the family¡¯s reputation. Has he ever considered Trevor''s feelings? It really frustrated Elise that her father had such a character. As Trevor treated her really well, she couldn''t stand the fact that he was going to be ordered around like a puppet. "I don''t understand how someone like you can be a father," she remarked with a hint of sarcasm. "Shouldn''t you understand Trevor¡¯s character more so than others as his father? After getting manipted, framed, and beaten up by others, you want him to submit to humiliation instead of helping him out. Is this how someone from an influential family should behave? Why should Trevor keep his suffering to himself when he¡¯s from the Anderson Family? What¡¯s the point of helping out with the family business when it can¡¯t even help him?" At this moment, Trevor shot Elise a thankful look. Weil, this is as expected from my little sister! Right then, Austin was rendered speechless. He really didn¡¯t want to cause more trouble, but it seemed like things were getting out of control now. Austin frowned as he contemted on what to do next. Yet, Leeroy¡¯s eyebrows were knitted into a deep frown as he red at Elise with a judgemental look. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. "Is this Anderson Family''s long-lost daughter? I heard she grew up in a vige, didn¡¯t she? Is that why she¡¯s so rude? Remember that only God can judge us, so who are you to interrupt?" "Really? Only God can judge us?" Eliseughed. "What happened to judge not, that you be not judged? Do you need to go back to refresh your faith? Oh, wait, maybe you should go back to Sunday school?" "You little brat!" Leeroy was enraged and wanted to curse at Elise right then. However, Alexander quickly stood in front of Elise to block Leeroy off with a dark expression on his face. At this moment, he looked like he was about to lose control and tear Leeroy into pieces anytime soon. Gulping, Leeroy turned toward the door. "Harald, why are you still daydreaming outside?! Get in now!" "I''ming, Dad!" Harald Field squeezed into the ward through the narrow door.He was a buff guy with a muscr body and was about half a head taller than Alexander. "What''s wrong, Dad?" "Are you deaf? Didn''t you hear them saying they¡¯re not nning to marry your sister?! Why are you letting a rapist off? Catch him and take him to the police station! Let the police do the justice for us!" Leeroy dered before he pushed Austin away together with Harald, and the two of them yanked Trevor from the hospital bed. Chapter 413 Chapter 413 Chapter 413: Severe Consequences Jeanie and Austin tried to stop him, but Harald easily shoved them away. Jeanie was sent flying to the cab and fell to the ground with a thud. She didn¡¯t get up for a long time, while Austin entangled himself in a brawl with Leeroy, but he couldn¡¯t even get close to Trevor. ¡°There¡¯s a bunch of reporters out there right now. If I can¡¯t get away, then I¡¯m dragging you guys down with me!¡± ¡°So you came prepared.¡± Elise went up to him and pierced his soul with an icy re. ¡°Who told you to do this?¡± Based on how the father and son duo are dressed, the Field Family is just the average family. It¡¯s only been a few hours since the case happened. The most they cane up with is to force the Andersons into going through with the marriage. No average man would be able toe up with a n to call the reporters and expose this. Someone must have instructed him to do so. ¡°It¡¯s a man named Hintend. He¡¯s a reporter from Sunlight Daily. He found out about my daughter and Trevor¡¯s rtionship, and he came to us and said he¡¯s going to help us out. I didn¡¯t want to, but he said we won¡¯t even get a single cent if we didn¡¯t rely on the media. He said the Andersons are powerful enough to silence us. That¡¯s why I agreed to it,¡± Leeroy quickly exined the moment he met Elise¡¯s gaze. ¡°Is that all?¡± Elise asked, apparently still having her doubts. ¡°Yes.¡± Leeroy looked up at her and nodded. Elise nodded, allowing the two of them to leave. Leeroy and Harald took the hint and fled. Austin kept looking at them, frowning. In the end, he sighed and went outside, but when he brushed past Elise, he paused for a moment. ¡°Come with me.¡± ¡°You can say what you want right here.¡± Elise wouldn¡¯t allow him to lord her around. That only made him more upset. He hesitated for a moment before saying earnestly, ¡°That was not a great move. Do you have any idea what will happen?¡± Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°Are you trying to tell me what to do?¡± Elise looked at him coldly. ¡°No. I¡¯m just trying to teach you,¡± Austin said. ¡°You¡¯re still a single woman, so you shouldn¡¯t have gotten yourself into this.¡± ¡°You¡¯re telling me to stay out of the Andersons¡¯ business, aren¡¯t you?¡± Elise cut straight to the point. ¡°How can you say that? I just don¡¯t want you to get into trouble.¡± Austin was getting agitated. ¡°How do you know I don¡¯t want to get into trouble? If it¡¯s my own choice, I don¡¯t care even if I get myself into a catastrophe,¡± Elise snapped coolly. ¡°Or do you think you can have one more puppet to control if I stay out of this?¡± For some reason, Faye found out about the whole fiasco, and she came right over to the scene. When she heard what Elise just said, she quickly dashed inside and stood beside Austin. ¡°You can¡¯t talk to Dad like that!¡± she said angrily. ¡°He just got better! We¡¯re his daughters, so can¡¯t you just take a step back?¡± Chapter 414 Chapter 414 Chapter 414 A Distraction Elise took a deep breath and answered impatiently, ¡°Ah, that reminds me. I think I rescued him, didn¡¯t I? I don¡¯t seem to recall you doing anything helpful. You have no right to tell me what to do, Faye.¡± Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°Now that¡¯s just unfair, Elise. I was the one keeping the family together before you came back.¡± Faye justified her actions. ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve been the one taking care of dad over thest few days. You can¡¯t say I did nothing just because you woke him up.¡± ¡°Shut up, both of you!¡± Austin cut them off angrily. ¡°I would have stayed in thata if I had known the ruckus I was going to wake up to!¡± Then, he stormed off. Faye looked Elise in the eye for a moment before going after Austin. Jeanie stared at the door and clicked her tongue. ¡°That vixen! Your father has fallen for her tricks!¡± ¡°Forget it, mom.¡± Trevor calmed his mother down and tried his best to look up at Elise. ¡°Elise, dad¡¯s got a point. I can¡¯t drag you into this mess. You should just stay out of it.¡± ¡°Are you trying to tell me what to do like that man as well?¡± Elise snapped. ¡°Don¡¯t call him ¡®that man.¡¯ He¡¯s your father after all.¡± Trevor sighed. He liked Elise for being so straightforward, but sometimes, she was too much of a maverick, as if she didn¡¯t need anyone around. She looked like she didn¡¯t care what anyone thought of her, but he knew she was a softie at heart, though that was only reserved for people who were close to her. Everyone else would remember her as the haughty woman. Maybe that¡¯s how she protects herself. After all, she¡¯s been by herself ever since she was a kid. The mere thought that she was homeless when she was a child broke Trevor¡¯s heart, and he didn¡¯t want her to take on the risk for him. ¡°Worry about yourself,¡± she teased. ¡°You got messed up by a mere thug. Don¡¯t tell anyone you¡¯re my brother.¡± She had never lost any fights, aside from that particr one. It had been a catastrophic loss, and she had paid a hefty price for it. Ever since then, she was reluctant to show her true strength to anyone. ¡°You can¡¯t me me for this. I was bedridden for years, and this is all I¡¯ve got. There¡¯s like a dozen of them against me. I can¡¯t take them all alone.¡± Trevor would not admit for a fact that he was weak. He used to be a muscr man before he was bedridden. Taking on ten men was still impossible, but he could defeat five on his own. Ah, I miss those days. I was so energetic and youthful. Sometimes I can even save a damsel in distress and make them fall for me. Now? Now I look like a malnourished kid. I wonder how long it will take for me to get back to those days. Elise thought it was amusing that Trevor was so stubborn. She shook her head and told Jeanie, ¡°Get him discharged and take him home. I¡¯ll treat him myself.¡± Jeanie would follow Elise to the ends of the world, so she got Trevor discharged immediately. ¡­ Elise was in her room, looking through the file of Leeroy Field and his family. She thought there must be a mastermind behind them, but after some investigation, she found nothing suspicious. Leeroy was a drunkard, a gambler, and a john. He didn¡¯t have a stable job, and his wife died when the kids were still young. Harald took after his father and became a delinquent, but his sister did not. She studied hard and worked part time to pay for her studies. Thanks to schrships and subsidies, she went through college and was nearing graduation. She¡¯s a hard worker. Did Trevor actually hurt her? Elise shook her head and brushed the guess aside. Trevor¡¯s not that kind of person. ¡°What are you reading?¡± Alexander came in. ¡°It¡¯s about the Fields,¡± Elise answered calmly. ¡°You¡¯re focused. Did you find something?¡± Alexander stood behind the chair and leaned over to take a look. He was almost sticking himself to Elise. ¡°Nothing special.¡± He came to that conclusion in a moment. ¡°Yes.¡± Elise heaved a sigh. ¡°And that¡¯s why this is a hassle.¡± If this is really a conspiracy, then there should be a way around it. All I will have to do is solve the problems as theye. But now, the case is slowly leaning toward the victim. Nothing can clear Trevor¡¯s name, unless he has the footage of what happened in that cest night. ¡°Looks like he¡¯ll have to marry her,¡± Elise teased. Alexander suddenly fell into a pensive silence and said nothing for a long time. Thinking it was weird, Elise quickly turned around and inadvertently kissed his cheek ever so slightly. Alexander felt something tickling his cheek, so he looked at her, and their gazes met. Elise was drawn in by his mysterious eyes, and she gulped. However, Alexander went into serious mode. ¡°I think Trevor got himself into this mess because someone wanted him to. He¡¯s just a distraction.¡± Chapter 415 Chapter 415 Chapter 415 To Wear or Not to Wear Elise realized it was not the time to get embarrassed, so she rposed herself and got serious as well. ¡°A distraction?¡± she repeated it, then she understood what Alexander was getting at. ¡°Faye! She did this!¡± The first thing Trevor said after he stood up was to marry Faye off. Jeanie had also told Elise that Austin wanted to marry Faye off to Johan first. Only then would he settle the marriage between Elise and Alexander. Alexander smiled and scraped her nose. ¡°Smart,¡± he said lovingly. Now the pieces have fallen into ce. Faye wants to keep staying with the family, so she came up with this diversion. However, Elise had looked into it and found out that the Fields never came in contact with anyone. So how did Faye talk them into this? Or did she choose the girl at random for Trevor? Elise couldn¡¯t be sure, but now that she knew how the case happened, it¡¯d be easy to look into it. They stayed together for a while longer, then Elise went to Trevor¡¯s room. The medicinal bath was already prepared as per Elise¡¯s instruction. She looked inside and told the caretaker directly, ¡°Take his clothes off.¡± It was not the first time Elise made strange requests, so within two minutes, the caretaker had already stripped Trevor of all fabric. ¡°Put him in the bath, and you may leave,¡± Elise said again. ¡°Yes,¡± the caretakers answered politely and quickly did as Elise said before leaving the room. Elise looked away and turned to speak to Jeanie and Alexander. ¡°You two should go out too. I¡¯m going to use some needles here, and it¡¯s a bit of a private matter. It¡¯s best that you don¡¯t stay around.¡± ¡°Of course, Elise. Don¡¯t push yourself. If you can¡¯tplete it in one session, you can resume the next day. Your brother¡¯s tough. He can endure the pain for a couple more days.¡± Jeanie held Elise¡¯s hand and patted it. ¡°What am I, chopped liver?¡± Trevorined. ¡°Maybe.¡± Jeanie teased him with feigned seriousness. ¡°Elise has never lost any fight, but you? You spend her money, get into trouble, and she has to step in to save you. I¡¯d rather raise a pig at this rate. At least it¡¯s worth something.¡± ¡°Mom, quiet down,¡± Trevor said. Alexander is watching. I don¡¯t want to embarrass myself in front of my future brother-inw. ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Jeanie answered, but she didn¡¯t care too much about it. ¡°Tell her to stop if she looks even the least bit exhausted, got it?¡± Oh, mother. My heart bleeds for theck of love from you. Do you see it? Jeanie gave Elise an encouraging look before leaving the room. However, Alexander remained rooted to his spot like a tree. ¡°Aren¡¯t you leaving?¡± Elise arched her eyebrow. ¡°No,¡± Alexander answered calmly. ¡°We¡¯re guys. We don¡¯t really mind, and I can help you.¡± ¡°But I need no assistant,¡± Elise answered innocently. A frown appeared on Alexander¡¯s face, and he said, ¡°Then I shall be witnessing your skills.¡± Elise shrugged. ¡°Suit yourself,¡± she mumbled. Then, she went into the chamber and stood beside the bath. At the same time, she took the needles out of the pouch beside her and spread them on Trevor¡¯s acupoints. Once half of the needles were used, she said, ¡°Stand up.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Trevor was bbergasted. He was stark naked, and when Elise came so close to him just now, he covered his wiener even though the medicinal bath was ck in color. Is she going to do something to Trevor Jr.? ¡°E-Elise.¡± Trevor coughed and shifted the topic stiffly. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re an expert in this, right? And I¡¯m really fine down there, so there¡¯s no need for the needles, alright?¡± Elise looked at him curiously. ¡°If you were really fine, you wouldn¡¯t have been beaten to a pulp by a bunch of regr guys.¡± You just had to bring that up. ¡°Okay¡± Trevor was still fidgeting, but he would not stand up. Finally, Elise lost her patience. ¡°I¡¯m a professional. Patients are patients, so I don¡¯t care about their gender. Or do you think your wiener is too small for me to find?¡± ¡°Am not!¡± Trevor retorted loudly. ¡°On the contrary, it¡¯s so big you might be scared!¡± He paused for a moment and looked at her mncholically. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen a woman like you.¡± He gave up arguing and put his hands away before slowly standing up while holding the edge of the bath for support. Elise was sitting beside the bath calmly. Just before she could see Trevor stark naked, someone covered her eyes. Alexander took a pair of pants hanging somewhere beside him and tossed it into the bath. ¡°Wear this,¡± he said coldly.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Trevor picked it up. He looked at Alexander before turning to Elise, at a loss of what to do. ¡°So should I wear this, Elise?¡± Elise was amused. Oh, so that¡¯s why he stayed behind. ¡°Wear it.¡± She smiled. ¡°We¡¯ll skip that part and switch you to meds for Trevor Jr., but Alexander¡¯s going to have to pay for those meds.¡± Well, he stepped in right before I could do anything. If he doesn¡¯t want me to look at it, then he has to pay the price. Trevor looked at Alexander with an unspoken plea in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll pay,¡± Alexander said calmly. ¡°I¡¯ll get Trevor everything he needs.¡± ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± Trevor happily picked the pants up and wore them. Alexander removed his hands from her eyes and put them behind him, acting like nothing had happened. Elise shook her head with a smile and went back to the acupuncture treatment for Trevor. Once thest needle pierced its target, she told him to go back into the bath. The moment he soaked himself in the bath, Trevor felt electrified. He gritted his teeth, and every cell in his body was shaking. ¡°You¡¯ll have to endure the pain if you want to hasten the absorption and change your body,¡± Elise said. ¡°No prob.¡± Trevor gritted his teeth and tried to be as calm as he could. ¡°I can take this easy.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Elise arched her eyebrow. ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving for a couple of hours then.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Trevor¡¯s voice broke. He turned around, but Elise was already leaving with Alexander hand-in- hand without a care in the world. ¡°Elise? Alexander? You can¡¯t leave me alone here!¡± Trevor pleaded, but silence was his answer. A few momentster, the door creaked shut. Outside the room, Elise stood before Alexander, staring at his face. ¡°Well, I never thought you¡¯d be such a schemer, Mr. Griffith. You¡¯re jealous of Trevor, aren¡¯t you?¡± Alexander squinted. Once she was done talking, he wrapped his hand around her shoulder and pulled her into his embrace. Elise was about to protest, but then he said calmly, ¡°Yes. I¡¯m jealous of anyone who gets close to you. I want you all to myself.¡± Chapter 416 Chapter 416 Chapter 416 An Idiot Elise felt a warm and fuzzy feeling in her heart. It melted her, and she couldn¡¯t resist his hug. She couldn¡¯t say anything embarrassing either, so she let him hug her as she felt the thump of his heartbeat. A whileter, they went back to the front. Ever since they switched houses, they got new servants, and Maria was the one preparing the meals for them. Once they came back out, Elise told Maria, ¡°Prepare five more portions for dinner tonight.¡± ¡°You have guestsing over?¡± Alexander asked. ¡°You can say so,¡± Elise answered vaguely. ¡°Just do as I say, Maria.¡± ¡°Yes, Miss Sinir,¡± Maria answered and went to the kitchen. Two hourster, Trevor came back out looking refreshed. ¡°I can beat up ten guys now, no sweat!¡± He showed his muscles and looked like he was raring to go. Physically, his body did not change in the slightest, so all he had to show was a frail arm. His bones underwent a huge change, but nobody could see that. Jeanie got up and smacked his head. ¡°What did you say, you brat? You want to get your butt kicked again? Do you have any idea how much your sister had to do to heal you? You¡¯re going to exhaust her, you idiot!¡± ¡°Ow, ow, ow, Mom. Stop hitting me.¡± Trevor dodged his mother deftly, but he couldn¡¯t stop her from chasing him around. ¡°Fine, fine, I¡¯m sorry.¡± He gave up. ¡°I won¡¯t go into battles I¡¯m not prepared for. I won¡¯t trouble Elise anymore, alright?¡± ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± Jeanie stopped after he promised her that. Trevor kept quiet after that ordeal, but he still had that repressed energy within him, and he wanted to vent. He had that chance when dinner came, but instead of using it to beat someone up, he spent all that energy on eating. Elise told Maria to make five more portions for dinner, but Maria made even more than that. However, half of it was already devoured by Trevor before all the dishes were served. Aside from Elise, everyone stopped to look at Trevor, who was gorging on all the food. It was as if a ck hole had formed in his stomach, and no matter how much he ate, he was not satisfied. When he picked up his second chicken drumstick, Jeanie gulped in fear. She put her cutlery down and stopped him. ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t yell at you anymore, but please stop this. Do you want your belly to explode from all the food?¡± Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°Sorry?¡± Trevor looked at her innocently. ¡°I¡¯m not even full yet. You can¡¯t be serious, Mom. I promised I won¡¯t trouble Elise anymore, but now you are stopping me from eating my fill?¡± ¡°That is not what I meant! Do you realize that you¡¯ve eaten all the food here? I know you¡¯re hungry, but if you keep this up, you¡¯ll end up sick again!¡± Jeanie lectured him. Trevor stopped dumbly and looked at the table. When he realized that everyone only had some potatoes in their bowl and nothing else, he immediately felt embarrassed. ¡°Sorry.¡± He smiled sheepishly. ¡°I¡¯m starving today.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, my boy.¡± Robin smiled. ¡°Great food should be enjoyed. Eat as much as you want, Trevor.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I will.¡± He put the chicken drumstick down, since he was worried it might do him no good if he ate too much. ¡°Just eat it,¡± Elise said quietly. ¡°Your meridians and bones are undergoing a big change now. Out with the old, in with the new. All that energy for the change has toe from somewhere. As long as you still feel like you can eat, your body can take it.¡± She paused for a moment and gave him another chicken drumstick. ¡°You are what you eat. You want muscles? Eat more meat. You¡¯ll be kicking Harald¡¯s behind in no time.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Trevor looked excited, but then he realized something, and he gnashed his teeth. ¡°Harald¡¯s nothing to yourckeys. There¡¯s no achievement in beating him.¡± ¡°Oh, that was fast.¡± Elise took some food from the table. ¡°If you have realized that, then you have to get stronger as soon as possible. I can¡¯t keep you safe forever.¡± Trevor nodded solemnly. Only the strong are worthy to befriend the strong. If I want to be the defender instead of the weakling, I have to get stronger. As long as he could have the chance to protect Elise, he had no reason to stop. Trevor took the chicken drumstick from her and gave her a meaningful look before he gorged on the food once more. Everyone thought it was amusing to see him eat. They weren¡¯t hungry anyway, so they put their cutlery down and watched him eat. In the end, he finished all the food on the table. Jeanie asked him if he had his fill, and he burped. ¡°About eighty percent full.¡± He raised eight fingers. ¡°Can¡¯t eat too much, so this is enough.¡± ¡°You really are a pig,¡± Jeanie mocked him again. Trevor didn¡¯t argue this time. He rubbed his belly, thinking, So what if I¡¯m a pig? I don¡¯t care if that¡¯s what it takes to get stronger and to have the strength to defend myself. Trevor wanted to vent even more after dinner, and he set his sights on Alexander. ¡°Wanna spar?¡± He smiled. Alexander looked to Elise for her opinion, and she said bluntly, ¡°You¡¯re no match for him. Don¡¯t waste your time.¡± Trevor smacked his lips and gave up. Sitting around was getting frustrating, so he took Jeanie and went on a walk. Night came, and when the clock struck midnight, Elise heard something rustling in the yard next door. This time, she went over, but she saw something she did not expect. Alexander was still in his yard, while a group of people was sending something to him discreetly. Once they were gone, she leaped down from the wall. Alexander looked at her helplessly. ¡°Can¡¯t you use the front door?¡± What am I going to do about this girl? What if she hurts herself parkouring so much? ¡°Eh, it¡¯s a hassle,¡± she retorted and went into the house. She walked around the hall, but there was nothing to be found. ¡°Where¡¯s the treasure?¡± She stared at Alexander. Alexander smiled. ¡°And how do you know they were here to give me a treasure?¡± ¡°I just know! Now tell me where it is!¡± Elise stomped her foot. She wanted to say it was because she knew him too well, but it sounded too mushy for her, so she didn¡¯t. Alexander would do everything to give something to her if she showed an interest in it. And there¡¯s no way it¡¯s something ordinary if he asked his men to send it over at this hour. Alexander couldn¡¯t refuse her, so he shook his head and pointed his chin at the room in the furthest corner of the house. Whipped by her curiosity, Elise trotted over to take a look at the treasure. However, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to smile when she saw what it was. The thing Alexander had received was an ice coffin, and there was someone lying in there¡ªsomeone familiar to Elise. He was none other than Joseph, the administrator of SK Group who was reced. Chapter 417 Chapter 417 Chapter 417 Her Life, Worthless Elise thought Joseph was under someone¡¯s control, but she never thought he¡¯d be in such a dire situation. She looked at him, but she felt no signs of life. ¡°Is he dead?¡± she asked solemnly. She hid her feelings well, but Alexander could still tell that she and Joseph shared a deep bond. It was the first time Elise showed so much care to another man in front of him. For some reason, it felt like someone was squeezing his heart, and he felt frustrated. ¡°There¡¯s no reason for anyone to take his body away,¡± he said calmly. ¡°The coffin has a temperature control mechanism built in, and he has ample oxygen supply. He¡¯s just in a fake death state.¡± Elise nodded and went up to open the coffin. When she performed a quick check, she realized Joseph¡¯s condition was far worse than she imagined. The tendons in his limbs were broken, and he was in aa because of some substance in his body. He seemed fine, but she knew he was a hair¡¯s breadth away from death. She didn¡¯t know what kind of substance was in his body, but she knew he had to have a surgery performed on him as soon as possible. Then, she called ude right in front of Alexander. ¡°You have toe back right now,¡± she said solemnly. ¡°Joseph¡¯s in trouble, and he needs a surgeon. You¡¯re the man for the job.¡± ¡°Wait, what? Joseph? But that¡¯s impossible. He was still talking to me before you called,¡± ude bbered quickly. A frown appeared on her head. ¡°You have to move right now. You¡¯re exposed.¡± ¡°Slow down. What are you talking about? First you say Joseph¡¯s in trouble, and now you say he leaked my location? Can you give me a second to process things?¡± ¡°No. Just run. I¡¯ll send you a safe route in a second. Use that toe back right now.¡± Elise hung up and immersed herself in her own thoughts. Joseph is SK¡¯s top brass and the most trusted, reputable man in the group. He also has the highest security clearance. It¡¯s hard to believe that he¡¯s in trouble, and he sold out his group¡¯s members. However, things had already gone out of control, so all Elise could do was try to save him and cut their losses. Believe it or not, it¡¯s up to them. ¡°Do you have aptop somewhere?¡± She looked at Alexander. ¡°It¡¯s in my room,¡± he replied calmly. ¡°I need to use it.¡± She went toward his room. As expected, a few groups of people had locked in on ude¡¯s location. The nearest enemy was only a hundred yards away from him. He¡¯s going to get caught at this rate. She cked away at the keyboard and attacked the enemy¡¯s tracking software. Once she destroyed it, she quickly hid ude¡¯s signal. A momentter, ude¡¯s signal was already some distance away from the enemies¡¯. Five minutester, he called Elise. ¡°Oh my god, Father. You were right. I almost got caught. Who¡¯s the enemy? How did they hack us, dammit?¡± ude cursed. Holy motherf*cking sh*t. I almost lost some good meds. ¡°I don¡¯t know just yet,¡± she said calmly. ¡°The longer you are outside, the more dangerous it bes for you. I¡¯ll get a chopper to pick you up. Then you¡¯ll go to the airport ande back on a jet.¡± ¡°Sure. You do your stuff. As long as I get to keep my meds, I¡¯ll do anything you ask,¡± ude said happily. Elise hung up. Alexander waited for a moment longer and only came in after she put her phone down. However, it was as if Elise didn¡¯t even notice him. She kept her eyes on the screen and didn¡¯t even look at him, as if he was nothing but air. Alexander frowned. He regretted taking that coffin back, since it only made Elise ignore him. When Elise stopped working, he finally asked her, ¡°Is that your friend?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Elise answered calmly. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°Are you good friends?¡± he asked again. ¡°Yes,¡± she answered without even hesitating. ¡°He saved my life before.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Alexander arched his eyebrow, and a thought raced in his mind. Since he saved her life, does that mean she has to marry him as payment? ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about my past.¡± Elise didn¡¯t n on borating, but she said, ¡°I¡¯m going to keep him safe, but it¡¯s going tond me in a whole world of danger and offend a lot of parties. I don¡¯t want to trouble you, so you have two options. You move somewhere else, or I take him away with me.¡± Alexander took a deep breath. He was starting to have mixed feelings about the matter. Did he really only save her life before? ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything else to say?¡± Alexander looked at her, then he squinted with slight excitement. ¡°No. That will be all for now.¡± Elise didn¡¯t even look up. Alexander¡¯s eyes dimmed, and he said coldly, ¡°Never thought you were such a coward.¡± Frustrated, he went out of the room and mmed the door shut, causing a loud bang. Elise looked at the door that was mmed shut, but she was confused. What happened? However, her train of thoughts was broken by a message from ¡®Joseph.¡¯ ¡®You¡¯d better hide. My men will be there soon.¡¯ Elise squinted. He¡¯s more daring than I thought. Already exposing his identity and issuing me a challenge so openly even before he got his hostage? Well, now that he¡¯s already here, there¡¯s no reason for me to back down. She replied quickly, ¡®Wee.¡¯ I will make sure those who attack my friends pay for their crimes. She tried to send a message in SK Group¡¯s global channel, but as expected, she and ude were banned from texting. Everyone there was bashing them for betraying the group, though it was apparent that this was the result of the usurper¡¯s brainwashing. One of the messages read, ¡®I offer a two hundred million bounty for anyone who can kill Eliza.¡¯ When Elise saw that, she chuckled and turned theptop off. Eliza was the name she used in SK Group. So I¡¯m only worth two hundred million to them? Chapter 418 Chapter 418 Chapter 418 Mike Oxlong Looks like SK has been growing well over the past few years. A random member alone can offer a two- hundred-million bounty. No wonder someone wants this group all for their own. She put theptop aside and realized that Alexander seemed to havee in earlier. She went out and looked around the yard, but he was nowhere to be found. Only Cameron was around. ¡°Where¡¯s Alexander?¡± she asked. ¡°He just went out,¡± Cameron answered politely. ¡°Do you need me to call him?¡± ¡°No. Let him do his job,¡± Elise refused and went back to perform an acupuncture treatment on Joseph. A few hourster, she had almost used all her needles, and she leaned against the wall to rest. She had tried her best, but Joseph showed no signs of waking up, so she had to give up for now. She closed the coffin, plugged the oxygen in, adjusted the temperature, and went to sleep in the room next door. Bogged down by exhaustion, she drifted to sleep the moment she went to bed, forgetting that it was Alexander¡¯s room. While sleeping, she felt someone closing in. Elise got her guard up by reflex, but when she felt the person tiptoeing around so as to not wake her, she rxed and went back to sleep. Elise was woken up by her phone the next morning. When she realized it was ude¡¯s ringtone, she opened her eyes and sprang up, going into focus mode immediately. ¡°Hello? What is it?¡± ¡°I left the airport, but someone¡¯s following me,¡± ude said calmly, as if it was nothing. ¡°Don¡¯t hang up.¡± Elise turned theptop on and cked away at the keyboard, then she said, ¡°Tell the driver to head toward the biggest mall in town. Once you¡¯re there, go to the staff¡¯s locker room on the top floor. There are new clothes, phone, and my location inside. There¡¯s no surveince camera in the stairs at the back. And hurry.¡± ¡°No problemo.¡± ude hung up so nobody could track the signal. He wasn¡¯t worried about the ones following him, since Eliza could settle it. However, he underestimated the people in the nation. He had someone hot on his tail, and he ran into a sudden check at thest toll booth. Obviously, it was set up specifically for him. His pursuers were right behind him, while the police were ahead of him. It was obvious which side would make him suffer more, so he pushed his cap down and pretended to sleep in the backseat. A short whileter, it was their turn to be checked. The young officer knocked on the window, and ude pretended to wake up. He stretched his arms and asked groggily, ¡°What is it, officer?¡± ¡°We¡¯re performing a check. I need to see your ID,¡± the officer said. ¡°Sure,¡± ude answered readily. He went through his bag for a while, then he looked at the officer apologetically. ¡°Sorry, officer, but I seem to have left my ID at home.¡± ¡°You left it at home?¡± The officer looked at him suspiciously. ¡°You should remember the number, right?¡± ¡°What seems to be the problem?¡± The other stops were already starting to verify the citizens¡¯ details, so the holdup here was getting the officer in charge¡¯s attention. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. The officer in charge pushed the young officer aside and stuck his head into the car. He looked at ude closely and pretended to ask nonchntly, ¡°Where do youe from?¡± Chapter 419: Extreme Measures Chapter 419: Extreme Measures ¡°I¡¯m on my way to visit my grandma, so I thought I didn¡¯t need to bring my ID along. Besides, I was in a hurry, so I left it at home,¡± ude answered as ¡®honestly¡¯ as he could. He was an innocent-looking guy to begin with, and nobody would suspect him of anything. Jackson stared at him for a moment, then he took the verification device from the young officer and said indifferently, ¡°Give me your ID number.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°830¡­,¡± ude told him a string of numbers, smiling all the while. A whileter, the officer in charge frowned and looked at ude, holding the device with one hand. ¡°Your name is Mike Oxlong?¡± he asked seriously. Yeah, I know, right? ¡°Nice name, huh?¡± ude smiled drily. ¡°Yes. Remember to bring your ID anywhere you go next time.¡± ude nodded, and his eyes glinted. ¡°I will, officer.¡± He smiled. ¡°Let them go!¡± After he got past that stop, ude returned to his old, cunning self once more. ¡°I¡¯ll double your pay, driver. Hit the wheels!¡± ¡°You got it!¡± Energized by the temptation of more money, the driver floored the elerator and sped past all the cars that passed the checks the same time as them. The officer in charge was checking the other cars, then he looked back for some reason. When he saw the green taxi driving off into the distance, he thought about the name he saw quietly. Mike Oxlong¡­ Mike Oxlong¡­ Hey, wait a minute! That sounds like ¡®my c*ck¡¯s long!¡¯ Only an idiot woulde up with that name! That¡¯s a fake ID! ¡°Dammit! He ran off right under my nose.¡± The officer in charge smacked his head in frustration and turned his walkie talkie on at once. ¡°All officers, hunt down a cab with the te number 4739!¡± Half an hour had passed when his order reached the front line officers. The driver had already arrived at the mall in twenty minutes, seeing as he could get double the fare. ¡°Here you go.¡± ude handed him a wad of cash and joked, ¡°You should be an F1 driver with that kind of skill.¡± The driver happily took the money and arched his eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re not the only one who told me that. Before I worked as a taxi driver, I was a super racer.¡± ¡°Of course you are.¡± ude smiled in amusement and got out of the car, then he headed into the crowded mall. ude was long gone when the officer in charge got a cab and came to the mall. Looking at the locked mall, the officer flew into a rage, then took his phone out and called someone. ¡°Where are you, Alexander?¡± Alexander told him the location and hung up. It turned out that the officer in charge was none other than Alexander¡¯s good friend¡ªJackson. Jackson hopped into his car and went to the rendezvous point as fast as he could. He couldn¡¯t have escaped me so easily. Someone powerful must have helped him. If I want to arrest him, I have to go for something extreme. Chapter 420 Chapter 420 Chapter 420 Fatal Mistake N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. Elise picked ude up and went back home. She put him in a disguise and they hurried out. ¡°We¡¯ll have to go to Joseph, stat.¡± ude turned on his serious mode when Joseph was brought up, and he followed her out. They made a beeline for Joseph, but when they came into the hall, they saw Alexander and Jackson talking in there. When ude saw Jackson, he gasped. Sh*t. Just my luck. ude¡¯s flight response was triggered, but Elise caught him before he could run. It was then he remembered his appearance had changed. With Elise¡¯s amazing skills, not even his father could recognize him if he was here. Jackson didn¡¯t seem to be trying to arrest him either, so he heaved a sigh of relief and eased up. ¡°And they are?¡± Jackson looked at them. ¡°Elise Sinir and her friend,¡± Alexander said calmly. It had been a while since she heard Alexander calling her by her name. She paused for a moment and looked at him. What¡¯s up with him? Usually, he would tell people that I¡¯m his fianc¨¦e, but he seems to be distancing himself from me today. Ever since ude saw Alexander, he kept staring at Alexander¡¯s face. It was too impable, and he thought it was a threat for Elise¡¯ chastity. He took out a bottle of pills and handed it to Alexander. The bottle looked in. It was obvious that the pills were shady, and nobody in their right minds would take it. ¡°What is this?¡± Alexander asked cautiously. ¡°Contraceptives,¡± ude answered. ¡°We¡¯re all men here, so I know what you¡¯re thinking. To be honest, she¡¯s still too young to have kids, and we can¡¯t have her taking any contraceptives. Her body needs to be kept in top shape. Since you¡¯re the man here, you take the responsibility.¡± An awkward silence fell upon them. Even Jackson¡ªwho was usually serious¡ªhad to clear his throat to keep himself fromughing. Alexander¡¯s face darkened. He put his hands in his pockets and refused to take the bottle of pills. I don¡¯t need a stranger to tell me about my family nning. Or is this what Elise wants? Is she just getting someone else to tell me that? So, she doesn¡¯t want to marry me or bear my children? At that point, Elise couldn¡¯t keep her silence any longer. She leaped up and knocked ude on his head. ¡°Are you stupid? What kind of idiot would give their host a bottle of contraceptives as a meeting gift?¡± ¡°Ow!¡± ude covered the bruise on his head and started getting tearful. I was just being considerate. ¡°What do you know? I¡¯m doing this for you! You¡¯re SK¡¯s¡ª¡± He realized he almost had a slip of tongue, so he stopped talking and looked at Jackson cautiously. ¡°She¡¯s SK¡¯s what?¡± Jackson was smart enough to see through the problem. ¡°SK¡­ SK¡­¡± ude stammered and paced around the hall. When he saw the hand moisturizer on the table, he got an idea. ¡°She¡¯s SK-II¡¯s ambassador! She has to keep her skin and body in top shape! She¡¯ll lose her value if she gets pregnant.¡± Then he turned around and looked at them seriously. ¡°Have you guys even heard of that brand before? It¡¯s a high-end skincare product. I know you guys haven¡¯t.¡± ¡°Is that brand real?¡± Jackson looked at Alexander dubiously. Alexander nodded, but he was impatient. ¡°Yes.¡± He would always take a look at the list of gifts for his clients, and SK-II was on the list of high-end skincare products. Jackson loosened up a little after getting the confirmation, but he still thought ude¡¯s eyes looked familiar. Now where have I seen those eyes before? ¡°I see. And who might this gentleman be?¡± Jackson asked. ude hesitated. Mike Oxlong¡¯s out now, and this guy¡¯s in the system. If I make up another name that doesn¡¯t exist, he¡¯ll know who I am this time. ¡°Max E. Mumm.¡± Elise answered for him. Chapter 421 Chapter 421 Chapter 421 Alexander was visibly upset after seeing Eliseing to her friend¡¯s defense, but he knew Elise was only friends with this Max character. His real enemy was the one in the coffin, the one who was a hair¡¯s breadth away from death. After Elise got control of the situation, she looked at Alexander and told ude, ¡°He¡¯s in the room. We have to be quick.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ude nodded and went into the room where the coffin was kept. Elise followed him. Alexander hated seeing Elise looking so worried for another man, but he still went inside after thinking about it for a second. Jackson had always been interested in Alexander¡¯s shenanigans. It was the first time Alexander was being so open, so he went inside as well. ude performed a simple checkup on Joseph, then his brows knitted into a frown. ¡°How is it?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Not good,¡± he answered. ¡°The resources here are limited. I have to perform a detailed checkup on him and arrange a surgery at once.¡± ¡°Can he wake up after that?¡± she asked again. ¡°No guarantees.¡± ude wasn¡¯t too sure about it himself either. ¡°But I will try my best. If you want him to wake up immediately, I do have a way to do it, though it won¡¯tst long.¡± ¡°Do it,¡± she said solemnly. Since it wasn¡¯t certain that Joseph would wake after the surgery, she would try and extract some useful information from Joseph before that. ude looked at her, then at the people in the room. He didn¡¯t do it immediately, since Jackson would grow very suspicious if ude used his meds. But if she has already made that decision, she must have an exit strategy already nned. I don¡¯t have anything to worry about, for she is here. ude took his bag out and rummaged through it until he found a small tube in the hiddenpartment. He uncorked it and opened Joseph¡¯s mouth before pouring the tube¡¯s content into him. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. The room was silent for around a minute. Eventually, Joseph started stirring, and he slowly opened his eyes. For a moment, he looked energetic, as if he had never been sick before. ¡°Joseph.¡± Elise went over so Joseph could see her clearly. ¡°We saved you. You can trust us. Tell me, who did this to you? And who usurped your ce?¡± She thought she could get some useful answers, but the results we?e disappointing. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Joseph said calmly. ¡°Thest thing I remember is the case of the disappearance of Timothy-a physicist-and his wife, Sasha. They have been missing for twelve years.¡± After he said that, the light in his eyes went out. He blinked a few times and closed his eyes, as if he was a robot that ran out of juice. ¡°Joseph!¡± Elise held his hand, which felt cold, in hopes to wake him up, but he had lost consciousness. She looked up at ude solemnly. ¡°What happened?¡± she asked, her voice tinged with frustration. Alexander noticed that, of course, and his eyes glinted coldly. ¡°Things,¡± ude answered apologetically. ¡°It¡¯s the med¡¯s effect. It causes a rally, and it works like steroids for athletes. It can stimte the human brain for a short while, but I can¡¯t control the length of time. It¡¯s a miracle he couldst until he finished telling you a clue, not to mention how clear and sinct he was.¡± Despite how ¡®useless¡¯ the medicine seemed, Jackson went on full alert. Not more than five doctors have that kind of skill in this world. ¡°Mr. Mumm, may I know who¡¯s your mentor?¡± he probed. ¡°Self taught,¡± ude replied. ¡°Just some tricks I picked up along the way. I can teach you if you want, Mr. Gleeman.¡± Chapter 422 Chapter 422 Chapter 422 ¡°No need for that,¡± Jackson answered coldly. ¡°But since you¡¯re such an expert, you must have heard of ude Strike, have you not?¡± ¡°No, I haven¡¯t,¡± ude answered promptly. ¡°Do you think I¡¯d believe that?¡± Jackson gnashed his teeth. This guy knows more than he lets on ¡°You¡¯re an odd man, Mr. Gleeman. There are a few billion people on this earth, and a lot of them are in the field of medicine. I can¡¯t possibly know each and every one of them,¡± ude denied and started joking around without a care. ¡°Is this ude character your lover, Mr. Gleeman?¡± That finally irritated Jackson. His face fell, and he gritted his teeth. ¡°ude is a man.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ude sighed regrettably, and he shot Jackson a weird look. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to have a thing for men.¡± ¡°I do not!¡± Jackson growled. ¡°You do not have to exin yourself. I respect all sexualities. After all, love wins.¡± ude gave him an understanding look, as if no matter what Jackson said, ude would not change his mind anymore. Jackson finally had enough, and he stormed off. Elise didn¡¯t even hear their conversation. She was staring at Joseph, spacing out. A momentter, she asked calmly, ¡°Does Tissote have everything you need for the surgery?¡± ¡°No,¡± ude said calmly. ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to send it over from Mesdra. They¡¯ll be here in two days, if nothing goes wrong.¡±. ¡°Then perform the surgery in two days,¡± she snapped out of it and said. ¡°Return the coffin to its default state, and supply some nutrients to him.¡± ¡°Of course. I won¡¯t spare any effort on this,¡± ude replied. Elise nodded. ¡°Come over once you¡¯re done. You¡¯ll be staying at my ce. I¡¯ll be going first to get someone to clear up a room for you.¡± She went outside right after, but when she brushed past Alexander, she stopped for a moment and looked at him. ¡°Come with me,¡± she said calmly, then continued walking. Alexander gazed at ude deeply for a moment, then he followed her out. They kept going on until they came to the gate, and Elise stopped. She tu?rred around and frowned at him. ¡°You seem troubled.¡± ¡°I do not,¡± Alexander said coldly. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°I believe you.¡± Elise knew that even the closest couple in the world would still have their own secrets. She respected him, but she also hoped he could rely on her. ¡°I will always be here for you.¡± Alexander frowned. He was struggling with himself, but in the end, he nodded. ¡°I understand.¡± He knew she¡¯d listen to whatever he told her. He knew she could be careless and miss out on a lot of details, but for some reason, he greedily wanted her to notice him more. He wanted her to treat him like how she treated the man in the coffin. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t make it hard for her. ¡°Go. I¡¯ll be joining you for dinner,¡± he said calmly. That was a good sign. At least he was willing to sit with her, which meant he wasn¡¯t going to push her away anymore. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll tell Maria to make your favorite food.¡± She smiled at him and went to the yard next door. He saw her off, and he sighed. Why am I dwelling on this? He knew her well. She had a lot on her mind, but he was the only one she cared about when it came to love. That¡¯s enough, right? He told himself that, and that calmed him down a little. But he couldn¡¯t stay calm anymore when it came to dinner. ude was acting like he owned the ce, and he joked around, making everyoneugh. In the end, he took out a bottle of muscle enhancing pills and energy liquid from his bag and handed it to Trevor. ¡°Since you¡¯re Elise¡¯s family, that makes you my family. You can stop going to the gym now. It¡¯s a waste of time. Take my meds and eat enough food, and you¡¯ll get your six pack in no time.¡± Trevor¡¯s eyes shone, and he took them from ude without hesitation. Then, ude handed a bottle of custom-made mask to Jeanie. ¡°Mrs. Anderson, you seem tired. Is it because Elise is worrying you? Oh, that¡¯s just so sad. I got this from my research center overseas. It¡¯s thetest product. Use it once every day, and you¡¯ll be ten years younger in a month.¡± Jeanie beamed. ¡°You have such a silver tongue. Thank you very much then. Do stay here for a while longer.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± ude smiled. When it came to Robin and his wife, however, he was a lot more respectful. ude handed them two vials of meds for the heart. ¡°Here, for you, Mr. and Mrs. Sinir. We won¡¯t be home all the time, and emergencies might arise, so this will help. Just inject it into your heart, and it¡¯ll make sure you live for another three days. Once we get back, you¡¯ll be rescued in no time.¡± Robin nodded happily. ¡°Thank you, young man.¡± Alexander was visibly upset, and he didn¡¯t even have a bite of his food. Chapter 423 Chapter 423 Chapter 423 Even Trevor was starting to warm up to ude, and the whole family looked merry. Well, everyone except Alexander. Ever since Elise came to the table, she would nce at Alexander. She noticed his, silence, so she gave him some food. ¡°Here. It¡¯s your favorite.¡± Alexander looked at his bowl, and his frown disappeared. He paused for a moment before he started to eat, but he looked at ude coldly. ude met his gaze, and he knew Alexander was mocking him, but all he did was smile, as if he didn¡¯t care about Alexander. Fortunately, none of them got into any argument, so dinner went rtively well. After the servant came and cleared the table, ude stood up and stretched his arm, then he huddled closer to Elise. ¡°Where will I be staying tonight, Elise?¡± he asked. ¡°Third room on the right in the backyard,¡± Elise said calmly. ude craned his neck. ¡°Where are you staying then?¡± ¡°Second room on the left,¡± Elise answered impatiently. ¡°Who¡¯s in the first room?¡± he asked again. Elise gritted her teeth, but she said nothing. ¡°That¡¯s my room,¡± Trevor raised his voice. ¡°You got a problem with that?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± He grinned and wrapped his arm around Trevor¡¯s neck, then he whispered something into his ear. For some reason, Trevor¡¯s eyes widened in excitement, then he shook ude¡¯s hands. ¡°My room¡¯s yours now.¡± N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. Alexander was shocked. He and Elise were already engaged, but Trevor was still on guard and never allowed him to move in. This guy is only here for a day, but now he gets to stay beside Elise? If this goes on, I¡¯m going to lose my status here. Jeanie noticed that, and she started thinking about the whole situation. Wait, does this boy like Elise too? She did like ude, but he was too much of a sweet talker and had no sense of personal space. He¡¯s a yboy. I can¡¯t let him get together with Elise. ¡°Trevor,¡± Jeanie said. ¡°My room¡¯s dark and humid all the time. Can I take yours?¡± Trevor was filial, so he would not refuse his mother¡¯s request. ¡°Of course, Mom.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± She nodded and looked at ude. ¡°Max, I live in the first room on the right. It¡¯s big, so I hope you won¡¯t hate it.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t. I¡¯m a big guy, so I can live in dark spaces. It¡¯s great for me. Don¡¯t mind it,¡± ude agreed readily. ¡°Good to hear.¡± Jeanie looked at him approvingly. He¡¯s a friendly one, but not good enough to be Elise¡¯s husband. ude didn¡¯t mind. He took Trevor away and had a hushed talk. When they came back, ude gave him two bottles of meds. After Elise was done performing acupuncture on Joseph that night, Alexander took her back to her room. The moment they came to her room, the door to the right room suddenly opened, and ude came out. ¡°Oh, back from your date, Elise?¡± ¡°Why are you here?¡± Elise asked. This room is the furthest one from the front yard. It¡¯s quiet and spacious. It¡¯s supposed to belong to Grandma and Grandpa. ¡°I managed to move in. Charisma talks.¡± He looked up arrogantly and smirked at Alexander. And Alexander stormed off angrily. Chapter 424 Chapter 424 Chapter 424 Elise was slightly frustrated after Alexander left. She actually had something to say to him, but now she had to find another time. She turned around and looked coldly at the trickster. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I just want to be closer to you. You don¡¯t have to be so fierce about it, Elise.¡± ude put on a tearful act. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. Elise loosened her right hand, and the needle in her sleeve fell into her palm. She was ready to attack. ude noticed that, so he retreated back into the room at once and stuck out his head just enough for him to see. ¡°Hey, can¡¯t we talk this through? You can¡¯t attack me just like that. At least give me a hint.¡± ¡°You asked for it.¡± She took another step. ¡°Stop!¡± ude stopped her. ¡°Hold it right there! I was just trying to help, Elise! Don¡¯t you get it?¡± ¡°No.¡± I just think you want to mess this family up. ¡°Of course you don¡¯t.¡± He sighed and came out of the room. The moment he stood still, Elise sent her needle flying and rooted him to the spot. ¡°Can¡¯t you at least hear me out? Oh my god!¡± ude had a look of horror on his face. Man, she is the most ruthless woman I have ever met. ¡°No. You¡¯ll run away.¡± Elise wouldn¡¯t show him any mercy. ¡°Now talk!¡± she demanded. ude whimpered for a moment before he finally said with some grievance, ¡°You¡¯re still young, so you might get duped. I want to create a sense of crisis for him so he¡¯d get annoyed and care about you more. Don¡¯t you see? He¡¯s jealous! And you say I¡¯m not helping.¡± ¡°He¡¯s jealous?¡± Elise stared at the ground. Is he jealous? I guess so, but he was already looking weird before ude came. ude only made things worse. ¡°Yeah. I made your family happy, and now I¡¯m living right next to you. Now he must being up with ways to beat me or treat you nicer in case I take you away. I¡¯m doing this for your own good? How can you be so ungra-¡± Hm that¡¯s logical. But he knows nothing about Alexander. He¡¯s a calm and collected man, and he would never try to butter up anyone like ude does. All he needs to do is just stand there, and his aura¡¯s enough to conquer everyone. That kind of vibe and air isn¡¯t something someone stupid like ude can understand. Elise didn¡¯t want to borate, so she rolled her eyes and simply walked into her room. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t go! Please, at least free me!¡± ude called after her. ¡°You deserve this,¡± she replied calmly. ¡°You called me an ingrate.¡± ¡°I did not call you an ingrate,¡± ude denied. But then he realized what she was saying, and he pleaded, ¡°I didn¡¯t even finish the sentence, so it doesn¡¯t count.¡± ¡°Implied meaning counts to me.¡± She went into her room and mmed the door shut. The cold night wind blew across the courtyard. ude stood beside the door, and his teeth chattered from the cold. Oh god. It¡¯s so cold. Naturally, it was a sleepless night for him. Chapter 425 Chapter 425 Chapter 425 Everyone sat at the table and had breakfast the next day. Alexander seemed to be in a good mood. He was eating slowly, but it was obvious he looked rxed, and the main reason for that was ude. Or more precisely, the condition ude was in. He was covered in a thick nket, and it almost epassed his head. The heater was right beside him, but he was still shaking. Even when he was trying to have some soup, his hand was trembling as if he had Parkinson¡¯s disease. Elise nced at him and put her cutlery down. The moment she stood up, she saw two men and a womaning in, smiling at them. ¡°Ah, looks like we came at the right time. Having breakfast, are we?¡± Russell asked, as if he was great friends with the people there. Trevor stood up the moment he heard that voice, and he turned around seriously. ¡°Uncle Russell? Why are you here?¡± he asked indignantly. Before Trevor and Austin got into trouble, Russell had already set his sights on thepany. Over the last few years, he was trying to get himself crowned as president. This man is a hypocrite. Trevor thought his unde truly had no ambition, since he was always smiling. However, he had learnt his lesson, and since then, he never got close to Russell or his family. Even after Trevor and Austin came back to the office, Russell chose to take Faye¡¯s side. Why is he here today? ¡°Oh, that was rude, Trevor. Yoyo¡¯s been back for a long time, but she hasn¡¯t seen any of her elders yet. Maybe she¡¯s not used to us yet, so I came over. Aren¡¯t you going to wee me?¡± Russell gave Trevor a reprimanding look, though he seemed friendly enough when he did that. Then, he turned his attention to Elise, who was the only one standing ¡°You must be Yoyo.¡± He looked at her closely and nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve grown into a finedy. I used to hug you when you were a baby. Do you remember?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Elise answered coldly. ¡°Ah, it doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s all in the past now.¡± He waved her down and looked behind him. ¡°Come over and meet your cousin, kids.¡± Daniel and Tania came up and greeted her politely, ¡°Hi, Elise.¡± They were wearing a friendly smile, as if they were nice people, but even so, Elise saw the ambition in their eyes. She had seen a lot of people, and she knew Russell and his family were moreplex than they let on. She didn¡¯t answer them, though she did give them a nasty look. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Tania. I¡¯m one year younger than you.¡± Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Tania came over and tried to hold Elise¡¯s arm, but Elise dodged her easily, leaving Tania¡¯s hand hanging in the air awkwardly. It took her a while to pull her hand back, and she faked a smile to pretend that everything was fine. Then, she looked up and tried to say something, but she met Elise¡¯s ferocious gaze. It was at that moment, she realized that Elise¡¯s gaze was sharper than anything she had seen before. The moment their eyes met, Tania felt a damning chill running down her spine. It was as if she was stranded in a snowy wastnd, trying to take a step ahead, but she was buffeted by a snowstorm that forced her to close her eyes. Chapter 426 Chapter 426 Chapter 426 Eventually, Tania swallowed her words. Russell noticed the short exchange, and he was displeased, but he hid it quickly. They say Yoona¡¯s brought up in a vige, but I don¡¯t think so. Someone with that kind of aura can¡¯t have grown up in a regr family. Even though his sister had stumbled, Daniel was in no hurry toe to her defense. Instead, he shifted the topic like he usually would. ¡°And I¡¯m one year older than you. Come to me if you need any help.¡± ¡°What kind of help can you give me?¡± Elise asked without missing a beat. Daniel was only being polite, but he never thought Elise would take it seriously. He had nothing to answer, and the air was bing awkward, so he threw out a random reply. ¡°Anything. If someone tries to bully you, or if you run into any trouble, you cane to me for help.¡± ¡°Get me a hundred doses of hyacinth serum then,¡± she answered calmly. The moment she said that, ude spewed his soup out. Hyacinth serum? And a hundred of them? Wow, she does not hold back. Daniel had some knowledge on medicines, since he was the young master of a family of doctors. Hyacinth wasn¡¯t a rare item, so he thought hyacinth serum was just another regr medicine as well. ¡°No problem. You will get your serums in three days,¡± he epted the request readily. Elise looked at him as if he was an idiot. ¡°You have three months. If you can get a hundred doses by then, I¡¯ll acknowledge you as my cousin.¡± ude came over. ¡°Hey, if I get a hundred of them, can I be your cousin too?¡±Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°Buzz off¡± Elise told him off bluntly. ¡°Okay.¡± ude went away immediately, but he muttered under his breath. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to tell me off so bluntly.¡± Daniel knew nothing about how Elise and ude got along, so he thought of that as a funny little episode and brushed it aside. Proudly, he said, ¡°No need. Don¡¯t worry about that, Elise. Leave it to me. If I can¡¯t find a hundred of them in three days, you can pick anything from my medicine stash. What do you say?¡± ¡°Deal.¡± Elise¡¯s eyes glinted slyly. Well, Christmas came early this year. And Santa came to my house himself. ¡°Good¡± He puffed his chest out confidently, but when he nced at his sister, a hint of disdain shed in his eyes. Hmph. In the end, it¡¯s still up to me toplete Dad¡¯s request of befriending Elise. You¡¯re just a girl and going to get married off soon. Just give up on the inheritance. You¡¯re not worthy of it. ¡°Seems like you¡¯re getting along.¡± Russell nodded happily. ¡°Do keep in touch. It¡¯s how a family bonds.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dad. I¡¯lle over a lot,¡± Daniel answered proudly. ¡°Good.¡± Russell nodded. He looked around the yard, and when he saw Alexander, his eyes shone. Sometime earlier, he had looked into all the rich kids in Tissote to pick a good candidate for his daughter¡¯s marriage. Not to mention he could use the connection as well. Alexander was on the list, and he was by far the best candidate for Tania. The Griffiths might be in a decline, but Alexander was capable enough to get into Frazier Incorporated and save their pharmaceuticalpany from a crisis. That alone pointed to the bright future Alexander had. When he heard the rumor about Alexander being Elise¡¯s fianc¨¦, he thought it was just a rumor. I guess that rumor¡¯s true, but they¡¯re still not married. As long as he¡¯s still not married, I can still snatch him away. Russell gave Tania a look. Tania looked at where he was looking. When she saw Alexander sitting there handsomely, she realized what her father was getting at, and she nodded imperceptibly. Russell went up to Jeanie and requested genuinely, ¡°Jeanie, we¡¯re really busy with work, Daniel and I. We have no choice but to leave Tania at home every time. She¡¯s really lonely there, so can you take care of her for us for a few days? It¡¯s a lively ce here, and she can learn a thing or two from Yoona. What do you think?¡± Before Jeanie could say anything, Elise refused, ¡°I have nothing to teach her.¡± Danielughed. ¡°You¡¯re being modest, Elise. You¡¯re a top student in Tissote University. You¡¯re more than qualified to teach her a thing or two.¡± ¡°Daniel¡¯s right. Please don¡¯t refuse us. She¡¯s a hard worker, and she¡¯s a great cook. Let her stay and help you guys out, alright?¡± Russell left them after saying that, worried that Elise would refuse again. ¡°Enjoy your day. Tania,e with me. I need to talk to you.¡± He went out of the hall, and his children quickly followed him. After they left, Moses mocked, ¡°Well, someone¡¯s more shameless than I am.¡± Trevor snapped out of it and turned to look at his mother. ¡°Are we really letting that girl stay here, Mom?¡± ¡°What can you do? Chase her out?¡± Jeanie could not do that, for they were still rtives. Trevor shut up, since he could never chase his rtive out. Elise blurted, ¡°Chase her out then.¡± Jeanie smiled bitterly. ¡°I was just joking, Yoyo. Russell¡¯s a b*stard, but Tania¡¯s your cousin, and she¡¯s a girl. You can¡¯t chase her out. It¡¯s a bit too insensitive.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want to take her in, then why do you care if it¡¯s insensitive?¡± Elise asked curiously. ¡°Um¡­¡± Jeanie was at a loss. Human rtionships were weird andplex. Any minor decision could result in a great disaster, so they couldn¡¯t do whatever they pleased all the time. Elise knew it was something she couldn¡¯t understand, so she simply waved her hand. ¡°Fine, you decide.¡± She left it to her family. Russell and his children stood face to face outside. Tania grumbled pitifully, ¡°Dad, you want me to seduce Elise¡¯s fianc¨¦ on her turf? That¡¯s too risky. If they find out, Aunt Jeanie and Trevor will kill me.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t let them find out, duh,¡± Daniel mocked. ¡°I don¡¯t have to tell you who Alexander is, right? If you actually marry him, even I have to butter you up. Dad¡¯s paving a road for you here. Are you sure you want to act like a child and refuse?¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°Alright, quiet,¡± Russell interrupted the conversation. He told Tania, ¡°I¡¯ve always told you that it¡¯s important you marry a rich and powerful man. Endure this, and you wille out as a champion. Don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t do even this much.¡± Chapter 427 Chapter 427 Chapter 427 ¡°You¡¯ll need to get married someday, Tania. I can¡¯t protect you forever. Think about it-there are tons of wealthy women who wish to marry that man inside, but they don¡¯t even have a chance to get close to him. Now that this chance is right before your eyes, are you sure you want to let it go just like that? As long as Alexander is on our side, I¡¯ll get the chance to be the head of the Anderson Family. Our fates are tied together. You shouldn¡¯t make rash decisions during such crucial times.¡± Russell made his intentions clear, and Tania woulde off as a self-centered and ignorant person if she were to reject his request. Therefore, Tania had no choice but to swallow all her afflictions and nod obediently. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dad. I won¡¯t disappoint you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my girl. It¡¯s all up to you now,¡± Russell uttered thoughtfully. After giving her a pat on the shoulder, he turned to leave. ¡°Good luck, sis!¡± Daniel wore a gloating expression on his face as he walked off. Tania watched as the two figures disappeared down the alley, and she let out a long sigh before she returned to the house. The moment she walked through the front entrance, she put all her worries aside and forced a pleasant smile onto her face. Even her footsteps seemed lighter as she made her way in. However, she realized that the front porch waspletely empty once she got in. It had been filled with people earlier, but now there was no one left. It was as if they were trying to avoid her. Tania was the precious child of the family, and she had been spoiled and pampered her whole life. She had never been neglected in the past! She felt a lump in her throat as tears began forming in her eyes. However, when she recalled Russell¡¯s instructions, she forced her sobs back down her throat. Daddy¡¯s right. Everyone has to go through some tough times in life. All of this won¡¯t mean a thing when I achieve my goals and be better than everyone else. With my skills and traits, I¡¯ll win Alexander over soon. No one¡¯s going to look down on me then! Tania no longer felt sad after that. If anything, she felt more determined than ever. She turned around and walked over to the backyard in search of Jeanie. ¡°Mrs. Anderson, do you think I should share a room with Yoyo? I think that would help us get closer to each other, right?¡± Tania wore an innocent look as she spoke. ¡°No.¡± Jeanie rejected her immediately. ¡°Yoyo doesn¡¯t enjoy sharing her room with others.¡± The truth was that Elise didn¡¯t like being bothered by others, but Jeanie made her exnation sound a little kinder as she thought that Tania was a rtively nice child. Well, can¡¯t she tell that she isn¡¯t wee here? I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s shamelessly staying around. I wonder what¡¯s going on in her head. ¡°If that¡¯s the case¡­¡± Tania nodded thoughtfully. ¡°You¡¯re right, Mrs. Anderson. Why don¡¯t I share a room with you, then?¡± ¡°No!¡± Jeanie felt a headacheing. ¡°I don¡¯t like sharing rooms either. You can find yourself an empty room!¡± she grumbled, feeling annoyed. Although Jeanie didn¡¯t want grudges from the older generations to affect the younger generations, she simply couldn¡¯t bring herself to like Tania whenever she thought about Russell. Jeanie¡¯s gut feeling told her to stay away from Tania. Jeanie¡¯s words were precisely what Tania was waiting for, so Tania strode off with a grin on her face after that. Initially, Tania had assumed that Alexander was staying in one of the rooms in the current house, but she circled the area to realize that he was staying in the area next door. If that¡¯s the case, then I won¡¯t get a chance to get close to Alexander even if I stay with Elise, right? Tania¡¯s footsteps came to a halt in the middle of the courtyard when she realized the issue she was facing. Meanwhile, Elise was just about to head over to Valerie¡¯s ce to give her an acupuncture treatment when she bumped into Tania. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Elise asked in an icy tone. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. Tania was caught by surprise, and her heart jolted when she turned around to look Elise in the eyes. It took Tania a while to gather herself. ¡°Mrs. Anderson told me to pick my own room, but it looks like there aren¡¯t any empty rooms here.¡± She tried her best to sound calm. Elise thought about it for a while. She might be right. All six of the rooms are full since ude took the last one. I don¡¯t think this ce can fit anyone else. ¡°You can go over to stay with Maria,¡± Elise uttered tly. ¡°Maria? Who¡¯s that?¡± ¡°The cook,¡± Elise replied. ¡°What? Would that work?¡± Tania¡¯s bodynguage made it clear that she was against the idea, but at the same time, she didn¡¯t want Elise to know that. ¡°Personally, I¡¯m fine with it,¡± she exined after biting her bottom lip. ¡°But if the public finds out that the Anderson Family¡¯s young mistress is sleeping with maids, it will ruin my family¡¯s reputation. You can¡¯t tell me to do that.¡± Elise crossed her arms in front of her chest. ¡°This won¡¯t work, and that won¡¯t work¡­ Tell me where do you want to stay, then?¡± There was a long pause as Tania pretended to think about Elise¡¯s question for a while. ¡°When I first arrived, I noticed that people were guarding the yard next door. I think those belong to the Andersons, too, right? Perhaps I could move there.¡± Elise subconsciously shot a nce toward Alexander¡¯s ce. Momentster, she had a sudden realization. Russell¡¯s actions puzzled me at first. I was wondering why he sent his daughter over for no reason. Well, I got my answer now-she¡¯s here for Alexander. Gosh, she¡¯s trying to go for my fianc¨¦ when it¡¯s only our first day meeting each other. She sure is an impressive woman, huh? Well, both Russell and Tania are being a little too confident. Do they think Alexander will find someone like Tania attractive? Okay. Since they want to embarrass themselves, then I have no reason to stop them. I¡¯ll just treat this as entertainment. ¡°Sure.¡± Elise generously gave consent before she made her way to the yard next door. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you there,¡± she offered. Tania hadn¡¯t expected Elise to agree so easily, so she froze in her spot for a few seconds before she hurried after Elise. Both of them went over to the yard next door. When they stepped in, Alexander happened to walk out of the main hall. Elise walked over when she caught sight of his towering figure, so she walked over to address him directly. ¡°My cousin would like to stay over here. Do you guys have a spare room?¡± Tania hadn¡¯t managed to catch up with Elise¡¯s footsteps, so she had to jog to follow her. When Elise¡¯s footsteps came to a halt, Tania nearly crashed into her. It took Tania a few moments to recover her energy and steady herself. Her eyes were filled with anticipation and fear as she looked at Alexander. Alexander lowered his gaze to look at Tania before he shifted to stare at Elise. His hands were stuck in his pockets, and he pressed his fingers together as he wondered, What is this woman trying to do this time? Can¡¯t she tell that the girl beside her is interested in me? Is she sending someone over to bnce things out because she has someone interested in her next door? She¡¯s saying that we can each have our own fun, huh? Alexander had already been sulking over the incident with Joseph, and his face turned more sour when he realized that Elise had personally sent a girl over for him. Anger was written all over his face as he spoke grumpily. ¡°I guess. Deal with it on your own. Don¡¯t tell me about this.¡± He had initially nned on turning around and walking away to avoid interacting with them. But to his surprise, Elise had aeback immediately after. ¡°Great. She can stay here, then. She can prepare your meals and tidy the ce. You¡¯re wee,¡± she said in a haughty tone. Upon finishing her sentence, Elise gave Tania an affirming pat on the shoulder before she walked to Joseph¡¯s room. She was utterly entertained by the look of fury on Alexander¡¯s face. Chapter 428 Chapter 428 Chapter 428 Tania wasn¡¯t the most observant person. It was clear that Alexander only had eyes for Elise, but Tania proceeded to fix her hair before she addressed him in a timid voice. ¡°Which room should I stay in, Mr. Griffith?¡± ¡°You can stay on the streets.¡± Alexander didn¡¯t bother to think before replying to her. ¡°What?¡± Tania froze as she thought she might have heard him wrongly. When Alexander returned to his senses, he peeked through the doors to see Elise gazing at Joseph in a caring manner. Rage burned in Alexander¡¯s chest as he saw this scene. This time, he changed his answer as he realized his initial reply had been a mistake. ¡°The first room on the right. Follow me!¡± he uttered in an exceptionally loud voice. ¡°Really?!¡± Tania was overjoyed. She hadn¡¯t expected things to go so smoothly. It seemed like both Elise and Alexander didn¡¯t have their guards up against her because they were agreeing to all her requests. Dad and Daniel were overthinking it earlier. My cousin isn¡¯t that hard to deal with after all! Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°Yes.¡± Alexander wore a steely expression as he addressed Tania. ¡°You can get Cameron to provide you with anything that you need.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Tania nodded enthusiastically. ¡°I¡¯m a simple and easy-going person, so I¡¯ll just need some daily necessities,¡± she uttered in a respectful tone. ¡°Mhmm,¡± Alexander mumbled as he stepped into the room. After ncing at Alexander, Tania looked over to the room that Elise was in. Tania felt an urge to leap with joy. I thought their rtionship would be more solid since they¡¯re engaged, but it seems like all of that is just a show! I only arrived a while ago, and it¡¯s already clear that Alexander is really cold toward Elise. Soon enough, he won¡¯t even look at her anymore. Happiness spread across Tania¡¯s face as she thought about how she was about to marry the dream guy of all women in Tissote. Soon enough, Cameron arrived with the daily necessities that Tania needed. He had just arrived when Elise strode past Tania¡¯s room without gazing in their direction. Alexander looked out for a brief moment, but his actions were too subtle to be realized. Chapter 429 Chapter 429 Chapter 429 Alexander only stepped toward the exit after he made sure that her footsteps had traveled far away from the room. ¡°Hey, Mr. Griffith!¡± Tania stopped him in a rather meek tone. ¡°I¡¯m not done talking¡­¡± But it was almost as if Alexander couldn¡¯t hear her at all-he simply walked out of the ¡ª room without turning back. Cameron, who was watching both of them from behind, put on a puzzled expression when he noticed the disappointed expression on Tania¡¯s face. Why do you look so dejected when your cousin¡¯s fianc¨¦ leaves your room? Cameron gave Tania a long, thoughtful gaze before he walked out after Alexander. Alexander walked over to the room that Joseph was in before he mmed the door behind him. His burly figure towered over the man sleeping in the ss coffin, and he let out a sigh as he looked at the man. How are you rted to Elise? How does she truly feel about me? She sent a young girl over to me¡ªis that something all women in love do? Or¡­ Does she not care about how loyal I am to her? There were tons of questions running in his head, but the only answer he got was silence. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. Elise took a trip to the ck market, and it was alreadyte in the evening by the time she got back. She heard amotion going on next door, so she turned and walked over to Alexander¡¯s area. When she got there, she saw chickens and ducks running all over the ce. There were feathers flying all over the yard, and the whole ce was an entire mess. Tania was situated right in the middle of the yard with a knife in her hand. She was too terrified of the chickens and ducks to keep her eyes open, so she merely held the knife out in front of her as she swung it around while screaming. She didn¡¯t manage to hit a single thing with her knife. Elise felt like her eardrums were about to burst if she listened to Tania¡¯s screams for any longer. With a flick of her right hand, a couple of needles slipped into Elise¡¯s fingers, and she sent them flying out all at once. In an instant, all of the chickens and ducks copsed onto the ground-Elise¡¯s needles had done the work. The yard was finally peaceful again. ¡°Grandpa and Grandma both prefer a quiet environment, so you should stop making so much noise.¡± Elise turned around and walked off right after that. Tania had her lips parted to say something, but she couldn¡¯t find the words at all. In the end, Tania had no choice but to force herself to pick up all the chicken and duck carcasses and drag them into the kitchen. Chapter 430 Chapter 430 Chapter 430 Another two hours went by before Tania ced the final pot of soup on the stove. She heaved a sigh of relief when she saw the scrumptious dishes that she had prepared on the kitchen countertop. She was excited to be praised for her skills, and she hastily brought empty bowls out to set up the dining table. She had just arranged all the dishes when Alexander came back home. With a broad grin on her face, Tania let out a loud cry. ¡°You¡¯re back, Mr. Griffith! It¡¯s time for dinner!¡± Upon hearing her, Alexander walked in to take a look at the dishes. He wore a nk look on his face, but he raised an eyebrow when he saw Tania standing by the table. ¡°Who told you to do this?¡± he asked heartlessly. This is from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What?¡± Tania didn¡¯t fully understand what he meant, but she replied to him with a polite and reserved tone. ¡°No one told me to do anything-I decided on this myself. I¡¯d be freeloading if I just lived here without contributing, so I figured that I would prepare your meals so that you don¡¯t have to go over next door. It¡¯d save you some trouble.¡± ¡°Did you ask the maids before you prepared the meal?¡± There wasn¡¯t a hint of warmth in Alexander¡¯s tone. Tania frowned as she didn¡¯t get what he meant. ¡°I don¡¯t like the smell of oil and smoke at home,¡± he exined. He walked out of the dining area right after that. Tania remained frozen in her spot for a long while before returning to her senses. I spent the whole day working on this, yet I didn¡¯t get a single good comment. I even vited one of Alexander¡¯s rules at home! Her sharp eyes darted all around the room before she hurried along behind Alexander. He was headed in the direction of Elise¡¯s room. When Tania got there, she realized the atmosphere waspletely different¡ªthere was a cheerful, light atmosphere at the dining table as everyone gathered around for a meal. Once again, Tania felt herself being enveloped by ayer of embarrassment. She didn¡¯t even know what to do with herself. Right then, a group of people walked through the entrance. These individuals seemed as if they had been trained¡ªthey were arranged in two straight lines, and each of them had a gift in their hands. They marched past Tania before entering a horizontal formation and held their gifts up. Chapter 431 Chapter 431 Chapter 431 ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ude was a busybody-he was the first to lower his cutleries and rush over to take a look. ¡°Hey, who sent you guys here?¡± ¡°These are the gifts that Mr. Griffith has prepared for the senior members of the Sinir Family,¡± a woman who was standing in the middle of the line replied with a¡ª smile. Elise immediately lowered her cutlery when she heard what the woman said. ¡°Did you arrange all of this?¡± She stared at Alexander, her eyes wide with surprise. ¡°Yeah,¡± he replied while eating in an unhurried manner. It was almost as if he wasn¡¯t rted to the entire scene that just urred in front of them. That was when Elise realized something-Alexander¡¯s jealous! Someone as cold and indifferent as him would never send gifts to the elderlies otherwise. He¡¯s trying to win them over, huh? Elise felt both sorry and happy as she watched him trying his best to remain calm. Her eyes were filled with love for the man as she gazed at him. ude had just given her family gifts one day ago, and Alexander instantly gathered all sorts of suitable gifts the very next day. Alexander even made sure to put on a grand show of the gifts. If they were to compare the quality of both men¡¯s gifts, one of them was going to be embarrassed. Right then, Cameron walked over to address Elise in a polite tone. ¡°Young Master Alex was the one who prepared all of this. Apart from preparing the same gifts that Mr. Mumm had prepared, he also purchased some nutritional and healthy foods, a famous painting, and a hundred doses of the hyacinth serum that you asked for, Miss Sinir.¡± CU ¡°Sh*t.¡± ude was already surprised when he heard that Alexander had purchased a famous painting, but he was blown away when he heard Cameron¡¯sst sentence. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of money!¡± ude eximed. Alexander is willing to give his all to impress Father, huh? Just the hyacinth serums probably cost him more than 100 million. That¡¯s brutal! Elise wasn¡¯t sure whether tough or to cry. ¡°The truth is¡­ I¡¯ve already pre-ordered the hyacinth serum.¡± ¡°You can just cancel your order,¡± Alexander uttered without even looking up. Once he finished speaking, the men from the second row stepped forward to open their gift boxes. Inside them were fresh and delicious-looking dishes. The men set the dishes on the table while Cameron continued to provide an exnation for the gifts. ¡°Young Master Alex prepared these dishes based on your family¡¯s recent health condition-he specially incorporated some ingredients with special health benefits. Furthermore, he was the one who prepared these dishes on his own. Please enjoy them.¡± Tania pounded her fist against her chest when she heard what Cameron said. Didn¡¯t Alexander say that he doesn¡¯t like the smell of oil and smoke!! She wasn¡¯t the only one who felt ashamed-ude felt just as embarrassed by the situation then. Alexander even ¨C dirtied his hands just to prepare this meal. There¡¯s simply no way for me to outdo this guy! Robin was the first to notice what Alexander was trying to do. He let out a grateful sigh as he parted his lips to give a rarepliment. ¡°That¡¯s really thoughtful of you, Alexander.¡± Alexander¡¯s eyes lit up for a moment as he raised his head to look at Robin. Both of them gave each other a nod when their gazes met. They had a man-to-man connection-Alexander could tell that Robin was willing to reconsider him as Robin¡¯s future son-inw. Ever since Matthew and Elise¡¯s pictures were exposed, such moments had been rare, so Alexander found this especially meaningful. After Alexander¡¯s men left the house, the family¡¯s maids dragged two women over to the dining area. ¡°These two brats were snooping around outside. We don¡¯t know what they were trying to do!¡± one of the maids uttered. They gave the two women a slight push, and Maya nearly stumbled and fell. Her assistant held onto her just in time to stop her from falling. Once they steadied themselves, Maya hastily fixed her hair and clothes. ¡°Did Young Master Alex send you over too? Are you here to dance and entertain us?¡± ude asked in a teasing voice. ¡°You b*stard!¡± Maya shot him a re. ¡°How dare youpare me to those filthy women who sell their bodies for money?¡± ¡°Who are you calling a b*stard?¡± ude¡¯s expression turned grim as he red at Maya. ¡°You¡¯re the b*stard!¡± Maya straightened her back to show that she wasn¡¯t afraid of him. ¡°You¡¯re just a useless guard dog-how dare you look down on me?!¡± she cried. ¡°Hmph! You¡¯re really provoking me now!¡± ude rolled his sleeves up and readied himself for a fight. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Elise stopped them, stepped out of the dining area, and stared Maya down. ¡°This is our property, and you came without an invitation. We can be rude to you, and we can even get violent with you¡ªwhat are you going to do about it? Do you think you¡¯re allowed to do as you please here just because of your status?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking to you.¡± Maya knew how powerful Elise was, so she decided to avoid a confrontation with her. ¡°Tell Alexander toe out. I want to talk to him!¡± Elise turned around to gaze at the man sitting in the dining area. ¡°She¡¯s here for you. You can deal with this on your own.¡± Upon hearing her words, Alexander unwillingly got to his feet. ¡°Who are you?¡± he asked as he stepped out to stop in front of the woman. Maya stared at him helplessly when she heard his words. ¡°I¡¯m Maya!¡± She was about to lose her mind. ¡°We¡¯ve met a few times when Mrs. Griffith tried to matchmake us. Don¡¯t you remember me?¡± Maya shot Elise a piercing re as she spoke. This woman must have cast some spell on Alexander. That¡¯s why he didn¡¯te for me even after so long! Elise narrowed her eyes as she met Maya¡¯s gaze. For some reason, Elise felt a strong dislike toward the woman then. Should I just get rid of her right now? The very next moment, Alexander¡¯s deep, icy voice filled the air. ¡°I have a pretty bad memory when ites to people and things that don¡¯t matter to me,¡± he said matter-of-factly. Elise no longer felt the urge to do anything after that. Maya, on the other hand, clenched her fists in shame. Am I that unimportant to him? Do I not matter to you at all, Alexander? Just you wait! You¡¯lle begging for me someday! Maya gritted her teeth and dug her nails into her palms as she took a deep breath to calm herself down. ¡°That¡¯s okay. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t remember what happened in the past. All that matters is that you remember what happens from now onward. Come home with me, Alexander. You don¡¯t belong here,¡± she said with a smile on her face. Maya gave Alexander a longing gaze as she continued talking. ¡°I understand your situation, Alexander. I know that the Griffith Family has been hard on you. