《I Love You, Miss Genius》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 It was the middle of summer. Inside the Shepard Vi, a young woman sat on an expensive leather sofa,zily enjoying her bubblegum. Her wless skin seemed to glisten under the sunlight. She was as beautiful as a work of art. She puffed and blew a bubble evenrger than her face. ¡°Bonnie¡¯s just not good enough for me, okay? I¡¯m canceling the wedding!¡± The man standing in the doorway threw the young woman a disgusted look. Bonnie¡¯s mother, Vera Shepard, was rmed. ¡°Hadwin, I know I can¡¯t really me you for this because Bonnie is always fooling around. ¡°But her grandpa and your grandpa wanted you to marry her. How could you cancel the wedding just like that?¡± Vera shot Bonnie a re. ¡°Apologize to Hadwin now, and promise that you¡¯ll never fool around again!¡± Bonnie popped her bubblegum and looked up defiantly. ¡°Apologize? He should be the one apologizing to me! He broke his promise to marry me and insulted me!¡± Vera was infuriated. Before she could say a word, Bonnie continued, ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve never fooled around, okay? He¡¯s the one who¡¯s been cheating on me! So I don¡¯t care if the wedding is canceled anyway.¡± ¡°Bonnie! Why, you¡ª¡± Vera spoke through clenched teeth. ¡°Enough, Vera.¡± Holding up his hand, Hadwin interrupted and said, ¡°Bonnie¡¯s beauty is only skin deep. I appreciate inner beauty more. ¡°I¡¯ll never marry someone like her, even if she begs me to. There¡¯s only one girl I¡¯ll ever marry- He looked upstairs lovingly. ¡°And that¡¯s Trina.¡± 11 2/3 ¡°Hadwin!¡± Moved, Trina Shepard rushed downstairs. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Trina!¡± Hadwin strode over to the stairwell and opened his arms. Trina threw herself into his embrace. Tears welled up in Trina¡¯s eyes. ¡°I can finally marry you now!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Trina, I should have canceled the wedding sooner.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right. I know you had your reasons¡­¡± As the couple made eyes at each other, Bonnie received a text: ¡°Ms. Bonita, the research is at its final stage. Elite soldiers have been sent to escort you for your safety. We¡¯re arriving now.¡± Bonnie wrote a reply: ¡°Be right out.¡± She spat out her bubblegum, got up, and headed toward the door. Trina, who was secretly watching her, thought Bonnie was leaving because she felt ashamed. But she didn¡¯t think Bonnie had been humiliated enough. ¡°Don¡¯t go, Bonnie! I¡¯m sorry for what happened. Hadwin and I love each other. You can just me me for this, okay? It¡¯s not his fault.¡± Bonnie calmly looked over her shoulder. ¡°Fuck off, bitch,¡± Bonnie said impassively. ¡°Won¡¯t you forgive me? Why don¡¯t you hit me so you can feel better?¡± Trina took Bonnie¡¯s hand and used it to p her own face. ¡°What the hell are you doing, Bonnie? How dare you assault your sister!¡± Vera charged over and smacked Bonnie¡¯s hand away. Bonnie looked down and saw the red mark on her hand. After a few seconds, she gazed up at Vera. Vera was her biological mother, but she had always been partial to Trina, who was adopted. A teary¨Ceyed Trina started to choke up. ¡°It¡¯s not her fault, mom. It¡¯s all on me. I shouldn¡¯t have stolen her fianc¨¦. I-¡± Before she could finish, Bonnie interrupted. ¡°Why would I me you? You¡¯re a born slut. You can¡¯t help yourself, can you?¡± Trina was infuriated, but she couldn¡¯t ruin her nice girl image. Chapter 1 3/3 ¡°Trina¡¯s your younger sister, Bonnie! How could you say such a thing?¡± Vera looked at Bonnie in disappointment. Bonnie, however, was impassive. ¡°She is not my sister.¡± 20 years ago, Bonnie and Trina were identally switched at birth by a nurse. It wasn¡¯t until five years ago that the truth came to light, and she was brought back to the Shepard family from the countryside. Vera continued to raise Trina as she didn¡¯t want her to live in poverty. Instead of making it up to Bonnie, Vera became biased against her due to her rural upbringing. ¡°How could you say something so hurtful? I might not have given birth to her, but she¡¯s still my daughter. Don¡¯t ever say that again!¡± Vera often wished that she had given birth to Trina instead. Bonnie had heard that many times. ¡°I need to go. I¡¯m noting back tonight.¡± Bonnie headed to the door. ¡°What? You¡¯re going out to fool around again?¡± Vera was angry. ¡°It¡¯s not like that,¡± Bonnie replied. ¡°Then what have you been doing? Spill it!¡± Vera shouted. Bonnie pursed her lips with a frown. ¡°It¡¯s ssified. I can¡¯t tell you.¡± She left the vi before Vera could say another word. ¡°What did I do to deserve such a daughter?¡± Outside, Bonnie reached the gate. She saw more than a hundred green armored vehiclese roaring over. Suddenly, a deafening ¡®whoop¨Cwhoop¨Cwhoop¡® was heard, apanied by gusts Bonnie looked up and saw a dozen helicopters hovering in the sky, ready for action. of strong wind. Soldiers dressed in matching camouge uniforms swiftly descended from the vehicles and surrounded Bonnie in an orderly fashion. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Their leader saluted Bonnie. "Please get in the car, Ms. Bonita." "Why did you bring so many people here?" Bonnie scanned her surroundings, noting not only therge number of people but also the heavy weaponry they held. "You''re a national treasure of Arvandor, Ms. Bonita. We can¡¯t let anything happen to you. I would have brought at least ten times more soldiers if you hadn¡¯t said something.¡± The man who said that was Brigham Hartley. He wore navy blue epaulets on his shoulders adorned with yellow trim. He stood tall and had an imposing presence. "Come on, I''m just going to the research institute. Besides, I can take care of myself, okay?" Bonnie said nonchntly. "The whole world is waiting for the results of your research. If you seed, it¡¯ll be a game-changer for human civilization. We¡¯ll do anything to ensure your safety and keep anyone else from finding out your true identity!" Brigham said, excitedly. He was a huge fan of Bonnie. Bonnie raised her brow and tried to change the subject. "Oh, where''s Jim?" "He''s gone overseas to join the International Fighting Championship. I''ll be in charge of your safety for now." "Okay, let''s go." Bonnie got into the vehicle. The Shepard family butler heard themotion and went out to the gate to find out what was going on. He was shocked to see Bonnie being escorted away by soldiers in camouge. "Oh, no, ma''am! Ms. Bonnie¡¯s been taken away by the police." "What on earth happened?" Vera was astounded. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. "I have no idea, ma''am! An army of police officers cornered her and took her away." Vera quickly rushed out of the vi, followed by Trina and Hadwin. When they reached the gate, the helicopters were long gone, and Vera only saw the SUVs moving away. "What the hell?" Vera grew pale and held a hand to her heart. "Has Bonnie broken thew?" Trina asked. "So many people came to get her! What could she possibly have done?" Hadwin frowned. Murder? Multiple homicides? Or something even crazier? They had no way of knowing for now. *** Two dayster, a round of apuse erupted in the topboratory of the city of Pyralis. "Woohoo! We''ve finally seeded after working on the research for a whole year." "We owe it to Ms. Bonita. We couldn''t have developed the new carbon nanomaterial so soon without her guidance!" "That''s right, she''s the reason why we seeded! We¡¯ll be able to make advancements in every industry in the country once this nanomaterial is widely adopted. This is great news for Arvandor!" "We''re going to wow the whole world!" Thrilled, the highly respected and elderly professors cheered like children. Bonnie, however, continued to drink her coffee calmly. One of the elderly professors approached her. "I¡¯ve just received a call from the National Research Institute, Ms. Bonita. They¡¯d like to know when you¡¯ll be avable to hold the press conference." "Well, that''s up to them." The old professor asked tentatively, ¡°Do you mind if I take care of it?¡± "Go ahead," Bonnie said. "Oh, and even the International Coborative Research Organization has called to ask about this now that we''ve garnered nationwide attention. You need toe to the press conference, okay?" He was worried because Bonnie was usually low-key and almost never showed up at events like this. Bonnie hesitated for a moment and said, "Okay." ''Woohoo!'' The professor whooped inwardly in relief. He really thought she would say no. If she had, he would have been ced in a difficult position because the higher-ups would insist he make her go. "I''ll deal with it then." "Sure." Bonnie waved him off and continued to drink her coffee. Her phone vibrated. The caller ID showed that it was Sigmund Knight. Bonnie answered it, and the old man''s excited voice came through. "I heard your wedding¡¯s been canceled, Bonnie. Congrattions!" Heughed heartily. She had expected him to say this, so Bonnie waited for him to finish. "Now, ording to our agreement, you would think about marrying my grandson if you were no longer engaged. It¡¯s time to fulfill your promise." Bonnie raised her brow. "Okay, but will your grandson agree to this? He''s the hottest bachelor in Pyralis. He could have any girl he wants." "He has to. Oh, I asked him to pick you up at a supermarket near the research institute so he wouldn''t find out your true identity. I''ve given him your number. He¡¯ll text you when he arrives." Her phone dinged as she received a message that read "I''m here." Sigmund heard it and quickly said, "My grandson must have texted you. Go meet him now." "Okay," Bonnie answered indifferently. She left the institute after bidding the professors goodbye. As she stepped out of the building, she saw an eye-catching ck Maybach. "That looks familiar¡­" Three years ago, she sessfully treated the father of a rich tycoon from overseas. She had been given a limited-edition Maybach as a gift¡ªthere were only ten in the world. She didn''t like driving, so she gave it to Sigmund for his birthday. Just as Bonnie remembered what happened, the driver''s window lowered, revealing a handsome face. "Hi, you''re Bonnie Shepard, right?" "Yup." Bonnie nodded, She sized up the man in front of her. He was wearing an open-cored floral shirt with a peculiar-looking ne around his neck, and seemed incredibly frivolous. Was this Sigmund''s grandson? What the hell? "Woah, I didn''t expect you to be so pretty!" he praised, then turned to someone in the back seat. "Ivor, you lucky son-of-a-bitch! Sigmund has good taste." When Bonnie heard him say that, she knew she had been mistaken. As she was about to open the car door, a cold voice from the back seat said, "I don''t give a shit, okay? I want nothing to do with her." Bonnie impassively opened the door and got into the car. She was amazed when she saw Sigmund''s actual grandson. Although she was only 20, she had been to many countries and seen many good-looking men, but very few had impressed her like this. However, she quickly looked away because she wanted nothing to do with him as well. Besides, she noticed that the man kept working on hisptop and didn''t even bother to look at her. She could tell he didn''t want to be there either. "Ms. Bonnie, I''m Ged Franklin, Ivor''s best friend," Ged spoke as he drove. "Oh, hi," Bonnie answered politely. "I hope you don''t mind me asking this. Is it true that you haven¡¯t graduated from high school yet even though you''re 20 already?" "Uh-huh." "You''re going to take the college entrance test soon, huh? Do you need any help getting into university? My grandfather teaches at Pyralis University¡­" Ged kept talking, but Bonnie merely responded with "uh-huh". He thought that she and Ivor were simr. Ged got bored with Bonnie¡¯s monosybic answers and stopped asking her questions. But at that moment, Bonnie spoke. "The car used to be Sigmund''s, right?" "Yeah, how do you know that?" Ged asked curiously. Bonnie said truthfully, "Well, I gave it to him as a gift." As he heard that, Ivor looked up at her¡ª Chapter 3 Chapter 3 When Ivor saw Bonnie''s beautiful face, his eyes lit up, which rarely happened. It wasn¡¯t just because of her looks. It was also because of what she had just said. Ged burst outughing. "That''s a good one! You''re funny, I''ll give you that." "You don''t believe me?" Bonnie didn''t care if they believed her, but she wanted to tell the truth. She looked serious, but Ged started to doubt her. "Do you know what car this is? Do you really expect us to believe that you gave it to Sigmund?" It was clear that he didn''t think she could afford it. Bonnie nodded, "This model wasunched three years ago by Mercedez, with a global limited edition of ten units, I think." She remembered that was what the tycoon had told her. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Ged''s eyes went wide. ''She knows? ''She knows, but she still has the nerve to im that she gave this to Sigmund? She''s f*cking unbelievable! ''How could Sigmund want Ivor to marry her? She''s so full of sh*t!'' Ged decided not to pursue the matter out of respect for the Knight family. Soon, the car reached the Knight Residence. "We''re here," Ivor told Bonnie impassively. She opened the door and got out. Ged looked over his shoulder at Ivor. "Bro, I know it''s none of my business, but Sigmund¡¯s made a bad choice." Ivor said, "I told you, I wanted to have nothing to do with her." Ged was relieved he was not interested in her. Sigmund was waiting at the door. When he spotted Bonnie, his cloudy eyes lit up. "You''re finally here, Bonnie! What do you think of my vi?" Bonnie looked inside the luxurious living hall. It had crystal chandeliers, genuine leather sofas, and exquisite tiles. "It''s not bad." "Marry my grandson then, and you can raise your children here. Will three kids be enough? Hmm, make it seven!" Gedughed. "Come on, Sigmund, get off their backs! They¡¯re grown adults, after all." Sigmund ignored him. He took Bonnie''s hand and put it on Ivor''s. They quickly pulled their hands apart. "Grandpa, I brought her here like you wanted, and that''s as far as I''m willing to go. I''m in no mood for romance, so please stop trying to y cupid, okay?" Ivor said grimly. "No mood for romance? You''re into girls, aren''t you? Or are the rumors true? That you always hang out with Ged because you''re gay?" Ged spat out his water. "I''d be proud to be gay, but I''m straight, all right?" "Yeah, right!" Ged was speechless. Ivor knew that Sigmund was keen to set him up with Bonnie, so he tried to dissuade him. "She and I aren''t right for each other." "How so?" Ivor nced at Bonnie and said solemnly, "Grandpa, you''re right that I''ve always been a bit of a snob, but there''s a reason for that. I skipped grades and was admitted directly into Pyralis University. "Ever since I became CEO of thepany, I''ve led it to great sess, and we''ve be the leader in many fields!" Sigmund frowned. "What are you trying to say?" Ivor narrowed his eyes and nced at Bonnie. He said coldly, "She''s not good enough for me." "She''s not good enough for you? Don¡¯t you know that she''s¡ª" Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Before Sigmund could finish, Bonnie stopped him by stepping on his foot. "She''s what?" Ivor asked, puzzled. Ged was curious too. Sigmund wanted to tell them who Bonnie really was, but she red at him and wouldn''t let him. The old man cleared his throat. "She''s¡­ the girl I want you to marry! Besides, how could you say she''s not good enough for you? You''re 27. You should be grateful that she doesn''t care how much older you are. And you should apologize to her for being so rude." Ivor pursed his lips, got up, and looked at Bonnie. "I''m sorry if I hurt your feelings, but I''m just telling the truth." Bonnie swallowed a piece of orange and said casually, "You don''t have to apologize. I was going to say the same thing to you. You''re good, but you''re not good enough." Silence fell in the living room. Ivor''s impassive eyes betrayed a hint of emotion as he looked at Bonnie appraisingly. Ged was surprised that she had the nerve to say such a thing. "What''s the matter with you two? Don''t you care for me at all?" Sigmund was exasperated. "Bonnie, don''t forget that you said you''d do anything I asked after I saved you and your family." Bonnie frowned. "And you, Ivor. When you were still a student, your parents didn¡¯t want you to waste your time on anything unproductive. If it weren''t for my support, would you have been able to y chess and join thosepetitions? "You said that as long as I helped persuade your parents to let you y chess, you''d do what I said in the future. Why are you going back on your word?" Ivor was stumped. All of a sudden, the living room became quiet again. A momentter, Sigmund spoke. "I know I can¡¯t force love, so how about this? You get engaged and we¡¯ll see how things go." Bonnie thought about it and said, "Okay, but I want to set a time limit." "All right, 10 years then. If you think you''re not right for each other after that, I''ll call it off," Sigmund said. Bonnie shot him a look of disbelief. "You might as well have said 50 years." Sigmund pped his thigh excitedly. "50 years it is!" Bonnie was at a loss for words. She knew he was doing this on purpose. "One month. After one month, I''ll have nothing to do with him," Bonnie said coldly. "One month? That''s too short, isn''t it? Talk to her, Ivor," Sigmund said anxiously. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Ivor said impassively, "Okay, one month it is." "Deal!" "Great, it''s a deal then." Bonnie and Ivor had finally agreed on something. Exasperated, Sigmund let out a long sigh. "Since you''ve made up your mind, I''ll pick a date for your engagement." "Okay." Bonnie checked the time and got up. "It''ste. I should get going." "Why don''t you stay for dinner?" Sigmund tried to persuade her to stay. "I haven¡¯t been home in days. My parents will be worried." Sigmund acquiesced after he heard her say that. As he watched Bonnie leave, Ged said, "She hasn''t gone home in days? Isn''t she a student? She doesn''t seem to be sick. Why would she take so many days off? "She must have skipped ss, huh? Sigmund, what were you thinking? How could you choose a girl like that to be Ivor''s wife?" "You don¡¯t know anything about her, okay?" Sigmund was exasperated. Ged decided to drop the subject for now. "Oh, I almost forgot!" Ged looked toward Ivor. "I''ve managed to get in touch with the Shepherd!" "For real?" Ivor grew excited. Even his eyes lit up. Ged tsked. "You onlye alive when we talk about chess, don''t you?" "Cut the crap! When did you contact the Shepherd? Did he agree to y a game with me?" That was all Ivor cared about. "I only managed to get in touch with his friend. He said the Shepherd¡¯s been busytely, so he''ll tell him when he''s free." "Great, I''ll wait then." Ivor squeezed his fists to contain his excitement. *** The butler rushed into the Shepard vi. "Ma''am! Ms. Bonnie is back!" "What? How is she back?" Vera and her husband, Gresham Shepard, were in the middle of dinner. They exchanged a look. At that moment, Bonnie entered the house in her sneakers. Vera put down her fork and quickly walked up to her. "Didn¡¯t you get taken away by the police? Did you manage to¡­ escape?" Vera was troubled, and Gresham gave his daughter a stern look. "I might not be your dad, but I suggest you surrender. If you don¡¯t, I''ll have to call the cops for your own good." Bonnie frowned and said cidly, "I didn''t break thew or escape from anywhere, all right?" Gresham''s face stiffened. "You really won¡¯t turn yourself in?" Bonnie didn''t bother to exin. Gresham took out his phone and called the police station. "Hello, I''d like to make a police report. "My daughter was arrested two days ago, but she escaped and returned home. I told her to give herself up, but she refused. Pleasee arrest her now!" Chapter 5 Chapter 5 "Her name? Bonnie Shepard. B-O-N-N-I-E, S-H-E-P-A-R-D." "Please hold, sir. Let me check the records." A minuteter, the voice came through, stammering this time. "Y¡ªyou¡¯ve made a mistake. Bon¡ª" she coughed, "Bonnie Shepard hasn¡¯t broken anyw or escaped from the police. "If you make a false report again, we''ll charge you!" With that, she hung up. Gresham was stupefied. Vera was beside him and had heard everything the police officer said. "Are you done? I''ll go upstairs then." Bonnie left. Vera felt a sense of pity as she watched her walk away. After all, Bonnie might be a loser, but she was still her daughter. "I¡¯m sorry, Bonnie. We were wrong about you." Saddened, Bonnie stopped and looked over her shoulder at Vera. That woman hardly ever apologized to her and was never so gentle to her. Gresham sighed. "I was just worried about you. Anyway, I apologize." Bonnie frowned. "It''s okay." The living room fell silent, and Bonnie spoke first. "I''m hitting the sack." "Wait!" Vera stopped Bonnie. "What on earth happened the other day? Why did you get taken away?" "I told you, it''s ssified. I''ll tell you when the time is right." Bonnie told her the truth. Vera was losing her patience and felt disappointed and angry. She didn¡¯t want to hear any more lies, so she changed the subject. "The school called. They said they might kick you out if you skip sses again." "I''ll handle it." Bonnie wasn''t worried about getting kicked out of school because she could easily get someone to take care of that. But Vera exploded. "You''ll handle it? How? Do you think you''re the principal or something? You''re 20 years old, Bonnie! You could have graduated long ago if you hadn''t skipped school so often. Hell, you even took one whole year off before! "Trina was born on the same day as you, but she''s already a sophomore at Pyralis University! ¡°If you keep fooling around like this, you¡¯ll never get into college! ¡°And even if you do, it''ll probably be some third-rate college!" Bonnie had told Vera why she had to take a break from school back then. But her parents didn''t believe her and had scolded her for lying. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Bonnie didn''t bother trying to exin herself again. "Don''t worry, I''m not going to some third-rate college. I''ll be going to Pyralis University." "Pyralis University?" Vera could hardly believe her ears. "Yup." Bonnie nodded. "That''s the best university in Pyralis! Only the cream of the crop gets in there! ¡°Trina got in because she studied hard day and night. ¡°You¡¯ve repeated grades for two years. What makes you think you can get in?" "I''ll have no problem getting in if I be the top scorer in the entrance test." Bonnie was confident. Vera was truly exasperated. By the time she regained herposure, Bonnie had returned to her bedroom. She had worked on her research for two days straight, and she was exhausted. Just as she was getting ready to shower, she received a video call from one of her best friends. She answered it, and a handsome man showed up on screen. "Hey, the Knight wants to have a game with you." Bonnie was intrigued. "Are you sure it''s him?" "100%!" "Okay, I''m in." "That''s terrific!" Heath Rice sounded excited. "The Shepherd and the Knight are the titans of the chess world. This will be the game of the century! I''m really looking forward to it. I''ll reply to him right away!" "Sure." After hanging up, Bonnie took a hot shower andy down in bed to sleep. *** At 6:00 a.m. the next day, Bonnie left her house in a tank top and a pair of leggings. She hadn¡¯t done any kickboxing training in a long time, so she decided to work out in the park. Bonnie saw an old man shadow boxing while his peers looked on. "Way to go, Orson!" "No one can take a punch like that!" The elderly onlookers showered the man with theirpliments. Bonnie frowned and muttered to herself, "Your footwork is poor, and your strikes are sloppy." She had learned kickboxing from a young age, so she couldn''t help pointing out his mistakes. The elderly men heard her and looked over. They looked at the young woman skeptically. "Hey, youngdy, what do you know about kickboxing?" "Don''t talk about what you don''t know, okay?" "Yeah, Orson has studied kickboxing for over a decade. I''m sure he knows what he''s doing." But Bonnie was undaunted. "I was just telling the truth. He wasn¡¯t doing it right." "Watch your mouth, youngdy!" Scott had a bad temper. He was a huge fan of Orson Steele, and couldn''t ept anyone criticizing him. "Get lost, or I''m going to¡ª" "Leave her alone, Scott. She''s just a kid." Smiling amicably, Orson walked up to Bonnie. "So you know some kickboxing, huh?" "Yup." Bonnie nodded. Orson studied her face and was surprised to find that she didn''t look like she was lying. "How long have you been doing it?" Bonnie tried to remember. "Since I was three." "You guys hear that? Kickboxing at three years old? "I''ve lived many years, but I''ve never met anyone so full of shit!'' Scott and othersughed so hard that they doubled over. Bonnie remained impassive. Touching his beard, Orson narrowed his eyes and said, "You said I didn''t do it right. Why don''t you show me the right way?" Bonnie checked the time. As she only needed to get to school at 7:30 a.m., she had time. "I''ll have to go to schoolter, so I''ll only show this once. Pay close attention, okay?" "What a show-off! If she can pull this off, I''ll shave my head and do a headstand¡ª" Before Scott could finish, his jaw dropped. Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Bonnie began to shadowbox with awe-inspiring precision and fluidity. She ended by punching a tree branch, managing to break it without disturbing the leaves. Everyone was shocked. Scott¡¯s jaw dropped open. They looked at Bonnie as if they had seen a monster. "Did you get a good look?" Bonnie stopped and looked at Orson. The old man was impressed. "Your moves were perfect! You must be a kickboxing expert." Scott cleared his throat and approached her, blushing. "Youngdy¡ªuh, ma''am, I''m sorry if I offended you." Bonnie chuckled. "I''m not an expert. I just learned kickboxing to stay healthy." "Can you teach me some of your moves?" "I''d like to learn too!" Bonnie was soon surrounded by the old men, all eager to learn from her. At that moment, a voice said, "She''s just a phony." Bonnie looked toward the source. A young woman who looked to be around 18 or 19 walked over. She was of average height, and a burly man almost two meters tall followed behind her. "Mind your manners, Kay!" Orson chided. "She''s just a scammer, grandpa. She¡¯s trying to impress you guys so she can swindle you!" Kay stood between Bonnie and Orson and red at her. "She''s not, okay? Her moves were perfect!" Orson said earnestly. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. "You''re too gullible, grandpa. She must have done this many times. I bet she only knows those moves. ¡°She¡¯s just pretending to be an expert so you¡¯ll pay to learn from her!" "Are you sure?" Orson frowned. Scott smacked his thigh and said angrily, "Kay is right! How could someone so young be so good at kickboxing? She has to be a phony!" The others whispered among themselves while ncing at Bonnie. "Fuck off, or I''ll call the cops!" Kay Steele shouted as she shoved Bonnie away. Bonnie didn''t want to argue with them, but she was upset that they had called her a phony. And that the young woman had told her to fuck off, too. "Do you have proof that I''m a scammer? Have I taken their money?" "Well, if I weren''t here, you would have done it, wouldn''t you?" Bonnie quirked her brow. "So you have no proof. Do you think the cops will believe you?" "I¡ª" Kay was stumped. Bonnie continued, "And I can sue you for defamation, you know." "Sue me?" Kay was in disbelief. She had never seen such a shameless swindler before! "So you''re saying you''re not a phony? How about you spar with my bodyguard? I''ll believe you if you can beat him." "Sure, but if he loses, you have to apologize to me." Bonnie wasn''t a petty person, but she didn''t like to be pushed around. "Alright, it''s a deal! But if you lose, you have to apologize to me, my grandpa, and his friends. ¡°You¡¯ll also have to do it live online, so everyone will know you''re a goddamn phony!" Kay was convinced that Bonnie was an evil scammer who targeted the elderly. Orson stepped closer. "Just let her go, Kay." "We can''t, grandpa! She might have targeted you because you''re a famous painter." A famous painter? Orson? Bonnie realized the old man was a well-known painter. Her grandmother liked him a lot, and her grandfather was a hardcore fan. "Just leave her alone, all right?" Orson didn''t want to make a scene. "But grandpa, she¡ª" "I need to go to school soon. Are we doing this or not?" Bonnie interrupted them impatiently. Kay couldn¡¯t believe Bonnie was still trying to act tough. "Spar with her, Milo. Don¡¯t hold back, okay?" She had been going to tell him to go easy on Bonnie since she was a girl, but not anymore. ''You asked for this!'' Kay thought. "Yes, ma''am." Milo cracked his neck, then his wrists, then his knuckles. He was huge and fierce, and looked so scary that anyone would have run away in fear. But Bonnie just frowned and said impatiently, "I''m in a hurry, okay? Just get on with it." "Don''t you want to warm up first?" Milo asked, raising an eyebrow. "Not if you''re my opponent." She was just stating a fact. She didn''t mean it as an insult. "How dare you!" Upset, Milo threw his huge fist at Bonnie''s face¡ª Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Bonnie dodged swiftly and punched his chest. Milo stumbled backwards and stared at her in shock. The park was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. "What a punch!" Orson shouted excitedly. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Scott gaped stupidly at her. The other elderly men were stupefied as well. They had sparred among themselves before, but Bonnie had applied her techniques in a real fight! "That''s impossible! She must have just hit him by ident!" Kay couldn''t believe that a young girl like Bonnie could get the best of Milo. After all, her grandfather had hand picked him from among the best fighters! "Milo, what are you waiting for? Attack!" "Yes, ma''am!" Pulling himself together, Milo took a quick step and delivered a jab at his opponent. Bonnie blocked it andnded a strike on his ribcage with her left knee. Milo groaned loudly in pain. The old men gasped. "That knee strike must have hurt like hell!" Milo growled through clenched teeth and charged at Bonnie. But no matter how he tried, he couldn¡¯tnd any hits on her. In the end, Bonnie threw a roundhouse kick, knocking Milo to the ground. Every muscle in his body ached, and he could not get back up. Everyone else was dumbstruck. Orson approached Bonnie. "May I know your name?" "I''m Bonnie Shepard." She added, "I''m not a kickboxing expert. I just do this for fun." What the hell? Astonished, Orson caught himself and looked at Kay. "Apologize to Ms. Bonnie." Kay was silent. Orson frowned. He thought Kay was being stubborn. Suddenly, Kay walked up to Bonnie and earnestly held out her hands. "Please teach me how to fight like you, ma''am!" Orson was taken aback. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Bonnie was surprised as she saw Kay''s eyes shining with admiration for her. "I want to be just like you!" She was now Bonnie''s number one fan. She liked watching superhero movies and longed to be like Wonder Woman or ck Widow. So she was awed when she saw Bonnie beat Milo down like it was nothing. Bonnie checked the time and saw it was already 8:00 a.m. She waste for school. "If you''re interested in learning kickboxing, you can get anyone to teach you. I need to go now." She turned and left. Kay stared after her and told Milo, "Get someone to look into her, but don''t let her find out about it or cause her any trouble. And you need to treat her respectfully the next time you see her, okay?" *** Bonnie didn¡¯t realize that Kay would start to investigate her. When she reached school, it was already 8:15 a.m. Mr. Rios, the math teacher, was livid. He red at Bonnie as she stood in the doorway. "You''rete for my ss again! Is my ss not good enough for you?" A student raised her hand. "I don¡¯t think she did it to upset you, Mr. Rios. She''s alwayste to other sses too. Sometimes, she doesn¡¯t even show up for days!" But that information did not make him feel any better. "You''re old enough to know that you should take school seriously, Bonnie. "How will you graduate from high school if you keep acting like this? If I were your dad¡ª" "Can I go in now, Mr. Rios? I''ve been standing here for two minutes." Bonnie nced at her seat. Mr. Rios was furious, but he couldn''t resort to corporal punishment. So he tried another method. "Don''t sit down yet, Bonnie. Solve the question on the ckboard." The system of equations with two variables wasn''t too difficult, but it also wasn¡¯t easy. He thought a bad student like Bonnie would never be able to solve it. "Okay." Bonnie picked up the chalk and wrote down the answer without hesitation. "Done." Mr. Rios'' eyes went wide. The answer was correct. She must have gotten it right by chance! "Solve all the other questions." He was convinced that Bonnie wouldn''t be able to solve these math questions. Bonnie nced at them and frowned. Mr. Rios sneered. "What is it? You can''t solve them, huh? This is why you shouldn''t bete to school or skip ss!" "It''s not that." Bonnie picked up the chalk again and solved the equations without thinking. She answered five questions correctly. Mr. Rios was exasperated. "If you knew how to do it, why did you hesitate?" "Because they¡¯re too easy. Answering them would just be a waste of time," Bonnie replied truthfully. Mr. Rios felt his blood pressure rise. "Okay, since you think my questions are too easy, why don''t you try to solve this one? If you can''t, I¡¯m sending you to detention!" He then wrote a difficult question on the ckboard. Some students recognized it. "That looks like an Olympiad math problem. We studied it in math club, but no one could solve it." "How¡¯s Bonnie supposed to solve that?" "Didn''t you hear what she said? If I were Mr. Rios, I¡¯d be upset too." "Bonnie had iting!" As the students murmured among themselves, Mr. Ross suddenly gaped at the ckboard in disbelief. Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Bonnie had written down the answer on the ckboard while they were talking. The students were astonished. "That¡¯s incredible! How does an underachiever like Bonnie know how to answer that?" "I don''t even understand the question, but she did it without even having to think!" "Could Bonnie be some kind of genius?" Mr. Rios flushed in embarrassment as he heard the students talk. He had tried to get Bonnie to answer these questions to warn her against skipping sses. If he couldn''t stump Bonnie today, he would lose the students'' respect. Suddenly, he thought of one of the seven famous unsolved math problems. The P versus NP problem had baffled countless mathematicians. It had been solved only a month ago by a mysterious math genius, to the shock of the world. ''There¡¯s no way she¡¯ll be able to solve this one!'' he thought. "Those questions were easy. Try this one instead." Mr. Rios looked smug after he had written down the question on the ckboard. Bonnie nced at it, then threw him an odd look. "What are you looking at me for? Do I have the answer on my face?" Mr. Rios was pleased that he had finally stumped her. The students stared at the question,pletely baffled. "What the hell is that?" "Is that a math question? Did Mr. Riose up with this just to challenge Bonnie?" Mr. Rios sneered as he saw Bonnie just standing there. "If you don''t know how to do this, you shoulde to my ss on time and pay¡ª" Before he could finish, Bonnie began to write down the solution. As she filled the entire ckboard, Mr. Rios'' jaw dropped. She was running out of space, so she went to the board at the back and continued writing. As time passed, the ss grew increasingly quiet. When the school bell rang, Bonnie said, "I''m done." She put down the chalk and walked out of the ssroom. Mr. Rios and other students were left awestruck. The teacher, especially, couldn''t believe what he just saw. *** When school ended in the afternoon, a thunderstorm broke out. No one expected it as the weather forecast hadn¡¯t mentioned rain. As the rain grew heavier, Bonnie waited at the school entrance with most of the students. A few girls were engaged in lively conversation. "Is your boyfriending to pick you up, Sacha?" "He says he''s on the way," Sacha Hutchinson said, shooting Bonnie a taunting look. She hated Bonnie because she was more beautiful than her. "I''m so jealous of you, Sacha. I heard your boyfriend''s dad owns the Caesar Hotel!" "Oh my God, the Caesar Hotel is a four-star hotel in Pyralis, isn''t it?" Sacha grinned. "Well, I heard from Dwayne that his dad just applied for a five-star rating. The approval shoulde through soon." "Woah, Sacha, your boyfriend is really something!" Sacha looked at Bonnie again. "Well, Bonnie''s fianc¨¦¡¯s family owns Sunrise Properties. I don¡¯t think Dwayne can hold a candle to him." Everyone looked at Bonnie. "Sacha, haven¡¯t you heard? Bonnie''s wedding has been called off." "Oh my God, for real?" Sacha acted as though she had just heard about it and pped her hand over her mouth. She looked at Bonnie apologetically. "Sorry, Bonnie, I didn''t know he dumped you. I wouldn¡¯t have brought it up if I¡¯d known.¡± Bonnie eyed her. "You''re just like my sister, you know. She''s a real bitch." Sacha stiffened. The other students started to get upset. "Hey, she apologized, didn''t she?" "Yeah, you shouldn''t have said that!" "Say sorry to her!" Bonnie chuckled. "What are youughing at? Is it funny that we''re asking you to say sorry?" "I''mughing at your low IQ," Bonnie said truthfully. These girls seemed really dumb to someone with an IQ of 300. "Hey, are you calling us stupid?" Bonnie raised her brow. "Well, she''s being a bitch, but you''re taking her side. Aren''t you being stupid?" "So what if you solved those math questions? You must have just memorized the answers!" "Tilda¡¯s right! Who the hell do you think you are to call us stupid?" Bonnie''s phone dinged. She didn¡¯t bother arguing with them and checked her phone. A message from Ivor read, "Grandpa asked me to pick you up. Arriving soon." After she replied to the message, a bright red sports car pulled up at the entrance and drew everyone¡¯s attention. A man in a striped suit stepped out from the car and headed over. "It''s Dwayne Moss! He''s so damn hot, just like his car. If only he were my boyfriend." "You can forget about that. He''s Sacha''s boyfriend." "That''s her boyfriend? His car must be really expensive!" Sacha lifted her chin proudly. She walked up to Bonnie and put on a sad face. "I didn''t mean what I said, okay, Bonnie? "It''s pouring right now. Why don''t Dwayne and I give you a ride home? We can call it quits." Bonnie nced at her and didn¡¯t answer. Sacha''s eyes started to fill with tears. "Come on, Bonnie, I didn''t do it on purpose. ¡°We''re ssmates. Why would I want to embarrass you? ¡°Anyway, I''m throwing a birthday party this weekend at Regal Karaoke. You shoulde, okay?" As she spoke, Sacha tried to hold Bonnie''s hand. Bonnie took a step back in disgust. "Do you really hate me that much, Bonnie?" Sacha''s crying gained the sympathy of other students, who began to criticize Bonnie again. "She''s too much!" "Bonnie is such a bitch!" "She sure is!" N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Dwayne came over and pulled Sacha into his arms. "Don''t cry, Sacha. I''ve got your back." Dwayne angrily turned to Bonnie. He wanted to yell at her, but he was struck by her beauty. She was way prettier than his girlfriend! Sacha sensed something was off. She looked up and started to feel anxious as she saw Dwayne''s mesmerized look. "She''s my ssmate, Dwayne. Just leave her alone. ¡°I feel sorry for her, you know? She skips school a lot and has had to repeat a grade for two years. ¡°I think she''s going to fail the college entrance test, and her family doesn''t like her. ¡°Her sister even stole her fianc¨¦. Oh, you know him. It''s Hadwin Rhodes." Sacha said all that so Dwayne would know that Bonnie wasn''t a popr girl despite her beauty. "So you''re the girl Hadwin dumped." It was just as Sacha had expected. Dwayne now only had contempt for Bonnie. Sacha was secretly relieved when she heard that. Bonnie paid no attention to Dwayne. "Hey, I''m talking to you! Are you deaf?" Dwayne shouted impatiently. Bonnie nced at him. "I don''t talk to idiots." "Are you calling me an idiot? I dare you to say that again!" Bonnie looked away, pursed her lips, and stopped talking. As she said, she didn''t want to talk to idiots. Dwayne was infuriated. "How dare you, bitch? I''m going to¡ª" Before he could finish, a deep, cold voice came from behind him. "Move. You''re in my way." What the hell? Dwayne angrily turned around and immediately felt small when he saw who was behind him. It was an exceptionally handsome man who had an imposing kinglike presence. Sacha and the other girls stared longingly at the man holding the umbre. No one could me them because he was ridiculously dashing. "Oh my God! He''s so freaking hot. Who is he? A movie star?" "I doubt it. With a face like that, he should be so famous that we would have instantly known who he was." "Do you think he''s here to pick someone up?" "Who¡¯s the lucky girl?" The students looked among themselves. Dwyane studied Ivor. He could tell that Ivor was no ordinary man. But he had never met him among elite circles before. "Don''t make me repeat myself," Ivor narrowed his eyes as he spoke coldly. Daunted, Dwayne instinctively stepped aside. He was also curious about who Ivor was going to pick up. To everyone''s disbelief, Ivor walked toward Bonnie! Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Everyone was dumbstruck as Ivor walked up to Bonnie and held his umbre over her. ¡°Ready to go?¡± Bonnie nodded. What the hell? The students couldn¡¯t believe their eyes. A gorgeous man hade to pick Bonnie up! They were shocked beyond belief. When they saw Bonnie and Ivor get into a Maybach parked by the curb, their jaws dropped even further. One of the students recognized the car. ¡°That¡¯s a limited¨Cedition Maybach! It costs a bomb! You might not be able to get your hands on it even if you could afford it.¡± Everyone including Sacha looked at Dwayne¡¯s sports car when they heard that. The car was eye¨Ccatching, but it was nothingpared to the Maybach. Inside the Maybach, Bonnie thanked Ivor politely. ¡°Don¡¯t thank me. It was my grandpa¡¯s idea to pick you up,¡± Ivor replied impassively. ¡°But Sigmund didn¡¯t ask you to get out of the car and hold an umbre for me, didn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°He¡¯d be upset if I hadn¡¯t done that. We¡¯ll be engaged soon, so you¡¯ll be part of the Knight family. We can¡¯t let anyone disrespect you. 11 ¡°Well, I still need to thank you.¡± She didn¡¯t like owing anyone any favors, so Bonnie decided to repay him for what he did one day. Ivor looked over his shoulder at her. ¡°If you want to thank me, just promise me one thing.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get any funny ideas after we get engaged.¡± Bonnie chuckled. ¡°I told you, you¡¯re not my type. I wouldn¡¯t even look at you if you slept naked on my bed.¡± Ivor suddenly felt upset. Why did he feel that way? A short whileter, the car pulled up at the main entrance of the vi. Chapter 9 2/3 ¡°Grandpa¡¯s still asleep.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll wait for him in the living room.¡± Bonnie entered the living room and saw Ged lounging on the sofa, watching TV as if he lived there. ¡°Hey,¡± Ged said, not looking away from his show. At that moment, an object flew straight toward the back of Bonnie¡¯s head. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Watch out!¡± Ivor shouted. He dashed over to her, trying to catch it. But it had taken him by surprise and he wasn¡¯t close enough to Bonnie, so he couldn¡¯t reach her in time. Bonnie shot out her hand behind her and caught the flying object easily. She was fast! Ged shot to his feet in disbelief. Ivor was surprised as well because Bonnie hadn¡¯t even blinked or seemed startled. ¡°Cleano II!¡± A boy around the age of eight or nine hurried over to Bonnie anxiously. Bonnie looked at what she had caught¨Ca vibrating disc¨Cshaped robot. ¡°Hey, be careful! That took me a month to assemble. I¡¯ll make you pay if you break it!¡± The boy flushed. Ged chimed in, ¡°You better do what he tells you, okay? No one messes with Ivor¡¯s brother. He¡¯s only interested in making robots. If you break his stuff, he¡¯ll go nuts, and even Sigmund might not be able to save you.¡± Ivor came over and looked solemnly at Neville Knight. ¡°That thing nearly hit her. You should apologize.¡± Neville shrank when he saw Ivor¡¯s stern face. He turned to Bonnie and muttered, ¡°Sorry.¡± Ged tsked. ¡°That little devil is scared of no one but you.¡± ¡°Why do you care?¡± Neville rolled his eyes at Ged, then snatched the robot from Bonnie¡¯s hand. ¡°What¡¯s the problem? The interface and chip are fine. Why would it lose control?¡± Neville checked the robot, mumbled to himself, and scratched his head. Bonnie approached him. ¡°Is that a cleaning robot?¡± ¡°You can tell?¡± Neville looked up in surprise. ¡°Yup,¡± said Bonnie. She could tell what robot it was by just looking at it? Chapter 9 3/3 Even Ged and Ivor were amazed. ¡°But how?¡± Neville asked despite himself. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not that hard really. It¡¯s not an ordinary cleaning robot, but one that¡¯s designed specifically to clean ceilings and chandeliers, right?¡± Bonnie asked. Neville¡¯s eyes went wide. How the hell did she figure that out? Bonnie held out her hand. ¡°Give it to me. I¡¯ll help you fix it.¡± ¡°Huh? You will?¡± Neville held the robot behind his back, worried that she would break it. Ged had been impressed by Bonnie, but he thought she was just trying to show off again. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate that little devil, Bonnie. He might only be eight, but he¡¯s won the technology and sciencepetition for children at the age of five, thanks to a robot he developed. His robots are all really advanced. They¡¯re not just something you can fix, okay?¡± Bonnie looked from Ged to Neville. ¡°Does the robot make loud noises when you turn it on?¡± ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°And when it flies, does it always slightly deviate from its path?¡± ¡°You know that too?¡± ¡°When it runs for a long time, it heats up, and overheating leads to a loss of control, just like what happened here.¡± ¡°How on earth did you¡­¡± Neville was so shocked that he couldn¡¯t finish his sentence. Bonnie continued, ¡°Your robot seems to have an issue with pulse output, as well as encoder cables and position feedback loops¡­ The servo gain settings are also a bit off¡­ I only took a quick look earlier, so that¡¯s all I can say for now. There might be other issues, but I¡¯ll need to do further testing.¡± Everyone stared at Bonnie, stupefied. Ivor looked at her thoughtfully. Neville¡¯s eyes went wide in astonishment. She could tell all that after just one look? ¡°Will you let me try to fix it?¡± Bonnie broke the silence. Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Chapter 10 ¡°Oh, okay. Here you go.¡± Neville stared at Bonnie, eager to know if she could do it. ¡°I need tools.¡± ¡°They¡¯re in my rooms. I¡¯ll get them for you.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Soon, Neville brought the tools back, and Bonnie started to fix the robot. She quickly took it apart, then deftly put it back together after making some adjustments. ¡°She did it!¡± Ged eximed in awe. As he fixed his gaze on Bonnie, Ivor suddenly realized she was pretty impressive. After all, his brother was basically a professional, but Bonnie could tell what the problems were at a nce. ¡°I¡¯ve fixed it,¡± Bonnie said So soon? Neville gaped at the robot in her hand. She was incredibly fast! ¡°Oh, the chip in the robot can be optimized too. Do you have aputer?¡± Bonnie asked. Neville¡¯s eyes widened further. She could even optimize the chip? She must be an expert. ¡°Be right back.¡± Neville hurried upstairs and returned quickly. He handed hisptop to Bonnie and stood beside her to watch. He wanted to know how good she was. Ged leaned over and saw Ivor had joined him too. Bonnie connected the robot to theptop and started typing so fast that her fingers looked like a blur. ¡®I¡¯ll be damned!¡® Ged thought. Ivor watched her fingers moving quickly and narrowed his eyes. A few minutester, Bonnie turned off theptop and handed the robot back to Neville. ¡°Try it. There should be no problem now.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Neville started the robot eagerly. It didn¡¯t make any loud noises, and he could control its flight path precisely. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. It had also be much more efficient at cleaning. ¡°This is so cool! You¡¯re amazing.¡± Neville looked at Bonnie, wide¨Ceyed in admiration ¡°It¡¯s nothing really. It¡¯s just a simple robot, so it was easy to fix ¡± Hommie sat down on the sofa and poured herself a cup of tea. Simple? For the first time in his life, the child prodigy fell inferior. ¡°You¡¯re so skilled. Did you start tinkering when you were ad ton?¡± Bonnie put down her cup. ¡°I took apart the TV at home as soon as I could walk,¡± ¡°And then?¡± ¡°I put it back together,¡± ¡°Woah, that¡¯s insane!¡± Neville was awed. Ged burst outughing. This was the second time he hadughed out loud at something she said. ¡°Dude, your IQ is 200. How could you believe that horseshit? She¡¯s just kidding!¡± Neville looked at Ged as if he was an idiot. ¡°Do you think I can¡¯t tell if she is?¡± Neville ignored him and held Bonnie¡¯s arm earnestly, ¡°Please be my mentor! I want to be an expert in robotics too.¡± ¡°Dude, what the hell are you doing?¡± Ged was so astounded that he nearly choked. ¡°I- Ivor, your brother isn¡¯t acting like himself!¡± Ivor looked from Neville to Bonnie. He knew that Neville¡¯s abilities far surpassed that of his peers and many intelligent adults. And the boy was particrly good at robotics. Ivor didn¡¯t know much about robotics, but he could tell from his brother¡¯s behavior that Bonnie was an expert in the field. Suddenly, Ivor remembered that Bonnie had once told him he wasn¡¯t good enough for her. It seemed like she wasn¡¯t just showing off after all. But Ivor still thought that she wasn¡¯t his match, even though she knew how to fix robots. As she saw Neville asking her to mentor him, Bonnie thought about Kay Steele, who wanted her to teach her something as well. Why was everyone so eager to learn from her today? 3/3 ¡°Please say yes. I promise you won¡¯t regret it!¡± Neville tried to persuade her. Bonnie rubbed her temple. ¡°I have no time to teach you anything, okay? I have all kinds of important things to do.¡± Ged shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re always skipping ss.¡± ¡°Well, she might not be doing great in school, but she¡¯s good at robotics all right.¡± This was the first time Ivor had everplimented Bonnie. Neville grew desperate as he saw that Bonnie was adamant. ¡°If you agree to be my mentor, I¡¯ll get Ivor to kiss Bonnie was exasperated. you now.¡± Ged burst outughing and wrapped his arm around Ivor. ¡°Your brother totally sold you out, bro!¡± ¡°He¡¯s not my type, okay?¡± Bonnie said. Neville threw Ivor a sympathetic look over his shoulder. He had already been upset by what Bonnie had said, so Ivor, who was usually calm, felt annoyed at his brother. ¡°If he¡¯s not your type, what about me? I might be young, but I promise I¡¯ll take good care of you.¡± Neville said, patting his chest. Bonnie grew even more exasperated. ¡°Oh my God! Now he¡¯s trying to steal your future wife, Ivor!¡± Gedughed. Ivor stiffened and walked up to Neville. ¡°Have you done your homework?¡± ¡°Not yet. I¡¯ll do itter.¡± ¡°Go back to your room, and don¡¯te out until you¡¯re done.¡± ¡°No! She hasn¡¯t agreed to mentor me yet. I-¡± Before Neville could finish, Ivor carried him upstairs back to his room. Ged wanted to keepughing, but thought the better of it when he saw Ivor¡¯s cold face. Ged cleared his throat and said, ¡°I heard about that new nanomaterial they¡¯ve just developed, Ivor. They should be holding a press conference soon. Do you have an inside scoop on when it¡¯s going to be? Ivor sat down. ¡°They haven¡¯t announced it yet.¡± Bonnie chimed in, ¡°It¡¯s set for the 28th of this month.¡± Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Chapter 11 When they heard what she said, Ivor and Ged looked at Bonnie. ¡°You know that?¡± Ivor asked with a frown. ¡°Uh¨Chuh,¡± Bonnie replied. The old professor at the research institute had texted her the date this morning He had asked if she was okay with the 28th of this month and offered to change it if she wasn¡¯t. ¡°Oh? How did you find out?¡± Ivor narrowed his eyes. ¡°Well¡­¡± Bonnie frowned. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you the specifics. All I can say is that It¡¯s set for the 28th.¡± Ged pulled Ivor aside and whispered, ¡°I really can¡¯t stand her, you know! Yes, she¡¯s pretty, I¡¯ll give her that, but she¡¯s so full of shit!¡® Ivor rubbed his chin and looked at Bonnie. He had always been good at reading people. But he couldn¡¯t seem to detect any hint that she was lying, which puzzled him. ¡°My dad says every major corporation in Pyralis¨Cno, I mean in all of Arvandor¨Cis eager to work with Ms. Bonita¡¯s research team to secure exclusive rights to the new nanomaterial. Isn¡¯t yourpany interested in it too? ¡°It¡¯s a brand new nanomaterial! You¡¯ll make a killing once it starts being used in manufacturing and research. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll help drive many advancements in technology too,¡± Ged spoke excitedly. ¡°Of course we¡¯re interested, but we might not be able to secure the rights to it, even if the Knight family is the richest in Pyralis. Many major powers in Arvandor will be after it.¡± Bonnie looked at him as he finished his sentence. ¡°You¡¯re interested in securing the rights to the new nanomaterial?¡± Ivor asked, ¡°Why? Can you help?¡± Bonnie nodded. ¡°Since Sigmund saved me once, I can help you if that¡¯s what you want.¡± Ged couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Thanks, but no thanks! I¡¯m sure Ivor doesn¡¯t want to trouble anyone.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no trouble at all. I just need to let the team know,¡± Bonnie said, casually. Ged shot to his feet and raised his voice. 214 ¡°Stop pushing it, okay? If you weren¡¯t a girl, I would have¡± ¡°Enough, Ged.¡± Ivor stood up as well. ¡°But she¡¯s so-¡± ¡°We never have to see her again after the one month engagement. There¡¯s no point getting angry with her.¡± But Ged was still upset. Bonnie could tell that they didn¡¯t believe her. She didn¡¯t mind, since her parents had never believed her either. There was no point wasting her breath. ¡°I always keep my promises. The research institute will announce its coboration with the Knight Group on the 28th.¡± Then, she got up and left. ¡°I feel sorry for you, Ivor. You¡¯re stuck with her. Having a wife who¡¯s such a show off like her, even for a month, will embarrass you forever!¡± Ged stared after Bonnie and shook his head. Ivor looked away from her. ¡°Have you talked to the Shepherd¡¯s friend?¡± Ged took a sip of water to calm himself down. ¡°Yeah, the Shepherd wants a showdown with you after the press conference about the nanomaterial.¡± ¡°Why after?¡± Ivor was puzzled. Ged thought about it and said, ¡°Do you think the Shepherd will be at that event? Could he be interested in securing the rights to the nanomaterial too?¡± Ivor thought it was possible. If that was the case, maybe they could meet him during the press conference. A few dayster, Ged rushed into Ivor¡¯s office. ¡°Holy shit, Ivor! Something incredible has happened. Ivor stopped working and looked at Ged. ¡°Are you talking about the press conference?¡± ¡°You know?¡± Ged took a deep breath and said, ¡°I can¡¯t fucking believe it. It really is on the 28th!¡± Ged had heard his parents talking about the date of the press conference while he was having Chanter 11 N?velDrama.Org owns all content. breakfast with them. And it was indeed on the 28th! ¡°Bonnie was right!¡± Ivor steepled his fingers and thought about the moment when Bonnie told them about the press conference. She hadn¡¯t seemed like she was lying. His hunch had been right. ¡°How did she find that out even faster than we did?¡± Ged was bewildered. ¡°Maybe my grandpa found out and told Bonnie,¡± Ivor ventured a guess. 1/4 ¡°Oh, yeah!¡± Ged said angrily, ¡°That must be it. How else could a high school student know something like that? Sigmund must have used his connections to get the information so he could tell Bonnie and help her impress you!¡± Ivor thought so too. ¡°Has Sigmund asked you to take her to the press conference? If he does, I strongly suggest you say no. Every major power in the country will be there. If she starts talking nonsense again, it¡¯ll be really embarrassing for you!¡± ¡°My grandpa didn¡¯t say anything about that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Ged was relieved. ¡°If Sigmund insists that you bring her, you need to find a way to get rid of her.¡± ** On her way home from school, Bonnie sneezed. She had a strange feeling that someone was talking about her. Suddenly, a luxury sports car approached with a load of red roses in the back seat. It pulled up right in front of her. The driver handed her arge bouquet of roses. ¡°Care to join me for lunch, Bonnie?¡± As he spoke, Dwayne brushed his hair. Bonnie nced at the roses and slowly said, ¡°Are you trying to date me?¡± ¡°Smart girl! What can I say? I really love smart women.¡± ¡°You¡¯re Sacha¡¯s boyfriend. Are you sure about this?¡± ¡°Well, I can break up with her if you want.¡± Dwayne looked very pleased with himself. He thought he was so charming and wealthy that Bonnie would throw herself at him. But Bonnie just frowned and said coldly, ¡°What do I care if you guys break up? Do you think every girl will throw herself at you just because you¡¯re rich? Just seeing your face makes me want to puke.¡± Dwayne¡¯s sports car and wealth had failed to impress Bonnie. After all, she wasn¡¯t hurting for money. Dwayne immediately thought of the man who had picked her up at the school entrance and the limited¨Cedition Maybach. ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t know you hired that guy to pick you up the other day, Bonnie? And you must have borrowed the car. Wait, did you sleep with someone to get it- Before he could finish, Dwayne suddenly shrieked in pain! Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Bonnie had given Dwayne a hard p across his face. She red at him. Dwayne red back. ¡°What the fuck?¡± He tried to grab her angrily. Bonnie swiftly pped him again and again. She hit him so hard that Dwayne spun around like a top, and his cheeks started to swell. ¡°Motherf-¡°Dwayne shouted. ¡°Yes? Do you want more?¡± Bonnie raised her hand, and Dwayne cowered. Bonnie snorted, then turned and left. Dwayne grit his teeth and red after her with bloodshot eyes. ¡°Just you wait, bitch! ¡°You¡¯re so going to regret this!¡± 1/4 It was the 20th, a few days before the press conference. Every major news outlet had been taken over by news about the new nanomaterial breakthrough. As they dined that evening, the Shepards were watching the news on TV. ¡°Earlier this month, the research team headed by Ms. Bonita sessfully developed a new nanomaterial after a year of relentless experiments. This has caused a sensation in Arvandor and sent shockwaves around the world!¡± Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Gresham admired the news and said, ¡°That¡¯s quite an achievement, isn¡® new nanomaterial within a year. ¡°I hear Ms. Bonita is very young. She¡¯s only around Trina¡¯s age.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Trina was astonished. it? To be able to develop a Vera passed a piece of roast beef to Trina. ¡°You¡¯re already an overachiever, honey. There¡¯s no need topare yourself to Ms. Bonita, who¡¯s in a league of her OWN. ¡°Your mom¡¯s right. You need to study hard now, so you¡¯ll be able to join Ms. Bonita¡¯s research team during your junior year internship.¡± Gresham passed Trina the mashed potato. Chan 12 216 ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m president of the Scientific Research Club right now, and everyone knows I¡¯m great at research. ¡°Even my professor told me I was talented and offered to rmend me to Ms. Bonita¡¯s research institute for my internship.¡± Trina turned to look at Bonnie with a scheming look on her face. ¡°Bonnie¡¯s doing pretty well too.¡± Gresham and Vera looked distressed as Trina mentioned Bonnie, Vera frowned and asked, ¡°Why do you say that?¡± ¡°Because she¡¯s ambitious! Didn¡¯t you say she was going to get Into Pyralls University?¡± ¡°And she wants to be top scorer in the entrance test too. What a goal! ¡°Me? I just barely made it into college.¡± Trine pinched her own thigh as she mocked Bonnie to stop herself fromughing. Vera turned grim, and Gresham fell silent. Trina continued, ¡°Haven¡¯t we been invited to the press conference? We should bring Bonnie along to broaden her horizons.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Gresham and Vera hesitated. They knew what Bonnie was like. She often skipped sses, got into trouble for fighting, and loved to show off. She had once shown them a trophy from an internationalpetition and imed she had won it. She had done the same with a chesspetition medal and many others. If they did bring Bonnie to the press conference, she might get into trouble there. Vera said sternly, ¡°The college entrance test is just around the corner, Bonnie. Don¡¯t even think about going to the press conference, okay? Just stay at home and study.¡± Bonnie raised an eyebrow and looked at Vera as if she was an idiot, but she didn¡¯t say a word. The 25th was Sacha¡¯s birthday. Dwayne had booked the most expensive VVIP room at Regal Karaoke. Eda Howard held Bonnie¡¯s hand and said apologetically, ¡°Sorry for making youe, Bonnie, but I¡¯d be so bored without you.¡± ¡°Come on, what are friends for?¡± Chapter 12 W/A As soon as Bonnie said that, Tilda Garraway mocked, ¡°Stop acting like you¡¯re better than us, Bonnie. ¡°So what if you¡¯re pretty? If it weren¡¯t for Sacha, we would never be able to hang out at such a fancy ce.¡± Some other students chimed in, trying to butter up Dwyane ¡°Give her some credit. The guy who picked Bonnie up the other day drove a Maybach, didn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Oh, please! We would have known if he was really her boyfriend. Anyone with a brain can tell what that was all about. ¡°Bonnie must have hired him to put on a show for all of us. Why hasn¡¯t he shown up these past few days?¡± ¡°Dwayne booked the fanciest VVIP room at the most luxurious karaoke joint in Pyralis. I bet Bonnie would have done anything to be here.¡± Bonnie nced at the room at the end of the corridor. That VVIP room? She had been here plenty of times. Dwayne saw Bonnie looking at it and thought she was longing to go inside. He felt pleased as he was certain she was going to throw herself at him soon. At that moment, the manager arrived. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Dwayne, but someone else has booked the VVIP room. ¦° Sacha, who was nestled in Dwayne¡¯s arms, said, ¡°Oh, no. I promised my ssmates we¡¯d get that room.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll handle it.¡± Dwayne gave her waist a yful pinch, then red at the manager. ¡°I made a reservation in advance. That room is fucking mine!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but a VVIP is using it. How about you take another room?¡± ¡°A VVIP? Aren¡¯t I a VVIP too?¡± Dwayne retorted. The others backed him up.. ¡°Yeah, Dwayne¡¯s dad owns the Caesar Hotel, okay?¡± ¡°Just get out of our way if you want to keep your job!¡± ¡°Ignore him, Dwayne. Let¡¯s just go in.¡± Dwayne looked at others, and his gaze lingered on Bonnie. He clenched his teeth, went around the manager, and threw the door open. ¡°I¡¯m taking this room. Get the hell out-¡± When he saw who was inside, Dwayne stopped short in rm. Chapter 12 The other students looked in, puzzled.. There were several men and women on the sofa. An arrogant¨Clooking young woman stood up. ¡°Dwayne Moss? What the fuck are you doing?¡± Dwayne paled. He approached her obsequiously. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, ma¡¯am. I didn¡¯t know you were here. ¡°I deserve to be punished, don¡¯t I?¡± Dwayne punched his own face. Sacha and the other students lowered their heads. Even Dwayne didn¡¯t dare mess with that woman! As they wondered who she was, the young woman looked at them and was stunned. ¡°Is that you?¡± She hurried over to the girl standing behind them and held out her hands earnestly. ¡°Please be my mentor, ma¡¯am!¡± Chapter 13 Chapter 13 Chapter 13 Mentor? They looked at the person Kay Steele was talking to and realized it was Bonnie! Everyone, including Dwayne, widened their eyes in astonishment. Bonnie recognized Kay. She was the girl who had wanted to learn kickboxing from her. ¡°Just give up, okay? I¡¯m not going to teach you anything.¡± Kay looked at Bonnie desperately. ¡°Come on. I promise I¡¯ll be a good student. Please? I¡¯m begging you! H Everyone looked at Bonnie in disbelief. Was the VVIP who had terrified Dwayne really begging Bonnie for something? Your mentor?¡± ¡°What¡¯s this about, Ms. Kay? Why do you want her to be Dwayne asked tentatively. ¡°It¡¯s none of your goddamn business!¡± Kay rolled her eyes at Dwayne and continued to plead with Bonnie. ¡°Please, Ms. Bonnie. If you agree to mentor me, I¡¯ll do anything you say.¡± Her abrupt change of attitude showed how little regard she had for Dwayne. ¡°I told you you, I¡¯m not taking students,¡± Bonnie said with a frown. Kay dropped the subject when she saw that Bonnie was getting impatient with her. ¡°Are you here for karaoke? Why don¡¯t you join us?¡± ¡°She¡¯s the birthday girl. You should ask her.¡± Bonnie looked at Sacha. Kay shot Sacha a meaningful re. Sacha shuddered. ¡°Since Ms. Kay has invited us to join her, why not?¡°. Kay chuckled. ¡°She said yes, Ms. Bonnie.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± Kay sat beside Bonnie and started talking nonstop. Sacha felt a little neglected. It was her birthday, after all. ¡°Are you okay, Sacha?¡± Tilda asked, concerned. Sacha yed the victim and shook her head with tears in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± But anyone could tell she was not fine at all. Chapter 13 2/3 Sacha¡¯s friends whispered among themselves. ¡°Bonnie is so inconsiderate! She knows it¡¯s Sacha¡¯s birthday, but she¡¯s trying to steal the limelight.¡± ¡°But why would Bonnie know a VVIP like Ms. Kay?¡± ¡°She must have done something sneaky to meet her, of course. What a conniving, shameless bitch!¡± Kay heard them. ¡°Hey, assholes! If it weren¡¯t for Ms. Bonnie, you wouldn¡¯t be able to have your party here. Since Kay had said it herself, the others could only lower their heads. ¡°You¡¯re the ones who were being inconsiderate, you idiots!¡± Kay looked at Bonnie. ¡°Do you mind if I kick them out?¡± Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Bonnie raised her brow and said, ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°How could you, you, Bonnie? They were just talking. Don¡¯t be so petty.¡± Sacha spoke up. Bonnie smiled at her. ¡°You¡¯re done? Good. You can leave now. You too, Dwayne.¡± Dwayne, Sacha, and others were exasperated. ¡°Hey, what are you waiting for? Get lost!¡± Kay waved, and several bodyguards marched toward them. Dwayne and others quickly hurried out of the room. ¡®Do you like the way I handled that?¡± Kay asked Bonnie. ¡°Thanks for getting rid of them. I don¡¯t like to owe anyone favors.¡± ¡°So will you mentor me?¡± Kay asked excitedly. ¡°I need to check with the guy who taught me kickboxing first. ¡°Who is he? I bet he¡¯s a master!¡± ¡°Hisst name is Burns. He lives in the mountains.¡± Kay¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°Are you talking about Cary Burns, the guy who¡¯s over a hundred years old?¡± ¡°Uh¨Chuh. ¡°Oh my God! He¡¯s the greatest kickboxer in the country. So that¡¯s why you¡¯re so good! I heard that all his students are kickboxing experts.¡± At that moment, Bonnie received a text from Cary that read, ¡°I don¡¯t mind if you start teaching.¡± Chapter 13 33 Kay heard the message notification, craned her neck to look, and leapt to her feet in excitement when she saw what it said. The phone dinged again as another message from Cary popped up. ¡°My second student has just returned to Arvandor. You should meet up with her.¡± His second student? Bonnie had never met her before. She had only heard Cary say that her senior was an amazing kickboxer. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go see her when I¡¯m free.¡® And so she agreed to teach Kay kickboxing. On the 28th, the press conference for the new nanomaterial was about to begin. Bonnie arrived at the venue early in the morning. Just as she was thinking about going backstage, Vera stopped her. ¡°Bonnie? How on earth did you get in here? You didn¡¯t sneak in, did you?¡± Vera grew worried. ¡°You should leave right now. Ms. Bonita and her team will be holding the press conference hereter. This is no ce for you to fool around.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t sneak in, okay?¡± Bonnie needed to rush backstage. Many industry leaders had arrived, and reporters were armed with their cameras and microphones, ready for the press conference to begin. As the leader of the research team, she had to give a speech. ¡°Why do you lie so much? You-¡± The voice of the host on stage interrupted Vera. ¡°The press conference is about to begin. Please be seated,dies and gentlemen.¡± As she saw the VIPS taking their seats, Vera red at Bonnie. ¡°What are you standing there for? Go find a seat!¡± Bonnie frowned. ¡°I have things to do.¡± ¡°Juste with me!¡± Vera grabbed Bonnie¡¯s wrist and pulled her toward the seats. The host continued, ¡°It¡¯s time to begin the press conference,dies and gentlemen. Ms. Bonita will start us off with some opening thoughts.¡± Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Chapter 14 As he said that, everyone looked expectantly at the stage. ¡°Ms. Bonita¡¯s going to show up any time now, Ivor!¡± Ged could hardly contain the excitement in his voice. Ivor looked calm, but his gaze betrayed his true feelings. Trina palmed her chest. ¡°I¡¯m so nervous, mom! My greatest idol is about to appear.¡± Vera¡¯s hand started to sweat as she anxiously tightened her grip on Bonnie¡¯s wrist. ¡°Stay calm. We¡¯ll go talk to her after she¡¯s done.¡± Bonnie tried to pull her wrist from her mother¡¯s hand. ¡°I need to go to the restroom.¡± ¡°What? Ms. Bonita is about to go on stage, and you want to go to the restroom now?¡± ¡°I really need to go. ¡°You¡¯re going nowhere, youngdy.¡± A minute passed, but Ms. Bonita still didn¡¯t show up. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Where¡¯s Ms. Bonita?¡± The crowd whispered among themselves. The host sweated profusely. Just as he was about to go backstage to ask about Bonnie, he spotted her sitting among the attendees. What on earth? What was she sitting there for? Bonnie frowned and nced at Vera, who was holding onto her tightly. The host caught on and quickly arranged for someone to help her. Very soon, an elderly professor walked toward the family. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Professor Terry. I¡¯m a researcher working for Ms. Bonita.¡± Gresham and Vera were surprised that he woulde over to talk to them. ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet you, Professor Terry. What can we do for you?¡± The couple were excited, but they kept their cool. Professor Terry wasn¡¯t as esteemed as Ms. Bonita in Arvandor, but he was a heavyweight in the academic world. Someone like him wouldn¡¯t juste over to talk to them for nothing. Chapter 14 ¡°I¡¯m here for¡­¡± Professor Terry looked at Bonnie. Trina was standing next to Bonnie, so the couple thought he was referring to their adopted daughter and felt proud. ¡°You¡¯re here because of Trina, aren¡¯t you? She¡¯s famous at her college, but we didn¡¯t expect you to have heard about her as well.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Trina¡¯s dream to work for you. She¡¯s nning to apply for an internship at the research institute during her junior year. We hope you¡¯ll look out for her when the timees.¡± ¡°Uh, is she? She needs to work hard then¡­¡± Professor Terry cleared his throat and tried to y along. In her eagerness to talk about Trina, Vera had forgotten all about Bonnie. Bonnie seized the opportunity to head backstage. The host sighed in relief. ¡°Sorry about that. Without further ado, let¡¯s give a warm wee to Ms. Bonital¡± Bonnie took the stage in a surgical mask and hat. She took the microphone and deepened her voice as she said, ¡°This breakthrough in the new nanomaterial was the result of the collective effort of the whole team. So please, give each and every one of them your warmest apuse. Bonnie looked at a group of professors sitting in the front row and started introducing them one by one. ¡°Professor Jamie Harper. ¡°Professor Riley Chambers. ¡°Professor Charlie Knowles¡­¡± The crowd apuded as they were introduced. The old professors were moved to tears as they received Ms. Bonita¡¯s gratitude. ¡°Don¡¯t you think Ms. Bonita looks like Bonnie, Ivor?