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll help you regain your status as the head of the family. You¡¯re a privileged man, so you shouldn¡¯t waste your life away in this rotten, old home. Don¡¯t ruin your life like that.¡± N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. Elise scoffed. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be so kind if you didn¡¯t have some sort of ulterior motive. Why don¡¯t you tell us what you really want? You¡¯d sound more sincere that way.¡± Maya didn¡¯t seem flustered even though her intentions had been exposed. Instead, she stepped forward and tugged on Alexander¡¯s sleeve. ¡°You know I love you, Alexander. I¡¯ll belong to you once we¡¯re married. Everything the Dahlen Family owns will be yours as well. With my father¡¯s support, you won¡¯t have to struggle out here anymore.¡± ¡°Tak tsk tsk, what a sincere confession.¡± No one had noticed ude walking over to them. He scanned Maya with his eyes before he spoke in a rather shocked tone. ¡°Are you aware of your sickness, young woman?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s sick!¡± Maya hissed. She nearly lost herposure, but she calmed herself down after taking a look at Alexander. ¡°I¡¯m serious,¡± ude uttered in a serious tone. ¡°Do you feel like yourplexion has been deteriorating? You might also feel rather light-headed, and you might feel some dryness in your mouth!¡± Maya realized there was some truth in his words, and she subconsciously reached out her hand to feel her throat. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ude snapped his fingers. ¡°You¡¯ve got an incurable disease!¡± Chapter 432 Chapter 432 Chapter 432 You¡¯re One of Them Now ¡°That¡¯s nonsense!¡± Maya cried indignantly. ¡°I do a body check-up every year, and I don¡¯t have any terminal illnesses! You need to stop rming others with your lies!¡± Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m trying to scare others away by lying?¡± ude sneered. ¡°I don¡¯t have the spare time to do such things. Forget it. I only reminded you about it because I didn¡¯t want to see a young woman like you dying at such an early age. Well, since you don¡¯t believe me, then you can continue to dy treatment. You¡¯re the one who¡¯s going to die, not me.¡± After he finished speaking, he took a long look at Maya before heaving a huge sigh. ¡°Ahh!¡± He shook his head in pity. Initially, Maya had been firm with her words. However, after witnessing his actions, she couldn¡¯t help but take a gulp as she felt uneasy. Her gaze hovered around her surroundings for a while before she noticed Elise. Then, she stuck her chin high as she snapped back into reality. ¡°You got someone to scare me on purpose, didn¡¯t you, Elise? I know what you¡¯re trying to do. You¡¯re trying to scare me off so that you can stay with Alexander! You can continue dreaming!¡± Maya cried fiercely. ¡°You¡¯re the one who ruined the Griffith Family. You¡¯re the reason they went bankrupt, and you¡¯re the reason their family fell apart! You¡¯re a curse to them!¡± ¡°Maya!¡± Alexander had been silent for a while, but right then, he let out a fierce growl. His words were as sharp as daggers. ¡°You¡¯re not wee here. Get lost immediately.¡± ¡°How could you? Why are you doing this?¡± Maya was hurt. ¡°I¡¯m here to help you. How could you do this to me?¡± ¡°You asked for it,¡± Alexander replied as he turned to Cameron. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you doing anything?¡± ¡°I got it!¡± Cameron gave Alexander a respectful nod before he strode over and pointed Maya to the exit. ¡°Please leave now, Miss Dahlen!¡± ¡°You must be out of your mind!¡± Maya was fuming as she gave Elise a hateful re. ¡°You witch! You evil woman! I¡¯m not going to let you ruin his life!¡± ¡°Cameron!¡± Alexander shouted in an urgent tone. Cameron¡¯s expression darkened as he reached forward and grabbed onto Maya¡¯s arm. Both Maya and her assistant were frail women, and neither of them had the strength to resist Cameron¡¯s strong tugs as he dragged them out toward the exit. They tripped over their own feet as they made their way out. ¡°Wait a second,¡± Elise called out before they left the house. Cameron¡¯s footsteps came to a halt, but his grip remained firm on Maya¡¯s arms¡ªshe couldn¡¯t wriggle her way out at all. Elise tookrge strides toward Maya. She narrowed her gorgeous eyes to give Maya a dangerous and sinister re. ¡°What did you call me earlier? You called me an evil woman, didn¡¯t you?¡± Maya tried to fling Cameron¡¯s arm away, but she gave up when she realized how futile her efforts were. Instead, she turned around to stare right into Elise¡¯s face. ¡°That¡¯s right. You¡¯re an evil, cunningdy! Anyone who gets involved with you will eventually end up in a horrible mess!¡± Elise shut her eyes and pressed her hand against her face to wipe off the saliva that came out of Maya¡¯s mouth as she spoke. There was a hint of disdain in Elise¡¯s eyes as she gazed at Maya. When Elise lowered her hand, there was already a thin needle between her fingers. ¡°Hold on tight, Cameron!¡± Elise ordered. Cameron froze for a moment before he used his other arm to press Maya down firmly. Right then, Elise raised her hand to show Maya the shining needle between her fingers. She waved it around in front of Maya¡¯s face. Maya felt a chill running down her spine as the light reflected off the needle and struck her eyes. She turned her head sideways to keep a distance from the needle. ¡°What are you trying to do?!¡± ¡°What do you think I¡¯m doing?¡± Elise raised an eyebrow. ¡°An evil woman has to act in ways to live up to her title, don¡¯t you think? You were the one who said that the people I¡¯m involved with always end up in a mess. Well, you¡¯re one of them now. I can¡¯t leave you out, can I?¡± ¡°What logic is that?!¡± Maya shrank her neck to stay away from the needle. ¡°I¡¯m not rted to you. Why are you getting me involved in this?¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t you rted?¡± Elise pressed the tip of the needle against Maya¡¯s neck before she gently traced her skin with it. ¡°Alexander¡¯s mine and you¡¯re in love with my man. That¡¯s how we¡¯re rted, aren¡¯t we?¡± With that said, Elise stabbed the slim needle into Maya¡¯s skin in one swift motion. Maya hissed in pain when she felt the needle poking into her trapezius muscle. She instinctively tilted her head to the left to stay away from the needle. However, when she tried to return her head to her original position, she realized that her entire neck had be stiff. She couldn¡¯t move at all. ¡°What have you done to me?!¡± Maya widened her round eyes in shock as she stared at Elise. Elise curled her lips into an eerie smile. ¡°Well, I love killing my enemies with kindness. Didn¡¯t you hear what that handsome man said? He told you that you have a terminal illness. I simply helped you treat it.¡± ude¡¯s ears twitched before he pointed at himself. ¡°Handsome man? Did she just call me a handsome man? Hahaha! Did you guys hear that? Father said that I¡¯m a handsome man!¡± he cried excitedly. Maya wasn¡¯t in the mood to care about anything else, and she eyed Elise suspiciously. ¡°Are you that kind?¡± ¡°No.¡± Elise wiped the smile off her face. ¡°You keep calling me a witch and an evil woman, so why should I be kind to you? You actually have a terminal illness now. Are you finally satisfied? Are you happy now?¡± Am I happy? I¡¯m practically in tears! Maya thought. However, she tried her best to calm herself down. It¡¯s just a needle. She might have just done some tricks to get my muscles to tense up. If I break down in tears now, I will be a source of entertainment for Elise and the rest of these people. Therefore, Maya gritted her teeth and stared at Elise calmly. ¡°That¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t care what you just did. I¡¯m rich enough to receive any treatment I want¡ªthat¡¯s how I¡¯m different from you. You¡¯re just an unwanted orphan with no parents, Elise. As long as I leave this ce alive, I¡¯ll make sure to end you someday!¡± ¡°An unwanted orphan?!¡± Jeanie couldn¡¯t stop herself from charging over when she heard what Maya said. ¡°You¡¯re the disrespectful and unwanted child here!¡± she cried as she gave Maya a p. Maya stumbled as a result of Jeanie¡¯s powerful p, and a look of disbelief filled Maya¡¯s face immediately after that. By the time Maya returned to her senses and looked at Jeanie, Jeanie was already shouting at her. ¡°Elise isn¡¯t an orphan. She¡¯s a biological child of the Anderson Family, and she¡¯s our precious little daughter. Who are you to cause such havoc here?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Trevor had disliked Maya from the moment heid eyes on her. If it wasn¡¯t because he didn¡¯t hit women, he would have probably broken all the bones in her body. ¡°You¡¯re from the Dahlen Family, right? Go home and tell your father to pack up and leave. The Dahlen Family is dead meat!¡± Chapter 433 Chapter 433 Chapter 433 I Need to Escape! ¡°The Andersons?¡± Maya looked slightly flustered. Although the Anderson and Dahlen Families were in different industries, both families were consideredrge and powerful families in Tissote. In fact, the Andersons had a longer history than the Dahlens. After all, the Andersons had a background in medicine¡ªthey had saved countless patients¡¯ lives. Through their services, they managed to develop firm connections with many individuals in society. Not every family had the ability to do such a thing. If the Dahlen Family actually got on the Andersons¡¯ bad side, they would definitely be defeated by the Andersons. Maya¡¯s anger died down at that thought. A few minutester, they chased Maya out of the house. Maya stared at the front entrance as she howled at the top of her lungs. ¡°Just you wait, Elise!¡± Meanwhile, Tania, who had witnessed the entire scene, carefully lifted her legs to tiptoe to the door. I can¡¯t stay here any longer¡ªI need to escape now! It took her a great deal of effort to get to the door, but Elise¡¯s voice rang beside her ear at that moment. ¡°Where are you going, Tania?¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. Once Elise spoke, everyone shifted their gaze to Tania. They all noticed Tania¡¯s right leg hanging in the middle of the air as she had been about to take another step toward the door. A look of utter embarrassment spread across Tania¡¯s face as she helplessly put her leg back onto the ground. She turned around toe face-to-face with Elise. ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere,¡± Tania said without looking into Elise¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡­ I thought I¡¯d go back next door to have my meal. Haha¡­ I shouldn¡¯t waste food, should I?¡± she stuttered. Even Tania didn¡¯t trust her ownme excuse. She engaged her facial muscles and forced a smile just to reduce the awkwardness in the atmosphere. ¡°Hmm. I didn¡¯t know the youngdy of the Anderson Family was such a thrifty person,¡± ude teased yfully. Tania bit her lip as she shot him a re. Why can¡¯t this man learn how to keep his mouth shut? But ude was immune to such minor forms of provocation and didn¡¯t even bat an eyelid as he looked back into Tania¡¯s eyes. As much as Tania wished to continue losing her temper at ude, she knew who her true enemy was in that house. Therefore, she quickly shifted her gaze away to look at Elise politely. There wasn¡¯t a hint of sloppiness in Tania¡¯s actions then. ¡°It¡¯s right to value your food,¡± Elise uttered light-heartedly. ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard today. Where are you going to sleep?¡± Tania was too afraid to say that she wanted to sleep in Alexander¡¯s area. After giving the question some thought, she finally came up with an answer. ¡°Should I sleep with Maria?¡± ¡°Would that be okay?¡± Elise frowned in a rather displeased manner. When Tania met Elise¡¯s eyes, she felt as if her heart was about to leap out of her throat. ¡°I miss my bed. I should go home to sleep. I¡¯m not going to bother you anymore!¡± Only then did Elise¡¯s expression soften a little. ¡°Will that be okay? You¡¯ve just arrived, and you¡¯re leaving already? Would your father think we¡¯re bullying you?¡± ¡°No! Of course not!¡± Tania was so afraid, she was practically in tears. She felt a strong urge to just run out at that moment. ¡°I¡¯m the one who isn¡¯t used to the ce. I can¡¯t sleep on hard beds, and I can¡¯t deal with the strong winds here. I was spoiled as a child, and I¡¯m too used to myfort zone. This has got nothing to do with anyone here!¡± ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Elise nodded her head in satisfaction. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I won¡¯t continue troubling you, Tania. The door is there. Send yourself out.¡± ¡°Thank you, Elise. Thank you!¡± Tania was extremely thankful and she scurried toward the exit after giving Elise a few bows. Tania¡¯s figure was gone in the blink of an eye. Elise readjusted herself for a while before she changed the topic. ¡°Are you guys done eating? If so, I¡¯d like you guys to go and get ready. Please dress in a light, casual outfit for traveling.¡± All of the equipment for the surgery had arrived, so it was time that they sent Joseph to the hospital. ude took a nce at her and nodded at her knowingly, then hurried over to the backyard. Chapter 434 Chapter 434 Chapter 434 Of Course I¡¯ll Bear the Consequences! Later that night, when the entire residential area was dead silent, a specially modified ambnce came to a halt in front of the house. A short whileter, the ambnce drove out of the town with a total of four cars escorting it from the front and back. About one hourter, in the ICU of a private hospital, two men were standing beside a ss coffin. Thomas took one look at the man inside before he dragged Alexander over to the side. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say this before? He¡¯s aatose patient¡ªhe¡¯s not going to wake up. Why are you sending him over?¡± ¡°We need your ce to conduct a surgery,¡± Alexander replied calmly. ¡°A surgery? For the guy in the coffin? What sort of joke is this?¡± Thomas was utterly dumbfounded and bombarded Alexander with a series of questions. Although Thomas wasn¡¯t the most experienced doctor, he was still one of the most capable specialists in Tissote. Wouldn¡¯t he be able to tell if a man showed any signs of waking up from aa? Putting such a patient through surgery would only cause greater harm to the patient¡¯s body. However, even after Thomas finished speaking, Alexander gazed at him with the same stern expression on his face. Elise, who was standing beside them, had an equally serious look. ¡°You guys aren¡¯t joking after all.¡± Thomas was certain when he saw their faces. ¡°No way.¡± He held his arms out to stop them from moving. ¡°I¡¯m a doctor, and I have the duty to protect patients. You guys are fooling around with another man¡¯s life, and I will not agree to this!¡± Thomas had just finished speaking when ude strolled over in a whiteb coat. Thomas noticed ude from the corner of his eye, and he immediately spun around to realize that ude was the doctor who was going to conduct the surgery. Thomas hastily leaped forward to stop the man. ¡°Hey! What sort of scammer are you? How could you suggest for the patient to undergo surgery when he¡¯s in this state? Do you know that the patient might die if you make any mistakes with the craniotomy? Are you going to bear the consequences?!¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± ude eyed Thomas with an innocent look on his face. ¡°I¡¯ll bear all the consequences. You¡¯re such a handsome man, so of course I¡¯ll be the one to bear the consequences!¡± Thomas hastily put his arms in front of his chest. ¡°I¡¯m talking about the patient¡¯s life! This is a serious situation¡ªI¡¯m not fooling around with you! Won¡¯t you feel guilty if that man dies? You guys can take risks if you want¡ªjust don¡¯t kill a man in my surgical theater!¡± Thomas stuck his chin high to show that he wasn¡¯t going to work with them. ¡°You¡¯re going to agree to our n eventually.¡± ude grinned as he stuck his hands into the pockets of hisb coat. ¡°Hah! I¡¯d never agree with some rookie doctor like you¡­¡± Thomas lowered his head as he spoke, but the very moment he met ude¡¯s gaze, he noticed grains of white powder being thrown toward him from the side. Thomas held his arm up to block the powder, but it was toote¡ªhe had inhaled some of the substance. Momentster, he felt his legs turning to jelly. Thomas clutched onto the wall for support, but he slid down the wall and copsed onto the ground. ¡°H-How dare you drug me?¡± Even his voice had turned softer as hey on the ground weakly. ude bent down to pat Thomas on the head. ¡°Just stay here and wait for us toe out, okay?¡± ude said with an evil smile on his face. Thomas could only watch as a few people walked into the surgical theater. Soon after that, the red light that said ¡®surgery in progress¡¯ lit up above the doors. Thomas knew then that it was toote for him to do anything. He calmed himself down and narrowed his eyes to re at Elise and Alexander resentfully. The couple was seated on a long bench outside the surgical theater, and Alexander pretended not to see Thomas as he reached his hand over to give Elise¡¯s hand a squeeze. Upon witnessing their actions, Thomas widened his eyes in shock. He was dumbfounded by what they were doing, but he was too weak to react. Are you guys really human? I can¡¯t believe you guys are showing affection to each other when I¡¯m in this state! It was almost like Alexander could read Thomas¡¯s mind because just then, Alexander shot a nce at Thomas before looking away. Thomas felt like he was nothing but a piece of furniture in the room. Isn¡¯t anyone going to pick me up from the ground? Thomas thought as he red at them speechlessly. Doesn¡¯t Elise have some magical acupuncture skills? Is she pretending to be blind right now? Ugh! However, Elise couldn¡¯t read Thomas¡¯ mind. She lowered her gaze and looked at Alexander¡¯srge hand squeezing hers, and a sense of security filled her insides as she felt the warmth of his hand. It had been a while since she felt that way. Momentster, Elise looked up to meet Alexander¡¯s gaze. ¡°Are you done being angry?¡± she asked calmly. ¡°Since when was I angry?¡± Alexander gazed at her with an enigmatic look on his face. ¡°Why have you been ignoring me if you weren¡¯t angry at me? You haven¡¯t been pestering me for the past few days,¡± Elise uttered. Alexander tilted his head sideways. ¡°Do you need me to pester you?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Elise replied without any hesitation. She only realized how intimate her statement was after she finished her words. It was such a primal thing to need someone and to be needed by someone. In the past, Elise had always been an independent woman who could deal with things on her own. However, she realized a shift within her after she met Alexander. She got used to having him around, to having someone to talk to, and to having someone she could asionally order around¡­ She got used to Alexander. Alexander had be a constant in her life a long time ago, but Elise hadn¡¯t noticed it in the past. She didn¡¯t want to admit it even after she realized what was going on. Being ustomed to a person would mean that she had a weak spot that her enemies could target. When Alexander realized the look of surprise on Elise¡¯s face, his gaze lit up like there were balls of fire in his eyes. What lovely words to hear! She just said that she needed me. Just those few words are enough to eliminate all of the envy, suspicion, and distance that I¡¯ve felt in the past few days. If my suffering can provide me with Elise¡¯s validation, then I¡¯m willing to go through the same things for the rest of my life. Alexander let go of Elise¡¯s hand and put his arm around her waist. He pulled her in for a hug. ¡°I love what you just said.¡± Alexander rubbed his chin against the top of her head lovingly. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me two sweet things each day from now on, Ellie?¡± ¡°Why do you need two sweet things? Can¡¯t I just give you one each day?¡± He¡¯s such a demanding man, Elise thought. ¡°Because I like it that way,¡± he replied with a smile. She felt her face burning. ¡°Is that a valid reason?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Alexander wrapped his arms around her. ¡°Anything you say about me is music to my ears.¡± Elise attempted to wriggle her way out of his arms to disagree with him. However, Alexander only tightened his arms around her. ¡°Don¡¯t bother trying to bargain with me. I¡¯ll request you to tell me two sweet things during every meal otherwise.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Elise gave up and allowed him to hug her. After a moment of silence, the couple realized a piercing re that seemed to be burning through their skin. They let go of each other as they both turned to look at Thomas. They saw a man with his eyes narrowed and his teeth gritted¡ªhe looked as if he wanted to eat them up. God, please just punish me if I¡¯ve ever sinned. I just don¡¯t want to watch this couple acting like they¡¯re in some romance movie! Thomas thought.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. Chapter 435 Chapter 435 Chapter 435 I¡¯ll Wait for You Meanwhile, a conflict was brewing in Russell¡¯s house. Previously, Daniel had confidently promised Elise to look for the hyacinth serum. After they got home, both Daniel and Russell did their research to find out that the hyacinth serum was more valuable than all of the most treasured items in their possession. They couldn¡¯t even purchase the serum in any of the markets or herbal stores in Tissote. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Although they heard that the serum was avable in the ck market, it was too much work. Firstly, they didn¡¯t know anyone that could get them into the ck market, and secondly, the price of the serum itself already made them tremble in fear. They couldn¡¯t even afford a single one, let alone a hundred of the serums. ¡°It¡¯s your fault! How could you be so uneducated? You don¡¯t even know what the hyacinth serum is! Now that you¡¯ve made a promise, that brat will no longer trust us if we don¡¯t give her the items! Do you think she¡¯d be willing to change her perceptions toward us if we failed her this time?!¡± Russell smacked his palm against the table. He was harsh and aggressive¡ªtheplete opposite of the polite and respectful man he appeared to be in front of others. ¡°What¡¯s the use of scolding me now?¡± Daniel didn¡¯t look like he was sorry at all. ¡°If I knew what it was, I would¡¯ve had to admit that I couldn¡¯t get it for her on the spot. I¡¯d be embarrassing myself one way or another. What difference does it make? Now, at least we managed to protect our dignity. We can continue to drag this promise¡ªthat brat won¡¯t ask us for the items as long as she doesn¡¯t have the money to pay us,¡± Daniel uttered. ¡°I guess that¡¯s the only thing we can do now,¡± Russell said with a sigh. He gazed out into the distance as he spoke in a solemn voice. ¡°We¡¯ll just have to pray that everything¡¯s going well on Tania¡¯s end.¡± Russell had just finished speaking when a petite figure walked through the entrance. Russell¡¯s face darkened immediately. Tania went over to them, but before she could voice herints, Russell began shouting at her. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to stay with the Sinirs? It¡¯s only been a day! Why are you back here?!¡± Tania had to force her tears back down as she bit her lip and eyed her father with a pitiful look. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to stay there, Dad. I simply can¡¯t do it anymore! Alexander is a pedantic man who doesn¡¯t allow anyone else close to him, and Elise¡­ She¡¯s just too terrifying! You guys didn¡¯t see how she used a tiny needle to paralyze the youngdy of the Dahlen Family! That woman¡¯s head was crooked when she left their house! I¡¯m afraid I might lose a limb if I stayed there any longer!¡± Tania cried. When Daniel heard what Tania said, he looked down and began to chuckle. ¡°What are youughing at?!¡± Tania shot him a side re. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. I just recalled something funny.¡± Daniel parted his arms and stood up to walk over to Tania with an undaunted look on his face. He patted Tania on her shoulder as he spoke in a neutral tone. ¡°You can just tell us if you can¡¯t handle the harsh conditions there. I¡¯m sure Dad will allow you to come home if you whine to him for a while¡ªhe¡¯d still feed you and allow you to continue being a useless brat at home. You don¡¯t have toe up with this nonsense of a story.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the useless brat!¡± Tania blurted, but she gasped and forced a smile after that. ¡°Fine. I¡¯m the useless one. Since you¡¯re so amazing, why don¡¯t you take up this duty to get closer to Elise?¡± She paused for a while before she turned to Russell. ¡°I admit that I¡¯m useless, Dad. I¡¯m sorry. From now on, I¡¯ll stay at home so that I don¡¯t cause you guys more trouble. I believe Daniel can be the one to realize your amazing n. I¡¯m tired, so I¡¯ll go to bed now.¡± Russell parted his lips as if he were about to say something, but Tania didn¡¯t give him the chance to speak¡ªshe turned and went upstairs immediately. Daniel seized this opportunity to step forward and tter his father. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her, Dad. She¡¯s a girl¡ªwhat help can she be? We just need to make sure that she gets married to a good man so that she doesn¡¯t continue spending our money. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure to settle things with Elise, and I¡¯ll make sure to do it well.¡± ¡°Does that mean that you have an idea on how to deal with this?¡± Russell asked. Daniel smiled in a confident manner. ¡°Tania said that things didn¡¯t work out with Alexander, right? Since a pretty woman can¡¯t do the job, then we¡¯ll use a handsome man to do the same thing. I have a friend who¡¯s great with women¡­¡± ¡­ It was in the wee hours of the night when the lights above the door of the surgical theater went off. ude walked out of the room without any expression on his face. Thomas, who had recovered his energy by then, charged over to grab ude¡¯s shoulders before shaking ude. ¡°How was it? The man¡¯s not dead, is he?¡± Alexander and Elise gathered around them as Thomas spoke. ude tilted his head sideways to give Thomas a tired smile. ¡°What happens if the man is alive and awake?¡± he asked in a yful tone. ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± Thomas pulled his hands away. ¡°For this patient¡¯s case, God would have to create a miracle to allow you to perform a craniotomy and keep him alive at the same time.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe in God,¡± ude uttered with a smile still on his face. ¡°Go in and take a look. If I¡¯m telling the truth, you have to be my disciple. How does that sound?¡± ¡°Bring it on!¡± Thomas threw his hands up before he strode into the surgical theater. ude turned to look at Elise then. ¡°I¡¯ve done all that I can¡ªyou¡¯ll have to do the rest. I need to go home and sleep for a few days,¡± he said weakly. ¡°Thank you for the hard work,¡± Elise replied. She had just finished speaking when a figure charged out of the surgical theater. Elise, Alexander, and ude turned around to find Thomas with a pale and dumbfounded look on his face as he stood by the door. ¡°Why do you look so shocked?¡± Elise grumbled. ude, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t surprised by Thomas¡¯ reaction. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you toe to me, okay?¡± ude said in a seductive tone as he raised an eyebrow and winked at Thomas. Both Alexander and Elise felt goosebumps forming on their skin. ude didn¡¯t seem to notice anything odd about his own actions and merely stretched his limbs before he headed to the lounge. Soon enough, the nurses pushed Joseph out of the surgical theater. Thomas only came to his senses when he felt one of the roller trays bumping against his leg. He hastily got out of the way while Elise followed the patient to the ward. Alexander had been about to go with her when he turned back and stared at Thomas. ¡°Snap out of it!¡± he ordered. Thomas felt like he only recovered from his shock then. He patted his chest as he thought, This world is just too scary. Elise and her friend are too scary. Judging by the current medical technology, that patient shouldn¡¯t have stood a chance of survival. But that guy¡­ I can¡¯t believe he did it. When Thomas charged into the surgical theater just now, he found Joseph with his eyes wide open. Thomas felt as if his soul had been sucked out of his body when he saw Joseph breathing on his own, like any other normal human being. Learning has no limits, huh. I finally understand how the same principle can be applied in medicine. There is no illness that¡¯s too tough to be cured, only doctors who aren¡¯t good enough to cure them. Thomas shut his eyes and thought about it for a moment before he followed behind them to Joseph¡¯s ward. When Thomas entered the ward, he saw that the rest of the doctors and nurses had already been chased out of the room. Joseph¡¯s bed had been adjusted so that he could sit upright, and it was clear that they were about to have a talk. Thomas could tell that they wouldn¡¯t want others to be there, so he locked the door after he entered the room. Then, he positioned himself by the side of the room. Joseph looked a little hesitant when he saw Thomas, but Elise quickly reassured Joseph. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s one of our own. He¡¯s Aldric¡¯s disciple.¡± Chapter 436 Chapter 436 Chapter 436 Making Room to Run Who said anything about being that guy¡¯s disciple? Thomas was stunned once more. Who are these people? Forget it. I¡¯ll just listen to what they have to say for now. Joseph nodded before he spoke weakly. ¡°About a year ago, the organization began to receive orders to search for known physicists in every nation. Since it was just a search for some professionals, I got a few of the regr staff members to work on it. However, we didn¡¯t get any positive responses until I received news about Timothy and Sasha. Things began to change then. We found out that there were at least two other groups of people who were looking for them. It seemed like these two groups were pretty powerful people. So, I handed the job over to the mafia and got them to take charge of it. Xavier received news about Timothy before I fell into aa. He proceeded to check on the situation, but our headquarters were invaded before I heard from him again. Someone attacked me after that, and I¡¯ve been in aa since.¡± ¡°So, there are now three groups of people going after Timothy and Sasha,¡± Elise uttered with a grim look on her face. Joseph nodded. ¡°You know how SK Group is. Once they start a mission, they don¡¯t stop until they¡¯re done.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve logged on a few times in the past months, but I¡¯ve never seen Xavier online. Could he have¡­?¡± Elise made a wild guess. The organization would assign search missions to its members from time to time, and some forces might have attempted to create diversions in order to capture SK Group¡¯s people for their own use. They might have attempted to capture those who were carrying out the mission. Considering that Xavier received the news after Timothy and Sasha had been off the radar for so long, it was possible that it was a trap, and Xavier might have fallen for it. ¡°I can¡¯t be sure either,¡± Joseph uttered with a solemn look. ¡°If what you said is true, then it¡¯s possible that things might be going smoothly for Xavier, but it might also be possible that something has happened to him. We¡¯d have to take action to save him if that¡¯s the case.¡± This is from N?velDrama.Org. Elise nodded in agreement. However, she had a few concerns regarding the matter. ¡°How are we going to save him?¡± she mumbled to herself. The world was arge ce, and they had to have some direction. They couldn¡¯t just search for him blindly. She had a point¡ªsince SK Group¡¯s headquarters had been overpowered by other forces, they had no means of obtaining information about Timothy and Sasha. If they made a move, they would be working without a solid n, which would be a waste of time. ¡°I remember there was a location provided when Xavierst gave me an update. It indicated that Timothy and Sasha¡¯s ancestors were in Lithium City.¡± Lithium City? Isn¡¯t that in the Northwest region? That¡¯s where the Sinir Familyes from. Elise thought about it for a long while. I¡¯ve been gone for so long. Perhaps it¡¯s time to head back to take a look. Chapter 437 Chapter 437 Chapter 437 Who Said I¡¯m Apologizing? Before dawn arrived, the group of them led Joseph, who was fully awake, and ude, who had copsed from exhaustion, back to the house. They had just got out of the car when a stern-looking man hurried out of the house and strode toward Alexander. ¡°Mr. Griffith.¡± The man wasn¡¯t tall, yet he seemed like a fierce man because of his actions and demeanor. ¡°Yeah.¡± Alexander nodded before he turned to introduce the man to Elise. ¡°This is Clement. He used to help me with my work overseas, and he¡¯ll be responsible for the safety of the houses from now onward.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Elise uttered with a polite smile. ¡°No worries. I¡¯m just following orders,¡± Clement said with a nk expression on his face. His gaze was fixed at a space in front of him, but it seemed like his eyes weren¡¯t focused on any particr object. Elise could sense great hostilitying from the man. ¡­ The few of them had just helped Joseph to settle down when Danny strutted over curiously. ¡°Hey, Elise. Why didn¡¯t you tell me that you knew Aldric? Why don¡¯t you promote me to him, huh?¡± Danny uttered with a yful look on his face. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. SK Group is a mess now¡ªyou¡¯ll probably get turned into ashes if you enter the organization.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that smart, but I¡¯m pretty sure I have enoughbat skills to save my life, don¡¯t you think?¡± Danny scratched his head grumpily. All of a sudden, his eyes lit up as he shuffled over to whisper in Elise¡¯s ear. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about something. Do you want to hear my theory?¡± ¡°You can tell me if you want to.¡± Elise was rubbing a needle between her fingers, and she didn¡¯t even bother to look at him. Danny pouted for a moment before he started speaking in an unenthusiastic tone. ¡°I just wanted to say that you seem really simr to Master Eliza from SK Group. You¡¯re really skilled, after all.¡± Elise chuckled when she heard him. He isn¡¯t that dumb after all. However, she didn¡¯t respond to him. Danny walked over to the door as he was disheartened by herck of response. Coincidentally, he bumped into Clement, who was bringing tea into the room. ¡°Clement?¡± Danny gave Clement a friendly punch in the chest when he saw him. ¡°Dude! Weren¡¯t you sent over to Africa? When did you get back?¡± ¡°Today.¡± It was almost as if Clement had a quota for the number of words he could say in a day. Danny continued to pound his fists on Clement as he bbered on. Clement¡¯s figure wobbled in response to Danny¡¯s heavy punches, but he had the same emotionless look on his face. Every man had a master¡ª it seemed like Danny was Clement¡¯s master. ¡­ Daniel invited himself over to the house after breakfast. He stopped Elise as she was walking in the courtyard. ¡°Have you gathered the hyacinth serum?¡± she asked with an eyebrow raised. ¡°Well¡­ I need a little more time for that.¡± Daniel gave her a vague answer before he changed the topic. ¡°Look, there¡¯s another reason I¡¯m here, Elise.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± she asked. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. He let out a sigh before putting on a troubled look. ¡°Maxwell paid a visit to the Andersons just now.¡± ¡°Maxwell? Who¡¯s that?¡± Elise eyed him puzzledly. Daniel froze as he thought, You sure are a brave one! How could you attack someone¡¯s daughter without knowing who her father is? ¡°Maxwell is Maya¡¯s father,¡± Daniel said in the most patient tone he could muster. ¡°Oh. What¡¯s your point?¡± Elise uttered in an equally peaceful tone. ¡°Maya has fallen extremely ill after she left your ce. Maxwell is furious, and he said that he will not let you go so easily. Fortunately, my father stepped forward to calm Maxwell down. I also gave Maxwell some valuable herbs to apologize on behalf of you. We managed to soothe Maxwell¡¯s temper, and all of this will be over as long as you agree to go over and treat Maya,¡± Daniel stated in a confident tone. ¡°Who told you that I wanted to apologize to them? You can treat her since you¡¯re the one who made the promise.¡± Elise didn¡¯t fall for his words at all. ¡°That¡¯s not right of you to say that, Elise.¡± Daniel was dumbfounded by her words. I came here to show her that I¡¯m a nice person. How did I end up taking responsibility for her mess? Chapter 438 Chapter 438 Chapter 438 Are You Questioning My Fianc¨¦¡¯s Status? ¡°What should I say, then? Should I thank you for embarrassing me and causing more trouble for me?¡± Elise frowned, hinting at Daniel to stop messing with her. The corner of Daniel¡¯s lips twitched in frustration. Is she implying that my efforts to help her turned out to be creating more problems? It¡¯s fine if she doesn¡¯t understand how powerful the Dahlen Family is, but wouldn¡¯t a regr person understand that they would have to bear the consequences after hurting someone else¡¯s daughter? Both Russell and Daniel had used all of their efforts on trying to convince the Dahlen Family, and they had even offered them some expensive herbs. Yet, it seemed like Russell and Daniel¡¯s actions were pointless in Elise¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡¯re still young, Elise; perhaps that¡¯s why youck foresight in this situation. Do you know that the Dahlens hold almost as much power as what the Griffiths used to hold? If we hadn¡¯t helped you earlier, you would have to suffer in Tissote from now onward,¡± Daniel exined in a solemn tone. ¡°Haha¡­¡± Elise responded with a fakeugh. ¡°You¡¯re right. I had no reason to interact with people like them at first, but now, thanks to you, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m stuck in this mess.¡± She paused to watch the look of disbelief spreading across Daniel¡¯s face. ¡°You should end what you¡¯ve started. Since you were so thoughtful to help me with this matter, why don¡¯t you help me treat their daughter as well, huh? I¡¯ll thank your whole family for the efforts, okay?¡± The mixture of emotions that filled Daniel¡¯s face was pure entertainment to Elise. Daniel had imagined all the possible reactions Elise might give him, but he hadn¡¯t expected her to be so unappreciative of his actions. Yet, since things hade to that point, Daniel couldn¡¯t embarrass himself by rejecting her request. He had already done half the work¡ªhe couldn¡¯t just give up then. ¡°Fine. Since you asked for my help, I¡¯ll do you another favor this time! But I hope you remember that you owe me one once I¡¯m done treating the patient, Elise!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen!¡± Elise shot him an emotionless stare. She sure is a stubborn one, Daniel thought. But she has underestimated my patience and greed! She doesn¡¯t want to owe me anything, right? Well, I¡¯m going to make sure that she does! I just have to treat a patient, after all. The Andersons have nurtured a good number of skillful doctors in the past years, and they have helped cure loads of rich people. Maya is just another one of those people, right? ¡°Fine. We¡¯ll see how it goes, Elise!¡± Daniel gritted his teeth and spoke in an animated manner. Before he stormed off, he made sure to give her a final, firm re. However, it only took an hour for Daniel to realize that he had embarrassed himself once more. Russell rushed over in search of Daniel, but he only found Trevor and Jeanie when he arrived. ¡°Jeanie,¡± Russell cried anxiously. ¡°Where¡¯s Yoyo? Tell her to get out here to save Daniel! Daniel offered to treat the Dahlens¡¯ daughter as he was trying topensate for the mistakes that Yoyo made. But now, Miss Dahlen is in a great deal of pain, and the Dahlens think that Daniel was trying to curse them. They¡¯ve captured him, and they¡¯re threatening to end his life if anything happens to Miss Dahlen!¡± Trevor¡¯s expression remained nk and he said mockingly, ¡°Remember when my dad and I were stuck in our beds in Pinewood Hospital? We were in a simrly life-threatening situation then, but why didn¡¯t you and Daniel show up to help us? If my memory serves me right, you guys didn¡¯t even care for Mom and Grandma. I know Yoyo well¡ªI know that she wouldn¡¯t want to get involved in this. I think you should leave and go elsewhere to find a solution.¡± Russell was displeased about Trevor¡¯s tone. However, for the sake of Daniel, Russell decided to hold his temper back and stayed where he was. ¡°I want to see Yoyo,¡± Russell repeated in a stubborn voice. ¡°Yoyo is extremely busy during the day. Even if she¡¯s back, I wouldn¡¯t want to see her tiring herself out even more by wasting her energy on some troublemaker. You should leave now.¡± Jeanie¡¯s words were brutal. ¡°A troublemaker?!¡± Russell was already frustrated to begin with, and he was even more furious when he heard Jeanie. ¡°You watched Daniel grow up, Jeanie. How could you call him a troublemaker? You guys were never so cold-hearted in the past. Did Yoyo decide to cut ties and forget about her own uncle when she has only been living away from home for a while?¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t talk about our rtional ties when you¡¯ve always been heartless to us.¡± An icy, bone- chilling voice sounded from behind Russell right after he finished his sentence. Alexander and Elise walked over together, and Alexander positioned himself right in front of Russell. ¡°If you think Ellie is a heartless person, then you can stop using rtionships to persuade us to do anything. Why don¡¯t we talk business, Mr. Anderson?¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. Human connections were ultimately transactional rtionships, after all¡ªsome individuals may agree to exchange one valuable thing for another. However, people like Russell were the ones who would use the excuse of rtional ties and bonds to guilt-trip others into doing things for him. Alexander wasn¡¯t about to let Russell y the same trick this time. Alexander decided that he wouldn¡¯t hold back with Russell since Russell was the one who asked for it. The strong aura in the air made Russell¡¯s pupils shrink. ¡°W-What business?¡± he asked weakly. ¡°Elise can treat the Dahlens¡¯ daughter, but you¡¯ll have to use all of the Anderson Family¡¯s shares to pay for it, Mr. Anderson.¡± Alexander¡¯s face was void of any emotion. Even Elise raised an eyebrow when she heard his words. In the past, Elise had heard rumors about Alexander being the most unforgiving and harsh opponent in the business industry. However, when she actually got to witness him negotiating with another individual, she was still surprised by the power he had to force others into a corner. ¡°We¡¯re talking about family matters here. You¡¯re not officially married to Yoyo, so you shouldn¡¯t stick your nose into other people¡¯s business, President Griffith.¡± Russell gave Alexander a warning. The Andersons¡¯ shares were practically their family¡¯s lifeline¡ªRussell wouldn¡¯t even agree to touch 1% of the shares, let alone all of it. Furthermore, with the high unpredictability in the markets, even an additional 1% might determine their wins and losses. Russell didn¡¯t want to test his luck. ¡°Are you questioning my fianc¨¦¡¯s status in the family?¡± Elise shot Russell a re. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll just repeat what he said. If you want me to save your son, you¡¯ll have to give us all the Anderson Family¡¯s shares. Otherwise, you can just wait around for your son¡¯s funeral!¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± Russell had tried his best to maintain a gentlemanly tone throughout their conversation, but his fa?ade was fading as he widened his eyes to re at Elise. ¡°Fine. If you don¡¯t agree to save him, then I won¡¯t have you as my niece from today onward!¡± ¡°Ooh, that¡¯s terrifying.¡± Alexander stuck his head out and leaned closer to the other man. ¡°It seems like you¡¯ve forgotten that you guys are the ones trying to build connections with my fianc¨¦e. Do you think we¡¯d be bothered after we get rid of a piece of gum that has been sticking onto our shoes?¡± A piece of gum? How dare he describe me that way? I¡¯ve lived for so long, but I¡¯ve never been offended in such a horrible manner. Russell felt his rage building up in his chest, but he couldn¡¯t seem to release it at them, nor could he swallow and conceal his anger. In the end, he kept his mouth shut, and he spun around and stormed off. Russell had only taken a few steps when he heard a phone ringing from behind him. Alexander held his phone up, and he felt his eyebrow twitching when he saw the caller ID. Elise squinted to read the caller ID on the screen. ¡®Mommy,¡¯ it read. Chapter 439 Chapter 439 Chapter 439 He Won¡¯t, But I Will Alexander zoned out and stared at the screen for a while before Elise snatched the phone over to pick up the call. She had just ced the phone against her ear when she heard Madeline¡¯s stern tone on the other end of the call. ¡°I know you¡¯re willing to do anything for that woman you like, Alexander, but we are your parents¡ªwe were the ones who brought you up! If you refuse to stay by our sides and repay our sacrifices, you should at least stop causing trouble for us! You think of Elise as some perfect angel, but has she ever cared for you? Everyone in Tissote knows that you¡¯re my son. Whatever you guys did to Maya¡­ Have you ever considered how that would impact your father and me? You abandoned everyone in the Griffith Family for your own selfish reasons, and you¡¯re enjoying your life out there. Yet, you¡¯re making us pay for your stubborn behavior. I¡¯ve wasted more than 20 years of my life caring for you, Alexander. Do you think I deserve to be ced in this situation?!¡± Madeline¡¯s voice was piercing¡ªit hurt Elise¡¯s eardrums just to listen to the woman. ¡°Are you done?¡± Elise¡¯s calm voice sounded while Madeline paused to take a breath. ¡°Why are you the one answering the phone?¡± Madeline froze for a moment before she continued speaking in a sarcastic voice. ¡°I sure taught my son well! Now, he¡¯s even ignoring his mother for the sake of some woman!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. You did a good job teaching your son. But if you¡¯re not impressed with whatever he¡¯s doing, then why are you calling him now?¡± Elise asked tly. ¡°I know why. Deep down, you know that Alexander will never bring himself to be cruel to you guys¡ªthat¡¯s why you¡¯re not afraid to confront him in such a harsh tone. You know that I¡¯m the one who did those things to Maya, but you¡¯re too afraid to question me, right? That¡¯s because you know that Alexander¡¯s the only one who will give in to your bad temper. You wish to control his whole life, and you proceed to hurt him whenever he tries to rebel against you. He might not be a good son, but do you think you¡¯re a good mother? Do you think speaking in grandiose terms makes you right? You im that your actions are for his own good, but the truth is that you¡¯re doing all of this just to satisfy your sick and terrifying need for control!¡± Elise then handed the phone back to Alexander. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I lost control of myself there.¡± It was rare for Alexander to see Elise say so much in one go, so he was rather stunned at first. He stared dazedly at her side profile for a few seconds before he took the phone from her. He ended the call without any hesitation. Elise noticed what he did from the corner of her eye, but she quietly turned away to act as if she didn¡¯t know anything. They were silent for a while before Alexander changed the topic. ¡°I¡¯m going out for a whileter. There¡¯ve been too many uncontroble forces surfacing in Tissote recently¡ªI need to go check it out.¡± First, it was their opponent; then, it was the SK Group. There were even some influential individuals who were showing up in the ck market because of Elise. Tissote was a melting pot at that point. ¡°I got it. You can go ahead,¡± Elise replied. ¡°Okay.¡± Alexander turned to give Jeanie a nod¡ªthat was his form of greeting to her. Then, he walked out of the house calmly, as if the entire phone call hadn¡¯t happened at all. Trevor watched Alexander leave before he parted his lips to speak. ¡°Is he secretly going to treat that Dahlen girl?¡± ¡°He won¡¯t do that. He¡¯d tell me if he wanted to do so,¡± Elise replied in a firm, confident tone. Trevor turned to look at the determination in Elise¡¯s eyes. It looks like there¡¯s still a lot that I don¡¯t understand about Elise and Alexander¡¯s rtionship. ¡°But I can¡¯t say the same for myself,¡± Elise uttered as she walked out. She changed directions when she arrived at the front door¡ªshe turned around to sneak into the house next door, where Alexander stayed. ude was secretly stalking Clement. He made sure to keep a safe distance as he was afraid to get too close to the man. Which troop did he belong to in the past? Why haven¡¯t I heard of his name? I can¡¯t even find any information about him. He doesn¡¯t exist on the records at all. ude had been immersed in his thoughts when he felt someone kicking his leg. He was taken by surprise, and his body fell forward in Clement¡¯s direction as he tripped on his own feet. As ude was about to fall into Clement¡¯s arms, he saw the vicious look in Clement¡¯s eyes, and he had an immediate vision of himself being dismembered. With all the flexibility he could summon in his body, he forced himself to twist his body sideways. In the end, he managed to dodge Clement¡¯s body to land on his bottom instead. ¡°Ouch!¡± ude rubbed his bruised bottom before he looked up to find Elise staring at him. He immediately started fake-crying. ¡°You could¡¯ve warned me before you kicked me! I would¡¯ve just moved aside! You nearly gave me a heart attack with your ambush!¡± Elise merely gave him an uninterested stare. ¡°Get up. I need you to do some trantions.¡± This is from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Trantions?¡± ude got to his feet grumpily, and he brushed the dirt off his bottom as he spoke. ¡°I can only speak my nationalnguage and I don¡¯t know any othernguages. What am I supposed to trante?¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Elise no longer had the desire to speak as she had used up all her words with Madeline. ¡°All I need is your unfiltered bbermouth.¡± ude immediately understood what was going on when he heard what she said. He hurried over like an excited puppy. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I promise to capture and convey the essence of your intentions!¡± Clement, who hadn¡¯t been involved in the conversation thus far, couldn¡¯t help but nce at the two people. For some reason, ude reminds me of a follower who¡¯s unconditionally supportive of his leader. He might not realize this, but his eyes are filled with admiration and joy whenever he looks at Elise. ¡­ Meanwhile, at the Dahlen Residence, Maya was curled up into a ball in bed. Her loud screams filled the entire vi as she cried out in agony. ¡°It hurts, Dad! I¡¯m in so much pain. Save me! Am I dying, Dad? I don¡¯t want to die! Ahhh!¡± Maxwell stood up and grabbed Daniel by his cor when he heard his daughter¡¯s agonizing screams. ¡°If anything happens to my daughter, you will not step out of here alive!¡± he growled while looking Daniel in the eye. Behind Daniel were a few famous doctors whom Daniel had brought to treat Maya. Right then, they felt their legs turning to jelly as they crouched down and trembled in fear. They were too afraid to make a single noise. ¡°Please calm down, Mr. Dahlen! Miss Dahlen is going to be fine!¡± Daniel held his arms in front of his chest to protect himself. He no longer had his usual, cheery look on his face. Initially, Daniel thought he had it all nned out. He had brought a few of the most prestigious doctors to treat Maya¡¯s illness, so Daniel was certain that whatever the doctors did would do more good than harm. I can¡¯t believe Maya¡¯s condition deteriorated after the first doctor just started performing acupuncture on her! Her condition now looks ten times worse than before¡ªshe looks like she¡¯s about to have a seizure. Maxwell lost his temper, and he immediately assumed that Daniel and Elise were on the same side. Once Maya¡¯s condition worsened, Maxwell ordered his servants to give Daniel a fierce beating. Daniel could still feel his bones aching. Fortunately, his assistant had been smart enough to rush home to deliver the message, and all Daniel could do then was to stall them. ¡°She¡¯s going to be fine, huh?! Listen to that! Does she sound fine to you?!¡± Maxwell didn¡¯t allow Daniel to exin himself. Instead, Maxwell shoved Daniel onto the ground and gave the servants his orders. ¡°Drag him out to the back and break one of his legs. He¡¯ll suffer for as long as my daughter suffers.¡± Chapter 440 Chapter 440 Chapter 440 Half of the Dahlen Family¡¯s Fortune ¡°Got it!¡± The servants immediately stepped forward and heaved Daniel up to bring him to the backyard. ¡°No! Mr. Dahlen! Wait! My dad is bringing more men over! If hees and finds out that my leg is broken, he won¡¯t agree to treat your daughter!¡± Daniel used his legs to stop himself from being dragged away as he spoke to Maxwell in a flustered tone. ¡°Your father? Hah! I¡¯m breaking your leg aspensation for what you¡¯ve done to my daughter. I would do the same thing even if your father was here to witness it!¡± Maxwell knitted his brows in anger. ¡°What are you guys still doing here? Bring him out!¡± he barked. ¡°No! No!¡± Daniel thrashed his limbs around, and another two servants ran over to help when the first two servants couldn¡¯t tackle him on their own. It took four of them to keep him under control. Maxwell changed his orders when he saw how uncooperative Daniel was. ¡°You guys can break his leg here!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± One of the servants already had a bat in his hand, and he stepped forward before raising the heavy bat up into the air. He was just about to swing the bat when one of the maids hurried into the room. ¡°Elise has brought her people over, Mr. Dahlen!¡± Maxwell gritted his teeth as he waved an arm to signal his servants to step back. ¡°You guys can leave him for now,¡± he ordered as he returned to his seat on the couch. ¡°Bring them in,¡± he told the maid. Daniel heaved a sigh of relief¡ªhe had been so close to losing a leg. He immediately scrambled to his feet before tidying his hair and shirt. Then, he stood in a corner with his gaze cast downward. Soon enough, Elise and ude walked into the room. When Elise heard the noiseing from upstairs, she could vaguely estimate Maya¡¯s condition based on the intensity of her cries. ¡°Are you the one who did this to my daughter?¡± Maxwell¡¯s face darkened as he questioned Elise in a ming tone. Elise didn¡¯t respond to him and simply shot a nce at ude. ude nodded before he walked over with a cocky expression on his face. ¡°Watch your words. Your busybody daughter wouldn¡¯t have ended up in this situation if she hadn¡¯t overstepped her boundaries and messed with Elise.¡± ¡°Who are you to say that about my daughter?!¡± Maxwell narrowed his eyes as he red at ude, with the aura and power of the head of a family. ¡°I¡¯d rmend you not to mess around here. After seeing what the perpetrator did to my daughter, I¡¯ve already decided that I¡¯ll make that person pay for their actions! Although the Dahlen Family doesn¡¯t have the power of Gods, we aren¡¯t easy targets!¡± When Maxwell realized Maya¡¯s cries were starting to get louder, he felt increasingly frustrated. Could Elise be the only person who can save my daughter? At that thought, Maxwell dropped the harsh attitude that he had just moments ago. ¡°Miss Sinir, I¡¯ll give you anything you want, as long as you promise to let my daughter and I go!¡± ¡°Why did you have to offer me anything? I came over because I wanted to save your daughter,¡± Elise muttered as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. Maxwell froze for a moment before he realized that he had made a terrible mistake. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Sinir. I was being foolish! I hope a kind soul like you will be able to forgive my shorings! Please cure my daughter of her suffering¡ªI promise I¡¯ll always be thankful to you!¡± he cried. ¡°I don¡¯t need you to be thankful. I¡¯m here to save a life¡ªmy intentions wouldn¡¯t be pure if I were doing it to win your gratitude, right?¡± Elise asked. Maxwell let out a long sigh. He had been about to thank Elise when he heard her speak once more. ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m not as kind of a person as I would like to be. For the sake of Alexander, I initially nned on asking for a tiny reward in return for my services. But now¡­ I¡¯ve changed my mind. I want half of the Dahlen Family¡¯s fortune!¡± ¡°Half of our fortune?!¡± Maxwell knitted his brows together. If their family lost half of their fortune, they would lose half of the power they had. If that happened, they would be humiliated and bullied by the rest of the families in Tissote. ¡°What is it? Are you not willing to give me the money?¡± Elise raised an eyebrow as she gave him a cunning smirk. ¡°No! No! Of course I¡¯m willing to give it to you! Of course! As long as you cure my daughter, I promise to give you half of my fortune!¡± Maxwell cried. ¡°Show her to the room!¡± he ordered his maid. ¡°Follow me, Miss Sinir!¡± the maid uttered. The few of them were prepared to head to Maya¡¯s room when Elise voiced up. ¡°I want everyone in the room to get out and wait outside.¡± Elise didn¡¯t speak in an extremely stern tone, but her voice had an impact on others¡ªit made everyone gasp in fear. The room was cleared out in a matter of seconds. Elise stepped into the room and shut the door behind her. A few secondster, Maya stopped screaming in pain. About two minutester, Elise walked out of the room. ¡°T-That¡¯s it? She¡¯s cured?¡± Maxwell asked weakly. Chapter 441 Chapter 441 Chapter 441 Murderer At such a time, even the most formidable doctor in Tissote couldn¡¯t determine a result. Maxwell looked at Elise suspiciously, and before she could say anything, he dashed into the room. Maya was seen lying still on the bed. From afar, she seemed like a body that was no longer breathing. ¡°Maya?¡± He warily approached. The room was as silent as the grave, and not a movement was seen. His heart skipped a beat before he lost his bnce and copsed to the ground as his face nched. ¡°Daddy¡¯s so sorry, Maya! I shouldn¡¯t have sent you to this murderer!¡± In the next second, a fragile voice came from above the bed. ¡°What are you doing, Daddy?¡± As if he had woken up from a nightmare, he sprung up from the ground and went to the bedside. With tears profusely shedding, he grabbed Maya¡¯s hand. ¡°You¡¯re fine! You¡¯re fine!¡± ¡°Who told you that?¡± Elise stood expressionlessly at the door. She pulled out a piece of prescription from her pocket and tossed it onto the ground. ¡°Do as the note says, for one month.¡± ¡°Will do, will do!¡± Maxwell gratefully nodded. Maya, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t grasp why her father would behave so courteously in front of the woman. She was about to say something but was eventually held back by her illness. ude briefly peeked at the prescription on the ground and let out a couple of coughs with his fist before his lips. He stared at Elise as if he was pondering. Oh, merciless Father! The sick woman¡¯s gonna lose her sense of taste after one month based on what¡¯s on the prescription. ¡°Don¡¯t forget your promise to me,¡± Elise calmly said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll have somebody clear up some properties and transfer them to you right away!¡± Maxwell replied. Coldly, Elise nced toward the figure on the bed before turning around to walk down the staircase. Following behind her was ude, who¡ªdespite her shady action¡ªjoyously inquired, ¡°The building¡¯s full of doctors, Father. Don¡¯t you fear the prescription would get seen through?¡± Without even turning back, Elise answered, ¡°Do you think anybody could deny anything I came up with?¡± Her tone was neither light nor weighty, yet ude couldn¡¯t help but feel a chill running up his spine. ¡°Cuzzie!¡± When they reached the first floor, Daniel was seen pettily approaching them. He seemed to want to grab Elise but didn¡¯t dare to do so. Thus, he awkwardly paused with a farewelling pose. ¡°I see you¡¯re leaving. Why don¡¯t you take your cousin brother along with you?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that noise?¡± Elise didn¡¯t even care to look at him. She turned around and asked, ¡°Since when did I have a cousin brother? Do you know?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± ude tacitly replied. ¡°Come on, Cuz! I only offended Maxwell for your sake. You¡¯re not gonna ignore me, are you?¡± Daniel attempted to shift the me away from himself. ¡°For my sake?¡± Elise stared straight into his soul. ¡°Did I ask you to rescue the patient by putting her life in danger? Did I ask you to toy with Maya¡¯s life?¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. ¡°I¡ª¡± Daniel was rendered speechless. Hasty, he went on a tangent. ¡°They¡¯re going to break one of my legs, Cuz. Do you really not care about me?¡± ¡°I do. Of course I do.¡± Elise took out a bag of medicinal powder from her pocket with a pair of fingers and tossed it into his hand. ¡°I mixed this myself. It¡¯s the most effective painkiller you¡¯ll ever know. Take it after they take away your leg, and I assure you won¡¯t feel any pain within twenty-four hours.¡± Saying that, she patted Daniel¡¯s shoulder and walked out of the room. Having only taken a couple of steps, she stopped and turned around, reminding, ¡°By the way, there¡¯s a side effect to the medication. After twenty-four hours, the pain on your leg will worsen tenfold. Do consume at your own risk!¡± Unlike a quack doctor, she made sure to give her patients gentle reminders. Daniel was left thoroughly dumbfounded. ¡­ When Elise arrived at home, she bumped into Alexander, who also coincidentally returned. They greeted each other at the doorstep. ¡°Where did you go?¡± Alexander quizzed. ¡°Went to buy some herbs,¡± Elise answered. ¡°Herbs?¡± Seeing ude, who was behind her, was empty-handed, he subtly smiled. He did not intend to expose her. ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± After saying that, instead of going back to his own house, he went into Elise¡¯s yard. Upon entering the door, they saw Jackson and a few other uniformed police officers surrounding the yard. At their arrival, Jackson approached Elise. ¡°Excuse me, Miss Sinir. I¡¯ll need you to follow me.¡± ¡°Jackson.¡± Alexander frowned. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Sorry, Mr. Griffith. Things happened so suddenly I couldn¡¯t properly greet you.¡± Jackson orderly uttered, ¡°Three authoritative professors from Tissote University¡¯s physics department were found dead this dawn. And Miss Sinir¡¯s notebook was found at the scene. She¡¯s now our only suspect, so we urgently need her cooperation.¡± ¡°You could use some improvements in how you run things.¡± Alexander was visibly hostile. ¡°Hasn¡¯t anyone told you that Elise hadn¡¯t been to sstely?¡± ¡°You should know, Mr. Griffith, that not attending ss doesn¡¯t mean not going to school,¡± Jackson calmly stated. Ultimately, Elise and the rest were brought to the crime scene. Due to the massive number of people in Tissote University, two police cordons were set up around the area to prevent any trespassers and possible rumor spread. Walking past the police cordon, the group of people came to the physicsb building. Chapter 442 Chapter 442 Chapter 442 Can¡¯t Be Her At that moment, Elise viciously stared into the distance and caught a familiar figure among the crowd surrounding the barricade tape. It was Addison, and she was sporting a vest that was normally worn by witnesses. She was also carrying a stack of books in her arms as she stood on her toes, trying to see what was happening within the tapes. Seeing her, Elise scowled as she clenched her fists. If Addison were to appear in that manner at such a time, the police would definitely take her away. Since she had always been responsible for Elise¡¯s notebook, a simple interrogation in the department could swiftly reach her. Noticing the change on Elise¡¯s face, Alexander turned to where she was looking and immediately knew what was going on. Remainingposed, he pretended as if he was looking for evidence and slowly faded into the crowd. Very soon, he was already behind Addison, and no one even noticed his presence. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. ¡°Why are there so many cops? What¡¯s happening?¡± Addison muttered to herself. As soon as her words were voiced, her shoulder was grabbed. Subconsciously, she turned around and saw Alexander. ¡°Al¡ª¡± Before she could finish calling out his name, the man did a shushing gesture, and Addison instantly shut her mouth. Then, Alexander signaled her with his eyes, asking her not to do anything reckless. With that, she nodded and both of them fled the scene without drawing any attention. Seeing that, Elise heaved a sigh of relief. All of a sudden, the forensic officer hade to a result. He walked to Jackson and took off his mask, casually informing, ¡°We suspect theymitted suicide with drugs. Possibilities of homicide are eliminated.¡± ¡°Suicide?¡± Jackson expressed his suspicion. ¡°There must have been some kind of mistake. Why would three professors with bright futures suddenly decide to give up on life?¡± ¡°I¡¯m gonna need you to trust me on this, Captain Gleeman. Or perhaps you could check it out for yourself.¡± The forensic officer obviously had his share of temper. He unequipped his gloves and handed them to Jackson. Scornfully, Jackson flinched his neck and glowered. Is it actually okay for him to swing those corpse- touching gloves around? ¡°Never mind.¡± Jackson continued, ¡°It¡¯s your job. I just need a detailed report from you. As for the rest, I¡¯ll do my job ordingly.¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± An assistant came over with a stic bag, to which the forensic officer threw the gloves into it before smugly walking out of the barricade tape. ¡°The case¡¯s not done. Where are you going?¡± Jackson attempted to stop him. ¡°But my job¡¯s already done.¡± The forensic officer, without turning back, raised his hand and waved. ¡°See ya.¡± Everyone else was stunned by his behavior. Oh well, nothing good coulde from having to see the forensics anyway. As Jackson was about to walk away, a group of men in suits was seen rushing over to him. One of them was Simon, who apparently was the leader of the group. Jackson went to greet him. ¡°Why are you here, Mayor Bull?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here for a look-see.¡± Simon nodded. When he saw that Elise was present as well, he walked to her and questioned, ¡°Why are you here?¡± Elise squinted her eyes and pointed at Jackson with her chin as she raised her head. With a confusing expression, she answered, ¡°Your men suspect that I¡¯m the culprit.¡± Instantaneously, Simon revealed a frown. He turned to Jackson with anger in his eyes. ¡°Is that true?¡± Despite being baffled, Jackson countered with reasons of his own, ¡°The evidence we have on the scene all points to Miss Sinir.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be her,¡± Simon confidently imed. ¡°My men will handle this. Have your men stand down.¡± ¡°That¡¯s against thew, Mayor,¡± Jackson perturbedly replied. ¡°Against whatw? There¡¯s a problem, and I¡¯m here to solve it.¡± Simon¡¯s voice was thundering. He turned away to Elise and spoke with a significantly softer tone. ¡°You may head home.¡± ¡°Mayor Bull!¡± Jackson agitatedly stated, ¡°We have witnesses and evidence. ording to thew, we have forty-eight hours of custody of the suspect.¡± Simon was visibly infuriated. ¡°No, you¡¯re not hearing me. As I said, Elise is not the culprit. Are you doubting me now?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that¡­¡± Jackson grew glum, thinking he was about to upset a force that could easily drown him. Regardless, Simon was a clean figure. He would never hide any secrets in the system. A man like him would aim only to eliminate any kind of crime and injustice instead of shielding them. Jackson, on the other hand, was a rigid man who knew only to follow the rules and procedure. Despite his discipline, two things he was bad at were sugarcoating his words and improvising in situations. Thus, in his perspective, Simon was hiding something. Furthermore, Jackson had always been highly suspicious of Elise, as well as Max who was beside her. And with three deceased in a case, he wouldn¡¯t let her off so easily. ¡°You didn¡¯t mean that, nor do you mean to follow my orders, correct?¡± Simon¡¯s tone was growing colder. Before Jackson could respond, he raised his head to a bystanding officer and yelled, ¡°Where¡¯s Bart? Have him here right away!¡± Bartholomew Larson, or simply Bart, was the forensic officer that left earlier. In his absence, his assistant, head lowered, timidly mumbled, ¡°Officer Larson had left. He said the case was a suicide, and that there¡¯s nothing to look into.¡± ¡°The suspects are here but he¡¯s already gone? Where¡¯s his professionalism for Heaven¡¯s sake? I want to see him in my office first thing tomorrow,¡± Simon vexedly remarked. ¡°Yes, Mayor. I¡¯ll be sure to pass it on.¡± The assistant was still lowering his face, which was full of cold sweat. Having not the mood to care about such trivial matters, Simon apathetically turned around and gazed at Jackson in condescension. ¡°You heard him. Bart¡¯s the most proficient forensic officer in the force. Since he had announced the result¡ªthere was no culprit, then there¡¯s no culprit. Why are you persistent on having Elise to stay? Are you trying to dig up the truth, or are you trying to avenge a personal wrong?¡± ¡°How could you doubt me, Mayor?¡± Jackson was stupefied when he realized he¡¯d cast doom upon himself. ¡°I can doubt every single soul in the world. Why do you think you¡¯d make an exception?¡± With an icy re, Simon shouted at his assistant, ¡°Captain Gleeman obviously needs a break to clear his mind. Otherwise, he¡¯ll continue to forget the line between public and private matters and end up staining the force¡¯s reputation.¡± ¡°You¡¯re suspending me for this woman?¡± Jackson stared at him in dismay. ¡°Think whatever you want.¡± Having said that emotionlessly, Simon took Elise with him and left the crime scene. Chapter 443 Chapter 443 Chapter 443 Reuben Hunts Watching as Elise escaped right out of his grasp, Jackson angrily smashed his phone. Why is everyone willing to risk suspicion just to protect that pretty face? Just you wait. I¡¯ll dig up everything there is about you, Elise Sinir! ¡­ Having exited the police cordon, Simon had his assistant and men leave him, and he walked ahead with Elise. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the case. I¡¯ll handle it for you. Since you¡¯re studying at the university, you should focus on doing so. No one else wille to bother you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not worried.¡± Elise was being rather casual with mindlessness. After pausing for a moment, she switched the topic. ¡°Say, Mr. Bull, you summoned the best forensic officer in the force, and even came here yourself. There¡¯s more to this suicide than meets the eye, eh?¡± ¡°Though it sure met yours.¡± Simon faintly smiled before raising his head, revealing the glower on his face. ¡°Indeed, as you said, something¡¯s fishy about this case. In thest six months, there have already been four cases of suicidemitted by physicists in this city alone. This one¡¯s the fifth.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. As expected, it¡¯s aimed at physicists. Elise squinted her eyes. This must be rted to the group suicides Joseph mentioned. ¡°Physics is one of the mostplex subjects there ever are, and people who excel in this field are as rare as a pearl. A country¡¯s scientific development is closely determined by the standards of the nation¡¯s physicists. If these talented souls continue to go, physicists are going to go extinct in this country.¡± Simon was one who truly cared about the world, and he couldn¡¯t help but let out a sigh of disappointment when he thought of that. ¡°So you¡¯re suspecting the culprits are from overseas, and are deliberately targeting our scientists?¡± Elise tacitly quizzed. ¡°Beats me.¡± Simon shook his head in confusion. ¡°Simr cases have also happened in other countries, so¡­¡± Elise nodded in acknowledgment of his message. Rather than the techniques themselves, these countries are more interested in people who understand said techniques. There¡¯s no way they are willing to sacrifice these talents even for the sake of causing disputes. ¡°Okay. You shouldn¡¯t be concerned about such matters. Just focus on your own development, will ya?¡± Donning a senior¡¯s role, Simon gently patted Elise¡¯s head and expressed his affection for her. ¡°Just make sure you get to live a free life.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been doing.¡± Like an agile little hedgehog, she swiftly and noiselessly dodged the man¡¯s hand. She still couldn¡¯t get herself to get used to such intimate interaction. Head touching, for instance. Seeing her reaction, Simon wasn¡¯t exactly surprised. He then departed after saying his goodbyes. Elise, too, headed back to her courtyard house. More precisely, it was Alexander¡¯s courtyard house. When she entered the house, Miller and Addison were already inside. At Elise¡¯s arrival, Alexander went to her at once. ¡°Jackson¡¯s not going to let this off so easily. I¡¯ll handle him.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Elise nodded and paused for a second before warning Alexander, ¡°Be careful out there.¡± Alexander lifted hismissures and gave her an affirming gaze before leaving. Slightly stunned, Elise stood still to contemte for a while before entering the house. Straightforwardly, she interrogated Addison, ¡°You went to the physics department this morning?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± Addison innocently nodded. ¡°The substitute said that the professor left some homework there. So I went to fetch it, only to find no one in the room. I was even bumped into, literally.¡± ¡°Who bumped into you?¡± Elise pursued. ¡°I didn¡¯t see clearly. It was too early I wasn¡¯t even fully awake,¡± Addison imed. Upon those words, even ude realized what happened. ¡°Someone just set you up, girl. Do you know that?¡± ¡°How?¡± Addison was absolutely clueless. ¡°What happened back there? Is someone suspecting me for stealing a lost belonging?¡± As death was nothing minor, the higher ups in Tissote University, fearing the incident would harm the university¡¯s reputation, tried to contain the news as much as possible. Even the witnesses were told to keep things to themselves. And that was also why Addison had no idea what happened within the strict, barricaded area. ¡°Theft is nothing.¡± ude waddled carefreely to her and suddenly pulled a perplexing expression, muttering, ¡°Somebody¡¯s dead. Murder happened in the research building, and you, right now, are the biggest suspect the cops have eyes on!¡± ¡°M-Murder?¡± Shocked, Addison shot her eyes wide open. ¡°How can this be? I mean, why me?¡± ¡°There are witnesses that saw you showing up at the crime scene, and that you left Elise¡¯s notebook there. Those are enough to prove that you¡¯re the biggest suspect!¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not me!¡± Addison sprung up from her seat, startled, and she agitatedly grabbed Elise. ¡°Elise, I only went to submit my assignments. I know nothing! I don¡¯t even know who died!¡± ¡°Calm down. It¡¯s nothing. Don¡¯t worry and rx.¡± Elise softlyforted her. ¡°You have me here, don¡¯t you? I¡¯ll look into it. Trust me, okay?¡± Vaguely grasping the situation, Addison was still holding Elise¡¯s arm with her trembling hands. Chapter 444 Chapter 444 Chapter 444 Why the Persistence? Elise informed Addison, ¡°For now, stop attending ss and just stay here. Also, stop wearing that jacket. You may pick something else in my room.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Addison naively nodded. She was only an ordinary girl. For her to have gotten involved in an incident pertaining to death, she had surely grown less bold and were now less likely to go on a high profile. Shortly after, she grabbed Elise and said, ¡°Let¡¯s eat, Elise. I¡¯ve been living in fear for so long. I¡¯m starving!¡± After eating, ude pped his tummy and collected his belongings, preparing to head out. All of a sudden, a car was heard pulling up outside the house. Miller, who was rather on edge, went to the top floor. And after identifying the people in the car, she turned around and shouted, ¡°You don¡¯t have to go anymore.¡± ¡°What?¡± Drops of sweat surged on ude¡¯s forehead. I finally got the chance to prove myself, and she¡¯s suddenly telling us we no longer have to go? A few minutester, in Alexander¡¯s courtyard, Reuben, the witness who reported his sighting, was tied up and thrown onto the ground. His mouth was sealed off with a tape, and his eyes inly reflected his dissatisfaction. Elise knew who he was¡ªthe fellow student who stained her name by using her of cheating in the Mathematics Olympiad. Although he didn¡¯t reveal himself back then, she had heard things about him. ¡°Clement, can you please take him to the empty room inside?¡± Elise requested. Without a word, Clement turned to Alexander for confirmation. After receiving Alexander¡¯s answer, he lifted Reuben up with one arm and carried him into the room, to which Elise tightly followed. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Wanting to clear things up in her mind, Addison went after Elise. After putting the man on a chair inside the room, Clement tacitly retreated. He was like a robot that wouldn¡¯t show any expression regardless of what he was doing. Then, Addison shut the door, and Elise tore away the duct tape covering Reuben¡¯s mouth. ¡°I knew it was you, Elise! Aren¡¯t you too hasty, wanting to kill off any witness?¡± The initial words out of his mouth were already overstepping. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re not setting Addison up solely because you¡¯re envious of me. Tell me, who gave you the orders?¡± Elise went straight to the point, having no interest in taking detours. ¡°Give me orders? Why would a man with such an excellent academic performance and a bright future like me need to receive orders from anyone else? Am I sick of life already?¡± Reuben revealed a scornful grin. ¡°Besides, do you even have evidence? You don¡¯t. But I¡­ I am the proof itself¡ªthe living proof that¡¯s gonna prove that you¡¯re a sick murderer!¡± Chapter 445 Chapter 445 Chapter 445 Alexander¡¯s Solution ¡°You know, you look pretty good yourself, but why do you gotta be so vicious?¡±Addison angrily added, ¡°Don¡¯t you know that if either Elise or I end up in jail, one of us is gonna live with the infamy forever?!¡± ¡°What does that have to do with me?¡± Reuben apathetically continued, ¡°I¡¯m simply a member of society trying to fulfill my responsibilities, and whatever happens to you in the future is your own fault.¡± ¡°How dare you!¡± Addison was left tilted and speechless. As she was about to teach him a lesson, Elise reached out and stopped her. ¡°So, it seems like you¡¯re not going to be upfront either way,¡± Elise expressionlessly uttered. Reuben indifferently heaved a sigh as he sat up straight, leaning against the back of the chair. ¡°What is this, forced interrogation? No, more like a coercion against an innocent man. Sadly, Elise, you¡¯re underestimating me. No matter where I go, you¡¯re a murderer, and I¡¯ll tell that to anyone I see. Don¡¯t even think about changing my mind!¡± ¡°Oh, man¡¯s got the balls.¡± Elise lifted her eyebrows and spoke in a tone that was neither light nor heavy. Slowly, she raised her arm, revealing the silver needle in her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s see how long your balls willst you.¡± Saying that, she probed the needle into his skin around his cor that was not concealed by his clothes. Instantly, Reuben could feel a sting and electricity surging through his entire body. Gnarling his teeth, he forced himself not to blurt a sound as he subconsciously clenched his fist. No matter how hard he tried to suppress the torment, his agony still showed on his face. Nheless, because of that, Elise was reassured that his identity was not as simple as an ordinary physics student like any other. ¡°Pushing the limits, aren¡¯t we?¡± Elise revealed a cold smirk as she cruelly went on, ¡°Oh, but this is only the beginning. I¡¯ve coated the needle with some type of powder I manufactured. As time passes by, your pain will only worsen, so I¡¯d advise you to speak up before we get there.¡± Reuben¡¯s body started to shiver from the pain, and he was sweating profusely on his forehead. As his vision was starting to get hazy, he began letting out whimpers. After some time, he slowly raised his head. Mustering everyst trace of conscience he had left, he forcibly opened his eyes. With his eyes filled with red, tiny veins, he persistently gazed at Elise, provoking her as he gritted his teeth, ¡°Is that all you¡¯ve got? Come on, give me all you got! No matter what you do, I won¡¯t surrender what I have!¡± His expression was so ferocious that even Addison, whose heart was filled with pique, couldn¡¯t help but feel shocked. Never had she seen a face as desperate as his from someone her age. It was as if Reuben was a prey that was forced to back into a corner and was putting up ast, struggling fight in its defense. Elise took a deep breath. After a pause of silence, she took the needle out of his body before turning around to leave. After all, the reason she studied medicine was to help others. Hence, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to use it for torture. ¡°Elise? You¡¯re leaving just like that?¡± Although Elise¡¯s methods were certainly barbaric, Addison couldn¡¯t help feeling distressed as the truth had yet to reveal itself. She then chased after Elise before stopping just two stepster. ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Reuben feebly snickered. ¡°Look, I haven¡¯t even started yelling and she¡¯s already feeling guilty about this.¡± ¡°Shut the f*ck up!¡± Addison¡¯s vulgarity revealed itself. ¡°Reuben, you¡¯re nothing but a disgrace to humanity!¡± Reuben used all his strength to get himself up against the back of the chair as he slothfully raised his eyebrows, giving her a look of ¡°whatever you say.¡± Frustrated, Addison clenched her teeth in anger and eventually left the room. Seeing the women hade out of the room, Alexander approached them. ¡°How did it go?¡± ¡°He wouldn¡¯t talk.¡± Elise shook her head and sighed. ¡°Worst guy ever!¡± Addison pouted her lips and yelled, ¡°What a sight for sore eyes!¡± Elise bitterly grinned. ¡°That¡¯s not what you think it means, dear.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? My eyes sore just by looking at him. Nothing else sounds worse than this.¡± Despite her proficiency in mathematics,nguage and literature were obviously not quite her forte. Elise slightly frowned but said nothing more. At that moment, Alexander extended his arm and tenderly patted her shoulder. ¡°Take a break. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± Having said that, he opened the door to the room and went inside. Reuben, having already regained his senses, was nowcently sitting on the chair. He shot Alexander a scornful gaze. ¡°Herees another one.¡± After a momentary pause, he goaded, ¡°Give me all you got. As long as I¡¯m still breathing, I¡¯ll expose everything that has taken ce here once I¡¯m out. Every single thing!¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. Alexander looked at him with a condescending leer, seemingly having no intention in participating in his debate. His ebony eyes, under the shadow of his fringes, appeared more grim by each second. Receiving no response, Reuben lifted his head as a tinge of confusion shed across his eyes. ¡°What¡¯s with the silence? Are we going soft now? I¡¯ll have you know that sugarcoating is not gonna work, so it¡¯s best that you swallow down whatever you intended to spit.¡± As if he didn¡¯t hear him, Alexander reached out his hand to grab a chair and sat before Reuben. He crossed his legs with his right ankle on top of his left knee before slowly raising his eyes, saying languidly, ¡°Reuben Hunt, the youngest member of the Physics Boundary Organization. Having gained the International Physics Award at the age of thirteen, you entered the organization and swiftly became one of its core members. You then involved yourself in countless ¡®suicide cases¡¯ of physicists within and outside the country, and had always managed to get away scot-free.¡± Hearing that, Reuben became visibly nervous. ¡°Who are you? How did you find out about Physics Boundary?¡± ¡°Not that you need to know.¡± Alexander remained a still face, and there was not a twitch in his still eyes. ¡°All you have to do is tell me why you made Elise one of your targets.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got nothing to say.¡± Reuben was stupefied as his eyes exposed his nervousness. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t tell me, do you think I won¡¯t be able to find it out? I¡¯m only giving you a chance to live.¡± Alexander¡¯s utterance was tranquil, as if he was casually speaking at home. Anyone outside the situation would assume he was only having a friendly chat. However, the mannerful man was, in fact, a threat to every living being. ¡°It seems like I¡¯m not leaving here alive if I continue to keep my mouth shut,¡± Reuben mumbled to himself as he lowered his head. ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, you can go look for the answers yourself!¡± Upon saying so, he lowered his head as much as he could and sneakily bit his own tongue. In a matter of seconds, when Alexander realized it, he quickly went to grab his hair and lifted his head, only to find that it was already toote. Reuben¡¯s eyes were staring ahead nkly; he was no longer breathing. There was even blood flowing on his tongue. Scowling, Alexander pressed his cheeks to force his jaw open as his eyes were filled with annoyance knowing that he could have stopped his suicide. Still, he was one step toote. Due to his big movements, he identally kicked a chair over. And the loud bang attracted the rest into the room. The moment they entered, all they saw was Alexander strangling Reuben, who was dead with his eyes staring ahead nkly. ude¡¯s nose twitched as he was stunned. ¡°You didn¡¯t just kill him because you¡¯re trying to get us out of this, did you?¡± Chapter 446 Chapter 446 Chapter 446 All Because of You! Although Addison was always brave, she couldn¡¯t help but recoil when she saw the dead man right in front of her. Quietly, she retreated behind Elise, who was pursing her lips with a weighty expression as she was unable to determine what happened. One thing she was certain was that Alexander wouldn¡¯t kill an innocent man. So, did Reuben say something that triggered him, or did Alexander simply decide to take things into his own hands? In the meantime, at Griffith Residence, Madeline, who couldn¡¯t reach Alexander¡¯s phone, dialed Maya¡¯s number. ¡°What is it?¡± Maxwell happened to be the one epting the call. His voice was innately low and hoarse, so there was no telling what emotion he was feeling right then. ¡°Oh, Mr. Dahlen. It¡¯s me, Mrs. Griffith. I heard that Maya fell very ill, and I happened to know two pretty outstanding doctors. If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯ll send them over to check on Maya soon,¡± Madeline gratifyingly stated. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± In a stiff tone, he replied, ¡°She¡¯s recovered.¡± After a brief pause, he strangely added, ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you, Mrs. Griffith. Elise said that she was only willing to treat my daughter because of the Griffiths.¡± Elise treated her? She sounded as if she abhorred Maya on the phone, so why would she¡­ After a moment of stupefaction, Madeline swiftly collected her feelings and responded with a pleasing tone. ¡°That¡¯s great to hear! If only you knew how concerned my husband and I were. I¡¯ve always seen her like my future daughter-inw, you know?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I know. Since you¡¯ve already gotten a grasp on the situation, I have to excuse myself as there is business to attend to. Farewell.¡± ¡°Thump.¡± The rest of Madeline¡¯s bootlicking words had yet to leave her throat, and she was already hearing beeps from an ended call. Thus, she could only hang up. After putting down her phone, she started pondering on Maxwell¡¯s words, realizing that Elise had handled the situation without her knowing. This girl, despite her uncivilized mouth, is actually that kind? Or have I been too harsh on her? ¡­ Alexander calmly scanned outside the room before withdrawing his hands. He pulled out his handkerchief and began steadily wiping. ¡°He bit his tongue,¡± he serenely stated. ¡°We might still be able to save him.¡± ude dashed over and grabbed Reuben¡¯s hand to check on his pulse, only to reach a disappointing result. ¡°He¡¯s dead,¡± he helplessly announced as he released his hand. At this moment, there was amotion outside the door. The group went out and found Clement expressionlessly suppressing Jackson and dragging him toward the door. ¡°Sir, I caught this man attempting to break into Miss Sinir¡¯s room,¡± Clement coolly imed. ¡°Let him go,¡± Alexander softly ordered. ¡°Hear that? Unhand me!¡± Jackson shouted as he shook himself out of Clement¡¯s hands. ¡°Say, Captain Gleeman, you¡¯re one of the government¡¯s men. Why are you being so sneaky in here?¡± ude curiously quizzed. ¡°Mind your own business.¡± Jackson shot him a cold re before turning to Elise. ¡°If you¡¯re not guilty, why would you need so many men guarding the house?¡± ¡°I arranged it,¡± Alexander sedately answered. ¡°Elise is currently the most rightful heir to the Anderson Family, and there are too many people who want to set out and harm her. So I¡¯ve arranged this only to protect her and her family.¡± Jackson, despite the answer, turned away with his unbelieving look. Glimpsing at the gap between Alexander and Addison, however, he caught sight of a figure being tied to a chair in the room. Intuitively, he shoved them away and rushed into the room. He lifted the figure¡¯s head, and after identifying the man to be Reuben, he checked on his breath. Shocked in dismay, Jackson turned to the door. ¡°You people ughtered a helpless student?!¡± ¡°That, we can exin,¡± Elise said. ¡°What is there to exin? He just reported that you are the murderer this afternoon, and now he¡¯s stopped breathing, under your roof. Tell me, what is there to exin?!¡± Devastated, Jackson nced at Alexander as he unhanded Reuben before walking to Elise. Then, he grabbed her arm and was about to walk out. Out of nowhere, a pair of massive arms ferociously grabbed him, to which he turned around only to meet Alexander¡¯s piercing gaze. ¡°Alexander!¡± Jackson maniacally screamed. ¡°You¡¯re willing to go beyond your limits for the sake of one woman?¡± ¡°She is my limit,¡± Alexander emotionlessly remarked. ¡°He died because of me. Unhand her.¡± ¡°And what if I don¡¯t?¡± All of Jackson¡¯s beliefs shattered. Having been best of friends with Alexander for so long, he had never expected a moment where they would have to rival each other. But now, Alexander was willing to stick his neck out for Elise and murder a witness. He couldn¡¯t idly watch as his dearest friend walked toward his own ruin. Whether as a friend or a policeman, he was obliged to bring Elise to justice. ¡°You have three seconds to unhand her. After that, I¡¯ll make you.¡± Alexander¡¯s intonation was ever- intimidating. The two gazed at each other in the eyes. None of them was willing topromise with each other. A brief moment after those words, Alexander tensed his brows and exerted force on his hands, twisting Jackson¡¯s arm beforending a kick on his chest. The kick sent Jackson crashing into the door frame, and he felt a stinging pain on his head and back. Nheless, he crawled back up as if nothing happened. Raising his clenched fist, he charged at Elise. ¡°It¡¯s all you¡­ It¡¯s all because of you!¡± Alexander, who was rubbing Elise¡¯s arm, heard Jackson¡¯s voice and immediately, a piercing light shed across his eyes. Swiftly, he drew his leg and was about to counter Jackson. Nevertheless, Elise¡¯s movements were quicker than his. Before he couldnd a hit, a needle flew past his vision, projecting forward rapidly and finallynding and probing on Jackson¡¯s neck. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. As expected, the moment Jackson clutched his own neck, his legs turned into jelly as he copsed before the rest. Despite his partial paralysis, he red at them with his hateful eyes, obviously upset. ¡°Captain Gleeman.¡± Elise calmly stared at him. ¡°I don¡¯t mind the prejudice you hold against me. But I strongly believe that you should trust Alexander. He¡¯s no criminal nor will he be an aplice. And I wouldn¡¯t do anything to betray his trust. Since you¡¯re so determined that I¡¯m the murderer and have seen the truth you wanted to see, from now on, you shall stay here and observe carefully whether I¡¯m whomever you think I am.¡± Having said that, she turned to Clement. ¡°Sorry, Clement, but can you clear a room out for Captain Gleeman?¡± Chapter 447 Chapter 447 Chapter 447 Cold Body, Sealed Lips Clement¡¯s attention was entirely on Elise¡¯s silver needle. He was so caught up in it that he didn¡¯t respond in time. For a typical man, that couldn¡¯t have been more normal; but for a robotic man, who only responded to orders from their masters, as he was, his daze was significantly notable. It wasn¡¯t until every eye in the room turned to him did he regain his senses and carried Jackson out of the room. ¡°What do we do with this guy?¡± ude pointed at Reuben¡¯s corpse. ¡°Just leave it be.¡± Elise tranquilly stated, ¡°I¡¯ll have an expert examine his body tomorrow.¡± Returning to her room, she logged onto SK System and published a request announcement. ¡®Emergency forensic wanted. Requirements: proficient, tacit, confidential. Price doubled.¡¯ Shortly after, a user named ¡°guiltypleasure¡± sent her a private message. ¡®Where.¡¯ Elise swiftly replied, ¡®Athesea, Tissote. When?¡¯ This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. The user, guiltypleasure, answered, ¡®Tomorrow night. Address.¡¯ After Elise sent over the address, the user logged off. Very soon, it was already the next day. Three at dawn, Elise walked out of the courtyard house. After waiting for some time at the gates, she saw a figure slowly approaching from the alley. Then, the figure revealed itself under the streetlight and stopped before Elise. Recognizing the person¡¯s face, Elise squinted her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s you?¡± He¡¯s the forensic officer who was responsible at the crime scene back in the university! ¡°How fateful. We meet again,¡± Bartholomew greeted with an uncontroble grin. His forensics pass was still hanging around his neck while he carried a simple toolbox on his back. Obviously, he just came over from the Forensic Science Division. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Elise scowled. ¡°To solve your problems, of course.¡± Bartholomew introduced himself, ¡°guiltypleasure, at your service.¡± Elise was at a loss for words. Guy¡¯s from the Forensic Science Division, so he¡¯s at least half a cop. Things¡¯ll get troublesome if I were to let him in. ¡°Toote to regret now.¡± Bartholomew read her mind and suspiciously uttered, ¡°You¡¯re looking for a forensic scientist, which means someone here has died to unknown causes, and the chances of it being a murder is high. It¡¯s pretty obvious.¡± ¡°Are you nning to report this?¡± Elise remained still on the outside as a pair of silver needles slid into her palm. ¡°Hehehe!¡± Bartholomew stared at her hand and knowingly rified, ¡°No worries. I¡¯m here as guiltypleasure, not a forensic officer. Even if you don¡¯t trust me, you should trust in SK¡¯s security measures. They wouldn¡¯t let a cop who¡¯d disrupt the system¡¯s equilibrium into the system, would they?¡± Hearing that, Elise turned a tad relieved. Bartholomew was right. SK was able to stand this long without falling mainly because of its insanely strict security measures. Basically, even operating in a gray area had its rules, and anyone who went against the rules meant dering a war against the entire group. SK had members of different professions all around the world. One could only anticipate death once they had broken even one rule of the system, and no one would be so dumb to oppose the entire world solely to make some extra cash. ¡°Okay.¡± Elise sheathed her needles and turned around into Alexander¡¯s courtyard. ¡°Follow me.¡± Bartholomew, with his hands in his pockets, followed steadily behind Elise. Walking past the courtyard, he caught a glimpse of Jackson sitting on a chair in the guest room, looking at him, begging for his help with his eyes and a sincere expression. He halted his steps to contemte. Under everyone¡¯s attention, he went to the door of the room that was containing Jackson. Right when Jackson was thinking that he was about to get rescued, Bartholomew swiftly extended his arm and grabbed the door handle before mming the door shut. Turning around, he revealed a harmless smirk. ¡°You¡¯re not exactly giving me a way out here.¡± Since Bartholomew was working for the police force, his identity was exposed the moment Jackson caught him hanging around Elise and her gang. ¡°Apologies.¡± Indeed, Elise had overlooked some details. She promised, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I assure you he won¡¯t expose you.¡± ¡°And how do you do that?¡± Looking sullen, he remarked, ¡°Only cold bodies have sealed lips.¡± His speech was not emphasized, but it was still highly unnerving. He seemed so gentle, but one couldn¡¯t help but feel wary of him, as if he would stab them in the back when they had their guard down. After he said that, the courtyard was filled with nothing but silence. Nobody in the entire premises ever had the idea of killing off Jackson. ¡°Based on what you said, we should kill him first, then you, to be extra cautious, yes?¡± Elise questioned, her tone cryptic. Hearing that, Bartholomew shrugged his shoulders and reverted to his mischievous demeanor. ¡°Just kidding, heh.¡± ¡°Highly unfunny.¡± Elise apathetically ordered, ¡°Come in. The body¡¯s inside.¡± The entire corpse inspection process was public. Although there were only Elise and Bartholomew in the room, the others gathered outside the room and observed the inspection. Shortly after, Bartholomew came to a conclusion. ¡°Suicide. Tongue bite. No other possible cause.¡± Outside the door, ude shot a logical inquiry. ¡°He should still live for a brief moment after he bit his tongue, but he died instantly. You sure there¡¯s no other cause?¡± In response, Bartholomew turned to him, feigning the arrogance he once did to Jackson. He took off his gloves. ¡°Wanna see for yourself?¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± ude rolled his eyes. We¡¯re all doctors here. Who do you think you are, being so cocky, huh? After contemting for a bit, Elisemanded, ¡°Check his lungs.¡± ¡°No need.¡± Bartholomew pped his gloves. ¡°There were no signs of poisoning. Dissection will only be a waste of time.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve epted the job, so it¡¯s your obligation to satisfy your client. You know that, right?¡± Elise coldly replied. Bartholomew turned around and met her piercing gaze. After a moment of silence, he re-equipped his gloves as he imed, ¡°I do not want the presence of anybody while I¡¯m dissecting the body, and that includes the client herself.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Without debating more, Elise exited the room and shut the door. Once the door was shut, ude immediately ranted, ¡°God damn. You could¡¯ve told me if you wanted a corpse inspection. Why do we have to take punches from him?¡± Ignoring him, Elise wordlessly stood still. About one hourter, the door was opened from the inside. Bartholomew took off his mask and dered, ¡°It was as you said. The lungs¡¯ nerves deteriorated quickly under the effect of a certain drug. The moment he bit his tongue, his breathing stopped, and the twobined caused his instant death.¡± ¡°Can you determine what kind of drug it is?¡± Elise inquired. ¡°I¡¯ll need a further look in theb.¡± After saying that calmly, he looked at her. With an inexplicable tone, he questioned, ¡°This is not your first corpse inspection, is it, Miss Sinir?¡± Chapter 448 Chapter 448 Chapter 448 First to Renege ¡°I don¡¯t have experience in inspecting corpses,¡± Elise perfunctorily answered. ¡°You don¡¯t? How did you know his lungs had issues, then?¡± Bartholomew persistently interrogated. ¡°I checked his pulses when he was still alive. I sensed it then,¡± she replied. ¡°Really?¡± Bartholomew lifted his leg to walk over the doorsill. Standing before Elise, he ambiguously quizzed, ¡°I once met a woman in Africa. She, too, had pointed out the error in my inspection. She goes by the name ¡®Eliza.¡¯ Do you perhaps know her?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Elise countered without even blinking her eyes. ¡°Your task isplete. You may go now. I¡¯ll transfer the payment over as soon as possible.¡± Barthlomew stood up straight, revealing a look as if he had gotten his answer. Swiftly, he took off his latex gloves and turned back into the room to grab his toolbox before walking out of the house. When he passed by Elise, he halted his steps and suggestively stated, ¡°See you soon, then.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see you out.¡± Alexander sneaked up noiselessly like a ghost. When they reached the gates, Alexander stopped in his tracks. ¡°Stay away from her.¡± Bartholomew slowly turned around and crossed his arms before his chest. ¡°Why, we have a fianc¨¦ intending to strip his bride-to-be of her rights to socialize.¡± ¡°Cut that crap.¡± Alexander¡¯s inky eyes grew deeper under hisshes. ¡°Pull anything funny and you¡¯ll be the one inspected the next time we meet.¡± ¡°Wow, scary man.¡± Bartholomew pouted his lips, showing no signs of fear on his face. ¡°Almost everyone¡¯s trying to make a move on her. Will you be able to kill us all?¡± Alexander narrowed his eyes and wondered before unting his intimidation. ¡°One by one. Two only makes a pair.¡± Bartholomew nodded and gave a thumbs up. ¡°Strong man, scary man.¡± After a pause, he added, ¡°Anyone could do one or a pair. Though you should save your threats for when you finally realize what you¡¯re truly facing.¡± Having said that, he turned around and walked into the night, slowly fading into the darkness. After standing idly for a while, Alexander eventually walked back into the house. The next day, the sun had only risen while Clement was helping Jackson wash up when Danny barged into the room. As soon as Danny saw Clement holding Jackson¡¯s face, his eyes instantly glistened, as if he had discovered an ultimate secret. Clement, meeting Danny¡¯s eyes, was stunned for a second before realizing what thetter was thinking about, and he sneakily withdrew his hand that was supporting Jackson¡¯s face. Regardless, Danny remained nosy. He hunched over and tiptoed into the room. Once he was in the room, he grabbed Clement by the shoulder and interrogated, ¡°My man Clement, spill the tea! Since when did you guys get together?¡± While he was at it, he winked at Jackson, giving him a knowing look, to which thetter rolled his eyes at him. Is this dumbass really Alexander¡¯s brother? ¡°Young Master Danny, you¡¯re misunderstanding¡ª¡± ¡°Aww, don¡¯t need to feel embarrassed. I¡¯m an open-minded man.¡± Right when Clement was about to exin, Danny quickly interrupted him as he patted his chest, ¡°Now, who¡¯s the pursuer here?¡± Rendered speechless, Clement let out a sigh before patiently exining, ¡°Young Master Alexander had me in charge of Captain Gleeman¡¯s well being. Nothing more.¡± His utterance was as calm as usual and bore no intention of jesting. Clement had no sense of joking, and that was pretty much amon knowledge. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. Awkwardly, Danny let out a fake cough before withdrawing his hand that was on Clement. Deliberately, he went on a tangent. ¡°I mean, Captain Gleeman here seems fine to me. Why are you looking after him?¡± Clement courteously rified, ¡°He does look healthy, but it seems like Miss Sinir has messed with his meridians, and now he can¡¯t move.¡± Despite his reluctance to believe that Elise had such a great ability, Clement couldn¡¯t deny it with the facts presented right before him. He saw it for himself that Elise had brought Jackson, who was bigger than himself, down with just a needle within one second. He couldn¡¯t help but to fear such a needling technique. And that was when he decided he had to reassess the things he knew about Elise. ¡°Ah, is that it?¡± Danny nodded as if he was contemting. Taken aback, Clement nced at him. Is that it, he says? Is he not surprised at all? Is needling even something a normal person can easily do? Meanwhile, Danny was wondering, After such a huge misunderstanding, Jackson wouldn¡¯te looking for me after Elise fixed his meridians, would he? Having thought of that, Danny thought it was best that he disappeared from Jackson¡¯s sight. ¡°Please take good care of Captain Gleeman, will you?¡± Danny patted Clement on the shoulder before hopping out of the room like a wild hare, leaving Clement stunned, as if he waspletely disregarded. In a sh, Danny was already with Alexander to keep himself updated. ¡°What did Captain Gleeman do to upset Elise that he ended up that way?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask something you shouldn¡¯t,¡± Alexander, highly perturbed, impatiently blurted before walking out of the room. Realizing he¡¯d brought that upon himself, Danny scratched the back of his neck, thinking the number of secrets in this house wasrger than the amount of sand in an hourss. Besides the addition of Jackson, something told Danny that Joseph¡¯s presence made Joseph a moreplex character than met the eye. Having no desire to remain oblivious, Danny decided to pick a room to live in. There¡¯s no way I can¡¯t figure out what happened if I were to stay here the entire day. Unfortunately, there was no entertainment around the courtyard house, so he grew drowsy guarding his surroundings, and his drowsiness was followed by a shut-eye. Right when he was falling asleep, a turmoil could be heard from the courtyard next door. Sensing the thundering noises, Danny still assumed that he was only dreaming. While his eyes were closed, he suddenly remembered he was in Alexander¡¯s ce. Forcefully, he opened his eyes and sprung up from bed. He stormed out of the door, only to hear wails echoing throughout the yard. ¡°Oh Heavens, the pain on my leg! Pay me a leg, Elise!¡± ¡°Somebody, save me! I¡¯m dying! Someone¡¯spletely ignoring her cousin! Lord, why did this happen to me?!¡± In that instant, Daniel was lying on a stretcher as he hugged his broken leg, screaming out of pain as if he was living in between life and death. Apanying him were a couple of nurses who carried the stretcher and about eight bodyguards escorting him. Standing innermost within the group was Russell, who rested his arms behind his back while revealing a frown that was most bitter. Seeing Elise, who had just returned from the backyard, Russell eagerly went up to reprimand her. ¡°Look at what you¡¯ve done, Yoona! You went to the Dahlens. Why didn¡¯t you bring your cousin back with you? The Dahlens literally broke his leg!¡± Hearing that, Elise nced at Daniel, who was lying on the stretcher on the ground, and swiftly withdrew her gaze. Then, she lowered her head and pulled out her phone to check on the bnce in her bank ount. Yup, same as yesterday. Maxwell has yet to send the money over. Good job, Maxwell. You¡¯re the first ever person to renege on me. Chapter 449 Chapter 449 Chapter 449 Clearing the ce Seeing that Elise wasn¡¯t paying attention to him, Russel lost his temper at once. ¡°Hey, what the hell is on your mind? Didn¡¯t you hear what I said? Didn¡¯t you see how much pain Daniel¡¯s in? What the hell are you waiting for? Hurry up and cure him now!¡± Elise tapped on today¡¯s financial news in silence while still ignoring Russell. As she had expected, Maxwell wasn¡¯t only unwilling to pay the money; he was also secretly plotting to deal the Griffith Group the finishing blow at the moment. He had even stretched his ws toward the Anderson Family; only he hadn¡¯t been found out for the time being since he had done so in a covert way. After pondering for a moment, Elise picked up her phone and dialed a number. ¡°Who is it?¡± Nathan sounded quite irritated as he was roused from sleep. Just as Elise was about to respond, Russell daringly made a lunge at her and snatched her phone away directly. He said testily, ¡°I¡¯m talking to you! Did you hear me?¡± As soon as he took her phone away, though, he met her eyes, which had appeared delicate and beautiful to him at first nce. At this moment, however, her eyes were dark and gloomy and gleaming with a strong murderous desire, as though she would go on a killing spree at any time. Elise was half a head shorter than Russell, but she naturally projected amanding aura even when she wasn¡¯t looking angry. Seeing the look in her eyes, Russell unconsciously gulped a mouthful of saliva and silently put her phone back in ce. Elise shot him a chilly sidelong nce. Then, she went on and said to the other end of the line, ¡°I¡¯ve found you a fun job to do, Nathan.¡± Russell¡¯s cloudy eyes instantly widened with astonishment when he heard Nathan¡¯s name. Nathan?! Is that the Nathan York that I know about? So the rumors are true that Elise and Alexander have a close rtionship with Nathan York! If the Andersons manage to establish a rtionship with him, we¡¯ll have a divine hand in opening up the global market in the future, won¡¯t we? Unaware of the old devil¡¯s scheming, Elise pressed her lips together, waiting for Nathan¡¯s reply. Nathan got out of bed and found a bath towel to wrap around his lower body. Then, he poured himself a ss of wine and drank it. After breathing in with a hiss, he asked leisurely, ¡°What¡¯s the job?¡± ¡°Buying out the Dahlens¡¯ family business,¡± replied Elise. ¡°No problem.¡± Nathan responded to her request without hesitation, but he bared his fangs soon afterward. ¡°As long as you give me the word, making any business in the country go bust or lose all its capital is never a problem for me. Still, I can¡¯t keep doing business at a loss, right? And besides, I¡¯ve got to answer to my clients.¡± Elise seemed to realize what he was getting at. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I like about you. You¡¯re always so straightforward.¡± Nathan walked over to the French window with his wine ss between his fingers. Looking down at the ground below, he continued in earnest, ¡°I want to meet with A in person.¡± Elise didn¡¯t want to take advantage of him, though. She reminded him kindheartedly, saying, ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ll be able to answer to your clients after meeting with A? However capable A is, she¡¯s just a human being.¡± However, Nathan replied with conviction, ¡°Well, just as no one will turn down a dinner with Warren Buffett, I believe that a meeting with A will be worth more than its price.¡± ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll help introduce you to her when this matter is over,¡± Elise replied. ¡°Okay.¡± Nathan threw his head back and gulped another sip of his red wine. After smacking his lips, he said confidently, ¡°It won¡¯t take long.¡± Elise hung up right away without continuing the conversation. ¡°Yoyo?¡± Russell called ingratiatingly in a whisper. Elise turned her head away in disgust. ¡°Who are you calling Yoyo?¡± ¡°You, of course!¡± Russell stared at Elise, his eyes sparkling brightly. Then, he realized that he had called her by the wrong name. Correcting himself at once, he said, ¡°Oh, sorry, I was wrong. It¡¯s Elise. Elise, were you talking to Nathan York¡ªthe outstanding investment broker¡ªon the phone just now?¡± N?velDrama.Org is the owner. ¡°What does that have to do with you?¡± Elise replied snappishly while raising an eyebrow. Russell replied in a groveling manner, ¡°How could that have nothing to do with me? We¡¯re a family, after all. From what I heard just now, you¡¯re going to arrange a meeting between Nathan and your friend. In that case, how about you reserve a ce for me?¡± ¡°D-Dad¡­¡± The ignored Daniel sat up, baring his shoulder. With a look of resentment, he asked Russell for help, urging, ¡°Don¡¯t forget about me. My leg can¡¯t wait another minute!¡± Only then did Russelle to his senses. He cleared his throat, saying, ¡°Ahem! Well, uh, Y¡­ Elise, since you¡¯ve started taking action against the Dahlens, why don¡¯t you treat Daniel¡¯s leg while you¡¯re at it? After all, he got himself into such a state after going to the Dahlens with the best of intentions to cure Maya for you.¡± Elise turned to look at Russell coldly. ¡°For me, you say?¡± she asked. Then, she retorted, stressing each word, ¡°Did I tell him to take a bunch of quacks with him to diagnose her? Or did I tell him to administer medicine and treatment carelessly despite knowing nothing about her illness? Are you sure I was the one who told him to do all that?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Russell was instantly stumped for an answer. After being speechless for a long time, he finally forced out an excuse. ¡°B-But it was you who told Daniel to treat her! He only made the desperate move because he had no other options left!¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Elise murmured in acknowledgment with an expressionless face. ¡°Oh?!¡± Russell¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Is that all? Your cousin risked his life without hesitation for your sake. Aren¡¯t you even gonna say thanks to him?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not as good with words as you are.¡± Elise locked her phone¡¯s screen and put her phone in her trouser pocket. Then, with her hands in her pockets, she looked straight ahead, saying as if nobody else was around, ¡°I¡¯ll cure the patient if I can, but if I can¡¯t, I¡¯ll admit that I can¡¯t cure them. I won¡¯t show off my superiority or try to be a hero for the sake of trying to make myself look good. Besides, those who end up hurting themselves by pursuing their own interests under the excuse of doing good to someone else don¡¯t deserve sympathy either.¡± Suddenly, she thought of Alexander, and she lowered her head and smiled in self-deprecation. ¡°Moreover, my sympathy¡¯s limited. I can¡¯t afford to take care of every Tom, Dick, and Harry, right?¡± Well, I have to avoid some risks and protect myself for somebody¡¯s sake, after all, she thought. After a moment¡¯s thought, she said under her breath through her thin lips, ¡°Throw all these people out.¡± ¡°How dare you do this to me, Elise?! I¡¯m your uncle!¡± Russell protested as he struggled. However, Elise merely plugged her ears with her index fingers. She said impassively, ¡°What a racket in the early morning!¡± Daniel was left alone in the center of the yard. Seeing Russell being thrown out in a curve through the air, he gulped a mouthful of saliva in fear and crawled outside, dragging his broken leg. Chapter 450 Chapter 450 Chapter 450 An Irrejectable Phone Call It took Daniel forever to crawl through the gates. The instant he finally did so, he held his broken leg and whimpered through clenched teeth like a hurt puppy. The Anderson Family¡¯s servants hurriedly rushed to him and Russell. After helping the father and son up, they took to their heels and ran away swiftly. Danny was baffled at the sight of the scene. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Elise? That spoiled rich dandy of the Anderson Family, isn¡¯t he your cousin?¡± Instead of answering his question, Elise walked out and entered Joseph¡¯s room in the yard next door. Joseph was working on hisputer. Upon seeing Elise, he heaved a sigh of dejection. ¡°I still can¡¯t reach Xavier.¡± Elise asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you have a way to bypass the internalmunication tools and contact SK Group¡¯s members directly after running the group for so many years?¡± Joseph shrugged his shoulders. ¡°As you said, I¡¯m in charge of running the group, not of developing softwares. Perhaps we should contact A, the mysterious hacker, for this. But A¡¯s gonna charge us¡­ and SK Group has a limited budget.¡± Elise fell silent for a moment. Then, she took over theputer, working briskly on it with a speed that took Joseph¡¯s breath away. Soon, lines of code appeared on theputer¡¯s screen. Joseph noticed that Elise was working on two monitors, which were running different programs simultaneously. As SK Group¡¯s leader, Joseph had seen many talented people, and the top hackers he had seen before were too numerous to enumerate. All of them, however, paled inparison with Elise. Five minutester, Elise struck a key on the keyboard. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s done. In ten minutes from now, only you can reach Xavier by phone. Hurry up!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Before Joseph could marvel at her skills, his body had reacted first by taking out the phone and dialing Xavier¡¯s number. ¡­ Meanwhile, in Lithium City, Xavier arrived at the periphery of Timothy¡¯s dwelling ce by following up on recently obtained information. An incredibly patient hunter, he wasn¡¯t in a hurry to catch his prey. Hey in ambush outside, waiting for the safe period to be over before he went into action. Lithium City had very sparse vegetation, so the only ce to hide was the yellow earth. Luckily, Xavier came fully prepared. At this very moment, he was in a pit that he had dug on the spot. It was covered at the top with straws and soil. There was only an opening, which was only big enough for a pair of binocrs to poke through for spying. When Xavier¡¯s phone rang, he was standing behind his binocrs, spying on the legendary physicist and his wife with a grave expression. Dressed simply and spectacled, the couple were typical high intellectuals; even their haircuts had a nd feeling about them. However, no amount of soil could hide the schrly vibes that emanated from their souls. The hiding period had already ended. Tonight, he would show himself and take the couple away. Otherwise, he would be beaten to it by other people who got here after learning about the information. Just then, however, his phone began vibrating like mad with a continuous buzz. Xavier picked it up and took a nce at its screen. It was a phone call from an unfamiliar number, but he didn¡¯t intend to answer it. Before his mission wasplete, he would block all iing calls on his phone to avoid being affected by the outside world. At the thought of this, he pressed the ¡®Decline¡¯ button. However, what happened next surprised him. His phone kept vibrating, and he couldn¡¯t reject the phone call no matter what. Involuntarily, he pressed the ¡®Answer¡¯ button, and the phone¡¯s screen was instantly taken over by the call interface. Speechless, he expressionlessly put his phone to his ear and asked in a cold voice devoid of human feeling, ¡°Who are you?¡± Apparently, the caller was aware of his habit, which was why they¡¯d had a bug installed so that he couldn¡¯t reject the phone call. ¡°It¡¯s me, Joseph. Something¡¯s happened within the organization, and you¡¯re now being used. The information this time is very likely to be a trap. Never show yourself easily!¡± Upon hearing the man¡¯s words, Xavier fell silent for a very long time. Then, he replied unhurriedly, ¡°If you really were Joseph, you should¡¯ve known that I hate nothing more than being disturbed while carrying out a mission. And besides, I don¡¯t think Joseph would still assign the mission to me if he thought I was a weakling who couldn¡¯t even see through somebody else¡¯s petty tricks.¡± After that, he warned, ¡°Whoever you are, don¡¯t call me again. Otherwise, I¡¯ll have you die a horrible death when I find you.¡± With that, he hung up right away without waiting for the other party¡¯s response. After switching off his phone expressionlessly, he returned to his binocrs and continued with the spying. Meanwhile, in Athesea, Joseph handed the phone, the screen of which had gone back to showing the list of contacts, to Elise. ¡°Seems like Xavier¡¯s not gonna escape his fate.¡± Elise let out a heavy breath. ¡°Well, we all learn from our mistakes. It¡¯s not a bad thing for him to run into some trouble. Let¡¯s hope that he¡¯lle back safely.¡± Joseph let out a sigh as well. ¡°Yeah, I hope so.¡± ¡°Have a good rest and be sure to take the medicine I¡¯ve prescribed to you on time. When you recover, you have to go back with me to seize the headquarters back,¡± Elise urged. Then, she stood up and went to open the door. However, as soon as the door opened, she saw Danny leaning sideways in an eavesdropping position. Upon seeing her, he froze all over. ¡°Eavesdropping isn¡¯t a good habit, Danny,¡± Elise said. Her voice brought Danny to his senses. Turning his face toward Elise with hindsight, he pushed her aside and walked straight up to Joseph, his eyes shining with excitement. ¡°A-Are you Joseph Fuller? I mean, the Joseph Fuller who heads SK Group?!¡± Joseph¡¯s expression froze for a moment before he looked over Danny¡¯s shoulder at Elise. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. With a look of resignation on her face, Elise gave Joseph a reassuring look. Danny was a bit of a drama queen, but he was good at keeping secrets, so letting him know about it wasn¡¯t a big deal. Joseph gave her a slight nod before nodding at Danny impassively. ¡°Yes, I am.¡± Danny gave a loud gasp before managing topose himself. Then, he let out a scream, staring at Joseph like a beast that had discovered its prey. Feeling ufortable under the boy¡¯s stare, Joseph cleared his throat and took the initiative, asking, ¡°Is there anything you want to talk to me about?¡± ¡°No, nothing. What can I talk to you about?¡± Danny blurted out with a cheeky grin. Then, he immediately realized that he had said the wrong thing. He corrected himself at once, saying, ¡°No, wait a minute. It seems I really have something to talk to you about!¡± ¡°Shoot,¡± Joseph replied calmly. ¡°Could you take me in?¡± Danny asked in an earnest tone. He had spent a lot of manpower and material resources these days in order to get recruited into SK Group. But so far, he had only been running around like a headless chicken without getting any closer to the group. Now that SK Group¡¯s supreme leader was sitting right before him, how could he not take the shortcut? Chapter 451 Chapter 451 Chapter 451 Tickets to the ck Market Joseph hesitated for a moment. Seeing that Elise wasn¡¯t saying anything to stop him, he said with a nod, ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Danny jumped with excitement. ¡°Oh, yeah! Please be sure to think this over! I was afraid that you wouldn¡¯t think about it, you know?¡± he said. After a moment, he collected himself and said unflinchingly, ¡°Come on, I¡¯m ready. Whatever the test is, bring it on!¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Joseph frowned slightly. ¡°Firstly¡­ get out of my room.¡± Danny¡¯s overflowing enthusiasm was quenched at once. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You idiot.¡± Elise pped the back of Danny¡¯s head from behind. ¡°He¡¯s now a patient who needs rest. You want to see him being sickly all the time?!¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, that¡¯s right!¡± Danny ducked his head while nodding vigorously. ¡°Well, in that case, I won¡¯t be bothering you anymore, Mr. Fuller. Just tell me if you need anything. Starting from today, I¡¯m at SK Group¡¯s disposal. Just put me wherever you need me to be!¡± Joseph was speechless; he didn¡¯t expect Danny to be so good at talking. With an awkward look of embarrassment on his face, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll remember you.¡± Danny clenched a fist in front of his chest and made an encouraging gesture to cheer Joseph on. Facing Joseph, he thumped on his chest before leaving the room in a solemn manner. At the sight of the scene, Joseph¡¯s eyebrows twitched continuously. He began to wonder if he had made a wrong decision. Elise gave Joseph a sympathetic look. Then, she closed the door and left as well. Meanwhile, Danny was hopping and leaping around like a rabbit in the courtyard, giving Alexander no peace. Alexander shook his head. ¡°When will you behave more like an adult?¡± he asked, before walking toward Elise. ¡°Ellie, what kind of medicinal ingredients do Grandma and the one in there need to recuperate? Just make me a list. The ck market will open in the suburbs tonight, so I¡¯m gonna buy them back.¡± ¡°Is the ck marketing to Athesea too?¡± asked Elise. ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Alexander nodded. ¡°It¡¯s been 13 years since itst opened. You¡¯re lucky.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true,¡± Elise agreed. One of the reasons the ck market had endured through so many years was that it had always been held randomly in different ces. In order to see and experience in person what the ck market was like, one had no choice but to follow the information released on the dar. Also, its actual venue would only be announced the day before it actually opened. Even so, the ck market had attracted ck market lovers from all over the country and even all over the world, who gathered at the ck market like moths flying into mes. Therefore, those who could enter the ck market had to be considerably powerful in terms of both social background and financial resources. In other words, being a shareholder of Frazier Incorporated alone wouldn¡¯t be enough for that. Elise knew that Alexander had an even greater power backing him up¡ªonly it wasn¡¯t yet the time for him to tell her about it. Just then, Danny threw himself at them and said with a slur in his voice, ¡°Count me in, Alexander!¡± ¡°You?¡± Alexander raised his eyebrows, which was pretty rare. ¡°If I take you there with me, you¡¯ll end up being sold off without you realizing it.¡± However, Danny argued, ¡°Are you really my brother, Alexander? Yeah, all I know is to eat, drink, and have fun, but it¡¯s not like I wanted to be like that in the first ce. You never took me out with you and let me see the world, so when am I gonna learn something?¡± At this moment, he felt like a talented young man in ancient times, who failed tond a job in the government and was both depressed and frustrated from being unable to fulfill his ambitions. Alexander¡¯s eyes dimmed a little at Danny¡¯s words, but he wasn¡¯t good at consoling people. Seeing the world wasn¡¯t just as simple as what it sounded like. Now that the situation was still vtile, how could he agree to risk Danny¡¯s life by taking thetter out with him? Noticing the change in Alexander¡¯s expression, Elise put out her hand and gave Danny a pat on the back in an easy manner. ¡°I¡¯ll take you there.¡± ¡°Ellie!¡± Alexander instantly got nervous, as though he was being confronted by a formidable enemy. ¡°Stop fooling around. You know that the ck market is no ordinary market, and that you can be in danger anytime. You¡¯d better not go there yourself, let alone take Danny with you.¡± Danny¡¯s hope, which had just been kindled, was extinguished at once. In an instant, he lost heart completely. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Elise replied calmly. ¡°It¡¯s not that dangerous. As it happens, I also want to visit an old friend at the ck market, so I can take Danny with me while I¡¯m at it. And besides, you¡¯ve forgotten something; I¡¯m not one of those damsels who live a pampered life and never need to fend for themselves.¡± Alexander had no choice but to relent. After all, he could say no to anyone except Elise. ¡°Okay, you may go there, but we have to agree on a few rules. You must stay within my sight and be no further than one meter away from me at all times. Also, you must always listen to me,¡± he said with a serious look on his face. ¡°Okay,¡± Elise said. It¡¯s always been like this as long as he¡¯s present, anyway. Alexander nodded. However, upon seeing Danny, whose eyes almost popped out of his head in excitement, he resumed a stern countenance. ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited about it yet. I¡¯m going to make calls now. If I can only get one ticket, you¡¯re gonna stay at home!¡± Then, as Danny watched bitterly, he calmly took out his phone and stepped aside to make phone calls. Danny smacked his lips in vexation. When he looked back, though, he saw Elise sending a text message with her head down. The message read, ¡®Get me some tickets to the ck market.¡¯This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. Chapter 452 Chapter 452 Chapter 452 Hey, You Wanna Save Face? Perplexed, Danny asked, ¡°Are you going to the ck market, Elise?¡± Elise nced up at Danny while putting away her phone calmly. ¡°Uh-huh,¡± she replied, before sitting down in the rocking chair next to her and rocking back and forth leisurely like an old man. A whileter, Alexander came back with his cell phone. He said indifferently, ¡°I¡¯ve gotten two tickets.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Danny raised his fist in victory. He asked in surprise, ¡°In that case, I can go with you two, right?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Alexander replied harshly. Danny was instantly filled with disappointment. Just then, however, a gust of wind suddenly blew past him, and he sensed someone flying past him in a supercilious manner. The next second, a familiar voice sounded from behind him. ¡°Miss Sinir, here are the tickets that you¡¯ve asked for. There are ten of them. Master Bryce said you can bring friends with you to the ck market, and if the tickets aren¡¯t enough, you can give the market manager your name so that the rest of them can enter,¡± the man said reverently. As soon as the man finished his speech, Danny turned around and dashed back to Elise¡¯s side with the speed of a nocked arrow, staring at the stack of tickets in the box with shining eyes. Elise took the tickets. ¡°Thanks for bringing me these. You didn¡¯t have toe in person, though. Just let somebody run the errand for you next time.¡± The man showed an acute sense of propriety. ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m honored to be at your service, Miss Sinir. Well then, I won¡¯t be keeping you any longer,¡± he said politely. Then, he turned around and left. As soon as the man disappeared from the door, Danny jumped up and hugged Elise. ¡°Oh, my God! What a fantastic sister-inw I¡¯ve found for myself! ck market! It¡¯s the tickets to the ck market! They¡¯re so difficult to get, yet that guy gave you a stack of them!¡± At the sight of the scene, Alexander¡¯s bushy eyebrows snapped together, and he hemmed twice crossly. ¡°Ahem! Ahem!¡± However, Danny was totally oblivious to it. Wrapping his arms around Elise, he shook her in gratitude with all his might. Alexander¡¯s face darkened. He walked over to Danny right away, forcibly wrenching thetter¡¯s arms away from Elise. Then, he said in a voice devoid of warmth, ¡°It¡¯s inappropriate to be overfamiliar with someone of the opposite gender, Danny.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the problem with that? Elise and I are a family!¡± Danny argued obsequiously. However, not even Elise could stand listening to the boy¡¯s words any longer. She opened the transparent box containing the tickets, took a ticket out of it, and handed the ticket to Danny. ¡°Here, take it.¡± Danny waved the ticket in his hand, unting it in front of Alexander as if it were some precious treasure. ¡°Look, Alexander! Now I can go to the ck market even without you!¡± Alexander shook his head before turning to look at Elise. He said with a note of tenderness and resignation in his voice, ¡°Just spoil him all you want.¡± Danny brazenly clung to Elise once again. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her spoiling me? Since you¡¯re not doing so, it¡¯s only natural that someone else is gonna do it. It¡¯s none of your business! I hereby dere unterally that starting from today, I¡¯m Elise¡¯s real brother, and I¡¯m cutting all ties with you!¡± Alexander shot a disdainful look at Danny. ¡°What an ingrate,¡± he said. Then, he haughtily returned to his room. ¡­ Night fell soon afterward, and Elise and the others quickly set off for the ck market in a car. After following the instructions on the ticket, they arrived at the ce where the ck market was held. It was an undeveloped suburban area with not a single habitation within a near 100-mile radius¡ªthe deciding factor that led to the ck market being held here. Upon getting out of their car, Elise and the others saw a market as lively as themercial street. The entire ck market looked more like a street in ancient times, but it was lit with modern technology. In short, it was a retro-styledmercial street. Despite its peaceful and prosperous facade, everyone knew that everything¡ªfrom something as tiny as a needle to something as enormous as invisible power¡ªcould be traded on the ck market. The interests of the parties involved in the transactions were inextricably interwoven, making the transactions far moreplicated than the simple buying and selling of goods that they were purported to be. After signing in at the entrance, Elise and the others entered the bustling market. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. On the outermost fringes of the market were peddlers selling smuggled dailymodities. These people smuggled inexpensive items from abroad, then waited for buyers to purchase them so that they could pocket the price difference. Meanwhile, having gotten their hands on the items, the buyers would repackage them at low cost with obscure and iprehensible foreignnguage,beling them as top- quality goods from abroad in order to make exorbitant profits by selling them at ten to twenty times the original price. The ck market was also the best ce for profit seekers to get rich overnight, which was why so many people scrambled to try getting into the ck market, all in hopes of striking it rich. When the group walked past what seemed like a fortune-telling stand, Elise inadvertently took another nce at the stall owner, upon which the man immediatelytched onto her like a limpet. ¡°Hey, sweetie! You must be a celebrity. Wanna buy some fake fans? We can also regtements on your social media, boost your retweets, and amplify your social media followings! Come on, we offer great value for money! You know H, the nation¡¯s darling? She¡¯s bought fake fans from us, too!¡± Upon hearing his words, Elise couldn¡¯t help butugh. She stopped in her tracks and teased, ¡°Hey, be careful lest I file aint against you for the false advertising.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Danny stepped forward and pushed the stall owner back a few steps. ¡°What you said about H buying fans from you is just sheer nonsense. Does she even need to buy fake fans? She draws fans with her own talents!¡± He looked at the stall owner as if thetter was a retard. How dare you rip people off blindly without recognizing H herself standing right before you? Seems like not only are the ck market transactions shady, but these ck market traders are also evil-minded! The stall owner dared not make a sound since he was outnumbered by Elise and her group. Then, seeing the murderous look in Alexander¡¯s eyes, he immediately ran back to his stall. Elise chuckled and continued to walk on. ¡°Ellie,¡± Alexander called out to her just then. ¡°I¡¯d like to buy something over there, so don¡¯t wander too much. Just go straight down the road slowly and wait for me, okay?¡± ¡°Just go ahead. Don¡¯t worry about me,¡± Elise replied. With that, Alexander left with Cameron. On the other hand, ude had his eyes on the herb market as soon as the group entered. The instant Alexander excused himself, he immediately slipped away to the stall selling medicinal ingredients nearby, leaving no one else but Danny beside Elise. The two strolled aimlessly along the market stalls, but they didn¡¯t find anything they wanted to buy. Just when they reached a corner, a tall and brawny brute suddenly popped up and stared at them fiercely, saying, ¡°Hey, you wanna save face?¡± Chapter 453 Chapter 453 Chapter 453 Selling Faces Danny instantly stood in front of Elise. ¡°Who are you, and what do you want?¡± He pulled a long face with studied ferocity. He knew he was weaker than Elise in terms of strength, but he was a man after all. In moments of danger, he had to stand in front of her to protect her. However, such a hugemotion drew no response from the street vendors and passersby around them, who were already used to such situations. Ignoring the worrying situation the three were in, they continued running their own businesses, haggling over prices as though their world was separate from that of Elise and the others. After confronting the brute for a moment, Danny narrowed his eyes, ready to strike the first blow. However, just as he was about to make a move, the burly brute before him suddenlyughed obsequiously. ¡°Hehe, I was just kidding, folks. Don¡¯t get the wrong idea, okay? I meant it literally!¡± Danny was astounded; he had thought he and Elise were about to run into a grave situation atst. At the sight of the situation, he spat with a frown, saying, ¡°Tsk. Just my luck. So, what business do you have with us?¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Selling faces, of course. Look at this, folks¡­¡± the brute said while putting his hands on the back of his head. After a brief pause, he suddenly tore at his hairy scalp and stretched it toward both sides. Danny took a step back immediately as the sight of the creepy scene gave him goosebumps. The next second, though, the brute tore off his entire face. ¡°Eek!¡± Danny¡¯s face scrunched up with disgust as he thought he was going to see the man¡¯s badly mutted face. However, when the brute took away his face, what was revealed was another, more good-looking face that looked totally unlike the one just now. ¡°What the hell?¡± Danny¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Is that face-changing?¡± On the other hand, Elise watched the show with great interest as a bloodthirsty smile yed across her lips. ¡°Yes, and no. You might as well say it¡¯s an art of disguise.¡± The brute was still smiling broadly, but his delicate features looked very amiable. ¡°We make masks using fine-quality imitation human skin that feels no different from real human skin. Although the masks are made to order on a one-to-one basis, it¡¯s very easy to wear them, allowing you to transform into someone else with little effort! Still worrying about being caught cheating on your lover? Still afraid to show yourself for fear of making a laughingstock of yourself? Worry not, for our masks keep you free from worries!¡± The brute promoted the advertising slogans while holding up the ¡®human skin¡¯ in his hand, showing it around in various poses. The scene looked extremely bizarre. Seriously, would anyone buy masks from him with such advertising slogans? Danny wondered. The next instant, however, he heard Elise say, ¡°Interesting. May I add you on WhatsApp? I¡¯ll do business with you.¡± ¡°Really?! Haha! I¡¯m making the first transaction atst!¡± said the brute. Then, he continued to promote the ¡®human skin¡¯ in his hand, saying, ¡°Sweetie, I¡¯d suggest that you buy more of them so that you won¡¯t have to worry about getting caught no matter how many times you cheat on your boyfriend!¡± ¡°Who said I want to cheat on my boyfriend?¡± Elise finally realized why the brute had few customers despite the nearby stalls doing booming businesses. I¡¯d better not waste my breath talking to this guy. He¡¯s got such a foul mouth, she thought. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s exchange our numbers first. I¡¯ll call youter to talk about our coboration.¡± As she couldn¡¯t stand the brute¡¯s irritating words anymore, she quickly exchanged contact information with him. After wiring him the deposit, she told him to go back and wait for an update. Seeing that the money had been transferred to his bank ount, the brute left merrily with the ¡®human skin¡¯ in his hand. Staring at the face hanging from the brute¡¯s hand, Danny shuddered with a chill running down his spine. Then, he moved closer to Elise, asking, ¡°Elise, what are you buying such useless stuff for?¡± ¡°I have uses for them.¡± Elise smiled before continuing to move on. The ck market wasrge, so Elise and Danny only finished visiting one-third of its area after walking for two hours. Having gotten tired from all the walking, they found a milk tea stand and sat down to get something to drink, waiting for Alexander while they were at it. The stand owner was a Thai who couldn¡¯t speak English but was good at making milk tea. As a result, despite finishing more than half of her cup of milk tea in one gulp, Elise didn¡¯t get sick of its sweetness. Just as Elise was wondering if she should buy another cup for Alexander, a man walking past her suddenly copsed at her feet. As a doctor, she instinctively got up and tried to help him up, taking his pulse upon touching his wrist. A momentter, a grave expression took over her face. If she had to find a term to describe the state of this man¡¯s health, it would be withered. If one could draw an analogy between a healthy man and a fresh, tender, and juicy sponge gourd, then the man, who appeared to be in his thirties, had be like a dry and fibrous loofah. There was little need to treat such people. Still, healers were supposed to treat all patients as equal, so Elise tried to treat him using traditional medical treatment. Luckily, the man had quite a strong will to live, and he slowly opened his eyes. Elise asked with a serious expression, ¡°Who are you? Why are you here?¡± In fact, such a dying person seemed out of tune with the ck market, for one could gain nothing from them. The man¡¯s face was bloodless, and his eyes were sunken. After taking a few sharp breaths, he exined intermittently, ¡°They¡­ took both my kidneys away¡­ without paying me money¡­ I came to ask them for money, but I couldn¡¯t find them¡­ They¡¯re hiding from me¡­¡± With that, the man lost his strength and leaned against the leg of the table at hisst gasp, his eyes opening and closing, as if he would die at any time. However, he had basically made his tragic story clear. In short, it was the story of a desperate man, who ran into a bunch of organ smugglers and had both his kidneys taken away without getting paid for that. Unable to bear the sight of the scene, Elise got up and said to Danny, ¡°Help him up and find a ce for me to give him treatment.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Danny nodded. However, just as he was about to help the man up, a few men suddenly rushed over from the roadside, making a loud noise as one of them pointed at the dying man and said, ¡°He¡¯s here! Didn¡¯t I say that he wouldn¡¯tst long? Hurry up and take him back. Perhaps he¡¯s still warm!¡± As he spoke, the bunch of men came to the dying man and were about to carry him away. Grabbing one of them by the wrist, Danny snapped, ¡°Who are you guys? What¡¯s your rtionship with him?¡± ¡°Who are you, then?¡± asked the vulgar man in reply from a distance away. Then, he warned, ¡°A new face, eh? No one told you to stay out of other people¡¯s business in the ck market, huh?¡± Chapter 454 Chapter 454 Chapter 454 Healthy With No Bad Habits Upon hearing that, Elise expressionlessly looked at the man who seemed to be the leader. ¡°You¡¯re the one doing business with him?¡± ¡°What? You¡¯ve never heard of the great Nightfall, pretty?¡± The man¡¯s expression was aggressive and disdainful. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t matter if you haven¡¯t; the only one you need to remember is me, Mad Dog. This isn¡¯t something that you have any power over. Grab your little wh*re and get the hell out of here!¡± ¡°Watch your mouth! Who are you calling a wh*re?¡± Danny yelled. ¡°I¡¯m talking about you! What? You wanna practice throwing hands with us?¡± ¡°If practice is what you want, then you¡¯ll have it!¡± As he spoke, Danny whipped his jacket off and raised his fists in preparation to fight. He might not be as strong a fighter as Alexander, but getting in a few punches wasn¡¯t something impossible for him. When he passed Elise, a hand suddenly reached out and stopped him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Elise. Let me at them. It¡¯s just a few people; they might not actually defeat me. We might not have to run.¡± Danny was confident in hisbat skills. Elise outright ignored him as she looked at the man in front of her with a smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes. ¡°You got it wrong¡ªwe have no intention of getting into an altercation with you; we just want to strike a deal with you too.¡± ¡°A deal?¡± Mad Dog grinned in disdain, a sly glint shing across his eyes for a moment before being quickly buried. ¡°So, which one of you here is the merchandise?¡± he asked in faux bashfulness. Elise initially wanted to say that she was the merchandise, but she felt that it didn¡¯t sound that believable. The gears in her head whirred, and then she reached out to pull Danny over and pat his chest. ¡°This guy. He¡¯s healthy, and he doesn¡¯t have any bad habits like smoking or drinking. Name your price.¡± Danny opened his mouth to protest, but when Elise shot him a re, he promptly got into the role he was supposed to y. Instantly, he turned into the protagonist of an angsty, tragic movie. ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s me. But, I¡¯m the only one being sold here. Since I¡¯m so dashingly handsome, can you please name a higher number?¡± Mad Dog scrutinized Danny thoughtfully. ¡°That¡¯s not my decision to make; I gotta go back first and discuss with my superior. Don¡¯t worry though¡ªwe¡¯ve always been honest and fair when ites to business. We won¡¯t be fleecing you.¡± ¡°Sure. Go now, then,¡± Elise said while smiling. ¡°You¡¯re an impatient one.¡± Mad Dog nced at her meaningfully before he turned to order his subordinates. ¡°You two there¡ªtake that guy back to base. The rest of you wille with me!¡± He then gestured at Danny and Elise with his chin a few times. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there. Come.¡± With that, he turned and headed in the same direction as he came, leading the way as he did so. Elise swaggered after him while Danny tailed her closely. At the very back of their entourage were Mad Dog¡¯s two henchmen. They maintained their positions throughout the journey¡ªElise and Danny in the center while Mad Dog and his men sandwiched them. Slowly, they were led from the crowded and noisy bustle of the streets into a deserted alley. It was then that Danny realized something was fishy. ¡°These people are suspicious. Don¡¯t get caught in their trap,¡± he whispered. However, Elise continued her carefree demeanor, as though nothing was happening. Atst, they were led to a dead end. A repulsive man stood at the very end. Slowly, he turned around to look slyly at them. At the same time, over a dozen men suddenly gathered by the entrance of the alley with sticks and baseball bats in hand as they gradually made their way closer to Danny and Elise. Danny looked behind him warily, getting into a defensive stance. ¡°Where¡¯s your superior?¡± Elise asked calmly, a smile ying on her lips. One of the thugs behind her raised his voice. ¡°Girlie, you didn¡¯t even know that only the Bossman¡¯s word is needed when ites to ck market stuff before, and you still had the guts toe knocking on our door! You¡¯re hriously brave!¡± Elise¡¯s gaze lowered. After a moment of thought, she spoke to Mad Dog. ¡°So, if I cut you down, then we can seal this ck market deal?¡± ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Mad Dog chuckled in objection. ¡°You look pretty small, but you sure talk big, pretty. Tell me then¡ªwhich gang are you from? How dare you challenge Nightfall?¡± he said mockingly. ¡°I don¡¯t belong to any gang; I just don¡¯t like the sight of your face.¡± With a flick of her hand, a silver needle fell into her palm. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then don¡¯t me me when I go all out on you despite you being a girl.¡± Mad Dog¡¯s expression darkened as he harshly gritted out an order. ¡°Beat up the guy till he¡¯s dead. Capture the girl alive!¡± The moment thest word fell, the crowd of men behind surged forward, brandishing their weapons as they charged at Danny. Danny¡¯sbat skills were not shabby. Each punch of his rang true, and he flowed into each move smoothly, so although he was severely outnumbered, none of his opponents could get close to him. While the thugs couldn¡¯t gain the upper hand, there was no one watching Elise¡¯s back now. Seeing this, Mad Dog approached her with an insincere smile. ¡°Hey pretty, I¡¯ll get them to leave his corpse in one piece so long you call me ¡®honey.¡¯ How about that?¡± After that, he reached out to touch Elise¡¯s face with a lecherous smile. ¡°I don¡¯t like others touching me.¡± Elise¡¯s expression abruptly chilled, her voice sounding like it had frozen over. ¡°If you want to cross my limits, you¡¯ll have to pay the price,¡± she continued. Mad Dog¡¯s hand uncontrobly froze in ce a few inches away from Elise¡¯s face. He craned his neck in irritation to carefully study her face again. That was a 17, 18-year-old girl, all right. She looked absolutely harmless. There was nothing to fear about her. At that thought, his tenseness slipped away. Narrowing his eyes, he bravely continued to move his hand closer to Elise¡¯s face. Right at that moment, an even louder racket came from the entrance to the alleyway. ¡°Who are you guys? Ah!¡± As the screams continued, the thugs attacking Danny rushed over to the source of the noise in droves. Mad Dog couldn¡¯t help but turn his head to look as well. Taking advantage of the sudden opportunity, Elise quickly flung her hand out, a silver needle instantly jabbing into his offending hand. In just a moment, Mad Dog was in so much agony from the abrupt jolt-like sensation that he couldn¡¯t even stand straight. He stumbled a few steps backward before he finally fell to his knees. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that you¡¯ll have to pay?¡± Elise looked down at him from where she stood, a chilly gleam shining in her pretty eyes. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Meanwhile behind her, the thugs soon lost the fight, having been sent flying to the ground. It wasn¡¯t until all of the thugs were down that Danny saw that the neers were Alexander and Cameron. Alexander walked past the thugs expressionlessly as theyy on the ground wailing. When he reached Elise¡¯s side, he took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders. ¡°I thought I told you to wait for me by the street?¡± ¡°This is an ident,¡± Elise said with an innocent look on her face as she shrugged. ¡°You always have an excuse.¡± Alexander crooked his finger and gently tapped her head, but his voice was soft and warm. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can remember my words better next time!¡± Chapter 455: Rules of the Black Market Chapter 455: Rules of the ck Market Night descended upon Lithium City. The buildings within the city bathed in darkness. The only source of light was the moon hanging high in the sky. After determining that the coast was clear with his telescope, Xavier waited until one before he left his hiding spot to sneak into Timothy and Sasha¡¯s home. With the information that he had gleaned over the last few days guiding him, he soon reached their bedroom. He unlocked the door with a specially-made knife and walked inside with gentle footsteps. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± The man in the bed was rudely woken up. Xavier rushed over withrge steps to cover Timothy¡¯s mouth while he positioned a sharp knife by Sasha¡¯s neck. ¡°Timothy, Sasha, someone paid me a handsome sum of money to ask me to bring you two back. Come with me, and I won¡¯t hurt you.¡± Xavier¡¯s voice was low, but the threatening undercurrent was evident. ¡°You call this a polite invitation?¡± Timothy¡¯s voice was even. As he spoke, he looked at the knife by his wife¡¯s neck through his peripheral vision. ¡°Apologies, but there is no other way,¡± Xavier said expressionlessly. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt you two either, so long as you cooperate.¡± Having said that, he put the knife away. A pauseter, he reminded, ¡°By the way, I know the escape routes in this area very well. Neither of you will be able to make it past me, and you cannot defeat me in a fight either. You should get rid of your thoughts of escape.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We aren¡¯t looking to die yet.¡± Timothy pushed his sses up his nose. There was no sign of fear on his face. Xavier didn¡¯t want to waste time talking. Quietly, he got up and stood aside to give them space to move. ¡°Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s better for us to leave while it¡¯s still nighttime.¡± Both Timothy and Sasha frantically put on their clothes and got off the bed. Holding onto each other tightly, they slowly began to make their way outside. Xavier¡¯s eyes were slightly narrowed as a strange feeling rose within him. Since they¡¯re hiding here, they must know very well that countless people are looking to assassinate them. They probably knew that such a day woulde. They shouldn¡¯t be behaving like this now, holding each other calmly; they should be trying to die like martyrs or beg for their lives. Xavier quickly swept a gaze across the room. A sly look immediately shed across his eyes. ¡°Stop,¡± he ordered coldly. Timothy and Sasha stopped in their tracks, but they didn¡¯t look back. Timothy turned his head back slightly. ¡°What do you want?¡± Xavier walked over to them with soft footsteps. He remained behind Timothy and Sasha as his fingers ran across the gun he held behind him. ¡°A famous physicist with not a single book in his bedroom. Don¡¯t you think your disguise is a little sloppy, Professor Lancaster?¡± The room descended into a deathly silence at his words. In the blink of an eye, the fraudulent professor and his wife rushed out the door, still holding onto each other. But Xavier was faster than they could ever hope to be; the moment they took a step, two gunshots rang out, the bullets striking them right in their hearts. Regr people would have already fallen over with such grievous injuries, but Timothy and Sasha kept running as though they had a beast on their heels. Xavier¡¯s senses were on alert as he realized that being stuck inside a ce where death was inevitable was even more terrifying than facing death itself. The house! The next moment after that thought, Xavier leaped out of the sole window in the room. At the same time, a huge explosion rattled the sky as the houses around the site were instantly reduced to smithereens. ¡­ When Elise and the others emerged from the alley, someone stopped her. ¡°Miss Sinir, Master Bryce would like to see you.¡± Elise did intend to pay him a visit, so she let go of Alexander¡¯s hand. ¡°You guys can go back first and hand them over to the police. I¡¯ll be right back,¡± she reassured him. Before Alexander could voice his concerns, the man, Macaque, interrupted, ¡°What Master Bryce means is for you, Miss Sinir, to bring them along and see him.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this? Has this Master Bryce of yours fallen so low as to dabble in this kind of business?¡± Elise asked sarcastically. ¡°You misunderstand. Since we are in the ck market, we have to follow its rules.¡± Now that Macaque hadid that out, Elise couldn¡¯t say anything against him. However, Alexander did not feel at ease. In the end, everyone followed Elise to Bryce¡¯s ce. Although this ce was considered the administration district for the ck market, it more resembled an opera stage. Lights zed down on it. Seats were arranged haphazardly below the stage, but there were no guests. Bryce was dressed in a red stage outfit as hey on a bed with sumptuous covers and pillows, looking like he had stepped out of a period drama. He was an absolutely beautiful man. Although his eyes remained closed, his beauty could clearly be described as mesmerizing, like he was Narcissus. The entourage stopped before the stage. Macaque then went onstage from the steps by the side as he respectfully delivered his report. ¡°Master Bryce, Miss Sinir has arrived.¡± Bryce slowly opened his eyes, an eyebrow gently raised as he idly looked at the crowd. With just one nce, he immediately found her. ¡°You¡¯ve changed again,¡± Bryce said in jest. ¡°The same goes for you,¡± Elise said calmly. It was only then that Bryce got up from the bed. With measured steps, he walked to the forefront of the stage and leaned down, extending a hand toward Elise. ¡°We¡¯ll have to speak as equals.¡± Elise was about to take his hand and jump onto the stage with his help, but Alexander stopped her. ¡°Who is he?¡± Bryce withdrew his hand, pulling it behind his back. ¡°My fianc¨¦,¡± Elise answered. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Bryce narrowed his eyes as he meaningfully studied Alexander. Then he turned around. ¡°If you wish to speak with me, you will have to firste up on stage,¡± he said, his voice clearly distant. Elise looked at Alexander. Can I even get up there from this height? she asked with her gaze. Alexander gave her a calm look. The next moment, he bent down and scooped Elise into his arms. Kicking over one of the stools next to him, he stepped onto the stool, and with a powerful leap, he was on the stage. Before Elise could get her bearings, she was already safely deposited on the stage. It was then that Bryce finally looked at Alexander properly, but it was just a momentary look. His gaze then once again rested on Elise. ¡°You and I do not like beating around the bush. So, I shally it out to you¡ªyou cannot take that man with you.¡± ¡°But he¡¯s not one of yours,¡± Elise said lightly. ¡°That is, indeed, the case,¡± Bryce replied. ¡°However, he is part of the ck market, and so he shall only be judged within the ck market. No other ce will be allowed to judge him.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to see if you¡¯re going to deal with him, or if you¡¯re going to shelter him,¡± Elise said, her face devoid of expression. ¡°You still do not understand me well enough.¡± Bryce¡¯s lips curled up into a sneer. ¡°If he was someone I wish to protect, then there would have been no need for me to speak in circles.¡± With that, he looked to the side and shot a nce at one of his men. The man nodded before looking at two other subordinates by the side. The two subordinates immediately understood what he wanted. They dragged the repulsive man forward. With a kick to the repulsive man¡¯s legs, he fell forward on his knees. The knives in the two subordinates¡¯ hands rose in a smooth motion before being brought down. Instantly, the wretched man¡¯s legs were separated from his body. Blood gushed out like a raging river, dyeing the floor crimson. He couldn¡¯t even scream. After a few choked whimpers, he passed out. Chapter 456: Does He Actually Have Eyes for Alexander? Chapter 456: Does He Actually Have Eyes for Alexander? Danny couldn¡¯t help but frown. It seemed that his brother was right¡ªthe world was not as simple as he thought. Once the wretched man was carted off-stage, Bryce sat back on the bed. ¡°Are you pleased with this oue?¡± he asked breezily. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be pleased about¡ªyou just cut this man down. In the future, there will be thousands of others to take his ce. Bryce Fiore, I know that this ck market of yours is outside the jurisdiction of thew, but do you not even have any basic principles?¡± Elise asked indifferently. Bryce didn¡¯t even look up. ¡°On the contrary, I had no idea that you have be an advocate for the police.¡± ¡°This has nothing to do with the police. In business deals, you pay the agreed price, and you get the promised merchandise. Now, that man¡¯s blood is on your hands. Is this any different from a dog-eat- dog world?¡± ¡°All right, all right¡­¡± Bryce waved a hand in dismissal with utmost patience. ¡°I have already rendered that man a cripple, and I will also drive the others away. Let us not allow this little matter to ruin this beautiful meeting of ours when we have not seen each other for such a long time, shall we?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then there¡¯s nothing for us to chat over tea.¡± Eliseposed herself before she went straight to the point. ¡°I want to make a deal with you.¡± ¡°Truly, one neveres to me without a reason.¡± Bryce looked at Elise reproachfully. ¡°Just for once, can you leave with empty hands after you have given me your offerings?¡± ¡°No,¡± Elise replied boldly. ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard that thieves aren¡¯t supposed to go back empty-handed? I¡¯m the thief here, the evil one. Of course I will only be taking from you; who has ever heard of a thief leaving a present for the one they¡¯re robbing?¡± ¡°Hehehe¡­ Someone learned how to crack a joke. How fascinating.¡± Bryce let out a lowugh. Atst, he lifted his head. His eyes were absolutely simr to Alexander¡¯s inky-ck ones. As though he was teasing her, he pulled a leg up onto the bed and ced an arm on top of his knee. Then, he gestured at her. ¡°El,e here.¡± Alexander couldn¡¯t help clenching his hands that were by his sides into fists. El? This was even more intimate than the nickname ¡®Ellie.¡¯ ¡°If I keep standing here, you¡¯re going to turn down that deal, aren¡¯t you?¡± Elise asked, not cooperating with him at all. Seeing how he didn¡¯t get to have some fun with Elise, Bryce put his leg down in disappointment. ¡°When have I never followed your whims? Tell me then¡ªwhat do you have your eyes on this time?¡± he asked languidly. ¡°Nothing too rare; just some dragonmoon grass and sria flowers. You have them, so spare me some,¡± Elise said. ¡°You truly are here to fleece me,¡± Bryce said in annoyance. ¡°I do not have them.¡± ¡°Come on, old sport, are you still deliberately trying to y me?¡± Elise was all smiles. Anyone could see the evilness behind it. ¡°Who are you calling ¡®old sport¡¯! Look at my beautiful, delicate features¡ªdo they look like those of an old man¡¯s?!¡± Bryce stood up in agitation. With his arms behind his back, he shot a meaningful look at Alexander. Elise rolled her eyes. ¡°I already said that he¡¯s my fianc¨¦. If you keep having funny ideas about him, I¡¯m going to actually have to strike you down.¡± Everyone else was bewildered. What was going on? ¡°Such pettiness.¡± Bryce¡¯s tone instantly turned charmingly sharine once Elise had seen through his intentions. ¡°It¡¯s just one look; it¡¯s not as though I will actuallyy a hand on him!¡± The corners of Alexander¡¯s lips twitched awkwardly as he quietly moved to stand behind Elise. This Bryce person did not look like he was one to give up even until the very end. Bryce instantly frowned. ¡°Such a beautiful man as well. It¡¯s such a pity that he¡¯s not my beau¡­¡± he lamented, a mncholic look on his face. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Elise narrowed her eyes as she chuckled coldly. The next moment, she lifted a hand and smacked the back of Bryce¡¯s head. She swiftly followed up with a few more smacks. ¡°What weirdo nonsense are you saying? You should be looking for a girlfriend to date instead! A girlfriend! How many times do I have to say it?!¡± Bryce couldn¡¯t block the rest of Elise¡¯s strikes after the first few times, so he stood up and puffed his chest out. ¡°Enough! Allow me to maintain some dignity while within my territory!¡± Seeing how he had returned to normal, Elise finally stopped hitting him and retreated to the side. Nheless, Bryce wasn¡¯t one to remember past grievances. In an instant, he pressed close to her, taking her hand and grinning. ¡°Yes, this is how sisters should be like!¡± Alexander raised an eyebrow. ¡°Sisters?¡± ¡°What else were you expecting?¡± Bryce stated. ¡°And mind your own business! Since you don¡¯t belong to me, stay away from us. Do not hurt my little El, you dog!¡± Alexander had no words. Meanwhile, down the stage, Danny shuddered, gooseflesh prickling all over his body. ¡°Quit your yammering,¡± Elise turned to say harshly to him. ¡°What about the goods I asked for?¡± At the mention of that, Bryce immediately pulled his face away from Elise¡¯s shoulder. Quietly, he let go of her hand and returned to his bed. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t wish to hand them over to you. You know as well that I love seeing men fight each other. I may not have the sria flowers, but the dragonmoon grass has already been sent to the arena as a prize for the tournament.¡± Elise lowered her head to think. He wasn¡¯t lying; Bryce had always loved watching boxing tournaments. Not once had he missed a single match. But Elise hadn¡¯t thought that he would simply decide to host his own tournaments. ¡°So, as long as I win the tournament, I can get the dragonmoon grass for free, yeah?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Of course, little El. You know that I do not allow anyone to break the rules when ites to the arena.¡± As Bryce spoke with a smile that didn¡¯t quite resemble one, his gaze once again shifted over to Alexander. ¡°If you cannot participate, you can also get someone else to take your ce¡­¡± I wonder what his body looks like once those clothes are off¡­ He had only just finished speaking when two fingers suddenly appeared in Bryce¡¯s line of sight. They then viciously jabbed into his eyes. ¡°Ow, ow, ow¡ªEl! How could you poke me in the eyes again!¡± Bryce cried out in pain as he whined with his hands over his eyes. Elise looked at him, unfazed. Her arms were folded in front of her chest as she looked down at him. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t jabbed your eyes, your head would have been filled with dirty thoughts. This is for your own good.¡± Bryce rubbed his temples. ¡°Why, thank you. Thank you so very much!¡± he said through gritted teeth. ¡°You¡¯re wee. We¡¯re like sisters, after all. Gotta rib you over a man!¡± Elise said, smirking. ¡°¡­I do not wish to talk to you now.¡± Bryce was still licking his wounds as he waved a servant over. ¡°Bring them to the arena.¡± The servant nodded before turning to beckon at Elise and Alexander. ¡°Miss Sinir, Mr. Griffith, please come this way!¡± Chapter 457: Furor at the Arena Chapter 457: Furor at the Arena It might have been hastily constructed, but the scale of the arena was beyond extraordinary. From the looks of it, it was not any shabbier than the arena for WWE tournaments. Elise immediately spotted the dragonmoon grass lying next to the trophy. Her hands couldn¡¯t help but itch at the sight. In the ring, two muscled fighters were battling fiercely. Every move they made was meant to be decisive, not the slightest bit of restraint shown as they hurled attack after attack at their opponent. The man leading Elise and the others brought them around the arena. As he led them around, he exined how the tournament worked. ¡°The rules of the arena are simple¡ªonce you¡¯re in the ring, you¡¯ll be fighting one-on-one with your opponent. The one still standing ten minutester is the winner.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean that someone needs to be beaten to the point that they can¡¯t get up?¡± Danny asked naively. He had just finished asking his question when the sound of someone falling over came from the ring. Thump¡ª As one of the fighters copsed, the other raised his arms in the air, having be the winner of this round. ¡°Who¡¯s next? Who¡¯s next?!¡± the man bragged madly as though he had limitless strength to draw on. It was as though anyone else who dared to step in the ring would be ripped into half by him. Just as Danny was watching in stunned silence, Alexander brushed past him and walked straight toward the referee. There, he signed his name on the provided waiver before he calmly walked up the steps into the ring. d in a white suit, he looked like a prince right out of a painting under the lights shining down on him. He did not fit in at all with the arena with his majestic elegance. To the audience, he just looked like he was going to be beaten into a pulp. ¡°Yet another guy to the ughter!¡± ¡°Tsk tsk, he¡¯s so skinny; can he evenst two minutes?¡± ¡°Hey! Sissy! Don¡¯t go crying for your ma when those clothes get dirtyter, hahaha!¡± The audience jeered and hooted, but Alexander was unfazed as he stood in the ring. He didn¡¯t even focus as he distantly watched his opponent rage and bellow. The man was a whole head taller than him and twice his size. Without waiting for the starting bell, the man tossed his gloves aside and charged at Alexander, his massive fists ready to strike. Seeing this, the referee hastily rang the bell. The man brought his fist down as the bell rang, but before he could hit Alexander, Alexander had already lifted his leg to kick the man in the belly. As though time had stopped, the hulking man froze on the spot. His fist remained in the same position as they had been, poised to strike. After a full three seconds, he finally withdrew his fist. With his hands over his caved-in belly, the man copsed heavily to the ground. The impact rattled the entire ring. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Meanwhile, the bell had only just finished ringing. The man had already fallen when the sound of the bell was still reverberating throughout the arena. Alexander was the clear winner. A worker rushed up then to check the man¡¯s injuries. Once he had ascertained that the hulking man could no longer stand, the worker got up and lifted Alexander¡¯s right hand. As expected, he was the official winner. ¡°Wow! That little thing¡¯s so delicate and frail, but he sure knows how to fight!¡± ¡°One more round! One more!¡± Alexander stood in the ring, his expression chilly. He simply looked in Elise¡¯s direction and nodded. Then, the worker next to him had only just dragged the man out of the ring when the next challenger stepped up. Meanwhile, Elise looked for a seat with a better viewing angle before sitting down. As expected, Alexander won his second battle. Forty minutester, he was already the defending champion with his streak of twelve wins. If he defeated his next opponent, he would be breaking the arena queen¡¯s record. The thirteenth challenger waste to the ring. Just like the previous challengers, this opponent was a man. However, he had a fox mask over his face, giving him a mysterious air. This man did not initiate the first attack like the others before him. On the contrary, both Alexander and this man kept their distance with each other, circling the ring a few times before they stopped. Perhaps due to his waning patience, Alexander made the first move to try and end the fight quickly. However, his opponent was nimble as he dodged all of his attacks. Over a dozen attempted strikester, Alexander still hadn¡¯t hit the man, and this angered him. His strikes got faster and faster as well as more vicious. His patience continued to run even dryer. Elise¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly as she watched from the stands. She could faintly sense that something wasn¡¯t right. By the time she realized that Alexander had gradually shown his weak point, she felt a serious sense of foreboding. Just as she was about to yell out a warning, the masked man had already reached out and sessfully struck at Alexander¡¯s weak point, injecting a poison into him. Alexander brought a hand up to his injured side. He kneeled on one knee, panting. The man in the fox mask began to approach him slowly. Alexander gathered himself. He had already prepared himself to drag the match out until time was up. Before the man with the fox mask could strike again, Elise jumped out from the stands. Using the momentum she gained, she leaped into the ring to kick the man away and shield Alexander. The crowd was instantly in an uproar. ¡°Hey! What¡¯s a woman doing in there? That guy¡¯s signed the waiver! Referee! Where¡¯s the referee? Drag that woman out of the ring!¡± ¡°Is this two-against-one? Why is this allowed?¡± ¡°Hey pretty boy, if you can¡¯t keep fighting, you¡¯re going to have to kowtow to everyone. Don¡¯t hide your sniveling behind a woman!¡± Macaque hastily ran over as well to remind Elise from the side. ¡°Miss Sinir, you know the rules of the arena¡ªif the participant with the upper hand hasn¡¯t stopped fighting, no one else is allowed into the ring!¡± ¡°I know.¡± Elise looked at the man in the fox mask with a frigid gaze. ¡°I believe that he was about to stop. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask him.¡± She narrowed her eyes, her eyes clearly warning him. If the man dared to say ¡®no,¡¯ that would be throwing caution to the wind. The arena would be in a furor then. And, she would have the man pay with his life right here and now! Chapter 458: I’m No Longer the Same Person as Before Chapter 458: I¡¯m No Longer the Same Person as Before Macaque looked at the man in the fox mask. ¡°What are your thoughts?¡± he asked. Although Bryce had mentioned Elise¡¯s identity to him, no one could break the arena¡¯s rules just because of their status. Macaque might be visibly asking the man in the fox mask for his opinion, but in reality, he was hoping that the man would agree. After all, Elise was gutsy enough to hit Bryce. Macaque was actually worried that if Fox-Mask didn¡¯t go along with her wishes, then she might rain wrath down on the arena¡ªno, the entire ck market. The man¡¯s mask only obscured the upper half of his face. Under everyone¡¯s watchful gazes, his lips pressed together into a smile. Then, he spoke. ¡°Let¡¯s do as they wish. I don¡¯t mind fighting against two opponents at once. It will all end the same way anyway¡ªone side will still fall in the end.¡± That arrogant challenge of a statement sessfully piqued the crowd¡¯s fervor. All of them smacked their tables or got on their chairs as they began to yell and cheer for the man in the mask. Elise paid no attention to the racket as she turned to help Alexander up. Without giving away her emotions, she felt for his pulse. It was only after she felt his pulse fluttering under her fingers that she sighed in relief. Fortunately, the poison was a weak one. It would be easy to neutralize. ¡°Looks like I¡¯ve embarrassed you,¡± Alexander said half-jokingly. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Elise smiled while shaking her head. ¡°You suffered in my ce.¡± If it hadn¡¯t been for him, Elise would have been the one poisoned instead and rendered unable to fight. Alexander knew what she actually meant, but he couldn¡¯t help revealing a bitter smile on his lips. He should have been able to hold out for a few more rounds for her. Danny dashed over to the ring as well. Elise handed Alexander to him. ¡°Wait for me in the stands,¡± she ordered. ¡°Hey, are you two done with your tender romance scene already?¡± the man in the fox mask asked impatiently, his arms folded across his chest. Elise coldly nced over her shoulder before she patted Alexander¡¯s handfortingly. She watched as Danny helped Alexander down and out of the ring. Once both men had left the ring, all expression on Elise¡¯s face vanished without a trace. She turned around, a deadly gleam shining in her pretty eyes. ¡°Whoa, is the prettydy angry now? What, is your heart already aching just because I hurt your boyfriend a little?¡± Fox-Mask mocked in a sinister tone. Elise was in no mood for jokes. Pulling a face, she stated coldly, ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡± The referee rang the bell. Fox-Mask¡¯s smile disappeared in an instant. A terrifying aura cloaked him, as though he was a completely different person. It was strange. It was just an instant, but Elise felt an inexplicable feeling, especially when she gazed at the fox mask. It felt like she might have known this man, but nobody who fit this man¡¯s profile came to mind. Before Elise could carefully analyze this feeling, however, Fox-Mask suddenly changed his tactics and struck first. He was already horrendously fast when he dodged Alexander¡¯s attacks earlier, but his speed when he was initiating the attack was on a whole different level. All Elise felt was a gust of wind to her face. By the time her eyes narrowed slightly, Fox-Mask was already in front of her. She knew this man was holding back his true power when he was battling Alexander. That was how he was able to get in that finishing blow right at the most crucial moment. Thus, she wanted to see just how strong the man actually was. And so, the fight in the ring turned into a game of cat-and-mouse. Fox-Mask was the cat. His movements were both fast and powerful. Anyone could tell with a nce that he had been trained well. Meanwhile, Elise was the mouse, her small body swift like the wind. One kept chasing his opponent while the other constantly dodged her pursuer. Their movements were like a constant series of pictures. One moment, they would be on one side of the arena. By the time the audience caught sight of them again, they had actually already changed positions quite a few times. The audience was in a daze by the constant movements. They themselves couldn¡¯t evenpare to those two fighting in the ring right now. ¡°Hey, girl, fight back already. Why do you only keep dodging?!¡± ¡°I thought she¡¯s a lioness, but it turns out that she¡¯s just a meek little mouse. The arena isn¡¯t a ce for you to practice your dance moves. Stop showing off. If you can¡¯t beat him, just admit defeat and beg for mercy!¡± ¡°What a bunch of idiots. Don¡¯t look down on her just because she¡¯s a woman. Haven¡¯t you guys noticed that the dude in the mask still hasn¡¯t even touched a single strand of her hair?¡± ¡°That¡¯s my thought too. Let¡¯s see who actually wins!¡± ¡°That skill of hers is kinda like the arena queen¡¯s!¡± ¡°You mean that woman that no one has been able to dethrone at the arena? How¡¯s that possible? Isn¡¯t that just a legend?!¡± ¡°Legend, my foot! It¡¯s true, okay? I saw one match of hers with my own eyes back in the day! Thatdy was brutal! Not like this softie chick here!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to tell you this¡­¡± The audience¡¯s discussions got more and more heated. The fighters in the ring didn¡¯t slow down either as Elise once again dodged yet another blow. They stood on the left and right sides of the ring respectively, each iming half of the ring. Fox-Mask let out a breath. He was getting impatient now. ¡°Is the queen of the arena reduced to mere dodging now?¡± ¡°You know who I really am?¡± Elise narrowed her eyes, but she soonposed herself again. Her lips curved up into a cold smile. ¡°Looks like I can¡¯t continue keeping a low profile!¡± With that, she deliberately smacked the floor of the ring and charged toward the man in the mask. Fox-Mask stood his ground unflinchingly. When Elise neared him, his lips quirked up into a mocking smile. Then, he reached for his mask and pulled a few silver needles from under it to fling at Elise. ¡°Holy crap! That guy had been feinting!¡± Danny yelled in response to the man¡¯s move. Elise¡¯s expression froze. Atst, he¡¯s shown his hand. She swiftly avoided the needles, dodging to the side and lowering herself to the point that she was almost pressed to the floor. While she was dodging the needles, Fox-Mask quickly darted forward. He stopped right in front of Elise andshed out with a kick. Elise¡¯s arms shot out to block his kick, but she still ended up colliding into the pirs by the side of the ring from the sheer force. She rebounded and crashed to the floor. With one hand supporting her weight, she kneeled there, panting heavily. ¡°Damn that son of a b*tch! He should just fight her fair and square! How dare he pull such a dirty trick!¡± Danny was beside himself with fury and worry. He wished for nothing more than to go into the ring and fight in Elise¡¯s ce, but he knew he would just humiliate her if he went in now. The audience had already begun celebrating Fox-Mask¡¯s victory in advance. Taking advantage of this opening, Fox-Mask gathered himself and once again began his assault on Elise. Elise¡¯s speed gradually dropped as she took more hits. By now, the fight had devolved into a one-sided beating, and she was the one getting pummeled. Alexander¡¯s eyes were narrowed slightly as he followed Elise¡¯s figure closely. Being chased around the ring and getting beaten so easily wasn¡¯t like her. Just as Alexander had thought, as Fox-Mask was about to attack her once more, Elise quickly whipped out a silver needle from her sleeve and charged straight at him. The man hadn¡¯t seen thising, and he now had a needle jabbed into his throat. The next moment, he copsed to his knees. ¡°You¡­ It can¡¯t be. I¡¯ve gone through all your arena records. You don¡¯t know how to fight with silver needles at all!¡± Fox-Mask cried out in disbelief. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ I didn¡¯t know how to wield silver needles then,¡± Elise said breezily. ¡°But I¡¯m no longer the same person as before¡­¡± Chapter 459: Let’s Finish What We Started Today Chapter 459: Let¡¯s Finish What We Started Today Fox-Mask¡¯s eyes widened under his mask. Atst, the fear of death could be seen in them. Elise¡¯s hand suddenly stopped as she was about to pluck his mask off. A man who was afraid of dying was not worthy of being her opponent. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°However,¡± Elise said as she slowly stood up and looked down at him. ¡°A single needle is not enough punishment for someone who hurt my man.¡± As she spoke, she pulled out all the silver needles that she had been hiding on her person. Then, she jabbed the needles all over the man¡¯s body in front of the audience. Once thest needle was in ce, Elise pped. ¡°From now on, the spots where the needles are will ache unimaginably whenever the weather takes a turn for the worse. You won¡¯t be able to sleep from the pain. Don¡¯t think about forcing those needles out; if you try, the pain will be ten times worse than if I had just jabbed the needles into your bones.¡± ¡°You made my man suffer a moment of pain. I¡¯m going to make you suffer a lifetime¡¯s worth of pain. Treating others the way you want to be treated is a fair way to live, isn¡¯t it?¡± Elise raised an eyebrow as she said casually. Fox-Mask didn¡¯t answer her; he had no words. Rebutting would only bring an even more frightening punishment. Elise thought for a moment before she decided to still take the man¡¯s mask off. Just as she was about to reach out, one of Bryce¡¯s men suddenly came forward to speak to her earnestly. ¡°Miss Sinir, please have mercy. This man is the star of our arena. If he dies, I¡¯m going to have a hard time exining his death to Master Bryce.¡± ¡°He¡¯s one of yours?¡± Elise turned, her gaze harsh as she narrowed her eyes at the underling, as though she was trying to burn a hole through him. ¡°Yes.¡± Elise chuckled coldly and withdrew her hand. ¡°Nice. You¡¯re one of Bryce¡¯s men. Very nice!¡± Then, the referee rang the bell. Elise stood in the ring, the previous reigning champion of the arena lying next to her. At this, no one else dared to challenge her. Even so, Bryce¡¯s subordinate still had to ask Bryce for permission before he brought over the sole sprig of dragonmoon grass that the ck market had. He handed it over to Elise. ¡°My apologies, Miss Sinir. It¡¯s our responsibility to protect the dragonmoon grass and keep it from being taken away by outsiders. It wasn¡¯t our intention to hurt your fianc¨¦. I¡¯ve already ordered someone to bring him the antidote. Please, you¡¯re an honorable person. Please don¡¯t tell Master Bryce about this incident. Spare us.¡± As the subordinate spoke, he pressed the dragonmoon grass into Elise¡¯s hand. Now that she had the dragonmoon grass, Elise brought it up to her nose and sniffed it. Once she had confirmed that it was the genuine article through its smell, she turned to look at the subordinate again. ¡°I prefer properpensation over apologies. I¡¯m sure you know what I want.¡± ¡°As long as it¡¯s something that I have, I will certainly hand it over if you say the word. However, not even Master Bryce has any sria flowers, let alone me. I may oversee the ck market, but I can¡¯t give you something that never reaches it, can I?¡± The subordinate had a pained look on his face, his tone indicating his plea. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s finish what we started today.¡± Elise¡¯s expression chilled. She lifted her leg and kicked the subordinate. He flew several feet away and crashed into the stone steps leading into the spectators¡¯ stands. When he hit the ground, he hacked up a mouthful of blood. As the overseer of the ck market, Bryce¡¯s subordinate was not only its leader; he had also built many advantageous rtionships with others, and he was on good terms with many other people operating within the ck market. So when the spectators saw that he was injured, practically everyone stood up and looked at Elise, ready to fight her. ¡°Stop! Don¡¯t do anything! This is a personal matter between me and Miss Sinir! She has already shown me mercy! Or I would have died by now!¡± With that, he coughed a few more times. His spit was streaked with blood. Despite all the blood, he was still courteous and respectful toward Elise. ¡°I cannot thank you enough for your benevolence and allowing me to keep my life, Miss Sinir,¡± he said while bowing. ¡°You¡¯re a smart man.¡± Elise didn¡¯t so much as look at him. ¡°Bryce made the right choice when he handed the ck market over to you to manage.¡± ¡°You tter me, Miss Sinir.¡± Feebly, the subordinate lowered his head. He didn¡¯t dare to say anything deeper than that. Elise dipped her head before she turned and walked over to the stands to help Alexander up. ¡°How do you feel?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing big. I just feel a little drained,¡± Alexander said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miss Sinir. That poison works in the same way as tranquilizers you see in action movies and the like. It just causes a person to temporarily lose their strength; it¡¯s harmless,¡± Macaque exined. ¡°Regardless of the poison¡¯s strength, those under me should not have been poisoned at all,¡± Elise said with a straight face. Bryce¡¯s subordinate froze before he hastily nodded and acquiesced. ¡°Y-You¡¯re absolutely right! I¡¯ll tell them to hurry it up. The antidote will be here soon!¡± He had just finished saying that when the antidote was brought to him. Bryce¡¯s subordinate then offered the bottle of antidote to Elise with both hands. Elise took the antidote bottle. After opening it, she handed the bottle to Alexander. ¡°Drink up. They won¡¯t dare to tamper with its contents as long as I¡¯m here.¡± Alexander smiled wryly. He was in awe of her attention toward him. However, he didn¡¯t say anything in response. Instead, he simply drank the antidote. With his head still lowered, he noticed the anxiety on Elise¡¯s face, so he teased, ¡°You weren¡¯t this serious while you were in the ring.¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t as important as you,¡± Elise blurted. It was only then that she realized what she had just said. She bit her lip and quickly changed the topic. ¡°Feeling any better?¡± Alexander chuckled softly and yed along. ¡°Since when do antidotes work immediately after they¡¯re taken? Give it a few more minutes.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Elise pretended to be serious as she nodded. She had no idea why she felt like this. Alexander¡¯s injury was clearly a minor one, but her heart was still in a frenzy. Although she knew that Fox-Mask wouldn¡¯t have killed Alexander, fear still lingered within her heart when she recalled that scene. Her teacher was right¡ªhaving someone she cared about meant having a weakness. If something were to happen to Alexander, she would probably lose the ability to fight. At that thought, the cogs began to whir in Elise¡¯s head as she tried to find a way to have the best of both worlds, so that she wouldn¡¯t have to keep avoiding Alexander yet keep themselves protected. Now that the notion had struck her, Elise ended up thinking about this problem during the entire journey back. Alexander quietly leaned back in his car seat to rest after he had taken the antidote. Perhaps it was because of thete hour, but Alexander ended up falling asleep. The lights outside the car zoomed by, illuminating Elise¡¯s face one moment and leaving it in darkness the next. However, her pretty forehead remained scrunched up the entire time. All of a sudden, someone¡¯s phone rang. Alexander woke up from his light nap, but he didn¡¯t open his eyes. Elise distractedly picked up the phone and ced it by her ear. ¡°Who¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Yoyo? Yoyo, you finally picked up! Please,e to the hospital this instant. The doctors have already issued a notice of critical illness. Pleasee see your brother onest time. He wants to see you!¡± Jeanie was sobbing into the phone. Her voice hitched and paused throughout the call. Clearly, she was already beside herself with panic. Elise¡¯s forehead immediately creased deeply. She gripped the phone even tighter. ¡°What¡¯s the address? Tell me, which hospital is it?!¡± ¡°Athesea! Athesea General Hospital!¡± Jeanie cried out. Her voice carried over the speaker and leaked over into the interior of the car. Alexander couldn¡¯t help opening his eyes and sitting up straight. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll be there soon. Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯ll be fine.¡± At that, Elise calmly hung up. But her gaze was hollow as she stared off into the distance, her eyes unseeing and unfocused. Chapter 460: She’s Smiling! Chapter 460: She¡¯s Smiling! Alexander took Elise¡¯s phone. Then, he reached out and pulled her into his embrace with one arm while he covered her hand with the other, warming her hand up. ¡°Cameron, step on it,¡± Alexander stated solemnly. Elise leaned against his chest. She couldn¡¯t describe the panic she was feeling. She had thought that she was already used to death, and she was also distant toward her family. And yet, now that this moment was actually here, all she could think of was all the various times Trevor had been nice to her. There was the time when he brazenly avoided Faye and acknowledged her as his only younger sister, the time when he had summoned the courage to return to thepany and fight for her status for her, how he had viewed Alexander as his nemesis, how he wanted to stay at her side forever to protect her, all those times when they chatted over meals, when he called her his sister, and when there had been a sense of camaraderie¡­ Elise vigorously shook her head. She forced herself not to think about them. As long as I¡¯m indifferent to it all, I won¡¯t be upset. She kept repeating those words to herself. But when she finally reached the hospital and saw Trevor lying in the bed with his entire body bloodied, Elise still lost it. ¡°ude! Where¡¯s ude?¡± Elise whipped herself around to find him, only to realize that ude wasn¡¯t here. ¡°Danny, weren¡¯t you watching him?!¡± she asked in a panic. ¡°I¡­ I was with you all the whole time. That guy slipped away so quickly that I couldn¡¯t keep up with him!¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°No way. ude is one of mine. Bryce knows our movements like the back of his hand. It¡¯s impossible for his men not to discover that one of us is missing¡­¡± So, they had to be purposefully hiding the truth. Or, ude had actually been kidnapped by Bryce¡¯s men! However, Elise didn¡¯t get the chance to keep mulling this over; the heart monitor showed that Trevor¡¯s heartbeat was getting weaker. ¡°Alexander!¡± Elise grabbed him as she said frantically, ¡°I¡¯ve used up all my needles. Find me some needles, quickly. Trevor can¡¯t die. My brother can¡¯t die!¡± She finally called Trevor her brother. But he couldn¡¯t die without hearing her call him that! Seeing how upset Elise was, Jeanie once again broke down after she had managed to control herself. ¡°Yoyo.¡± She tamped down her emotions as she stepped forward to support Elise. ¡°Calm down a little. Your brother will be happy that you acknowledged him. This isn¡¯t your fault.¡± ¡°No, I can save him! I can still save him!¡± Elise didn¡¯t know how to exin herself. All she could do was look at Alexander and beg him with her eyes. ¡°Please believe me. Alexander, bring me the needles!¡± Alexander and her locked gazes for a few seconds. His eyes darkened. Then, he turned around and vanished down the corridor. Every scrap of Elise¡¯s strength left her that instant, and she copsed to the ground in despair. Does he not believe me? Behind her, the waves disyed on the heart monitor grew smaller and smaller. A minuteter, all that was shown was a t line. All at once, tears streamed down from her eyes and sshed to the ground. Elise stared at the world through her hazy tears. A massive weight of helplessness crushed her. At this moment, the sound of running footsteps could be heard from the corridor. Elise lifted her head and looked in the direction of the sound to see Alexander running toward her. His side still hadn¡¯t healed yet; he even had to press a hand to the injury on his side. And yet, he still kept running with all he had. ¡°Hurry.¡± Alexander came to a stop atst and handed over the bag of silver needles he was holding. After a moment of staring, the despair in Elise¡¯s eyes cleared. She quickly took the needles and turned to charge into Trevor¡¯s room before locking the door from the inside. Knock, knock, knock¡ª ¡°Please calm yourself! The patient is no longer showing any signs of life!¡± The nurse calmly knocked on the door. As nurses, they were already used to seeing people die. Jeanie had a hand over her mouth as she burst into tears. However, she still forced herself to rein in her emotions, sobbing as she tried to advise Elise through the door. ¡°Yoyo, please don¡¯t be like this. Let Trevor pass on peacefully. Please don¡¯t cling to him like this¡­¡± Alexander quietly stepped forward and blocked the door. ¡°The patient¡¯s family still has something to tell him. You can leave them be.¡± The nurse looked at him up close. She bit her lip, too shy to meet his gaze. However, her voice softened drastically. ¡°Then, please console her.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She¡¯s my fiance¨¦. Of course I know how to take care of her. I don¡¯t need you to remind me about that,¡± Alexander stated, his tone brooking no argument. At the mention of the word ¡®fiance¨¦,¡¯ the nurse¡¯s expression did a one-eighty. Gritting her teeth, she dashed off angrily. Not long after that, Austin arrived atst. Jeanie ran over and wrapped her arms around him. ¡°Austin, Trevor is gone. Our son is gone¡­¡± Austin nearly copsed then, but he still forced himself to hold back his grief as the sole pir of the family. He held his wife and quietlyforted her. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m still here. This family won¡¯t break down as long as I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Faye!¡± Jeanie used. ¡°It has to be her. She wants to kill you and our son. Look at what happened to Trevor in the end. You can¡¯t let anything happen to yourself. No, we have to drive her away and out of the Anderson Family!¡± ¡°Jeanie¡­¡± Austin¡¯s voice trailed off as he released her. ¡°Don¡¯t let your anger get the better of you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not just saying this because I¡¯m upset!¡± Jeanie stubbornly whipped her arms back. ¡°Ever since that woman joined the family, the household hasn¡¯t known peace. She was practically sent to torture us. Why haven¡¯t you seen the truth yet? Don¡¯t tell me that you also want Yoyo¡¯s life to be threatened as well?!¡± Tears were welling in Jeanie¡¯s eyes as sheid out her usations. Her gaze went over Austin¡¯s shoulder to see Faye standing by the entrance to the elevator behind him. A crazed smile hung on Faye¡¯s face. ¡°She¡¯s smiling!¡± Jeanie grabbed Austin¡¯s arm in a panic and attempted to make him turn around. Austin struggled in ce. Only after several moments of hesitation did he finally turn around. However, all he saw was Faye with a look of concern on her face as she dashed over.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Mom, Dad, how¡¯s Trevor?¡± Faye furrowed her brows as she asked, an uneasy look on her face. ¡°No! It wasn¡¯t like this!¡± Jeanie pointed at Faye in fear as she spoke. ¡°I saw it clearly just now¡ªshe was smiling! Austin, that woman was smiling even though Trevor is dead! She¡¯s far too terrifying. You can¡¯t stay around her!¡± But Faye sniffled and put on a pitiful look. ¡°Mom, why are you still using me during a time like this? I¡¯m also heartbroken because of Trevor¡¯s death. Do you have to rub salt into my wounds?¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough¡­¡± Austin was already worn-down from losing his son at a young age. There was no way he could handle both women now, so he pulled Jeanie over to the side to talk to her. ¡°Jeanie, listen to me. Faye isn¡¯t as awful as you say she is¡­¡± Jeanie couldn¡¯t process anything he said. Her fists clenched tightly as she looked at Faye. She didn¡¯t dare to shift her gaze away for even a moment. Just as Jeanie expected, Faye¡¯s expression changed the moment Austin turned his back to her. It transformed into one of insanity, of demented unrestraint. Faye was the one behind Trevor¡¯s death. Jeanie was sure of it. Chapter 461 Chapter 461 Chapter 461 Jeanie clenched her jaw tightly. The next moment, she made a harsh decision-no matter what price she had to pay, she would not let Faye hurt her family again. This would be thest time ever. Right at that moment, the door to the ward suddenly flew open. Elise walked out of the room, supporting her weight on the door. Alexander¡¯s sharp eyes immediately took notice of this, and he quickly reached out to help her stand, but Elise waved dismissively. ¡°Call the doctors over. He isn¡¯t dead yet. Bring the instruments, quick!¡± she said weakly. ¡°Oh, all right!¡± Danny was the first one to react, and he charged over to the reception. ¡°The doctors! Where are they?!¡± The doctors and nurses soon arrived. Alexander helped Elise to the side. The door to the ward was wide open. Faye watched on as an entire crowd worked to save a dead man. Displeasure was clear in her eyes. And yet, the waves of a heartbeat returned to the heart rate monitor¡¯s screen, and they even got stronger and stronger. At this, Faye¡¯s expression morphed in a fascinating manner. Her grip on her shoulder tightened to the point that her nails dug into her flesh. Impossible. He was dead. How could he be revived?! Jeanie took in Faye¡¯s sinister expression. She walked over briskly and blocked Faye¡¯s view. ¡°Leave this ce now.¡± Jeanie¡¯s expression was chilly, her tone brooking no argument. Faye shot a re at Trevor before turning to meet Jeanie¡¯s eyes. After a brief standoff, she immediately changed gears, a concerned look on her face as she spoke to Austin. ¡°Dad, since Mom doesn¡¯t want me here, I¡¯ll leave. I don¡¯t want to rile her up. You two will be fine. Please tell me if there¡¯s any change in Trevor¡¯s condition.¡± Austin was vexed as he pinched his forehead and waved at Faye. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Faye hadn¡¯t expected Austin to not even try to get her to stay. Instantly, her expression dimmed. She didn¡¯t even bother to hide the displeasure on her face as she stomped off angrily in her heels. As she waited for the elevator, she gritted her teeth. ¡°That ingrate is sturdier than I thought. He still isn¡¯t dead even though he¡¯s so badly injured!¡± Meanwhile by the ward, Danny came running over excitedly to Elise just when she had regained some of her strength. ¡°He¡¯s alive! He¡¯s alive!¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Elise wasn¡¯t surprised by this turn of events. Trevor might not be dead, but he would be unconscious for the near future; his body was still frail and weak. ¡°Arrange for a few more guards to stand watch outside of the ward. Do not allow anyone uninvolved in Trevor¡¯s care in.¡± ¡°I know what I should do.¡± Danny nodded solemnly before retreating to give Alexander and Elise some space. Now that Danny had left, the ward was once again quiet. ¡°I need to go to the ck market again,¡± Elise muttered to herself. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. ¡°To look for ude?¡± Alexander asked. Elise nodded. ¡°I managed to bring Trevor back from the brink of death, but to truly save him, I need to find ude.¡± ¡°And if he isn¡¯t at the ck market?¡± Alexander asked thoughtfully. ¡°You and Bryce are¡­ good sisters, as he put it. I don¡¯t think he would pull any dirty tricks.¡± ¡°Alexander.¡± Elise abruptly lifted her head and looked at him seriously. ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as eternal enemies, or eternal friends.¡± Especially when ites to people like Bryce. Perhaps Bryce did treat her favorably, but that was because there was no one else worthier than Elise for Bryce to maintain a friendship with. The moment a juicier business prospect cropped up, he would definitely not hesitate to turn his back on her. All of the sudden, Alexander felt like Elise was apletely different person, as though everything in her eyes was just an exchange of mutual interests. He thought she didn¡¯t believe in true love, and she didn¡¯t truly love him. ¡°But I¡¯ll always be your beloved.¡± Alexander took her hand, rubbing it gently against his palm as he lowered his head and gently spoke. ¡°If there¡¯s anything you want to do, go ahead and do it. I¡¯ll always support you, but you have to promise me to watch out for your safety.¡± A pause, then a sigh. Alexander continued then, ¡°On second thought, let me go with you. I don¡¯t feel at ease letting you go alone.¡± Elise smiled mildly. ¡°But you ended up hurt when you came with mest night.¡± Alexander had an exasperated expression. ¡°Fine. I am indeed too weak.¡± He couldn¡¯t protect the woman he loved. He was indeed unworthy of fighting with her side-by side. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡± Elise held his hand, her clear, pretty eyes looking at him with deep affection. ¡°I just can¡¯t stand you getting injured. I won¡¯t be able to focus that well with you there!¡± Alexander smiled in response. ¡°So, we¡¯re closer than friends?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Elise casually threw her arms over his neck and pressed herself close. ¡°Why do you have to be so handsome? I don¡¯t even feel safe leaving you at home; how will I dare to take you with me?¡± Alexander withdrew himself from her hold, a yful but confused look in his eyes. ¡°Why does it feel like you¡¯re trying to sweet-talk me? Who taught you to speak like that?¡± ¡°Do I even need to be taught to speak that way?¡± Elise¡¯s eyes turned into crescents from her smiling. ¡°With you around, anyone will be able to master the art of honeyed words without a master!¡± With that, she shamelessly hugged him tightly without easing up. Alexander couldn¡¯t resist it when she was acting coy like this. With no other choice, he pitched his voice up. ¡°Okay¡­ I¡¯ll do as you say!¡± That night, Elise entered the ck market again. It hadn¡¯t been long since her arrival when Macaque came looking for her. ¡°Miss Sinir, Master Bryce has decided on a change in venue. I shall take you there.¡± Elise nodded without answering. Soon, she reached a pub, where she saw Bryce drinking contentedly. Elise stood by the door and watched him from a distance. ¡°You knew I wasing?¡± Bryce put down his ss before he picked up a bottle of wine andnguidly poured himself another ss. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you would being. However, I knew that we would certainly be meeting each other again shortly. I am simply unsurprised.¡± A pauseter, he looked at the ss in his hand. ¡°Is that not how things have been for us these few years? We would meet each other often for a while, and then we would go for a long period of time without contacting each other.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time to reminisce over the past with you,¡± Elise stated her objective. ¡°One of my people was missing when I left your ce. Return him to me.¡± ¡°I have never touched anyone from your party.¡± Bryce¡¯s expression was roguish. ¡°I simply thought that you did not want him any longer.¡± ¡°Whether I want him or not, that¡¯s my own business. He went missing in your territory, so you better not tell me that this is something you have no control over.¡± Elise¡¯s tone took on a sharper edge. Bryce froze, his hand reaching out for the ss of wine hanging in midair. A dark look shed across his eyes. ¡°El, you can¡¯te tyrannizing me so grantly simply because I indulge you. I¡¯ve told you that he¡¯s not here. I do not wish to repeat the same line for the third time.¡± Elise collected herself. In truth, she had thought that there was a possibility of a third party being involved in ude¡¯s disappearance; simply, she had been holding out hope for the opposite. ¡°Sorry for bothering you.¡± With that, Elise turned to leave. ¡°Hold it!¡± The smile returned to Bryce¡¯s face. ¡°Just because he¡¯s not here in my territory doesn¡¯t mean that I can¡¯t help you with his rescue.¡± Chapter 462 Chapter 462 Chapter 462 Elise paused. Before she could turn around, Macaque had respectfully presented her with a box in his hand. Bryce smiled a faint smile. ¡°I¡¯m also worried about your brother after he was hurt like that, El. This medicine can¡¯t bring the dying back to life, but it can keep him in a state of suspended animation for half a year to buy you time to save him.¡± Elise darted a nce at the box in Macaque¡¯s hand. Instead of taking the box right away, she threw a sidelong nce behind her. ¡°And the conditions are?¡± That was the reason Elise had never really taken too much advantage of Bryce despite them having known each other for such a long time. Whatever he gave her, he would always have her pay him back doubly in other ways. It had urred to Elise more than once that it was a waste of his talents for Bryce, who was so good at doing business, to stay in the ck market. He should¡¯ve joined the financial market to y the numbers game with those capitalists, she thought. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯d say no one in the world knows me better than you do, El,¡± Bryce replied ingratiatingly. ¡°Stop beating around the bush. Just cut to the chase,¡± Elise said irritably. ¡°Alright. You never speak with me longer than necessary, anyway; I¡¯m already used to it.¡± Bryce put down his wine ss. When he looked up again, his eyes flickered with shrewdness. ¡°I want you to participate in the arena ten times and win all of them for me.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Elise replied without hesitation. After a moment¡¯s pause, she turned to look at Bryce, her eyes slightly narrowed. ¡°Tell me who asked you to give me the medicine.¡± Bryce had few things to care about, but he didn¡¯t have much time to spend at leisure, so he couldn¡¯t possibly have looked into the Anderson Family¡¯s affairs. Since he had the medicine prepared beforehand, someone must have told him to do so.N?velDrama.Org is the owner. ¡°Well¡­¡± Bryce hesitated without giving Elise the answer. After lowering his head, he continued with a half-smile, ¡°That¡¯d be a separate deal, El. Short debts make long friends. If you want to know who it is, you¡¯ve got to wait until you have something I need.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Elise clenched her teeth. Then, she turned around, took the box from Macaque, and left the room without looking back. Bryce watched all of this quietly, but the smile in his eyes slowly faded. Then, he said indifferently through his thin lips, ¡°Go make arrangements for the arena matches.¡± ¡°Yes, Master Bryce,¡± Macaque replied reverently. Elise returned to the hospital with the medicine. After she administered it to Trevor, his vital signs quickly stabilized. Thomas was called over at thest minute, but the results of the medical examination were simr to what Bryce had said: Trevor had gone into a vegetative state once again. Even though the results were still uneptable, he was lucky to have escaped death, so Jeanie and Austin thought it was a silver lining. After the medical staff had left, Elise spotted Harald in the hallway and made an excuse to leave the ward. Seeing him entering the nearest emergency exit, she followed behind him quietly. Slowly, she heard voicesing from the stairwell. Harald said, ¡°¡­Have you thought this through? That guy refused to take responsibility for you earlier, and now he¡¯d be a vegetable. You¡¯re not his girlfriend or anything right now, so the Andersons aren¡¯t gonna think highly of you if you volunteer to look after him.¡± Then, a young female voice replied, ¡°He just didn¡¯t know what had happened, but it¡¯s fine as long as I know it myself. He¡¯s my first man, Harald. I can¡¯t just leave him to die.¡± The Field Family had only one daughter. Judging from the voice, it was probably Yvonne. Harald let out a heavy breath. ¡°How could you call that ¡®leave him to die? You¡¯re an unmarrieddy. How could you go look after a guy? If that guy still refuses to marry you after hees around, who else in the world¡¯s gonna marry you?¡± ¡°If the Andersons are really that ungrateful, I¡¯ll stay unmarried for life. I¡¯m smart, anyway. When I graduate, I¡¯ll naturally find a good job to support myself¡± Yvonne replied in a fit of pique. Harald didn¡¯t sound very pleased either. ¡°That¡¯s nonsense! There isn¡¯t a girl who stays unmarried for life!¡± It surprised Elise that the Field Family still had a daughter who had such a noble character. Indeed, with the state Trevor is in, he needs someone to look after him constantly. Money can buy people, but it can¡¯t buy a genuine heart, she thought. After pondering for a moment, she walked over to the wooden door of the emergency exit and opened it. Fifteen minutester, Elise returned to the ward with Yvonne. Looking at Yvonne, Jeanie asked, ¡°Elise, who is¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s the caretaker I¡¯ve found for Trevor. She can be trusted.¡± Then, Elise said, ¡°Yvonne, you¡¯ll be in charge of looking after my brother from now on.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Yvonne nodded. However, Jeanie doubted Yvonne¡¯s capabilities somewhat because of how young she looked. ¡°Are you really up to the task? You look so young.¡± ¡°I am, Mrs. Anderson. I took care of my mom during the ten years she was bedridden, and the doctors praised me for not letting her suffer the least bit,¡± Yvonne said sincerely. Seeing that Yvonne was quite well-behaved, Jeanie didn¡¯t give her too much of a hard time. ¡°Alright then. Since you¡¯re the person Yoyo hired, I¡¯ll let you try it. If you can¡¯t do the job, we can hire another person to help you.¡± With that, Yvonne stayed beside Trevor and looked after him under the assumed name of Yvonne Greens. Having made the arrangements for it, Elise had Jeanie meet her alone outside the ward. She asked with a serious look on her face, ¡°Mom, you said earlier that it was because of Faye that my brother got into this state. On what basis did you say that?¡± Upon hearing Elise¡¯s words, Jeanie felt a twinge in her nose, and her eyes reddened. Atst, my Yoyo is willing to acknowledge Trevor as her brother, she thought. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Elise didn¡¯t realize she had just called Trevor as her brother in front of Jeanie. Ever since she acknowledged him as her brother, everything seemed to fall into ce, as though that was the way things were supposed to be. ¡°Nothing.¡± Jeanie fought back the tears that sprang to her eyes. After collecting herself, she exined, ¡°Trevor was supposed to keep mepany at home these days, but he got wind that Faye was bidding for a piece ofnd in Riverdale. If she seeded in doing so, she¡¯d gain greater support from the board of directors than before, so Trevor drove to Riverdale overnight, nning to stop that woman by getting his hands on that piece ofnd before she did. But who would¡¯ve thought that he¡¯d get into such a terrible car ident as soon as he left the city? Faye has to have something to do with this!¡± Then, she suddenly stopped and grabbed Elise¡¯s hand nervously. ¡°That woman¡¯s a madwoman, Yoona. I¡¯ll avenge your brother, so don¡¯t get yourself involved in this. Now that your brother¡¯s already in such a state, you mustn¡¯t get in trouble as well.¡± ¡°Mom.¡± Elise took Jeanie¡¯s hand with a determined look in her eyes. ¡°The one who¡¯s gonna be in trouble isn¡¯t me, but the one who did this to Trevor. Please watch over him while I go to the Anderson Residence.¡± ¡°No, you can¡¯t!¡± Jeanie grabbed Elise¡¯s hand in a tight grip. ¡°I can¡¯t let you go there. Your dad¡¯s been taken in by her. How are you gonna fight against them alone? Just take this as my plea to you, Yoyo: stay here, and never go anywhere or do anything, okay?¡± Elise knitted her fine eyebrows slightly. She replied in a helpless tone, ¡°Do you think she¡¯ll let all of us off if we do nothing?¡± ¡°I know she won¡¯t¡­¡± Jeanie¡¯s eyes suddenly shone with a determination to face death unflinchingly. ¡°But Yoyo, you¡¯re not supposed to be facing all this. Just give me a bit more time. I¡¯ll take care of all this!¡± Elise had a vague feeling that something was amiss. ¡°What are you gonna do?¡± Chapter 463 Chapter 463 Chapter 463 As soon as Elise finished her sentence, though, Alexander stepped out of the ward. ¡°I heard what you two said just now. Mrs. Anderson, you have to believe that Elise knows what to do and what not to do,¡± he said impassively. ¡°I¡¯ll go with her, so you can rest assured.¡± Since he had said so, Jeanie couldn¡¯t stop Elise anymore, so she had no choice but to give them the nod. Alexander and Elise then exchanged a brief look before walking outside together tacitly. The car drove away from the hospital. After the couple were a distance away from the hospital, Alexander broke the silence, asking, ¡°What are you gonna do after arriving at the Anderson Residence?¡± Elise rested her elbow on the car window to support her chin. Staring nkly out of the window, she said absentmindedly, ¡°Act ording to the circumstances, I guess. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s gonna happen either.¡± However, Alexander asked, ¡°What if your dad defends Faye?¡± He knew it was cruel of him to say this, but he had to do so since he didn¡¯t want Elise to face the scene unprepared. Upon hearing his question, Elise fell silent for a moment. After all, Austin had viewed Faye as his only daughter over thest dozen years, so their rtionship was close. In fact, Faye had already been much dearer to him long ago than Elise¡ªhis biological daughter-did. It wasn¡¯t that Elise hadn¡¯t thought of the possibility Alexander brought up; she just didn¡¯t expect that she would be facing it so soon. However, some things were inescapable. Elise never intended to provoke Austin and Faye on her own initiative. To put it in an uncaring way, as long as Faye didn¡¯t hurt who she cared about, she wouldn¡¯t give a damn about it if Faye stole the Anderson Family¡¯s property or even Austin away. But since Faye was behind Trevor¡¯s car ident, she would certainly find out the truth about it. As for Austin¡­ Elise had seen how much Alexander suffered at the hands of Madeline and Adam, so her reason wouldn¡¯t allow her to make the same mistake. Her only worry was that she might go soft on him because of their blood rtionship. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if anyone defends Faye. She has hurt my brother.¡± She raised her voice, as if talking to Alexander while hypnotizing herself and warning herself not to waver. ¡°Okay.¡± Alexander reached his hand out to hold hers. ¡°I¡¯m always on your side.¡± Elise fiddled with his hand with a wry smile without answering him. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. When the car stopped in front of the Anderson Residence, the couple got out of the car together and rang the doorbell. The servant trotted out from the inside and stood behind the iron fence. After looking at Elise¡¯s face, she opened the gate from the inside. ¡°Wee back, Miss Yoona,¡± she said with a respectful smile. ¡°Do you know me?¡± Elise remembered that she had nevere to the Anderson Residence before, let alone identify herself. ¡°Yes, of course. Everyone in the household knows that you¡¯ve been found. It¡¯s Master Austin who said so himself in front of everyone, and he even showed us your picture and told us to keep your appearance in mind and respect you just as we respect Miss Faye. He really cares a lot about you,¡± the servant said while leading them into the house. Her words rendered Elise at a loss for a reply for a moment. Alexander took Elise¡¯s hand while picking up on the topic on his own initiative, asking, ¡°Did Mr. Anderson give any other instructions?¡± ¡°That¡¯s for certain,¡± the servant answered. Her words gushed out as she continued, ¡°Not only did he have Miss Yoona¡¯s room renovated and redecorated, but he even had the kitchen prepare a new menu ording to her past favorites to make it convenient for her toe back anytime. Oh, by the way, Miss Yoona, you¡¯re gonna stay for dinner this time, right? What would you like to eat? I¡¯ll tell the kitchen right away.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not necessary. We¡¯ll leave after saying a few words to Mr. Anderson. Your madam¡¯s still waiting for her to go back, after all,¡± Alexander replied gently. ¡°Haha! So Miss Yoona and Madam are closer, huh? But it¡¯s bad to forget about such a good father like Master Austin, Miss Yoona. I¡¯ve watched him have dinner alone every single day, and he seems quite lonely. If you¡¯re free, pleasee back and visit him often,¡± reminded the servant. Alexander replied good-temperedly, ¡°We already have our own ns about this, so please don¡¯t worry about it.¡± The servant could tell that Alexander was a well-brought-up man. When he said he and Elise had already made ns, he was actually implying that she shouldn¡¯t be too much of a busybody, but he had said so in a way that spared her feelings. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right, sir. Sorry for speaking out of turn,¡± she apologized. Then, she pointed to the sofa, saying, ¡°Sir, Miss Yoona, please wait here while I call Master Austin downstairs.¡± As she spoke, she was about to go to Austin. However. Elise said, ¡°Just tell Faye toe downstairs. I know she¡¯s at home.¡± Beforeing here, she had tracked Faye¡¯s location and learned that she was at the Anderson Residence. The servant didn¡¯t understand why, but Austin had said before that Elise¡¯s orders had to be obeyed too. Therefore, she obediently went in another direction and went upstairs to go to Faye. Instead of Faye, it was Austin who came downstairs shortly after the servant went upstairs. He slowly came downstairs before greeting Elise and Alexander, saying, ¡°You¡¯re back, huh?¡± Then, he asked, ¡°How¡¯s Trevor? Has he gotten any better?¡± Elise sounded a bit displeased, though. ¡°How much better can he get in a vegetative state?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Austin let out a sigh. Then, he looked up at her, asking, ¡°Why are you asking for Faye?¡± Coming straight to the point, Elise replied, ¡°To seek justice for Trevor.¡± ¡°You came here after listening to your mom¡¯s allegations, eh?¡± Austin lowered his head with a wave of his hand. ¡°Those were nothing but groundless spections that have no factual basis. You shouldn¡¯t take them at face value.¡± ¡°Who am I supposed to trust if I don¡¯t trust my mom? Should I trust an outsider like you do?¡± Elise shot back in a confrontational manner. ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? There are no outsiders in this family!¡± Austin pulled a long face in displeasure. ¡°Both you and your sister are my daughters. There¡¯s nothing different.¡± Elise didn¡¯t want to keep arguing with him over the subject. Directly, she got around the sofa and headed upstairs. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Austin jumped to his feet. ¡°Are you gonna hurt your own sister in front of me?!¡± Elise paused in her tracks, but she didn¡¯t look back. ¡°That¡¯s just your imagination. I¡¯ve never acknowledged before that I have a sister,¡± she said while walking upstairs. Austin strode up to Elise. Standing on the stairs, he reproached Elise in a condescending manner, saying, ¡°Just walk over my dead body if you want to hurt your sister without any justification!¡± Elise retracted her feet and looked up at Austin. Then, she narrowed her eyes, which shone with a dangerous gleam. ¡°Are you determined to defend her?¡± Austin didn¡¯t answer her. Elise then asked, ¡°Do you know that Trevor¡¯s now as good as dead?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not dead yet,¡± Austin retorted almost stubbornly. ¡°I know about my own son. He won¡¯t die so easily.¡± ¡°Easily?¡± Elise sneered. ¡°Did you forget the years you guys spent at Pinewood Hospital? You didn¡¯t see the nurse wipe the blood off Trevor¡¯s body, so you thought he wouldn¡¯t be in pain, did you?¡± Austin shut up again; he had nothing to say. ¡°It seems that you¡¯ve made the choice, but I¡¯m gonna ask you again,¡± Elise said recklessly in despair. ¡°Either hand Faye over and let me take her away today, or I¡¯ll leave right away and take action against the Andersons from now on. Make your choice.¡± Chapter 464 Chapter 464 Chapter 464 ¡°That¡¯s sheer nonsense!¡± Austin flung his arms in vexation. ¡°Nonsense? I¡¯m not in the mood for nonsense, nor am I joking either,¡± Elise said expressionlessly. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll take it as you¡¯ve chosen to stick with Faye.¡± Austin didn¡¯t refute her. The words the servant had just said rang in Elise¡¯s head. In an instant, disappointment welled up inside her. Sometimes, being foolish could be fatal. Despite his current age, Austin was appallingly not as farsighted as Jeanie and Bertha. Even they knew that Faye was a greedy and wicked monster who would bite the hand that fed her someday if kept around, but he believed her wholeheartedly. In that case, let him pay for the so-called love between father and daughter and his foolishness, thought Elise. Shooting a nce upstairs, Elise saw Faye, who quietly avoided meeting the former¡¯s eyes while hiding behind a pir. ¡°Since you¡¯ve heard it all, keep this in mind,¡± Elise said to the person upstairs. ¡°From now on, you and the Andersons have another enemy.¡± With that, she stormed off right away without taking another nce at Austin. ¡°You¡¯ve made another wrong decision,¡± Alexander said before going out after her. Shortly after the couple walked outside, they saw Bertha waiting in front of them. Even though Elise was in low spirits, she went straight up to the old woman without avoiding her ¡°Yoona.¡± Bertha looked at Elise while being visibly heartbroken. ¡°I feel I haven¡¯t seen you for ages.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding, Old Mrs. Anderson. It¡¯s only been a month or so,¡± Elise replied tly. ¡°No, it¡¯s different.¡± Bertha stepped forward and held Elise¡¯s hands in her wrinkled hands, rubbing the latter¡¯s hands again and again. ¡°I used to know you as Miss Sinir, but now you¡¯re my dear granddaughter. Now that I think about it, we¡¯ve not seen each other for almost 15 years.¡± Elise didn¡¯t say a word. She didn¡¯t understand how Bertha had made the calctions. Regardless of whether she was speaking to Bertha as Elise or as her granddaughter, it had indeed only been a month since theyst spoke to each other. However, when Elise saw Bertha shedding tears of emotion, she decided to not be too particr about it. After a while, Bertha wiped her tears away. Holding Elise¡¯s hand in a tight grasp, she said, ¡°Please don¡¯t get angry with your dad. He has his reasons for doing so.¡± ¡°Are you gonna advise me not to fight Faye like he did?¡± Elise shot back. At first, she had wanted to tell Bertha that Trevor had nearly died because of Faye, but she bit back the words that sprang to her lips for the sake of Bertha¡¯s health. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to advise you. There are some matters that you don¡¯t understand, and the matters at present aren¡¯t the only things he needs to consider,¡± Bertha replied with some hesitation. In the end, she dared not reveal too many of the details. ¡°I¡¯m not gonna try to understand what I don¡¯t understand either,¡± Elise replied coldly ¡°I only do what I believe is right and defend the right person.¡± Bertha replied patiently in earnest, ¡°But there are no absolute rights and wrongs in the world. Perhaps what you see is only an act that people put on to pull the wool over your eyes, no?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean.¡± Elise was puzzled. ¡°What¡¯s right is right, and what¡¯s wrong will always be wrong. There¡¯s nothing that they should be afraid of facing. If they¡¯re afraid, that only shows they¡¯re too cowardly to summon up their courage. Are the others supposed to sympathize and y along with you if you¡¯re a chicken? There¡¯s no such thing in the world.¡± ¡°You¡¯re gonna suffer for being so young and impetuous, Yoona,¡± Bertha said worriedly. ¡°I¡¯ll suffer, then.¡± Elise withdrew her hand from Bertha¡¯s grasp. ¡°I¡¯d rather suffer than have a guilty conscience,¡± she said. Then, she gave Bertha a nod and walked out. Alexander listened to the two women¡¯s conversation from behind them for a while. After Elise had left, he walked up to Bertha and apologized to her on Elise¡¯s behalf, saying, ¡°I¡¯m sorry if Elise has offended you. She has a simple heart, so she doesn¡¯t see people and things in a roundabout sort of way.¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯m gonna get angry with my own granddaughter?¡± Bertha let out a sigh. Then, she recalled something and added, ¡°Since you¡¯re always around her, please always remind her that fearlessness isn¡¯t a good thing. I fear that she might end up being covered in scars one day.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let anyone touch a single strand of Elise¡¯s hair even if that means l¡¯ll get hurt myself,¡± Alexander promised. Bertha nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be entrusting this granddaughter of mine to you, then. Please be sure to take good care of her for me.¡± ¡°I will. Alright then, I¡¯ve got to go.¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± Alexander bowed to her slightly before going out after Elise. Meanwhile, Elise¡¯s phone rang as soon as she got into the car. ¡°Hello? Who¡¯s that? Just shoot if you have something to say. If not, I¡¯m hanging up,¡± she said in a rapid-fire way. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t! Are you gonna cast me aside now that I¡¯m no longer needed?¡± Nathanined. ¡°You can¡¯t cozy up to people when you have a favor to ask of them and ignore them when you no longer need their help, sweetie.¡± ¡°Get straight to the point, please,¡± Elise urged impatiently. ¡°The point? I thought you knew what it was,¡± Nathan replied. He continued unhurriedly, ¡°The Dahlens have gone bankrupt, no? I¡¯d done the job, but you didn¡¯t call me, so I can only call you to have you keep your side of the bargain.¡± Elise thought she seemed to have underestimated Nathan¡¯s capabilities. ¡°What? That¡¯s quick!¡± ¡°Well, how long it takes depends on my mood.¡± Nathan stared into space with a grin while holding his cell phone. ¡°I put what you¡¯d asked me to do at the top of my list of priorities. You didn¡¯t forget what you¡¯d promised me, did you?¡± Elise was rendered speechless; indeed, she had forgotten her promise to Nathan. After a brief pause, she replied boldly, ¡°I didn¡¯t, of course. How about tonight? As it happens, she¡¯s got time for a couple of drinks.¡± Nathan replied, ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll prepare two bottles of fine wine then. Youe over and have Alexander join us too. Let¡¯s drink to our heart¡¯s content!¡± His mood uplifted, he turned to look at the Roman¨¦e-Conti in the liquor cab. It¡¯s only proper to serve A with wines of such distinction, I suppose, he thought. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s meet up at the vi where we werest time,¡± Elise said. With that, she hung up before Nathan could say the words on the tip of his tongue. Nathan looked at the phone while smacking his lips in resignation. ¡°Is it really fine for someone as mysterious as A to meet with us casually at Dawn Vi? Does she really have no idea how many people are gonna throng the ce if word leaks out about it¡­¡± he muttered. On second thought, though, he felt that A was putting her trust in him. She¡¯s only so unperturbed because she believes I won¡¯t erpose our whereabouts, he thought. That night, Nathan arrived early at Dawn Vi, bringing the wine with him. Not only did he go out of his way to dress himself in the most expensive suit in his closet, but he even had his hair redone so that every strand of his hair stuck up in a meticulous curve. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. After waiting for a long time, he finally heard footsteps outside the door. Alexander was the first toe in, whereas Nathan stood up, getting all psyched up with his eyes fixed on Alexander¡¯s back. Atst, I¡¯m gonna meet with the elusive and mysterious A after six years! he thought. He believed that as long as he and A teamed up at this meeting, building a new financial empire would be a piece of cake. Soon, a thin small figure wearing a peaked cap came in. Nathan¡¯s eyes dimmed somewhat. A seems far from the towering figure I¡¯d imagined, he thought. However, he braced himself soon afterward. Well, her looks and her stature are secondary; what matters the most are her capabilities. As long as she¡¯s talented, her image will be much more majestic than that of mountains and rivers. The next second, though, the thin and small figure took off her cap, and her beautiful long hair fell loosely around her shoulders. When she looked up at Nathan, he waspletely taken aback. ¡°Elise? What the hell¡¯s going on? Are you fooling me?¡± He felt deceived ¡°No one¡¯s fooling you.¡± Elise tossed her cap onto the sofa. Then, she threw up her hands and said in an easy manner, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to meet with me in person? Eye me now to your heart¡¯s content, then.¡± Chapter 465 Chapter 465 Chapter 465 ¡°This is¡­¡± This is totally different from what I¡¯d expected, okay?! Nathan could hardly believe it when he saw the nonchnt look on Elise¡¯s face. Without even bothering about his clegant-looking suit, he quickly walked to the door and craned his neck to look outside. However, there wasn¡¯t a soul to be seen when he looked around. His arms akimbo, he turned around and stood where he was in a daze for a few seconds. Then, he turned back and stood face-to-face with Elise, eyeing her up and down once again with skepticism in his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re A?¡± he asked. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s me.¡± Elise folded her arms across her chest. Nathan pulled a long face at once. ¡°Say, even if you didn¡¯t manage to make an appointment with her, you didn¡¯t have to joke with me like this. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve not even met her in person.¡± However, Elise asked calmly in reply, ¡°If I¡¯m not A, then what do you think A¡¯s supposed to look like?¡± ¡°In any case, she¡¯d never look like you.¡± Nathan exhaled a deep breath in annoyance. When he turned and saw that Alexander was about to open the bottle of Roman¨¦e-Conti, he immediately ran up to the man and stopped him, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t touch it! This bottle¡¯s for A. If you two finish it off, then what am I gonna serve A with when I meet her for realter?¡± Just then, however, he heard ady¡¯s faint and delicate voice speak behind him. ¡°That¡¯s stingy of you, Natty.¡± Upon hearing that, Nathan felt like something had exploded inside his head. In an instant, his pupils dted, and he looked back in disbelief. ¡°How did you know about this nickname?¡± He looked bemused. ¡°Did A even tell you about that?¡± Natty wasn¡¯t Nathan¡¯s actual nickname. It was only a nickname that A gave him without thinking when they were working together back then because she thought Natty sounded simr to his first name. Even though many who had been part of the coboration were aware of this nickname, no one dared to challenge Nathan¡¯s authority like A did, for he was a big name in the investmentmunity even then. Therefore, he hadn¡¯t heard this nickname for years. ¡°Jeez, what a bother.¡± Elise plonked herself down on the sofa. ¡°Seriously, do you need me to reminisce about how we used the situation to our advantage during the first equity hedge battle between you and that self-important father of yours and how we wiped him out and made him lose all his capital?¡± Finally, Nathan had no choice but to look Elise in the face. A kept a low profile and was never keen on acquiring fame or wealth, so she would never brag to anyone in great detail about those exhrating and unrestrained stock wars. Furthermore, no one knew that the person they had jointly defeated at the time was none other than Nathan¡¯s own father. Nathan¡¯s mother was abandoned by his father before he was born. Not only that, but the man even refused to say goodbye to her for onest time in her dying moments. In order to get back at the man, Nathan amassed his strength until he finally stood in the brokerage firm with dignity and fought him. At first, he thought he had honed his skills enough, but Nathan¡¯s father was more experienced and thus much craftier. Halfway through the scheme, he almost had all his possessions swallowed up by that so-called father. It was A who had saved the desperate situation for him, allowing him to bring the man down from the top of the financial pyramid. Therefore, to Nathan, Awasn¡¯t only an idol but also his benefactor. If it weren¡¯t for A, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to avenge his mother and reim his dignity. On the other hand, Elise was running out of patience. ¡°Are you still not gonna believe me?¡± ¡°No, I believe you. It¡¯s just that I still have trouble adjusting to that.¡± Nathan seemed somewhat ill ¡ª at case. He continued in self-deprecation, ¡°Perhaps it just never urred to me that the person who had easily spent more than one billion as she pleased would be a teenage girl.¡± Elise had yet to celebrate hier 20th birthday at present, which meant she was only about 13 years old seven years ago. It was truly unimaginable for someone at that age to have amanding presence in the capital market. Elise got up, came to Nathan¡¯s side, and gave him a pat offort on the arm like a mature and respectable old man. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Natty. You¡¯re still young. As you gain more experience, you¡¯ll find. that there are always people who are better than you in the world.¡± Nathan pulled a wry face; he never dreamed that he would be preached to by a 20-year-olddy one day. aren Se went to Elise didn¡¯t care much about it, though. After finishing her sentence, she went to the liquor cab and picked up the bottle of Roman¨¦e-Conti. Then, she opened it right away, pouring the wine into three wine sses. Picking up two of the sses, she then turned around and handed one to Nathan. Alexander picked up the remaining ss of wine and walked over to them, forming a circle with them. Nathan nced down at the wine ss with a faint smile. Then, he took the wine ss, clinked sses with the couple, and finished his wine in one gulp with a toss of his head. Having finished her ss of wine, Elise licked her lips, seemingly savoring the endless aftertaste that the wine had left in her mouth. ¡°Pretty nice, isn¡¯t it? I bought it at an auction for two million. There are less than ten bottles of it globally,¡± Nathan said. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s nice indeed.¡± Elisepressed her lips into a smile. In an instant, she came up with a mischievous idea. Walking back to the liquor cab, she brought the entire bottle of Roman¨¦e Conti over and filled Nathan¡¯s wine ss with it right away. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s enough!¡± Seeing Elise pour wine recklessly into his ss, Nathan immediately held it up, but the ss was already 80% full at that point. He said helplessly, ¡°Elise, you only need to pour a mouthful of the wine into each ss just so we can taste it. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re gonna get drunk.¡± Elise crinkled her eyes in a smile. ¡°Well, I was just worried that you couldn¡¯t remember what it tasted like. After all, the bottle will cease to be yours very soon.¡± Nathan was puzzled upon hearing her words. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you had prepared this bottle of wine for A?¡± Elise asked shamelessly. Upon realizing what Elise meant, Nathan panicked at once. I only have a bottle of good wine of such distinction! he thought. ¡°Well, I did say that, but¡­ Good wine is supposed to be shared with everyone!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so stingy, will you?¡± Elise shoved him in the chest. ¡°Think about that wretched father or yours and your current standing. Is the huge favor I¡¯ve done for you not worth you giving me a bottle of wine as a present?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s worth it, but this bottle-¡±All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°That settles it, then!¡± Elise dashed outside with the wine bottle in her arms without giving Nathan the opportunity to finish his sentence. As she ran, she shouted, ¡°Thanks for the wine! Call me again if you have such a good thing to offer me next time.¡± ¡°Hey, wait a minute! Stop!¡± Nathan yelled. Helplessly, he watched the top-grade wine in his collection being taken away in such an open and aboveboard way. His face crumpled into a look of destion, and his heart was bleeding. At the sight of the scene, Alexander couldn¡¯t help bursting intoughter. Only then did Nathan recall there was another person around. Turning to stare at Alexander, he narrowed his eyes, which flickered with slyness. ¡°What do you want?¡± Alexander asked with a straight face. ¡°I¡¯m straight.¡± ¡°Bah, who cares about it, anyway?!¡± Nathan rolled his eyes. ¡°I mean, remember to call me the next time you two are gonna have a drink.¡± Alexander replied with a sly smile, ¡°Well, I can call you, but aren¡¯t you gonna give me a bottle of good wine to thank me in advance?¡± With a p on his thigh, Nathan agreed to it without hesitation, saying, ¡°No problem. I still have another bottle of Roman¨¦e-Conti at my ce, only that it¡¯s not as good as that one. I¡¯ll have it delivered to you later.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Alexander gave him a faint smile. Then, he put down his wine ss and walked out with his hands in his pockets. As Nathan watched Alexander disappear from the door, he suddenly felt that something was amiss. Did I just let them take away two bottles of Roman¨¦e-Conti at once? Shit! What a colluding couple! Chapter 466 Chapter 466 Chapter 466 Elise kept sending text messages on her cell phone on their way home. Jealous, Alexander asked, ¡°Who are you texting? You¡¯re replying to the messages so quickly.¡± ¡°A wine lover who loves drinking more than everything else. He certainly won¡¯t let this bottle of Roman¨¦e-Conti slip through his fingers,¡± Elise replied. As she spoke, she took a selfie with the bottle of Roman¨¦e-Conti in her arms. Then, she opened the chat window on WhatsApp and sent the picture. When Alexander caught sight of the scene from the corner of his eye, he couldn¡¯t help stepping on the gas even harder. So far, Elise has never done anything intimate to me like sending me selfies. Who¡¯s the one she¡¯s texting, and why do they deserve such treatment? Could it be her grandparents? No, their state of health wouldn¡¯t allow them to drink too much alcohol. Nor could it be the Andersons, who are now in a state of utter confusion. It couldn¡¯t be Elise¡¯s ssmates, either. They¡¯re alldies, so whether they drink alcohol or not is questionable, and besides, they can¡¯t tell good wine from bad, he thought. As he was too absorbed in thought, he unconsciously blurted out what he was thinking. ¡°Who could it be¡­¡± Then, in a moment of inattention, he identally rear-ended the car in front of him. Tacitly, both drivers pulled over to the side of the road to avoid blocking traffic on the road. USU ¡°Are you alright?¡± Alexander hurriedly checked on Elise¡¯s condition. After making certain that she was unscathed, he unbuckled his seat belt and got out of the car. Then, he walked around his car other car. However, when he saw the female driver who was checking on the damage done to her car, his bushy eyebrows furrowed. ¡°Maya?¡± ve I MV wno Wa Maya looked up at him with mixed emotions flickering across her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s you? Well, never mind.¡± She kicked the car¡¯s rear bumper. ¡°Just go ahead with your business. You don¡¯t have to take responsibility for this.¡± Having been reduced to a nobody at present, she could no longer be of any help to Alexander, nor was she good enough for him. On top of that, she didn¡¯t want him to see her at the lowest point in her life. After the Dahlen Family went bankrupt, all the family¡¯s property, movable or immovable, was sold off by the bank, leaving Maya with nothing else but the SUV. Devastated by the blow, Maxwell went into a coma and was lying in the hospital. In order to pay his medical expenses, Maya sold everything she could. Having parted with her luxury cosmetics, designer clothing, and luxury handbags, she now wore a shirt and a pair of jeans¡ªthe simplest and most convenient sort of clothing. As a result, she no longer looked like the daughter of a rich family. Alexander honestly didn¡¯t recognize Maya at first nce. Just then, Elise got out of the car and walked up to them. ¡°How is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± Seeing Maya turn her head away, Alexander considerately stopped Elise from continuing toe toward them. Then, he took out a bank card and handed it to Maya. ¡°Here. The money in it should be enough for you to get the car fixed or swap it for a newer car that¡¯s more comfortable. Your car¡¯s gonna be scrapped soon, I think.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t want it. Take back your money,¡± Maya said stubbornly, before biting her lower lip at once. Only by doing so could she prevent herself from bursting into tears. I wasn¡¯t that Maya didn¡¯t know how worn-out the car¡ªwhich had been kept in the underground garage for more than ten years-looked, but she had no other option. Everything that belonged to the Dahlens had been taken away, except for this car, which she and her family could keep on using because it was registered under her deceased grandfather¡¯s name. She couldn¡¯t be left without the car. She had to go back and forth between her recently rented home-where she had to move all the usable stuff 10¨Cand the hospital, where she had to look after her unconscious father If it wereni for the man named Nathan York, she would still be a little princess living the life of luxury, and her father, who loved her more than anyone else did, wouldn¡¯t have fallen into aa. Even now, she still had a hard time epting rcality, not to mention facing Alexander. On the other hand, Elise recognized Maya¡¯s voice at once upon hearing thetter¡¯s words. ¡°Maya?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not Maya.¡± Maya sniffled. ¡°You¡¯ve mistaken me for someone else.¡± Then, after casting a sidelong nce at Elise, she resolutely took the bank card in Alexander¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯ll keep the money, so let¡¯s drop the matter. I won¡¯t be bothering you two anymore. Alright, you may leave now.¡± The Dahlens had gone bankrupt, causing her to be reduced from being the daughter of a wealthy family to her current state. Consequently, she only wished that everyone who knew her in person would never show up in her life again. Just then, a luxury car pulled up behind Elise. Getting out of the car, Nathan strode up to the couple with his long legs, asking, ¡°Are you guys alright?¡± It¡¯s him! At a nce, Maya recognized Nathan, whom Maxwell had kept talking about on the phone before falling into aa, and whose name the rtives who came to settle scores with her family had mentioned again and again. It was all because of Nathan that the Dahlens fell from heaven to hell overnight, turning me from a richdy who lived a life of luxury into the down-and-out woman I currently am! It was him who caused suffering to both the Dahlens and my father, who loves me more than anyone else does! The Dahlen Family¡¯s ruined, yet this guy¡¯s still alive and well like he¡¯s got nothing toAll content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. do with it. This is simply unfair! Why?! The Dahlens had never offended this guy, so what gave him the right to snatch everything from us as he pleases?! ¡°Ellie, I¡¯m gonna call you Ellie from now on,¡± Nathan said while looking at Elise. ¡°It¡¯s okay that you took the wine away, but could you pay attention to your identity and protect yourself, hmm?¡± Then, he turned to look at Alexander and called him to ount, saying, ¡°I seriously wonder if you¡¯re really fit to be her boyfriend.¡± Elise shot a disdainful look at him. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business. Why don¡¯t you mind your own business instead?¡± ¡°How could you call this ¡®none of my business?¡± Nathan replied. Then, he continued as if it were a matter of course, ¡°You gave me everything, so your safety is my utmost priority, of course!¡± Elise shuddered at Nathan¡¯s words. What he said sounds so embarrassing in every way, she thought. Meanwhile, Maya stared at the three, her eyes widening in anger as her fingernails almost dug into her flesh. Turns out he¡¯s Elise¡¯sckey, huh? So it was Elise who gave the orders. She was the culprit behind everything; it was her, this b*tch, who drove me into such a predicament! Just then, Nathan urged, ¡°Have you dealt with the matter here? There¡¯s still something I haven¡¯t told you; you guys left too early just now.¡± Alexander knew that Maya probably didn¡¯t wish them to stay here for too long. ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s go,¡± he replied. As he spoke, he turned around and left with his arm around Elise¡¯s waist. ¡°Well, now that you¡¯ve met with me, how about you go back to Mesdra with-¡± Before Nathan could finish his sentence, he and the couple suddenly heard the sound of someone copsing to the ground. When they looked back simultaneously, they saw Maya lying unconscious on the ground. Maya was the daughter of Madeline¡¯s best friend, after all, so Alexander couldn¡¯t bear to look on without doing anything. Walking over to Maya, he helped her up and leaned her against the car, supporting her with one hand while taking out his cell phone and calling the ambnce with the other. Elise didn¡¯t want to waste too much time, either. With a flip of her hand, she produced a silver needle. Crouching down beside them, she inserted the silver needle into a spot that was several inches below Maya¡¯s temple. After Elise took out the silver needle, Maya opened her eyes. ¡°Were you the ones who saved me?¡± she asked confusedly. ¡°No, it was Elise,¡± Alexander replied. Maya turned to look at Elise with a frown. Looking both delicate and pitiful, she asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you me me for havinge between you and Alexander?¡± ¡°Who said that?¡± Elise stood up and took out a piece of tissue to wipe the silver needle clean before putting the needle away. ¡°I just didn¡¯t want to stay here and wait for the ambnce. And besides, what you said about your havinge between Alexander and me is just your imagination. There was never a third party in our rtionship.¡± Chapter 467 Chapter 467 Chapter 467 A flicker of resentment shed across Maya¡¯s eyes for an instant, but it quickly vanished as she looked up at Elise sincerely. ¡°You¡¯re right I could never havee between you two since the very beginning. Everything that happened in the past is all my fault. I wonder if you can let me stay around you two from now on, even as a servant. Please think of this as giving me an opportunity to make amends for what I¡¯ve done.¡± Owned by N?velDrama.Org. However, Nathan unmasked her mercilessly at once. ¡°What a funny woman you are! Weren¡¯t you having your eyes on Elise¡¯s boyfriend carlier? What, are you switching to the softer approach now? Wanna steal Alexander from Elise by staying close to them? You sure have no problem humbling yourself, huh?¡± ¡°No, I won¡¯t do that anymore!¡± Maya exined in a panic. ¡°I promise that I¡¯ll obey no one else but Miss Sinir. If you guys are still worried, from now on, whenever I see Alexander, I¡¯ll automatically keep a three-meter distance from him. Are you guys still not gonna believe me if I do this?¡± Alexander shook his head, sighing. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this.¡± Maya dared not look at him; she merely stared stubbornly at Elise, waiting for her reply. Finally, after a long time, Elise replied slowly, ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. I have enough servants at home, and besides, I don¡¯t have the habit of abusing others and ordering people around. You¡¯ve paid for everything you did to me when the Dahlens went bankrupt, so we no longer owe each other anything. From now on, let¡¯s go our separate ways. Don¡¯t show up in front of me anymore.¡± With that, she turned around and got into Alexander¡¯s car without the slightest hesitation. Nathan and Alexander both darted a nce at Maya before getting into their respective cars. Soon, both cars disappeared into the flow of traffic. As Maya sat slumped on the ground, her face slowly contorted with hatred. Her hands clenched tightly into fists, and she ground her teeth audibly. Who does Elise think she is by acting all high and mighty? What else does she have left without her man? Does she think she can just walk away after ruining me? It¡¯s not that easy! Since I can no longer find happiness, I¡¯ll never let her live a peaceful life! At the thought of this, she immediately got up and into her worn-out SUV. Then, she quickly started up her car, heading for the Sinir Residence. Meanwhile, Elise and the others arrived home just in time for dinner. Everyone in the family sat around the dining table, but their mood was a bit down with the absence of Jeanie, Trevor, and ude. The only person who enjoyed dinner with great relish was Nathan, who lived alone and thus seldom had the opportunity to eat home-cooked meals. Even though he often had dinner with his clients, those dinners were all formal with food that was nd and tasteless. On the contrary, both the food served at the Sinir Residence and the atmosphere here made him feel somewhat at home. Moses listlessly reminded Nathan, saying, ¡°Watch your table manners a little, Mr. York. You¡¯re a financial tycoon with at least billions of funds in your hands, after all.¡± I haven¡¯t bickered with ude today. How boring, he thought. Nathan¡¯s expression froze for a moment before he smiled with embarrassment. ¡°He he¡­ I¡¯ll try my best, okay?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him, President York! Feel free to eat as much as you please, ande here often.¡± Danny said. He had heard many legends about Nathan, who was great enough to be idolized by every hot-blooded youth because he had single-handedly striven to be who he was today. It felt like a dream to Danny that he was now having dinner with the legendary man. Just then, a loud ng came from the gate. When everyone turned to look at the gate, they saw a thin and weak figure dragging a bag of stuff into the yard with great difficulty under the dim light. However, it wasn¡¯t until she came nearer that they got a good look at her face. ¡°Isn¡¯t she that daughter of the Dahlen Family?¡± Nathan frowned. ¡°Didn¡¯t she have enough after extorting money from Alexander back on the road? How dare she pursue us all the way here? Seems like I haven¡¯t done enough damage to her family yet,¡± he said while putting down his cutlery. Then, he walked out first, threatening, ¡°Wannatch onto us, huh? Don¡¯t you know that an unmarried woman like you should keep your distance from men? Get lost at once along with your stuff, or I don¡¯t mind letting you experience total despair!¡± Maya red at him bitterly. ¡°Well then, just go ahead and let me go bankrupt once again! I¡¯m afraid of nothing. I¡¯ve lost everything now, anyway!¡± Indeed, a person who had nothing in the world was the hardest to deal with. They had nothing to lose, so they had nothing to be afraid of. However, Nathan was no simpleton. Having fought his way up from the bottom rung of society, he had seen all kinds of people and used all kinds of tricks. The instant Maya growled at him, he immediately gave off amanding aura through every pore with a murderous look in his shrewd eyes. ¡°Well, seems like you aren¡¯t even afraid of death.¡± Maya swallowed a mouthful of saliva almost imperceptibly. She was afraid of dying, of course, but she couldn¡¯t yield to Nathan. She had to stay here to pay them back a hundredfold for the suffering they had inflicted on her. ¡°Wanna kill me, huh? Well, you can do that, but get in the line!¡± She went past Nathan right away. Walking a few steps into the yard, she shouted, ¡°Elise, I know I can¡¯t hide it from you. It¡¯s right that I have a purpose in cottoning up to you, but it¡¯s not for Alexander¡¯s sake-it¡¯s for the sake of my dad. He¡¯s been in a vegetative state since the Dahlens went bankrupt, but I know you have a way of curing him. As long as you¡¯re willing to do so, I¡¯m willing to do anything. Even if you¡¯re not, I¡¯ll stay at the Sinir Residence as a servant until the day you¡¯re finally willing to treat my dad!¡± Elise calmly picked up a piece of vegetable, put it in her bowl, and toyed with it for a moment. Then, she laughed as if she had heard a joke, saying, ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re not gonna leave if I refuse to treat your dad, huh?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Maya replied with determination. ¡°My dad has doted on me his entire life, so there¡¯s no way I¡¯m gonna leave him in the lurch. Elise, just take this as my plea to you. I can even kneel down if you want me to.¡± Almost as soon as she finished saying that, she knelt down on the ground with a thud. ¡°I can kneel to you. As long as you¡¯re content and appeased, I¡¯m willing to do anything!¡± Elise narrowed her eyes. She was unfazed by such moral coercion, but Maya was someone Alexander knew in person, after all. Therefore, she quietly observed his response. Alexander seemed to be in a world totally different from theirs, though; he was peeling the shrimps before him with rapt attention. After peeling a bowlful of shrimps, he wiped his hands clean with a napkin and put the bowl of peeled shrimps in front of Elise, smiling faintly. ¡°I tasted one of them, and it¡¯s pretty sweet. You can eat more of these since shrimps won¡¯t make you fat.¡± Elise understood what the man was implying with his gesture-he implied that he would let her make decisions herself, and that he wouldn¡¯t interfere with her decisions. Quirking up the corner of her mouth, she picked up a shrimp and put it into her mouth. After chewing it for a while, she swallowed it, crinkled her eyes, and smiled at Alexander. ¡°It¡¯s sweet indeed.¡± Alexander smiled with satisfaction without saying a word in response. Lowering his head, he picked up his cutlery and continued eating slowly. Only then did Elise turn to look at the yard behind her. ¡°Since she wants to kneel, let her kneel as she pleases. Don¡¯t spoil the fun for her, Natty. Come back and eat.¡± Her voice was neither soft nor loud, but what it said was resounding. With that, the murderous aura around Nathan disappeared at once, and he quickly returned to his seat and picked up his cutlery. Then, lowering his head quietly, he asked in a whisper, ¡°Can you address me by a different nickname next time? I¡¯m a financial tycoon, after all, Save me some dignity, will you?¡± No matter how I think about it, Natty sounds like a name for an odd jobs man or a servant for a rich family! Chapter 468 Chapter 468 Chapter 468 ¡°Oh,¡± Elise murmured calmly. ¡°Oh?! What does that even mean?¡± Nathan put on a sullen face; he couldn¡¯t help thinking that Elise was up to some mischief. As such, he took the initiative, suggesting, ¡°How about this? Since we¡¯re the best of friends, let¡¯s address each other by our nicknames rather than our given name. From now on, you¡¯ll call me Nate, and I¡¯ll call you Ellie. What do you think?¡± However, his suggestion was met with no response. The look of anticipation on Nathan¡¯s face froze as he truly experienced what it felt like to make a fool of himself In the end, it was Robin who saved him from the embarrassment. ¡°Let¡¯s eat first, Mr. York.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± At the mention of eating, Nathan¡¯s spirits rose again. However, everyone at the dining table except Nathan had something weighing on their minds. They ate much more silently than usual, ending today¡¯s dinner in silence. After dinner, Maria came in to clear the table. Maya¡¯s legs happened to have gotten numb from kneeling. As soon as she rose unsteadily to her feet, she dashed into the living room and snatched the tray in Maria¡¯s hand, speedily filling it with the dishes and cutlery on the dining table. Maria stood beside her at aplete loss for what to do with some spoons and forks in her hand. Not knowing whether to put them down or not, she turned to look at the Sinirs for help. Elise said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Maria. Just let her do it. Take it as you¡¯ve got a helper, and get some rest.