¡± Ged asked, puzzled. Ivor shook his head and said, ¡°You¡¯re imaginative, I¡¯ll give you that.¡± Ged chuckled. ¡°Anyway, Bonnie said they would announce their coboration with The Knight Group. She¡¯s so full of shit.¡± Just as he finished saying that, Bonnie continued. ¡°Next, I¡¯m going to announce something important. Curious, everyone listened attentively. Bonnie looked at Ivor. ¡°Hmm?¡± Ivor noticed her gaze and was puzzled. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Ivor?¡± Ged looked over his shoulder and asked. ¡®Ms. Bonita seems to be looking at me¡­! ¡°I¡¯m d you haven¡¯t lost your sense of humor.¡± Ged chuckled. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Ivor frowned. Could he have been mistaken? Bonnie continued, ¡°I know many of you havee here to secure the rights to the new nanomaterial, but I¡¯ve already decided whichpany we¡¯re going to work with Amotion broke out. ¡°What? She¡¯s already decided? I wonder who that lucky son¨Cof¨Ca¨Cbitch is!¡± ¡°I tried to get as much funding as I could just so the research institute would choose mypany. I guess all my efforts were useless!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t keep us in suspense, Ms. Bonita. Tell us whichpany you¡¯re going with Bonnie announced, ¡°I¡¯ll be working with the Knight Group.¡± Ivor was stunned. Scenes of Bonnie showing off shed across his mind. ¡°Holy shit! Did I just hear that? That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s¡­¡± Ged was stupefied. ¡°It looks like there¡¯s more to Bonnie than meets the eye, Ivor!¡± Ged did not think that this was a coincidence. Bonnie had been right about the date of the press conference. And now the research institute had announced their coboration with the Knight Group just as she said they would! Ivor was a smart man, and he shared Ged¡¯s opinion. When the press conference ended, Ivor noticed the Shepards were all present except for Bonnie. He grew thoughtful. Suddenly, he got up and walked toward the stage. Bonnie was mobbed by the crowd as soon as she left the stage. The security guards tried to hold them back in vain. ¡°Stop pushing! Get more guards over here to protect Ms. Bonita!¡± ¡°Ms. Bonita, what do you n to research next?¡± Chapter 14 ¡°Ms. Bonita, our TVwork would like to invite you for an exclusive interview. Could you spare us some time? It won¡¯t take long.¡± ¡°Care for dinner with me, Ms. Bonita?¡± The situation started growing out of control as everyone tried to get to her. ¡°Get out of the way! I want an autograph.¡± Bonnie was a good fighter, but there was nothing she could do in a situation like this. Suddenly, something unexpected happened! A camera that was thrust upward tipped her hat, and her long hair fell out. Bonnie¡¯s mask was nudged off her face too. Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Oh, no! Bonnie was rmed. It was a huge crowd, and many reporters were broadcasting live. If anyone found out her true identity, she would be embroiled In International disputes and targeted by assassins. Just as she was panicking, someone covered her head with a jacket. She heard a steady and familiar voice. ¡°Please make way,¡± said the voice calmly and authoritatively. The man who was protecting her was the King of Combat, Jim Ray, who served as Ms. Bonita¡¯s. bodyguard. Bonnie smiled. ¡°When did you get back?¡± ¡°I just did.¡± Jim frowned. ¡°Sorry, I should have been here earlier.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. So, how was the International Fighting Championship? Did you win?¡± Jim took out the champion¡¯s medal from his pocket and ced it in Bonnie¡¯s hand. ¡°This is for you. Bonnie wasn¡¯t surprised that he had won. ¡°Are you sure? It¡¯s the champion¡¯s medal.¡± ¡°Well, consider it a congrattory gift for the nanomaterial breakthrough.¡± Bonnie pocketed the medal. ¡°What do you want in return? You know, for winning the championship.¡± ¡°A treat will be fine,¡± Jim answered readily. ¡°Deal.¡± The crowd watched them leave. Ivor frowned as he watched Bonnie go. ¡°What are you standing there for, Ivor? Ms. Bonita is leaving. Didn¡¯t you have something to ask her?¡± Ged nudged Ivor, puzzled. Ivor thought for a moment and said, ¡°We caught a glimpse of her face. Don¡¯t you think she looks a lot. Chapter 15 like someone?¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°You know.¡± ¡°Huh? Who are you talking about?¡± As he saw Ged¡¯s bewildered look, Ivor wondered if he might have made a mistake. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. 2/2 After all, based on his investigations, Bonnie used to live in the countryside, where she often skipped school and scored zero on her exams. And she hadn¡¯t graduated from high school even though she was 20 years old. There was no way she could be Ms. Bonita. They might look alike, but that didn¡¯t mean anything. ¡°Come on.¡± Ivor dismissed the possibility and hurried after Bonnie. ¡°Please wait, Ms. Bonita.¡± Bonnie looked over her shoulder at Ivor with a frown. Why was he here? Had he seen her face? Was he beginning to suspect who she was? Bonnie remained calm. ¡°Yes, Mr. Ivor, what can I do for you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe we¡¯ve ever met. Could you tell me why you¡¯ve chosen to coborate with my company? Ivor narrowed his eyes and studied her discreetly. Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Chapter 16 ¡°Well, I¡¯m from Pyralis like you. And on top of that, you¡¯re the richest guy in the city. Why wouldn¡¯t I work with you?¡± Ivor was stumped. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll get going,¡± Bonnie said dryly. Before Ivor could ask any more questions, Jim put himself between him and Bonnie. ¡°You heard her, Mr. Ivor.¡± Ivor could tell Jim was trying to get rid of him. Worried that Ivor might upset Bonnie, Ged quickly whispered, ¡°Ms. Bonita isn¡¯t a very social person. You should be d she even talked to you, okay? We should leave now.¡± But Ivor had a strange feeling that he would be able to solve this puzzle if he continued to pursue the matter. ¡°Anything else we can do for you?¡± Jim said, icily. ¡°No, no, we¡¯re leaving.¡± Ged pulled Ivor away. ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you, Ivor? Everyone knows that Ms. Bonita doesn¡¯t like talking to anyone. Besides, her bodyguard is Jim Ray, the King of Combat. I heard he just won the International Fighting Championship. We don¡¯t have our bodyguards with us right now. He¡¯ll kick our asses if things turn ugly!¡± Ivor looked away from her. ¡°Do you see Bonnie anywhere?¡± ¡°Bonnie? Why?¡± Ged looked around. ¡°Come to think of it, it looks like she left a while ago. Ivor grew pensive again when he heard that. Meanwhile, Vera and Gresham were looking for Bonnie. ¡°How strange. Did she get lost on her way to the restroom?¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather she go missing than embarrass us in front of everyone.¡± They looked at Trina. ¡°Trina, you need to make every effort to meet Professor Terry¡¯s expectations. and secure a ce at the research institute during the internship recruitment next month, okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my best and make you and mom proud!¡± Trina was both pleased and excited as she thought she had caught Professor Terry¡¯s attention. ¡°If you can get into Ms. Bonita¡¯s team, we¡¯ll throw you a fancy party and invite everyone to attend.¡± ¡°Thanks, mom!¡± Chapter 16 Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. 22 At the hotel, Jim frowned, upset. ¡°Are you really going to get engaged to Ivor? He doesn¡¯t deserve you!¡± He thought no one was good enough for Bonnie. Bonnie took a sip of juice and shrugged. ¡°You know I don¡¯t like owing anyone any favors. And anyway, Sigmund did once save me and my foster parents.¡± ¡°Even so, you¡¯d be making a huge sacrifice!¡± ¡°Sigmund is adamant that I repay him this way. Besides, it¡¯s only for one month. After that, I don¡¯t have to see Ivor ever again.¡± ¡°Even if it is for one month, I would- ¡°Hey, don¡¯t dwell on him. Let¡¯s talk about you instead. Did anything interesting happen during the championship?¡± Jim felt a little better as he saw that Bonnie wasn¡¯t taking Ivor seriously. ¡®Bonnie¡¯s right. We don¡¯t need to keep talking about an outsider.¡® The next day, Ivor came to pick Bonnie up after school. ¡°We¡¯re getting engaged tomorrow. Grandpa wants you home to get ready for that,¡± Ivor said impassively. ¡°Sure.¡± Bonnie¡¯s tone was equally dry. Ivor studied her face in the rearview mirror. After a moment of silence, he asked, ¡°How did you know Ms. Bonita would choose to work with mypany?¡± Chapter 12 Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Bonnie looked up when she heard his question. She knew Ivor would ask her that, so she had prepared an answer. ¡°I know someone who works at the research institute. ¡°Who? He must be someone important if he found out the news so early,¡± Ivor said. ¡°You could say that. But I can¡¯t tell you who he is right now.¡± Ivor narrowed his eyes. ¡°That day, you told me you could help me secure the rights to the nanomaterial. It sounded like you were the person in charge. Bonnie didn¡¯t respond. Ivor chuckled. ¡°Ged says you¡¯re full of shit. I heard that¡¯s why your parents don¡¯t like you. ¡°The coboration didn¡¯t happen just because you said it would. You knew Ms. Bonita would work with mypany, which was why you told me that the other day. ¡°Well, you can think whatever you want,¡± Bonnie said nonchntly. Ivor was a little upset that she was dismissing him. ¡°Was that really what happened?¡± Bonnie was getting impatient. She frowned. ¡°What does it matter? You said you didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with me when we first met. Why are you so interested in me now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°Good. Like I said, you¡¯re not my type. You¡¯d better not fall for me.¡± The car grew quiet again as they ignored each other. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Bonnie¡¯s phone dinged. It was a text from Heath that read, ¡°Are you done with work? The Knight wants to have a game with you.¡± Bonnie replied, ¡°I¡¯ll do it the day after tomorrow.¡± She would be tied up with her engagement. tomorrow. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll tell him that.¡± Ivor¡¯s phone dinged as he received a text message. It read, ¡°The Shepherd says the day after tomorrow.¡± Ivor was ted. Bonnie looked up and saw him smiling in the rearview mirror. Chapter 17 She was surprised that a man like him could smile like that. It did make him seem pretty charming. 2/2 When Bonnie arrived, she saw Neville waiting anxiously in the doorway. He dashed over when he saw her. ¡°You need to leave now! My mom¡¯s back. She¡¯s going to give you a hard time!¡± Neville tried to push Bonnie away. ¡°Huh? I don¡¯t even know her! Why would she do that?¡± Bonnie was puzzled. ¡°Because she doesn¡¯t approve of your marriage with my brother! My mom¡¯s a fierce woman, and she doesn¡¯t listen to anything my grandpa says. She came back from overseas just to get rid of you!¡± Bonnie was suddenly reminded of what Heath had told her about the Knights. As the wife of Sigmund¡¯s second eldest son, Ivor¡¯s mother was a tough cookie. She had never been afraid of the wealthy Knight family. Five years ago, she had given Ivor¡¯s father Wird Knight, a good beating before she left the family and went abroad. Just as Bonnie remembered that, a woman dressed in a nun¡¯s habit emerged from the house. ¡°Are you Bonnie Shepard? You¡¯re quite pretty, I¡¯ll give you that. But you and Ivor hardly know each. other. I¡¯ll never approve of your marriage. Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Bonnie looked at the woman who was dressed in a non¡¯s habit. Was this Ivor¡¯s mother? Had she be a nun? This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡°I don¡¯t care who you are, Bonnie, but you need to leave Tvor alone. You¡¯d better leave town while you can and never set foot in Pyralis ever again!¡± said Maisie coldly Undaunted, Bonnie said, ¡°I agree with you. This is absurd, boot and I don¡¯t have feelings for each other, and I don¡¯t want to marry him. But I owe Sigmund, since he saved me and my foster parents. If you want to stop the engagement, you¡¯ll have to talk to him. And if you want me to leave Pyralis, you¡¯ll have to make me.¡± ¡°Hah! You say you don¡¯t want to marry my son? Swear on your mother¡¯s life then!¡± Maise red at Bonnie. ¡°Not everyone wants to marry your son, okay?¡± Bonnie was upset. ¡°And why should i swear on my mom¡¯s life?¡± She nced at Ivor. ¡°If you need proof, I don¡¯t mind kicking your son¡¯s ass in front of you.¡± Ivor narrowed his eyes. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re just as difficult as my investigations said you were. I¡¯m definitely putting a stop to this marriage!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t! They¡¯re getting engaged tomorrow.¡± Sigmund emerged from the house, leaning on his §ã§Ñ§á§Ö. ¡°Have you lost your mind, Sigmund? How could you ask my son to marry a woman like her?¡± Maise looked at Bonnie disdainfully. Sigmund furiously rounded on his second son, Wird. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to tell your wife to behave?¡± Wird looked scared. ¡°You know she doesn¡¯t listen to a word I say, dad. She wouldn¡¯t have been gone for five years otherwise!¡± ¡°And you call yourself a man? Don¡¯t be such a pussy!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t me me for this, dad! It runs in the family, doesn¡¯t it? When mom was still around, you used to grovel at her feet all the time!¡± ¡°I¡± Sigmund flushed. He was stumped, but collected himself and tapped Wird with his cane. ¡°Your elder brother has more guts than you!¡± ¡°Come on. He got kicked out of the house by his wife and had to sleep in the office just two days ago. How is he better than me?¡± Chapter 18 2/2 Sigmund was exasperated. He regained hisposure after a while and looked at Maise. ¡°I¡¯ve made up my mind about the engagement, and there¡¯s nothing you can do about it. Anyway, I haven¡¯t been feeling welltely. I¡¯d better go back to bed.¡± He quickly fled upstairs. ¡°Coward!¡± Maisie was used to Sigmund pretending to be sick. She turned and red at Bonnie. ¡°I¡¯m warning you. You¡¯ll be sorry if you show up tomorrow!¡± Bonnie wasn¡¯t afraid. ¡°It¡¯s up to me whether I show up or not. I¡¯m not afraid of you.¡± Maise narrowed her eyes. ¡°Oh, yeah?¡± Bonnie raised an eyebrow and sneered. Maisie snorted. ¡°Just you wait!¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± As he saw his mother and Bonnie arguing, Ivor started to feel worried. The next day, Bonnie was stopped by Maisie and her bodyguards when she tried to leave home. Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Chapter 19 ¡°I told you you¡¯d be sorry if you showed up.¡± Bonnie looked calmly at the two burly bodyguards. ¡°Do you think they can stop me?¡± ¡°Why not? They¡¯re the best of the best. You¡¯d bettere with me now, and I¡¯ll let you go after the engagement party. If you don¡¯t cooperate, we¡¯ll show you no mercy.¡± Bonnie checked the time. ¡°The party¡¯s starting soon, and I¡¯m neverte to anything. You¡¯d better leave with your men now, or I¡¯ll show you no mercy.¡± ¡°Fine. You asked for this!¡± Maise took two steps back and looked at the bodyguards. ¡°Seize her, but try not to hurt her.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± The bodyguards reached out with their thick arms and tried to grab Bonnie. Bonnie threw a roundhouse kick and sent one of them tumbling over the other. The bodyguards fell on the ground, groaning. Maise¡¯s eyes went wide in surprise. ¡°You know kickboxing?¡± Bonnie raised her brow. ¡°Are you sure your bodyguards are the best of the best?¡± she taunted. ¡°They let their guard down, that¡¯s all. It doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re any good!¡± ¡°Get up!¡± Maisie shouted at the bodyguards who were still lying on the ground. The men scrambled to get up. They had underestimated Bonnie and let their guard down. They knew they had to redeem themselves now, or their reputation would be at stake. The bodyguards stopped holding back and attacked Bonnie from both sides. Bonnie darted behind one of them with lightning speed. ¡°What the fuck?¡± Before the man could respond, Bonnie knocked him out cold. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Astonished, the other bodyguard stood frozen. ¡°What are you standing there for? Attack!¡± Maise shouted. The man pulled himself together, growled, and threw a punch at Bonnie with all his might. She dodged easily and kicked him in the stomach. The bodyguard flew backward and crashed onto a wall as if he had been hit by a train and passed out. Maise widened her eyes in disbelief. Chuutor ve Boune marched over to her. ¡°Will you get out of my way now?¡± ¡°I most admit I underestimated you, but I can¡¯t let you go no matter what.¡± ¡°Do you think you can stop me?¡± Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Chapter 20 ¡°Lean try.¡± Bonnie narrowed her eyes and stepped forward. Maisie held out a hand against Bonnie¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t make me do this. You might have been able to defeat those clowns, but you¡¯re no match for me.¡± Bonnie was taken aback. She hadn¡¯t expected Ivor¡¯s mother to be a fighter. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± Bonnie grabbed Maisie¡¯s arm, stepped across her, and yanked her out of the way in a diagonal motion. ¡®She was holding back while fighting the bodyguards! She¡¯s more powerful than she wanted me to believe,¡® thought Maisie in rm. ¡°You leave me no choice, youngdy!¡± Maisie held up her fists in a steady fighting stance. Bonnie was surprised when she realized that Maisie was a skilled kickboxer. They charged and fought fiercely in a flurry of blows. At the Knight Residence, the engagement party was full swing. Sigmund looked at the gate with a frown. ¡°Why isn¡¯t Bonnie here yet? Why hasn¡¯t she answered my calls?¡± Ged said, ¡°Maybe she realized she wasn¡¯t good enough for Ivor.¡± Sigmund smacked the back of Ged¡¯s head. ¡°One more word from you, and I¡¯ll throw you out!¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°Hey, that hurt!¡± Sigmund snorted and asked the butler. ¡°I told you to send someone to look for Bonnie. Is he back yet?¡± At that moment, the servant hurried over. ¡°Bad news, sir! Mrs. Maisie and Ms. Bonnie are fighting.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Sigmund, Ivor, and Wird shouted at the same time. Ivor and Wird exchanged a nce. ¡°Where are they?¡± Sigmund quickly got to his feet. ¡°I¡¯ll take you there.¡± Ged whispered to Ivor, ¡°Your future wife is something else. Is she really fighting with your mom? She¡¯s a goddamn kickboxing expert!¡± Chapter 20 3/2 Ivor frowned and got into the car. He was also surprised that Bonnie could fight. Meanwhile, Bonnie and Maisie had exchanged several strikes, but no one could gain the upper hand. In the end, they pushed each other away and stumbled back, astonished. ¡°Do you know Cary Burns?¡± Bonnie and Maisie asked at the same time. Stunned, they stepped closer to each other in excitement. ¡°Are you Cary¡¯s second student?¡± ¡°You must be Cary¡¯sst student!¡± Chapter 21 Chapter 21 Chapter 21 They quickly figured out that they were both students of Cary Burns. ¡°Cary told me you just got back to Pyralis,¡± Bonnie said. ¡°He told me he¡¯d taken in onest student, but because I lived abroad all these years, I never had the chance to visit. I didn¡¯t think it was you! He always speaks highly of you, you know.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d turn out to be my senior either. No wonder you¡¯re so good.¡± ¡°Come on, you¡¯re the real genius. Cary is right. You¡¯re a natural. ¡°You mastered kickboxing even though you¡¯re only 20. You¡¯ve only been training with him for a short time, too. ¡°All your seniors, including me, had to work hard for a long time, you know? ¡°To be honest, you¡¯d beat all of us if we were your age.¡± As Masie spoke, she smoothed down Bonnie¡¯s hair and dress. Ivor and others arrived just in time to see it happen. They gaped, and their eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°What the hell is going on, mom?¡± Ivor asked. Masie held Bonnie¡¯s hand andughed. ¡°I just sparred with her and discovered that we both learned kickboxing from the same person.¡± Ivor was stunned. ¡°For real?¡± Ged¡¯s jaw dropped. The others who had arrived thought they had misheard. After all, Maisie had learned kickboxing from Cary, the greatest kickboxer in Arvandor. It was a shock to find that Bonnie was his student too. ¡°Are you sure, mom?¡± Ivor nced at Bonnie discreetly. ¡°Of course, I am! She¡¯s Cary¡¯sst student,¡± said Maisie with certainty. Ged felt he had been so wrong about Bonnie. He had always thought that she was aplete loser, but now it seemed that he had seriously underestimated her. Maisie nudged Bonnie toward Ivor. ¡°Come say hello to my teammate.¡± Ivor was exasperated. Bonnie patted his shoulder. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 21 27 ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were my senior¡¯s son. Now that I do, I¡¯m going to look out for you.¡± Ivor couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He pushed her hand off his shoulder. Sigmund hurried over. ¡°Why are you all talking about kickboxing? You¡¯re getting engaged today!¡± He took a deep breath and looked at Maisie. ¡°Will you still object to their marriage?¡± Masie turned to hold Bonnie¡¯s hand again. ¡°To be honest, my son isn¡¯t good enough for you. As your senior, I think you should say no to the engagement.¡°¡± Ivor was speechless. Ged tried hard not tough. ¡°However,¡± Maisie continued, ¡°as Ivor¡¯s mom, I wish you would say yes.¡± Bonnie smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve made a deal with Sigmund. If Ivor and I still don¡¯t like each other in one month, we¡¯ll go our separate ways. ¡°I see.¡± Maisie didn¡¯t know about that. ¡°Oh, Ivor¡¯s grandma gave this to me. I want you to have it.¡± Masie removed her bracelet and tried to put it on Bonnie¡¯s wrist. ¡°Woah, this is too much!¡± ¡°Come on. It¡¯s a gift.¡± ¡°But- ¡°What? Don¡¯t you like it?¡± ¡°I do!¡± Chapter 22 Chapter 22 Chapter 22 ¡°Then it¡¯s yours, okay?¡± Maisie managed to put the bracelet on her wrist. ¡°It looks good on you, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Bonnie smiled. Ivor felt a mix of emotions as he saw his mother and Bonnie being so friendly. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s get the party started.¡± Maisie took Bonnie¡¯s hand and led her to the car while continuing their conversation affectionately. Ged walked behind Ivor and patted his shoulder silently. Ivor shot him a nce and pped his hand away before going after them. After the engagement party ended, Bonnie stayed at the Knight Residence. She had promised Sigmund she would live with them for a month. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. After dinner, Ivor brought Bonnie to the second floor. ¡°This is your room.¡± ¡°Okay, thanks,¡± said Bonnie politely. Ivor said dryly, ¡°I¡¯m just doing what my grandpa told me to. Besides, you¡¯re a guest.¡± Bonnie knew Ivor was trying to tell her to mind her boundaries. ¡°I¡¯ll be staying in the room next to yours as he wanted. You shouldn¡¯t enter it without my permission, and I won¡¯t go in your room either,¡± Ivor continued. Bonnie said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t go to your room. I¡¯ll never fall for you either.¡± ¡°Good.¡± They went to their rooms. The next morning, Bonnie received a text message from Heath. ¡°The Knight is waiting for you at the private club. What¡¯s your ETA?¡± Bonnie yawned. ¡°I¡¯ll be right there.¡± ¡°You were sleeping, weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I was exhausted, so I overslept. I¡¯ll go as soon as I wash up, okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll drive you.¡± Chapter 22 ¡°You¡¯re going too?¡± Bonnie asked. ¡°You bet your ass 1 am!