¡± Astounded by the unexpected honor, Maria replied, ¡°I don¡¯t need any helpers! I¡¯m but a maid.¡± ¡°No, you do need one. Don¡¯t be reserved with her. She likes doing these,¡± Elise said nonchntly. Upon hearing Elise¡¯s words, Maria turned to nce at Maya. There¡¯s no way she could serve anyone as a maid with her skinny arms and legs, she thought. However, since Elise had said so, she didn¡¯t say anything else and nodded in silence. Maya plonked the dishes on the tray with a loud tter as if she was piqued. Maria¡¯s heart ached at the sight of the scene. Luckily, it didn¡¯t take long before the table was cleared; only then did Maria feel relieved. Maya held up the tray while asking with difficulty, ¡°Where am I supposed to wash these?!¡± ¡°This way!¡± Maria hurriedly showed her the way. With that, the two women disappeared from everyone¡¯s sight one after the other. A practiced conspiracy theorist, Nathan had seen too many examples of people who submitted to their enemies and endured humiliation until they sessfully made them lose all standing and reputation. Therefore, he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Are you gonna let her stay around? You don¡¯t need me to tell you the examples of people who endured humiliation in order to bring their enemies down, do you?¡± All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯ve got ns of my own,¡± Elise replied impassively. Seeing that she didn¡¯t intend to say another word, Nathan didn¡¯t continue the subject. Just then, Alexander handed his cell phone to Elise. ¡°Take a look at this.¡± ¡°And auction in Landred City?¡± Elise turned to look at him. ¡°You wanna be a property developer or something?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s you who¡¯s gonna be a property developer.¡± Alexander switched to a morefortable posture while wrapping his arm around her shoulder. ¡°Land No. 6 is thend Faye has her eye on. It¡¯s also the land Trevor tried to acquire.¡± Upon hearing this, Elise couldn¡¯t help turning to read the details of the auction on the cell phone, memorizing the information one by one while scrolling the phone¡¯s screen with her fingertip. Just then, Alexander continued, ¡°I¡¯ve prepared the money and the ne tickets. We¡¯ll set out tomorrow and help your brother get thend.¡± Elise was lost in thought all of a sudden as she stared at the phone¡¯s screen. To think that he would be so meticulously attentive to me! He didn¡¯t even overlook my family¡¯s honor and needs, she thought. Seeing that she hadn¡¯t responded for a long time, Alexander put out his hand and ced it on her soft, fine hair. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t feel like confronting Faye head-on yet?¡± he asked, before pausing for a moment. With a thoughtful look on his face, he continued with a nod, ¡°Well, that¡¯s understandable. Your dad¡¯s gonna be present at the auction then. Sorry for not considering that. Let me go to the auction on your behalf, then. Your dad isn¡¯t very satisfied with me, anyway, so it doesn¡¯t make any difference if I¡¯m meaner.¡± The furrows in Elise¡¯s brow deepened. How could he be so kind to me¡­ ¡°You¡¯re weird,¡± Nathan teased. ¡°Other men would only be too eager to please their father-inws, yet you go out and go against Austin in public. I¡¯m afraid he¡¯ll never agree to marry his daughter to you!¡± As he spoke, he came up with an idea in his mind. Now that I¡¯ve finally learned that Elise is A, how can I let her run away from under my very nose? I¡¯d better offer to represent them at the auction so that I¡¯d have an excuse to go to Landred City with them, he thought. However, just as he was about to speak, Elise spoke first. ¡°It¡¯s not necessary, Alexander. I have nothing to worry about. I¡¯m going in person. I said before that I¡¯ll make him pay for his foolishness.¡± At the sight of the scene, Robin heaved a heavy sigh and got up with the aid of his stick. Hemanded in a stern voice, ¡°Come with me, Alexander!¡± Noticing that something was wrong with Robin¡¯s voice, Elise gave Alexander an innocent look and asked him in a whisper, ¡°Did you make Grandpa angry?¡± ¨C ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡± Alexander shook his head and gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look,¡± Alexander and Robin went all the way to the innermost part of the backyard before stopping. Robin turned around with a grave face. After making sure that Elise didn¡¯t follow them, he said with a sigh, ¡°Did you ever have Elise¡¯s interests in mind when you did this today? She¡¯s Austin¡¯s biological daughter. Even though she hasn¡¯t been formally acknowledged as his daughter, her rtionship with him is no longer a secret in Tissote¡¯s upper-ss circles. And now, you¡¯re taking her on a long journey to snatch what her father has his eye on. What do you think the outsiders are gonna think of her? Do you want Elise to be an unfilial daughter in their eyes?!¡± Alexander pressed his lips together without answering. Robin then continued, ¡°We¡¯ve already been secretly worrying about Elise behind her back, knowing full well how dangerous the Anderson Family is. Trevor¡¯s such a fine youngd, but he ended up lying in his sickbed again in a single night. And what have you done? Not only do you not keep Elise away from those infighting, but you even put her out in the spotlight, fooling around and stirring up trouble with her! Do you really want to get Elise killed?!¡± The more he spoke, the more agitated he became, and he struck the ground heavily with his stick again and again, as if striking Alexander¡¯s heart. After a long time, Alexander looked Robin in the eye and said in all earnestness, ¡°I know that Elise¡¯s always been surrounded by malice. She¡¯s had a hard life, and she isn¡¯t really happy.¡± Robin¡¯s face turned livid. His eyes shone with mes of anger, and his wrinkled face had the authority of an elder written on it. ¡°And you still wanna do so despite knowing that?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Alexander admitted readily in a dignified voice. ¡°I know she¡¯s unhappy, and that¡¯s exactly why I¡¯m gonna apany her while she does what she wants. What you¡¯re considering is her reputation as an unmarried youngdy, but I just want her to live the rest of her life as she pleases. I want her to smile more.¡± Robin¡¯s expression slowly eased at his words, but he still looked conflicted as he thought of something. ¡°Of course, I know that one would be happiest when they live their lives as they please. But humans are social animals, so we have to think about the consequences before doing anything. If you two are gonna invite endless trouble upon yourselves just for momentary happiness, then I¡¯d rather Elise live a duller life.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not gonna happen!¡± Alexander raised his voice all of a sudden. ¡°I¡¯ll back her up. She may do whatever she wants, and I¡¯ll take care of all the trouble. I can keep her safe, Mr. Robin!¡± What I want isn¡¯t an Elise who does everything by the book, keeps thinking back and forth to herself, and is full of misgivings, but an Elise who¡¯s asid-back, free, ingenuous, and unaffected as a kid, he thoug Chapter 469 Chapter 469 Chapter 469 Robin stared at him for a long time, yet he couldn¡¯t bring himself to say a word. Given they were both men, he knew very well it was not an empty promise but a genuine one when Alexander swore to protect Elise¡¯s smile. In that very instant, Robin couldn¡¯t feel any older. Or rather, he had been old for a very long time, so old that he had grown so much more timid than a rat, fearing anything that came his way. All this time, he had been praying for stability that he had shut out everything that was remote from his vision. Perhaps Alexander was right. Temporary stability couldn¡¯t be exchanged for eternal security. No one could tell what the future might hold, so instead of living in fear, maybe it was time to live more carefreely and enjoy every moment. Even though they were senile, they shouldn¡¯t let Elise live as they did- monotonously and aimlessly. Right now, the only person that was standing in Elise¡¯s shoes was Alexander, who was right before him. The concern on Robin¡¯s face gradually waned as he nodded, for he had found someone that could love Elise more than they did. ¡°Very well. Remember what you said today, Alexander. If you fail to protect her even for one second, Laura and I are going to abhor you until our veryst breath!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Robin.¡± Alexander seemed more determined than ever. ¡°I will spend forever keeping the smile on her face!¡± Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Robin subtly nodded, and suddenly recalled the incident with Matthew. He warned, ¡°As for your brother, it¡¯s best that you handle him as soon as possible. There may be a day when hees back to ruin you and Elise¡¯s life.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got a lead on him. I never spent a second cking,¡± Alexander earnestly imed. As such, Robin, seeing there was nothing else to nitpick, nodded. ¡°As long as you know what to do. Now, I officially hand Elise over to you. Please cherish her.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mr. Robin! I won¡¯t disappoint you!¡± Alexander was utterly moved as he revealed his delight. ¡°My disappointment means nothing. Elise, however¡­¡± Robin jokingly teased. ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Alexander chuckled in his baritone voice. ¡°I won¡¯t let her down either!¡± Robin stopped teasing him. ¡°Now, go back to her, or she¡¯s gonna think I¡¯m bullying you. This girl, she¡¯s not even married yet, but she has already forgotten about her family!¡± Alexander went to help him walk. ¡°Are you kidding, Mr. Robin? I¡¯m now one of you too! Whether she thinks of me or you, her heart will still be with the Sinirs. There¡¯s not a difference, is there?¡± ¡°Keep sweet talkin!¡± Despite saying that angrily, Robin was obviously on cloud nine. Seeing them depart with gloomy faces and return smiling, Elise got curious. ¡°Smiley faces, what¡¯s the good news?¡± Robin wordlessly beamed as Alexander answered, ¡°Mr. Robin said you¡¯re forgetting about him.¡± Oswe ¡°What!¡± Elise went up and held Robin¡¯s arm, leaning her head against him. ¡°I¡¯ll always think about you, Grandpa!¡± ¡°Hahaha! Really? Does that mean you will be my granddaughter forever and not get married to another man?¡± Robin mischievously poked fun at her. ¡°No way!¡± Elise speedily raised her head. With a serious expression, she replied, ¡°I still gotta get married! But I¡¯ll always think of you too!¡± Robin lifted his hand and booped her nose. ¡°What a sly, greedy girl!¡± Unwilling to give in, Elise pinched her nose and pulled a clown face at him. Since she was heading to Landred City the next day, sheter gave Laura an acupuncture. And by the time she was done, it was already midnight. With that, she walked out of the room and sneaked into Alexander¡¯s yard. Catching her red-handed, Robin shook his head and sighed. ¡°Heartless little girl¡­¡± Being made fun of, Elise immediately let out a sneeze. ¡°Achoo!¡± Hearing that, Alexander came out of his room and took off his coat before covering her with it. ¡°And we have ourselves a doctor who has no concept of keeping herself warm during cold days.¡± Elise childishly giggled. ¡°Heh, doesn¡¯t that doctor have you?¡± ¡°And what if she doesn¡¯t?¡± Alexander rebuked. ¡°Then nobody would know she¡¯s a doctor!¡± She boldly jested, only to call upon Alexander¡¯s scowl, to which she hastily gratified him. ¡°Okay, okay. I¡¯m just kidding. I¡¯ll learn to take care of myself. Satisfied, Mr. Griffith?¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± After he said that, his frown quickly turned into a smile. ¡°Why are you here thiste? Did Mr. Robin actually get it right-someone¡¯s dying to get married to me?¡± ¡°Hell no!¡± Elise pompously turned away. ¡°I came for Captain Gleeman!¡± ¡°Jackson?¡± Alexander questioned, ¡°What for?¡± ¡°It¡¯s between me and him. Don¡¯t be nosy!¡± Having said that, she went to open the door to Jackson¡¯s room and entered. Meanwhile, Clement, who just took off his shirt and was getting ready to sleep, was startled at Elise¡¯s barging in. Ferociously, he tugged the bed sheet and wrapped his entire body as he curled up in the corner. However, having protected his own bare skin, he exposed Jackson¡¯s skin to Elise. Although Jackson¡¯s only exposed part was his torso, it was enough to fluster him as a woman¡¯s touch was rare to him. He kept on eyeing at Clement, desperately calling for his rescue, to which thetter simply nced at the woman before silently clutching his sheets tighter. Jackson was frustrated yet had no way to express it, Damn it, Smith! Suddenly, Alexander walked in and gently knocked Elise¡¯s head. ¡°Ouch!¡± Elise pretended as if she was in agonizing pain. ¡°Why¡¯d you do that?¡± ¡°Know your boundaries!¡± Alexander viciously nced at her. Entering the room, he passed to Clement a coat, and covered Jackson with another one. ¡°Okay. You maye in now.¡± Rubbing the struck spot on her head, Elise walked to the bed. Since Jackson had his back facing her, Elise craned her neck and looked him in the eye. ¡°Let¡¯s work together, Captain Gleeman. What do you say? ude, or Max, is kidnapped. I suspect he¡¯s still in Athesea, and I¡¯m gonna need your help for a city-wide search, in exchange for your freedom. Contrary to your belief, I did not kill Reuben, but I¡¯d like for you to keep this between us for now. So, if you¡¯re game, blink your eyes; if you¡¯re not, I¡¯ll slit your throat.¡± As she uttered herst words, she brushed the side of her finger against her neck. Jackson peered at her in stupefaction. Wow, it almost sounds like I have a choice! Nevertheless, quickly, Elise revealed a grin. ¡°Just kidding. If you don¡¯t, you¡¯ll have to continue staying here. There¡¯s already too much on my te, and an entire precinct of cops tailing me wouldn¡¯t exactly help. I¡¯m sure you understand.¡± Having said that, she gazed at Jackson, awaiting his answer. Jackson, on the other hand, took his time to contemte. For starters, he would have to leave the courtyard house to enable himself to make further decisions. With that in mind, he rapidly flickered his eyes. At once, Elise pulled out a silver needle and punctured him with it. A few minutester, Jackson regained control of his body. He rolled out of bed and even started shadow- boxing Chapter 470 Chapter 470 Chapter 470 All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Don¡¯t forget our agreement, Captain Gleeman,¡± Elise reminded. ¡°I¡¯m a man of my word.¡± Jackson was as cold as ever. ¡°But your friend got me fired. I¡¯d love to help you, but I simply can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Right, Simon Bull! How could I forget about him!¡± After a sudden realization, Elise muttered to herself, ¡°I should have gone to Mr. Bull right away, and I didn¡¯t have to let you go¡­¡± Hearing that, Jackson was dumbfounded. ¡°You know, Miss Sinir, I¡¯m still here. Maybe you could¡¯ve omitted some words from your mouth.¡± ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine. We¡¯re literally best friends. It doesn¡¯t matter whether you heard them or not.¡± After giving him a pat on the shoulder, Elise exited the room. ¡°Wait, what do you mean?¡± Jackson stopped her. ¡°Nothing.¡± She exined, ¡°I¡¯ll have the mayor look for ude.¡± ¡°What about me?¡± The man was somehow disaffected. ¡°Do whatever you want. Who cares.¡± Elise waved her hand as she walked out. ¡°I now know Max¡¯s identity. Are you not afraid that I might arrest him?¡± Jackson warned. ¡°Be sure to tell me when you do. I don¡¯t mind seeing for myself how the self-proimed justice enforcer Captain Gleeman would look like when he abuses his position to handle private affairs.¡± Elise halted her steps, though she didn¡¯t turn back. * ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Jackson squinted his eyes as he grew more hostile. ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say is, no matter how shady ude is, he¡¯s still a doctor at the end of the day. How grave of a crime could he possiblymit? The only reason you¡¯d arrest him pertains to him treating whomever. He¡¯s a trained doctor. That¡¯s why you wouldn¡¯t kill him or hurt him as you couldn¡¯t afford any damage to him. Otherwise, the person you wanted to rescue would have no choice but to die.¡± Finished, Elise resolutely left. As Jackson was left standing rooted to the spot, speechless, his eyes grew gloomier. After a while, he regained his senses and slowly turned to Alexander. ¡°Max is ude, who happens to be so close with Elise, whom Moses always treats with utmost respect. Besides, her needling skills are crazy deadly, and no one could dodge her attacks. Seriously, who¡¯s your fiancee?¡± ¡°You figure it out.¡± Alexander patted him before returning to his own room. Then, Jackson turned to Clement, who was still hiding in the sheets. Shortly after, he suddenly blurted, ¡°They¡¯re already gone! Why are you so shy? It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve never seen it.¡± Clement, who was about to drag the sheets away, heard that and immediately hid in his sheets before throwing himself onto bed. After an entire day of slumber, Jackson couldn¡¯t feel any drowsiness within him. With that, he went out and shut the door. Having been confined for so many days, he wished to see how the outside world had be. Back to her room, Elise dialed Simon¡¯s personal number. Swiftly, Simon answered the call. ¡°Elise?¡± ¡°How did you know?¡± Elise was surprised. ¡°Only a few know this number. Besides, everyone I know are old people who sleep early. Who else, except you, would call at such a time?¡± he exined. ¡°I see.¡± And so, Elise cut to the chase. ¡°One of my friends got kidnapped in the ck market, and I need your power to run a city-wide search. Are you able to do that?¡± Walking down a politician¡¯s path would mean being constantly observed. One wrong step could easily be used by others as a leverage, leading the man to his irremediable demise, and all the hard work he had put into his work would go in vain. Thus, if she weren¡¯t driven into a corner, Elise wouldn¡¯t havee to trouble Simon. However, since ude was involved, she urgently had to request for his help. An anonymous enemy was the most formidable. Elise was worried that ude might be kidnapped by someone from SK Group. Since they were malicious enough to drug Joseph, they would certainly be capable of doing something more brutal to ude. Therefore, she couldn¡¯t afford to waste even one minute. ¡°Send me your friend¡¯s photo and any other details about him. I¡¯ll send men to find him right away.¡± Simon instantly agreed to her request without hesitation. Although she didn¡¯t intend to bother him, realizing night was the best time for suspicious activities, she quickly acknowledged it. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll send them over at once.¡± Elise was about to hang up after saying that. ¡°H-Hold on. Don¡¯t hang up yet.¡± Simon called for her. ¡°You didn¡¯t cause any trouble in the ck market, did you?¡± ¡°No. The ck market¡¯s supervisor is a friend. No one would dare to disturb me,¡± she confessed. ¡°So it¡¯s not people from the ck market.¡± ON ¡°No, not that. I was talking about your safety.¡± He grudgingly vented, ¡°I know what the ck market is like. It¡¯s where all the filth and terror resides. Is the university¡¯s security that lenient? Don¡¯t they care when students just wander however they wish at night?¡± ¡°Ah, time to keep up, Mr. Bull.¡± Elise helplessly shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s all about empowerment now. Only when unbound can one truly and freely experience the world! The age of locking ourselves in our rooms obediently like a goody two-shoes is long gone.¡± ¡°You and your metaphors! Liberty is only good at a suitable amount. Too much of it will only lead to chaos. Without order, society is prone to corruption. And that makes me worried that someone might be taking advantage of you and your fast learner¡¯s gift!¡± Simon patiently advised. ¡°Man, you nag more than my grandpa! Maybe I should rat on you to your woman and see if you like the sound of bees buzzing in your ears!¡± Elise angrily suggested. ¡°My woman¡¯s not as good at words as you,¡± Simon replied. ¡°Okay, fine, husband of the century. Yawn¡­ Boy, am I exhausted. Talk to youter. Bye!¡± Faking a yawn, Elise immediately hung up. Throwing the phone aside, she grabbed herptop and hacked into Anderson Pharmaceuticals¡¯ insider site and obtained Faye¡¯s schedule for the following week. Studying the schedule on herputer, Elise crossed her arms as she slowlyy against the back of her chair. ¡°Oh, Faye, get ready to feel what it¡¯s like to be haunted by guilt! I¡¯ll take everything from you in Trevor¡¯s stead!¡± She took a deep breath, and as she was about to turn off herputer, she received a voice call. It was a number from the loophole she created back when she contacted Xavier. ordingly, she turned on her voice changer application before answering the call. ¡°Joseph, you there?¡± Xavier spoke in a suppressed voice, obviously trying to conceal his position. ¡°It¡¯s Eliza,¡± Elise replied in a masculine, deep timbre. ¡°Give me your coordinates. Need a rendezvous.¡± Xavier warily observed his surroundings. Given his injury, all he could do if he were to get caught now was to acquiesce with his capturer. After contemting, Elise glimpsed at Faye¡¯s schedule before giving Xavier a location in Landred City. With that, Xavier ended the call. Elise could vaguely figure out what Xavier had gone through to end up holding onto hisst sliver of hope and making that phone call. Though, fortunately, she didn¡¯t miss it. Chapter 471 Chapter 471 Chapter 471 The next day, the gang arrived at Landred City. Having just walked out of the airport hallway. they were stopped by two MPVs¨Cone ck and one white. One of the doors of the ck car was pushed open. Alighting from the ck car was an elite-looking man who then approached Alexander with a courteous greeting. ¡°It¡¯s all ready, sir.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Alexander nodded. When he turned around, he saw a middle-aged man alighting from the white MPV beforeing over to hug Elise. ¡°Mr. Albert!¡± Elise amiably called out for Albert and went in for a light hug. Getting out of the hug, Albert warmly uttered, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Miss Sinir. The master has been waiting for a long time.¡± ¡°How did Papa know I¡¯m here?¡± Elise curiously quizzed. ¡°This airline belongs to the Fassbenders. Both you and the master have your namnes on the list of VIPs, so we are notified every time you get on it,¡± Albert answered. Acknowledging his answer, Elise tensed her brows. With that, she turned to Alexander. ¡°See you at the auction?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Alexander simply blurted. ¡°What about you guys? Who are you going with?¡± Elise inquired Danny and the rest. ¡°With the boss, of course!¡± Danny stood beside her, gratifying. Now that he was officially a member of SK Group, it was only natural for him to follow his leader. Wordlessly, Joseph, too, went behind her. At that moment, Alexander shot Clement a re. Although as robotic as usual, Clement joined Elise as well. ¡°Nobody wants you, Alex!¡± Danny boldly teased. What can I do? Look at their shimmering eyes! Elise suggestively looked at Alexander, shrugging, before turning around and getting into the car. Only after watching their car depart did Alexander enter his vehicle. Soon, the Fassbenders¡¯ car stopped at the most renowned restaurant in Landred City. Subsequently, the restaurant manager came out and guided them into the building, bringing them to the open-air area on the top floor. Getting out of the elevator, Elise immediately saw Quentin, who had been waiting for her. ¡°Papa!¡± Elise dashed to him and threw herself into his embrace. ¡°Haha. So you do still remember I¡¯m your papa. How long has it been since youst called me?¡± Quentin affectionately ranted as they walked. Behind them were Clement and the rest who tacitly maintained a distance. ¡°Why do I feel like I¡¯ve seen Mr. Fassbender before¡­¡± Wondering, Danny scratched the back of his head before pulling Albert. ¡°Excuse me, but what industry does your master deal in?¡± ¡°All of ¡¯em,¡± Albert sternly replied. Danny was somewhat tilted by his rigid behavior. Thereupon, he silently grabbed his phone and surfed the web for anything that pertained to Quentin and Albert, only for his screen to be clumped with the typical rich-man-falls-for-pretty-maid novels. After scrolling through irrelevant results, he eventually found something surprising. Discreetly, he tapped on an article titled ¡®Aplishments of the World¡¯s Top Billionaire Quentin Fassbender and Butler Albert Mann. Noticing the change on his face, Clement noiselessly peeked at his phone. Seeing the words World¡¯s Top Billionaire Quentin Fassbender,¡¯ he immediately withdrew his gaze and quietly swallowed his saliva. Meanwhile, Elise followed Quentin to the dining table, and only realized then there were other guests as well. Among them was a girl that was a few years younger than her, who emitted an overbearinglyvish, star-struck aura. ¡°Joey, meet your sister, Elise,¡± Quentin introduced. So that¡¯s Papa¡¯s blood daughter. I¡¯ve always heard that she was studying abroad, but I never knew she came ? back. Joey reluctantly stood up and walked to Elise. Smugly, she uttered in French, ¡°Hi, honored to meet you.¡± As if she had predicted Elise wouldn¡¯t catch up, she revealed a victorious look. Little did she expect, Elise came back at her with fluent French. ¡°Hello, Joey. Papa¡¯s always talking about you. You¡¯re really adorable, you know!¡± Without going further, Joey turned away after blurting a thanks and swiftly withdrew her hands. Quentin was rather joyous to see that. ¡°Haha! Ellie, since when did you even learn French?¡± ¡°Papa, have you forgotten about the French customer that always frequented the Sinirs¡¯ farm? It was you who introduced us to him. How could you forget about that?¡± Elise exined. Upon realization, Quentin waved his hand. ¡°Oh, right! There was that guy. Oh, old people and their short- term memory. Forget about that. You must be starving after such a long flight. Come, eat up!¡± Elise noticed that on her half of the table were filled with her favorite dishes, while the dishes on the other half were obviously of a different taste. Amused by how Quentin treated both of them, Elise sneakily beamed. Then, she sat down and began chatting with Quentin, while Joey was uninterested the whole time. Eventually, Quentin found an opportunity to draw his attention to her. ¡°Look at you fidgeting around like a monkey! Is there a nail on your seat? Can¡¯t you sit still?¡±. In response, Joey rolled her eyes and turned away, having no intention to entertain him. Quentin sighed as he looked at Elise. ¡°She¡¯s growing out of me. Why don¡¯t you take care of her for me, Elise?¡± ¡°With what?¡± Disaffected, Joey mocked, ¡°She simply knew a few French words from dealing with a Frenchman. What could a country woman possibly teach me?¡± ¡°I have my reasons for letting her be your guide. Disobey me and you can forget about your allowance,¡± Quentin threatened. As those words hit her fatal spot, Joey angrily pouted her lips, though she didn¡¯t dare to answer back. ¡°If so, I shall share the burden with you, Papa,¡± Elise smilingly agreed to his request, and Joey was obviously annoyed. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. After dinner, Joey left with Elise¡¯s party. Having walked out of the restaurant, she immediately went the opposite direction. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Elise turned to look at her. ¡°Mind your own business.¡± Joey scornfully red at her and continued walking. sit ¡°An autographed poster from mysterious singer H.¡± Out of nowhere, Elise muttered sotto voce. The next second, drawn to the lure, Joey froze and automatically returned. ¡°Are you serious?¡± Joey eyed her in disbelief. ¡°And a private photograph.¡± Shocked, she started panting and shaking Elise¡¯s arm violently. ¡°Where! Gimme, gimme!¡± Chapter 472 Chapter 472 Chapter 472 ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Joey suddenly calmed down. ¡°How did you know that I love H? Did my dad tell you that? You¡¯ve been nning this! Great!¡± ¡°Come on, give your father some credits.¡± Elise indifferently uttered, ¡°He didn¡¯t tell me anything. I guessed it.¡± ¡°Guessed it? How? We hardly spoke.¡± Joey expressed her skepticism. Elise then looked at her body as she smoothly rified, ¡°The cute figurine hanging on your bag is from H¡¯s Q series, and your bag is of the same brand H carried when she attended events.¡± Joey was dumbfounded. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°You wanna know?¡± Elise lifted one of her eyebrows. Joey, in return, stupidly nodded. ¡°See for yourself.¡± Elise pulled a face on her and turned around to leave. Baffled for a moment, Joey stomped her feet toward Elise. ¡°Hey! Where¡¯s my signed poster and photograph?¡± At that moment, Danny slyly barged in. ¡°I¡¯m one of H¡¯s friends, you know? Call me ¡®Big Bro Danny and I¡¯ll get them for you. How¡¯s that?¡± He had always wanted a little sister with a cool yet silly personality like Joey. But Joey stared at him as if he was deranged. ¡°Stay away from me!¡± Having brought humiliation upon himself, Danny could only sulk as he leaned against Clement. As he was about to lean in, Clement slowed down his steps, widening the gap between him and Danny. ¡°Not cool, man!¡± Danny stood still on the ground, expressing his anger. Clement, however, couldn¡¯t care more. He walked past him and chased after Elise without a word. Tilted, Danny pursed his lips. Perhaps he was the one that nobody wanted. The next day, Faye, along with an agent of Anderson Pharmaceuticals based in Landred City, arrived at thend auction venue. ¡°Miss Faye, you didn¡¯t actually have toe, you know. None of the participating bidders canpete with the Andersons. With their capabilities, there¡¯s no way they could acquire thend, the agent, Armand Kurt, stated. ¡°I don¡¯t need you to tell me that. I know what I¡¯m doing¡± Her mysterious appcarance was meant to confuse anyone who attempted to read her mind. Though, that was nothing but a facade. In fact, she was so nervous about the auction that she feltpelled to witness the end of it. Trevor curviving had been a huge shock to her, and she had since been anxious about things not going her way. Hence, she had to supervise everything herself. Once she had gotten her hands on this piece ofnd, those misogynistic incels from thepany¡¯s board would no longer have anything to say about her. Having thought of that, she heaved a sigh. Ever since Elise became Yoona, she never lived a day peacefully, as if something was constantly pricking her. ¡°What a small world it is.¡± All of a sudden, a voice interrupted her contemtion. Turning to the source, she saw Elise and Alexander intimidatingly walking toward her under thepany of a bunch of men. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Faye questioned in a hostile tone. ¡°For the same reason you came,¡± Danny discourteously mocked. Faye squinted her eyes. I knew things wouldn¡¯t go so smoothly! ¡°Oh, Elise, as much as you hate me, it¡¯s not funny to pull pranks in auctions. Raising the price will only obstruct thepany¡¯s goals, you know?¡± Faye softly warned. ¡°Can¡¯t be too sure about that.¡± Alexander cut in, ¡°If Elise acquired thend and joined the Andersons, wouldn¡¯t that be highly beneficial to thepany? What do you think of that, Miss Faye?¡± Hearing that, Faye gritted her teeth as she aggressively red at Elise. I knew it. This b*tch is only here to take a slice of our family¡¯s properties! And now she¡¯s finally out of patience and has decided to infiltrate thepany with this piece ofnd! Dream on! As if I¡¯ll allow that! ¡°We¡¯ll see about that!¡± Having said that maliciously, Faye went away in her heels. A country girl clinging to a broke, washed out heir of a millionaire dares to challenge the Andersons? Know your damn ce! Unlike a conventional auction, and auction offered only one particr. Therefore, every single bidder was a daunting opponent. After a brief introduction, a strike of a mallet thundered through the room. ¡°The starting bid is thirty-eight million, raising two million with each bid. Without further ado, let the auction begin.¡± ordingly, a number of rtively small businesses called out their bids. When the bid reached forty-five million, Armand, under Faye¡¯s order, yelled, ¡°Fifty million.¡± With him pushing the bid, the other competitors instantly acknowledged their determination, and, thus, stopped calling bids. As the auctioneer was about to finalize the auction, he saw a delicate arm being raised, followed by a heavenly timbre of a damsel. ¡°Sixty million.¡± After calling that, Elise turned to Faye with a subtle, polite nod. In response, the crowd started gossiping about her. ¡°Who¡¯s that young chick, so bold to go against the Andersons?¡± Sixty million¡­ She raised ten million just like that¡­ How long does it take to regain that sum?¡± ¡°She must be bluffing, right? There¡¯s no way she could afford that.¡± urtisk. It seems we got ourselves a plot twist. I thought the Andersons were easily the winner with Miss Faye here.¡± Speechless, Faye gritted her teeth as she gripped her skirt. She¡¯d been expecting Elise to make a move soon. But surprisingly, Elise raised the bid by ten whole million, and that was frighteningly beyond her calctions! This b*tch is clearly trying to embarrass me in front of the crowd! ¡°What should we do, Miss Faye? We¡¯re gonna have a hard time with the board if we fail to acquire the land!¡± Armand hastily stated. ¡°Shut up! You think I don¡¯t know that?¡± Faye threw a tantrum at her subordinate as she started panting. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Whether she failed to acquire thend, or exceeded their calcted budget, she would have to receive an earful from the old men in thepany. This b*tch is not giving me a choice, damn it! Elise faintly smiled at Faye¡¯s frustration as the former remained her serene, unaffected look. Forget about unpredictability, if she wished to, she could turn the entire Anderson Family upside down! She can¡¯t even take this! Guess she¡¯s still weak, after all! Elise blurted, ¡°How dull.¡± As she stood up and was getting ready to leave, she heard Faye¡¯s scream. ¡°Seventy million!¡± Oh? Here shees. Elise coldly lifted hermissures, revealing a grin. Nevertheless, little did Faye know, she could umte all of her family¡¯s assets and it would hardly be Elise¡¯s pocket money, so how could Fayepete with her? As Elise viciously turned around, intending to call bid, a man in the front row raised his hand. ¡°Ny million.¡± ¡°How fascinating.¡± Elise mischievously smirked. She returned to her seat and whispered to Alexander. ¡°Never would have expected someone to share amon source of pleasure with me ¡ª seeing the pain on Faye¡¯s face.¡± Alexander revealed a knowing grin. ¡°Yeah. Get a room, you two.¡± Elise bit her lips. ¡°If I could get a penny every time you got jealous, I could have owned the World Bank!¡± Then, she turned to observe Faye¡¯s reaction. Obviously, Faye couldn¡¯t afford such a fierce price. And so, she stopped making any noise. Finally, the auctioneer struck his mallet, finalizing the bid. ¡°And thend goes to ny million. Congrattions!¡± Chapter 473 Chapter 473 Chapter 473 Failing to acquire thend, Armand grew utterly anxious. As soon as the auction ended, he stormed out and made a call toe up with a solution. Fave, on the other hand, was trying her best to remainposed and act as natural as possible to face Elise, who was going her way. ¡°Aww. What should we do? Thend you¡¯ve been craving has fallen into another¡¯s hands.¡± Elise expressionlessly mocked, ¡°Looks like even without Trevor, you won¡¯t be able to secure your position for long.¡± ¡°Hmph, you don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± Faye sneered, ¡°I failed, but you didn¡¯t exactly seed, so there¡¯s no point in any debate, is there?¡± ¡°Right. Because of that, I lost my only chance to join Anderson Pharmaceuticals¡­¡± Elise deliberately made a remorseful face before returning to her uninterested look. ¡°But you seem to have forgotten that I have no intention of returning there.¡± Faye was taken aback, unable to speak a word. ¡°Hence, I¡¯ve never wanted anything. Besides, what¡¯s the point of dwelling on stuff that¡¯s already lost?¡± Elise profoundly continued, ¡°However, seeing that hideous scowl on your face is pretty satisfying. Isn¡¯t that something worth celebrating?¡± ¡°Of course, it is!¡± Danny openly uttered, ¡°We should all drink to such a joyous asion! To the misfortune of a certain woman!¡± ¡°Say that again and I¡¯ll f*cking rip you apart!¡± Her eyes wide, Faye shot daggers at him. ¡°Oh yeah? I¡¯d like to see you try. I¡¯ve been hoping for a sparring partner!¡± At that moment, a man in an expensive suit came forth with a file. ¡°Excuse me. May I know which one of you is Miss Sinir?¡± the man in suit politely asked. W ¡°It¡¯s me. What¡¯s the matter?¡± Elise recognized the man, the same man who took thend away from her and Faye. ¡°Great.¡± The man beamed as he handed the document over. ¡°This is the deed to thend. I, representing my boss, transfer this gift to you.¡± ¡°Wait, who¡¯s your boss again?¡± Elise warily questioned. ¡°He¡¯s the founder of Smith Co.-Keh Bailey,¡± the man calmly answered. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. ¡°But I don¡¯t know any Keh, or any Bailey.¡± Elise hadn¡¯t even heard of anything remote to Smith Co. ¡°That¡¯s perfectly fine. You just have to know that, once you¡¯re in Smith Co.¡¯s territory, you be one of our most prestigious guests.¡± The man then lowered his body and handed out the deed in his hand. Please ept the gift, Miss Sinir, or I¡¯ll have a hard time.¡± Elise always hated people who attempted to force a rtionship with her. He wants to know me. so what? Must I agree to that? Nevertheless, seeing the frustration on Faye¡¯s face, she momentarily hesitated Alexander, who had been silent the whole time, came over and epted the documents. ¡°Thank you very much. I¡¯ll ept it in her stead.¡± ¡°Sure. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me¡­¡± Fulfilling his mission, the man in suit departed. Then, Elise rolled her eyes at Alexander. ¡°Are you going to return the favor in my stead too?¡± ¡°Why not? You owe me that anyway,¡± Alexander replied. After all, Keh Bailey and Alexander Griffith were only the same person. ¡°Huh¡± Elise felt something was off. ¡°What I mean is that I¡¯ll return the favor for you, so naturally, you owe me what you owed him,¡± Alexander smilingly rified. ¡°Sounds like a n.¡± Turning away, Elise cunningly grinned. ¡°Well, that means I owe nothing!¡± Alexander responded with a bitter scowl, yet he countered with nothing. Since he had acquired thend for her by using Smith Co., he had no intention to ask for anything in return. To his own woman, he could only treat with unconditional pamperings. Mischievously, Elise pulled a face at Faye and shoved the deed before her. ¡°So, what¡¯re you gonna do now?¡± Faye clenched her fists, so vexed that she couldn¡¯t speak up. She gnashed her teeth so hard she could hear them gritting against each other. Why, this b*tch! She took away my identity and my honor, and now even people from Smith Co. are giving her such special treatment! How am I losing to her? Apart from relying on her man, does this shameless b*tch even know anything about anything? How ridiculous! Seemingly perturbed, Armand came over with his phone, muttering, ¡°Miss Faye, your father wishes to speak with you.¡± Consequently, she collected her feelings and regainedposure, calmly stating, ¡°Just you wait, Elise! You won¡¯t be so lucky all the time!¡± Finished, she snatched Armand¡¯s phone and fled the scene, Elise let out a scoff before tossing the deed back to Alexander. ¡°How unexciting. I don¡¯t want it anymore. You take it.¡± Holding the file, Alexander teased, ¡°You¡¯re just gonna treat thend that cost ny million like a toy?¡± not like I can eat it or cuddle it to sleep. What am I gonna do, worship it?¡± Elise waved her hand as she turned to the exit. What a dull day! I¡¯d rather sigy home and fool around with Joer. On their way home, they stopped by a photo shooting studio. Elise, together with Danny, stormed into the studio and drove everyone inside out. Later, they came out with a rolled poster and a stack of photos in their hands. . ¡°This is the rent for your studio and thepensation for your crew¡¯s losses.¡± Danny handed a check to the studio¡¯s manager and got back into their car with Elise. Chapter 474 ?Chapter 474 The More Dangerous a ce Is, the Safer It Is After Elise brought Danny back to the bedroom, she was about to open the door with the ess card when a sound of the door unlocking sounded. The next moment, the door was opened from the inside. Joey was standing at the door, looking at them with scrutiny. "Weren''t you going to get H''s poster from the photography studio by the roadside?" Keeping the ess card, Elise looked back at Joey before asking, "You were following us? No, you wouldn''t be able to catch up with Cameron driving. So, who did you nt a tracking device on?" After she said that, she already had an answer in mind. Among them, the only person who wouldn''t be as careful was Danny. Undoubtedly, the tracking device would have been put on him. At this moment, a glimmer of interest shone in Elise''s eyes. "Where did you get the tracking device?" "I made it myself," Joey said proudly. "It''s nothing tooplicated. I only needed a GPS and a signal receiver." "How did you nt it on Danny?" Elise asked. "What?!" At once, Danny was shocked. He even began to spew inte dialects. "You nted a tracking device on me?!" Joey didn''t seem to be bothered by that. With a shrug, she replied, "It''s nothing hard. I just had to tug his necktie and it was done." "Necktie?" Immediately, he fiddled with his necktie and gave it a hard pull. Then, a ck tracking device that was the size of a bean dropped out. "You sneaky, uncultured person! I genuinely thought that you saw me as a brother. Instead, you were using me all this while?!" Needless to say, he was furious. After disposing of the device, he dumped the poster and photos in his arms on Elise before walking off angrily. Seeing that, Joey kept an innocent face. "I just merely put something on him. Why make such a fuss?" "You stomped all over his sincerity toward you," Elise exined. "I don''t understand you guys." Staring at the posters that were scrolled up, Joey changed the topic in a split second. "Are you thinking of exploiting the fact that H hasn''t shown her face before? Did you simply get some fake photos and sign it to fool me?" With all the stuff in her arms, Elise said as she walked, "I wish, but can I fool your eyes?" "Good that you know." Joey followed after her and closed the door. "Don''t think that I''m gullible because I''m young. I''m H''s diehard fan. I will definitely know if it''s her real picture or not." At this moment, Elise tore off the tape on the poster to reveal its content. At the lower right corner, there was a huge signature of H. The moment Joey saw the side profile of the woman on the poster, she was sure that it was H. Like a possessed person, she walked closer before taking hold of the two corners of the poster carefully. "It''s really H! There''s even her signature. Her H is always signed like it was diagonal." She was so over the moon that her eyes were brimming with tears. At that moment, she looked like she had a treasure in her hands. She handled the poster gently and slowly as she spread it out on the table. Elise had never expected that her signature would get such ament, so she raised her brow out of awkwardness. "Why did you leave a signed poster at such a crowded ce? What if it got torn or dirty?" Joey examined the picture like a paleontologist while replying in an usatory tone. "The more dangerous a ce is, the safer it is," Elise retorted. "That is not logical scientifically," Joey snarled. "Why don''t you just admit that you didn''t bother to keep H''s item properly?" "Alright. You''re right," Elise replied. Aside from entrepreneurs who want to brag about their sess, Elise thought that there wouldn''t be anyone else who''d frame her picture and hang it up. At this moment, Joey sensed something fishy from Elise''s tone. Hence, she looked up quickly before staring at her with a sharp gaze. "You know H." It was a firm im that she deemed was true. "Kind of." Elise didn''t deny it. At once, Joey sat upright. If her guess was right, in this world, people who were unbothered by H''s attractiveness either were idiots or friends that were really close to her. Only good friends wouldn''t care if one of them was at the top with fame or at the bottom with nothing. No matter what happened, they would treat each other normally. "Elise." The way Joey suddenly changed her attitude made Elise choke on her saliva. Elise coughed before eximing, "I need time to get used to your rapid change!" "Elise." Closing in on Elise, Joey stretched her hand out to shake Elise''s hand. At that moment, Joey seemed cautious and bewildered. "Please bring me to see H. The biggest wish in my life is to see her in person. I just want to see her once. I''d dly die for that opportunity!" Now that she heard those words, Elise retracted her neck as she looked at Joey with caution. She never thought of a way to deal with a fan who would die to see their idol. Hence, she could only use an excuse to dy it. "You can see her, but we have to set rules. When you be a person that Papa and I would approve of, I will bring you to see H." "Deal!" Joey eximed excitedly. After saying that, she was afraid that Elise would go back on her words, so she pulled her hand over before giving her a high five. It was only then that she smiled with satisfaction. Looking at how excited Joey was, Elise shook her head helplessly. For a person that she had never seen, Joey was willing to face uncertain situations and constrict her true self. Was that worth it? Most importantly, Elise wasn''t sure if she had such charm. Currently, Joey knew what Elise was thinking, but she didn''t mind. After all, Elise wasn''t aware of how many people wanted to see H in person. To Joey, a person like H who glowed from head to toe was worth all her dedication, The next day, Elise found a book onputer coding for Joey to practice on. Elise told the girl to learn half of it before she returned, or she wouldn''t be allowed to speak. Today, Elise was going to attend a gem auction event. On her schedule, Faye had highlighted that this was important, so she couldn''t miss it.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. When she arrived at the entrance, everyone else was present except for Alexander. "Where''s your brother?" Hearing that, Danny shrugged to show his oblivion. "Young Master is currently working on something," Clement said. "I''ll be with you, Miss Sinir. It will be fine." At this moment, Danny threw his arm over Clement''s shoulder before saying, "Perhaps you''ve misunderstood my brother. Look at Elise. Do you think she needs your protection?" Clement seemed to be confused. "You still got a lot to learn, my friend!" After giving his shoulder two pats, Danny ushered Clement into the car. Chapter 475 Chapter 475 Chapter 475 The gem auction event was a specialty of Landred City. Many ces would have their own local street delicacy, and every city would have a ce that was mysterious and challenging to go to. As such, those ces would attract many tourists to visit and for Landred City¨Cit was the gem auction event. In Landred City, the gem auction event was one of the rmended ces to visit. Previously, this once-a-year event would be held at a further ce, but the organizer somehow managed to hold this event that had a gambling characteristic in the city center. Stone gambling didn¡¯t mean gambling on the stone itself, but the jade and jadeites inside the stone. Bing rich or broke overnight depended solely on one¡¯s luck and eye¨Cit was simr to buying lottery tickets. A hundred million citizens of Cittadel would buy lottery tickets, so stone gambling was also rtively adopted by many. In recent years, there had been many cases where people became rich because of stone gambling. Because of that, more and more people were putting their fortune into the gem auction event with such determination, When Elise and the others got out of the car, they bumped into Faye. However, she wasn¡¯t a subordinate at thepany today. In fact, she dressed like a youngdy from a rich family. After Elise took Faye¡¯s spotlight yesterday, Faye held a grudge. Now that Elise came to her herself, Faye did not want to let go of the chance to humiliate her. ¡°Why are you here? Stone gambling isn¡¯t like anything else. You can¡¯t see it, nor can you touch it. If you¡¯re not knowledgeable in this field, all your money can go down the drain. Don¡¯t waste money just because you want to irritate me, Elise,¡± Faye said in a pretentious tone. In response, Elise smiled before saying, ¡°I don¡¯t know where to spend my money anyway. I¡¯ll think of it as doing charity. It¡¯s such a fun event, so I can¡¯t bear to miss it.¡± ¡°Fun? You can get bankrupt! Even if you have a lot of money, this event will definitely make you lose all you have sooner orter.¡± After leaving Athesea, Faye no longer cared about her sisterhood with Elise. With the tone of an elderly, she said sarcastically, ¡°You¡¯ve been staying in the countryside for so long, so it¡¯s normal if you don¡¯t understand stone gambling. Stone gambling, after all, is still a form of gambling.¡± With a shrug, Elise said, ¡°Aren¡¯t these just stones in the end?¡± To her, jades and any other precious stones were all simr¨Cthey were all just stones like themon ones on the road. ¡°Tsk, the ignorance.¡± Just as she finished saying that, the woman next to Faye sneered, ¡°Uneducated people are just uneducated. How dare you reduce jades to nothing? Even Gods Chosen Girl won¡¯t dare to say that.¡± ¡°God¡¯s Chosen Girl?¡± Elise raised a brow. ¡°Countryside people are so troublesome. They need people to teach them everything. To not have beard of God¡¯s Chosen Girl¡­ Who let her in?¡± The woman didn¡¯t hold back on criticizing her. Hearing that, Elise showed a dark face. Did they expect her to remember all the famous people in all the fields? How tiring would that be? Some onlookers were kind enough to exin, ¡°Three years ago at a gem auction event in Dukethorn, a girl with a veil came out of nowhere. The stones that she bought all turned out to be imperial jade of good grade. That made her the center of attention, triumphing over the well known buyers. Hence, people in the field call her God¡¯s Chosen Girl. God must be looking over her.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I was there at the scene too. The woman looked young, but her aura doesn¡¯tck behind any men. Her actions were calm and precise. After cracking the stone, she seemed so indifferent. I¡¯ll probably never attain that kind of knowledge and wisdom that she has.¡± ¡°However, the God¡¯s Chosen Girl hadn¡¯t shown up ever since then. I wonder if I will have the chance to watch her crack stones again in this life.¡± After hearing what the person said, Elise showed an undigested expression. Was that it? Was it that easy to be God¡¯s Chosen Girl? With good luck, anyone could be God¡¯s chosen child. Was that all? ¡°I think that you guys may have misunderstood,¡± Elise said in an awkward tone. ¡°What do you mean?¡± The woman who criticized her earlier side-eyed Elise. ¡°The God¡¯s Chosen Girl that you were talking about¡­ Maybe she didn¡¯t understand the way of stone gambling either,¡± Elise said. At once, Faye seemed speechless. How embarrassing it was for the Anderson Family! At once, the woman covered her mouth with a hand beforeughing hysterically. ¡°Faye, this sister of yours from the countryside is truly amusing. We¡¯ve already said how impressive the God¡¯s Chosen Girl was, and she could still spew such nonsense? How funny is she?¡± As she said that, she threw an arm on Faye¡¯s shoulder before reminding her, ¡°Faye, I advise that you send your sister back as soon as possible. Otherwise, she¡¯ll continue to embarrass the Anderson Family!¡± Hearing that, Faye could only reply in a helpless manner, ¡°I have no choice either, Celina. She¡¯s e no the true daughter after all. How can I decide for her?¡± ¡°True or not, it¡¯s fine for an elder sister to teach the younger. Why do you care so much about other factors? If you don¡¯t dare to teach her, I will help you put this disrespectful b*tch in her ce!¡± Celina had heard of stories from Faye where Elise bullied her. Now that she pulled that act earlier, Celina thought that Elise must think of them as easy targets to bully. Hence, she strutted toward Elise as she raised her arm. At this moment, Danny was ready to counter the attack. If Celina dared toy a finger on Elise, he¡¯d teach her a lesson. Although he wouldn¡¯t hit women, he would have ways to embarrass her enough. The woman¡¯s arm was dangling in the air, and just as it was about tond on the target, the door suddenly creaked. ¡°Mr. Bailey is here¡­¡± ¡°Mr. Bailey?¡± Upon hearing that name, Celina immediately retracted her hand before brushing her clothes. She was also quick to put on a smile to show the image of a graceful young miss. ¡°Damn, you sure are talented in acting, aren¡¯t you?¡± Danny sneered. Celina simply red at him, but she didn¡¯t bother to reply as she focused on the door while having on her best smile. Finally, under everyone¡¯s attention, Mr. Bailey slowly entered the venue. He didn¡¯t seem young; he looked like he was in his thirties or forties. His hair was side-parted like the typical sessful man and he donned a tailor-fitted suit. Besides that, his cloak seemed to be made of real fur. However, he seemed to be a little weary. With his long legs, he casually strutted across the room filled with people. Not only did he carry the dream of many youngdies, but he also soured critics of other men. ¡°This is the founder of Smith Co. He truly is distinguishable.¡± All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I heard that Keh Bailey ispletely in charge of this gem auction event, hence why this event doesn¡¯t have to be held at that countryside venue. That venue would be less pleasant no matter the food or stay.¡± ¡°Has anyone calcted how many properties Smith Co. owns in Landred City?¡± ¡°That¡¯s uncountable. After thepany settled down in Landred, the entire city¡¯s economy improved so much that it wasparable to Cittadel. After a few years, Cittadel will be a different city!¡± ¡°Really?! That must be the pride of Landred City. No wonder all the women in the city want to marry Keh. If I was born a female, I would dream of that too! Haha¡­¡± 2 As Elise half-heartedly listened to that conversation, her gaze followed that man who had an executive figure. Smith Co¡­ It was Smith Co. again! Since he sent people to get and gift thend for her, why did he act like he didn¡¯t know her? Or was he the kind of person who would show goorlwill to all new forces? Chapter 476 Chapter 476 Chapter 476 Long Lost Biological Brother? At this moment, the man from thend auction yesterday made his appearance again. ¡°Miss Sinir.¡± The man sounded as gentle as he was. ¡°Oh, you again?¡± Elise said in an amused tone, ¡°Are you going to give me another piece ofnd today?¡± After saying that, she nced at Faye, making thetter irritated. ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± The man let out a low chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m representing Mr. Bailey to invite you to the VIP room.¡± ¡°The VIP room huh. It¡¯s unexpected that this young girl is a guest of Keh Bailey!¡± ¡°Yeah. I remembered thest person who had the VIP room was some boss from South Africa!¡± Many people were whispering among themselves, but Elise paid no heed to it. Not to mention, she wasn¡¯t interested in the others¡¯ conversation, so she followed the man. Behind her was Faye who gritted her teeth and clenched her fists so hard that her fingernails dug into her flesh. Damn it! Why is Elise Sinir always so lucky? How did she manage to get involved with a man like Keh Bailey?! Let me watch and see. With Alexander absent, she¡¯s epting other men¡¯s advances so easily. A born b*tch like her will get exposed sooner orter. ¡°Faye! Didn¡¯t you say that your sister is from the countryside and that she doesn¡¯t know anything? How is she an acquaintance of Keh Bailey?¡± Keh was Celina¡¯s dream man. How on earth did that countryside woman manage to taint him?! ¡°How would I know?!¡± As Faye herself was mad, her tone was a little harsh. After saying that, she realized that she had lost herposure, so she quickly adjusted her tone. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Celina. I¡¯m just too mad because of Elise. For a man like Keh, only you will match up to him. However, my sister is used to seducing men with her bewitching ways. I don¡¯t know what to do with her either¡­¡± Though she said that, she was thinking otherwise in her heart. If Keh is interested in a dumb sh*t like you, he must be blind and deaf! Hearing that, Celina became fueled with anger. ¡°Elise Sinir, was it?! Just you wait!¡± ¡­ Meanwhile, Elise and the others quickly arrived at the VIP room. ¡°Miss Sinir, if there¡¯s anything you need, you can let the waiter outside know. They will amodate your needs to the best of their abilities. I have other things to tend to, so I¡¯ll take my leave for now.¡± As the man said that, he nodded to Danny and the others as a greeting. When his gaze swept past Clement, it stayed for an extra second. Coincidentally, Elise noticed the one-second pause. At once, she called out to him. ¡°Hold on, you have not told me what your name is. I can¡¯t be calling out ¡®hey¡¯ to you all the time, can I?¡± ¡°My bad.¡± The man came back before saying courteously, ¡°I¡¯m Johnny Smith. You can just call me Johnny, Miss Sinir.¡± ¡°Johnny Smith?¡± Danny chuckled before he gave Clement a nudge. ¡°He shares the same surname as you. Is he your long-lost biological brother?¡± At this moment, Clement seemed indifferent as he remained silent. Meanwhile, Johnny offered a small smile before he exined. ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood. My surname isn¡¯t really Smith. That is just my code name.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Nodding his head, Danny continued to humor Clement. ¡°You¡¯re both Smiths. If you go over to Smith Co., you may even be cooler than him. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°Not possible,¡± Clement said briefly. Hearing that, Danny pursed his lips before saying, ¡°You can¡¯t even take a joke. You¡¯re no fun.¡± Letting out a low chuckle, Johnny made his way out of the room. After they got seated, the gem auction began. The ce that Elise and the others were at was at the left corner of the second floor, and they could clearly see Johnny hosting the event. In no time, the best seat on the second floor was also upied. As Elise turned to look over, her eyes met those of Keh¡¯s dark ones. As it was her first time seeing Keh in person, she couldn¡¯t understand why she felt that that pair of eyes were very familiar. On the other hand, Keh didn¡¯t show any expression. He simply raised his chin slightly as a sign of greeting. Truth was, only he himself knew how guilty he was. He was scared of facing Elise as he might reveal the gentleness that Alexander would show. Since she epted their invitation, she nodded in response as a token of appreciation. Through an unintentional nce, Danny caught the interaction between the two. Obviously, he saw that as a form of flirting. Without saying a word, he walked between them to block Keh¡¯s gaze before giving him a warning look. It was signifying that Elise already had a partner, so Keh should keep his eyes to himself before Danny broke his leg. As Keh¡¯s eyes met Danny¡¯s, he gave him a small smile before looking away without any change in expression. ¡°Good move,¡± Danny mumbled. At that moment, the first item for auction was already presented. The stone weighed around 400 kilograms. One of the top corners on the left was worn out, showing hints of a glimmering green inside. The color seemed genuine and shiny, attracting the eyes of everyone. ¡°I will not be wrong on this. This is definitely a ssy species jadeite!¡± Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. At once, people at the venue started amotion. However, there were also people opposing that idea. ¡°It might look good on the outside, but unimpressive on the inside. It may not be so great once you take a look inside.¡± ¡°Is that possible? It¡¯s such a heavy stone. Even if only half of it is jadeite, it will be worth a lot!¡± ¡°Well¡­ that will be the case if it¡¯s half. If it¡¯s just that corner and it¡¯s just in stone inside, you will be losing a lot of money!¡± Though everyone was discussing it, the price of such a stone would typically be much more expensive than those that couldn¡¯t be seen from the outside. Nobody could say for sure if it was as perfect as it seemed on the outside. There was a big possibility that there would be spacings inside, and the jadeite would only fill up less than five percent. In that case, it would really be no different than a stone by the roadside. After Elise took a nce, she retracted her gaze before taking a sip of the coffee that the server brought over. Though the stone had a possibility of having jadeite inside, it wasn¡¯t anything impressive. However, the coffee was not bad. It was thick yet tasty, and had a good aftertaste. It reminded her of the older days when she used to sell coffee. Nevertheless, those people on the ground floor thought that the stone was a chance to be rich, so the auction price went up higher and higher. After a few offers, the deal was sealed at forty million. ¡°Wow. That wasn¡¯t cheap,¡± Elisemented. No wonder when Faye and Celina were talking about stone gambling, they kept saying that the rich would dominate the auction. In this field, one must allocate at least one or two hundred million. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t be able to cover the loss. Later on, the few other stones that were auctioned next were just nced through by Elise as she didn¡¯t bother to participate in any of them. Noticing that, Faye looked up with a discriminating gaze before saying, ¡°I knew that she was uneducated. What difference would sitting in a VIP room make? It can¡¯t even hide herck of ss!¡± Toward the end, a piece of stone that had a special shine to it was put on auction. The stone was covered with a thickyer of moss, but the stone itself showed a hint of red. When light shined on the stone, the light would get refracted in various directions. It didn¡¯t seem like it had jadeite in it, but it looked like a mineral ore. The stone was almost the same size as the first one. However, it looked like an ore, so it caused a wave of sighs among the audience. After that, the starting price was announced at 280,000 while the ground floor stayedpletely silent. Meanwhile, someone on the second floor spoke up, ¡°500,000. I want that!¡± The person who spoke was none other than Elise. Chapter 477 Chapter 477 Chapter 477 What a Scheming Man! Elise was not as calm as she was during the first half of the auction. Instead, she stood up in excitement as she made her way to the railings. She held onto the railings with both of her hands before craning to look downward. Her slightly childish voice had attracted the crowd¡¯s attention as they lifted their gaze toward her The guests on the second floor were usually wealthy or influential people, so the crowd was interested to find out who was thedy who had such good taste. However, upon realizing that the woman who made the bid was a stranger to them and that her companions were all young men around her age whom they could not recognize, the crowd burst out in laughter. ¡°Haha! Whose prodigal son¡ªoh no, I mean prodigal daughter¡ªis this? Which family allowed their prodigal daughter toe here and embarrass herself?¡± ¡°She has an exquisite look, but s, she¡¯s ignorant and evencks basic knowledge. Hey, young chick, do you even know what high-quality jadeites look like? Only those with a pale surface are valuable. If you bid this piece of stone back, I¡¯m afraid your father will be driven mad by you!¡± A man stretched his neck and pretended to be ¡®kind¡¯, which immediately caused the others to burst out laughing again. And because of that, no one from the first floor increased the bid, and the bid price remained at 500,000 throughout an entire minute as the crowd continuedughing at Elise. Elise nced across the hall and smiled in a self-deprecating manner. If only she had known that no one would increase the bid, she would¡¯ve asked for 300,000 directly as she¡¯d be able to save 200,000. Elise almost had the game in her hand, and even Johnny, who was on the stage, wore a smile and was about to congratte her. Just then, a cold male voice emerged from a room at the right and broke the silence. ¡°880,000.¡± The voice was deep yet rich, and the volume was just loud enough to travel across the entire hall so that everyone could hear him clearly. The crowd turned to the source of the voice to look at the second idiot at the scene. There, they saw Keh, who was standing beside the railing looking down at the jadeite while holding a pair of white gloves in his hand. Elise frowned as she had a bad hunch. Meanwhile, Celina was engulfed by jealousy downstairs. ¡°It¡¯s Keh. Why did he start bidding too?¡± ¡°Faye, your sister even bewitched Keh. She¡¯ll definitely be theughing stock by buying this kind of useless stone!¡± Someone from the crowd teased in a loud voice, ¡°How thoughtful is Mr. Bailey to willingly undertake the humiliation for the sake of a pretty girl!¡± ¡°What nonsense are you talking about?! Do you think Keh is of the same kind as you jerks? Lowly creatures!¡± Celina defended Keh outspokenly and offended the majority of the guests at the spot with herment. ¡°Ha! It seems like Mr. Bailey has quite a number of lovers. But s, there is arge disparity between their ranks just like how one is seated on the second floor while the other is on the first floor!¡± ¡°Exactly! She¡¯s already downgraded to the first floor just like us, so what is she still being snobbish about? Does she really think of herself as Mrs. Bailey?¡± ¡°Although thedy upstairs is a prodigal, at least she has an attractive look. As for this woman on the lower floor, anyone who takes her in would be doing an act of kindness already. Hahaha¡­¡± Men typically liked dirty talks when they gathered together. In addition, Celina had just insulted them, so they did not show mercy all the more and abused this socialite of Landred City as if she was worthless. Celine was boiling in anger and was about to retort when Faye quickly stopped her as she did not want to be implicated in this argument between opposite genders. ¡°Calm down, Celina! Keh is still looking at the scene from upstairs, so don¡¯t give him the impression that you¡¯re a reckless woman! Those men are not whom you want to please, so don¡¯t care about what they say. Remember this¡ªonlypete with those in the same league and don¡¯t waste time arguing with insignificant people!¡± Hearing that, Celina nodded in all seriousness. ¡°You¡¯re right. I shouldn¡¯t argue with the insignificant ones. It¡¯s not worth being angry with those idiots! Luckily you¡¯re around, Faye. Otherwise, I would be embarrassing myself in front of Keh!¡± Faye smiled stiffly. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± Yeah, you nearly embarrassed me too! Do you even have a brain? You¡¯re even more stupid than a pig! Of course, Faye wouldn¡¯t possibly convey her true feelings. After sorting out her emotions, she held Celina¡¯s hand again and resumed the intimate state between them. At that moment, Elise increased the bid again tentatively, ¡°900,000.¡± ¡°980,000.¡± Keh nced toward Elise with subtle scorn in his eyes. ¡°1 million.¡± ¡°1.2 million.¡± Elise furrowed her brows. This guy easily gave out a piece ofnd worth 90 million before this. Why does he want to fight me over this now? Elise really wanted to bid this item personally to humiliate Faye. ¡°Mr. Bailey, what about giving this gem to me?¡± Elise asked with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Sinir. I have my eye on it too. I¡¯m so sorry for not being able to fulfill your wish,¡± Keh replied with a polite smile. Elise¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°This is just an ore and it¡¯s not even some rare gem. Why do you want to fight me for it?¡± Keh answered, ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, why do you want to fight for it, Miss Sinir?¡± Elise gritted her teeth. ¡°There¡¯s no need to exin to you. Or, did you give me thend previously so that I¡¯ll give in to you in this gem auction event? Sorry to disappoint you. I can return you thend but I¡¯ll definitely not give away something that I¡¯ve had my eyes on.¡± Keh was startled for a moment and wore a subtle smile thereafter. ¡°You¡¯re very discerning, Miss Sinir. But you¡¯ve already epted thend, so you naturally have to give up on this ore.¡± What a scheming man. He actually set me up! I should ask Alexander to beat him up when hees! ¡°Hey, you fellow! Have you heard of dies first¡¯?! Aren¡¯t you embarrassed fighting over something with a lady?¡± As soon as Danny said that, Elise shouted sulkily, ¡°4 million!¡± The crowd on the first floor could not make out what the bickering on the second floor was about, but they heard Elise¡¯s yell as clear as day. This woman must have lost her mind to spend 4 million on an obviously useless ore! Rich people are indeed arrogant! All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. The crowd wondered which wealthy family in Landred City actually raised such a spendthrift. After shouting the price, Elise gazed toward Keh with an arrogant and threatening look. Looking downward, Keh wore a resigned expression and seemed to heave a sigh. ¡°Keh.¡± Just then, a shrewd woman dressed in a modest office suit, who had remained silent all this while, spoke up behind Keh, ¡°Given your identity, it will only bring thisdy more trouble if you continue to be entangled with her. So please stop fighting with her. You¡¯ve already done enough for what you should do.¡± Keh furrowed his thick eyebrows. All he wanted to do was to snatch the raw ore away so that Elise would not be embarrassed¡­ But given Elise¡¯s stubbornness, she obviously intended to fight with him until the end. With one hand ced on the railing, Keh looked downward at Johnny, who was standing on the stage and still waiting for the former to increase the bid as he had not grasped the situation yet. After remaining silent for a moment, Keh decided to give up eventually. His eyes darkened as he spoke in an inherent victorious voice, ¡°This jadeite belongs to Miss Sinir!¡± Chapter 478 Chapter 478 Chapter 478 Are You Trying to Be Annoying or Pleasing? Throughout the entire auction, Elise only bid for that piece of ore. She did that not because there were no better gems, but she just did not want to go up against Keh, the scheming man again. She reckoned this man, who controlled the pulse of the city¡¯s economy, might have set up more traps for her. As such, she could only restrain her temperament lest Keh seized another chance. However, Elise was distressed as she was not able to act as she pleased. At this thought, she couldn¡¯t help shooting a fierce re at Keh when she saw him stand up at the end of the event. Perceiving the sharp re from the opposite side, Keh instinctively nced in that direction and was innocently stunned upon seeing Elise¡¯s fierce look. What? After walking out of the private room, Keh did not leave immediately but stayed at the entrance. Elise bumped into Keh the moment she came out, and her beautiful eyes were filled with murderous intentions at once. ¡°Why are you staring at me like this, Miss Sinir?¡± Keh asked with a half-smile. ¡°How else should I look at you then?¡± Elise continued with a straight face, ¡°A gentleman would not steal the apple of someone else¡¯s eye.¡± Keh looked down and smiled faintly while Elise waspletely pissed off. He¡¯s already at this age. Don¡¯t tell me he thinks he looks handsome by smiling like this! ¡°Why don¡¯t you understand it as I¡¯m doing so to please you?¡± Keh blurted suddenly. ¡°Because I¡¯m already engaged, and I don¡¯t need anyone besides my fianc¨¦ to please me. If there¡¯s anyone who does, I¡¯ll deem him as an idiot,¡± Elise retorted with a strong attitude. An idiot? Should I be happy or angry? Keh inhaled deeply in resignation while lifting his brows and recklessly eyed Elise up. ¡°Good job, Elise!¡± Just then, Danny walked up and pped in front of Keh. Keh seemed to have thought of something. Then, he closed his eyes with a sullen look and walked toward the staircase. When the shrewd woman who was following behind Keh walked past Elise, Elise couldn¡¯t help ncing at her. Right at that moment, Keh paused out of the blue and turned around. Coincidentally, his eyes met hers. At that moment, the corner of Elise¡¯s mouth twitched as she felt awkward. Thereafter, Keh teased her with a cunning and smug smile. ¡°So you can¡¯t bear to see me leave?¡± ¡°Uhmm¡­ You¡¯ve misunderstood¡­¡± Elise attempted to exin. ¡°You don¡¯t have to exin. I understand what¡¯s going on. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll meet again soon.¡± After saying this ambiguous statement, Keh directly walked downstairs without giving Elise a chance to finish her sentence. With that, Elise was rendered speechless as she thought that the majority of men were narcissistic and snobbish no matter how well-educated they were. But to give that more thought, Alexander did not seem to have this problem. Nheless, he was extreme on another level¡ªhe overly distanced himself from both men and women. Elise¡¯s mood finally lightened up as she thought of Alexander. But following that, she started worrying about him as she wondered how things were at his end. And so, she took out her phone and sent Alexander a message on WhatsApp. ¡®Have you finished your work?¡¯ On the other hand, Keh¡¯s phone rang the moment he got into the car. He took out the phone and wore a sweet smile immediately when he saw the notification. The woman beside Keh cast a nce at him while confusion shed through her eyes. ¡°Melody, I know you were disdaining me just now,¡± Keh said with his eyes fixed on the phone screen. ¡°You¡¯ve mistaken, sir. I¡¯m just wondering whether all men like to tease their girlfriends by showing a sudden change of emotions,¡± the woman named Melody answered with a poker face. ¡°You don¡¯t understand. To humans, this is known as romance,¡± Keh replied. ¡°Indeed. I don¡¯t understand,¡± Melody said in a cold voice. Keh¡¯s enthusiasm decreased upon being poured cold water by Melody. Putting away his phone, he said in a calm manner, ¡°Melody, do you know you¡¯re such a wet nket?¡± ¡°Now I do,¡± Melody answered robotically. Keh still wanted to continue arguing with Melody but was quick to realize that he would only be finding trouble if he debated with this subordinate who did not need a rtionship. As such, heughed it off. Only those who were in a rtionship would taste the goodness of it, so it was unnecessary to force others to understand what he was feeling. After typing ¡®I¡¯ll be right back¡¯ in the chat box, Keh put away his phone and signaled Melody to begin to report. ¡­ On the other hand, after the auction was over, there was still a big crowd who stayed in the hall with one sole motive ¡ªto witness the extraction of minerals from the ore. Most of the ores which were bid at the auction would have their mineral extraction performed right on the spot to fulfill the curiosity of the buyer and spectators. Of course, besides the spectators, a small group of the crowd would be jewelry sellers who aimed to purchase high-quality jades. Once a desirable mineral was extracted, they would buy it unhesitantly. Because of that, some would even make a ton of money before even walking out of the auction center. The extraction of minerals from its ore was an interesting process as that was the key event of betting on the ore. Once the mineral was extracted, the truth of whether it was a valuable mineral or a useless one would be revealed. Heaven and hell were merely one step apart. Elise too wanted to join in the fun, so she asked Danny to carry the ore that she had bid and spectate the results of the other bidders first. At the extraction event, the first mineral being worked on was the first ore that was bid at the auction. The bidder had spent 40 million to purchase the ore, so if its content was not a valuable one, he would not be able to recover the cost. The technician who performed the extraction was extra careful when handling the jade ore and only dared to manually polish its surface in a gentle manner. Everyone held their breath as they observed the technician¡¯s action closely with their gazes fixed on his hand. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. However, Elise shook her head and started feeling sorry for the buyer even before the jade was revealed. True enough, when the technician finished polishing ten percent of the ore, the green color disappeared. Only one-tenth of the outeryer was jade, let alone the inneryer. Since the volume of jade did not even reach ten percent of the ore, the content would not possibly be a valuable jade, and the real value would be far less than 40 million. As such, the buyer pulled a long face at once. Truth was, the buyer was an owner of an old jade shop. In recent years, diamonds became thetest craze all over the world, so the business of his old shop had been deteriorating and could hardly be sustained. Because of that, he decided to bet all his fortune on the ore, hoping that it could revive his dying business. Unfortunately, his old business waspletely doomed now. The family business of the Shaw Family was going to be ruined in his hands! While the people around him were consoling him, he could not hear anything anymore despite whether the constion was genuine or not. His mind was running wild in a buzz, and it seemed as if he would copse at any moment. Elise gazed toward Tom Shaw calmly, took a deep breath, and walked toward him. ¡°Hi, Mr. Shaw.¡± The man lifted his eyes to nce at Elise and lowered his head again in dejection. ¡°Even you¡¯re here to laugh at me?¡± After all, he was a man in his thirties and could have been Elise¡¯s uncle at his age, so he thought Elise, as a junior, should at least preserve some of his dignity. ¡°I¡¯m a daughter of the Andersons of Athesea.¡± Elise thought this identity would sound more credible. Sure enough, it was only then did Tom stare at her properly, but his eyes were still filled with confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve met, Miss Anderson.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not toote to meet now.¡± Elise went straight to the point. ¡°I would like to acquire Shaw¡¯s Jewelry Co.¡± Chapter 479 Chapter 479 Chapter 479 A Miracle Happened Elise had done a thorough investigation. Back then, the Shaw Family became prosperous through betting on rare stones. However, luck had not been on Tom¡¯s side after the business was passed to him. In fact, the performance of Shaw¡¯s Jewelry Co. had been hitting new lows since five years ago. With that, the business was on the edge in recent years. Not only that, thepany was also involved in various scandals in the past few years such as trading fake and radioactive jewelry. On the most serious asion, they were even forced to cease business. The 40 million that Tom used to purchase the ore today was most probably all the cash flow avable in Shaw¡¯s Jewelry Co. But s, he still failed. Tom stared at Elise with aplicated look. Although Elise looked nonchnt, she wore a serious countenance, so Tom could tell that she was definitely not teasing him. Now that the cash flow was damaged, Shaw¡¯s Jewelry Co. was actually as good as going bankrupt, so of course, Tom would be more than willing to agree to Elise¡¯s acquisition. However, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to pass this doomed business to a sincere girl like Elise because he would not be able to clear his conscience. As such, Tom sighed and said dejectedly, ¡°To be very honest, Shaw¡¯s Jewelry Co. has been performing terribly these few years and it can go bankrupt anytime. You¡¯ll be pouring money down the drain by acquiring the business.¡± ¡°Who knows. There might be a miracle,¡± Elise answered with a smile. ¡°A miracle?¡± Tomughed in a self-deprecating manner. ¡°Is that even possible?¡± Hearing that, Elise still remained calm in a kind manner. ¡°How is it not possible? Mr. Shaw, you of all people should know very well that as much as miracles might rarely ur, they can happen anytime, anywhere, don¡¯t they?¡± Tom had taken over Shaw¡¯s Jewelry Co. for more than ten years and had always run the business with discrete and integrity. The brand and product quality were not only famous in Landred City but in the entire country too. This factor alone had saved Tom the effort of advertising and building the brand image in the process of regaining its former glory. As long as they could secure enough capital and obtain a presentable gem, Shaw¡¯s Jewelry Co. would be able toe back to life. Of course, Tom knew what Elise was implying, but it was even harder to get a real gem than to earn a fortune. In fact, that was his intention too, but fate had brought him a useless stone. Even fate was not on his side, so what else could he do? Should he buy one from the others? Rare things were precious, and even if the others were willing to sell, he would not be able to fork out the money anymore. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Shaw¡¯s Jewelry Co. was doomed! ¡°Let¡¯s have a gentlemen¡¯s agreement then.¡± Elise wore a confident smile. ¡°A gentlemen¡¯s agreement?¡± Tom asked in confusion. Elise patted the stone that Danny was carrying. ¡°If a rare gem is extracted from here, you¡¯ll sell your business to me. What do you think?¡± Tom looked at the ore and thought it was obviously not one that contained a rare gem. Nheless, Elise¡¯s condition was no harm to him, so there was no reason for him to reject it. He actually wished to be a nasty person for one time and seize this absolute steal. However, he thought there was no such thing as a free lunch, so he had no other option. Just then, the sound of exmation came forth from the crowd which was spectating the mineral extraction process. ¡°This is an awesome one! Not only is it crystal clear, but it even has an emerald-green color too. This is definitely high-ss jadeite. The Anderson Family of Athesea sure has a brilliant daughter with a good eye! ¡± ¡°This must be the most perfect jade extracted this time!¡± The spectators were all impressed by Faye. Meanwhile, Faye lifted her chin arrogantly and enjoyed the fawning from the crowd as she thought this was the way she ought to be treated. ¡°It¡¯s our turn now. Let the show begin!¡± Elise curled her lips faintly and said to Tom, ¡°Just stay here and wait for me. The miracle is happening soon.¡± With that, she pushed her way through the crowd and walked straight up to the table where minerals were extracted. While the people in Landred City were not aware of theplication between Elise and Faye, they could recognize the former, who spent 4 million buying a useless stone. Seeing Elise walk past them, the crowd wore a disdainful smile unanimously as they were waiting to watch the show. ¡°Are you only here now because you know what you got is a useless stone? Are you afraid of extracting the mineral in public?¡± Celina sneered in sarcasm. ¡°Perhaps I¡¯m just waiting for you guys to extract yours first. After all, we¡¯ll only know how amazing the real gem is when there¡¯s aparison.¡± After Elise finished saying that with a half-smile, she gave Danny a look. Danny immediately understood her meaning and ced the ore on the table. ¡°Sir, please use the smallest tool to polish the surface manually.¡± Faye and herpanions shook their heads subtly as they thought the Anderson Family was going to be embarrassed again. Nheless, the technician did not give muchment and started polishing the ore diligently using the smallest tool. Truthfully, the technician too did not have high hopes for this stone and initially thought that he could just casually dissect it using a machine and call it a day after this. However, little did he expect Elise to raise such a request. As such, he had no choice but to fulfill her request because as an employee, he did not dare to offend anyone. As the outeryers were gradually turned to powder upon being polished, the original color of the stone was exposed. Immediately, the technician was stunned, and at the same time, someone in the front row eximed in surprise, ¡°This is a miracle! This is an incredible miracle!¡± Standing behind the crowd, Tom craned forward and gulped. Is a miracle really happening to me?! ¡°I-It¡¯s an orange jade!¡± The spectators pushed each other and formed a circle around the middle. ¡°This is not an orange jade but a blood jade! Oh my goodness, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m so lucky to witness this legendary rare gem!¡± ¡°What?! A blood jade?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s true! It¡¯s really a blood jade! No wonder even the surface looked reddish¡ªthe color has even prated to the outeryer!¡± At once, everyone¡¯s attention was attracted to Elise¡¯s jade, and all of them became jade fanatics at this moment. On the other hand, Elise showed no change in her expression as she waved her hand and said, ¡°Please don¡¯t stop and carry on, sir.