¡± Heath sounded excited. ¡°This is the ultimate game between two of the greatest chess yers of all time. I wouldn¡¯t miss it for the world!¡± 2/2 In a private room of the club, Ivor could hardly contain his excitement. Ged walked in and saw Ivor looking at the door, but he looked disappointed when he saw that it was just Ged ¡°You thought I was the Shepherd, huh?¡± ¡°Why isn¡¯t he here yet?¡± Ivor looked anxious despite himself. He had always been poker¨Cfaced, but he loved chess too much. ¡°She¡¯s on the way.¡± Ged sat down. ¡°Who do you think is more likely to win, Ivor? You or the Shepherd?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to say.¡± Suddenly, they heard footsteps, and the sound of the door being pushed open. Ivor and Ged looked at the door. The door to the private room opened, and Bonnie walked in! Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Chapter 23 ¡°Why are you here?¡± Ivor frowned. Ged added, ¡°You have the wrong room. ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± Bonnie stepped outside and checked the room number. ¡°Heath, you said the room number was 007, right?¡± Heath was puzzled. ¡°Yeah, this should be it.¡± Bonnie opened the door again and walked in. ¡°Why are you back?¡± Ged asked, baffled. She looked at them and said, ¡°You guys have the wrong room. We¡¯re supposed to meet someone in Room 007. ¡°Hey, I booked the room, okay? You¡¯re the ones who must have made a mistake,¡± Ged said confidently. Bonnie frowned and asked, ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ged showed them the booking information on his phone. ¡°See for yourself!¡± Astonished, Bonnie looked at Ivor, then at Ged. ¡°Which one of you is the Knight?¡± Ivor and Ged stared at Bonnie and the good¨Clooking man beside her in astonishment. ¡°You¡¯re here for the game?¡± Ivor stood up. His gaze wavered between Bonnie and Heath and eventually settled on thetter. The Shepherd was young indeed. ¡°Yup,¡± Bonnie answered and asked again, ¡°So which of you is the Knight?¡± Ivor sat down beside the chessboard. It was clear that it was him. Raising her brow, Bonnie tried not to look surprised and sat down across from Ivor. Ivor¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°You¡¯re the Shepherd?¡± ¡°My family name is Shepard. Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± Bonnie said ndly. Ivor bolted to his feet and frowned. Chapter 23 2/2 ¡°What the fuck?¡± Ged gaped at Bonnie. He was even more shocked than when he found out she was thest student of Cary Burns. ¡°You¡¯re the Shepherd? Oh my God! This can¡¯t be happening!¡± Ged thought he had lost it. He scratched his head a few times, but could not seem to recover from the shock. Ivor was equally astounded, although he did not show it. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Bonnie. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to y chess with me? I¡¯ve been waiting for this day too. Sit down so we can begin.¡± Bonnie flipped a coin and covered it as it fell on the back of her hand. ¡°Heads or tails?¡± Ivor tried to remain calm and sat back down. ¡°Heads.¡± Bonnie revealed the coin. ¡°You make the first move. In a chess game between experienced yers, one wrong move could lead to defeat.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Ivor yed fast and hardly needed to think. It was the same with Bonnie. The minute Ivor made his move, she made hers. All anyone could hear was a series of thuds as they moved the chess pieces. Heath and Ged watched the game closely and almost cheered out loud several times. They were amazing! This was the ultimate showdown, all right. There was no telling who would win. Half an hourter, Bonnie picked up a ss of water and took a sip. Ivor made his move and looked up at Bonnie. His gaze lingered as he was enchanted by her poise and grace. Bonnie put down her ss and saw Ivor looking at her. ¡°Is there something on my face?¡± Ivor caught himself and frowned. ¡°It¡¯s your turn.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Bonnie made her move. After some time, Ivor suddenly slowed down and studied the chessboard with a frown. Ged started feeling anxious. Was Ivor going to lose? Bonnie waited quietly. After a minute, Ivor made his move. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Ged was relieved. It was Bonnie¡¯s turn to ponder her next move. Heath anxiously picked up a fan and started to waft it at her. Bonnie threw Heath a nce, silently telling him to rx. Embarrassed, he pumped his fist at her. Ivor narrowed his eyes when he saw their interaction. A thud sounded as Bonnie made her move and met Ivor¡¯s gaze. ¡°Your turn.¡± The intense game continued, but neither Ivor nor Bonnie could gain the upper hand. After a moment, Bonnie and Ivor stopped ying. ¡°I think we should call it a draw.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll y again next time.¡± ¡°Hav,¡± Bonnie got up and stretched her limbs, ¡°It¡¯s noon. Are you hungry? Let¡¯s grab some lunch,¡± Heath sald. Bonnie patted her stomach. ¡°I¡¯m starving. Come on.¡± ¡°Where should we go?¡± ¡°Let me think.¡± They talked as they headed out. Ivor started feeling Jealous as he saw how close they were. Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Chapter 25 ¡°The engagement might not have been our idea, but don¡¯t forget that you¡¯re still my fianc¨¦e for a month, Bonnie. You shouldn¡¯t date any other guys, okay?¡± Bonnie looked over her shoulder and said drily, ¡°Just date some other girls, and we¡¯ll call it even.¡± Ivor was at a loss for words. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± said Bonnie to Heath. They left together. Ivor stated after her and pursed his lips. Ged couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Bonnie is really something else. She fixes robots, she fights, and she¡¯s also turned out to be The Shepherd. I guess she¡¯s not the loser we thought she was. You should cherish her, Ivor. She might be full of shit sometimes, but I think she¡¯s good enough for you.¡± Ivor frowned, and his gaze became pensive. *** 1/2 After having lunch with Heath, Bonnie went home to pack her clothes. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Vera was puzzled. ¡°I¡¯m going to move out so I can focus on preparing for the college entrance test,¡± Bonnie said as she filled her luggage. ¡°Where are you going? Have you found a ce?¡± ¡°Uh¨Chuh.¡± ¡°Where is it? What¡¯s the rent?¡± Vera was worried that Bonnie would find an expensive ce to stay. Bonnie knew what she was concerned about. ¡°It¡¯s not as expensive as where Trina moved to.¡± But Vera was rmed. Two years ago, the rent for Trina¡¯s ce was more than 3,000 dors. A cheaper ce would still cost. around 2,000 dors a month. ¡°Can¡¯t you find a cheaper ce? I¡¯ll try to find one for you.¡± Vera opened a rental app as she spoke and said, ¡°Look at this. It¡¯s only a few hundred dors a month, and there¡¯s an en suite bathroom.¡± Bonnie looked at the photo. The room looked like it was in terrible condition, and it didn¡¯t even have a desk. ¡°So am I supposed to study on the bed?¡± Chapter 25 This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. 212 Vera supposed that Bonnie did need a desk. ¡°How about this on? There¡¯s a bed, a desk, a closet, and even an air conditioner. It¡¯s a bit more expensive though. Around 400 bucks.¡± Vera seemed very concerned about the cost. Bonnie narrowed her eyes. ¡°You neverined about the rent when Trina moved out.¡± ¡°You¡¯re n not her, okay?¡± Vera blurted out. Bonnie just stared. Vera caught herself. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m partial to her, but her results were great, and it seemed likely that she would get into Pyralis University.¡± Chapter 26 Chapter 26 Chapter 26 ¡°And you? It¡¯s not that I look down on you, but you should know better. ¡°Getting into a third¨Crate college would be a miracle for someone like you. ¡°So what¡¯s the point of moving to an expensive ce? That would just be a waste of money.¡± Bonnie smiled confidently. ¡°I told you I could get Into Pyralls University, didn¡¯t I?¡± Vera felt a little guilty about what she had just said, but she was also starting to feel annoyed as she thought that Bonnie was bragging again. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of this, Bonnie! ¡°If you w you want me to pay your rent, apologize to me right now! If you promise not to brag again, I¡¯ll get you the ce that costs 400 bucks a month.¡± ¡°I was never going to ask you to pay for it,¡± said Bonnie firmly. ¡°Oh, yeah? How are you going to pay for it, then?¡± Vera was exasperated. Bonnie chuckled. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Vera frowned. ¡°You give Trina everything she wants even though I¡¯m your biological daughter. It¡¯s funny if you think about it.¡± Livid, Vera widened her eyes. She found her voice after a moment. ¡°You want to me me for that? Trina has worked hard to make me and your dad proud! She¡¯s a great student, she¡¯s won pianopetitions, joined the equestrian club, and so much more. She¡¯s done a lot for this family! ¡°Your grandpa and grandma¡¯s birthdays areing soon, and she¡¯s even bought them presents with the money she¡¯s saved in the past year. You? All you do is fool around! Why should I spend so much. on you?¡± Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Annoyed, Bonnie said, ¡°When have I ever spent your money? I¡¯ve always supported myself! And I¡¯ll get grandpa and grandma better gifts than Trinal¡± Vera crossed her arms andughed dismissively. Bonnie lost her patience. ¡°That¡¯s it. I¡¯m leaving.¡± She left with her luggage. ¡°Come back!¡± Vera shouted after her. ¡°Do you hear me, Bonnie? Get your ass back here. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll never pay your rent!¡± Chapter 26 Bonnie Ignored her and eventually disappeared from view. ¡°Finel Let¡¯s see how you survive without me!¡± It was dark when Boule reached the Knight Residence. She saw Ivor sitting on the sofa as if he was waiting for someone. Before she could ask who he was waiting for, Ivor spoke first. ¡°Why are you back sote?¡± Chapter 27 Chapter 27 Chapter 27 Bonnie raised her brow. She had a strange feeling that he sounded jealous. ¡°I had to tell my family I was moving out,¡± she said, as she dragged her suitcase toward the stairwell. ¡°Let me help you.¡± Ivor strode over and took the suitcase from her. Bonnie threw Ivor a baffled look. Wasn¡¯t he upset? ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can do it.¡± Bonnie tried to take the suitcase back. But Ivor refused to let it go and carried it upstairs himself. He reached her room, pushed the door open, and went in. Bonnie was bewildered. Didn¡¯t he say he would never set foot in her room? She went into the room and thanked him politely. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± After two seconds, Bonnie saw that Ivor wasn¡¯t leaving and grew puzzled. ¡°You can go now.¡± Ivor frowned. ¡°Let¡¯s y another round.¡± Bonnie realized he wanted to y chess with her. ¡°It¡¯ste, and I need to go to school tomorrow. We¡¯ll do this some other time, okay?¡± Ivor checked his watch. ¡°Huh, I guess it iste.¡± The room fell into awkward silence again. Bonnie stared at Ivor. Why wasn¡¯t he leaving? Ivor frowned. He realized Bonnie was probably going to tell him to leave and quickly said, ¡°So how did it go with your family?¡± ¡°I told them I¡¯d be staying somewhere else for a month.¡± ¡°And they agreed to that? They didn¡¯t ask you anything? Weren¡¯t they worried about you moving out? ¡°Ivor asked. ¡°I lied. I said I was moving out to prepare for the college entrance test.¡± Chapter 27 2/2 Ivor knew Bonnie had been doing badly at school. He hesitated for a moment and said, ¡°I graduated from high school years ago, but I can tutor you in subjects like English and math.¡± He wanted to tutor her? Did he really think she was struggling at school? ¡°Thanks, but no thanks. I don¡¯t need any help.¡± Ivor thought he had upset her because he had been too blunt. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to hurt your feelings.¡± Bonnie smiled. ¡°I¡¯m doing fine at school, and you could never hurt my feelings. Anyway, you should leave, Mr. Ivor.¡± But Ivor remained where he was. Bonnie got into bed, propped herself up on her side, and smiled at him. ¡°You don¡¯t n on sleeping here with me, do you?¡± Ivor¡¯s eyes lit up as he saw her curves and seductive yet innocent smile. He couldn¡¯t help but start to feel warm, and his ears started to turn red. He turned around, coldly pushed the door open, and left the room. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. The next morning, Bonnie got out of bed and went downstairs. She saw Neville anxiously scratching the back of his head. As she approached him, she realized he was doing his homework. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Didn¡¯t you finish your homework yesterday?¡± Neville quickly shushed her. Chapter 28 Chapter 28 Chapter 28 1/2 ¡°I was right, huh?¡± Bonnie said.. Neville looked embarrassed and desperate. ¡°Are you going to refuse to mentor me because of this?¡± ¡°Why would I? I¡¯ve never done my homework. Hell, I never even bothered answering any exam papers,¡± said Bonnie casually. The questions were too easy for her. She would rather spend her time solving problems at the research institute. ¡°You¡¯re so cool!¡± Neville gave her a thumbs¨Cup, then frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to talk right now. This applied problem is really tough, and I need to solve it quickly. Otherwise, my teacher will give me a hard time.¡± Bonnie saw that he was really anxious, so she said kindly, ¡°I can help you if you don¡¯t know how to answer that.¡± ¡°Huh? You¡¯ll help me? How could you possibly know how to do this?¡± Neville was surprised. just elementary school math. I¡¯m not stupid, you know.¡± ¡°No, no, I¡¯m not saying you¡¯re stupid, but I attend the finest private school for the elite. All the teachers there have at least a doctoral degree, so the questions they give are so hard that not even college students know how to answer them.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Bonnie pulled Neville¡¯s workbook over and started to answer some of the questions. A few secondster, she pushed it back toward Neville. ¡°Take a look. Let me know if you have any questions.¡± Neville stared at her solutions with wide eyes. He was impressed that she had made them so easy to understand. Bonnie got up from the sofa. ¡°I won¡¯t be having breakfast here. I need to go to school.¡± Neville stared after her and tried to recover from the shock. ¡°I thought she was doing really badly at school. Not even high school students could answer these questions!¡± Just as Neville said that, a deep voice came from behind him. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about Bonnie. She¡¯s really amazing. She even-¡± Neville caught himself. He wanted to tell Ivor about what had happened, but he couldn¡¯t risk Ivor finding out that he hadn¡¯t finished his homework yesterday. Chapter 28 2/2 ¡°Oh, what was 1 saying?¡± Neville scratched his head and walked to the dining table. ¡°You know what, I can¡¯t remember. Just forget what I said. I need to have breakfast and go to school now,¡± At the mention of ¡°school¡°, Ivor thought about Bonnie and her beautiful face. ¡°Have you seen Bonnie?¡± ¡°She¡¯s gone to school.¡± ¡°Without breakfast?¡± Ivor frowned. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ivor looked concerned. Bonnie entered the ssroom. Some students were reading, and some were gossiping. ¡°My dad told me the hottest bachelor in Pyralis has gotten engaged!¡± ¡°Are you talking about the CEO of the Knight Group?¡± ¡°Who else? I wonder who the lucky girl is?¡± ¡°I¡¯m so jealous!¡± ¡°Why are you jealous? Let¡¯s be realistic about this. There¡¯s no way we could ever meet the richest man in the city. I¡¯d be happy to meet a rich guy like Sacha¡¯s boyfriend.¡± Sacha smiled proudly as she heard them mention her name. She saw Bonnie leaning against the window and narrowed her eyes maliciously. ¡°Bonnie, I¡¯m curious about something. How on earth did you meet Ms. Kay? Not through her uncles, I hope?¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Everyone in the ssroom looked at Bonnie, waiting for her answer. Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Chapter 29 As they had wondered the same thing, the students stopped what they were doing and stared at Bonnie. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Sacha was very mean to imply that Bonnie had be a mistress to an older man. Anyone else would have gotten mad, but Bonnie just nced at Sacha and said nothing. Bonnie¡¯s silence infuriated her ssmates. They were already upset about what had happened at Regal Karaoke, so they started to attack her verbally. ¡°Don¡¯t bp ¡°Don¡¯t be a snob. So what if you know Ms. Kay?¡± ¡°I bet Ms. Kay will tell you to fuck off once she finds out who you really are! Hell, she might even give you a good beating.¡± Bonnie finished drinking her yogurt and turned to them. ¡°You¡¯re in school to study, not to gossip about other people. You should focus on your studies. I feel bad for your parents, you know.¡± Her ssmates couldn¡¯t believe what she had just said. ¡°Hey, Bonnie, don¡¯t you have any shame? You¡¯re always getting zeros in exams. You¡¯re the one who needs to focus on your studies!¡± ¡°Getting zeros doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m a bad student. I just didn¡¯t want to waste my time answering the papers because they were too easy. Instead, I spent my time solving the P versus NP problem.¡± The P versus NP problem was one of the seven most challenging mathematical problems in the world that had baffled many geniuses. But she had solved it in less than a day, to the shock of mathematicians around the world. A studentughed. ¡°Do you really expect us to believe that?¡± ¡°A loser like you solved the P versus NP problem? That¡¯ll happen when pigs fly!¡± The studentsughed as they ridiculed Bonnie. ¡°If you¡¯re as good as you say you are, Bonnie, you must be trying to get into Pyralis University.¡± Tilda mocked. ¡°Pfft, are you kidding me? Pyralis University is the best university in our city, and only the cream of the crop can get in. I don¡¯t think a single person in this whole school will be able to do that, let alone anyone from our ss. If Bonnie can do it, I¡¯ll shave my head!¡± Chapter 30 Chapter 30 Chapter 30 ¡°Count me in!¡± ¡°Me too!¡± The students continued to ridicule Bonnie. She looked at them calmly and said, ¡°Well, how about a bet?¡± ¡°What are we betting on?¡± ¡°Whether I can get into Pyralis University. If you lose, you¡¯ll all have to shave your heads.¡± ¡°All right! But if you lose, you have to shave yours as well.¡± ¡°Deal,¡± said Bonnie. A student held up her phone. ¡°I¡¯ve in recorded what you said. Bonnie, if you lose and don¡¯t do as you promised, we¡¯ll put this online and show the world what a liar you are!¡± Almost every student at school heard about the bet before the day was out. Sacha and her gang had spread the news to make Bonnie aughing stock and ensure there was no turning back. If Bonnie ended up breaking her promise, she would lose everyone¡¯s respect. Bonnie had been harassed in school all day, so she thought she would be able to find peace at the Knight Residence. But when she returned, she became the target of two uninvited guests. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡°A country bumpkin like you doesn¡¯t belong here, Bonnie! You¡¯re not worthy of my cousin! I can¡¯t believe my grandpa wants him to marry you! And how could Aunt Maisie give you her blessing? I don¡¯t care what she said. You need to leave Ivor immediately!¡± Halle Knight disliked Bonnie because she wanted her best friend, Rowena Paul, to marry Ivor. Bonnie chuckled. ¡°Who the fuck you think you are? Why should I listen to what you say?¡± ¡°I¨CYou-¡± Halle was so exasperated that her face flushed. Rowena, who hade in with Halle, red at Bonnie. ¡°You¡¯re so rude. Halle is Ivor¡¯s cousin. How could you talk to her like that?¡± ¡°So what if she¡¯s Ivor¡¯s cousin? She¡¯s the one who¡¯s being rude. I don¡¯t need this shit, okay? Just leave me alone.¡± Bonnie turned to leave. Infuriated, Halle lost her cool and tried to p her. Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Bonnie squinted, raised her hand, and pinched Halle¡¯s arm. ¡°Let me go, you bitch! How dare you fight back when you¡¯re the one who insulted me. You¡¯re nothing but a pathetic nobody. How dare you?¡± Bonnie¡¯s face was cold as she exerted more pressure on Halle¡¯s arm. It started to creak as it bent. ¡°Ouch! Eek! That hurts! My arm¡¯s going to break! Bonnie, you bitch. I¡¯m ordering you to stop!¡± Rowena tried to stop her as well. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything rash, Bonnie. She¡¯s one of the Knights. If you hurt her for real, they won¡¯t let it slide, and even Mr. Sigmund won¡¯t be able to cover for you!¡± ¡°Are you threatening me? I¡¯ve never backed down from a threat.¡± Bonnie sneered and pressed down even harder. ¡®Crack!¡® Just like that, Halle¡¯s arm was dislocated. ¡°Arghh!¡± she screamed at the top of her lungs. ¡°W¨CWhy, you¡­¡± Rowena was at a loss for words. She didn¡¯t think Bonnie would actually do it! What a terrible woman! Bonnie stared at Halle coldly. ¡°I¡¯ll give you onest chance. Apologize, or I¡¯ll do more than dislocate your arm. I¡¯ll straight up ruin it!¡± Halle caught the devilish look in Bonnie¡¯s eyes just as she was about to yell at her. She had a hunch that she¡¯d meet a far more terrible fate if she continued to challenge Bonnie. With that in mind, Halle gritted her teeth and said reluctantly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. ¦§ ¡°Tell me again. Who¡¯s the bitch?¡± Bonnie eyed Halle¡¯s other arm as she spoke. ¡°Bonnie Shepard! Don¡¯t go too far! Otherwise, I¡¯ll¡­¡± ¡®Crack! Crack!¡® ¡°I¡¯m sorry! Forgive me! It¡¯s me! I¡¯m the bitch!¡± Halle begged pitifully as tears streamed down her cheeks. Bonnie shoved her away so fiercely that she stumbled and fell. Halle sprawled across the ground, tears and snot all over her face. Her earlier arrogance was all but gone. ¡°Are you okay, Halle?¡± Rowena asked, concerned. arm !! ¡°It hurts so much! I think she broke my arm.¡± Rowena flung herself against Bonnie in a rage, ¡°You¡¯re so cruel, Bonnie! How could you treat Halle like this? She¡¯s just a girl!¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you want a taste of this too?¡± Bonnie said solemnly. She cracked her knuckles. Rowena knew just how terrible Bonnie could be. She fell silent and took a step back, ensuring a safe Chapter 31 2/2 distance between them. Then, she took out a check and said, ¡°Here¡¯s five million dors. Take it. The only condition is you have to stay away from Ivor.¡® Chapter 32 Chapter 32 Chapter 32 ¡°Five million dors? Do you think I¡¯m some kind of beggar?¡± Bonnie looked at the check disdainfully. The country paid her way more than five million dors as a monthly sry, and that was even before taking the dividends into ount. ¡°You¡¯re asking for way too much! You¡¯re just a nobody. The Shepards might have taken you back, but I hear that you aren¡¯t exactly popr there. They don¡¯t give you any pocket money. ¡°Five million is nothing to sneeze at. The Shepards would fall on their knees and thank me if I gave them all this money!¡® Rowena crossed her arms on her chest, lifted her chin, and looked down at Bonnie. ¡°Really? Five million dors might seem like a huge amount of money to you. You¡¯re from a middle- ss family, after all. But it means nothing to someone like me. Take my outfit, for example. This alone is worth several million dors.¡± Bonnie pointed at the clothes she was wearing. ¡°Hahaha! Did you just say your outfit is worth several million dors? Are you sure you¡¯re not talking about some third¨Cworld country currency?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t even tell who made my outfit. You¡¯re clueless.¡± It was Bonnie¡¯s turn to look down Rowena. Rowena frowned and started looking closely at Bonnie¡¯s outfit. Her eyes widened when she saw the logo. Then, her surprise turned to mockery. ¡°You¡¯ve done it now, Bonnie. You wanted to look good so badly that you pped Hamish Evans¡¯s unique logo on some random outfit.¡± ¡°I know you didn¡¯t recognize it, but I didn¡¯t know just how clueless you were. This is not a counterfeit.