¡± It was only then that the technician snapped out of the daze and continued his work. This time around, there was aplete change in his attitude. He treated the task seriously and was extremely cautious when handling each part. It was already one o¡¯clock in the afternoon when the ore was done being polished. However, not only did the number of spectators not reduce but there were even some jewelry traders who turned back to the scene upon hearing the news. When the technician was done with his job and stood aside, the crowd could finally see the blood jade clearly¨C¨Cthe jade actually made up 80 percent of the original ore! Not only was it a blood jade, which could rarely be encountered across a century, but it even came in such a big size! Most of the people were mesmerized by the jade as they fixed their gazes on it as if they were bewitched. Carrying the high-ss ore in her arms, Faye dug her nails so deep that even her palms were going to bleed. How is this possible?! This b*tch can¡¯t possibly be this lucky! Immediately, a shrewd trader made his offer. ¡°Miss, I would like to offer 20 million to buy your ore. This is a good bargain as you¡¯ll earn 16 million instantly.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe you actually dare to offer a mere 20 million. Are you bullying thisdy thinking that she¡¯s ignorant? Miss, don¡¯t sell it to him and sell it to me instead. I¡¯ll offer 50 million!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll offer 70 million!¡± ¡°100 million, and I¡¯ll pay cash on the spot!¡± However, Elise shook her head calmly and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I won¡¯t sell it.¡± ¡°Can I at least make a reservation to buy jewelry made of this jade?¡± ¡°Yeah! I¡¯d like to make a reservation too!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t think I can make this decision on my own. As for how this jade should be handled, I¡¯ll leave it for Mr. Tom Shaw to make the call,¡± Elise dered loudly. With that, she looked in Tom¡¯s direction. Those who received her gaze automatically made way. When Tom met Elise¡¯s gaze from afar, he understood her intention immediately. Agitatedly, Tom responded with an expression that implied that he would make an appropriate arrangement for the situation. Thereafter, he announced in a loud voice, ¡°Three-quarters of the blood jade will be used to make jewelry while the remaining portion will be disyed in Shaw¡¯s Jewelry Co. as the store¡¯s signature!¡± Chapter 480 Chapter 480 Chapter 480 You Sure Show No Mercy, Mr Bailey Under the crowd¡¯s gazes of disbelief, Elise carried the jadeite, which was blood-red from inside out, and led Danny to walk up to Tom. ¡°Here¡¯s your product, Mr. Shaw.¡± Tom couldn¡¯t believe this was actually happening, and he was so afraid that once he spoke, this dream would shatter. Heaving a sigh, Elise walked closer to Tom and snapped her fingers in front of him. ¡°Wake up, Mr. Shaw. This is not a dream. If you still don¡¯t receive this blood jade, we¡¯re going to sneak away with it!¡± It was only then did Tom¡¯s tears turn into a smile as he reached out his hands to take over the mineral. 40 pounds was actually not too heavy, but Tom felt as if he was carrying a thousand pounds in his hands as this was the hope and future of the entire Shaw¡¯s Jewelry Co. Just as he was staring at the jade entrancing his own picture, a slender hand which had a name card between the fingers came into sight. The next second, the fingers parted, causing the name card to fall on the jade. Then, the hand retreated. Tom lifted his head to see Elise lifting her hand beside her ear and making a calling pose. ¡°Mr. Shaw, this mineral is yours now. As for whether we should continue talking about our business, I¡¯ll wait for your call.¡± After saying that, Elise even teased the other jewelry traders. ¡°The amount of jewelry is limited, so they are firste, first served!¡± At once, Tom was heavily surrounded by the traders. At that moment, he was so overjoyed that he did not even know how to respond. It had been too long since he received this kind of treatment! Owned by N?velDrama.Org. An ore that was bid at 40 million contained blood jade worth several hundred million¡ªthis was far more than a huge return with a small investment. However, this ¡®Miss Anderson¡¯ actually gave it directly to him without even hesitating. In fact, Tom already had an answer deep down, but since Elise was not in a hurry, he decided to remain reserved first so that both parties could have more time to think it through. The sky was already dark when Elise left the auction hall. She was in a good mood today, so she initiated to be the driver and went for a joyride. Of course, the task of parking the car naturally fell to her toward the end. After parking the car, Elise walked leisurely toward the lift while fidgeting with the keys and humming songs. However, not long after she walked away from the car, she heard the sound of footsteps, which was neither too heavy nor too soft, emerging from behind out of the blue. ¡°Aghh¡ª¡± A man¡¯s miserable wail spread across every corner of the basement car park, which was filled with dead silence. With a mere ploy, Elise sessfully ambushed the man who was tailing her, and she stepped on him after seizing him. As the man was lying on the ground, his face was sandwiched between the floor and Elise¡¯s sole. Next to his face was his de which was hit off by Elise. The glistening de was extremely sharp, but fortunately, the man only cut a few strands of Elise¡¯s hair and did not manage to hurt her. Elise exerted more force as she stepped on the man. ¡°Tell me, which of my enemies sent you?¡± The man¡¯s face was almost distorted while being stepped on by Elise. Cold sweat gathered on his face, but he gritted his teeth and refused to say a word. ¡°Refuse to talk, huh?¡± Elise¡¯s gaze was drawn to the de on the ground, and she picked it up after merely casting one nce at it. With her eyes fixed on the man¡¯s shoulder, Elise lifted the de in her hand calmly and was just about to stab the man when a race car sped toward them and stopped steadily 2 feet away from them. The posture of Elise and the man was clearly exposed under the headlights of the car as Elise felt her eyes blinded by the lights. Just then, the driver opened the door and got out of the car. It was only after the man walked closer did Elise realize that the person was actually Keh. ¡°I told you we¡¯ll meet again,¡± Keh blurted casually. ¡°Why are you here?¡± At that moment, Elise even suspected that this fellow was tailing her. ¡°This is my hotel, so why can¡¯t I be here?¡± After saying that with a smile, Keh ignored Elise¡¯s despising stare and turned to look at the man beneath her foot. ¡°Miss Sinir, are you thinking of carrying out an illegal execution in my hotel?¡± Keh asked. ¡°Can¡¯t I?¡± Remaining still, Elise ced her hand, which was holding the de, on her bent knee and swayed it. She narrowed her eyes and had a mischievous idea. ¡°By the way, Mr. Bailey, I¡¯m staying in your hotel but I was attacked by someone in the car park and even nearly lost my life. Shouldn¡¯t you be responsible for this?¡± ¡°Of course, I should.¡± Keh smiled. ¡°I wonder if Miss Sinir is hurt anywhere and if I should arrange for a doctor immediately.¡± ¡°That¡¯s unnecessary. I just lost a few strands of hair.¡± Elise was used to being casual already, so she blurted those words. However, she immediately thought something was not right, so she quickly changed her statement. ¡°But! Our body is a precious gift from our parents, so even minor injuries ought to be taken seriously. Don¡¯t you even think of taking this lightly!¡± ¡°Ah, I see¡­ so you lost a few strands of hair¡­¡± Keh lowered his eyes thoughtfully. She¡¯s such an agile fighter, yet she still lost a few strands of hair. This shows how brutal the man on the floor is, and he¡¯s obviously targeting to take her life. Since that¡¯s the case¡ª Keh¡¯s eyes turned cold at once and he gave off a murderous aura when he lifted his head again. Seeing that, Elise was stunned. By the time she regained herposure, Keh had already taken the de from her. With that, the gleaming de passed by Elise¡¯s face and in the next second, the man on the floor screamed in agony. Without wasting his breath, Keh stabbed the knife into the man¡¯s thigh. Holding the handle of the de, he twisted the de in the man¡¯s flesh. ¡°Aghh¡ªI¡¯ll tell! I¡¯ll tell you! I wanted to kidnap you and get the blood jade as a ransom.¡± The man came clean at once. Even Elise couldn¡¯t help frowning at the cruel scene. However, she still remained rational and scowled coldly. ¡°Who sent you?!¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s Faye Anderson. She sent me. Please stop twisting already¡­ Please stop¡­¡± The big guy who remained stubborn just now started whining in pain. He looked extremely pathetic with his tears, snivel, and sweat all mixed up. Holding the knife, Keh lifted his head slowly to look at Elise. ¡°Are you satisfied now?¡± For some reason, Elise actually thought Keh was not that despicable anymore. ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Elise nodded in a daze. Hearing that, Keh smiled at her before standing up steadily. Following that, the man on the floor let out another miserable wail again when Keh pulled out the de as he stood up. ¡°Tsk.¡± Elise¡¯s nose twitched as she derided, ¡°You sure show no mercy, Mr. Bailey.¡± ¡°This is the price he should pay for damaging your hair, Miss Sinir.¡± Keh looked into Elise¡¯s eyes with a faint smile. Then, he casually threw the de aside, pulled out a handkerchief from his suit, and stuffed it into Elise¡¯s hand. ¡°Wipe your hand. Next time, just leave the rough ones to the guys. These situations are very¡­ filthy. You may leave anytime, Miss Sinir. I¡¯ll inform someone toe and clean the mess.¡± Elise stared at the handkerchief in her hand and had an indescribable feeling. ¡®Leave the rough ones to the guys.¡¯ Alexander had said simr words before. Why do I feel like there¡¯s something simr between them? Could it be my illusion? Keh gulped uncontrobly as he stared at Elise¡¯s perplexed look. At this point, he actually forgot his current identity as he stretched his arms behind Elise and held her head close to his. Then, he pressed his lips against hers. Elise broke away from Keh in just one second and gave thetter a loud p on his face, which caused his face to turn to the other side. Chapter 481 Chapter 481 Chapter 481 What Can I Do? I Like You a Lot ¡°Despicable!¡± Elise scolded. At once, Keh was frozen for a few moments before he turned back to face her. ¡°Miss Sinir, I just helped you out, and now you¡¯re throwing me under the bus. Isn¡¯t that hical?¡± he said with a troubled look. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to.¡± Her facial expression was dark. It was the truth. She would have dealt with the man herself, but Keh insisted on butting in. After a faint pause, she threw the handkerchief that she was holding onto Keh. ¡°Take your dirty handkerchief away! If you dare touch me again, I will take your life!¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s feisty of you. But what can I do? I like you a lot when you act like this,¡± as he said that, he had a smug expression on while he leaned closer to her. Immediately, she moved her foot from the face of the man on the floor before aiming for Keh¡¯s lower body. Before the damaging kick had the chance tond, he grabbed hold of her leg with both his hands. ¡°Haha¡­¡± With a chuckle, he said with his brow raised, ¡°Miss Sinir, if you had reallynded that kick, you will regret it for the next half of your life.¡± ¡°Really¡­¡± After squinting her eyes, she made a jump from the support provided by his hand that was holding onto her legs before making a turn mid-air,nding a kick on his shoulder. At once, he loosened his grip before staggering two steps back. Holding onto the spot where he got kicked, he said in disbelief, ¡°For real?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Elise regained herposure before she said threateningly, ¡°Keep your dirty thoughts to yourself. Next time, you won¡¯t have the chance to avoid it.¡± After saying what she wanted to say, she left without looking back. Seeing that, Keh was left there, unsure whether tough or weep. As he had a very ferocious fiancee, what could he do? He was the one who picked her, so he had to love her even through the pain! It had been over an hour since she got back to her room when she heard the door of the room opposite being opened. She had the thought of sending a text to confirm whether it was Alexander, but she figured that it was faster to open the door and check it herself as she didn¡¯t want to wait any longer. Just as the door opened, she was met with the closure of the door of his room. At that moment, she managed to catch a glimpse of his face, but it wasn¡¯t likewise. Though it was just a little peek, she could see his fatigue, so she didn¡¯t call after him. Returning back to the room, she picked up her phone to send him some messages. ¡®Since you¡¯ve worked so hard for my betrothal gifts, I will excuse you from greeting me tonight. Hehe.¡¯ ¡®Good work today. Rest early after taking a hot shower.¡¯ ¡®Goodnight.¡¯ After sending the texts, she went to sleep in peace. No matter how many unpredicted things happened in the day, she¡¯d feel safe as long as Alexander was by her side. That was why when both of them opened their doors at the same time the next morning, she couldn¡¯t suppress her urge to hug him as she missed him. ¡°Do you know? If you don¡¯te back earlier again, I may get snatched away by someone.¡± Her tone was soft and it was obvious that she had just woken up not long ago. As he took in her familiar scent, he quickly sobered up. Without thinking twice, he put his arm around her thin waist before asking, ¡°So, were you seduced by the person who wanted to snatch you away?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± She said in a yful tone, ¡°But I almost made him lose his ability to reproduce.¡± As she said that, she couldn¡¯t stifle herugh. Hearing that, he frowned, not knowing whether it was good or bad news. She didn¡¯t feel anything for him, showing that she didn¡¯t have a liking for him. It made him doubt his level of attractiveness. Recalling the kick that he took from her, he felt a little embarrassed. Meanwhile, she was sensitive enough to sense that his emotions were a little off. Hence, she leaned closer before saying, ¡°I have self-control, but you don¡¯t seem to be happy about it. Looks like I should let others have some chance when incidents like that happen again.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± At once, he tightened his grip before pecking her lips. At this moment, an image of Keh shed in her mind for a fleeting second. I must be crazy, she thought. Then, she kissed Alexander back until their breaths were getting a little ragged before letting go of each other. With their foreheads against each other, they kept each other in their embrace. The scene looked exactly like a couple who had just gotten married. ¡°Uh¡­¡± At this moment, Danny suddenly made an appearance. Unfortunately for him, it wasn¡¯t the scene he was expecting. ¡°Did Ie at a bad time?¡± It was only then did Alexander let Elise go before turning to look at Danny. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Someone is here for Elise,¡± Danny replied. ¡°Who is it?¡± she asked as it was still quite early in the morning. ¡°It¡¯s Mr. Shaw from the event yesterday. He said that he¡¯s here to give you an answer,¡± Danny told Elise. ¡°That was quick,¡± shemented in a cheeky manner. ¡°Go ahead,¡± Alexander said. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you in the restaurant.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll head there in a moment.¡± After she said that, she followed Danny to see Tom downstairs. In the hall of the hotel, Tom was sitting on the couch in an uneasy manner. Upon seeing Elise, he stood up to greet her, ¡°Miss Sinir.¡± ¡°Take a seat, Mr. Shaw. Don¡¯t be so courteous with me. I¡¯m not used to it,¡± Elise said. The two sat opposite each other while Danny went to wait for her at the side. ¡°You¡¯ve decided?¡± The contract of trading shares that was ced on the table was hard to miss. Hearing that, Tom clenched his jaw before replying, ¡°It¡¯s been ten years since I took over this shop. It was handed to me even before I graduated! I poured my youth and passion into it. It¡¯s already a part of me, so I can¡¯t bear to have it ruined in my hands. Miss Sinir, please save Shaw¡¯s Jewelry Co.!¡± As Elise heard that, a smile crept up her lips. ¡°You think that I have the ability to save a century-old establishment?¡± ¡°I believe in you!¡± His gaze at her was firm as he said that. Since the moment he saw her yesterday, he had already decided to put his faith in her. Though she was petite, the aura she had was immense. It made people want to trust and obey her. Obviously, he had to have faith in a person like her! Therefore, he decided to transfer ownership over to her by transferring all of his shares to Elise. After taking a nce, she did not pick up the pen. She just couldn¡¯t sign it. Her identity was a littleplicated. If people found out that Shaw¡¯s Jewelry Co. was her business, Faye would definitely work with her connections in Landred City to intervene. ¡°Is there any issue, Miss Sinir?¡± he asked as he sensed that she was thinking of something.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. At this moment, she pushed the contract back to him. ¡°I can¡¯t show my face. I can only be involved in the backend.¡± As someone who knew about rules in the business field well, Tom knew that there were a lot of businesses that had a different boss from the person in charge shown to the public. Nodding his head, he bravely made a joke. ¡°Are you trying to manage from behind the scenes like the empress dowager?¡± Hearing that, she mimicked his smile. ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ll be the mastermind behind the scene instead. Mr. Shaw, I¡¯ll provide the ideas while you execute them. We will share our earnings fifty-fifty. What do you think?¡± ¡°With your assurance, I will do my best,¡± Tom easily agreed to all her requests. When she was sending him out, he suddenly spoke up again, ¡°Some stones imported from overseas just arrived in Dukethorn. I¡¯ve already received the invitation. Would you like toe along?¡± Chapter 482 Chapter 482 Chapter 482 Getting Even ¡°I¡¯ll go,¡± Elise answered sinctly. ¡°When wee backter, let¡¯s change the name of Shaw¡¯s Jewelry Co.¡± ¡°Change it to what?¡± Tom was curious. ¡°Alexis.¡± At the thought of Alexander, a smile appeared on Elise¡¯s face. ¡°Ah¡­ Lexis?¡± As he did not hear Elise clearly, Tom pondered on that thought and decided that Lexis was a good fit in the end. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get someone to design the logo immediately.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not urgent,¡± she said as she briefly pursed her lips. She wanted this to be a surprise for Alexander, so she wanted to design the logo herself. However, Tom thought that she was just being courteous with him. Therefore, right after the meeting, he went to look for a designer that he was familiar with to design the brand logo. After Tom left, Elise went directly to the restaurant. When she got there, Alexander had already ordered breakfast for her. Just as she sat down, he passed her a cup of milk that he had been holding onto. ¡°Here, drink this cup of milk first.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Taking the drink over, she took a sip as she thought, Wow. The milk is still warm. ¡°Did it go smoothly?¡± Alexander asked casually. ¡°Nothing out of the ordinary,¡± Elise replied in a good mood. She then recalled what Tom said, so she asked, ¡°I may have to visit Dukethorn in two days. Do you want to tag along?¡± Hearing that, he showed a troubled face. ¡°Can it be postponed by two days? I can¡¯t leave yet.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine. You can focus on your work while I do mine,¡± she said understandingly. Though she did not want to be separated from him, she knew that distance was inevitable no matter how close the person was to her. Having a career of their own would help build a longsting rtionship. Therefore, she decided to try and get used to being away from him in short intervals during this long-term rtionship. Not to mention, she wasn¡¯t a well-pampered and spoiled youngdy. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. After some thoughts, Alexander said, ¡°Have Clement and the others follow along.¡± ¡°There is no need for that. I¡¯m going there for business, not to travel,¡± she replied. ¡°When you¡¯re out, you should have bodyguards by your side. They can handle conflicts that require fighting.¡± He looked at her with a concerned expression. She seemed to have heard this sentence from somewhere. Nevertheless, she couldn¡¯t help but retort, ¡°Are you expecting them to protect me? You don¡¯t even know who¡¯s the one protecting the other.¡± Stumped for a moment, he felt helpless, but he still insisted. ¡°I know that you¡¯re perfectly capable of fighting, but Dukethorn is a messy city. You can¡¯t fight everyone on your own. It¡¯s better to have a few people by your side.¡± Knowing that she would not be able to win the argument, she no longer rejected. However, her gaze suddenly turned cold and murderous. Noticing that, Alexander was worried that her hostility was toward Keh, so he asked, feeling a little guilty. ¡°Is there something bothering you?¡± ¡°No.¡± With her eyes squinted, she said in a dangerous tone, ¡°I suddenly remembered that I have to get even with Faye.¡± Upon hearing that, he was secretly relieved. He then humored, ¡°Sounds like Faye¡¯s going to get unlucky.¡± Hearing that, Elise simply smiled without replying. Since Faye intended to kill her and get the jadeite, Elise was going to let her get a taste of her own medicine. As for the killing part¡­ Elise didn¡¯t have such ns yet, so she¡¯ll spare Faye her life. Faye. Oh, Faye. You better stay alive. When my brother wakes up, he¡¯ll definitely go to you personally to get his revenge. After finishing her breakfast, she made a phone call. The person on the other end picked up quickly. ¡°So, Miss Elise still remembers this unimportant character. Is the sun rising from the west today?¡± ¡°Cut it out.¡± Elise then said in a serious tone, ¡°I¡¯m here to give you a job.¡± ¡°No thanks. I¡¯ve already changed for the better. I no longer do anything bad.¡± The opposite end then added, ¡°My mother¡¯s health isn¡¯t the best. I want to be a good person. Hopefully, God will bless her then.¡± ¡°Oh? Didn¡¯t you want to be Robin Hood? Are you not interested in stealing from the rich for the poor?¡± Elise questioned. At this moment, the other side fell silent. It seemed that he was starting to get swayed. She then proceeded to persuade him, ¡°Saving someone¡¯s life is worth more than doing good deeds. Isn¡¯t that a fast track to gain God¡¯s blessings?¡± ¡°Then, you have to ensure the opponent is a bad person,¡± the person on the phone said as if he was giving his all. ¡°You have my word,¡± Elise said in a serious manner. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hide it from you either. This person tried to kill my family several times. I have to teach them a lesson. Hence, you can see it as my personal matter. I won¡¯t force you to help me.¡± ¡°What? Kill Miss Elise¡¯s family! How dare this person?! You should¡¯ve said that earlier! I won¡¯t neglect this matter. Why don¡¯t I beat that person up?¡± the person said with righteous indignation. As Elise heard that, it made her feel touched yet helpless. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I¡¯m not so violent. All you have to do is¡­¡± ¡­ On that night, Faye was tossing and turning in her bed as she was unable to fall asleep. Thinking that Elise was getting all the attention these past few days, she was so mad that her chest felt painful. Making another turn, she suddenly noticed that there were some faint noises outside. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Using her arm as support, she lifted her upper body up as she looked toward the living room. Just as she said that, all the lights in the house were suddenly dimmed. ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡± Her alerted voice sounded threatening. Immediately, she picked up the phone that was on the headboard wardrobe. Immediately, she could feel as if someone had barged in. After dialing the number of the hotel lobby, she was prepared to call for help. At this moment, the person outside suddenly spoke up. ¡°Miss Anderson, I¡¯ve aplished the task.¡± After that, the man turned on a shlight to shed light on his surroundings. He was standing far away by a storage shelf and had his hand ced on a silver safe. ¡°The blood jadeite is right here. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have the passcode, and I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ll damage the jadeite inside if I open it by force. That¡¯s why I can only bring the whole safe over to you.¡± ¡°What about Elise Sinir?¡± Faye didn¡¯t seem to be suspicious at all. ¡°That prettydy? She¡¯s probably in the emergency room now. I could¡¯ve gotten rid of her, but the Griffith guy showed up,¡± the man said as if it was a pity. Hearing that Elise was hurt, Faye smiled triumphantly. ¡°Good job. You can leave the thing here. I¡¯ll transfer you the money tomorrow.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do, Miss Anderson. I only ept cash or checks.¡± The man touched the handle of the safe as he said in a suggestive manner, ¡°Pardon my straightforwardness, Miss Anderson, but the thing in the safe must be worth more than my pay. If I¡¯m not getting the money tonight, I will take the jadeite with me and make a deal with someone else.¡± ¡°No!¡± Faye said quickly, but she realized that she was exposing herself. Hence, she quickly changed her tone beforeing up with an excuse. ¡°You¡¯re wrong. The item inside isn¡¯t worth much. Aside from the Andersons, it¡¯s just a useless piece of stone to others. You won¡¯t get any money if you bring it away.¡± After that, she got out of bed before opening her own safe using the light from her phone screen. Inside the safe, there were a few hundreds of thousands inside along with some certifications and important documents. Even the jade that she had gotten today from the auction was inside it. Taking out 50,000 in cash and a checkbook, she immediately locked the safe back. After writing down the amount agreed on the check, she walked out before giving the man both the cash and the check. ¡°You can cash out the check any time you want. This 50,000 is a bonus.¡± Pressing his cap lower, he took the check and cash before saying, ¡°Well, thank you, Miss Anderson.¡± After that, he turned off the light before running out. After locking the stolen safe into her own, she went to sleep in peace. ¡­ The next day. ¡°Ah!¡± Chapter 483 Chapter 483 Chapter 483 Tables Turned Faye screamed so loud that it sounded through the entire building. At 9 in the morning, police officers flooded in and out of the bungalow. At that moment, one of them was recording her testimony. ¡°Miss Anderson, are you sure that you¡¯re the only person who knows the passcode of the safe?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± While swinging her wrists, Faye replied irritably, ¡°It¡¯s the third time you¡¯ve asked me that same question. How many times do you expect me to repeat myself?! I told you that the jadeite stone I bought using 10 million was kept in the safe. It was still there when I was upst night. When I looked into the safe this morning after waking up, the jadeite was already gone. Why are you all wasting your time by asking me so many questions instead of catching the thief?! Is this how you spend the people¡¯s tax money?¡± ¡°Apologies, Miss Anderson. We¡¯re only doing this to hopefully solve the case as soon as possible. That¡¯s why we have to keep looking into details. Please cooperate with us!¡± The one who recorded her testimony was a newbie, so his way of speaking didn¡¯t sound authoritative enough. Knowing that he was just a rash fellow, she simply ignored his words before calling out, ¡°Who is the person in charge?! Is there no one who calls the shots here?!¡± Just as she said that, a man wearing in clothes came over from the direction where the safe was located. ¡°Miss Anderson,¡± the man greeted her expressionlessly. ¡°Are you their superior?¡± Faye nced at the man with a dissatisfied look before ordering him, ¡°I want you to send people to search every inch of this bungalow and its surroundings. Find my jadeite stone back, or I will make aint about your dy and negligence at work. You will have to be responsible for my loss!¡± ¡°Pardon my straightforwardness, Miss Anderson. Your room and its surrounding showed no signs of intrusion at all. The safe was even opened using the passcode¡­¡± The man trailed off as a troubled look was formed on his face. ¡°What do you mean? Are you suspecting that I stole it myself?!¡± Faye said angrily. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve grasped this situation yet¨C¨CI¡¯m the daughter of the Anderson Family. Do you think I¡¯ll steal from my own family?!¡± The man lowered his gaze before saying in an indirect manner, ¡°I don¡¯t mean it that way. I just wanted to ask if there¡¯s a chance that you left the jadeite stone somewhere else and forgot about it?¡± Hearing that, she crossed her arms before replying in a hostile tone, ¡°Do I look like I have dementia?¡± The man didn¡¯t want to argue with her either. So, he simply shot his colleague a look as a sign for the person to bring over the safe. ¡°Miss Anderson, may I ask what¡¯s inside?¡± the man questioned. ¡°My prized possession, of course.¡± The raise of her voice was a little awkward. ¡°I asked you toe and find my jadeite stone, not to question me. Why are you trying to touch my things?!¡± The man acted like he didn¡¯t hear herints and took the safe into his hands. ¡°Miss Anderson, what is the passcode?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± She turned away in anger. She really didn¡¯t want to talk to him anymore. ¡°Since you refuse to cooperate, we¡¯ll just try ourselves.¡± After he said that, he put the safe onto the table before attempting to crack it. Frankly, she wasn¡¯t worried that they might open the safe and see Elise¡¯s stone. After all, they didn¡¯t know the passcode, and the police had no right to damage a citizen¡¯s property. What she was more worried about was which string to pull to find her jadeite stone back. Suddenly, the sound of the safe unlocking could be heard. Turning over, she could see that the safe had already been cracked. At this moment, the man scanned through the items in the safe before turning to look at Faye. After that, he turned the opening of the safe to face her. ¡°Miss Anderson, take a look. Is this your jadeite stone?¡± At once, she was so shocked that she put her hands over her mouth which was hung open. How is that possible? The safe was supposed to be containing Elise¡¯s stone. However, she was now seeing the jadeite stone that she bought! She couldn¡¯t say that it wasn¡¯t¨C¨Cshe didn¡¯t have the guts to. Looking at her hesitant look, the police officer made a decision. With a dark expression, he stood up before chastising Faye. ¡°Since your item has been found, we will leave now. Hopefully, you will check things through next time. Don¡¯t waste police resources time just like that! Landred City isn¡¯t like Athesea. We would always n before doing things. We don¡¯t have the time to fool around with you, Miss Anderson! We¡¯re done here. Head out, boys!¡± After saying that, he didn¡¯t wait for a reply from her before leaving with the other officers. On the other hand, Faye was so furious that she clenched her teeth. This fellow was obviously prejudiced toward her as she came from Athesea. Why was he so arrogant? Landred would be just a third-liner city if it wasn¡¯t because of Keh. Did he think that he could look down on outsiders because of that?¡± After half a day, she finally calmed down. It was only then did she turn around to look at her stone. She was sure that she never opened the safe, so how did it get inside? Did she do that while she was sleep-walking? If that was the case, where did Elise¡¯s jadeite go? At that thought, she suspiciously picked up a jadeite stone to check if there were any problems with it. Just as she was about to lift it up, cracks suddenly covered the entire stone, and it shattered into pieces of various sizes the next second before falling into the safe. Outside the cracks, there were still hints of green from the jadeite. The truth was¡­ they were all rocks! Almost immediately, she phoned the male police officer from earlier. ¡°What is it now?¡± the officer said impatiently. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°My jadeite stone has shattered into pieces. That jadeite earlier was not a jadeite at all¨C¨Cnot even a gram of it. Someone stole my jadeite away for real!¡± Faye exined anxiously. ¡°Alright, Miss Anderson, cut it out. Everyone in Landred City knows the rules of stone gambling. After buying the stone, it¡¯s your own luck if you get a jadeite or not. If there isn¡¯t any inside, it¡¯s your fate. Why do you keep troubling us? Are you such a sore loser? Don¡¯t call over again or I¡¯ll sue you for obstruction ofw!¡± ¡°But¨C¨C¡± Before Faye could finish her sentence, the call ended. The male officer didn¡¯t even give her a chance to say anything and ended the call. With her eyes trained on the page of the phone call records, she was so angry that she flung the phone away. ¡°A bunch of *ss!¡± After letting off some steam, she supported herself against the table before looking at the shattered stones in the safe. It was only then that a sudden realization fell on her. The safe was not locked at all, and the guy fromst night was not here to deliver Elise¡¯s stone. He was here to get the passcode when she opened her safe to get the money. ¡°D*mn it! It must be Elise Sinir!¡± At this moment, she had her teeth gritted and her fists clenched tightly. Not only did her n backfire¡ªshe even lost what she originally had and more! B*tch, I will end you sooner orter! Meanwhile, Elise, who was cursed, sneezed right after she got off the ne. ¡°Who¡¯s talking behind my back?¡± As she was rubbing her nose, her phone suddenly rang, so she picked it up and ced the phone by her ear. ¡°Boss, it¡¯s done. The jadeite stone and 50,000 in cash are all here. When should I send it over to you?¡± ¡°There is no need for that.¡± Elise continued, ¡°Just sell it off. You can draw a part of it and donate the rest to welfare centers.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to be paid when I¡¯m lending you a helping hand. Oh, and, the eavesdropping device that I left in the woman¡¯s house has recorded a conversation where the police thought of her as a dumb person. Should I send it to you so you can have a goodugh?¡± ¡°Sure. This number connects to your WhatsApp, right? I¡¯ll add you as a contact so you can send it to me.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± After hanging up the phone, both of them continued their conversation on WhatsApp. After that, the recording was sent over in no time, and there was even a sticker showing a sneaky expression. Seeing that, Elise replied to him with a funny smile as she hadn¡¯t really listened to the recording, but she changed the name of his contact to ¡®Earthbender.¡¯ Chapter 484 Chapter 484 Chapter 484 Can¡¯t You Be More Gentle? After leaving the airport, Elise could clearly feel the intense exuberance in the city life that was specific to Dukethorn. The roads of Dukethorn were long and winding, but this didn¡¯t seem to deter the street cart operators from operating their stalls by the roadside. The items sold were mainly some arts and crafts. The local people could clearly be identified due to their unique attire, which was significantly different from the visitors. Hence, it was fairly easy to differentiate between the locals and the visitors. There were plenty of people like Elise, who were clearly dressed like visitors, and most of them were quite likely here for the gem auction event. The people of Landred City enjoyed auctioning for gems, but the city was not where gem auction had originated. It was only in Dukethorn one could see gem auctioning events all over the ce. Some of the street cart operators also held small-scale gem auction events and it was just like opening a blind box. It cost one hundred for each round, and you could go on endlessly. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. Of course, most of the gems obtained were worthless jade pieces and it was all for the fun of it. ¡°Stop the cart.¡± Just then, Elise suddenly stopped their trishaw cart operator and leaped off the cart. ¡°Why don¡¯t you bring the luggage to the hotel first? I¡¯ll have a browse around the ce.¡± ¡°Stay safe, Miss Anderson,¡± Tom mentioned to Elise. ¡°Myst name is Sinir,¡± Elise responded. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the daughter of the Anderson Family? Anyway, Miss Sinir, Dukethorn is not a safe ce, so be alert ande back early.¡± Tom hadplete trust in Elise so he didn¡¯t question her any further. After giving her some advice, he then told the driver to continue heading to their destination. Walking off, Elise entered the bustling marketce. She nned to find some interesting little trinkets to bring back for Alexander. She browsed around but she didn¡¯t find anything that seemed appealing. ¡°Stop right there! Catch that thief!¡± Suddenly, a screaming plea could be heard from behind her, and the voice became increasingly louder. Elise paused in her tracks and turned around to look. Suddenly, she saw that the previously crowded street now had a slight path forcefully pushed through by someone, and there was a man stumbling right in her direction with a designer bag held in his hands. He pushed aside the innocent bystanders as he rushed in her direction. Meanwhile, those who wanted to avoid trouble tacitly moved to the side. However, Elise remained standing in her original position, having no intentions of shying away at all. ¡°Step aside, you b*tch!¡± The man warned her from afar but after noticing that she didn¡¯t respond at all, he made up his mind and increased his speed while clutching tightly to the bag, intending to force his way through. The man was nearly six-foot-tall and was quite well-built. He increased his speed, and it was quite likely that he could easily send a person hurtling into the air. The bystanders had already started to say a silent prayer for Elise. Just then, as soon as the man approached Elise, she lifted her feet and kicked him into the air. With a loud moan, hended with a thud onto the ground. He even skidded quite a few meters beforeing to a stop. It took a while before he came back to his senses. He struggled to get up from the ground, but a silver needle suddenly came toward him and hit him directly in his neck. Half of his body was frozen in ce and he could only use the other half to support himself as he wriggled on the ground. The woman, whose bag had been snatched, finally caught up with the guy and the first thing that she did was to pick up her bag that was on the ground. After she had examined the contents of the bag and made sure that everything was in ce, she finally came to her senses and looked in Elise¡¯s direction. Just then, there was a sh of surprise in her eyes. In fact, Elise recognized the woman. She was the capable woman who was always by Keh¡¯s side. ¡°Thanks for your help, Miss Elise. The items inside are very important to me.¡± Elise didn¡¯t respond to her words. Melody was with Keh, so something that was important to her was definitely also rted to him. Indeed, soon after that, Keh¡¯s voice rang out even before he appeared on the scene. ¡°Have you recovered the item?¡± As soon as his words rang out, he pushed through from the crowd and walked toward them. Keh¡¯s eyes instantly met Elise¡¯s and the both of them exchanged looks. As soon as Elise noticed the teasing expression in his eyes, she hardened her gaze. ¡°Miss Sinir, this is such a coincidence.¡± Keh remained in his position and stared unblinkingly at Elise. There was an intense look of disgust in Elise¡¯s eyes as she nonchntly responded, ¡°Your partner¡¯s bag was just snatched by someone. You didn¡¯t even bother to show her any concern, yet you¡¯re tantly going after another woman right now. Do you think that¡¯s appropriate?¡± ¡°Why would it be inappropriate?¡± Keh smiled. ¡°You helped Melody recover her items, so I definitely have to thank you for that on her behalf.¡± ¡°Mr. Bailey, you have such a glib tongue.¡± Elise murmured with a mocking look. He must be the only person on earth who can give such a unique and righteous response even though he¡¯s actually just being a flirt. Just then, Elise nced at Melody, and she couldn¡¯t help but find it a shame. Thetter looked very capable and independent, so why did she have such bad taste in men? Although Keh was fairly good-looking, looks were not everything. Elise wondered, Why can¡¯t she tell that the guy next to her is a flirt? Maybe it¡¯s his good looks paired with his glib tongue that caused her to lose her senses. That must be the reason! I must make her realize it so that she can leave him. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, you must be Miss Melody, right?¡± Elise questioned. ¡°Yes, I am.¡± Melody¡¯s face remained impassive as she nodded her head. ¡°You should keep a closer eye on your man to prevent him from flirting with everyone. It¡¯s fine if he¡¯s not great at kissing, but it¡¯s embarrassing that he attempted to force himself on someone else despite being so lousy in his technique. It would seem that the guy you¡¯re with isn¡¯t able to perform.¡± Elise emphasized the word ¡®perform¡¯ and there was a look of defiance in her eyes. Meanwhile, Melody was quite smart and she instantly turned to interrogate Keh, ¡°Did you force yourself on Miss Sinir?¡± Keh shrugged in response. ¡°Yeah, I couldn¡¯t help myself. She was too enchanting.¡± As soon as Elise thought of the scene where Keh was about to be dumped, she looked as if her evil n hade to fruition, the smug smile on her face clearly indicating her pleasure. However, as soon as her lips curved into a smile, she heard Melody mention with a slightly resigned note, ¡°Can¡¯t you be more gentle?¡± And so, Elise was stunned speechless. Keh onlymented, ¡°I¡¯ll try next time.¡± ¡°I hope you manage to,¡± Melody calmly responded, and then she remained silent after that. What the heck? Next time? Be more gentle? Is that even the main point here?! ¡°Is that all you have to say?¡± Elise stared at Melody with a confused expression. Meanwhile, thetter was quite calm, and she replied indifferently, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Sinir. I have no control over him.¡± It¡¯s normal for one to asionally grumble about the boss but it would be near impossible to stick my nose into his matters! From Elise¡¯s point of view, she found that this woman currently standing in front of her was hopeless. Melody chose to turn a blind eye to her man¡¯s flirtish behavior and she even epted it as the norm. It¡¯s quite sad for a woman to end up living in such a sorry state. Elise realized that no one could save someone like that. With a sigh, she silently cursed all of the despicable men on earth who behaved so badly toward their partners. Suddenly, Keh interrupted her thoughts as he said sneakily, ¡°Miss Sinir, I was in a rush back then, so the experience you received was mediocre. How about we find another spot and continue the experiment?¡± Upon hearing that, Elise stered a fake smile on her face. ¡°If youe at me again, then it wouldn¡¯t be an experiment because I will ughter you!¡± As she said that, she nced at Melody and warned exasperatedly, ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to ughter him, then you¡¯d better keep a close eye on him!¡± With that, Elise spun on her heel and disappeared into the crowd. Meanwhile, Keh continued to look in the direction that Elise had walked off. His expression was smitten and he looked just like a love-struck puppy. As for Melody, she could no longer stand it so she shook her head. ¡°How long are you going to keep this up? Aren¡¯t you afraid that she will really hate you?¡± ¡°No, she won¡¯t.¡± Keh lowered his eyes and his gaze looked distant but calm. ¡°Things will be fine once she stops being so mindful of her image in front of me. It won¡¯t take too long.¡± ¡°That was too deep and I didn¡¯t understand a word you said.¡± Chapter 485 Chapter 485 Chapter 485 Kicking My Woman Out? ¡°Trust me, Melody. It¡¯s quite normal to not understand.¡± Keh teased matter-of-factly. Meanwhile, Melody was quite used to his behavior, so she calmly turned her back to him and walked off. Keh took another look in the direction that Elise had walked off in before he finally moved and caught up to Melody. Before the official start of the gem auction event, the founding families of Dukethorn organized a party under the pretext of weing guests from all over the country. In actual fact, it was just an opportunity provided for each different force to find out in advance about their opponents¡¯ actual capabilities. Naturally, Elise was invited as well. However, she wasn¡¯t interested in building up her contacts, nor did she have any interest in probing for her opponents¡¯ limits. She was mainly there to have some fun. There were plenty of different gemstones usually avable at the gem auction event, but the top-grade stones were usually monopolized by the founding families of Dukethorn. The middle-grade ones would then end up in the hands of the Dukethorn locals, while the lower graded ones were the ones that became avable elsewhere. It wasn¡¯t that the Dukethorn local yers intentionally ganged up against the outsiders, but it was purely because this was an industry that was dependent on one¡¯s abilities. Therefore, the locals had relied on this as their livelihood since generations ago, so they usually had an eye for picking out the best gemstones. Naturally, this was something that the outsiders couldn¡¯t quitepare against. The next night, Elise brought Tom along with her to attend the dinner. The party was quite crowded, so no one noticed them as they walked into the hall. Truth was, the Dukethorn locals had an inborn sense of superiority and they looked down on the outsiders. However, as soon as Keh and Melody appeared at the party, it caused a slightmotion. ¡°Mr. Bailey, thanks for gracing us with your presence. This year¡¯s gem auction event is definitely going to be much more exclusive with you being here, and it¡¯s great that you and Miss Melody are as sweet together as always.¡± Someone walked up to the duo and tteringly fawned over them. However, Keh¡¯s face was impassive and he calmly pursed his lips and said, ¡°Melody¡¯s my most capable assistant, that¡¯s all. I hope you guys can spare some thought for her and watch your words. After all, this could affect her future prospects.¡± ¡°Oh¡ªI understand. We¡¯ve spoken too much. Come, Mr. Bailey; let¡¯s head inside.¡± The group of men ced a hand on each other¡¯s shoulders and they walked toward the corner after exchanging a few short sentences. Meanwhile, Melody followed Keh without anyints, not looking the least bit upset. Just then, Elise shook her head and sighed. Poor woman! Even her thoughts are under his control. That darned man doesn¡¯t even dare to acknowledge your identity in public, so why are you still with him?! ¡°Miss Anderson, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Tom asked with a puzzled look. Just then, Elise took a deep breath before turning around to p him on the back of his head. ¡°Myst name is Sinir! It¡¯s Sinir, okay? Why are you so dumb?!¡± Tom rubbed at the spot she had hit him and looked at her with a baffled expression. ¡°Okay, Miss An¡ª Sinir!¡± At that point, Elise finally nodded approvingly and heaved a sigh of relief. Subsequently, she headed over to a corner with the least people. ¡°Let¡¯s go over there to get some fresh air.¡± She didn¡¯t want to increase her chances of bumping into Keh. There weren¡¯t that many people in that corner, but there were a few people in groups of twos and threes. Elise didn¡¯t recognize any of them, so she leaned against the stone pir and had a drink as she scrutinized the passersby with a zed look in her almond-shaped eyes. Just then, a few middle-aged females started walking in her direction, their heads bowed deep in conversation with each other. ¡°This year¡¯s auction seems to be at arger scale than the previous years, right? The number of people in attendance is so many that we can¡¯t even fit in one hall. ¡°Well, it¡¯s those outsiders from Athesea and Landred City. Even thergest jewelrypany in the country has assigned some people to attend the auction. All of the hotels in town are fully booked!¡± ¡°It looks like they¡¯re all quite well-prepared and are ready to take away the top-grade gemstones.¡± ¡°They won¡¯t be able to seed! We¡¯ve got plenty of skillful yers in Dukethorn, and even a child would be more knowledgeable than any of those outsiders. It would be wishful thinking for them to win the top- grade gemstones from us.¡± ¡°Exactly! They¡¯re just a bunch of clueless people who are here to cheer for the people of Dukethorn.¡± The women went back and forth as they discussed the topic, but each word they uttered was full of disdain and discriminated against the outsiders. Theyughed out loud from time to time too. At that point, Elise was annoyed by their loudughter and she mockingly yelled, ¡°Did you say that the outsiders are just here to cheer you on?!¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± one of the women questioned. ¡°We were just chit-chatting among ourselves, so you¡¯d better keep your nose out of it.¡± One of the plump women seemed to have an inbred sense of superiority and she warned Elise with a haughty expression. Meanwhile, Elise walked toward her with a cold expression. ¡°The blood that courses through your vein originates from Cittadel too. Neither of us is inferior to the other.¡± At that point, the woman was clearly displeased. Such gatherings tended to be quite boring, so her impolite interrogation instantly attracted the attention of the neighboring guests. The group of women was much more upset than ever. ¡°How does that concern you anyway?! I didn¡¯t target anyone! Why are you so arrogant anyway?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Who do you think you are toe here and lose your temper? Do you think that this is somewhere you can show your temper?!¡± ¡°You reallyck manners!¡± Just then, Elise finally saw for herself how a person at fault could start slinging usations. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you guys behaving so high and mighty and spouting nonsense here by discriminating against the outsiders, I wouldn¡¯t have bothered to speak up!¡± Upon hearing that, the attendees, who were unsure about the situation prior to this, directed unpleasant looks at the group of middle-aged females. Those who were able to attend the gem auction event mostly came from families with strong backgrounds, so none of them had ever been subjected to such discrimination. At that point, the women bit hard on their lips and their faces flushed red out of anger. ¡°Stop your nonsense! We didn¡¯t say any of those words!¡± ¡°Yeah! You guys are visitors, so of course we would wee you with open hands! How could we possibly discriminate against you?! This woman must be purposely trying to create a scene.¡± ¡°Where are the security guards?! How can they let someone like this inside?! Security, hurry up and help us! Come over and throw this woman who¡¯s so full of herself out of the room!¡± A few of the women raised their voices and yelled loudly. Meanwhile, several security guards rushed into the room from the outside. ¡°Miss, pleasee along with us.¡± Owned by N?velDrama.Org. However, Elise was unaffected by their words, and she walked past them to sneer at the group of women who had lost theirposure at the moment. ¡°So this is how Dukethorn wees its guests. You¡¯re just behaving unreasonably and you seem to be very quick to gang up on others!¡± As soon as she said that, a baritone male voice rang out from afar. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± At that moment, a peppered-hair man in a dove-gray suit with a crew cut parted the crowd and walked toward them. ¡°Mr. Carnegie, this woman purposely tried to cause trouble. She tried to stir up trouble between us and the guests who are from out of the city.¡± The plump woman quicklyined about Elise before the latter could even say anything. Meanwhile, the Carnegie man frowned instantly upon hearing that. ¡°Dukethorn is also a part of Cittadel. I won¡¯t allow anyone to affect our harmonious state and there will be no exceptions! Guards, show her out of the room.¡± The party was organized by a local Dukethorn resident and the guards were also locals so evidently, they did not side with Elise, who was an outsider. The bystanders noticed the situation and had intended to speak up for Elise, but then they ended up silently giving up. After all, they were all from Dukethorn, so it was home ground for the other party. They would definitely fight a losing battle if they kicked up a fuss. It was quite likely that they would be kicked out of the ce too, so it made more sense to avoid trouble. Elise stood immobile with a calm expression on her face. She scanned the crowd with her cold eyes and a teasing glint shed through her gaze all of a sudden. I won¡¯t make a move unless someoneys hands on me! If they actually dared toy hands on her, then she would not hold back any longer. Meanwhile, security noticed that Elise refused to leave, so they exchanged looks with each other and were about to forcefully remove her. However, as soon as their handsnded in front of Elise, a domineering voice rang out loudly from behind. ¡°I¡¯ll stand here and see who dares toy a hand on her!¡± Everyone turned toward the direction of the voice and saw Keh standing there, his expression cial. He seemed to be shrouded with anger as he walked over to stand by Elise¡¯s side. Meanwhile, Melody remained close behind him. ¡°Mr. Bailey,¡± The Carnegie man behaved quite respectfully around Keh. ¡°This is a personal matter, so you should stay out of it.¡± ¡°Stay out of it?¡± Keh snorted and his cold voice was quite prating as he countered, ¡°You¡¯re about to kick my woman out of the room, yet you want me to stay out of it?! How would that be reasonable?¡± Chapter 486 Chapter 486 Chapter 486 Up for a Match? As soon as Keh said that, the whole room erupted into chaos. Elise is his woman?! Then, what does that make Melody, who is practically stuck to his side all the time? However, Melody acted aloof and she stood there quite calmly, as if she was not the least bit inquisitive of her boss¡¯ woman. Mr. Carnegie was initially stunned, but he quickly collected himself and chuckled. ¡°This is unexpected, Mr. Bailey. You¡¯re very good-looking, so you must be popr with thedies. You young ones are quite impressive. I¡¯m not a match at all.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got it wrong.¡± Elise then added, ¡°I¡¯m not rted to him at all.¡± However, Keh disregarded her words and looked toward Mr. Carnegie in resignation as he exined, ¡°Women tend to enjoy such games.¡± ¡°Ipletely understand.¡± At that point, Mr. Carnegie revealed a knowing look and he patted Keh on the back. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being rude earlier. Don¡¯t take it personally.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Keh dealt with everything with ease. In the end, Mr. Carnegie made a move after making small talk for a short while. Just then, Elise turned to nce coldly at Keh and she warned him, ¡°You¡¯d better not challenge my limits.¡± ¡°Tsk!¡± Keh revealed a hurt look and said, ¡°I¡¯m heartbroken, Miss Sinir. I helped you when you were in trouble, so how could you treat me this way?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you for help.¡± Elise couldn¡¯t help rolling her eyes at him before walking off. The smile on Keh¡¯s face disappeared and he turned to signal to Melody. Subsequently, thetter went after Elise. ¡°Miss Sinir,¡± Melody trailed after Elise and followed her as they strolled mindlessly along. ¡°How much do you know about Mr. Carnegie?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know him.¡± As soon as Elise finished her words, she suddenly realized that Melody had been following her. ¡°Why are you following me?¡± Meanwhile, Melody ignored her question and continued to exin, ¡°Jim Carnegie is the organizer of the gem auction event and he¡¯s the head of one of the founding families of Dukethorn. In the past, the Carnegie Family would always manage to gain a lot of top-grade gemstones from each gem auction event. All this while, they have also maintained their position as the primary founding family quite well but last year, there was a slight urrence¡­¡± At that, Melody stopped suddenly, seemingly lost in her memories. At that moment, Elise was quite engrossed so she took the initiative to ask, ¡°Why did you stop? Do continue. I hate it when someone stops halfway while talking!¡± ¡°Last year, there was a girl, who was known as God¡¯s Chosen Girl, and all of the stones that she bid on turned out to be top-grade ones. As for the Carnegies, they barely uncovered any top-grade stones, so they were humiliated in public. Over these years, the Carnegies had established themselves in Dukethorn and lived quitevishly. Theypletely disregarded the outsiders. However, God¡¯s Chosen Girl turned the tides and brought pride to the non-locals.¡± Melody seemed to admire God¡¯s Chosen Girl very much and this was evident judging by the look she had on her face, which she rarely showed. Elise found Melody¡¯s reaction quiteical, so the former slowed down and lifted her eyebrows teasingly. ¡°So, where can I find God¡¯s Chosen Girl?¡± The sparkle in Melody¡¯s eyes dimmed when she heard that. ¡°She disappeared right after the gem auction event. Perhaps it was because too many people wanted to get her to work for them and she got quite annoyed about that. In the end, she went off the grid. I¡¯m not even sure whether she¡¯s going to attend this year¡¯s event.¡± ¡°That¡¯s wishful thinking. God¡¯s Chosen Girl is a load of baloney! She was just lucky, that¡¯s all. Even if she dares to attend this year¡¯s event, she won¡¯t be able to have such good luck again. Perhaps she might only be here to entertain the crowd. Ha!¡± Elise turned around and looked in the direction of the voice, and she saw a guy. He had a carefree attitude and was dressed quite oundishly too. Just then, he walked in surrounded by a few people. ¡°Who are you, anyway?¡± Elise asked in an unpleasant tone. Meanwhile, Melody whispered in her ear, ¡°He¡¯s Ziggy Carnegie, the only son of the guy you met earlier, Jim Carnegie.¡± Just then, Ziggy headed straight in Elise¡¯s direction and he stopped in front of her. He didn¡¯t hold back at all and he studied her intently, a roguish look in his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re such a stunning beauty! Is this your first time here? Do you know who I am?¡± Meanwhile, Elise couldn¡¯t quite fight back the repulse within her as her eyes met his flirtatious ones. Suddenly, Keh appeared from nowhere and he stood protectively in front of Elise. ¡°What a strange coincidence. Firstly, your father wanted to kick my woman out of the ce and now, you¡¯vee over to provoke me too. It looks like your whole family doesn¡¯t care too much about your own lives, I believe?¡± A slightly impatient look shed across Ziggy¡¯s face, but he changed the topic in resignation. ¡°You guys were talking about God¡¯s Chosen Girl, right? Ha! She¡¯s such a coward! If she was actually brave enough, she shoulde out andpete with me publicly. I¡¯ve been searching for her for almost a year now, but she hasn¡¯t epted my challenge. Obviously, she must have realized that she doesn¡¯t stand a chance to win against us Carnegies.¡± Meanwhile, Elise was baffled as she thought, I didn¡¯t even know that you were searching for me! If I knew, I would have appeared to teach you a lesson. You wouldn¡¯t even have the chance to stand here and show off! ¡°Mr. Carnegie, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s fair to say that. God¡¯s Chosen Girles and goes as she pleases, so perhaps she didn¡¯t even realize that you issued her a challenge. If you guys actuallypeted on the same stage, you might not be a match for her,¡± Melody stated calmly without giving a thought to Ziggy¡¯s pride. Somehow, Elise could sense Melody¡¯s protectiveness from her words, and the former smiled casually in response. At that point, Ziggy was angered to the point where there was a sh of murderous intent in his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t mention such nonsense to me! I don¡¯t care about God¡¯s Chosen Girl or God¡¯s Chosen Guy, for that matter. We¡¯ve got a secret weapon this time, so no one will be able to steal our limelight!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Elise snorted coldly, a mocking look in her eyes. Her gaze was icy and instantly, the whole room was stunned by her imposing manner. However, Ziggy was blissfully unaware of the changes in her aura and he continued to leer at her. With a sly glint in her eyes, Elise squinted before smiling at him. ¡°Are you up for a match right now?¡± Ziggy was stunned to hear that. ¡°Compete in stone gambling? With you?¡± ¡°Yes, with me.¡± The smile on Elise¡¯s face remained as she continued, ¡°Let¡¯spete to see who can discover a jade that¡¯s darker in color and a stone that is worth a higher figure.¡± Meanwhile, Keh¡¯s expression darkened and he nced at Melody. Instantly, the woman voiced out her objections, ¡°Miss Sinir, don¡¯t make any hasty moves. The Carnegie Family always seems to have an advantage in stone gambling, so you¡¯re not his match.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Elise¡¯s eyes narrowed as she smiled and she gave Melody a reassuring look before turning to Ziggy. ¡°Do you have the guts topete with me?¡± ¡°Why not?!¡± She had sessfully piqued Ziggy¡¯s interest, and he rubbed his palms together in anticipation as he licked his lower lip. He could clearly tell that Elise was an outsider. If this happened in a game, she would just be handing herself to him on a silver tter, so of course he was going to take it. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. The Carnegie Family had not lost a stone gambling match in so many years, and the only exception was that match with God¡¯s Chosen Girl. Well, it doesn¡¯t mean that any random woman would be God¡¯s Chosen Girl, so there¡¯s nothing to be afraid of. As soon as Ziggy thought of this, he felt very confident all of a sudden and an evil thought came to his mind. ¡°However, this is a match, so it would be much more fun if there¡¯s a prize for the winner.¡± As Ziggy said that, he stared perversely at Elise¡¯s slender waist. Her waist is so slender. I wonder how it would feel to have my hands wrapped around it? ¡°What do you want the prize to be?¡± Elise asked. ¡°I like that you¡¯re so straightforward. Since that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll be frank too. If you lose, I want you to be my bedmate for a week. How does that sound?¡± Ziggy smiled furtively. Keh, who was by the side and hadn¡¯t spoken a word up till now, suddenly clenched his teeth so hard that the veins on his temples pulsated visibly. Nheless, Elise maintained her smile and calmly responded, ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. But what if I win?¡± ¡°You can have me and do whatever you want with me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not needed. I would be quite repulsed by that.¡± After some consideration, Elise spoke up once again, ¡°You¡¯ve got a jewelry shop that¡¯s doing quite well, right?¡± Dukethorn was renowned for its jadeites and the Carnegie Family was established in Dukethorn. Naturally, they were involved in a lot of industries rted to the jade business, so it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that most of the jewelry shops in Dukethorn belonged to them. Chapter 487 Chapter 487 Chapter 487 She Is So Fierce When Ziggy acquired a high grade gemstone a few years ago, Jim had handed him a huge investment, allowing him to open such a shop. With the backing of the Carnegies, the performance of the shop rose exponentially, making it the most profitable shop in the Carnegie Family. Is this woman trying to acquire the shop? However, Elise was able to see through his thoughts immediately. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. ¡°Stop thinking about it. I don¡¯t want your shop,¡± she uttered. ¡°However, I¡¯m interested in your staff. If I win, I will get to choose any of your staff members in the shop. What do you say?¡± Puzzled by her words, Ziggy couldn¡¯t help but furrow his brows. I don¡¯t recall anyone in the shop being outstanding. What is this woman aiming at? ¡°If you are afraid of a bet, you can always admit defeat.¡± Elise provoked him in a strange tone. As expected, he fell for it instantly. ¡°Who says that I¡¯m afraid? It¡¯s a deal. I won¡¯t even bat an eysh if you asked for the entire shop, let alone someone who works there!¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll just take the entire shop then!¡± Elise said with confidence. ¡°You¡ª¡± Ziggy didn¡¯t expect her to be so confident with herself, so it became hard for him to step away from the challenge. Since he had already said what he said, he couldn¡¯t embarrass the entire Carnegie Family in front of everyone. Therefore, he withdrew his curses and began to put on a show. ¡°Just you wait and see!¡± After that, he left with his subordinates. Not long after, Melody went up to Elise and asked in a concerned tone, ¡°Miss Sinir, are you actually familiar with stone gambling?¡± ¡°I know nothing about it.¡± Elise smiled uncaringly. In truth, she only had a superficial understanding of stone gambling. Upon hearing that, Keh quickly walked up to her. ¡°Miss Sinir, if you are willing to ask me, I won¡¯t mind helping you once more.¡± She immediately gave him a sharp re. ¡°If you want to keep your dignity, you better stay away from me in the future.¡± After that, she left without looking back. Standing at the same spot, Keh shook his head silently. ¡°She is so fierce¡­¡± Even though he was ridiculing her, he couldn¡¯t help but reveal a delighted smile. Feeling a chilling sense behind her back, Melody turned around and shivered when she noticed his smile. ¡°Boss, you do know that your smile is terrifying, right?¡± In the end, Elise found Tom among the crowd. ¡°Miss Ander¡ª¡± Before he could finish his words, he was met with Elise¡¯s murderous gaze, so he quickly corrected himself. ¡°Miss Elise, are you alright? I heard that someone was causing trouble at the party. I was looking around for you!¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She ced her hand on his shoulder. ¡°Do you know who Tina Baker is?¡± Tom froze. Upon seeing that, Elise smiled knowingly. As expected, he actually knows who she is. ¡­ Time passed and the gem auction event was around the corner. Although the event was held every year, because of the God¡¯s Chosen Girl incidentst year, countless people who dreamed of being rich overnight suddenly had hope. Therefore, many people hade to the event, wishing to be the next ¡®chosen one¡¯ and climb to the top of the socialdder. At 10 AM, Elise and Tom entered the venue. When they arrived at the entrance, they got a glimpse of the gemstones of different sizes disyed on each side of the hall. Tom instantly became obsessed with the dazzling rows of gemstones disyed, and he felt as though he was in heaven as he glided into the hall. ¡°This is my first time seeing such a sight. The quality of these gemstones are so different!¡± he eximed while his eyes lit up. Just as Elise was about to tease him with a smile, the mocking voice of a man was heard behind them. ¡°Are you really saying that these are gemstones of good quality? The reason why you can touch and see it is because they are just ythings that are not worthy of joining the hall of honor. The real treasure has not been taken out yet, and only that is considered as one of the rarest treasures in the world.¡± The man looked at Tom, as if thetter was a clown, before hisscivious gazended on Elise. By his voice alone, she could instantly recognize that it was Ziggy, so she didn¡¯t even bother to turn around. Instead, she followed Tom around the hall to check on the gemstones. All of a sudden, Elise¡¯s gaze locked onto a direction. ¡°Tom!¡± She nudged him before lifting her chin and pointing in the direction she was looking at. ¡°Look carefully¡ªwhat do you think about those gemstones?¡± Bewildered, he looked and saw the dozens of gemstones of all sizes stacked over each other, but he couldn¡¯t see what was so special with them. Behind him, Ziggy chuckled. ¡°Pretty girl, didn¡¯t anyone tell you that the exquisite gemstones won¡¯t be disyed in the outer hall? Even if you are the God¡¯s Chosen Girl, you will find that all the exquisite stonese from the inner hall. Do you seriously think that you canpete with me when ites to this? By the looks of it, the two of us are destined to be together in bed!¡± However, Elise ignored him and dragged Tom over to the pile of gemstones. ¡°Look at them carefully.¡± Although he agreed with what Ziggy said, Elise was now his boss and he couldn¡¯t defy her, so he had no choice but to pick up the gemstones one by one obediently to have a look. Meanwhile, Elise did not waste her time, and she kept on reciting in her mind the trick that the old man gave her while scanning through all the gemstones nearby. asionally, she would pick them up and weigh them in her hand. Most of the people who attended the gem auction would rush into the inner hall immediately in search of that gemstone which would grant them a fortune overnight. The people in the outer hall were just there to pass the time and chat with each other. Almost no one was interested in the gemstones disyed on each side. Therefore, Elise and Tom, who were seriously examining the gemstones, easily stood out from the rest. ¡°Are those two that inexperienced? Everyone knows that the gemstones aren¡¯t that much different from the stones you pick up beside the road. It¡¯ll be easier for them to just pick a stone on the side of the road!¡± ¡°I heard that this woman has a bet with Ziggy. I reckon that she has lost her mind. Everyone knows that the Carnegie Family is in a hot streak this year, and I heard that they have a secret weapon on hand. I can¡¯t believe she agreed to the bet given how far apart their abilities are. If it was me, I would never agree to it!¡± ¡°A secret weapon? Could it be¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not make any judgments first. Maybe she is also another God¡¯s Chosen Girl. Ha!¡± As they continued with their conversation, Elise, who was standing in a corner, suddenly carried a second-hand gemstone in her hand and walked toward the person responsible for registration. ¡°I want this. Please register it for me. Thank you.¡± Immediately, the onlookers were rendered speechless. She is too hasty! How could she make such a decision without thinking it through? Does she think this is a game? Even the person in charge of registration couldn¡¯t help but look at her strangely, but he stillpleted the registration professionally. At the moment, almost half of the people in the hall felt sorry for Elise. She really doesn¡¯t have the talent for this, does she? They were sure that the gemstone she chose wouldn¡¯t lead to anything good. While Elise calmly watched the staff member record the gemstone she chose, a figure suddenly appeared next to her. ¡°Miss Sinir, I believe I should exin to you that all the gemstones in the outer hall are low grade stones. There isn¡¯t much chance of getting a high grade jadeite from them.¡± This time, Elise was a little surprised, because this wasn¡¯t the first time Melody had tried to help her. Is she now beyond saving? Not only can she tolerate her man¡¯s phndering, she can also ept and protect the woman her man actually loves. ¡°Thank you, but I believe that no stone or person should be judged while under uncertainty. Until thest moment, no one can say for sure that this gemstone has no value at all,¡± Elise said in a calm tone. Even though her voice wasn¡¯t loud, the onlookers around her could hear her every word clearly. Chapter 488 Chapter 488 Chapter 488 I¡¯m Tired and I Want to Sleep! ¡°This woman really is unreasonable!¡± ¡°Exactly! Everyone is being kind by giving her advice, but she is still so stubborn about it. Serves her right to lose all that money.¡± ¡°You should mind your own business. Even if she loses all that money, it is still hers. She is just a silly girl with a lot of money, so you should just let her be!¡± Elise felt that thest sentence made sense, so she said, ¡°Correct. I don¡¯t have anything but money and I don¡¯t like keeping it in my pocket, so the only way for me to be happy is to spend it!¡± She was able to shut everyone up with her outrageous statement. However, as soon as she was done speaking, Keh rudely interrupted, ¡°Miss Sinir, I really admire your bold personality. Is it possible for us to exchange our experience on failures?¡± She immediately narrowed her eyes, filling them with murderous intent. It was clear from her expression that she would kill Keh if he continued down that path. Upon seeing that, Melody was afraid that Keh might actually die in Elise¡¯s hands, so she quickly cleared her throat and reminded, ¡°It¡¯s time to go in.¡± It was only then that Keh withdrew his flirtatious gaze andposed himself before resuming to his usual indifferent expression. ¡°I know.¡± He turned toward Elise again and murmured, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you inside.¡± With that, he went inside while a smiling Melody nodded at Elise before following him inside. Elise was left there shaking her head in regret. A woman like her doesn¡¯t deserve that scumbag of a man! As the entrance of the inner hall was opened, no one else cared about what Elise was doing, so they stood in readiness before walking in at the same time. Of course, Ziggy was also among the crowd and when he met her, he didn¡¯t forget to provoke her again. ¡°Since you are so confident in your abilities, why don¡¯t you just stay outside and use the jadeite from these low-grade stones to beat me?¡± However, Elise looked at him as though she was looking at an idiot. ¡°Do you own this building? I don¡¯t think you have the right to forbid me from entering.¡± After rolling her eyes at him, she paused for a moment and looked around before raising her brows. ¡°Why did the Carnegie Family send only you here for such a huge event? Ziggy felt a hint of dangering from her, so he countered, ¡°How is this any of your business?¡± Without answering him, she spread her hands and quickly went in with Tom. The gemstones in the inner hall were disyed in a much more organized fashion than those in the outer hall. Even though the inner hall was twice asrge as the outer hall, the amount of gemstones disyed here was only half of what was disyed in the outer hall. Every stone was disyed as though it was a work of art, and the base was listed with thebel and price of the gemstone. The staff members here also had their own specialized uniform apanied with headphones and pagers. There were also a lot of bodyguards in the hall, which showed the difference in value between the inner and outer hall. The lights inside were also a little more professional as there were special searchlights set up next to the gemstones for guests to pick up and shine the stones. Even someone as calm as Melody couldn¡¯t help but feel excited. However, there were two exceptions¡ªZiggy and Elise. The former was thest one to enter the hall but after taking a few steps inside, he stopped and scanned the whole ce with a contemptuous gaze, having no intentions of walking in any further. Meanwhile, Elise stood aside casually, looking bored and impatient, as if she wasn¡¯t focused at all. To others, however, she was acting rather self-defeating. Since she knew that she would lose, she wasn¡¯t putting any effort into anything. Tom was one of those people who saw it that way. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. He wanted to be a good advisor to Elise, so he took the initiative to go up to her and ask, ¡°Miss Sinir, do you want me to teach you while you pick the stones? If we don¡¯t do it sooner, all the good stones will be taken.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She nodded her head thoughtfully. The next second, she turned around and headed out. ¡°I¡¯m tired. I¡¯m going back to sleep.¡± ¡°Alright¡­ What?!¡± Tom was left dumbfounded. When he turned around, Elise had already disappeared through the door. Oh my god! Why do I have such an unreliable boss?! It looks like I have no other choice. I can only rely on myself at the moment. Tom clenched his fists and rushed into the crowd, acting as if he had nothing to lose. Soon, the morning had passed. After wandering around for a while, Elise felt a bit hungry, so she went to a restaurant outside the venue to eat. The showroom in Dukethorn was all right, but itcked infrastructure and restaurants, so it was easy to bump into someone when eating. After ordering her food, Elise waited in her seat while the people at the table next to her chatted feverishly. ¡°Hey, did you hear that a silly girl with tons of money has a bet with Ziggy? I can¡¯t believe that she began choosing from the stones in the outer hall when the event started. What a newbie!¡± ¡°Really? What is the result of their bet?¡± ¡°I think that woman already chose a gemstone, but Ziggy hasn¡¯t made his move yet.¡± ¡°Are you sure? It¡¯s understandable if that silly woman couldn¡¯t pick one out, but how could Ziggy¡­ Does that mean all the good stuff is taken?¡± ¡°How the hell do I know? Ziggy is acting a bit weird this time!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s asplicated as you think it is. Ziggy is interested in that woman, so he wants to y it safe.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know? The main prize of their bet is that if Ziggy wins, that woman will have to be his bedmate for a week. If it was me, I¡¯ll definitely satisfy her as much as I can. By then, I¡¯ll have both the money and the woman. Ha!¡± Just as the man was getting excited, a porcin bowl suddenly fell on his head as the sticky stew inside spilled on his face. ¡°What the f*ck? Who is the idiot who did this? Can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m sitting here?!¡± The man stood up abruptly and wiped his face before ring at the person who threw the bowl. While holding a cup with one hand and the other naturally hanging at the side of his body, Keh uttered with a cold and indifferent expression, ¡°It was an ident.¡± The man was instantly rendered speechless. He identally spilled the whole thing right above me? Immediately, the dirtied man was infuriated as his suit was a custom-made one, and it would waste his time when he went to change to another one back in his hotel. By then, he would have missed a lot of precious gemstones, which was a loss he wanted someone to be responsible for. ¡°You¡¯re definitely here to cause trouble. Don¡¯t you have eyes?!¡± The man bared his teeth fiercely while clenching his fists. ¡°You better kneel down and apologize to me; otherwise, I won¡¯t let you walk out of this shop with both your legs intact!¡± The man was obviously born in Dukethorn as he had an oppressive aura, thinking that no one would dare to offend him on his own turf. ¡°Is that so?¡± Keh smirked. ¡°Do as you please, then.¡± Immediately, the man¡¯s eyes widened in anger. ¡°You smug b*stard! You asked for this!¡± After that, he raised his fists andunched himself at Keh. Just as the man¡¯s fist was about to collide with Keh¡¯s face, Keh suddenly moved aside to avoid his punch before reaching out to engulf the man¡¯s entire fist. Then, he swung his other hand and smashed a ss straight at the man¡¯s face. As pieces of ss fell to the floor, the water was sshed on the man¡¯s face, washing away remnants of the stew. ¡°Let me go!¡± the man screamed in pain. ¡°I¡¯ve washed your face for you. Are you satisfied?¡± Keh questioned with an eyebrow raised. ¡°Pfft!¡± Suddenly, a quirky giggle was heard. Chapter 489 Chapter 489 Chapter 489 Are You Admitting That I¡¯m Your Husband? Everyone looked toward the source of the voice and realized that the giggle came from a fair and delicate girl. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but this is too funny. I can¡¯t hold back myughter.¡± After letting out a chuckle, Keh threw the man aside and casted his gaze on Elise once more. The man rubbed his aching wrist before looking at Elise in annoyance. ¡°Where did youe from, you ignorant wild girl? Are you looking for trouble?¡± The man knew that he was no match against Keh and since he had already embarrassed himself, there was no turning back. However, beingughed at by a woman was another thing, so he couldn¡¯t bring himself to endure it no matter what. ¡°Are you talking about me?¡± Elise asked knowingly while tilting her head, her expression innocent. ¡°I¡¯m the rich silly girl that you talked about just now¡­¡± Keh then moved and went over to her. Lowering his head, he murmured, ¡°Miss Sinir, looks like I¡¯ve helped you out again. I believe that this isn¡¯t the first time. Have you thought of a way to repay me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to.¡± She immediately put on an indifferent expression as shemented, ¡°You did it on your own ord. I didn¡¯t ask you for it.¡± Seeing that they knew each other, the man suddenly felt his breath stop. While they were still chatting with each other, he silently grabbed his jacket on the chair and moved toward the door one step at a time, edging sideways just like a crab. ¡°Stop right there!¡± As if he had eyes behind his back, Keh dragged those three words out and halted the man. Turning around slowly, Keh questioned, ¡°Do you really think you can just walk away and pretend as if nothing has happened after saying what you¡¯ve said?¡± This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. When Melody came in, she could feel that there was something wrong in the atmosphere, so she quickly went up and reminded Keh, ¡°We are currently not in Smith Co.¡¯s turf. It¡¯s best if you don¡¯t cause any trouble.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood me, Melody.¡± He put on an innocent look as hemented, ¡°How could an honest man like me cause any trouble? Why don¡¯t you ask him?¡± With that, he raised his chin and pointed at the man leaning against the wall. Looking at the man, Melody furrowed her brows in resignation and thought for a second before walking toward him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir, but he has a bad temper.¡± Just as the man was about to tell her that everything was fine, she continued, ¡°That is why I need you to apologize to him.¡± What? He hit me because he has a bad temper, but I have to be the one to apologize? The man looked confused as he mused it over, Did I hear her wrong? Or is that woman talking nonsense? ¡°ICU¡­¡­¡± ¡°You can also choose not to apologize to him.¡± Melody looked indifferent as she continued, ¡°Then, I can only let him make you apologize to him himself so that he can vent his anger. If I remember correctly, the last person whom he vented his anger on is still lying in the ICU¡ª¡± Before she finished her words, the man immediately put his hands together and kneeled on the floor. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! What I did just now was wrong.¡± He kept on apologizing while pping himself. ¡°I know that what I said was reckless and I was too ignorant to know any better. I hope that you can have mercy and forgive me. Don¡¯t lower yourself to my level!¡± However, Keh¡¯s expression remained the same as he cocked his head and looked at Elise, who was standing next to him. ¡°It¡¯ll all depend on whether this pretty girl wants to forgive you or not.¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± The man kowtowed to her. ¡°O¡¯ pretty girl, I was wrong and I won¡¯t dare to do it again. I hope that you can be merciful enough to forgive me this time!¡± Elise pouted her lips as she wasn¡¯t in the mood to bother with him any longer. ¡°Go away. Don¡¯t spoil my appetite.¡± ¡°Thank you, o¡¯ pretty girl. Thank you very much!¡± With that, the man crawled out of the restaurant. The others who ate on the same table as him also scattered silently as they were afraid of getting themselves into trouble. Grunting, Elise ignored Keh directly and sat back on her seat. The moment she sat down, she could feel a warm breath breathing down her ear from above. At the same time, Keh¡¯s ambiguous voice was heard. ¡°Miss Sinir, in ancient times, people usually fell in love with the hero when he saved the damsel in distress. Don¡¯t you think you should do something about it?¡± The numbing feeling immediately softened her body. Elise didn¡¯t know what was wrong with herself but she still had the sense to make a move first, so she took out her silver needle right away and stabbed behind her. However, Keh steadily intercepted and grabbed her hand. Looking at the silver needle inches away from his eyes, he revealed a teasing smile. ¡°It¡¯s illegal to murder your own husband.¡± She gritted her teeth and replied, ¡°Then I¡¯ll just have to inflict something worse than death on you.¡± ¡°Tsk! You¡¯re so cruel.¡± He smiled faintly and his tone became frivolous again as he purred, ¡°Does that mean you admit that I¡¯m your husband?¡± ¡°You¡­ Go to hell!¡± This time, Elise was really enraged as she let go of the needle and began to throw punches at him. Since Keh refused to fight back, he was forced to retreat and in the end, he was kicked right in the chest, causing him to back out of the restaurant. Just as she was about to rush out to teach him a lesson, Melody suddenly ran over and blocked her way. ¡°Miss Sinir, please forgive him.¡± Looking at her, Elise couldn¡¯t help but furrow her brows. She couldn¡¯t care less whether Keh lived or died, but Melody was indeed a good person, so she couldn¡¯t ignore her constant plea for mercy. ¡°Take him away from my sight immediately.¡± Elise turned her back on them and uttered darkly, ¡°Miss Melody, I may owe you a favor but even if it¡¯s paid off, I can¡¯t guarantee that I won¡¯t be merciless if you can¡¯t control him the next time.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Melody bowed. With that, she gave Keh a look before leaving with him. After walking away and confirming no one was behind them, Melody couldn¡¯t help but scoff. ¡°Boss, I don¡¯t understand why you like to do this to yourself.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve told you¡ªthis is my way of having fun. You won¡¯t understand it.¡± Keh patted at the ce where he was kicked just now while talking sweetly to himself, ¡°Even though Ellie looks fierce, she is still so adorable. Hehe¡­¡± Listening to him, Melody shivered as goosebumps appeared all over her body. I think I should just keep my mouth shut. ¡­ After the lunch break, the inner hall was opened again. It was still open for the people to visit and choose. As for the outer hall, it now had an additional programme other than disying ordinary gemstones, which was the opening of the stones. The gemstones picked by the guests in the morning would be opened by the gemstone masters in the afternoon in the order of registration. The opening of gemstones had always been a long-running favorite of the convention, so the onlookers kept on pouring in, making the scene very lively. Unlike Landred City, the convention prioritized efficiency, so they had a row of more than a dozen machines and gemstone masters operating at the same time. Meanwhile, Elise yawned and watched the show from a distance. After a long wait, someone finally let out a long-awaited gasp. ¡°The quality¡­ The color¡­ It¡¯spletely perfect!¡± This is definitely a top quality product. Look at how refined that watery luster is!¡± ¡°Who is so lucky to have gotten the first quality jadeite?¡± ¡°Let me check the registration¡­ I-It¡¯s Keh Bailey! It¡¯s actually him!¡± Initially, Elise did not react but after hearing Keh¡¯s name, she raised her brows in surprise. That yboy actually has some abilities in stone gambling? Thinking about it, she instinctively looked around with a vignt gaze, afraid that Keh would pop up in a ce she least expected. When she thought about his ambiguous breath next to her ear at noon, she felt ashamed and annoyed as she began to regret letting him go that easily. D*mn it! It¡¯s obvious that he is in the wrong, so why should I be scared? Chapter 490 Chapter 490 Chapter 490 We Are Destined for Each Other ¡°Miss Sinir!¡± Tom suddenly came out of nowhere, scaring Elise. ¡°What¡¯s all this fuss about?¡± she asked with some annoyance. ¡°Machine No. 9 is now working on our gemstone. Do you want to take a look at it?¡± he questioned. ¡°Alright.¡± Upon hearing that, Elise nodded her head and went toward the ce he specified. ¡°She¡¯s here. That woman is here!¡± ¡°This is the gemstone she chose.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised she actually dared toe. All the gemstones opened today came from the inner hall, except for hers. I wonder if there¡¯ll be any surprises¡­¡± ¡°What? It came from the outer hall? Then I better look at the other machines.¡± Less than a minute after Elise arrived, half of the people there were already gone. To her, it was a good thing because the air was much fresher with fewer people. Then, the gemstone master began to open her gemstone. Not long after, Tom screamed, ¡°I see green!¡± Even the gemstone master couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. Immediately, the people who looked away were drawn by themotion again as they stretched their necks to watch the action, wanting to know what good coulde from that stone. Ziggy, who was observing everything silently from afar, couldn¡¯t help but concentrate on Elise¡¯s stone. Could it be that this woman really is the second God¡¯s Chosen Girl? Can she really turn a stone into treasure? Everyone¡¯s eyes were locked onto the gemstone master¡¯s hands, as if their eyes were the ones opening the gemstones instead of the tools. Finally, the master opened the outermostyer of the stone, revealing its interior. Everyone went silent for a moment. ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± After a short silence, theirughter echoed across the hall. ¡°As expected, nothing goodes from the outer hall. What was I expecting?¡± ¡°Not only is its quality average, it also has impurities and brokenyers. I wouldn¡¯t take it even if it was free!¡± ¡°She is just an ordinary woman after all. I actually thought that there would be a second God¡¯s Chosen Girl, but it seems like I was thinking too much. Serves her right forpeting with Ziggy with this level of ability! I think that it¡¯s possible that she is fond of Ziggy and was just finding an excuse to go to bed with him.¡± The interior appearance of the gemstone that was lying on the machine was indeed imperfect. However, Elise remained calm, as if she had expected the oue. As for Tom, he was so worried that he could feel his eyes falling off. The whole time, he kept on wiping away the cold sweat on his forehead. This is bad! Miss Sinir really knows nothing about stone gambling. She only won that stone gambling in Landred City entirely because of luck. Based on her ability today, she is no match against Ziggy, let alone his secret weapon! ¡°Miss Sinir, y-you¡­¡± Tom stuttered as he didn¡¯t know how to persuade her. Should I find some local enforcements to help cancel the bet? Even though we¡¯ll lose some money, I can¡¯t allow a little girl like her to fall in the hands of Ziggy. Who knows what kind of torture she¡¯ll have to endure? Maybe there¡¯s still time to hire a professional stone gambler since today is only the first day! However, Elise lifted her hand and patted her mouth as she yawnedzily. ¡°What should I do? I¡¯m feeling sleepy again.¡± ¡°Miss Sinir, please stop joking around. The lunch break just ended¡­¡± Tom smiled bitterly. Upon hearing that, she casually patted his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t be so anxious. After I¡¯m done recuperating, we¡¯ll battle again. Are you confident in holding the fort by yourself?¡± Tom couldn¡¯t bring himself to smile as he said truthfully, ¡°No.¡± ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t have to be this honest with me all the time¡­¡± She gave an awkward smile. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Looking at her, Tom waspletely rendered speechless. He also wanted to joke but under the circumstances, he really couldn¡¯t bring himself tough. ¡°Forget about it. You can just pick any one. I¡¯ll head back to sleep now.¡± She waved her hand and turned around before walking out. ¡°Hey, wasn¡¯t it Miss Sinir who just opened a gemstone with brokenyers? What¡¯s the problem? Have you realized that you don¡¯t have the eye for this so you¡¯re trying to run away?¡± Ziggy¡¯s mocking voice was suddenly heard. However, Elise wasn¡¯t in the mood to entertain him. ¡°At least I¡¯ve opened a stone. What about you? You didn¡¯t even open one. Who are you looking for while wandering around blindly?¡± she said while pretending not to care. As soon as her words reached Ziggy¡¯s ears, he immediately became vignt, as if he was facing a big enemy of his. Elise smiled thoughtfully and continued, ¡°Looks like I¡¯m right. I¡¯m starting to be increasingly interested in your secret weapon, Mr. Carnegie.¡± Ziggy¡¯s gaze gradually changed from uncertainty to one of certainty. As he gritted his teeth, he lifted his chin slightly and acted intimidating all of a sudden. ¡°So what if I have a secret weapon? You¡¯re losing anyway. You better clean yourself properly in the next few days, because I¡¯ll definitely show you what I¡¯m made of!¡± The disdain in Elise¡¯s eyes grew when she heard that. People will only raise their volume to cheer themselves on because theyck confidence. ¡°We shall wait and see.¡± She shrugged and left. The moment Elise returned to the hotel, she really fell asleep. When she woke up, it was already dark outside and she was feeling hungry, so she washed herself up and grabbed a jacket before going out to buy something to eat. The restaurants near the hotel were bad and expensive, so she decided to go a little further to a famous food street in Dukethorn. However, after walking for a while, she vaguely felt that something was wrong, so she stopped beside a car on the side of the road and pretended to do her makeup in the mirror. However, she was quietly observing the scene behind her through the rearview mirror. Sure enough, several people came out of the car on the right one after another, all staring at her fiercely while holding a variety of weapons, such as wooden sticks and the like. As for Elise, she pretended as though nothing was going on as she calmly tidied her bangs before continuing to walk forward. Seeing that she was walking away, the group of people quickly jogged over and followed her, since they were afraid of losing her. Behind them, a slender figure followed suit silently. Since they were some distance away from the hotel entrance and gradually walking into an ordinary street, the group of people prepared to find somewhere isted to jump on her. However, Elise suddenly turned a corner into an alley next to her. The man in front smiled smugly and paused for a moment before excitedly ordering his men, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± She walked quickly in the alley and finally left those people some distance away. Then, she quickly ran into a corner and climbed up the beam along the items ced under the roof, ready to jump down when they walked past so that she could scare them. Seeing her disappearing around the corner, the group of people sped up. The man in front was very vignt. When approaching the corner, he suddenly slowed down and raised the stick in his hand before slowly turning the corner. When turning the corner, a man behind him suddenly bumped into him, pushing him directly onto the opposite wall. Just as the leader turned around and was about to yell, he found that a man in a suit had appeared behind them at some point. ¡°Who are you? You better mind your own business!¡± The leader warned the other man. Keh tidied his suit and hooked his fingers impatiently. ¡°I don¡¯t want to waste my time, so pleasee at me all at once.¡± His words instantly enraged the thugs as they picked up their sticks that had fallen to the ground and viciously lunged at him. However, Keh calmly lifted one of his feet and did a swirling kick on two thugs. His moves were utterly strong and deadly. While waiting for the thugs to arrive, Elise felt strange when she heard noises of fighting instead, so she jumped down from the beam and casually walked back the way she came. Meanwhile, Keh urately sensed the figure approaching from the other end of the alley, so he kicked down one of the two thugs who was still standing. When the other person lunged at him with a stick, Keh didn¡¯t avoid it and took the hit. In the end, he turned around and fell backward. The moment Elise arrived, she instinctively caught the falling man. ¡°Miss Sinir, do you now believe that we are destined for each other?¡± Chapter 491 Chapter 491 Chapter 491 None of Them Have Brains Elise¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°I really don¡¯t understand how you are still able to flirt around even when your life is in danger right now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not my fault that you are too beautiful. I can¡¯t help myself from falling for you as soon as I see you, so you must take some responsibility for this too.¡± Keh pretended to be weak and sorrowful. ¡°In that case, I probably shouldn¡¯t even appear so that you won¡¯t be distracted. I don¡¯t have to get into trouble too,¡± Elise said ruthlessly as she loosened her grip on him after helping him regain his bnce. Keh rubbed the spot where he was hit, a cheeky grin on his face. ¡°I believe you won¡¯t turn a blind eye to my troubles, Miss Sinir.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wrong. I will.¡± Elise shot him a cold stare. He pouted at that, slightly disappointed that he did not elicit much reaction from her. ¡°Cut the crap. None of you are able to escape today. Get them!¡± At this point, the man who managed to hit Keh spat on the ground and tightened his hold on the wooden baton in his hand. With that, the group of men immediately got up and ran toward them. Elise kicked the person who was the first to reach her and used the impact to sprint across the wall before shended behind them. Then, she took out her silver needles and sealed the meridians of four of them. Their muscles froze and they sank to the ground, having seizures. When the remaining people saw this, they did not dare to get closer to her even though they had weapons in their hands. Who on earth is this woman? She actually defeated four of our guys in the blink of an eye! The leader of the group ran toward them and yelled in disbelief, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! We are from Dukethorn, after all. What haven¡¯t we encountered? If we catch this woman, we will get a hundred thousand!¡± Money was the root of all evil. The influence of money was apparent as soon as it was mentioned. Upon hearing the words ¡®a hundred thousand¡¯, the fighters immediately became different. At this point, their initial fear and hesitation turned to excitement as they calcted the odds of getting the biggest share based on when they would start their attacks. Soon, someone charged toward Elise with a loud yell, followed by the rest. Elise did not avoid them. Instead, she looked at them impassively as she touched the spray in her pocket. It was given to her by ude when he was still around, and it was made of hallucinative ingredients. It could make the victims quickly lose their consciousness, a much better waypared to her silver needle attack. If she had slept better just now, she would definitely use these guys as her training partners but as she was not used to the bed, she was not well-rested. Judging by the current situation, it was better to end the fight as soon as possible. Elise¡¯s fingers tightened around the small spray bottle. Just as she was about to take it out, a loud yell rang from behind the fighters. ¡°Stop, all of you!¡± They froze before turning around in hesitation. Though their leader was full of arrogance and fighting spirit just now, he was already subdued by Keh. Thetter had ced a huge knife, that did not suit his looks in the least, at the leader¡¯s neck as he admired and picked on his fingers with his other hand. Elise loosened her grip on the spray bottle as she waited for the drama to unfold. He¡¯s actually quite smart, seeing how he knows that it¡¯s the most efficient to catch the leader first. Unfortunately, he¡¯s not very good at fighting. There are so few people here, yet he got himself injured. The leader lowered his head to look at the knife. Upon seeing that it was millimeters away from his skin, he gulped in trepidation. ¡°Bro, you¡¯re not a local, are you? To tell you the truth, I¡¯m from the Carnegie Family. It won¡¯t bring you any good to offend me.¡± Keh grunted, thereafter flicking his fingernails and blowing on his fingers to get rid of the dust. Then, he turned around and asked indifferently, ¡°So what?¡± There was a pause as he deliberately slid the knife across the man¡¯s neck repeatedly. ¡°Are you implying that I can¡¯t afford to offend the Carnegie Family and that I should let you go? Should I kneel and kowtow to you when I admit my mistakes?¡± Though Keh did not exert much force, the sharp knife still broke through the man¡¯s skin and blood trickled out. The fighters were used to violent scenes. If Keh instantly gave him a blow, perhaps he might not even let out a groan. However, with a knife to the neck, the leader was fearful to even move an inch. The fear of death was much more real to him at this moment. As his limbs turned to jelly, he did not dare to act tough anymore. Upon hearing Keh¡¯s tone, he knew that the other man was not someone he could antagonize either, so he softened his stance. ¡°You¡¯re mistaken¡ªhow could I ept your kowtow? I was just saying that the incident today was a misunderstanding. Everyone in this world is one big family, after all. If you let me go, I¡¯ll pretend this didn¡¯t happen and we can even be friends after that. How about that?¡± ¡°What about her?¡± Keh looked at Elise. ¡°We will bring her elsewhere to settle the score with her so that we won¡¯t be a nuisance to you. Don¡¯t worry about that,¡± the leader of the group replied ingratiatingly. Keh heaved a sigh before he said in a remorseful tone, ¡°No one in the Carnegie Family has brains. How can I rest assured¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± The leader felt a sense of danger. ¡°You don¡¯t have to know.¡± Keh¡¯s gaze darkened as he lifted the knife upward until it reached the eye level of the leader. Then, he shed thetter¡¯s eyes. The man¡¯s howls reverberated through the entire alley. Keh pushed him away, and hended on the floor and struggled painfully as blood oozed out of his eye. ¡°My eyes! My eye hurts! Help me! Help me!¡± ¡°Boss!¡± The rest of the fighters surrounded him, and two of them got their leader under control so that he would not scratch his own injuries. Even so, the pain tormented the leader every second, making him struggle helplessly as though he was a fish out of water. This scene jolted the rest of the men back to their senses. When they raised their heads weakly to look at Keh, who was lowering his gaze at them from his height, they finally understood how terrifying he was. He merely threw the knife on the ground carelessly. Taking out his handkerchief, he wiped his hands slowly while saying, ¡°Go back and tell Jim Carnegie that I don¡¯t give second chances. If this happens again, he will be blind. Now, get out of my sight.¡± The fighters stood still like statues, none of them daring to move an inch. This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Keh¡¯s expression darkened upon seeing this. He then turned around to look at them frostily before yelling, ¡°Just f*ck off!¡± The nearest fighter from him tripped and fell. Getting up, the fighter quickly dragged his leader and staggered away. When they reached the end of the alley, one of them turned around and hollered bravely, ¡°Just you wait! We will be back to take revenge!¡± Upon hearing that, Elise was rather amused. Do they think this is an action movie? What¡¯s with the ¡®I¡¯ll be back¡¯ type of lines? In the end, she patted dust from hands and prepared to leave. However, before she even turned around, a thud rang out from the end of the alley, signaling that someone had fallen to the ground. She turned around and saw Keh sink to the ground as he leaned against the wall. And so, Elise walked over suspiciously and she stood in front of him, appraising him from head to toe. ¡°If I remember correctly, you only suffered a blow. Is this all you can take?¡± Cold sweat broke out of his forehead, but he managed to force a smile. ¡°You have to experience it yourself to know, Miss Sinir,¡± he said weakly. With that, his head sank against the wall as he lost consciousness. Chapter 492 Chapter 492 Chapter 492 I Respect Your Decision Elise was slightly amused by this, but she soon noticed that something was off. Keh is rather good at fighting. I don¡¯t think he was tricked by those guys just now, so why did he faint? Narrowing her eyes, she bent toward him and took one of his wrists to take his pulse. After a short moment of silence, she stared at his face, a conflicted look flickering in her eyes. What is going on here? Why is he suffering from the same poison as Grandma? He has the same symptoms as Alexander¡ªthey are both showing early stage mutations because of the poison. Her thoughts in chaos, Elise looked at the man in front of her who shared nothing simr with Alexander. After thinking about it for a long time, she could not find any connections between both of them. In the end, she helped him up and walked out of the alley. There was no apparent reason for helping Keh out. Since he was also struck by the misfortune, she could only hope that someone would help Alexander the same way and save his life if he fainted by the roadside due to the effects of the poison. Fortunately, Elise found Keh¡¯s hotel card and realized that they were staying at the same hotel. Hence, she did not need to make a detour. Even so, it took her a lot of effort to bring him back. After all, he was almost more than six feet tall. When they reached the stairs, Keh trembled slightly as he slowly regained consciousness. With his head lowered, he saw a woman¡¯s shoes as soon as he opened his eyes, and he immediately knew that it was Elise who brought him back. His lips twitched into a triumphant smile as he deliberately dragged his feet against the stairs, and this escaped Elise¡¯s notice. Because of that, their bodies quickly separated. Seeing that the unconscious Keh was about to fall to the ground, Elise quickly stretched out her arms to pull him back. With that, the both of them went from being side-by-side to being right in front of each other. Keh deliberately slumped against her weakly, but there was a sly smile on his face, showing that he had seeded in his n. Just as Elise was d that they did not fall to the ground, a waiter walked past them with a huge mirror in his hands, so she shot a curious nce at the mirror. Coincidentally, she saw Keh¡¯s triumphant smile and she instantly narrowed her eyes dangerously. Meanwhile, Keh, whose eyes were closed, suddenly felt a shiver down his spine as he felt a murderous aura around him. He quietly opened his eyes to look around him, but he found nothing out of ce, apart from a waiter who was moving a mirror. Hence, he closed his eyes again to enjoy Elise¡¯s warmth around him. However, she gritted her teeth and took a sharp breath before she took out the silver needle that was hidden in her sleeves. This filthy man actually yed a trick on me! All my kindness and effort to bring him back for such a long distance have gone to waste! Should I let him suffer like those fighters just now, or should I directly destroy his manhood so that he is unable to tease other girls in the future? Elise let him take advantage of her while she thought of a perfect n to punish him. This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Suddenly, her eyes lit up and she came up with a good idea. There¡¯s nothing better than making everyone leave him! Thinking about this, she raised her hand without any hesitation and plunged the needle into the nape of his neck. Keh¡¯s body gave a jolt before he passed out for real this time. A few minutester, Elise brought him to Melody¡¯s room and rang her doorbell. Soon, the door opened and Melody appeared. Her expression turned curious as she saw the weird position of Elise and Keh. How did he offend her again this time? ¡°Miss Sinir, is there anything I can help you with?¡± Melody kept her usual calmness. Elise did not expect that, so she did not react for a moment. ¡°Ahem!¡± She then cleared her throat before saying slowly, ¡°Miss Melody, you know very well how he pestered me over the past few days. He even followed me today with evil intentions.¡± ¡°Evil intentions?¡± Melody arched her eyebrows as she looked at the both of them in front of her. I wonder who actually has evil intentions between the two of them. Elise could tell what she was thinking, but she remained firmed as she shot a nce at the unconscious Keh. ¡°Since he can¡¯t beat me, I guess I¡¯ll say it¡¯s a failed attempt to attack me. But I guess this is enough to show you his true colors.¡± ¡°He lost to you?¡± Melody ced her focus on the wrong point. If I remember correctly, he has never lost to anyone before this. ¡°Yes. This man is useless. Since you are quite eligible, you¡¯d better change a partner,¡± Elise said solemnly. ¡°There are so many fish in the sea and you don¡¯t have to stick to this one. Since I¡¯m nning to start a newpany, you can join me if you are willing to. I¡¯ll give you all the benefits Keh has given you. On top of that, if you do a good job, I will even introduce you to some men. How about that?¡± Melody felt awkward upon hearing that. No matter where I go, it¡¯s all the same in the end. ¡°Does he know that you are recruiting me?¡± she asked. ¡°The person who lost doesn¡¯t have to know about this.¡± Elise then loosened her grip and let Keh slide to the ground. ¡°I¡¯ll be frank with you¡ªI have a good impression of you, but I simply can¡¯t stand Keh. If you jump ship to mypany and break off all ties with him, I don¡¯t have to take pity on him when I settle scores with him in the future.¡± Melody nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Does this mean that I¡¯m saving his life?¡± ¡°Hmm? I guess so,¡± Elise replied subconsciously before realizing that Melody had brought the topic astray yet again. ¡°This is not the point. I just want to know if you want to work for me or not. Are you willing to leave him and give yourself a chance to lead a new life?¡± Melody stared into Elise¡¯s eyes for a few seconds before she replied calmly, ¡°No, thank you.¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± Elise thought her ears were ying tricks on her. ¡°Think about it¡ªbased on Keh¡¯s unremorseful behavior, he will definitely tick me off one day. If you continue to stay with him, I might even attack you along with him. Miss Melody, you are a smart and educated person. You should know that your life continues even after you leave him. Don¡¯t be too sentimental here.¡± ¡°Thank you for your kind advice, Miss Sinir. However, Mr. Bailey saved my life, so I will live and die for him. No matter what happens, I will never betray him,¡± Melody said calmly. Upon hearing that, Elise merely shook her head pitifully. She is loyal, but fate likes to y a fool on us. In the end, Elise only turned around and shot a cold stare at Keh, who was currently on the ground. I wonder where his luckes from to have such an amazing woman with him. Forget it! When the gem auction event is over, I¡¯ll try my best to avoid them. ¡°I respect your decision,¡± Elise said gantly before turning around to leave. When she was waiting for the elevator, she seemed to sense something and turned her head around. Then, she saw Melody carefully pick Keh from the ground and brought him into her room. Elise had no idea why she felt slightly ufortable upon seeing this, as if her beloved toy was being taken away by another person. She did not understand the reason for such feelings. Could it be that my pity for Melody is so much that I feel upset as soon as I remember that Keh is going to continue to affect her life? Ding! As the door of the elevator opened, Elise shook her head to let go of such emotions. No matter how much Melody and Keh torture themselves, it¡¯s none of my business. Chapter 493 Chapter 493 Chapter 493 Being Pestered Incessantly As soon as the door was closed, Keh opened his eyes and let go of Melody. He then stood up and tidied himself up before he walked further into the room steadily, leaving a speechless Melody behind. She froze for an awkward second before returning to her senses and followed behind him. ¡°As the intensity of work is constantly increasing, I hope you can increase my sry, Mr. Bailey,¡± Melody said in a sarcastic tone as she leaned against a shelf next to the television. However, Keh acted as though he did not hear her. Sitting on the couch, he drank a ss of water and straightened his tie before he spoke calmly. ¡°Money always hurts people¡¯s feelings. Melody, you should pick up our local culture and stop learning all the unhelpful things from abroad.¡± ¡°You want to talk about feelings with me?¡± Melody did not show him any respect at all as she arched her eyebrows. ¡°But that hurts my ie instead. Without enough money, I don¡¯t feel secure. How can I have feelings for you and be able to finish my job at the same time?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, Melody, your sense of securityes from too simple a source,¡± Keh replied with a half-smirk on his face. ¡°I don¡¯t think this is a bad thing. Having one source means that there won¡¯t be too many changes. If like you, I have to change into a different person to please others, I would much rather be killed by an avnche of money,¡± Melody muttered. Keh merely shook his head as he made a sound between a sigh and augh. ¡°You are not foolish either. Even if you die, you want to die with lots of money.¡± ¡°I would prefer it if you describe me as a person who has a clear goal,¡± she retorted seriously. In the end, Keh did not reply to her anymore and stood up to walk out of the room in silence. As Melody thought he wanted to return to his room, she asked, ¡°Do you need me to call room service for you so that they send the food straight to your room?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± With that, he gave a wave and opened the door before disappearing. ¡­ After Elise walked out of the elevator, she was still submerged in her own thoughts. Who is the culprit who poisoned Keh? Can I somehow find the clues for saving Grandma and Alexander from him? She took a right turn habitually. When she was just several meters away, Elise instinctively took out her room card. Just as she ced the card on the sensor, the room was opened from someone inside with a beep. She raised her head and locked eyes with the owner of the room. ¡°Miss Sinir?¡± Owen was pleasantly surprised to see her. ¡°Owen?¡± Elise, however, was perplexed to find him here. ¡°Why are you in my room?¡± ¡°Your room? Ha! Are you drunk, Miss Sinir? You must be mistaken, because I¡¯ve been living in this room for almost a week. If I have a beautifuldy like yourself in my room, I would definitely notice you,¡± he joked. Elise blushed and raised her head to look at the room number. The room number 1303 is correct, but this is B1303. My room is A1303, which is on the other end of the corridor. Looks like I walked in the opposite direction. And so, she quickly apologized before turning around to leave. ¡°Sorry, I think I got the wrong room.¡± ¡°Wait, Miss Sinir!¡± Owen called out to her. ¡°Since it¡¯s such a rare coincidence, would you like to have a cup of coffee in my room?¡± ¡°No, thank you.¡± Elise rejected him politely. ¡°It¡¯s quitete now so if I drink too much coffee, I might have trouble sleeping.¡± ¡°In that case, let me see you to your room.¡± With that, Owen closed the door of his room and walked outside inrge strides. However, Elise felt awkward about this. ¡°There¡¯s no need. It¡¯s just nearby.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m about to head outside anyway. Come on.¡± With that, Owen made an ¡®after you¡¯ gesture. It was quite difficult for Elise to reject him, so she just followed suit. After taking a few steps, he initiated the conversation. ¡°How¡¯s Mr. Fassbender doing?¡± ¡°Not bad. He is quite healthy and energetic.¡± ¡°What about yourself, Miss Sinir? Why are you in Dukethorn? If you don¡¯t mind telling me, maybe I¡¯m able to help you out.¡±Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. ¡°Nothing much. I¡¯m just here on a vacation,¡± Elise replied mechanically. In no time, they had arrived at her room. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m here now. You can get going now, Mr. Morgan.¡± He raised his head to look at her room number, but a wistful look flitted across his eyes. It quickly disappeared as he gave her a gentlemanly smile. ¡°Miss Sinir, before you enter, may I have the honor of having your contact?¡± ¡°Is that necessary?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t really like small talk.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s put it this way¡ªwe probably will meet tens of thousands of people in our lifetimes, but not everyone has the opportunity to meet the same person again. This rare coincidence is enough for us to be friends.¡± He smiled and passed his phone to her. ¡°Do you mind?¡± Since Owen already said so, she would seem petty if she refused to give him. Even if she did not care about herself, Elise still had to give enough respect to Quentin. After all, Owen was not someone they could easily offend. However, she had a sudden brilliant idea. She took his phone and entered a series of numbers as she created a new contact in the phone. Then, she gave him back the phone. Owen took it back and he had a flirty sort of smile on his face, as if he had gotten some rare treasure. Standing at a corner not far from them, Keh saw what took ce and his gaze darkened. His fists were clenched tightly next to his body and in the next second, he immediately started walking toward Elise. ¡°Now that we are friends, can we have breakfast tomorrow?¡± Owen pressed the issue further after putting his phone away. By this time, Elise was getting slightly impatient. What is wrong with this guy¡¯s neverending, annoying requests?! It seems like if I¡¯m too kind, people will take advantage of me indeed. Thinking about this, she did not n to give him a kind hint anymore and was about to reject him upfront. Just as she was about to open her mouth, someone suddenly leaned against her. Before Elise could even make a decision, she supported the figure instinctively. In that instant, it looked like the princess saving the prince, instead of the other way around. ¡°F*ck!¡± Looking at the ¡®prince¡¯ in her arms, Elise cussed out loud. ¡°Why are you still pestering me?¡± ¡°I should be the one asking that! What did you tell Melody? As soon as I returned to my senses, she chased me out instantly. I¡¯m feeling very weak now and you need to take responsibility for this.¡± He pretended to be a weakling, ignoring how much strength Elise had to muster to support him. At this moment, he looked like a thick-skinned hooligan who refused to let go of her. She deserves this for giving another man her contact! I¡¯m going to throw a tantrum because I¡¯m unhappy about it. When they were at the lobby earlier, Elise already knew that Keh was alright. Hence, a sharp look flickered in her eyes as she looked at him behaving in this way now. ¡°Miss Sinir, do you know this man? Is he drunk? Do you need me to settle this for you?¡± Owen asked kindly. ¡°Nope!¡± ¡°Get lost!¡± Both Elise and Keh roared at the same time, sending Owen reeling. Keh slowly turned around and red daggers at Owen. If you dare to touch me, you are doomed. Elise looked conflicted. She wanted to ignore Keh but judging at how ¡®warm¡¯ Owen was, she might be in lots of trouble if thetter helped her out this time. ¡°Actually, he is my friend and we have something to discuss, so I¡¯ll take my leave first, Mr. Morgan.¡± With that, Elise quickly pulled Keh up and turned around to open the door. Then, she shoved him in and quickly closed the door. Chapter 494 Chapter 494 Chapter 494 I¡¯m Here to Protect You The door mmed shut with a loud, ruthless thud that sent a jolt through Owen. He returned to his senses and his exquisite facial features darkened. Did Elise just abandon me for a weak, sissy man? Wait a minute! Her fianc¨¦ is Alexander, so why is she so intimate with that man? From their attitude toward each other, Owen could feel the duo avoiding each other, as if they had something to hide. Is it possible that Elise is cheating on Alexander with this man? It¡¯s good news if that is the case. This proves that Elise and Alexander¡¯s rtionship is not as stable as I thought. However, I don¡¯t think she is as pure and innocent as I assumed. From Elise¡¯s strengths, she was, without a doubt, a woman of many talents who was good enough for Owen. However, he despised her slightly for her messy private rtionships. At the thought of the both of them having fun on their own even after getting married, Owen left her room quietly. Meanwhile, behind the closed door, Elise had been leaning against the peephole as she kept watch on the corridor. Upon seeing Owen turn around, she finally heaved a sigh of relief. At the same time, she narrowed her eyes dangerously at Keh, who was currently against the wall as she held him by the neck. ¡°After he gets into the elevator, you have no chance of staying here, understand?¡± Keh, however, smiled indecently and raised his other hand to stroke her hand that was mped on his neck. This made Elise quickly loosen her grip and retract her hand as she thundered, ¡°You jerk!¡± With that, she remembered that Owen was not that far from them, so she lowered her voice. ¡°Keh, there¡¯s a limit to my patience,¡± she warned. ¡°Don¡¯t you go around assuming that I won¡¯t dare to kill you!¡± Keh¡¯s lips twitched into a taunting smile as he countered, ¡°Go ahead, then. Even if I¡¯m dead, I will be a flirty ghost.¡± Speechless, Elise narrowed her eyes again. ¡°If you don¡¯t know the meaning of the words, don¡¯t simply say them.¡± Keh looked like his parents were of different nationalities and he was raised abroad when he was younger, so he likely did not fully grasp thenguage. However, he took two steps towards her as he purred, ¡°What do you mean? Why don¡¯t you teach me, Miss Sinir?¡± The passage leading to the door was neither narrow nor wide, but as the both of them stood opposite to each other, they were not that far from each other. Now that Keh had gotten closer to her, Elise was forced to take a few steps back until her back leaned against the wall. His warm breathnded on her face, making her ears tingle. She averted her gaze rationally and turned her palms around. In an instant, a silver needle was wedged between her fingers. Suddenly, a huge, warm hand wrapped around her hand that was holding the needle. His callused hand felt slightly rough when he touched her wless skin. Surprisingly, this inexplicably calmed her down. Her thoughts of killing him off, as well as her anger, disappeared in that instant. ¡°Stop poking me with all your sharp edges. I¡¯m here to protect you.¡± Keh looked at her with his earnest and honest ck eyes. Thump! Thump, thump! What is the noisy sound? Oh¡ªit¡¯s my heartbeat. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Elise raised her head to look at Keh nkly. In that instantly, a familiar feeling surged through her, as if she was facing Alexander right now. Her short-lived calmness dissolved into a frantic mess the moment she realized that. How can I fall for two guys simultaneously? ¡°No!¡± Troubled by her own thoughts, Elise didn¡¯t realize that she yelled out loud. Then, she quickly shook his hands off and turned around to open the door of her room to force herself not to look at Keh. ¡°You¡¯d better disappear from my sight this instant!¡± Keh¡¯s face darkened as he felt that something was off. This time around, Elise was very different compared to the times she got annoyed by his teasing. He had no clue where he had stepped over the line, but he knew very well that he could not continue this any further. Hence, he walked to the door without another word. When he reached the door, he turned around to look at her, his expression worried. However, what greeted him was Elise¡¯s icy, firm expression as she shut the door in his face. An inexplicable pain suddenly shot through his heart, making him have a hard time breathing. After a while only did Keh turn around, something shing in his gaze as he walked away in huge strides. On the other hand, Elise leaned against the door listening to the sound of his footsteps getting faint, a deep frown on her face. What is wrong with me? Why do I feel attracted to a man who already has a girlfriend? I shouldn¡¯t harbor such feelings! ¡­ The next day, the gem auction event continued smoothly. A day had passed and many people were sessful in their auctions and managed to get what they wanted. Because of this, the auction gained a lot of poprity and attracted people who wanted to get rich overnight. Some of them stayed there from the beginning without any urge of leaving¡ªthey were all gamling fanatics who were unwilling to leave without seeing the precious prizes. Nevertheless, even without the prizes, if they hung in there until the very end, they could watch the match between Elise and Ziggy. After all, the only thing that humans nevercked was curiosity. At ten o¡¯clock, Elise finally appeared at the auction site, the venue crowded with attendees. As soon as she walked past them, she elicited a rather bigmotion from the people who were gossiping about her. ¡°There she is! I already told you that this youngdy will not let us down.¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite dramatic indeed. Ziggy already brought his secret weapon, yet Elise still doesn¡¯t know that she is going to suffer a terrible defeat. My heart breaks whenever I think of such a beautifuldy weeping because she lost. Hahaha!¡± Though Elise heard their conversation, she pretended as though she didn¡¯t and walked past them calmly without speaking a word. Meanwhile, Tom, who was walking toward her, could not keep his cool. ¡°Miss Sinir, you already know that Ziggy brought his secret weapon. His ancestors are all important customers of the gem auction event. An average person cannot even imagine his connections in this industry. I¡¯m sure his secret weapon this time around is impressive.¡± Tom¡¯s brows were furrowed together and he had a hopeless expression. ¡°Is that so? Is the secret weapon better than me?¡± Elise merely asked indifferently with a confident expression. Tom was speechless upon seeing her attitude. Have you forgotten that the crowdughed for the entire day at the gem you opened yesterday? Her blind confidence and courage made him sigh continuously as he walked. He did not have any hopes in her at this point, and he was just hoping that she could get lucky and not embarrass them. However, before he could say something, Elise let out another loud yawn. He was torn between amusement and anxiety as he could guess what she was going to say. Sure enough, she rubbed her hands together and said, ¡°The air-conditioning is so cold that it makes me sleepy. I guess it¡¯s better for me to go back and take a nap.¡± Just like yesterday, she confirmed the crowd¡¯s suspicions openly and walked toward the entrance, leaving Tom alone in his fight. At that point, Tom was utterly speechless. It¡¯s not reliable to depend on Boss. As an employee, I have to depend on my own hard work. After cheering himself up, he walked back to the hall to pick from a collection of gemstones. Chapter 495 Chapter 495 Chapter 495 Scared Himself to Death However, Elise did not take a nap. Instead, she took this opportunity to meet Xavier. Exactly at 2 PM., there was a series of knocks on the door. Knock, knock, knock! Knock, knock! Knock! Upon hearing the rhythm, Elise quickly walked over to open the door. Xavier stood there in a shirt, vest, and a bow tie, looking like a hotel cleaner as he announced, ¡°Room service! Do you need me to clean your room?¡± ¡°You¡¯re just in time¡ªI identally spilled something on the carpet, so pleasee in and clean it up. And do be quiet, as I¡¯m about to take a nap.¡± With that, Elise calmly let him in. After she closed the door, he turned around. The perfunctory smile on his face instantly disappeared and his eyes turned vignt as he looked at her. ¡°Xavier?¡± Elise broke the silence first. ¡°You work for Joseph?¡± Xavier asked. Upon hearing that, Elise shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m just like you¡ªhe doesn¡¯t have any control over me. I¡¯m just working for him for a certain period.¡± ¡°Then you are from the SK Group. When will Joseph be arriving?¡± Xavier¡¯s tone immediately took an arrogant turn. He did not associate the weak-looking girl in front of him with Eliza, the ace of the group. Instead, he thought she was instructed by Joseph to deal with him. But Joseph doesn¡¯t need to do that. Apart from Eliza, no one else is good enough to be the middleman between Joseph and me, let alone this youngdy who doesn¡¯t even look like she¡¯s of age. ¡°Who told you that he ising?¡± Elise asked innocently. ¡°Are you fooling around with me?¡± Xavier¡¯s eyes narrowed as killing intent shed across them. Back when he was ambushed in Lithium City, even though it proved that the people who called him were right, it didn¡¯t mean that their motives were simple. As a skilled member of the SK Group, Xavier instinctively questioned whether he had fallen into another trap. ¡°Calm down. I don¡¯t have any malicious intent. Alright, alright. To tell you the truth, I¡¯m actually Eliza.¡± Elise revealed her identity in hopes of winning his trust. However, Xavier heaved an impatient sigh. ¡°Hasn¡¯t Joseph told you that Eliza is a man?¡± ¡°Nonsense! I¡¯m a young and pretty girl!¡± Elise protested in annoyance. ¡°Even without him telling me, I can think for myself, alright? I heard Eliza¡¯s voice, so I¡¯m pretty sure I can tell if it¡¯s a man or a woman,¡± Xavier replied impassively. ¡°Oh¡ªabout that¡­¡± At that, Elise took out her phone and made some changes before she recorded her voice. ¡°Is this the voice you heard?¡± After the application processed it, the voice of that man rang out. ¡°Is this the voice you heard?¡± Xavier¡¯s expression instantly darkened before he looked incredulously at the smooth and dewy face in front of him. Is the heavens ying a trick on me? How could a girl, who is not even twenty years old, be a hidden boss whom I can¡¯t even gauge her strength?! However, Xavier soon found an eptable answer for his question. Joseph must have joined forces with this woman to trick me. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s it! Since the internalwork of the SK Group could be hacked and two Josephs could appear, there¡¯s nothing impossible. Though Xavier did not know their reason for doing so, he was sure that he could not stay at this ce any longer. Once he sorted his thoughts out, he immediately threw a smoke bomb on the ground that instantly emitted smoke in the entire room. In the blink of an eye, the door was opened and a figure ran out of the room, right in front of Elise. Looking at the smoke bomb that still emitted smoke, she was rather speechless. Xavier is too paranoid! I look like a harmless youngdy, so he doesn¡¯t need to use thermal weapons just to escape from me, does he? Heaving another helpless sigh, she closed the door calmly and walked into the room to pick up the smoke bomb. Then, she walked to the kitchen to switch on the venttor to remove the smoke in the room. If this went on, the fire rm would be triggered. And so, Elise took a knife and took the smoke bomb apart in no time. The smoke had stopped, but her exasperation still remained. In the end, she took her phone out to send a message to Joseph. ¡®Why is this Xavier so paranoid?¡¯ He is just a rank lower than me, after all. To have such an overreaction from such a small case¡­ He probably might scare himself to death one day! Initially, Elise nned to get some information about Timothy Lancaster and his wife from Xavier, but looking at the current situation, she had no choice but to dy it. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Hence, she changed her ns and looked into the marketing report of Shaw¡¯s Jewelry Co. When her stomach finally grumbled in protest at 8 PM, Elise put away her stuff and went out to look for food. Since she was a rather wild kid when she was younger, she did not like the exquisite-western food and preferred street food instead. After she walked out of the hotel, she headed toward the food street immediately and bought some takeaways. Holding a bag of chips in her hand, she nibbled on them as she walked back to the hotel but before she reached the end of the street, she wanted to get another serving of tacos. Just as she was approaching the stall, she saw a young woman in a heated argument with a local middle-aged woman. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, madam,¡± the young woman said. ¡°I really don¡¯t understand you. Is this enough?¡± Throughout, she kept taking money out of her wallet. Perhaps she wanted to use money to resolve the problem to save herself some trouble. However, the middle-aged woman refused to take the money, and she gave it back to the young woman, all the while trying to exin in anothernguage, a troubled look on her face. After standing there for some time, Elise could make out the younger woman¡¯s expression. And so, she walked over with a slight smile on her face, nning to resolve the misunderstanding between both of them. ¡°She is telling you that she doesn¡¯t want your money and is giving you the food for free.¡± The young woman froze for a moment. Upon realizing that she had misunderstood the situation, she felt even more embarrassed. ¡°No, I can¡¯t ept that! Madam, you are running a small business here. I can¡¯t take advantage of you.¡± With that, the tug of war with money continued. Elise felt troubled seeing both parties refusing to take the money. After finishing her chips, she threw the bag into a nearby bin and took a stack of brochures from the stall and passed it to the woman. ¡°It¡¯s not that she doesn¡¯t want your money. Her son went missing and she wants you to take these brochures to further ces to look for him, as you are not a local.¡± Though the middle-aged woman did not speak thenguage, she could understand it. When she heard Elise¡¯s clear exnation, she smiled as she loosened her grip on the young woman¡¯s hand. In the end, both Elise and the young woman bought a set of tacos each and told her that they would take a few brochures with them. The middle-age woman was so happy that she grinned widely as she prepared their orders. While she was busy conversing with Elise, the young woman ced a few banknotes under the tes furtively. Though she did it inconspicuously, Elise noticed her actions. As they walked out of the food street, Elise teased, ¡°You are quite generous, miss.¡± The young woman smiled and pointed at the huge stack of brochures in her hand. ¡°Same goes for you, too.¡± They exchanged warm smiles with each other. ¡°I have to thank you for helping me out there. Otherwise, I would have thought the middle-aged woman was going to scam me. Are you from Dukethorn?¡± the woman asked. ¡°No, I¡¯m not. I just happen to understand what she¡¯s saying,¡± Elise said. ¡°I see. You must be very smart, then. The localnguage in Dukethorn is very difficult to understand. Even after learning it for a few years, I still can¡¯t understand any of it.¡± The woman suddenly appeared to remember something at this moment. ¡°By the way, I still don¡¯t know your name. I¡¯m Tina Baker, and you are?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Elise Sinir. I was born in Lithium City, but I just came from Landred City,¡± Elise replied. Chapter 496 Chapter 496 Chapter 496 Who¡¯s That? Tinaughed upon hearing that. ¡°Your self-introduction was quite special.¡± ¡°Yeah? I thought so too.¡± Elise giggled. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You helped me, so let¡¯s exchange numbers. I¡¯ll treat you to a meal some time after this.¡± Tina took out her phone with the intention to get Elise¡¯s number. ¡°There¡¯s no need. Let¡¯s talk about it in person tomorrow.¡± As Elise had things in both her hands, she was unable to take out her phone, so she rejected Tina¡¯s offer. Then, the former turned around and strode off in the direction where she hade from. When she returned to her room, she turned on theputer to contact Joseph while she ate. Joseph, whose body was still weak, was not in any condition to take a ne, so he didn¡¯te along. Instead, he remained in Athesea to monitor the internalmunication of the SK Group. However, that wasn¡¯t the reason why Elise looked for him at that moment. In fact, it was due to the poster of the stall owner. When she was at the food street earlier, she took note of all the details on the poster. The stall owner¡¯s son was a physics graduate student from a research institute in Dukethorn, who had gained the lecturers¡¯ special attention due to his outstanding academic performance. He had mysteriously gone missing six months ago and nobody knew whether he was currently dead or alive. Researchers usually had dull and boring lifestyles and they rarely made enemies. Therefore, it was apparent that this person¡¯s disappearance was more or less rted to the suicide case of the physicist from Athesea. Joseph soon went online, but he used the new identity that Elise had given him and a separate communication channel. ¡®Did everything go well with your trip to Dukethorn?¡¯ he texted, to which she replied, ¡®Everything¡¯s good. I need you to analyze a set of data right away. Please tabte the total number of physicists that we have in our country in the past two years.¡¯ Joseph then typed, ¡®Ten minutes.¡¯ The national database was rtively vast, so it would take time to analyze the data. Fifteen minutester, Joseph sent her a report together with his summary. ¡®Two years ago, the total number of top physicists registered in the database was 1760. It was 1680st year, and this year, there are only 1440 physicists. Other than 20 of them who passed away due to old age, the rest of them either disappeared or died. Besides, most of the missing university students studied physics.¡¯ Elise¡¯s gaze was fixated on the statistical report on the screen while her expression sank. She was practically certain that someone was targeting Cittadel or to be precise, they were trying to achieve the goal of suppressing the technological advancement of Cittadel by eradicating their researchers. A country¡¯s technological advancement was usually determined by their top physicists. However, there were people who schemed to slowly annihte Cittadel¡¯s researchers in order to bring the country¡¯s science and technological advancement to a standstill. Who in the world has such a huge ambition and capability? Also, what does this have to do with me and how does this rte to the SK Group? There were too many unresolved mysteries but fortunately for her, Elise wasn¡¯tpletely clueless on what to do next. After some contemtion, she replied, ¡®I understand. Memorize the data, then destroy them. Make sure that no one finds out that we investigated this. Also, figure out a way to summon Xavier back to your side. He doesn¡¯t trust me, so I have to leave him to you. I¡¯m afraid that he may get into trouble if he¡¯s allowed to run freely out there.¡¯ Joseph texted, ¡®Alright, I will do so right away.¡¯ After reading thest message, Elise exited the chat and destroyed all the data that she had received before switching off theputer. Perhaps it was because she had slept for a long time during the day, she wasn¡¯t sleepy at all when she lay on the bed. Instead, she was wide awake. Staring at the ceiling, she pondered whether she had ever shown her face in the field that consisted of the top physicists. In the end, her answer to it was no. Although she had secretly joined international physicspetitions out of her anger toward Reuben, that happened after she had been targeted, which proved that that wasn¡¯t the reason she was targeted in the first ce. She again recalled how the fake ¡®Joseph¡¯ had provoked her. Just you wait, I¡¯ll definitely find you. Ding! A sudden doorbell interrupted her train of thought. She nced at the clock on the wall, only to see that it was already 3.00 AM. Who woulde at this hour? In the end, Elise warily mbered out of the bed and tip-toed to the foyer. She then opened the peephole to secretly look outside. There was nobody outside, so she retracted her gaze. Could it be that I¡¯m hearing things? Maybe I¡¯m indeed too anxious, she thought to herself. However, just after she took two steps back to return to her room, the knocking sound on the door became hasty. What the heck? Who is this prankster who¡¯s pulling such a trick? She returned to the door in frustration. When she looked into the peephole again, it was still empty outside¡ªthere wasn¡¯t a single soul out there. With her brows knitted, she thought, Could it be that it¡¯s a kid? Possibly, since a kid wouldn¡¯t be visible through the peephole with their height. Just then, a loud knock was heard from the lower part of the door. It¡¯s a kid. She was certain. Alright kiddo, let me teach you a lesson for scaring others in the middle of the night when you are supposed to be in bed! Elise took a deep breath and put on a fierce expression. Then, she pressed on the door handle hard and abruptly pulled the door open. However, before she managed to begin her fierce lecture, a body fell onto the floor along with the momentum of the door opening. The person¡¯s head happened tond by her feet. She instantly recognized Keh, who seemed to be unconscious at the moment. He had cold sweat on his forehead and blood stains all over him as crimson blood gushed out from his abdomen, which was possibly the reason he was currently unconscious. His familiar side profile gave her mixed feelings but in the end, she gave in to her conscience. So, she dragged the man into her room and plopped him on the couch to bandage his wound. ¡°You are lucky that the medical kit in the hotel room is still usable.¡± After Elise found a medical kit, she undid his buttons to assess his injury. The wound was much deeper than she had imagined and it would require some stitches. However, the tools and medicines she had in the medical kit only allowed for a simple treatment. The fact that Keh had not gone to the hospital showed that he didn¡¯t want anyone to know that he was hurt, so she naturally couldn¡¯t take him out. All she could do at the moment was to disinfect the wound to prevent inmmation before going out to purchase some tools for suturing. After confirming on the treatment method, Elise used a tweezer to hold a disinfected cotton ball before rubbing it on his wound. The sharp pain instantly woke Keh up. He subconsciously grabbed Elise¡¯s wrist that was holding the tweezer as his eyes snapped open. Elise peered at him impassively, silently warning him with her gaze the danger that would happen if he were to continue to grab her hand. With a heavy head, Keh looked at Elise and weakly murmured, ¡°Ellie?¡± A menacing intent shed across her stunning eyes as she narrowed them. ¡°Are you aware that your injury will eventually kill you if I just leave you be? I don¡¯t even need to lift a finger.¡± Keh¡¯s zed eyes cleared as he mused, Right, I¡¯m now Keh, not Alexander. He let out a bitter smile and retracted his hand. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I hope to die in your hands.¡± She rolled her eyes at him and intentionally pressed the cotton ball harder against his wound. Keh inhaled sharply in pain, but Elise curled up the corner of her lips, grinning at him for her sessful mischievous act. He took notice of her slight expression, which made him exhale in resignation. Who knew my Ellie could be so cruel? However, the very next second, he felt happy inside. She always gives me special treatment. When he was Alexander, she would be gentle and patient; when he was Keh, she would be hot- tempered and grumpy. He had seen different sides of her. Hence, although the pain that he was enduring was so excruciating that he had broken out in cold sweat, he felt a strong sense of satisfaction well up inside him. Chapter 497 Chapter 497 Chapter 497 Let Me Sleep on the Floor Elise treated his injury in a rough manner. When she was dressing his wound, she looked up and saw him smiling, which in turn made her grit her teeth menacingly. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have saved this irritating man. He nearly died, yet he¡¯s able tough. I wonder what could make him put away his frivolous attitude. After putting on thest piece of ster, Elise tossed the remaining ones into the medical kit, then rose up and pped her hands. ¡°I¡¯m done bandaging your wound. You may now get lost and return to your own room.¡± Keh sat up on the couch, slowly buttoning his shirt as he replied roguishly, ¡°I can leave, but if I do and my wound bes inmed and I die out there, I¡¯ll stille back to knock on your door. If you wish to experience again how it feels like to be woken up from your sleep, I don¡¯t mind leaving.¡± She turned to face him, her gaze freezing. ¡°Keh Bailey, have you ever heard of the phrase called ¡®biting the hand that feeds you¡¯?¡± ¡°What if I have? Or what if I haven¡¯t?¡± He looked up at her with a weak smile. Under the lights, he seemed feeble but he was still good-looking. ¡°What you are doing now is exactly like that phrase. I¡¯ve saved you, but you are not going to let me have a good night¡¯s sleep,¡± Elise growled in a cold tone with her arms folded across her chest. ¡°I swear that I want to stay simply because I want you to be able to sleep peacefully. If I were to leave now and those who were chasing after me find me, I doubt that the problem you would be facing would be as simple as not having a good night¡¯s sleep.¡± In all honesty, his exnation sounded logical. Elise¡¯s gaze flicked from his face then to the door, and she decided that he had a point. ¡°You can stay, but you¡¯d better be good and stay in the living room. Otherwise, I¡¯ll throw you out of the room regardless of whether there are killers out there.¡± Keh shrugged, not taking her words seriously. Elise then darted a look in his direction and saw a nket on the couch, so she returned to her room at ease. After she had switched off the light and was about to get on her bed, she saw Keh¡¯s figure standing by the door of her room. ¡°What are you trying to pull off now?¡± she growled impatiently through gritted teeth. As he lifted his foot and marched toward the bed located near the floor-to-ceiling window, he responded, ¡°The couch is too small and I¡¯ll hurt my wound further if I sleep with my legs curled up. Since you have offered to help, don¡¯t leave things unfinished. Let me sleep on the floor in the room.¡± With that, he supported himself by holding onto the edge of the bed and sat on the carpet without waiting for Elise to reply. ¡°Do you have a death wish?!¡± Elise warned him fiercely. As soon as she said, he raised a hand and showed her the blood on it while uttering with an innocent expression, ¡°Look at this¡ªblood is seeping through the wound. Could you bear to see me suffering on the couch?¡± Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Elise wanted to say that she wouldn¡¯t mind, but the words seemed to be stuck in her throat. In the end, she caved in and awkwardly muttered, ¡°This is thest time I¡¯m going to make a concession. You¡¯d better not have any funny ns. I¡¯m a light sleeper, so I¡¯ll immediately wake up no matter what you do and I¡¯ll kill you.¡± Keh simply nodded. ¡°Miss Sinir, I¡¯ll remember everything that you said. I dare not forget them.¡± Elise rolled her eyes at him and was not bothered to fight him on this. Her back facing him, she pulled the duvet over herself and shut her eyes. As she had her guard up against him, she was paying attention to the sounds behind her. Keh kept inhaling sharply in pain at first, but he slowly became quiet and she soon heard his regr breathing. Only then did she let her guard down and fall asleep. As the night grew, Elise felt as if she was wrapped in her soft duvet and after some time, she felt as if she had fallen into a hot spring, whereby her whole body was enveloped in warmth. It still remained even after daybreak when the morning sun had lit up the entire room. Elise slowly opened her eyes. After a few seconds of grogginess, she saw arge hand that was ced on her. She instantly turned to her side and before the owner of the hand could react, she kicked the figure off the bed. Even Keh was unable to identify if he had been woken up due to her kick or the fall. Holding his injury, he mbered up, his face pale from the pain. Last night before they went to bed, he had deliberately rubbed his hand on his shirt to stain it with blood. However, at this moment, his wound had indeed torn open. He could even feel warm blood gushing out of the injury. When she saw that he was enduring the pain, Elise softened for a moment but she quickly put that feeling aside. I shouldn¡¯t sympathize with a touchy jerk who takes a mile when given an inch. In the end, she kept quiet and left the room to do her morning routine. When she exited the bathroom, Keh was seen sitting on the couch in the living room. ¡°There¡¯s nobody outside now. Please leave immediately.¡± Elise asked him to leave, her voice cold. At that, Keh raised his head and looked at her. ¡°I¡¯ve ordered breakfast. Let¡¯s eat before I leave.¡± ¡°I lose my appetite when I see you.¡± She folded her arms across her chest. ¡°You now have two choices. First, leave on your own. Second, I¡¯ll kick you out. You have sixty seconds to make a decision.¡± Keh pouted reluctantly. Just as he was about to continue pestering her, his phone rang in his pocket. He took it out and brought it to his ear. A few secondster, he calmly said, ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll be back right away.¡± He then killed the call, exhaling a deep breath in disappointment before raising his head to look at Elise. For some reason, he wished to stick to her when he was hurt. Having her in his sight alone was able to ease the pain. She was his medicine, his cure even, so he was reluctant to leave. ¡°It¡¯s time for you to make a decision,¡± she urged. A dispirited Keh pulled a long face and rose to his full height, sluggishly dragging his feet to the door. As soon as he stepped out of the room, he turned around and wanted to say something, but the door mmed shut in his face. It was fortunate that there was a gap between his face and the door that saved him from being hit in the face. ¡°She must have eaten a bomb.¡± Keh let out a doting yet self-mocking smile and shook his head before he left. In the room, Elise tried to recall what had happenedst night, thinking if she had done anything that she wasn¡¯t supposed to do, like hugging him or something along the lines. She cracked her head trying to recall anything, but nothing came back to her. This proved that she still had her honor and hadn¡¯t cheated on Alexander. Alexander, Alexander¡­ Elise missed him, so she gave him a call. Right now, she was like a person who had fallen into the churning water, desperately struggling to grab onto a log. The moment Keh stepped out of the lift, he felt a vibration from the other pocket, the one he used to keep his personal phone in. Even before he took his phone out, he grinned brightly, because only Elise was able to reach him on that phone. ¡°Ellie.¡± Keh altered his voice and returned to using Alexander¡¯s, his tone warm and doting. With the skill of faking his voice, he was able to perfectly conceal his identity, although he had nearly exposed himself in front of Elisest night when his head had been groggy due to the injury. Upon hearing his voice, Elise felt much relieved. That¡¯s right, the man I love is Alexander Griffith. Only he is able to give me this special sense of security. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± he asked when he didn¡¯t get any response from her for a long time. ¡°Nothing. I just missed you a little.¡± Elise pursed her lips as she raised her hand to hold her burning cheeks. She couldn¡¯t believe that she could be so forward to the point of confessing her love to him through the phone. Upon hearing that, he chuckled softly, the disappointment from being kicked out of her room now completely disappearing. ¡°I love you, Ellie.¡± Chapter 498 Chapter 498 Chapter 498 Exclusively Elise¡¯s Elise could feel her face burning. After inhaling deeply, she changed the topic. ¡°Don¡¯t sweet-talk me. Are you done with your business over there? I¡¯m almost done here. Do you want me to go over to help you?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡¯m almost done too. Let¡¯s meet up in Athesea,¡± Keh replied. ¡°Alright, then. You¡¯d better attend to your business.¡± She shrugged, unfazed by his rejection. However, as if she was suddenly recalling something, Elise dropped her usual gentleness and growled, ¡°But you are not allowed to flirt with other women. Do you hear me?¡± Keh was stunned to hear that at first but when he returned to his senses, he grinned even wider. ¡°Sure. When I get back, I¡¯ll have Cameron make a sign that says ¡®Exclusively Elise¡¯s¡¯. I¡¯ll hang it over my neck and carry it around. What do you think?¡± This sessfully made Eliseugh. ¡°Won¡¯t that make you a pet dog? Only dogs wear nametes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a dog, but I¡¯m your pet. By wearing a namete, when someone dares toy a hand on me, other people will know to inform you to take me home.¡± He coaxed her, treating her like a child as he subconsciously slowed down his pace. At a hallway far away from where Keh was, Melody took notice of the wide grin on Keh¡¯s face from afar. It made her frown, as if she was looking at a monster. Here we go again¡ªthe same old trick of giving a reward after a punishment. Even without him having to tell her, Melody knew that Keh must have asked for the ¡®punishment¡¯ on his own ord. She pouted, a look of disgust on her face. Perhaps Mr. Bailey has a slight fetish for self-abuse. I bet no one could tell that from how he looks¡­ Meanwhile, Elise, who was delighted to hear his sweet words, yed along. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll have to buy some rope and tie you by my side for the rest of your life.¡± Keh stopped in his tracks, his voice as tender as a silk garment that slid across ady¡¯s delicate skin. ¡°If that¡¯s true, I can¡¯t wait for it to happen.¡± He briefly paused before he added, ¡°Ellie, I can¡¯t wait to devote my whole life to you.¡± Elise pursed her lips in utter embarrassment. ¡°Alright, alright. I know. Considering that you are so madly in love with me, I promise you that I won¡¯t fall for anyone else no matter how tempting it is.¡± ¡°Is there anyone you find even more tempting than me?¡± Keh joked deliberately. ¡°Of course there is. You¡¯re such a narcissist!¡± Elise blurted out but when she thought about it, she had to admit that a good-looking and capable man like Alexander was indeed a rare gem. Although Keh had excellent capabilities, he was a yboy who loved to flirt around and he couldn¡¯t even protect himself. Hence, he did not even hold a candle to Alexander. D*mn it! Why am I thinking about that b*stard named Keh now? How could I think of another man when I¡¯m on a call with Alexander? The realization made Elise feel uneasy and it put a tight furrow between her brows. Her good mood suddenly disappeared and she became depressed once again. Keh, who was clueless about her mood changes, continued to prattle on, his tone reflecting his longingness. ¡°You have to be good and ensure you¡¯re not taken away by others. Otherwise, I¡¯ll hang a sign on you as well.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Elise¡¯s tone was adamant, but she herself couldn¡¯t tell if she said this more to herself or Alexander. ¡°Ha! I¡¯m just joking. Of course I have faith in you. Alright, I have to get back to work now. I¡¯ll call you again.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± After Elise had said that, Keh hung up. He put the phone in his pocket, the smile on his face dimming. ¡°You went to provoke Mrs. Bailey-to-be again, didn¡¯t you?¡± Melody teased. Keh darted a look at her, a shadow of a smile by his lips. ¡°Calling her Mrs. Bailey-to-be is not very appropriate. It¡¯s easier to call her Mrs. Bailey instead, since there won¡¯t be any other candidate for the position.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll call her Mrs. Bailey when we see her at the gem auction event, then,¡± Melody said. Upon hearing that, Keh chuckled as he muttered, ¡°You may if you want me to die.¡± Then, he moved away his hand that was concealing the stab wound, revealing the soiled blood stain on his clothes. ¡°Boss¡± ¡°Boss, what happened?! I¡¯ll get a doctor right away!¡± Melody¡¯s expression instantly became serious. ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s go in first. Contact Cameron in a bit and ask him to bring a doctor along when hees to pick me up. Make sure to keep a low profile so that nobody finds out about this.¡± Melody frowned at his words, but she nodded and agreed to him without questioning his decision. ¡°Alright.¡± With that, she turned on her heel and quickly opened the door, ushering Keh into the room. Upon seeing how nervous she was, he let out ament of self-mockery. ¡°You only remember that I¡¯m your boss when I¡¯m in a life or death situation.¡± Melody pulled a long face, unable to squeeze out even a tiny smile. ¡°Please be serious. It¡¯s not a good time to make jokes.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Alright, then. Can¡¯t you put on a show for a little longer and don¡¯t lecture me all the time¡­¡± Meanwhile, Elise fell into a daze thatsted for a long time after Alexander¡¯s voice had disappeared. What is it about Keh? I understand myself well enough to know that it would be impossible for me to fall in love with two people at the same time. However, why did Keh¡¯s name enter my subconscious so easily? I don¡¯t love him, yet I can¡¯t ignore him. What¡¯s wrong with me? This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Elise dragged herself to her room, feeling muddle headed. When she inadvertently nced at the clock on the wall, she paused for three seconds before she shouted, ¡°What the heck? It¡¯s 11.00 AM already?¡± It was thest day of the gem auction event and they hadn¡¯t even found a single rough stone. She had to depart right away, else she would bete. It¡¯s all that damned Keh¡¯s fault! It¡¯s his fault that I went to bed sotest night. He¡¯d better hope that we don¡¯t meet again today, else I will skin him alive! ¡­ At 11.30 AM, the entrance into the hall was already packed like sardines. Everyone tried to squeeze into the hall. Upon seeing Elise jogging in their direction, they started to squeeze their way inside more eagerly, struggling to reach the innermost part of the hall to get the best view to watch the uing show. ¡°Our female lead has finally arrived!¡± ¡°Everyone, open your eyes wide and look over there¡ªour beauty is here!¡± ¡°Oh my, it really is her! I thought that she chickened out after Ziggy¡¯s outstanding result yesterday after he managed to find a few good-quality jadeite!¡± ¡°Who are you toment about her? She ventures into danger knowing what she will face. You all should learn from her; she stilles even when she knows that she will lose. This sort of dedication and spirit of selflessness. Which one of you has anything simr to that?¡± ¡°I admit that I¡¯m no match for her. Even if I have the intention topete with her, I have to first possess that face and figure!¡± Words of mockery were heard from the crowd. Tom, who heard themotion, came over and immediately spotted Elise. He ran toward her inrge steps and cried like a man grasping at straws, ¡°Miss Sinir, you have finally shown up. I thought that you were going to give up!¡± Elise panted a little as she had run all the way there. She lifted her hand and waved at him as she said, ¡°Stay calm. I¡¯m exhaustedtely so I slept in a bit. We still have some time, so let¡¯s go and choose our rough stone.¡± As soon as the two of them stepped into the hall, they heard a loudermotion inside. ¡°There¡¯s four!¡± ¡°Victory is within Ziggy¡¯s grasp! After adding those that he found previously, he now has four top-quality rough stones. I reckon that nothing will go wrong with the few remaining rough stones, so I¡¯m sure that he will win!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see the girl around. Could it be that she chickened out?¡± Expression indifferent, Elise darted a look in the direction where the stones would be broken open. Currently, Ziggy was enjoying the crowds¡¯pliments, and quietly standing next to him was a woman. The woman was no stranger to Elise¡ªit was none other than Tina, the woman whom she had met yesterday. Chapter 499 Chapter 499 Chapter 499 No Need to Be So Self-Defeating Cleverly dodging them, Elise symbolically searched inside the room with Tom before turning around and leaving. Following behind her, Tom reminded, ¡°Ziggy¡¯s found several pieces of special-quality jade these few days, Miss Sinir. I imagine there¡¯s not much left inside that¡¯s good.¡± ¡°I see,¡± she replied tly without showing too much of a reaction. With that, she stepped out of the room and headed to where the second-grade rough stone was piled. ¡°Miss Sinir,¡± Tom protested, growing anxious as he saw that, ¡°you haven¡¯t paid much attention these few days, so you might not know that the Carnegie Family¡¯s higher-grade rough stone was selected from inside the room. Everything out here is waste rock. We¡¯d best save time by returning inside.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± she answered off-handedly but she had no intentions of turning back. After surveying the disy cases in the outer hall, she walked directly up to the person in charge of registration and rattled off a series of numbers, ¡°10896 ¡­11023.¡± There were a total of five numbers, all above ten thousand. Speechlessly, Tom watched on as he mused, Surely she doesn¡¯t need to be so self-defeating, does she? The rough stone at the venue was numbered ording to the organizers¡¯ preliminary review of them. The smaller the number was, the higher likelihood there was of the stone producing a jade; therger the number was, the worse condition the stone was in. Since the stones numbering six thousand and below were in the inner hall, there was no doubt that everything Elise chose came from the outer hall. By now, Tom was certain she knew nothing about stone gambling.N?velDrama.Org holds this content. ¡°We still have time, Miss Sinir. Perhaps we still have the chance to look through the stones carefully,¡± he made ast-ditch attempt to convince her. ¡°Even if we¡¯re going to throw in the towel just like that, we could still choose stones from the inner hall¡ªthat way, we might not suffer so many losses in the end. Or perhaps a miracle might happen like it did in Landred City!¡± With a smile, she patted his shoulder andforted, ¡°Hasn¡¯tdy luck been by your side all along? You¡¯re being too nervous. Calm down.¡± In the past, Tom might have been bolstered by her confidence but now, he could only feel endless despair. ¡°Miss Sinir, please listen to me. There isn¡¯t much left in the inner hall, but there¡¯s still a chance someone missed something. It¡¯s better than us trying to fill the quota by picking something from the waste heap.¡± ¡°Okay. You go pick; I¡¯ll pay,¡± Elise answered him good-humoredly before shushing him with her index finger when she saw that he was about to say something else. ¡°I respect your choices, Mr. Shaw, and I ask that you respect mine as well. When ites to stone gambling, there¡¯s no harm in buying a few more. Why are you so caught up in trying to convince me otherwise? Believe me, you¡¯re only wasting the time you have left to choose your own stones if you continue to pester me. So, go do what you wish, but do not interfere with my choices.¡± Once again, Elise¡¯s imposing, majestic manner subdued him. The thing was, she had the air of a natural winner, and he knew that even a loss at this time would not stop her from shining, for she was pure gold through and through. So, Tom didn¡¯t say anything else to her and only turned to instruct the registrar, ¡°Please help Miss Sinir register her choices.¡± ¡°Okay. Just to confirm, you both registered only one stone previously. Are you sure that on thest day of this auction event, you¡¯d like to choose these many stones from the outer hall?¡± Having heard quite a bit of gossip through the past few days, the registrar knew that Tom and the woman with him were the objects of Ziggy¡¯s bet. Thus, the registrar deliberately raised his voice, emphasizing the words ¡®outer hall¡¯ and attracting quite a bit of attention. ¡°Look, she has goals in mind now!¡± ¡°F*ck! She¡¯s bold. From the very beginning, she¡¯s only chosen materials from the outer hall. Clearly, she wants to stand out against Ziggy!¡± ¡°Oh¡ªplease. I bet she¡¯s creating a gimmick because she knows she¡¯s going to lose. Maybe the organizers hired her to drum up attention!¡± ¡°Rough stones from the outer hall? Ha! Is that any different from directly admitting defeat?¡± No one in the crowd believed in Tom and Elise. Very quickly, the registration was done. Lifting her head, Elise looked at Tom. ¡°What about the ones you like? Go note down their serial numbers and have them registered alongside mine.¡± ¡°There¡¯s only one I fancy, and even then I¡¯m not certain about it¡­¡± he hesitated. ¡°If you think it fits, you should choose it. Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m paying.¡± She had always been magnanimous to her friends. At this moment, Tom didn¡¯t know what to say. Inwardly, he sighed. Initially, he had thought he could ask her to help him assess the stone once she arrived, but based on today¡¯s scene, she was merely choosing at random, so how could he rely on her? ¡°I understand¡ª¡± he told her sincerely. ¡°¡ªbut I still have time. I think I¡¯ll look through the stones once more.¡± Making noment, Elise simply nodded to indicate her approval. Thus, girding his loins, Tom went back into the inner hall. Just like that, Elise was left alone to her boredom. Since there wasn¡¯t much time left before the halls would close for the morning, she retreated to the rest area for some drinks, intending to leave with Tom later. It didn¡¯t take more than a few minutes for Ziggy to appear with Tina by his side. He reached out to snag two sses of champagne from a passing waiter before approaching Elise with an expression that suggested he already knew he would win. A ss of champagne in each hand, he asked lightly, ¡°You seem to have some free time on your hands, Miss Sinir. Will you humor me by having this ss of champagne with me?¡± With that, he passed the drink to her while lecherously eyeing her delicate neck at the same time. In response, Elise lowered her head to nce down at the champagne before turning away with not much of a change in expression. Without reaching for the ss, she told him tly, ¡°Get lost.¡± The smile on his face instantly disappeared, only to be reced with annoyance. ¡°You¡¯re not above me, you b*tch! Do you think you¡¯ll be able to escape my grasp once the results of breaking open the stones are announced this afternoon? Very soon, you¡¯ll know what it feels like to be in the depths of hell!¡± ¡°And?¡± she sneered. ¡°Have I already lost? You don¡¯t know yet who will get thestugh.¡± ¡°I have four pieces of jade in hand and no doubt that at least half of my selections that haven¡¯t been broken open yet will contain jade. You rooted through the outer hall for a pile of trash that nobody wants. How could you possiblypare to me?¡± Ziggy scoffed disdainfully. Knowing it would be meaningless to argue with him since someone like him would not admit defeat until he was at the end of his tether, Elise ignored him. Meanwhile, noting herck of response, the previously timid Tina finally stood up for her. ¡°It¡¯s a gentleman¡¯s virtue to respect women, Mr. Carnegie. It reflects badly on the Carnegie Family for you as a man to pester a woman like that, not to mention that such a bet is meaningless, anyway. I think¡ª¡± ¡°Shut your godsd*mn mouth!¡± he snapped impatiently at her with a look of contempt and disgust. ¡°Your job here is to pick out the jadeite. You needn¡¯t interfere with anything else and you¡¯d best remember your ce!¡± Thus being reduced to worthlessness, Tina paled in mortification. Chapter 500 Chapter 500 Chapter 500 Go Ask Your Father After ncing between Elise and Ziggy, Tina finally clenched her teeth and left in indignation. This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. For his part, Ziggy wasn¡¯t the least bit affected and simply put down his champagne before going to sit on the couch next to Elise. Disgusted, Elise moved away, only for him to cling to her like a limpet and move in the same direction as her. After several such rounds, she was finally pressed against the arm of the couch with nowhere else to go, so she began to get up to leave. Immediately, he reached out and grabbed the armrest, blocking her escape route. Since she would have to touch his dirty arm if she still tried to get up and leave, she had no choice but to settle back into her seat. At this point, she turned to give him a cold, loathing look. Deep down, she was thinking that if he dared to touch her, she would incapacitate him so badly that he would never be able to have children. ¡°Surely you¡¯re not intending to molest me in front of everyone else?¡± Elise murmured neutrally. Ziggy¡¯s gaze was flirtatious and lecherous as he answered, ¡°What are you afraid of? It¡¯s only a matter of time before we go further than that.¡± With that, his free hand began to reach for her. His eyes were on Elise¡¯s waist¡ªthe waist so slender he would be able to envelop it with one arm. No longer could he wait to experience the feeling of hugging her. From this angle, he could vaguely even see the curves of her upper body. Truly, he couldn¡¯t resist her any longer. Meanwhile, the smile on Elise¡¯s face was growing, but there wasn¡¯t a shred of warmth in her eyes. The cushion of the couch was quickly going out of shape beneath her fingers, and she was prepared to rece it with a death grip on his hand at any moment. When she felt him leaning toward her, she let go of the couch, getting ready to strike. However, before she could grab hold of his cor and send him tumbling over her shoulder, he suddenly screamed as his arms tensed. ¡°Ow! Ow!¡± And then, as stiff as a board, he was made to stand up. Finally, Elise rxed her fists and looked over her shoulder to see what had taken ce. At some point unknown to her, Keh had appeared behind her. With his ck shirt and ck pants, coupled with an unreadable expression and an even more unapproachable demeanor, he looked like the Grim Reaper. Currently, he not only had a hold on Ziggy¡¯s hands, but had turned them outward by ny degrees. With the slightest force, Ziggy would likely be able to experience the marvels of living with outward-facing palms. Despite the change in Elise¡¯s expression, she didn¡¯t react any other way than to stare at Keh, unmoving. The frequency at which he appeared just in time to save her waspletely beyond her expectations. Very quickly, she remembered his wound and quietly looked at his waist. An injury there meant that he should not be exerting force, which was why his current actions suggested that he was tugging at his injury and had likely torn it open. Inexplicably, Elise felt her heart squeeze ufortably. Meanwhile, Ziggy was in so much pain that spots were breaking out before his eyes and the cold sweat on his forehead was causing his spiked fringe to copse from his melting hair wax. In short, he looked worse for wear. ¡°Who the f*ck are you clueless piece of sh*t? How dare you interfere in my affairs? I¡¯ll have you know that you won¡¯t be leaving Dukethorn alive if you go up against the Carnegie Family!