¡± ¡°Clueless? I think you¡¯re the ignorant one. You flipped through some magazines and thought anyone could wear Hamish Evans¡¯s clothes. He only makes three outfits a month. All kinds of famous and wealthy people fight over every piece he makes. ¡°There¡¯s no way a hillbilly managed to get one of his outfits. I¡¯m a huge fan of his. I know about all his designs, and I can say for sure that he hasn¡¯t made anything like what you¡¯re wearing!¡± ¡°That¡¯s because Hamish designed this outfit specifically for me. Of course you wouldn¡¯t have seen it. Rowena burst intoughter. ¡°Did you hear that, Halle? She said Hamish designed that outfit specifically for her. Why doesn¡¯t she just go ahead and say that Hamish works for her and designs an outfit for her every day? How shameless!¡± Halle ignored her painful arm and joined the mocking. ¡°That¡¯s why I said she doesn¡¯t deserve cousin Ivor! She dragged his name through the mud when she was engaged to him. Get her out of here now, Rowena. She¡¯s making me sick.¡± Chapter 32 2/2 Rowena pulled off a jade bracelet from her wrist and reached out to Bonnie, ¡°My grandmother spent a lot of money on this bracelet for my eighteenth birthday. Do you know how much it was? I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be shocked. ¡°This cost ten million dors! Ten million! What do you think? Are you surprised? Take it. You¡¯ll never wear a piece of jewelry more extravagant than this one. I¡¯m giving it to you out of the kindness of my heart.¡± Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Bonnie looked at the bracelet coldly and extended her hand as though to take it. ¡°Heh!¡± Rowena despised her. ¡®Why isn¡¯t Bonnie keeping up her aloof pretense now? Was it because she thought five million dors wasn¡¯t enough?¡® As she moved to put the jade bracelet in Bonnie¡¯s hand, Bonnie snatched her hand back. Just like that, it fell out of Rowena¡¯s hand and straight onto the ground. ¡®Smash!¡® The jade bracelet shattered into several pieces. Rowena screamed in shock. ¡°My bracelet!¡± Halle couldn¡¯t believe what had just happened. She was about to yell at Bonnie when she saw Ivor coming out of his study. An idea sprung in her mind and she yelled, ¡°That¡¯s too much, Bonnie. Rowena just said something you didn¡¯t want to hear, but you went ahead and smashed her jade bracelet on the ground! Herte grandmother gave that to her! How could you be so cold?¡± Chapter 33 Chapter 33 Chapter 33 Rowena instantly guessed why Halle was spinning the story that way. She put on a heartbroken face, Tysats streamed down her face as she said, ¡°t was my Jade bracelet. It¡¯s the only thing I have to remember my grandmother by. ¡°sho doted on me when she was still with us, I was so miserable when she passed away. The jade bracelet was the only thing I had left of her. How could you do this, Bonnie? I just asked you to be nice to Ivor. You can hit me or argue with me, but you shouldn¡¯t have smashed my bracelet¡­¡± Halle made her way to Ivor, gritted her teeth, and startedining. ¡°You need to stand up for Rowena, Ivor! Bonnie smashed her bracelet and broke my arm. Look at it. It hurts like hell!¡± Ivor looked at Bonnie. ¡°Did you break her arm?¡± ¡°I guess you could say that. I didn¡¯t break it, though. I only dislocated it because I was thinking of Grandpa Sigmund. Otherwise, I would¡¯ve broken it for sure.¡± Bonnie spoke in a tone so light you would have thought she was talking about something mundane. Halle was about to lose it. ¡°Look at her, Ivor. She hurt me and smashed Rowena¡¯s bracelet, but she¡¯s still acting so full of herself, I won¡¯t stand for this! You need to teach her a lesson. Better yet, break her arms and legs before you kick her out of here!¡± ¡°I did hurt you, I admit. You deserved it, after all. But as for Rowena¡¯s bracelet¡­¡± Bonnie cast a casual nce at Rowena, who was crying her eyes out, and said, ¡°You should have shown more respect for your grandmother. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯d try to chase me away by offering me the bracelet yourte grandmother gave you. You¡¯re such an animal. Oh, wait. Animals do have some semnce of respect for their elders. It would be an insult to say you¡¯re an animal. You¡¯re worse than an animal!¡± Rowena was speechless at Bonnie¡¯s blunt retort. In the end, Halle stepped forward and spoke for Rowena. ¡°What nonsense are you saying? When did Rowena say she would give you the bracelet? You¡¯re the one who snatched it and smashed it in a fit of rage when she refused to let you take it.¡± Bonnie sneered and looked at Ivor. ¡°Do you believe me or them?¡± ¡°I believe you.¡± Ivor said immediately. Bonnie was surprised to hear such a straightforward answer. ¡°You can¡¯t trust her, Ivor! She¡¯s just a second¨Crate, miserable bitch who doesn¡¯t deserve you at all!¡± As she said that, Halle was met with Ivor¡¯s terrible gaze. Just as she was wondering what she had said to deserve such a look, he pped her right across her face. ¡®p!¡® The sound resounded clearly through the room. Everyone was shocked, even Bonnie. Halle covered her cheek and stared at him incredulously. ¡°D¨CDid you just p me, Ivor? Why did you do that?¡± 1/2 Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Why? the¡¯s engaged to me Technically, she¡¯s your cousin inw. You need to respect my fianc¨¦ How dare you swear at her and call her names. As her future husband, I have a duty to teach you a lesson on hy behalf!¡± It felt as if the temperature of the room had dropped. Halle couldn¡¯t help but gawit. Rowena, on the other hand, was green with envy and staring daggers at Bonnie. hvor had never stood up for anyone like this. Not even Bonnie herself had thought he would take her side all the time After a long period of silence, Halle burst out crying. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re on her side, Ivor. What sakeg you think she can be my cousin¨Cinw? I won¡¯t stand for this. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t want to marry her. Why would you teach me a lesson on her behalf and p me, then? I won¡¯t let this rest. I¡¯m going to tell my parents about this.¡± ¡°Alright. You won¡¯t let this rest, huh? I¡¯ll tell the butler to show me the security footage.¡± Ivor turned to give an order to the butler, who was standing at the side of the room. ¡°At once.¡± The butler left to do his master¡¯s bidding. Chapter 34 Chapter 34 Chapter 34 Halle started feeling worried. She looked at Rowena, who said anxiously, ¡°There¡¯s no need to watch the security footage, Ivor. After all, Grandpa Sigmund likes her. I might not care about her, but I need to show him some respect. ¡°What¡¯s done is done. My grandmother¡¯s been gone a long time anyway. I can hold on to the bracelet forever, but she won¡¯te back to me. I¡¯ll do Grandpa Sigmund a favor and let this slide.¡± Then, Rowena took Halle¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Halle.¡± Ivor stopped them. ¡°Who said you could leave?¡± Rowena and Halle stopped in their tracks and looked at each other. They didn¡¯t get it. Why wasn¡¯t Ivor letting this go? He was a privileged, capable man. There was no way he loved a nobody like Bonnie! Ivor stepped briskly toward them. ¡°Apologize to Bonnie!¡± ¡°W¨CWe didn¡¯t do anything wrong!¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll check the security footage and send it to everyone in the family,¡± He said coldly. That shook both of them to the core. Their faces turned pale. The coldness and the cruel indifference in Ivor¡¯s eyes were unmistakable. ¡°Apologize to Bonnie, and do it properly. Otherwise, I¡¯ll make you two regret what you did!¡± The struggle was real for both Halle and Rowena! ¡°I¡¯m going to count to three.¡± Ivor didn¡¯t give them any time to think and began to count. ¡°One.¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°Two.¡± Halle and Rowena almost turned blue in the face as they struggled to keep silent. They gritted their teeth. This was the biggest humiliation they had ever experienced in their lives! However, they had no choice but to cower before Ivor. ¡°We¡¯re sorry!¡± Halle and Rowena apologized at the same time. They even bowed to Bonnie. ¡°You can go now.¡± Ivor said with a nk face. Halle and Rowena did not waste a second and turned to leave. Bonnie walked to Ivor and said, ¡°Thanks for standing up for me. I didn¡¯t really need your help, but I have to say I owe you a favor. I don¡¯t like having that hanging over my head. How do you want me to repay you?¡± He pointed upstairs. ¡°y chess with me.¡± Bonnie nodded. ¡°Sure, but I have to see to some business outside. Let¡¯s do it tonight instead.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Chapter 34 2/2 ¡°Come to my room tonight. I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± Bonnie said it casually, but her tone sounded a little. tempting to lvor. She was gone by the time Ivor snapped out of his trance. ¡°Where¡¯s Bonnie?¡± ¡°She left just a second ago.¡± Frowning, Ivor went up to his study. He was going to continue his work, but he found himself walking to the window involuntarily. That was when he saw Bonnie getting into a Rolls¨CRoyce. A man was waiting by the car. ¡°Huh?¡± Was that Jim Ray, Ms. Bonita¡¯s bodyguard?! Chapter 35 Chapter 35 Chapter 35 Ivor was surprised. He wanted to take a closer look, but the man got into the car as well. ¡°It couldn¡¯t have been Jim Ray.¡± He shook his head. Jim was Ms. Bonita¡¯s top bodyguard. Why would he be with Bonnie? He must have been mistaken. Meanwhile, in the Rolls¨CRoyce, Jim was asking Bonnie worriedly, ¡°How was everything? Was anyone from the Knight family mean to you?¡± She found his question very amusing. ¡°Do you think I¡¯d let anybody be mean to me?¡± He didn¡¯t feel better just because she had answered him lightly. ¡°Did Ivor do anything to you? Was he mean to you?¡± ¡°He treats me the way he would any ordinary person. He¡¯s not exactly hostile toward me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, then.¡± ¡°Oh. Speaking of, he helped me out of a pickle just now.¡± 13 ¡°What? What happened?¡± Jim sounded very worried. She told him everything that had just happened at the Knight family¡¯s ce. Jim¡¯s face was stern to begin with, but it grew fiercer and darker when he heard the whole story. ¡°I can¡¯t believe Halle and Rowena tried to pick a fight with you. Leave it to me, Bonnie. I¡¯ll charge them with treason for humiliating a researcher of the nation!¡± She looked at Jim, whose face was cold and grim, and shook her head. ¡°You don¡¯t use a sledgehammer to crack a nut. There was no need to involve you in this. And anyway, I already taught them a lesson!¡± ¡°You let them off the hook too easily!¡± ¡°I have to agree with that, but you need to remember that Sigmund is Halle¡¯s grandfather. I would have been much harsher on them if it wasn¡¯t for him.¡± Jim frowned and hesitated before looking at Bonnie sternly. ¡°You need to tell me if anything like t happens to you again. Your safety is the nation¡¯s top priority.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll let you know right away next time I get into trouble,¡± She promised him. that However, Jim didn¡¯t exactly feel reassured. ¡°Maybe I should just stay with the Knight family. That¡¯ll make it easier for me to protect you.¡± She raised her eyes, ¡°No way. You¡¯ll expose my identity to the whole world if you stay with the Knight family just to protect me. I hid my identity for a reason, and it¡¯s not about keeping a low profile. ¡°I just don¡¯t like the idea that reporters and paparazzi will dog me the moment I step outside, or that I¡¯ll cause congestion in traffic because I want to buy food or go shopping. I¡¯ll lose my freedom and privacy. I just want some peace and quiet, that¡¯s all.¡± Chapter 15 2/2 ¡°You say that, but those petty characters in the Knight family will always try to cause trouble for you. I believe you¡¯ll be able to handle them easily, but what good will I be as a bodyguard if I can¡¯t protect you?¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡°I said no. End of discussion,¡± Bonnie said firmly. Jim pursed his lips and lowered his gaze, a n already forming in his mind. Bonnie went back to the Knight family¡¯s ce after working at the research institute the entire day. Something was different today. Several dozen bodyguards were standing in the courtyard, all of them wearing sunsses. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± She asked curiously. Alfred answered, ¡°It hasn¡¯t been safe in Pyralistely. We¡¯ve seen reports of burries in mansions and vis. The criminals are so bold that they¡¯d rob someone in broad daylight. Mr. Ivor gave the order to hire some skillful bodyguards.¡± ¡°I see.¡± As Bonnie cast a casual nce at the bodyguards, a six¨Cfoot¨Cfive man caught her attention. He looked familiar. She felt as if she had seen him somewhere before. ¡°You should return to your room, Ms. Bonnie. I¡¯m going to test them now. Things will get pretty violent. I¡¯m worried it¡¯ll upset you.¡± Alfred said. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll watch the tests.¡± She said lightly. He was about to say something when it urred to him that Bonnie had fought with Ms. Maisie during the engagement party. She was right. Why would Ms. Maisie¡¯s fellow disciple be upset by some tests? As they were getting ready for the tests, Bonnie found a ce and took a seat. The six¨Cfoot¨Cfive man among the bodyguards cast a nce at Bonnie swiftly and quietly. Chapter 36 Chapter 36 Chapter 36 1/2 Bonnie caught his nce and stared at him fiercely. The six¨Cfoot¨Cfive man was startled and proceeded to pretend that nothing had happened. He stared straight forward and waited for the test to start. ¡°The test will begin now. Form two rows, and we¡¯ll hold the duels one by one,¡± the butler said to the bodyguards. The group began the duels ording to his instructions. The first round of duels disqualified half of them. Then, he held another round of duels and cut the numbers in half again. Now, there were only Twenty¨Cfour bodyguards left. should do it.¡± Alfred nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Take a break, everyone. I¡¯ll pick a captain in twenty minutes.¡± After twenty minutes went by, Alfred arranged for them to duke it out amongst themselves. The six- foot¨Cfive man was very skillful. He sent his opponents flying in no time. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Alfred was about to make him captain when Bonnie spoke up. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s enough for the Knight family¡¯s bodyguard to be good in a fight. That¡¯s too easy. They should have some medical knowledge as well.¡± He was stunned. The disdain in his eyes was unmistakable. ¡°You¡¯re just a student, Ms. Bonnie. It would be better for you not to get involved. After all, this is about the security of the Knight family.¡± Alfred might have said that in a respectful tone, but he did look down on her. He couldn¡¯t believe Bonnie really thought she was mistress of the house. She, on the other hand, paid him no mind. She needed to confirm her suspicions. ¡°In 1998, the wealthiest man in Aquilonia, Nox Turner, died of poisoning. His bodyguard had zero medical knowledge, so he didn¡¯t realize that a toxin could be produced bybining certain foods. It induced a heart attack. ¡°In 2005, the royal princess of Xentara identally breathed in an odorless, poisonous gas and slipped into unconsciousness. She remains in a vegetative state to this day. Many incidents like that have happened. Do you think you¡¯ll be able to take responsibility if someone tried to poison one of the Knights?¡± Bonnie might have spoken calmly, but Alfred was unnerved. He wasn¡¯t happy about this. He felt as if she was challenging his authority. So, he said spitefully, ¡°Maybe you should test them then, Ms. Bonnie. You must have worked out something before you interrupted my tests.¡± If she wanted to show off, he¡¯d put her on the spot. In any case, Bonnie was a terrible student. She was probably just trying to show off. There was no way she could think of something to actually test the bodyguards with. ¡°Sure thing.¡± Bonnie epted the challenge and ordered some pens and papers to be brought to her. She wrote down ten questions in no time and gave them to a gobsmacked Alfred. Chapter 36 He verified the questions with the doctor he hired for his tests. To their disbelief, they were substantial questions! She wouldn¡¯t have been able toe up with these questions if she hadn¡¯t done some profound research in the toxicology field. The doctor regarded her in admiration. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you have such a deep knowledge of toxicology, Ms. Bonnie. Could you give me some pointers?¡± Alfred was totally shocked. When Bonnie gave the word, the bodyguards went on to take the additional test. Only a few of them could give the correct answers, but the six¨Cfoot¨Cfive man managed to get a perfect score. She checked his answer sheet and chuckled. She walked to the man in question and asked with a smile, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Tim Reid.¡± ¡°Tim Reid¡­¡± Bonnie muttered, ¡°Hmm. What a fine name. It reminds me of someone. The man¡¯s fingers twitched slightly. ¡°Do you want to know who it reminds me of?¡± Bonnie grinned widely. ¡°I¨CI¡¯m not sure about that.¡± She kept grinning and said lightly, ¡°It reminds me of the King of Combat, Jim Ray.¡± Alfred was very displeased. ¡°Watch your tongue, Ms. Bonnie! If Ms. Bonita and Mr. Jim find out what you said, it¡¯ll bring catastrophe to the Knight family. You¡¯ll be the person who caused their downfall!¡° Chapter 37 Chapter 37 Chapter 37 Bonnie looked at Alfred, stunned. He held up his chin triumphantly and said condescendingly, ¡°Mr. Jim is no ordinary man, Ms. Bonnie. He¡¯s an extremely proficient fighter and very proud. How could youpare these bodyguards with someone as great as him? You¡¯d better watch out. They mighte after you!¡± ¡°Oh. This Jim character is quite something, huh?¡± She chuckled. A bead of sweat flowed down the side of Tim Reid¡¯s forehead. In fact, he was Jim Ray in disguise. He held himself back from his strong desire to tear Alfred apart and remained where he stood. Alfred had more to say. ¡°Mr. Jim¡¯s working for someone even more important. You might have heard of Ms. Bonita, the world¨Crenowned researcher who sessfully developed the world¡¯stest nanomaterial. ¡°If you offend Mr. Jim, you¡¯ll offend Ms. Bonita as well. Not even Mr. Sigmund will be able to help you then. They won¡¯t do him any favors,¡± Alfred thought he had intimidated Bonnie a little and gained some of her respect. But Bonnie looked calm as usual, almost as if she wasn¡¯t fazed in the least. Alfred was displeased. ¡°It looks like you don¡¯t understand the full gravity of the situation, Ms. Bonnie.¡± ¡°What do I need to understand? Do you think Mr. Jim and Ms. Bonita would stir up trouble with me over something so trivial? Do you think they have time for that? Are you calling them petty?¡± She shot a cold nce at him and kept going, ¡°If that¡¯s what you¡¯re trying to say here, they¡¯d probably want to teach you a lesson instead.¡± Alfred¡¯s face turned green. He didn¡¯t have anything to say. He wanted to teach Bonnie a lesson, but she had schooled him back. And everything she said had a point, so he couldn¡¯t even argue with her! At that moment, Ivor returned from work. ¡°Have you chosen the bodyguards?¡± He asked as he looked at Alfred. ¡°You¡¯re looking at them. They¡¯re the best of the best. That¡¯s especially true when ites to the new captain. He¡¯s very formidable.¡± Alfred pointed at Jim and praised him non¨Cstop. Ivor scanned Jim for a while before turning his gaze to his assistant and bodyguard, Floyd. He ordered, ¡°Spar with him and size him up.¡± ¡°Roger that, Mr. Ivor.¡± Floyd stepped forward and asked, ¡°Should I go easy on him?¡± Jim spoke before Ivor could. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary.¡± Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Oh? Confident, aren¡¯t you?¡± Floyd did some warm¨Cups and said, ¡°Fair warning. Even the ck belts are no match for me. I¡¯m in a different league from the people you just defeated¡± Jim gestured confidently. ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡± Chapter 37 272 ¡°Every fighter has his pride. Very well. You have my respect.¡± Despite what Floyd said, he had already made up his mind to take his opponent down a peg. But he still didn¡¯t want to humiliate Jim. Floyd just wanted him to know that there would always be someone stronger than him. If Jim couldn¡¯t let go of his pride, it would stop him doing a good job as the Knights¡® bodyguard. It was better to chip away at some of his pride now. Bonnie walked over to Ivor and said, ¡°I suggest Floyd fight with everything he¡¯s got.¡± Ivor raised his brow and asked, ¡°Is he really that good?¡± ¡°What do you think would happen if Floyd went up against me?¡± Bonnie answered his question with another question. After thinking for a while, Ivor reached an answer. ¡°He might not win.¡± C Chapter 38 Chapter 38 Chapter 38 Honnte nced at Jim, who was warming up, and said, ¡°If I went up against him, I¡¯d only stand a slim hance of winning ¡°What she said gave Ivor quite a shock. ¡°Begin!¡± Alfred shouted. He was acting as referee for the fight. Floyd moved in on Jim. They were both skilled fighters, and traded blows incessantly. It was a sight to behold, dazzling the onlookers. Ivor began to believe what Bonnie had said. ¡°He¡¯s definitely strong Bonnie was silent, Jim was pulling his punches because he was trying to conceal his identity. Otherwise, he would have knocked out Floyd immediately. Five minutester, gusts of wind rose as Jim and Floyd¡¯s fists collided fiercely. Then, they both stepped back. ¡°Wonderfull! You fought well! I like you!¡± Floydughed and patted Jim on his shoulder. He made it look like they were two evenly matched fighters who were admiring each other. Jim gave Floyd¡¯s hand a sideways nce. He would¡¯ve thrown Floyd over his shoulder out of pure instinct if it wasn¡¯t for Bonnie, ¡°The way you fought reminded me so much of Mr. Jim. Are you a fan of his as well?¡± Floyd couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°You¡¯re a fan?¡± Jim asked. ¡°Of course!¡± Floyd got excited when they started talking about Jim. ¡°I really admire Mr. Jim! I¡¯ve watched every single match of his. They were exhrating! My only wish in life is to spar with him and have him show me some pointers. I¡¯ll die a happy man if my wishes true!¡± Jim was about to lose it. Bonnie nearly burst intoughter as well. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Floyd.¡± Ivor said lightly. Floyd was a little embarrassed. ¡°U¨CUnderstood, sir. Please excuse me. I lose myposure whenever I talk about Mr. Jim.¡± Ivor looked at Bonnie. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been safe recently. You should pick some of these men to be your bodyguards.¡± She raised her fists. ¡°Do you think I need bodyguards?¡± He stared at her hands involuntarily. Her skin was so fair and tender that it looked like silk, soft and Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. smooth to the touch. He had seen the way she fought. Bonnie could easily match his mother in terms ofbat. She was Cary Burns¡¯s apprentice, too. But Ivor still thought she was weak and vulnerable. She needed protection. He was thinking of a way to convince her to take the bodyguards with her when she changed her mind. ¡°I might have been trained inbat, but I could slip up sometimes. I guess it¡¯s a good idea to have someone to back me up. I¡¯ll pick one of them.¡± ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s right.¡± Ivor nodded. Pointing at Jim, she said, ¡°He¡¯ll do.¡± She did it so she could help conceal his identity. Out of nowhere, Ivor said somewhat menacingly in her ear, ¡°What is it? Is he your type? Do you like him?¡± Chapter 39 Chapter 39 Chapter 39 1/2 Bonnie rolled her eyes and said, ¡°So what if he¡¯s my type of guy? What does that have to do with you?¡± Out of nowhere, Ivor gripped her arm. ¡°I knew it. You like him!¡± She had never seen him behave this way. He had always been aloof, arrogant, and coldly distant. But this time, she saw a sh of rage in his eyes! Perhaps she was mistaken, she thought. ¡°What¡¯s with the sudden fit of anger, Mr. Ivor? Allow me to remind you of our agreement. There was a hint of fleeting confusion in his deep, ck eyes. It went away as quickly as it came. Ivorposed himself and gave her a cold, sidelong nce. ¡°I¡¯ve made it clear that you¡¯re supposed to be my fianc¨¦ this month! I hope you¡¯ll behave like it!¡± ¡°Okay. I won¡¯t cheat on you this month. You have my word.