¡± ¡°Go and ask your father if I¡¯m worthy of provoking you.¡± Keh was calm and unintimidated, clearly looking down on Ziggy. It wasn¡¯t as if Keh hadn¡¯t thought of the consequences. It was simply that, to Smith Co., the Carnegie Family represented less than the tip of an iceberg in power. As Smith Co.¡¯s leader, he naturally didn¡¯t fear losing their backing. ¡°Your family managed to achieve the status it has today only through umting the few assets it made from stone gambling and working with the local underground Eagle Gang. We¡¯d easily be able to tear down Eagle Gang, let alone crush your family with just a word!¡± Elise threatened faintly. Indeed, she had had this thought before. After all, with the exploitative rich, there was no reasoning to be had, only lessons to be learned. To be fair, she was somewhat exaggerating. There were countless underground organizations in Dukethorn, with the Eagle Gang being one of the more formal and widespread ones. Since even the local government couldn¡¯t do much about them, exterminating them wouldn¡¯t be as simple a matter as giving a word. Not expecting her to stand on the same front as him, Keh nced at her out of the corner of his eye in surprise. In truth, before he made his move, he had considered whether she would be on the same side as Ziggy just to oppose him. From the look of things now, though, her hate didn¡¯t run as deep. Nevertheless, she still guessed something he never expected. Pale-faced and flustered, Ziggy bbered, ¡°Who told you¡­¡± Without answering, Elise ducked out from underneath his and Keh¡¯s arms to stand off to the side. She could find out low-level information like which businessmen were colluding with which gangs just by walking the street. She didn¡¯t need an informant for that. Did he actually think she went looking for street food just to sate her appetite? With that, she nced at Keh once more before an idea suddenly popped into her head and she went to his side. Acting like someone who had the upper hand, she warned Ziggy, ¡°Take a clear look at this face. He¡¯s Keh Bailey, someone even your dad wouldn¡¯t dare to provoke. It wouldn¡¯t be a problem for him to exterminate the Eagle Gang, or do you wish for your family to disappear alongside them? ¡°You¡¯re Keh Bailey?¡± Ziggy had finally guessed the other man¡¯s identity. Narrowing his eyes, Keh replied, ¡°What do you think?¡± That confirms it, Ziggy thought. No one else could have that insufferably arrogant attitude. Not too long ago, Jim had told Ziggy there was someone he couldn¡¯t afford to provoke by the surname of Bailey at this gem auction event. Who knew he would run into Keh Bailey just like that? Still, with everyone at the venue watching on in curiosity, Ziggy couldn¡¯t afford to embarrass himself and could only stubbornly retort, ¡°So what? It¡¯s true that Smith Co. is powerful, but the wager between me and Miss Sinir is of a private nature. Everyone here knows it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate for Smith Co. to poke their nose into this affair!¡± ¡°And if I said that it was appropriate?¡± Keh turned Ziggy¡¯s hands outward even further. ¡°Ow! Stop! Stop that! Is the owner of Smith Co. just like that, forgetting his promises and bullying the weak just for a woman?¡± Ziggy persisted, gritting his teeth. As long as he had the moral upper hand, everyone would stand on his side. ¡°Well, no one said to cheat!¡± Elise interrupted, raising her voice. ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s being bold enough to sexually harass me, the wager of the bet, before the results of thepetition have evene out. Mr. Bailey only interfered because he saw the injustice in that. Now that you¡¯re on the losing side, you¡¯re suddenly in the spirit of honoring the contract? Your parents must be proud.¡± The corners of Keh¡¯s mouth hooked up proudly before it immediately dropped. As the light in his eyes dimmed, he suddenly exerted force, dislocating Ziggy¡¯s forearms and pushing the man away. ¡°Young Master Ziggy!¡± Finally, Ziggy¡¯s bodyguards rushed up, surrounding him and wanting to seek revenge on his behalf, only to be terrified into turning tail by Keh¡¯s bloodthirsty gaze. With no other choice, they could only slink away, dragging the yowling Ziggy behind them for treatment. Chapter 501 Chapter 501 Chapter 501 I Wouldn¡¯t Have Hurt if You¡¯d Died Soon after they left, the venue returned to order. In this race against time to get rich, the audience preferred to ignore the incident in favor of devoting themselves to the cause. When she noticed Keh¡¯s hand inadvertently holding his wound, Elise said before she could think too much about it, ¡°Thank you.¡± In response, he only looked at her affectionately without saying anything. What she didn¡¯t know was that he was absolutely entranced with the way she used his power to take Ziggy down a peg. Surely it wouldn¡¯t take long before shepletely got used to it and relied on this identity of his. The pain of Keh¡¯s wound was nothing inparison to the feeling of being relied upon by her. It wasn¡¯t until Elise realized something was strange and looked up at him that he quickly averted his gaze. Clearing his throat, he changed the topic and asked, ¡°How did you know I came to exterminate the Eagle Gang?¡± Stunned, she pulled back. No¡­ She¡¯d only been thering nonsense. It couldn¡¯t be true. ¡°You really exterminated the entire gang?¡± Elise murmured tentatively. Hearing that, Keh frowned. From her question, it seemed she hadn¡¯t known about this matter, and yet¡­ Seeing through his thoughts, she offered up an exnation. ¡°I only said all of that to scare Ziggy and to let him know that there were others better than him and not to be so brazen. I didn¡¯t know Eagle Gang was truly gone¡­ Is this why you got so badly injured yesterday?¡± Keh hummed in response. Having already let things slip, he had no choice but to confirm her suspicions. After a moment of thought, she continued, ¡°Did you do it single-handedly?¡± ¡°How else?¡± ¡°So, that was the reason you came to Dukethorn? Did Smith Co. and the Eagle Gang have irreconcble differences of some sort?¡± Instead of immediately replying, he simply stared at her expressionlessly. Feeling somewhat at a loss, Elise twisted her hands. In truth, she herself didn¡¯t know why she was suddenly so interested in his business, either, but with no way to take back what she just said, she could only wait silently for his response. Of course, there was nothing strange about it. Wasn¡¯t it worth her time to get to the bottom of anything she found suspicious? Yes, it was only because he happened to be Keh Bailey and not because he was Keh Bailey that she paid special attention. ¡°No,¡± Keh finally said after a long time, looking suddenly like a docile and loyal hound as he spoke slowly and softly. ¡°You were attacked by the people from that gang. I was afraid someone woulde after you if I didn¡¯t take care of them all. Clearing them out once and for all gives me less to worry about.¡± Thud thud thud¡­ And just like that, Elise felt her heart begin to race. As she stared at his earnest expression, she suddenly found that she had lost all ability to speak or express herself. There wasn¡¯t anything she could say or any way she could react. Only after a long time did Elise take a deep breath to calm down. Her tone icy, she muttered, ¡°Don¡¯t humor yourself by doing these things. I already have people I would give up my life for. If you¡¯d died at the Eagle Gang¡¯s haunt yesterday, I wouldn¡¯t have felt hurt in the least bit.¡± With that, she spun on her heel and walked away. Before she could get too far, Keh followed after her and caught her wrist. All at once, Elise¡¯s heart jolted like she had been electrocuted, and she shrugged him off in terror. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± Even though he didn¡¯t know what was happening to her, he lifted his hands in surrender. ¡°I have no ill intentions. I only wanted to say that your bet with Ziggy doesn¡¯t have to continue. It can end here.¡± ¡°What are you implying?¡± Her breathing was still somewhat unsteady. ¡°With the Eagle Gang gone, the Carnegie Family has no crutch to lean on. They can¡¯t cause any fuss and they wouldn¡¯t dare touch you.¡± That was when she caught his meaning. Only after breathing out deeply and readjusting her state of mind could she say as calmly as possible. ¡°You underestimate me. Do you think I can¡¯t win?¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say such things anymore.¡± Elise didn¡¯t wait for him to reply before continuing, ¡°I don¡¯t care who you worry about, but I don¡¯t need you to worry about me. Moreover, I never do anything that I have no confidence in, so just you wait and see. Once I get some top-quality goods, I¡¯ll have a piece of jewelry made to thank you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re taking it whether you want it or not!¡± she snapped forcefully. ¡°It¡¯s the only thing I can give you, nothing else apart from that!¡± Elise would never tolerate or ept having feelings for someone other than Alexander Griffith. And so, after leaving Keh with this sentence, she left the lounge and went to find Tom. By now, Tom had chosen two pieces of stone. After getting them registered, the duo left to have lunch. Right as they exited the venue, Tina could be heard hurriedly chasing after them. ¡°Hold on a minute, Miss Sinir¡­¡± She came up to Elise right as thetter stopped in her tracks and turned back. ¡°I said I would thank you today. Will you have lunch with me?¡± As Tina finished her quiet question, she looked away, only for her gaze to fall on Tom. In an instant, her smile became somewhat unnatural, and her hand that was clutching the strap of her purse subconsciously tightened as her eyes darted away. ¡°Sure.¡± Elise was quick to decide as she murmured, ¡°We can find a quiet restaurant with rtively few people in it.¡± Once they reached the restaurant, Tina went up to the host station to get a table number with Tom and Elise trailing behind her. ¡°Hey.¡± Elise nudged his arm to remind him, ¡°You¡¯re old acquaintances. Be proactive. Don¡¯t miss this excellent opportunity.¡± Flustered and uneasy, Tom protested, ¡°I¡¯m worried she¡¯s not interested in me, and yet my heart aches to see her with Ziggy¡­¡± This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. ¡°Well, you¡¯d best let her know, then. What¡¯s the point in only me knowing about it? At your age, it¡¯s completely up to you whether you want a wife. Don¡¯te crying to meter that I¡¯m not concerned with your personal issues as your boss,¡± Elise counseled meaningfully, sounding twice her age. At this point, Tom didn¡¯t know whether tough or feel awkward. After all, Elise herself knew that she was younger than him, yet she was teaching him about romance. Clearly, she was interested in everything except doing business through stone gambling. Of course, she was most interested in sleeping. In the less than a week since they met, Elise had spent half that time sleeping. Very soon, the trio got a table and sat down. Not long after that, as if she had remembered something, Elise picked up her cell phone and headed toward the exit. ¡°I have to make a call. You guys can get started first; there¡¯s no need to wait for me.¡± The moment she left, the atmosphere at the table became strange. Somewhat uneasily, Tom and Tina stared at each other, neither having the courage to speak up first. Finally drumming up his courage, Tom broke the silence. ¡°Uh¡ªlet¡¯s order first so that the food will get here by the time Miss Sinires back.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Tina agreed politely before pushing the menu over to him. ¡°You pick, I¡¯ll supplement.¡± Without further ceremony, Tom chose two kinds of meat and a vegetable to be shared among them before arranging for some drinks and pushing the menu back to Tina. After ncing through the menu, she picked out some dessert and appetizers before gging down an attendant. As she was passing the order form to the attendant, she suddenly remembered something and snatched the order form back, scribbling ¡®no scallions ortro¡¯ in a corner. Only when she finished writing and looked up to meet Tom¡¯s gaze did she realize she had revealed something by ident. Nevertheless, she still stubbornly handed the order form back to the attendant. The moment the attendant left, Tom sighed. ¡°It¡¯s been so many years, but you haven¡¯t forgotten that I don¡¯t like scallions andtro.¡± ¡°It has nothing to do with you,¡± Tina answered indifferently. ¡°It¡¯s simply that I don¡¯t like them.¡± ¡°You used to eat them in the past.¡± ¡°As you said, that was in the past. No one has stayed the same since. Can¡¯t I change?¡± Chapter 502 Chapter 502 Chapter 502 A Family Sooner or Later ¡°It was my fault all those years ago. I shouldn¡¯t have acted ording to my temper and abandoned you. Will you give me a second chance, Tina?¡± Tom¡¯s expression was despondent. ¡°Don¡¯t address me so intimately, Mr. Shaw. You could have anyone you wanted given your status now, so for Miss Sinir¡¯s sake, please don¡¯t make a fool out of me,¡± Tina replied neutrally. ¡°I¡¯ve never thought about anyone else.¡± Tom¡¯s gaze was affectionate but resolute. ¡°I was never with any woman after you. All these years, my only focus apart from business has been you. You¡¯re the only person I¡¯ve missed and longed for.¡± For a moment, Tina frowned, but the expression disappeared in an instant as she replied indifferently, ¡°In that case, let me make myself clear to you today, Mr. Shaw. You needn¡¯t waste your time. I¡¯m a person without a future. Everything I own belongs to the Carnegie Family now. No matter how long you wait, we could never be together again.¡± ¡°What if I dealt with the Carnegie Family?¡± he asked stubbornly. ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid. They¡¯re so powerful and you can¡¯t possibly defeat them¡­¡± ¡°As long as you¡¯re willing and wish for it, I will have a way of resolving the matter.¡± Hidden beneath the table, Tom clenched his fists as cold sweat started to break out on his palms. It was as if he had turned back into that seventeen or eighteen-year-old from all those years ago, nervously waiting for his sweetheart¡¯s reply. Tina stared at him and her frozen heart started melting all of a sudden. Color filled her world once again as she murmured, ¡°Alright. If they will genuinely let me go, I will¡ª¡± ¡°Sorry, I was too engrossed in my conversation. Have you guys ordered?¡± As Elise suddenly sat down, the dialogue between the duo came to a halt. Naturally, Elise could tell from their faces that something was off, but she could only shrug innocently, thinking that she hadn¡¯t returned at the right moment. In truth, she had gone out to answer Joseph¡¯s call. He informed her that they managed to get in contact with Xavier and asked her if she had run into any trouble in Dukethorn. As she was asking Joseph to look into someone on her behalf and have the information sent over to her, Elise hadn¡¯t paid attention to how long she was gone. ¡°We ordered some food,¡± Tina said politely now, pushing the order form over to Elise. ¡°You should get some things that suit your taste.¡± Carelessly, Elise waved her hand. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not picky. This will do.¡± And then, she turned to Tom. ¡°I nearly forgot¡ªonce the gem auction event is over, you¡¯ll have to go with me to pick up a jewelry designer. Her designs are novel and unique. If Shaw¡¯s Jewelry Co. wants to make a breakthrough, we¡¯ll have to strike our own path and rely on unique designs as our stepping stone to sess. In the future, we shall focus only on quality, not quantity.¡± Narrowing her eyes in amusement, Tina quipped, ¡°I¡¯m afraid my presence is interrupting your business talk.¡± After all, business nning could be considered confidential. It wasn¡¯t proper for her as an outsider to be listening to them. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Elise replied with a mild smile, taking a sip of her drink. Out of the corner of her eye, she quietly took measure of Tina, thinking that there was no need to be on her guard for they would all be a family sooner orter. After lunch, the closing ceremony ended early. The long afternoon was the highlight for the stone owners, for one of the rules of the gem auction event was that all stones would be broken open in public at the venue before being taken away. This was to maintain the prosperity of Dukethorn as the stone gambling capital and to analyze how many pieces of rough jadeite stone came from Dukethorn every year. As much as it was publicity, it was even more so a subtle way of showing off. On this final day of the auction, there were even more people than on the previous two days. Most of them were here to witness the results of Elise and Ziggy¡¯spetition; some had even brought their family to spectate the gossip for themselves. ¡°There must be only nine pieces of raw material left now.¡± ¡°More or less-¡ªfive of the woman¡¯s and four of Mr. Carnegie¡¯s.¡± ¡°He has less than the woman?¡± ¡°What do you know? He already managed to find four pieces of high-quality jadeite yesterday. Even if he only managed to find one piece today, he would already have far surpassed her. Surely she can¡¯t be the other God¡¯s Chosen Girl, with every selection producing top-quality jadeite.¡± ¡°True! Not to mention that everything she chose was rough stone from the outer hall, and we all know what those stones are like¡­¡± ¡°Needless to say, Ziggy wille out victorious!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget their wager. Don¡¯t you wish to see what a woman so gorgeous would look like underneath Ziggy? Ha!¡± Amid all the noise of the tongue-wagging, Tom and Elise finally managed to squeeze their way through the crowd and into the inner hall. Upon the tform where the rock was to be broken open, all of the rough stones waiting to be machine- cut and polished had been arranged in a row. Elise could very easily distinguish the five pieces she had selected. This was mainly due to hers being so small that they looked somewhat ugly inparison to the stones Ziggy had chosen. ¡°Even hearts stop, but gossip clearly doesn¡¯t,¡± Elise teased the crowd. Tom rubbed his hands together excitedly. In all his years of stone gambling, such a scene was unprecedented. Almost supernaturally, Elise noticed Keh and Melody entering the venue through the crowd. As they were escorted by the security guards, a path opened easily for them, and they were able to make their way in slowly and sedately. When Elise sensed that Keh was about to lift his head, she cleverly averted her eyes. Finally, like a beauty-pageant winner, the staff member in charge of exining the process entered the scene amid cheers from the audience. As the rough stones were assigned to two different masters one by one, the volunteer in charge of maintenance and inquiries invited, ¡°Miss Sinir and Mr. Carnegie, please step forward.¡± Like a soldier up for review, Ziggy lifted his head and puffed out his chest before striding up to the equipment nearby one of his rough stones. Someone must have reattached his dislocated arms. Meanwhile, Elise stood at the other end of the tform and stopped the master who was about to cut into her stones. ¡°No, don¡¯t use machinery. Polish them manually with tools. They won¡¯t be perfect anymore if you cut them in half.¡± As soon as she said that, the people next to her began to snicker. ¡°That means she thinks she¡¯d be able to find jadeite. Ha!¡± ¡°What a stubborn mule! It¡¯d be a miracle if she managed to find a glint of green from the goods in the outer hall, let alone something whole and perfect.¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. Even the master was somewhat reluctant. After all, he had been in this line of work for years. It wouldn¡¯t be a problem if he cut three times into the stones numbering above six thousand, let alone the stones numbering above ten thousand. The chances of these stones producing jadeite were infinitesimal. Why would he waste time polishing them by hand? Nevertheless, however reluctant he was, this was his job. Although he sighed deeply, he still carried the stone over to the hand grinder and began to manually polish it. With familiar ease, Ziggy pointed at the master in charge of his stones and instructed, ¡°Do the same as yesterday.¡± Simultaneously, both masters began polishing. Despite the size of the stones Ziggy selected, it only took about a minute after the machine cut into them for them to produce jade. ¡°Tsk! There¡¯s no surprise there¡ªhigh-quality goods again!¡± ¡°Yet again? Does the Carnegie Family have an all-seeing eye? Who couldpete with these odds of finding jadeite?¡± At this moment, Ziggy¡¯s master couldn¡¯t help bing careful for fear of damaging the jadeite inside. Gently, he blew the powder off the stone so that the green would be even more transparent. The cut had sessfully drawn the audience¡¯s attention, and they were now waiting with bated breath to see what the second cut would reveal. Meanwhile, since she had insisted on every piece being hand-polished, the progress being made on Elise¡¯s rough stones was immeasurably small. Ziggy shot her a contemptuous nce and the corners of his mouth curled up into a smug smile. He had said it before and he would say it again¡ªhe would win! Chapter 503 Chapter 503 Chapter 503 God¡¯s Chosen Girl Has Revealed Herself At this point, the master made the second cut extremely cautiously. The entire process took about 10 minutes before the externalyer of the rock was finally removed, revealing the treasure inside. In those few short moments, the entire crowd was silent before suddenly erupting into a roar. ¡°That is the highest quality ssy species jadeite! Look at its color and its degree of transparency! This is truly rare!¡± ¡°F*ck! I knew there¡¯d be a surprise today, but I didn¡¯t know there¡¯d be such a great surprise! It¡¯s an opportunity of a lifetime to be able to see this quality of ssy species jadeite with my very own eyes!¡± ¡°Well, I told you all to read more. Tsk! To only be able to say these few words at this crucial moment¡­ Let me tell you all¡ªthis is imperial jade. To use fine gold as an analogy, it¡¯s 999 gold. Truly a treasure!¡± Gasp after gasp followed thatment, as if anyone who didn¡¯tpliment the jadeite would look uneducated. In truth, such jadeite was indeed rare. Even Ziggy couldn¡¯t help brightening up and revealing his surprise, as if he hadn¡¯t anticipated such unexpected good news. ¡°Do you still think I won¡¯t win?¡± He looked arrogantly at Elise. On the other hand, Elise pretended not to see that and only stood expressionlessly in her spot, staring at her own stone without ncing away for even a moment. The work of breaking open the stone was still in progress and together with the whispers of the crowd, the roar of the engine and the tapping of the hand-polishing made the entire space buzz like a hive. At this moment, almost everyone had their attention on Ziggy, since there was no denying he had found imperial jade. As long as it upied around half of the already massive rough stone, he would be able to sell it for upwards of fifty million. Right at this moment, on Elise¡¯s side, the master who was breaking open the stone suddenly paused in his actions. ¡°What?!¡± he blurted. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Deeply afraid that the master would definitively dere the stone as waste rock, Tom watched on with his heart in his throat. If that were the case, he would truly lose his confidence. After all, his opponent had four top-quality goods to speak of. ¡°Calm down.¡± Elise patted his shoulder. ¡°This jadeite is somewhat strange.¡± The master smacked his lips, suddenly bing alert and determined. At the same time, he began to polish more vigorously, and his mouth gradually fell open as his world-weary eyes shed in astonishment. Meanwhile, Tom had his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles were cracking out loud. His mouth was also dry from nerves. On the other hand, Elise looked as calm as she always did, as if she was simply on a grocery run at the supermarket. ¡°My god¡­¡± By now, the master had stopped moving and was staring at the stone he was holding in awe. As some of the audience members noticed his reaction, they craned their necks to see what was happening while asking loudly, ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on? Keep going!¡± With that, more people began to look over. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me he actually found a green stone?¡± ¡°Even if he did, nothing of good quality coulde from the stones in the outer hall.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. There is no green.¡± The master seemingly hadn¡¯t recovered from his shock. As those who were paying attention revved up to start another round ofmentary, he beat them to the punch by saying, ¡°There¡¯s red.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a rare blood jadeite!¡± The master finally calmed down enough to announce to the audience, his voice determined, ¡°Only one other piece has been found in thest 100 years, at the previous gem auction event in Landred City. I¡¯ve seen pictures of it. It¡¯s of the same kind!¡± The people around him stared with their mouths agape, expressions disbelieving. All of them were astonished. As if ¡®blood jadeite¡¯ was the signal to gather, the crowd instantly began to swarm the station where Elise¡¯s stones were being broken open, seemingly wanting to make up for not having seen the blood jadeite in Landred City with their own eyes. Under the pale light of the incandescentmp, the corner of the red jade looked like a beating heart. Despite the fact that it was obviously stationary, it gave onlookers the impression that it was moving, alive and boasting of its vitality. Even its color was peculiarly and astonishingly a thrillingly red, making its onlookers feel as if they were on the shores of sunset and witnessing the beauty of the sky. It was top-quality ssy species jadeite, a blood jadeite, no less. Just like that, the crowd fell as silent as the dead, their greedy eyes sweeping toward the rough stone on the tform like a wave. In this moment of stillness, there were seemingly countless invisible hands reaching out to pick up the treasure and gaze upon it like a jewel. It wasn¡¯t until they came back to their senses that they realized they were in a dream with the seeming alive red jade ying the leading role. Just like that, they became even more obsessed with that piece of blood jadeite. Throughout jadeite¡¯s long history, green was the only color that normally formed. Who knew what kind of mysterious, soul-stirring story was behind the birth of other colors of jadeite? Even then, Elise¡¯s current piece was top quality among red jade. It could be considered one of a kind¡ª so rare that it was practically serendipitous for her to havee across it. By now, the audience had arrived at the mentality that the seemingly alive piece of jade could be viewed from a distance but not touched by hand. As if they were afraid that making noise would disrupt this piece of jade, they remained dazed and motionless. Thus, Ziggy and the audience members closest to him hadn¡¯t noticed this amazing spectacle next to them. It wasn¡¯t until all of his stones were broken open that he looked upon the two fist-sized pieces of jadeite on his tform and ground his teeth smugly. He had five pieces of high-quality and top-quality jadeite, which was the sum of Elise¡¯s rough stones. How could she possibly beat him? So, he let out a sigh of relief and turned to look at how things were going on her end. His face changed the moment he did so and his previously amicable expression disappeared as a tight frown and a hostile demeanor overtook him. At this moment, Elise was in the middle of the crowd, with Tom standing next to her and holding a piece of red jade twice the size of Ziggy¡¯s imperial jade. It looked so red it could have been bleeding, and so heavy that Tom¡¯s face wasparably crimson, yet the man continued to hold onto it with a grin until even the tips of his ears turned red in the end. The thing was, Ziggy was intimately familiar with stone gambling and knew that the piece of blood jade in Elise¡¯s hands was worth more than all of his pieces of jadeitebined. If he wanted to beat her, he would need a few more pieces of imperial jade, but the gem auction event had ended and all of his rough stones had been opened. No longer would he have the chance. Furiously, he ground his teeth. ¡°Green! Thest piece has green as well! All of the stones are green!¡± As thest of Elise¡¯s rough stones were broken open, the crowd began to mor. ¡°All green? You are God¡¯s Chosen Girl! God¡¯s Chosen Girl has shown her face! Wow!¡± ¡°F*ck! She must be the girl from previously! We¡¯ve been tricked. She kept a low profile to confuse us!¡± ¡°The Carnegie Family has lost to God¡¯s Chosen Girl two years in a row. What a bunch of losers. Ha!¡± ¡°Ignore them. She¡¯s God¡¯s Chosen Girl! You¡¯re a goddess and my idol! We love you, God¡¯s Chosen Girl!¡± A myriad of emotions crossed Ziggy¡¯s face and anger started to brew in his stomach. So furious that he was nearly breathless, he nced menacingly at Tina out of the corner of his eye. This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. ¡°You b*tch! Did you purposely leave the blood jade in the outer hall to them?¡± he growled, pointing a finger at her. Finding him unreasonable, she snapped incredulously, ¡°You¡¯re suspecting me? If I wanted to mess with you, I wouldn¡¯t have waited until now to tamper with the stones.¡± Chapter 504 Chapter 504 Chapter 504 Consider It Charity This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. As his eyes were bloodshot and the veins on his face were pulsing due to his anger, Ziggy growled, ¡°You must have colluded with them to y a trick on me! Well? Exin yourself. Why didn¡¯t you look for the red jade?¡± He looked somewhat savage as he spoke. ¡°Can you be reasonable? You¡¯re the one who said I could only choose from the inner hall; I didn¡¯t even have the chance to head to the outer hall. How can you me me now? Besides, I¡¯m not a god. I¡¯ve never seen a blood jade before. How would we be able to find it just because I¡¯m here?¡± Tina stood up for herself. ¡°¡®Reasonable¡¯? Hah¡ª¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you be more reasonable?¡± p! By the time he was done sneering and the audience could react, Tina was pped so hard that her head had been turned to the side. There was a clear palm print on her cheek and a trail of blood running down from a corner of her mouth. Never did anyone expect Ziggy to hit a woman. While most people were aware of the Carnegie Family¡¯s bad reputation, they were shocked to personally witness Ziggy pping a woman and making fun of her. Meanwhile, as her nose started to itch, Tina cupped the cheek he had pped and finally let out a sob. Her tears fell drop by drop and blended in with the puddles that the rock grinder left on the ground and disappeared. Like her sob, her tearssted only a moment. She couldn¡¯t cry¡ªnot at an asion like this. Crying at a ce like this would only serve as entertainment to indifferent onlookers. She was the daughter of the Baker Family; she couldn¡¯t appear weak in front of others. Yet, even as she told herself that, her tears continued to well up. Of course, careless to propriety and feeling like he hadn¡¯t managed to enjoy that p to his heart¡¯s content, Ziggy lifted his hand once more and prepared to vent all of his anger on her. Unexpectedly, Tom rushed over at this moment and stood in front of Tina. The previously timid and weak-willed man was now aggressively waiting for Ziggy. ¡°Who do you think you are to be worth acting like a knight in shining armor in front of me?¡± Ziggy prodded Tom so hard on the chest that Tom¡¯s body swayed. nting his feet firmly on the ground, Tom answered with insistence, ¡°Don¡¯t me her for your inferior skills. What right do you have to hit her?¡± ncing at him and seemingly receiving some kind of confirmation, Ziggy red at Tina. ¡°I see you¡¯ve been working together. No wonder you¡¯re always out by yourself these days. From the looks of it, you¡¯ve been acting as an informant to this son of a b*tch. For that alone, I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Elise disdainfully shook her head and walked over to stand in front of him. ¡°If you¡¯re that skilled, why didn¡¯t you choose your own stones? Are all of the Carnegies a bunch of good-for-nothings who can only rely on women?¡± An infuriated Ziggy shouted, ¡°Shut your trap, or I¡¯ll kill you!¡± ¡°Sure, but before that happens, please keep your promise. Frostine Murray¡ªthe designer from your shop. Have someone bring her here.¡± Although Ziggy¡¯s fists twitched, he didn¡¯t dare to make any moves. After all, everyone at the venue knew the terms of their bet. However reluctant he might be, he couldn¡¯t go back on his word in front of everyone else. ¡°Additionally¡­¡± Elise looked at Tina. ¡°I want to redeem that woman. I¡¯m paying her debts today. From today onward, the Baker Family will no longer owe the Carnegie Family.¡± In Dukethorn, there were certain customs that were not in thewbook yet. Human trade was one of them. Although thew did not officially recognize the contracts surrounding the sale of humans, the contracts still carried the force ofw in their own way. It was through one such contract that Tina entered the Carnegie Family since she had no other way to pay her parents¡¯ debts. That was how the world worked¡ªafter the happy childhood her parents gave her, it seemed right for her to carry their debts. ¡°F*ck, no. She belongs to the Carnegies. Even when she dies, she¡¯ll die in the Carnegie Family!¡± Ziggy snapped in an insufferably arrogant manner before eyeing Tina sinisterly. Once they arrived home, he would make her life on Earth even worse than in hell. As if she could see her own fate, she pushed Tom aside and said in resignation, ¡°You needn¡¯t interfere any longer. I can figure out my own matters.¡± ¡°So, you mean to say that you wouldn¡¯t like to work with me.¡± Elise suddenly chuckled. ¡°You might want to buy her, but you can¡¯t force me to sell her.¡± Ziggy spread his hands and challenged her with a look. A vexed Tom asked, ¡°What are we going to do, Miss Sinir?¡± The moment he asked that, Elise snapped her fingers. In the next second, a man in leather shoes and a suit squeezed out from the crowd to pass a stack of documents to her before quickly leaving. ¡°At a gem auction event 12 years ago, Tina Baker¡¯s parents managed to locate a piece of top-quality imperial jade. The Carnegie Family attempted to buy it at a low price but sent people after it when the Bakers declined their offer. As a result of the grievous wounds they sustained during the assault, Mr. and Mrs. Baker passed on. Following that, the Carnegie Family fabricated some debts as an excuse to retain the Bakers¡¯ only daughter for personal use. The money she made for the Carnegie Family all these years has been enough to redeem herself, yet when ites to your ount books, the amount of debt owed has only increased on a yearly basis! The Carnegie Family has never intended to let her go!¡± As Tina listened to Elise talk, so much emotional pain had overwhelmed her that she swayed on her feet. It was a good thing Tom was there to support her. ¡°Nonsense! How dare you frame the Carnegie Family! I¡¯lle for everything your family has!¡± Ziggy warned arrogantly. ¡°Oh? And when this evidence reaches court, your family¡¯s assets will be seized. Do you think you¡¯ll be able to afford awyer by then?¡± Elise sneered as she waved the document folder in her hand. After ring at each other for less than five seconds, Ziggy was the first to admit defeat. ¡°That won¡¯t happen¡­¡± ¡°Your family knows best whether that will happen.¡± Elise tossed the document folder onto the nearby table before continuing calmly, ¡°As long as you produce Tina¡¯s contract, you¡¯ll be able to leave with that evidence. Otherwise, I can have someone from the public prosecutor¡¯s office over toe and get it. Your choice.¡± For an insurmountable amount of time, he stared at her with his jaw clenched before finally looking at his assistant, receiving the contract the assistant produced, and tossing it onto the ground. ¡°You can have it for free. Consider it charity!¡± With that, he went to pick up Elise¡¯s document folder himself before fleeing. The moment he left, the audience¡¯s attention returned to the red jade. ¡°Are you prepared to sell the red jade, Miss Sinir?¡± ¡°Sell it to me, God¡¯s Chosen Girl. I¡¯m your fan!¡± Elise apologized with a grin, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m keeping it as a gift for someone.¡± ¡°Huh? Red jade as a gift? Who is thick-skinned enough to ask for that?¡± As soon as they said that, Keh made his way from the crowd and walked up to the person who called him ¡®thick-skinned,¡¯ asking, ¡°Do you think my skin is thick?¡± A look into his sinister dark eyes sent the person fleeing for safety. Keh lifted his head with a teasing smirk to look at Elise and said with confidence, ¡°I knew that you wanted to give me something, which is why I came on my own.¡± ncing at him, she answered mildly, ¡°I did want to give you something.¡± With that, she walked up to the tform next to Tom, picked up a fist-sized piece of imperial jade and ced it in Keh¡¯s hands. ¡°Thank you foring to my rescue these few days. We¡¯re square now.¡± ¡°Square?¡± He stared at the piece of imperial jade before looking back up at her. ¡°Is this all I get?¡± ¡°What else?¡± Elise asked. In response, Keh tilted his head and lifted a finger to point at the red jade in Tom¡¯s hands. ¡°What about that?¡± Knowing what Keh was referring to without even having to nce over her shoulder, she answered calmly, ¡°That¡¯s for my fiance.¡± Instantly, the light in his eyes dimmed and he looked at her with hurt. ¡°So, I can¡¯t bepared with that person even though I sacrificed my life for you?¡± Behind him, Melody gawked in disbelief. How could he possibly be jealous of himself? Chapter 505 Chapter 505 Chapter 505 Who Said We Were Lovers At this point, Elise gave Keh a detached, apathetic look. ¡°There¡¯s one thing I want you to be clear about, Keh Bailey. You¡¯re not the only person who would die for me. If you did those things for me to pay you back equally, then you¡¯ve miscalcted. From the very beginning, you¡¯ve already miscalcted. I never asked you to do those things for me. I don¡¯t need you to, nor do I wish for us to have such a reciprocal rtionship.¡± The crowd nearby snickered. ¡°Wow, looks like there are times when even handsome men can¡¯t get the woman whom they love.¡± ¡°Hey, you might be handsome, but you¡¯re old. Perhaps you shouldn¡¯t covet the youngdies anymore?¡± ¡°Oh, hold your tongue. Men always like the young ones.¡± ¡°If you ask me, courting women in public seems a bit like emotional ckmail.¡± ¡°That depends on how handsome you are¡­¡± Thements went on and on, turning this bout of public courtship into a joke. In the beginning, Keh only kept his eyes on Elise, staring at her as piously as a monk and seemingly waiting for her to change her mind. However, as he realized that she showed no signs of softening, his gaze turned cold and he turned his head to nce mildly at the onlooking crowd. Instantly, theirughter came to a halt. The man in front tightly pursed his lips and offered a fake smile as he turned into a tortoise hiding in its shell whocked the courage to move. The world was full of narcissists like these who would watch the world burn only to then act like they were on a high horse and had nothing to do with the trouble once it truly started. It wasn¡¯t until no one dared tough any longer that Keh turned back to nce iprehensibly at Elise, toss the imperial jade to Tom, and walk away. As Elise breathed a sigh of relief, she gave Tom a look. ¡°You can send Miss Melody back in a bit and have her take the jade with her.¡± Since Melody was already prepared to leave, she turned back. ¡°Excuse me, Miss Sinir. Did I offend you in some way?¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°Why would you think that?¡± ¡°Why else would you have me take back something that my boss didn¡¯t want? Would you like to watch me lose my job?¡± Melody frowned and gave her a look of bewilderment that was typical of intellectuals. ¡°My apologies.¡± Elise shrugged. ¡°I thought you two were lovers and that I might spare you his temper if you brought the jade back for him. I meant no harm.¡± ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Melody held up her palm to make the ¡®stop¡¯ sign. ¡°Lovers? Who said we were lovers?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? You both go everywhere together. You live in the same house, and¡­¡± There were other things inappropriate to mention in public. Sighing helplessly with her hand to her forehead, Melody replied, ¡°In truth, Miss Sinir, you¡¯ve seen us enter the same residence but not in the same bed. We¡¯ve never even held hands. Don¡¯t you find that strange?¡± Looking at her in puzzlement, Elise responded, ¡°It would be stranger if I¡¯d seen it.¡± Melody surely was a tad bit too open-minded if she expected Elise to be there to witness what the couple were doing in bed! The response tickled Melody, who would have kept a straight face even if the sky fell on her, so much that even she couldn¡¯t helpughing desperately. ¡°It would be quite strange. However, that¡¯s not the point. The point is that you¡¯ve misunderstood us, Miss Sinir. Mr. Bailey and I have the tonic rtionship of a superior and a subordinate. Furthermore, he¡¯s not my cup of tea, so please don¡¯t ce me in an awkward position any longer.¡± At this point, she turned on a dime. ¡°And on that note¡ªthe repayment of a debt of gratitude doesn¡¯t depend on what you have but what the other party wants.¡± With that, she resumed her mechanical smile as she nodded before turning to leave. Elise fell into deep thought as she reflected on Melody¡¯s words. This was what she was worried about. As long as Keh never spoke up, she would forever owe him a debt of gratitude. It was frustrating that she had only just said she didn¡¯t wish for them to have such a reciprocal rtionship before stepping into such a pitfall. It looked like she wouldn¡¯t be getting rid of him so easily. A dispirited Elise clenched her teeth ruefully. On the other hand, what she didn¡¯t expect was the fact that Keh and Melody weren¡¯t lovers. Meanwhile, Tom and Tina waited until Melody was at a distance before walking up to Elise and thanking her for her help. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for you, Miss Sinir, Tina would be left to rot in the hands of those sons of b*tches.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only a small matter,¡± Elise answered absent-mindedly. However, grief and distress were written all over Tina¡¯s face as she asked, ¡°Is it true that the Carnegie Family killed my parents, Miss Sinir?¡± ¡°I benefit nothing from lying.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant¡­¡± Tina answered despondently. ¡°It¡¯s just a pity that we lost that piece of evidence as I have no way of seeking revenge for my parents now.¡± Even if she understood that the evidence was used to earn her freedom, there was no way for her not to mourn the inability to seek justice for her parents¡¯ murder. ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about that. What goes aroundes around¡ªthe time for revenge will soon be here.¡± Elise chuckled meaningfully. In truth, the so-called ¡®evidence¡¯ had long been sent elsewhere. When Ziggy arrived home at the Carnegie Residence, he dismissed his staff before opening the document folder that Elise gave him. At this moment, he was so nervous that he kept swallowing his saliva while holding his breath. Bit by bit, the contents of the envelope were revealed, at which point he suddenly frowned and thought, nk? Maybe this is only the cover page. However, the next piece of paper that he flipped to was also nk, as was the next. It was halfway through the document that he abruptly realized he had been tricked. Tossing the papers to the side, he yelled, ¡°Sh*t! How dare you y me for a fool, woman! I¡¯m not a Carnegie if I let you walk out of Dukethorn alive!¡± A furious Ziggy whipped off his necktie and pulled out his cell phone to prepare to have someone kidnap Elise here. Then, he would have her properly dealt with! However, before he could ce the call, a member of his staff stumbled into the room, shouting, ¡°Something¡¯s happened, Young Master Ziggy!¡± Since Ziggy¡¯s anger hadn¡¯t abated, he kicked the other person a few feet back. ¡°F*ck off with that bullsh*t. Are you trying to provoke me?¡± As he rose to his feet with some difficulty, the staff member said in a trembling voice, ¡°There¡¯s a bunch of policemen outside saying that they would like to take you and Old Master Carnegie back for interrogation!¡± Ziggy was not worried as he grumbled, ¡°And why are you panicking? That¡¯s all the police know how to do ¡ªtry and arrest someone for money. Have the butler give them 20,000.¡± Before his subordinate could reply to him, a group of inclothes policemen barged into the room and walked right up to Ziggy, shing him a legal document with a stamp on it. ¡°Ziggy Carnegie, you are under arrest for tax evasion, the bribery of public officials, and contracting the services of a hired killer. We have irrefutable evidence and a legal warrant for your arrest.¡± ¡°Why so stern, Captain Harrington? Wouldn¡¯t you like to sit down for some tea?¡± Previously thick as thieves with Captain Jesse Harrington, Ziggy reached out to pat the man¡¯s shoulder the moment he saw who hade for him. Unfortunately, Jesse leaned to the side and dodged his hand. ¡°Ziggy Carnegie!¡± he barked officially, raising his volume to warn Ziggy, ¡°Jim Carnegie has been arrested. The end is nigh for Carnegie Family!¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. ¡°How is that possible?¡± Ziggy asked in disbelief. Jesse waved his hand and ordered, ¡°¡®Cuff him and take him away!¡¯¡± Chapter 506 Chapter 506 Chapter 506 Do You Understand? Meanwhile, over at the head office of Carnegie Jewelers. At thergest shop under the Carnegie Family banner, the interior was designed decadently and luxuriously while the attendants at the counter were well-trained to have a discerning eye for who could bring them the highestmissions. The moment Elise entered the shop, three attendants surrounded her. ¡°Is there anything we can do for you, pretty miss?¡± So outstanding was Elise¡¯s temperament that they were certain she came from an extraordinary background and would be generous in her spending. They were dying to get amission from her. However, since she was here for somebody, she only looked around the shop to no avail. Elise figured that it was better for her to use a simpler method, so she cut to the chase by asking the attendants, ¡°Where¡¯s Frostine Murray? Shouldn¡¯t the designer be introducing her works in the shop at this moment? Why isn¡¯t she here?¡± The attendants exchanged looks with each other. ¡°Is there a designer here by thest name of Murray? I don¡¯t think so.¡± There was no way Elise could havee to the wrong ce. ¡°Are there other employees in the shop?¡± she asked. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. ¡°Only the logistics employees, but they don¡¯te to the front,¡± the slightly older attendant answered. ¡°What kind of logistics employees would a jewelry shop need?¡± Elise couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°Oh, you know, a couple of employees to clean the shop, take out the trash, move some things, and so on.¡± In fact, she was referring to the cleaners, but the phrase ¡®logistics employees¡¯ sounded better. ¡°Um, Miss, allow me to be blunt, but this is a jewelry shop, not a detective agency. We don¡¯t have time to be ying such games as hide-and-seek with you here,¡± the youngest attendant spoke dismissively, relying on the fact that she was the best-performing employee in the shop to get away with it. ¡°Is this how you treat your customers?¡± Elise asked with her eyes dangerously narrowed. ¡°Have you spent any money here yet, self-proimed customer?¡± the attendant retorted strangely. It made Elise chuckle before she mumbled to herself, ¡°Yes, money makes the world go round. My charm is nothing inparison to money.¡± ¡°We¡¯re sorry, Miss. She¡¯s new here and doesn¡¯t understand the rules. Please permit me to assist you,¡± the older assistant from before hurried to mediate. The youngest assistant mocked, ¡°Some people like to act the good guy based on their seniority. Go ahead and mind other people¡¯s business, then, but don¡¯te ming me when your work performance drops!¡± Nheless, the oldest attendant only smiled with pursed lips and ignored her before moving in the direction of the lounge. As she went, she gestured with an outstretched hand. ¡°Pleasee this way, Miss.¡± The moment the attendant said that, Elise pulled out a card and ced it in her hand. ¡°Ten million. A tip for helping me locate Frostine Murray.¡± The overjoyed older attendant opened her mouth to thank Elise when the younger attendant rushed over, snatched up the card, and simpered, ¡°It¡¯s better that I serve you, miss. I¡¯m the top-performing, most professional employee in the shop. I¡¯m sure I will do it to your satisfaction.¡± As Elise crossed her arms over her chest, she demanded, ¡°Are youmitting outright robbery now?¡± The smile on the younger attendant¡¯s face froze and she stood there with the card, looking at a loss. ¡°I want this attendant to serve me. Do you understand?¡± The corners of Elise¡¯s mouth lifted, but there was no smile in her eyes¡ªonly resoluteness. The awkward younger attendant quietly ced the card back in the older attendant¡¯s hands. After tightening her grip around the card in delight, the older attendant bowed before once again gesturing, ¡°Pleasee this way, Miss!¡± Elise gave a tight smile before she lifted a foot to walk toward the employee lounge only for the door to suddenly open before she even got behind the counter. From inside, a short-haired woman with tanned skin but blonde hair and blue eyes walked out. She wasnky but skinny¡ªan indication that she was biracial. ¡°No need to go to so much trouble. I¡¯m right here.¡± Her voice was clipped. At her introduction, Elise frowned with a heavy look in her eyes. ¡°Felicia Murray? Why are you here instead of unloading the goods, Manhands? Look at how you¡¯re dressed. You¡¯re going to scare the customers away! Get back there!¡± The younger attendant vented her anger by disparaging Felicia. ¡°Felicia Murray?¡± Elise curiously repeated the name. ¡°Yes, there¡¯s only one person by thest name of Murray in the shop, but she¡¯s not a designer. I have no idea whether she¡¯s the person you¡¯re looking for, Miss,¡± the older attendant exined softly. ¡°She is.¡± Elise sighed. The true identity of the so-called ¡®Manhands¡¯ Felicia Murray was jewelry designer Frostine Murray. While Frostine couldn¡¯t exactly be considered an old acquaintance of Elise¡¯s, Elise had been friends for a while with Frostine¡¯s mentor, the internationally renowned jewelry designer Clemence Murray when Elise studied fashion design. Later, she lost contact with Clemence and naturally never saw the girl whom Clemence raised again¡ªFrostine Murray. ¡°Seems I was right to look for you here.¡± As she stared at Frostine, Elise parted her lips to murmur, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Dukethorn isn¡¯t where you should be.¡± Nevertheless, Frostine stood at the same spot with not much of a change in expression. ¡°Thank you for the reminder, but I can¡¯t go anywhere before I am able to locate my mentor.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you ever think about anything else?¡± Elise asked somewhat irritatedly as her eyes shed with complicated emotions. ¡°What if you can never find her?¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± Frostine finally lost her cool and red at Elise, nearly growling as she clenched her fists and argued, ¡°She¡¯lle back! I can¡¯t leave. This is where all of the jade in the country is collected and distributed; she will show up here someday!¡± While approaching Frostine with her eyes glinting dangerously, Elise asked, ¡°Are you sure you want to stay here?¡± ¡°Yes! Umm¡ª¡± The stubborn yell was interrupted as Elise¡¯s silver needle entered Frostine¡¯s neck in the next second, causing Frostine to copse. Behind Elise was Tom, who asked in shock, ¡°Was there a need to be so direct?¡± Was this still his gentle boss? What kind of witchcraft had she done on Frostine? Like amon bandit, she shoved Frostine at him and ordered, ¡°Take her away.¡± Before Frostine could regain consciousness and throw another fuss, they left the jewelry shop and directly boarded a ne. When Frostine finally opened her eyes and saw the clouds outside the window, she balled up her fists once again and turned to say to Elise through gritted teeth, ¡°I¡¯ll find a way toe back no matter where you take me. Even if I die before I see Clemence again, I¡¯ll die in Dukethorn!¡± Clenching her jaw, Elise snapped impatiently, ¡°Do you really think I can¡¯t do without you?¡± Instantly, Frostine lost her cool. ¡°Well, you didn¡¯t have to kidnap me! Who asked you to meddle? I stayed there voluntarily. What right do you have to interfere with my life?¡± ¡°If you keep throwing a fuss, I¡¯ll kill you right now and you won¡¯t be able to see her again for the rest of your life!¡± Elise threatened roughly, lifting a finger to point in Frostine¡¯s face as she warned, ¡°I hate people like you who only know how to wait as if the whole world revolves around you. It¡¯d be fine if Clemence were still alive and wanted to look for you, but have you ever considered the possibility that she might have gotten in trouble? How would she look for you then? With her spirit?¡± ¡°What do you mean by that? Has something happened to her? Something must have happened to her. Tell me what happened!¡± Frostine grabbed Elise¡¯s arm fearfully. ¡°Shut up!¡± Elise reprimanded. Unexpectedly, Frostine fell quiet before Elise continued, ¡°A number of physicists have gone missing in the country these past two years and Clemence¡¯s second husband is on the list. I suspect Clemence went missing as well.¡± Chapter 507 Chapter 507 Chapter 507 Never Offend a Woman Frostine remained silent as she was lost in her own thoughts. Then, Elise ced her hand on Frostine¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°I know that you want to look for Clemence right now. I also do, but out of the two of us, who do you think has a higher chance of finding her?¡± ¡°You.¡± Frostine slouched sadly. ¡°The ne isnding soon. You still have 5 minutes to think of whether you want to continue waiting aimlessly or help me to find her soon.¡± Elise patted Frostine¡¯s shoulder before withdrawing her hand. ¡°There¡¯s no need to think. I¡¯ll follow you,¡± Frostine answered with firm eyes. ¡°I believe you will be able to find her.¡± ¡°Do you trust me that much?¡± Elise chuckled. Frostine exined, ¡°It¡¯s because she trusts you a lot. Since you¡¯re someone whom she trusts, I¡¯ll trust you.¡± Elise smiled without saying anything. When the nended, Elise entrusted Tom to take care of Frostine and the jadeite. ¡°I want you to take care of that and Frostine. I will bring away the blood jadeite with me, so don¡¯t worry about it. As for the reopening of our business, we¡¯ll just proceed with what we have discussed before with Frostine in charge of the designs. I want Shaw¡¯s Jewelry Co. to make a name for itself at Landred City¡¯s jewelry convention next month.¡± In one month¡¯s time, all the jewelrypanies in the country would exhibit their new designs at the event, so it would be helpful to gain more clues about Clemence¡¯s missing husband if they could locate her. Of course, all of this depended on whether Clemence was really missing. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. Whether herpany¡ª¡®Alexis¡¯¡ªwould get a slice of the action in the jewelry industry depended heavily on their performance at the convention. After arriving at her hotel room, Elise had a bite before unlocking her safe. The blood jadeite was peacefully resting in the safe as if it was a beating heart. She couldn¡¯t help but touch the contour of the jewel one more time. This was the second blood jadeite that she found in a month. It was rare for any jadeite to be in different colors other than green. Whenever that happened, it was often apanied by strange changes in its material. The only possible cause that Elise could think of in this case was radiation. That¡¯s right. The origin of these blood jadeites must be releasing an unreported radiation, which in turn caused the change in color. Radiation wasn¡¯t allowed to be present for a long time in any country unless it was privately or spontaneously created, like being produced by shady organizations working in the ck market. The first thought that came to her mind was that these blood jadeites could have been the work of those missing physicists. However, she couldn¡¯t convince herself that the sole purpose of those physicists in creating the radiation was to produce these rare jadeites. It all circled back to the physicists. She unconsciously clenched the blood jadeite as her gaze gradually drifted away. This thing holds the secret of those missing scientists and the reason why Grandma and Alexander were poisoned. I need to investigate the secret. After a while, she snapped back to reality and locked her safe again. Just as she pressed thest number of the password, Elise suddenly thought of someone whom she had forgotten, so she murmured, ¡°It¡¯s time to settle it once and for all with Faye.¡± ¡­ Faye approached Elise on her own ord. The next day, Elise received a notification regarding the ancestral recognition ceremony. The short and straightforward notice was sent to her under Austin¡¯s name. They knew that she had the blood jadeite and hoped that she could show it during the ceremony for the other friends and members of the family to see. In between, they didn¡¯t forget to add some politepliments while reminding her in the end to bring the deed that she had snatched from Faye. Then, Elise called Alexander to rant about it. After listening to her, he felt angry for her. ¡°They¡¯re quite intelligent for giving you a hollow name just to naturally take credit for all your achievements since you are now one of them. Don¡¯t they think that this is a bit too much? I think you shouldn¡¯t attend the ceremony. Maybe you can ask them to dy the ceremony until I¡¯m back. After all, as your fiance, there isn¡¯t a reason for me to not be there.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that because I can handle this myself. I must be there!¡± Elise revealed a smirk with something in her mind. ¡°It seems as though you have everything nned?¡± Alexander asked tentatively. ¡°Of course I do.¡± She originally had no intention to hide it from him, so she exined without any hesitation, ¡°A while back, I found out about the illegal deals that Faye had done, and I nned to use them someday. This is a great chance for me to cement my name in the family. By then, it¡¯ll be much easier to ease myself into the Anderson Family in the future. Doesn¡¯t Faye want thatnd very much? I¡¯ll just give it to her, but as a professional businesswoman, I¡¯ll be wanting more from her in return.¡± ¡°This is why you should never mess with a woman,¡± he joked. ¡°I learned it all from you.¡± She pouted her lips. ¡°This proves that you are a good teacher, Mr. Griffith.¡± ¡°Thanks for thepliment.¡± He giggled. ¡°What do you need me to do for now?¡± Elise mentioned, ¡°I just want you to return quickly. After all, I¡¯m going to leave the ce in a huge mess, and I¡¯m afraid that I can¡¯t handle the situation if it esctes.¡± ¡°Hehe¡­ Okay, I will return as soon as possible.¡± After that, Alexander ended the call. Meanwhile, Melody, who was sitting beside him waiting to report her work, was left speechless. Who was the one who looked heartbroken yesterday? He has nowpletely recovered from one single phone call. Men are weird when they¡¯re in love! ¡­ Elise flew back that day itself and Joey followed suit. At night, the two of them went to a branded clothing store together to select their dresses for the next day¡¯s ceremony. However, while they entered the store, they were unlucky to have bumped into Faye and Celina, who apanied her to the auction in Landred City. ¡°Oh, looks like times have changed. It seems like traitors these days have the shame to use their family¡¯s money openly to buy luxurious items for themselves!¡± Celina mocked while rolling her eyes. ¡°Who is it with her filthy mouth?¡± Joey called her out straight away as she hated people like Celina the most. ¡°How dare you say that I have a filthy mouth!¡± As Celina¡¯s chest trembled in anger, she had her arms on her waist and stomped her feet. ¡°Where is the goddamn security?!¡± Not long after, two security guards ran in and asked politely, ¡°Miss, is there any problem?¡± They were asking Celina since they could tell that she was someone who was rich and could not be offended, so they instinctively became biased toward her. ¡°Kick these two rude b*tches out of this ce. Their presence is affecting my mood to shop!¡± She crossed her arms, looking arrogant. At the same time, Faye pretended to calm her down. ¡°Don¡¯t be mad, Celina. After all, Yoona is my little sister.¡± Of course Celina knew that Faye was putting on an act, so she pushed Faye away and shouted even louder at the security guards, ¡°What do they pay you for? Can¡¯t you recognize that she is the daughter of the Anderson Family? If you offend her family, there will be no ce in the city for you for the rest of your lives!¡± Chapter 508 Chapter 508 Chapter 508 Both Your Daughters Are Being Bullied ¡°The daughter of the Anderson Family? A-Are you talking about Miss Anderson from Anderson Pharmaceuticals?¡± The security guard¡¯s eyes lit up as he tilted his head to ask for the store clerk¡¯s help. Although the store clerks were annoyed by the dispute in the store, they nodded their heads and confirmed her identity since she was one of the store members. After Celina¡¯s words had received confirmation, the security guard suddenly had the guts to ask Elise and Joey to leave. ¡°Miss, please leave the store right now and stop disturbing our customers.¡± Seeing that one side were dressed like wealthydies and the other were dressed like college students, the security guards could easily tell who they shouldn¡¯t offend since they were only working here. ¡°Can¡¯t you hear him? Leave!¡± Celina roared proudly while rolling her eyes. ¡°Does your mall always kick their customers out unfairly based on their status?¡± Elise looked at the two security guards thoughtfully. ¡°Little girl, it¡¯s for your own good. The Anderson family isn¡¯t someone whom you can offend. Listen to me. Sometimes in life, you just have to step back a little. I suggest that you leave with me now. Otherwise, things will escte badly if we are to use force,¡± one of the security guards arrogantly replied to her. ¡°Fine. I can see that you are one of the more polite ones among the snobs.¡± She nodded her head and smiled faintly. ¡°I want to see your manager.¡± ¡°The oue will still be the same, so please listen to me and stop wasting our time.¡± The other guard was losing his patience, so he went over to Elise and tried to drag her away. However, as his hand approached her, she suddenly reached out and grabbed him by the wrist before throwing him over her shoulder. When everyone reacted to what had just happened, the guard was already lying on the floor on all fours like a tortoise. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re so cool!¡± Joey¡¯s admiration for Elise grew as she couldn¡¯t help but p for Elise. She always thought that Elise was just a beautiful girl who only had the ability to make other men fall head over heels for her, so she didn¡¯t expect Elise to know self defense. When Joey quickly returned to her senses, she took out her phone to call for help. ¡®Daddy, both your daughters are being bullied¡­ Sobs..¡¯ Since we¡¯ve started a fight, I need to call for reinforcement as soon as possible. However, Elise had failed to notice Joey¡¯s reaction as she stepped on the security guard¡¯s chest and repeated her words seriously, ¡°I want to see your manager!¡± She might look weak on the outside, but once she became serious, everyone present at the scene couldn¡¯t help but shiver. Witnessing the situation, the other security guard stepped aside while holding his walkie-talkie near his mouth to report, ¡°Manager, someone is causing trouble in the branded store on the fourth floor. We need some reinforcements¡­¡± As soon as he finished his sentence, he ran off and hid behind a column at the entrance. Then, he stuck half of his face out to quietly observe the situation inside. ¡°Hey! Hey! Don¡¯t run away!¡± At the moment, one of the security guards was on the floor while the other had fled the scene. Since the store clerk had failed to halt the escaping guard, she curled up and silently hid behind the cashier. As she stood by the door, Celina reverted to her normal self after a brief moment of fear and still insisted on confronting Elise. What¡¯s so impressive about knowing how to hit someone? There are many people in elite families who also learn self defense like kickboxing and taekwondo, but let¡¯s see how she¡¯ll cope with more than one guard. She might be able to defeat one guard, but she won¡¯t stand against all the security guards in the mall. When everyone is here, I must demand that they break her legs! As for Faye, she didn¡¯t wish to dwell with Elise for too long since her goal was the Anderson Family¡¯s banquet. If Elise was enraged by what had happened today, she might refuse to attend the banquet, making her n a failure. ¡°Celina.¡± Faye rested an arm around Celina¡¯s shoulder and signaled her with her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s enough. It would be more of a headache if things escte.¡± However, Celina looked at her in disgust and replied, ¡°Are you telling me to stop? The one that has to stop is her! If she were to leave the store without saying anything just now, everything would have been settled by then. Now that she has started a fight, there¡¯s no chance I¡¯m letting her off the hook this easily. Since there isn¡¯t a man here for her to rely on, I¡¯m going to teach her a lesson about how to behave herself!¡± A gloomy Faye gritted her teeth as she regretted inviting Celina to join her for the day. Hasn¡¯t she had enough already? Why can¡¯t she see the bigger picture? Elise sneered. ¡°Looks like someone needs to hide their fangs.¡± Her words were directed to Faye. However, Celina thought that she was the one being targeted and yelled, ¡°Who are you calling the one with fangs?¡± ¡°Oh, I guess someone is asking for a fight.¡± As Joey stored her phone away, she stood beside Elise and gave the other two a disdainful look. After that, she swayed her phone in front of Elise and lifted her brow with a sly grin. ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Elise was startled for a while before she replied with a bitter smile. Don¡¯t tell me she is now bringing her father into the situation? I can definitely handle this insignificant incident by myself. However, Joey didn¡¯t care much as she ced her phone back into the pocket of her jeans and crossed her arms with a provocation. ¡°If you¡¯re dissatisfied, I dare you to hit me! Will you be able to defeat my guardian angel?¡± N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Guardian angel? Elise pursed her sweet lips. That¡¯s a nice name. ¡°You b*tch!¡± Now that Celina had been provoked, she was fuming, but she didn¡¯t actually dare toy a hand on Joey. As a result, she could only stomp her feet and viciously re at Joey. As soon as she finished her words, a group of security guards in uniform stormed in and blocked the storefront. There were about 20 people being led by the manager. Then, the security guard who escaped returned. He moved toward the manager and pointed his finger at Elise. ¡°She was the one causing trouble. Please save n!¡± ¡°I see.¡± The manager answered coolly. After looking at his subordinate lying on the ground as well as Elise and Celina, the manager asked in a calm manner, ¡°May I know who Miss Fassbender is?¡± ¡°Miss Fassbender? I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s a mistake. There¡¯s only Miss Anderson here. Look carefully. She is Faye Anderson, the daughter of the Anderson Family!¡± Celina boasted. However, the manager smiled politely as though he understood the situation. Then, he turned toward Elise¡¯s direction and spoke in an even more respectful tone, ¡°I believe you must be Miss Fassbender then.¡± Elise sensed that he wasn¡¯t here for trouble, so she lifted her foot off the security guard¡¯s chest and released him. ¡°I¡¯m not the one you¡¯re looking for, but herst name is Fassbender.¡± She looked at Joey. ¡°Ah¡­¡± The manager dragged his tone as if he had something in mind. The security guard who had run off quickly helped his colleague up from the floor and continued to fan the mes. ¡°Manager, n was hurt severely. You have to do us justice!¡± Listening to him, the manager withdrew his smile and uttered faintly, ¡°Of course I will¡­¡± He suddenly changed to a firm tone a secondter. ¡°You two can stoping to work tomorrow. You are fired as of today!¡± ¡°Have you lost your mind?¡± Celina nced at the manager with disgust. ¡°Why are you firing the guards who are protecting the customers instead of kicking out the troublemakers?¡± Chapter 509 Chapter 509 Chapter 509 It Has Nothing to Do With Her The two security guards argued, ¡°She¡¯s right. Why are you doing this? We are not buying any of this!¡± ¡°Why am I doing this?¡± The manager switched to a more professional tone. ¡°I¡¯m doing this because you had just confronted the owner of this mall!¡± ¡°The owner?¡± The two security guards exchanged looks and asked with uncertainty, ¡°Are you saying that these two students here are the owners of this mall? Impossible! Thepany¡¯s general manager is clearly a man whosest name isn¡¯t Fassbender!¡± ¡°It hasn¡¯t been so since five minutes ago!¡± The manager raised his volume as he spoke in an unmistakable tone. ¡°What did you just say?¡± Celina was shocked. ¡°Athesea¡¯srgest mall has changed ownership in a matter of minutes?¡± This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you that we were able to sell the mall five times its market value,¡± he responded lightly. ¡°Five times? Are you crazy?¡± Her jaw dropped in disbelief. Ignoring her reaction, the manager turned toward Elise and Joey before bowing to request for their instructions. ¡°Miss Sinir and Miss Fassbender, is there anything I can help you two with?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want anyone to affect my shopping mood.¡± Elise looked at Celina and sought revenge. ¡°That¡¯s right. Ask this woman to leave and never allow her to enter again,¡± Joey added. Since they were all females, Elise didn¡¯t mean to make the situation look that bad, but it was toote to do anything once Joey had given her orders. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± Celina stood with her arms akimbo, trying to remain fierce. ¡°What are you waiting for? Follow the boss¡¯ orders!¡± The manager shouted until his voice hadpletely covered Celina¡¯s, ruthlessly changing the situation. In an instant, the two security guards rushed toward Celina and dragged her out of the store. ¡°Let me go! How dare you treat me like this! I won¡¯t forgive you all for this! Ahhh!¡± The woman¡¯s scream echoed throughout the entire mall. The two security guards earlier had also lost their bnce as they kneeled on the floor. Once Celina was dragged away, the store finally returned to its usual quietness. The manager was perceptive and sharp-witted enough to ask, ¡°Then¡­ What should we do about Miss Anderson?¡± Faye¡¯s neck was tense as her eyes darted frantically, but she was quick to return to her usual condescending attitude. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about me. I will leave by myself.¡± She paused for a brief moment and continued with her ruthless words, ¡°Elise, you¡¯re surrounded by enemies now. When someonees to exact revenge upon you in the future, don¡¯te crying in front of my doorstep!¡± Elise shrugged her shoulders and replied, ¡°Then, you better live long enough to witness it. Otherwise, ording to the current average age, you won¡¯t be able to witness that day.¡± Faye clenched her fist so tightly that her nails were digging into her palm. After ring at Elise for two seconds, she turned around and left in anger. ¡°Stand right there!!¡± Joey had dragged her voice so that the security guards by the entrance understood her intention for them to stop Faye. ¡°Put down what you have just bought,¡± Joey insisted. ¡°I paid for this!¡± Faye gritted her teeth in hatred. ¡°So what? I¡¯m not short on money, so if you want, I¡¯ll even pay you back double. In short, I don¡¯t want my mall doing business with people like you!¡± Joey tilted her head. She wanted to make a scene where Faye and Celina couldn¡¯t do anything about their situation no matter how angry those two were. ¡°Very well. Elise, I¡¯ll remember what you did to me today!¡± Faye shook her head several times before dropping her shopping bags onto the floor with a thud and left. ¡°You¡ªWhy are you holding a grudge against her? I¡¯m the one bullying you! If you want to seek revenge, remember to target me! Hey!¡± Joey continued to shout at Faye as Faye walked away from the store at an increasing pace. ¡°Tsk!¡± Joey waved her hand and sneered. ¡°She only knows how to pick on the weak ones to bully!¡± After that, she turned around and saw Elise¡¯s indifferent expression before apologizing, ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I¡¯ve caused you some trouble¡­¡± ¡±It¡¯s fine.¡± Elise smiled. ¡°I can¡¯t help that the person whom I want to protect is such a resentful one.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Joey was stunned for a second before remembering that she had subconsciously referred to Elise as her guardian angel, so she blushed and hurriedly excused herself. ¡°I¡¯m going to pick a dress now!¡± As she watched Joey running off, Elise couldn¡¯t help but reveal a satisfied smile. Even though she is a grown woman, I never knew that she has such a shy side. ¡­ It was time for the banquet in the blink of an eye. Elise and Joey had arrived at the Anderson Residence by car. The moment they exited the car, they could immediately see a delicately decorated manor which looked solemn and grand. One could easily notice that the Anderson Family had spent a lot of effort on this event. On each side of the main road, there were a row of servants greeting the guests in a line all the way until a handmade grass-arch. Below the grass-arch stood Faye and Austin. Jeanie and Bertha were nowhere to be seen. On the outside, the banquet seemed like the highest level of courtesy, but Elise knew clearly that it was just another ruthless trap set for her. As she walked halfway to the door, Faye came forward to greet Elise cheerfully by linking arms and pressing her cheeks on Elise¡¯s, which made them look closer in front of the guests. Elise acted ordingly with a fake smile but whispered, ¡°What a nice act that you¡¯re putting up.¡± Faye retained her elegantposure and gave another fake smile. ¡°I have prepared a big surprise for you. Aren¡¯t you excited, my dear Elise?¡± ¡°I am.¡± Elise lowered her eyes to nce at her dress and thoughtfully added, ¡°If I remember correctly, this dress was one of the collections inst year¡¯s fashion week. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a bit outdated? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s suitable to wear something like this to a grand event.¡± Without waiting for Faye¡¯s response, she seemed to realize something as she followed up with a tease. ¡°Oh, I remember now. Looks like someone couldn¡¯t get her hands on one of thetest fashions. Am I right?¡± Faye¡¯s expression changed as she gritted her teeth, but she managed not to lose herposure. If it weren¡¯t for Elise and Joey who had bought all the best branded clothing stores in the city, Faye wouldn¡¯t have to wear this outdated dress to make up for it. Therefore, she squinted her eyes with hatred. I¡¯ll allow you to smile for now, but let¡¯s see who will be laughingter! Thinking of how Elise would embarrass herselfter on, Faye calmed herself down. After that, she moved aside to make way for Elise. ¡°Come with me. Dad is waiting for you.¡± As bothdies reached the arch, Austin took a step forward and tried to hold Elise¡¯s hand. However, she avoided him and stepped aside to face the guests. A hint of awkwardness shed through his face, but since they were in public, he silently retracted his expression. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to introduce my daughter¡ªYoona! She has been living abroad for the past few years and has just returned recently. Since there are a lot of things she isn¡¯t familiar with yet, I hope that all the members and friends of the Anderson Family here with us today will take good care of her in the future.¡± The crowd apuded while Elise nodded her head with gratitude. Even her simple greeting was enough to attract unwantedmotion. ¡°So, she is the Anderson Family¡¯s long lost daughter! I didn¡¯t expect her to look so delicate while growing up outside the Anderson Family¡¯s care.¡± ¡°How is that not possible? She is the crown jewel of the family. Although the older daughter of the Anderson Family also has a pretty face, she instantly looks average whenpared to Elise¡¯s appearance.¡± Chapter 510 Chapter 510 Chapter 510 I Want to Propose a Marriage ¡°Why are their two daughters so different from each other?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know that the Anderson Family¡¯s eldest daughter was adopted? It¡¯s no longer a secret now.¡± ¡°Really? No wonder they¡¯re so different. Mannerism is something embedded in your blood. No matter what luxurious life you have lived, it¡¯s impossible for an adopted child to inherit that grace¡­¡± All of the gossip had reached Faye¡¯s ears. On the surface, she had remained calm as she smiled from time to time when meeting the guests¡¯ gaze. She was already used to the ttering and tampering culture of the upper-ss society. The reason why the crowd tried to tter Elise was because she was Austin¡¯s biological daughter and would inherit the Anderson Family¡¯s enterprise in the future, so it would be beneficial for them to befriend Elise. However, the Anderson Family¡¯s power was still subject to change. Once I regain my position, all of those who have underestimated me will never get to share my power! After the greetings were done and dealt with, some impatient guests raised their voices to remind Austin, ¡°Mr. Anderson, didn¡¯t you promise us that we can see the blood jadeite today?¡± With that, the others immediately followed up. ¡°That¡¯s right. Did the Anderson Family really get their hands on such a rare item?¡± Listening to them, Faye quietly controlled herughter while wearing an unnoticeable sinister smile. Austin nodded his head slightly and looked at Elise. ¡°Yoyo, did you bring the blood jadeite?¡± he asked gently. As soon as he finished his sentence, the surprised voice of the weing servants was hearding from the entrance. ¡°Mr. Keh Bailey from Smith Co. is here!¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. ¡°Keh actually showed up! He is that big shot from Landred City!¡± ¡°I never imagined the Anderson Family to have connections with him!¡± ¡°Has anyone ever counted how much property Smith Co. has?¡± ¡°I heard that Keh¡¯s business has spread across the entire country. It¡¯s just a matter of time before Athesea falls in his hands!¡± The guests continued to chat as they were more interested in Kehpared to the main event of today¡ªElise. Amidst the gaze of the crowd, Keh wore a ck suit and a pair of white gloves as he showed up with Melody and Johnny. He went straight toward Elise right after the red carpet. Looking at him, Elise frowned her brows in annoyance. Why is he everywhere? ¡°It has been a while, Miss Anderson. I hope I didn¡¯t ruin your good mood.¡± Keh ignored Austin and stopped in front of her. ¡°Well, you have sessfully stolen my spotlight,¡± she answered impatiently. He then turned around to look at the manor before chuckling faintly. ¡°Believe me, Miss Anderson. No one can ever steal the spotlight from you with your charisma.¡± ¡°Thanks for thepliment. However, I¡¯m not in the mood to argue with you today, so if there¡¯s nothing else, can you please stay away from me?¡± Elise gave Keh a grim look. In the eyes of the guests, their bickering made them look like they were flirting. ¡°It seems like there¡¯s a close rtionship between Keh and Yoona!¡± ¡°From what I know, Keh has never been this close to any woman.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t me the Anderson Family¡¯s youngest daughter for being so beautiful! If I were him, I would be attracted to her too. Hahaha¡­¡± Austin, who was ignored, quickly went up and apologized for Elise¡¯s attitude. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Bailey, but my younger daughter is a bit too straightforward with her words, so please do not take it to heart. You may go to the side to have some drinks first. I¡¯ll personally send my apologies to youter on, okay?¡± When Keh nced at Austin, he became much more respectful toward the older man. With just a change of identity, my future father-inw now has a lot of respect for me. Looks like I should really consider using this identity more often. ¡°What¡¯s the hurry?¡± Keh casually removed his gloves. ¡°I haven¡¯t even given you my gift yet.¡± While hooking his index finger, he signaled for Johnny to bring a file over. Then, he handed the file over to Austin. ¡°Mr. Anderson, this is my gift.¡± ¡°Gift?¡± Austin was puzzled to receive a yellow paper bag that didn¡¯t look like a gift at all. However, he still received it, albeit resentfully. ¡°That¡¯s so nice of you, Mr. Bailey.¡± After that, he handed the file to the housekeeper to have it kept away in the house first, but Keh interrupted him. ¡°Why don¡¯t you open the file and have a look?¡± Opening a gift in front of the guest was a foreign culture. Even though it wasn¡¯t encouraged in the country, it wasn¡¯t something that people avoided doing. Yet, it didn¡¯t mean that the gift must be opened immediately. However, the guests were so interested in what an impressive person like Keh would give that they all had their necks craned with their eyes glued on the file. Therefore, Austin had no choice but to open the gift. Inside the file was nothing but a document. ¡°Share sale agreement?¡± He instinctively read the title of the document. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Keh smiled brightly. ¡°I came here today to propose a marriage and this is my betrothal gift. It is ten percent of Smith Co.¡¯s shares.¡± The crowd was immediately in an uproar. ¡°Is he joking? Ten percent of Smith Co.¡¯s shares would equate to at least ten billion, and he¡¯s just going to give it out like this?!¡± ¡°Keh is indeed living a different life than all of us!¡± ¡°Wait! That¡¯s not the point! Did you all not hear what he just said? He said he wanted to propose a marriage. That means he wants to marry the Anderson Family¡¯s daughter!¡± ¡°I thought that the Anderson Family¡¯s youngest daughter already has a fiance from the Griffith Family. Alexander is also a lovely guy too.¡± ¡°The Griffiths have already gone bankrupt. Do you really think he is a match for the Smith Co.?¡± ¡°Wait a minute! Does that mean the one he wants to marry is the Anderson Family¡¯s eldest daughter?¡± This was exactly what Faye was thinking about. She looked at Keh in surprise with eyes that shimmered in excitement. Meanwhile, Elise gave him a side-eye. What is this scumbag trying to do? Is he trying to ruin the banquet? Soon, someone in the audience raised their voice. ¡°This can¡¯t be true. I thought that the Anderson Family¡¯s eldest daughter is already engaged to that b*stard from the Olson Family, Johan!¡± ¡°Shush! Didn¡¯t you know that Johan is dead? His car fell off a cliff and they still can¡¯t recover his body. It just happened two days ago!¡± ¡°Really? Oh my God, that¡¯s horrible!¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be afraid of. He deserved it for involving himself in so many illegal activities. At least the Anderson Family¡¯s eldest daughter benefited from his death¡­¡± Elise heard everything behind her clearly as she looked at Faye in shock. It never crossed my mind that Johan will end up like this after taking so many shots for her. She sure is ruthless. However, even if he is alive right now, he won¡¯t have that long to live. It makes everything easier now that he is dead. Meanwhile, Austin was in a trance as he pondered for a while before responding hesitantly, ¡°My eldest daughter¡¯s fiance has just passed away, so I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll be able to ept a new rtionship so soon¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± Faye walked over to them and tried to control her excitement. ¡°Daddy, I am alright with it.¡± ¡°Faye!¡± He tried to hint to her about how bad it would look to the public for her to ept the proposal right after her fiance had just died. However, she couldn¡¯t care less. After all, she had never loved Johan before. Therefore, the gossip and criticism were nothing to her as long as she could be with Keh. As long as I can marry Keh, I can finally have an advantage over Elise. Alexander might be an outstanding man, but for now, he is just a broke man. Who knows how long he will need to recover from this crisis? As for Keh, he is