¡± A hint of darkness shed in his eyes. He spoke grimly, ¡°Are you trying to say you¡¯ll do whatever you want after a month?¡± Bonnie was at a loss. ¡°Are you pretending to be ignorant or are you genuinely confused? I¡¯ll be a free woman by then. Whatever I do won¡¯t concern you anymore. So, mind your own business!¡± With that, she withdrew her hand from his grip. Ivor clenched his fist involuntarily, but he rxed it a secondter. As he trained his gaze on her, her words ran through his head. ¡°I¡¯ll be a free woman by then.¡± He couldn¡¯t exin why, but he felt uneasy. Bonnie had long stopped looking at him. Instead, she looked at Jim and said, ¡°Come with me. I have some work for you.¡± A sh of menace showed in Ivor¡¯s eyes again. He stared at Jim sharply and condescendingly. Suddenly, he said, ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it. You shoulde to my room tonight.¡± Bonnie was puzzled. She didn¡¯t think that Ivor would try to lure her into his trap. ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree to go to my room?¡± ¡°Eight o¡¯clock tonight. I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± Ivor refused to exin himself any further and left. As soon as he was out of sight, Jim asked worriedly, ¡°Why are you going to his room at night? Eight o¡¯clock is ate time. Is he trying to do something to you? He seemed really hostile just now. He¡¯s clearly up to something!¡± Bonnie thought nothing of it. ¡°What¡¯s he going to do to me? We agreed to meet at eight o¡¯clock tonight because I promised him a game of chess.¡± Chapter 39 2/2 ¡°Chess?¡± ¡°Mm¨Chmm.¡± She nodded, ¡°He¡¯s the Knight.¡± Dumbstruck, Jim said, ¡°I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s the Knight! He¡¯s the heir to the family business. I don¡¯t know how he found the time to y chess.¡± Then, he saw that Bonnie was staring right at him and felt a little guilty. She crossed her arms and said, ¡°Why did you apply to be a bodyguard here?¡°. ¡°I did it to protect you,¡± he said unapologetically. She rubbed the side of her head. ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried that someone might find out who you are? What will we do if they uncover my real identity through you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll tread very cautiously. No one¡¯s going to find out about me.¡± Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Don¡¯t jinx it!¡± He scratched the back of his head, embarrassed, ¡°They¡¯re not going to find out this time. I promise.¡± It was eight o¡¯clock. Bonnie had arrived at Ivor¡¯s room. She hesitated a little as she raised her hand to knock on his door. Jim¡¯s words came back to haunt her. Ivor hadn¡¯t been acting like himself today. Jim might have exaggerated, but she had also sensed that Ivor wasn¡¯t easy to deal with. She could clearly see his imposing aggression every time she interacted with him. However, she was well¨Cversed inbat, she thought. Chapter 40 Chapter 40 Chapter 40 It was just a game of chess. What could possibly happen? What were the chances of Ivor forcing himself on her? ¡®Knock Knock Knock. She rapped on his door. A deep, charming voice responded, ¡°Come in.¡± Bonnie smelled a wonderful cologne as soon as she pushed the door open. Ivor definitely used the good stuff. Ivor was sitting in a chair. A chessboard had been set up in front of him. He had even gotten someone to prepare tea. Ivor took a slow sip as steam wafted over his sharp eyes. The steam lingered, giving his handsome features an almost ethereal sense of charm. ¡°The tea master brewed this. Have a taste.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Bonnie didn¡¯t bother to stand on formalities. She lifted the cup and tasted the tea. ¡°This is Mariage Fr¨¨res. It¡¯s been brewed very well, too.¡± He raised his brow and asked yfully, ¡°How do you know it¡¯s Mariage Fr¨¨res?¡± Mariage Fr¨¨res was one of the most prestigious teapanies in Parisia. It produced extraordinary teas in small quantities. Most people had never even heard of it. ¡°Is it hard for ordinary people to tell what it is?¡± Bonnie answered nonchntly and set the cup down. on the table. ¡°Have you tasted it before?¡±This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡°I have. I¡¯ve tasted all kinds of teas. You could say I¡¯ve tasted every tea imaginable.¡± She said. Ivor would have dismissed what she said as lies in the past, but he hesitated to think that of her now. Bonnie might be young, but she was far more skilled than the average person. ¡°How surprising. You might be young, but you seem to have some experience with tea. Are you going to tell me that you¡¯re a tea master next?¡± Ivor poured her another cup of tea and said condescendingly. ¡°You could say that,¡± she said with a nk face. ¡°I could¡¯ve brewed better than this.¡± Ivor was speechless. Bonnie said that she had tasted every tea imaginable, but anyone who was rich enough could do that. However, it was simply arrogance to say that she could brew better tea than a tea master. Tea¨Cbrewing was a skill that took practice. Even if Bonnie were to learn it from scratch, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to surpass a tea master. ¡°I employ a famous tea master, Quenton Hill. If you¡¯re a tea master yourself, you must have heard of him.¡± Chapter 40 212 ¡°Quenton? Is he working for you?¡± She put down her cup of tea and asked. Quenton?! For a second, Ivor thought he had misheard her. Quenton Hill had won several championships in the World Tea Art Tournament, and he was also senior consultant of the International Tea Association. He brewed divine teas. He could turn even the most humble tea leaves into something hauntingly aromatic. Ivor had spent several million dors to hire Quenton to be his personal tea master, but here Bonnie was, talking about the tea master as if they were friends! ¡°Where is he? It¡¯s been a long time since Ist saw him.¡± Bonnie asked excitedly. ¡°He¡¯s gone home,¡± Ivor said lightly, instead of exposing her for the fraud she was. Bonnie looked like she was disappointed with his answer. She put up such a good act that Ivor had to wonder if she was delusional. That worried him. If she kept lying to people, someone would expose her one day. She would be opening herself up to harsh remarks and embarrassment when that happened.. Perhaps he should teach her a lesson by bringing her down a little. That would teach her to be more humble. Making up his mind, Ivor said, ¡°I have some tea leaves here. You said you could brew something better than Quenton. I¡¯d love to have a taste. Just how good can your tea be?¡± Chapter 41 Chapter 41 Chapter 41 Bonnie checked the time and casually said, ¡°We still have some time on our hands and it¡¯s been a long time since Ist brewed any tea from Mariage Fr¨¨res. I guess I¡¯ll just think of this as practice.¡± With that, she started brewing. She took the tea leaves and started washing them. This was to remove any dust on its surface, but it was extremely difficult to do. One misstep couldpromise its taste. She proceeded to pour the water in and pour it out again. Every movement was effortless and swift, so as not topromise the tea leaves in the slightest. Next, she brewed the tea. She did it so gracefully that the whole scene looked like a painting. She was beautiful to begin with, and she looked like an elegant deity with the aromatic scent floating through the room. Ivor sat across from her,pletely drawn in. His gaze never left Bonnie for even a fraction of a second. ¡°There. Enjoy.¡± She gave him a cup of tea. He snapped out of his trance. He cleared his throat, took the cup, and tasted the tea. His eyes widened in shock as the tea flowed down his throat. ¡°How does it taste?¡± She asked. ¡°Wonderful¡­¡± He looked at her inplete awe. He had never known that tea could taste this way! The tea Master Quenton had brewed paled inparison. It was tasteless, even.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°It¡¯s mellow, full¨Cbodied, and there¡¯s a hint of sweetness. As you said, you brew better tea than Master Quenton,¡± Ivorplimented. ¡°How did you learn to be so impressive at brewing tea?¡± ¡°Is it really so impressive? I just need to boil some hot water and read the color of the tea. It¡¯s way easier than learning kickboxing with my master up on the hills.¡± Bonnie rested her chin on her hands. He couldn¡¯t believe she was an expert tea master. And to think he was trying to bring her down a little. It had ended up being her who had taken him by surprise instead! Ivor fell silent and he felt a little embarrassed. Bonnie was an expert tea master and exceptionally good at chess. To top it off, she had learned kickboxing from Cary and was his favorite apprentice. Any one of these aplishments would havemanded immense respect from the entire world. It was abrupt, but he started to cast his mind back to the things she had said to him back then. He didn¡¯t deserve her. It was beginning to look like she was right. Ivor was suddenly annoyed with himself. He had been condescending to her when he hadn¡¯t known any better. ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡± Bonnie sat by the chessboard. Ivor collected his thoughts and sat down. He directed all his focus on the game of chess. They yed Chapter 41 27 several matches. He won and lost some of them. They even ended a few matches in stalemates. At one o¡¯clock in the morning, Bonnie didn¡¯t make a move after Ivor had ended his turn. When he raised his head, he found that she was asleep. She looked peaceful and her fair skin was tender beneath the light. He froze and stared at her for some time, oblivious to the fact that he was looking at her with a tenderness he didn¡¯t know he had. The night was chilly. She could catch a cold if she slept like that. Ivor rose slowly and walked to her, wanting to wake her up. He could smell a pleasant scent as he leaned in close. It didn¡¯t smell like perfume. Instead, it smelled like herbs. Confused, he lowered his head and leaned in closer. Then, her beautiful eyshes caught his attention. They were long and curled at a charming angle. He lowered his gaze and stared at her lips. Chapter 42 Chapter 42 Chapter 42 Her lips were moist and a blush pink. He could almost imagine just how sweet they must taste¡­. Ivor gulped. At that moment, Bonnie opened her eyes abruptly, and their gazes met. It was awkward. Ivor continued to lean in as if he was under her spell. They were so close to each other that their noses almost touched. It felt strange. ¡°What are you doing?¡± She kept a clear head and backed off, trying to keep her distance from him. She looked at him, rmed. He was startled at first, but collected himself and rose, ¡°I was about to wake you. You might catch a cold, sleeping out here.¡± She studied him, but she didn¡¯t discover anything funny from his expression. Then, she thought about the way he usually treated her and thought that maybe she was making something out of nothing. Anyway, there was no need to dwell on it anymore. Bonnie looked at the chessboard and realized they hadn¡¯t finished thest match. Ivor said with concern, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s my fault. I forgot about your SATS. You should probably go back to sleep. We¡¯ll leave the chessboard as it is and continue the match after your SATs are over.¡± ¡°That works for me.¡± With that, she left the room. Ivor looked at the closed door, then at his room, and felt a little empty inside. On the other hand, Bonnie had just gone into her room and switched on the light when she saw Jim standing by the window. She pursed her lips and said, ¡°Looks like you¡¯reing and going as you please, but you better watch out. There are a lot of skilled men here at the Knight¡¯s. We¡¯ll never be able to exin ourselves if someone sees you climbing into my room in the middle of night.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re the one who decided toe back to your room in the dead of night.¡± He frowned. ¡°Why did you spend such a long time in Ivor¡¯s room?¡± ¡°We were ying chess.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been ying chess until now?¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand. Let me put it this way. Our desire to y chess is just like your desire to spar. Do you remember how we met back then?¡± ¡°I sure do.¡± He scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. He had wanted to spar with someone back then. Fate had brought him to her. He had pestered her and asked to spar with her ever since he found out she was a formidable fighter. ¡°Trust me when I say there¡¯s nothing for you to worry about. Hurry up and leave. If someonees into my¡­¡± She was cut off by an abrupt rapping on her door. Chapter 42 2/2 ¡®Knock knock knock.¡® That surprised both of them. ¡°Who is it?¡± Bonnie gestured to Jim to remain still. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± She could hear Ivor¡¯s deep voice. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You forgot your phone in my room. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡°Oh.¡± That seemed like a good reason for him to be here, which meant she had no excuse to stop him froming in. If Jim jumped out of her window, Ivor would certainly hear themotion, so she pointed to the restroom. Jim caught her meaning and hid in there. Ivor scanned her room with a deep stare when she opened the door. ¡°What took you so long?¡± ¡°I was just in the restroom,¡± She lied calmly. He looked at the restroom and said, ¡°Why¡¯s the restroom door closed if you were just in there?¡± Her heart pounded but she kept her face nk. ¡°Force of habit.¡± Ivor kept staring at the restroom. He squinted and said lightly, ¡°The toilet in my restroom wasn¡¯t working. I¡¯ll need to use yours.¡± He charged toward her restroom and swung the door open. Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Chapter 43 But there was no one in the restroom. Ivor¡¯s frown grew deeper. He thought he had heard a man¡¯s voice in her room. Could he be overreacting? ¡°I don¡¯t need to use your restroom anymore. You should get some rest,¡± He said lightly. ¡°Sure. Please close the door on your way out,¡± Bonnie said lightly too. Nothing was out of the ordinary. ¡°Sure.¡± She rushed to the restroom the moment he left. Where was Jim? The window in the restroom could only open a little, and it was so small it wouldn¡¯t have been possible for Jim to get out through it. Then, she heard a ¡®Swoosh!¡® and Jim dropped from the ceiling. ¡°That was a close one. I would¡¯ve been caught if I hadn¡¯t acted fast enough.¡± ¡°You were lucky, but you shouldn¡¯t act so rashly again.¡± She started to chase him out of her room. Alright. That¡¯s all the time you have. Hurry up and go. Remember, don¡¯t climb into my room unless it¡¯s an emergency!¡± ¡°Loud and clear.¡± Jim left, feeling dejected. Bonnie received a call from Vera the next morning. Her mother asked her to have breakfast over at their ce. Bonnie had just left when Quenton stepped foot into the Knight premises. ¡°Was what you saidst night true, Mr. Ivor? Did that girl brew better tea than I did?¡± Ivor took a teapot from the fridge. There was still some tea left in it. ¡°This must be stale now after last night, but I believe your keen senses will allow you to taste the brewing skill behind the tea nheless.¡± Quenton poured himself a cup of tea. His eyes glinted as he tasted it. ¡°Spectacr! The taste of the tea leaves should have been lost after an entire night, but it tastes wonderful regardless. The key lies in the rich aroma. It surprisingly benefited from the cold brewing!¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the girl, Mr. Ivor? I have to see her!¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°She¡¯s just gone out. I¡¯ll let you know as soon as she returns.¡± Quenton sat on the couch and said ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere. In fact, I¡¯ll do nothing until I meet her today.¡± He was an old man over sixty, but he looked as excited as a child who was refusing to leave the candy store until he got his candy. Chapter 43 2/2 Ivor fell into a deep thought. Bonnie¡¯s tea brewing skill must be beyond his understanding for Quenton to react like this. She was just a youngdy. How exactly did she learn all of these skills? The more he got to know her, the more mysterious she became His lips curled into a smile and he locked his gaze on the teapot the way a predator looked at its prey. At the Shepard¡¯s ce, Vera was filing her nails. She said nonchntly, ¡°Since you¡¯re going to take your SATs tomorrow morning, you should stay here tonight, Bonnie. I¡¯ll have Lorraine make your favorite food and make sure you eat well. I wouldn¡¯t want you going around saying I treated you poorly.¡± Bonnie sneered. ¡°It sounds like you¡¯re doing all this not because you¡¯re worried about me, but because you¡¯re worried about being the butt of gossip.¡± ¡°What kind of nonsense is that?!¡± Vera yelled angrily. Bonnie was right, and she had been exposed. ¡°Am I wrong? I remember you made Trina¡¯s food yourself when she was taking the SAT¡¯s. But now that I¡¯m the one taking them, you¡¯re telling the servants to do it instead. You sounded condescending, too.¡± ¡°Is that how you talk to your mother, Bonnie? She hasn¡¯t been feeling well. Are you still going to ask her to prepare food for you herself? Are you really so heartless? That¡¯s not how I raised you!¡± Gresham could stand it no longer, so he raised his voice and lectured her. Bonnie couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue any further. It didn¡¯t matter what she said or did. Her parents would always favor Trina over her. If she didn¡¯t know any better, she would have thought she was the one who had been adopted. ¡°If that¡¯s all, I¡¯m leaving.¡± ¡°Look at you. Do you think you¡¯re tough just because you¡¯re an adult now? Are you really leaving just because I said something you didn¡¯t like? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?¡± Furious, Gresham took a broom lying against the wall of the living room and moved to strike Bonnie with it. At that moment, Trina stepped forward and begged for Bonnie to be spared like the two¨Cfaced hypocrite she was. ¡°Don¡¯t hit her, Dad! She didn¡¯t mean it. She was just born like that. Her SATs are tomorrow. You¡¯ll affect her grades if you hit her. This is the most important test of her life! It¡¯ll decide her entire future!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll affect her grades?¡± Chapter 44 Chapter 44 Chapter 44 ¡°She¡¯s always flunked her tests. How could I affect her grades?¡± Gresham was infuriated. ¡°Do me a favor, Dad. Please stop being mad, okay? She¡¯s been alone out there for a few days now. She must have had a hard time. Now that she¡¯s finally back home, you¡¯re going to hit her. What¡¯s the public going to say about us?¡± And just like that, tears started rolling down Trina¡¯s face. Gresham¡¯s heart broke at the sight and he threw the broom aside. ¡°Oh, Trina. You¡¯re softhearted and way too kind. You defend Bonnie every time she makes a mistake, but she¡¯s never appreciated it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind. We¡¯re family, and she¡¯s my sister. I have to help her. It¡¯s the right thing to do.¡± Vera hugged Trina, her eyes filled with love. ¡°My dear Trina¡­ You¡¯re so thoughtful that you break my heart.¡± ¡°I know you and Dad love me with all your heart, Mom. I¡¯m just sorry I¡¯m not your flesh and blood.¡± Trina sounded a little dejected and distressed. It was nauseating. Bonnie was well¨Cversed in human psychology. She could tell at a nce that Trina wasn¡¯t the least bit depressed or upset. Her eyes were shifty and her lips were stiff. She¡¯d also touch her nose from time to time. All those microexpressions were clear indicators that she was just putting up an act. It was too bad that Ver they favored Trina! and Gresham were eating it all up. They couldn¡¯t have made it clearer that ¡°My wonderful child. We might not have given birth to you, but you are closer to us than anyone else could ever be, even our own daughter.¡± That brought more tears to Trina¡¯s eyes. ¡°That¡¯s right, Trina. I¡¯ll fight anyone who says you¡¯re not my child. Here. Take my credit card and stop crying.¡± Gresham evenforted her by giving her his card. ¡°Heh heh¡­¡± Bonnie¡¯s abrupt sneer spoiled their touching family moment. ¡°I told you. You have a favorite. You just won¡¯t admit it. You said so yourself. She¡¯s closer to you than your own daughter could ever be. You¡¯re lucky I¡¯m tough. Anyone else would have had a meltdown, or be so depressed they¡¯d take the easy way out.¡± Vera and Gresham were displeased. They couldn¡¯t deny that they had said that, so they couldn¡¯t think of anything to say to Bonnie. But Trina refused to let her gain the upper hand. ¡°Don¡¯t me Mom and Dad, Bonnie. They didn¡¯t mean that. They were just¡­¡± Chapter 44 3/2 ¡°Shut your trap!¡± Bonnie said disdainfully ¡°Bonnic¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll cut out your tongue if you so much as say another word.¡± Bonnie made a snipping gesture with her hands. Vera couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. ¡°You¡¯re being mean to Trina again, Bonnie! I¡¯ll¡­ ¡°Did you ask me toe home just so you can bite my head off? Are you trying to make me flunk the SAT¡¯s tomorrow? Alright, then. You¡¯ll regret it if anything goes wrong with my grades.¡± Vera was stumped. She couldn¡¯t think of a single thing to say to Bonnie. Gresham decided it wasn¡¯t a good idea to speak too. Vera suppressed her anger and said, ¡°Your grandparents are going to celebrate their seventieth birthday. Like I said before, you need to get their presents ready. Don¡¯t embarrass us and make us theughing stock of our rtives.¡± Then, she transferred five hundred dors to Bonnie. How ridiculous, Bonnie thought. Vera said she didn¡¯t want to be theughing stock, but she had only given her five hundred dors. She looked at her mother coldly and said lightly, ¡°I¡¯m curious about something. How much did you give Trina to buy a present?¡± ¡°So you¡¯re jealous of Trina, as always. She¡¯s way more mature than you are. I tried to give her some money, but she refused. She¡¯s saved up enough to buy a present herself. She¡¯s a good girl. You can learn something from her.¡± Bonnie quickly understood what was going on. Her lips curled into a smile and she transferred the money back to Vera. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this? Wasn¡¯t that enough?¡± Vera gave her a sidelong nce. She was about to yell at Bonnie when she saw the money. It was fifty thousand dors. ¡°Will you look at that? I refused your money, and I¡¯ve given you fifty thousand dors. You can go ahead and buy a present on my behalf. What do you think? Am I better than Trina? Am I more mature than her too?¡± Bonnie raised her eyes and looked at Vera. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Vera¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Where did you get this money? Be honest with me, Bonnie. Have you done something illegal? Please don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve be someone¡¯s mistress¡­. Chapter 45 Chapter 45 Chapter 45 Vera was cut off by Bonnie¡¯s fierce stare before she could finish. She suddenly felt as if her life was at risk. Rage built up in Bonnie, but it went away as fast as it came. ¡°You sure do have a way with words. If I didn¡¯t know any better, I would have thought you were my enemy, not my mom.¡± Vera felt a little awkward. It was true. They didn¡¯t like Bonnie, but she was still their flesh and blood. It must have been humiliating for Bonnie to be used of something like that without proof. But that didn¡¯t mean Vera would apologize. Instead, she said begrudgingly, ¡°There¡¯s no need to get upset, Bonnie. I was just worried that you might have fallen for some kind of scam. Tell me the truth. Where did you get this money?¡± ¡°I worked for it.¡± Bonnie didn¡¯t want to waste another second with them, so she rose and said, ¡°I¡¯m leaving. My SATs are tomorrow.¡± Vera couldn¡¯t help but sigh as Bonnie left. She looked at Gresham and said, ¡°Do you think she¡¯ll be able to go to a third¨Crate college at least? What will I tell my family if she fails to do even that?¡± He sighed as well. He looked frustrated and said, ¡°I¡¯m thinking the same thing. My brothers and their families will rub it in our face if she can¡¯t get into college.¡± o worry Trina took Vera¡¯s arm in one hand and Gresham¡¯s in another. ¡°I don¡¯t think you have to about her, Mom. Dad. I know Bonnie will get into one of the third¨Crate colleges. She won¡¯t embarrass you.¡± But even though she said that, she was sure that Bonnie would flunk the test. She was going to make a big deal out of it and ensure that all the wealthy families in Pyralis found out. That way, Vera and Gresham would continue to love her and only her, even though they hadn¡¯t given. birth to her. Bonnie would never have a ce in the Shepard family! na were Halle and chatting in the car. ¡°I heard something, Rowena. Master Quenton is at the vi. He¡¯s a world¨Crenowned tea master and he doesn¡¯te here often. I know you love tea brewing, so you have to convince him to take you under his wing.¡± ¡°You have a point. I asked him to take me in as his apprentice, but he rejected mest time. I went on to hone my tea brewing skills for an entire year after that. I¡¯ll definitely get his respect this time.¡± When they arrived at Knight Vi, they saw a cab pulling up. They exchanged nces when they saw it. No one besides Bonnie would hail a cab like a pennilessmoner. Bonnie saw Halle and Rowena when she got out of the car, but she ignored them and went straight into the vi. Chapter 45 2/2 ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her? I can¡¯t believe she went in without so much as a greeting. How uncivilized. I can¡¯t take it. I need to teach her a lesson. I won¡¯t stand for this!¡± Halle started to charge at Bonnie when Rowena grabbed her arm. ¡°She just came back, Halle. Do you think she¡¯s here for Master Quenton as well?¡± ¡°She¡¯s a nobody. No way Master Quenton would even bother to look at her!¡± ¡°But¡­ What if Ivor put in a word for her? Do you think Master Quenton would¡­?¡± Rowena said uncasily. Halle was stunned for a while before saying nastily, ¡°You have a point. I¡¯m going to give that penniless bitch a warning so strong that she¡¯ll keep her mouth shut! She took a few brisk steps and blocked Bonnie¡¯s path. ¡°Hold it right there, Bonnie!¡± Bonnie looked at her coldly. ¡°What?¡± ng to be Halle red at her and said, ¡°Let me make something clear. Rowena is the one who¡¯s Master Quenton¡¯s apprentice. If you so much as ask Ivor to put in a good word for you and sway Master Quenton¡¯s decision, I¡¯ll make you regret it!¡± Rowena came over and said, ¡°I¡¯ve admired Master Quenton for a long time, Bonnie. I started learning how to brew tea a year ago just so I could be his apprentice one day. This is a big deal for me. I¡¯ll give you a million dors if you stand back.¡± She sounded very condescending. Master Quenton? Bonnie was puzzled, but then she remembered Ivor¡¯s text. The tea master would like to discuss teat brewing with her. Huh? Was that the same Quenton who had aparatively inferior tea brewing skill and begged her to take him under her wing? Surprise, surprise. It looked like his meager tea brewing skill was popr out here. Bonnie looked at Halle and Rowena with a strange expression on her face and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll stand back.¡± ¡°If you won¡¯t agree, then I¡¯ll¡­¡± Halle was starting to threaten her when she realized that Bonnie had agreed to stand back. That was smart of her. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Halle and Rowena let out a sigh of relief. Then, they hurried over to the entrance of the vi. ¡°That bitch is being smart today.¡± Halle was relieved. Rowenaughed coldly, ¡°Of course. It¡¯s a million dors we¡¯re talking about. She has nothing. I bet she¡¯s never seen money like this in her life.¡± Chapter 46 Chapter 46 Chapter 46 Halle and Rowena were busy mocking Bonnie as they made their way to the entrance. Bonnie was right behind them. Meanwhile, Quenton could barely contain himself in the living room. ¡°Where is thedy who brewed this tea?¡± Immediately after that, he saw Ivor turning to look at the entrance. Ivor¡¯s gaze, which had been cold and dark, turned soft as he said, ¡°Here she is.¡± Quenton jumped up, looked at the entrance, and said as his beard trembled, ¡°It¡¯s you?!¡± Rowena had just stepped foot into the entrance when she saw an excited Quenton. Was it possible that Master Quenton really wanted to take her on as his apprentice because he knew just how much she had improved over the past year? She shed a sweet smile and was about to introduce herself to him when he walked right past her and straight toward Bonnie. Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°It¡¯s really you, Master Bonnie! Just as I thought. If anyone can brew tea made by Mariage Fr¨¨res so masterfully, it must be you!¡± Quenton said admiringly. Rowena was shocked and gawked at them. Halle¡¯s jaw dropped so far it almost hit the ground. Did they hear him right?! Master Quenton was a VIP of the Knight family. Rowena wanted the renowned tea master to take her on as his apprentice. And here he was, showing immense respect to Bonnie, who was a nobody. It looked like Bonnie knew her way around tea brewing too. Ivor trained his gaze on Bonnie when he saw Quenton¡¯s reaction. He stared at her sharply as if he was trying to see through her. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Quenton.¡± Bonnie greeted him. Her tone shocked everyone present! Quenton was a prestigious tea master, and that was how she talked to him? She didn¡¯t even use his title of ¡°Master¡®! Rowena was delighted at this development. As she started to call Bonnie out for speaking so rudely, Quenton spoke. ¡°I threw myself wholeheartedly into the art of tea brewing, Master Bonnie. I dare say I¡¯ve made great strides. Will you take me under your wing now?¡± He was asking to be her apprentice?! Ivor knew Bonnie had great tea brewing skills, but he couldn¡¯t hold back his shock when he saw what was going on. Halle was shocked beyond words too. It took her a while to find her voice and she stuttered, Rowena. D¨CDo you still want to be M¨CMaster Quenton¡¯s a¨Capprentice?¡± ¡°R Chapter 46 2/2 If she did, she would prove herself inferior to Bonnie! Rowena¡¯s jaw was about to drop. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she said, ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± so softly that only the two of them could hear it. She couldn¡¯t bear to stay here a second longer! Bonnie might not have said anything, but her mere presence was an insult to her! So, Halle and Rowena left, feeling dejected. Bonnie, on the other hand, didn¡¯t even realize they had left. She talked about the art of tea brewing with Quenton at length and rejected his request to be her apprentice again. The only one who had benefited from this was Ivor. He sat there, sipping his tea, and watched quietly as both tea masters exchanged their takes on the art. Ivor drove Bonnie to the exam venue himself the next morning. ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous about the SATS. Just be yourself.¡± ¡°Sure. Thanks for driving me here. I won¡¯t be nervous.¡± Bonnie had told him the truth, but he thought she was just trying to boost her confidence. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about your bet with your family. I¡¯ll find a way to send you to Pyralis University no matter the test result. As for the Best Schr Award, I¡¯m afraid¡­¡± He might be wealthy, but even he couldn¡¯t get her that. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely get the Best Schr Award.¡± Bonnie got out of the car and made a phone call. The principal of Pyralis University was in his office, taking a sip of tea when he received a phone call from Bonnie. When he saw who was calling, he rushed to answer the call. ¡°Are you going to take over the university atst, Bonnie? All you have to do ise over and I¡¯ll get the procedures done. You¡¯ll be principal of Pyralis University with immediate effect!¡± Chapter 47 Chapter 47 Chapter 47 ¡°Let¡¯s just forget about that. It¡¯s too much trouble.¡± That brought the principal down. ¡°You can go ahead and hang up now then.¡± Bonnie remained quiet for a while before saying, ¡°I have something important to tell you.¡± ¡°Have you changed your mind?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to hang up now.¡± She remained quiet again. The principal might not be interested in what she had to say, but he didn¡¯t hang up the phone either. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Here¡¯s a tip. Stop letting wealthy kids into your university through unconventional ways. It¡¯s affecting your institution¡¯s reputation.¡± Ged told her once that his grandfather was the principal of Pyralis University. He could pull some strings to get her in. Ivor had said the exact same thing too. The principal wondered how Bonnie had the time to worry herself about something so trivial, but he nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. I can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to this. The longer I ignore it, the more it¡¯ll encourage people to enroll their children illegitimately,¡± He gave the order to his men to take care of this matter. The university released an official announcement on their social media ount. ¡°Pyralis University will screen its applicants more strictly¡­¡± The subtext was that no illegitimate means would be tolerated. This announcement shocked not only the city of Pyralis but the whole of Arvandor. It was true that it was no easy feat to enroll in Pyralis University, but they had always reserved three slots for those who were willing to pay. get her What was with the sudden change? Ivor read the official announcement with a deep frown. He had just promised Bonnie he could. into that university. Now, it was going to be hard. use their This didn¡¯t just affect Ivor. Every parent who wanted to pay their way to enrollment or use connections to get their children into university was worried sick. They were very concerned and tried to find out what on earth had happened. Why the sudden change? But nobody knew that it was because of Bonnie. When Trina saw the news, she couldn¡¯t have been happier about it. She had been a little worried that Dad and Mom would use some of their connections to enroll Bonnie into Pyralis University to protect their reputation. Chapter 47 212 But now, everything was working in her favor. Bonnie, that plece of trash, was going to get it now. Any fool could study hard and get into university, but she knew that Bonnie would never be able to pull it off! The SATs started as scheduled. As the test drew to an end, Bonnie walked out of the venue and saw a Maybach parked across the road. As she walked over, the car door opened. Ivor got down and held out an umbre for her. The women around them were green with envy. A hot guy was meeting Bonnie and treating her well after she had finished the SATs, It seemed like she had won the game of life. Bonnie even heard one of them muttering, ¡°Heh. All she cares about is dating. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s going to do poorly in the SATS!¡± Excuse me, but I¡¯ll be the highest scorer in the SATs, she thought.. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡°When did you get here?¡± ¡°I never left.¡± Ivor said. He handed her a milkshake. She saw that it was a banana milkshake, her favorite. ¡°Don¡¯t you always say that milkshakes aren¡¯t good for us?¡± ¡°Well, you like it. I guess it¡¯s okay to indulge ourselves sometimes.¡± She took a sip and enjoyed it a lot. Ivor kept staring at her. She looked like an adorable kitten lapping at milk. She was being moredylike than she had ever been. She saw him reach out to her with his slender fingers as she finished drinking the milkshake. They were very fair, but callused. He wiped her mouth. It tingled. Her eyes widened. This felt strange. Ivor noticed and smiled slightly. A sh of humor was visible in his deep eyes. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Bonnie collected herself and asked him. ¡°I¡¯m wiping off some milkshake from your face.¡± He replied sternly. His tone made her feel like he had taken advantage of her, but she couldn¡¯t think of a way to respond. It was a little frustrating, and she wasn¡¯t happy about it. So, she got in the car without saying another word and rested her eyes. Suddenly, Ivor offered her a slice of cake. She was startled at first, but when she took a look at it, she was pleasantly surprised. Chapter 48 Chapter 48 Chapter 48 Ivor had bought a tiramisu cake from her favorite bakery. This was the best vor of all the cakes there. It was a very famous bakery that sold limited quantities of cake every day. The tiramisu vor was especially popr. He might have sent his assistant to buy it, but still, it must have been troublesome for him. ¡°How did you know this was my favorite vor?¡± a ¡°I took a wild guess,¡± He said with a smirk. No way that was true. ¡°It¡¯s nice and fresh. Hurry up and eat it.¡± Bonnie was a little mad that he had teased her earlier, but it would be a waste if she didn¡¯t eat the tiramisu. She stabbed a piece and put it into her mouth. She enjoyed it a lot, even more than the banana milkshake. ¡°How were the SATs?¡± Ivor frowned. Bonnie was humble. ¡°If everything goes right, I¡¯ll have a perfect score.¡± Ivor put a hand to his forehead, but decided not to make her feel bad after thinking about it. It didn¡¯t matter if she didn¡¯t do well in the SAT¡¯s. He¡¯d find a way to help her. ¡°Okay. You should go back and get some rest.¡± Bonnie looked at Ivor and knew that he didn¡¯t believe her, but she wasn¡¯t bothered. Everything would be revealed when they announced the test results. Back at her ce, she wanted to get some rest when it suddenly urred to her that her grandparents birthday party was this weekend. They loved Orson¡¯s paintings. If she remembered correctly, his paintings fetched a high price. One of his pieces would make the perfect present. In any case, it would be a piece of cake for her to get her hands on one. She made a call to Kay. ¡°You found the time to call me, Master! Did you call to tell me you¡¯ll teach me more kickboxing? It has to be! Where are you? I¡¯lle to you now!¡± Bonnie pped her forehead when she heard how eager Kay was. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you some kickboxingter. I¡¯m calling you because I need a favor.¡± Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. That made Kay more excited. ¡°A favor? Go ahead and tell me what it is, Master. I¡¯ll travel to the deepest depths of hell for you! ¡°There¡¯s no need to do that. I just want your grandfather to paint me something. My grandparents Chapter 48 2/3 are about to celebrate their birthdays and they¡¯re both fans of his.¡± ¡°Alright. Leave it to me! What about the theme, Master¡­?¡± Time flew by and the weekend arrived. Bonnie went to her grandparents¡® birthday party with a present in hand. Her cousins surrounded her the moment she stepped foot into the hall. ¡°The SATS results are out today, Bonnie. How did it go? What¡¯s your score?¡± Fernanda asked her mockingly. The results were out? Bonnie was stunned. She had forgotten about it. It wasn¡¯t like she was careless. It was just that the SAT¡¯s were too easy and she had been thinking about how to make a breakthrough in her research for the past few days. She simply didn¡¯t have time to think about the SATS. It was easy to let something she already had a handle on slip her mind. ¡°Her score? You have too high an opinion of Bonnie, Fernanda. She¡¯s always flunked her tests,¡± Ysabel said, looking at Bonnie scornfully. She was arrogant and liked to boast. ¡°I don¡¯t think she flunked it. She must have gotten some of it right.¡± ¡°I think she did flunk it.¡± Vera heard all this and felt extremely embarrassed. She stood far away from Bonnie and pretended that she didn¡¯t know their rtives were making fun of her. ¡°Never mind the SATS, Bonnie. What did you get for Grandpa and Grandma? We¡¯ve given them our presents already. Trina gave them a horoscope statue that¡¯s worth a hundred thousand dors.¡± ¡°I have something.¡± Bonnie took out the painting scroll. Ysabelughed before she could open it. ¡°Hahaha. Is this really happening? Did you paint something for Grandpa and Grandma with your own hands, Bonnie? How tacky!¡± ¡°Good grief. If I didn¡¯t know any better, I would have thought your family was broke. This is a present for our grandparents, after all. You sure were mindful of the cost. This is hrious!¡± The surrounding guests couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter. Bonnie ignored them and walked over to her grandparents, Harold and Ynda. ¡°Happy birthday, Grandpa. Grandma.¡± She gave them the painting. Harold and Ynda were extremely displeased. They had heard the exchange between Bonnie and the rest. Many guests represent at th party. If she really had painted something herself, they would be greatly humiliated! Gresham¡¯s daughter was beyond redemption! She had really embarrassed them! They shouldn¡¯t have weed Bonnie back from the suburbs. Trina might not be their real granddaughter, but they¡¯d much prefer her over Bonnie. Chapter 48 ¡°Okay. You can put it aside and¡­¡± 11 Out of nowhere, someone cut Harold off and said mischievously, ¡°Bonnie made that for you, Grandpa. No matter how bad it is, you should take a look!¡± Chapter 49 Chapter 49 Chapter 49 Chapter 49 Fernanda spoke innocently. It seemed like she was speaking up for Bonnie, but she just wanted to make Bonnie look bad. The others wanted to see how Bonnie was going to embarrass herself too, so they all chimed in. ¡°That¡¯s right! She¡¯s your granddaughter. It doesn¡¯t matter if she did a good job or not. You have to look at it. Otherwise, Ms. Bonnie will feel bad. Vera gave Bonnie a look, hinting at her to tuck the painting away so she wouldn¡¯t embarrass all of them. But Bonnie didn¡¯t notice her mother at all. She said lightly, ¡°Maybe I should open up the painting for you, Grandpa.¡± Gresham and Vera regretted not preparing a gift for Bonnie to give her grandparents. They were in for it now. Everyone was going to mock Gresham and his family for being tacky after what happened today! They should never have let Bonnie attend the birthday party. T Ysabel was faster. She was worried Bonnie would realize what was going on, so she quickly unrolled the painting. Everyone was stunned and drew a sharp breath when they saw the painting! ¡°I¨CIs this a painting by Master Orson?¡± ¡°Do you mean Orson Steele, whose paintings can sell for tens of millions of dors?¡± ¡°Seriously? Are my eyes fooling me? Master Orson stopped painting for the public a long time ago! He only paints for the people close to him!¡± Gresham¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°How is this possible?¡± Vera looked at the painting and rubbed her eyes over and over again. ¡°This is his personal seal!¡± Ysabel¡¯s hands trembled uncontrobly.. His paintings used to go for fifty million dors! If she had spoiled the painting, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to pay for it. Trina grew angry when she saw how everyone had been shocked by Bonnie¡¯s gift. It was impossible. How could a nobody like her have a painting from Master Orson? It must be at counterfeit. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Before everyone could recover from the shock, Trina said in a worried tone, ¡°How could you make a counterfeit painting and give it to Grandpa and Grandma to make yourself look good? ¡°I know you want to make them happy, but this is a dishonest way to do that. It puts me, Mom, and Dad to shame. More importantly, Master Orson will be mad if he heard about this. You¡¯ll drag the entire family down with you!¡± Then, it hit everyone. That was right! Bonnie was a girl from the suburbs. There was no way she¡¯d know Orson. She wouldn¡¯t have the money to pay for it or the connections to get in touch with him. Chapter 49 This must be a counterfeit painting! All the Shepards regarded Bonnie with furious, hateful stares. 2/2 ¡°How could you do this, Bonnie? You¡¯ll drag the entire family into trouble because of your pride.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯re one of the wealthy families of Pyralis, but there¡¯s no way we¡¯re in the same league as the Steeles. They could crush us easily! How dare you make a counterfeit! This is insolence!¡± Grant, the second son of the Shepard family, looked at Gresham and said, ¡°I told you. You shouldn¡¯t have taken her back in. She¡¯s spent a long time in the suburbs, so her character is questionable at best. ¡°But you two didn¡¯t listen to me. Look at where we are now. She¡¯s made a huge mess, and she¡¯s about to drag the whole family down with her! You should just kick her out of the family and be done with it!¡± Gresham and Vera were infuriated. They red at Bonnie and had a strong urge to p her. When Hadwin saw what happened, he felt relieved that he had called off the wedding with Bonnie. If she had really ended up being his fianc¨¦ and offended Master Orson, the Rhodes family would be caught in the crossfire too! The guests muttered among themselves. ¡°This is such bad luck. I can¡¯t believe we have a walking disaster in the family.¡± ¡°You said it. If I had a daughter like her, I would have grounded her in the house for the rest of her life so she couldn¡¯t embarrass us.¡± ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong. I would have choked her to death the moment she was born. What a jinx!¡± ¡°I always thought I had it rough! My son¡¯s always fooling around and can¡¯t hold down a job. He only knows how to spend money on girls. But now that I see the kind of daughter Gresham has, I feel relieved.¡± Trina looked triumphant when she saw that everyone was letting Bonnie have it. Sheposed herself and looked at Bonnie again. ¡°Hurry up and apologize to Grandpa and Grandma, Bonnie. Ask them to forgive you.¡± Bonnie looked at her indifferently. ¡°Why should I apologize when this isn¡¯t a counterfeit?¡± Chapter 50 Chapter 50 Chapter 50 ¡°Bang!¡® Harold smacked his hand on the desk and red at Bonnie, enraged, ¡°You gave us a counterfeit but you¡¯re still trying to act like you¡¯re right? You¡¯ve gone too far!¡± ¡°There, there. Don¡¯t be mad, Grandpa. Mind your health. That¡¯s just how Bonnie is. It¡¯s not worth jeopardizing your health over this.¡± Trina went over to Harold quickly and patted his back lightly. Ynda was infuriated as well. She gritted her teeth, stepped forward, and tore the painting to pieces before throwing it into a nearby trash can. Trina was feeling better about herself now. Bonnie had gone through all that trouble to gain favor with their grandparents and everyone else, but it didn¡¯t matter in the end. All she had to do was use a little trick, and it had rendered her efforts useless. There was no way a nobody could ever get the best of the rich! But Trina pretended to be worried and tried to resolve the issue at hand. ¡°This is big, Grandpa, Grandma. You should tell everyone to keep this to themselves so Master Orson won¡¯t find out about it. The Steeles probably wouldn¡¯t hold us responsible as long as we keep it under wraps.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I was so mad I almost forgot. It¡¯s a good thing you thought about it, Trina!¡± Harold looked at her gratefully and turned to make an announcement. ¡°I hope all you¡¯ll all do me a favor and refrain from spreading tonight¡¯s incident around. You¡¯ll have my thanks for that, everyone. ¦§ ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, Mr. Harold. We won¡¯t say a word about what happened tonight. ¡°Exactly! This all just boils down to an ignorant child not knowing any better. But it might lead to disaster if you don¡¯t handle it properly. We¡¯ll keep this a secret for you this time, but I can¡¯t make the same promise if it happens again. ¡°You have to discipline her. There are all kinds of big shots here in Pyralis. What will you do if she gets you in bigger trouble? It might not be that easy to solve the problem next time!¡± went on. The Shepards grew even more scared as the guests wer Bonnie was bewildered. Everyone was out of their minds. She had just said the painting was the real deal. Wasn¡¯t it a disaster when Ynda tore up the painting? Why were they giving her such a hard time? She said helplessly, ¡°I told you the painting was genuine, Grandpa, but you went ahead and destroyed it. You¡¯re in the wrong here.¡± Everyone in the hall was stunned at what she said. Harold was so mad he almost passed out. He raised his hand. ¡°Bonnie Shepard. I¡¯m going to p you so hard, you¡¯ll¡­¡® ¦§ Suddenly, someone eximed from outside the door, ¡°Master Orson of the Steele family is here!¡± Silence tell in the hall immediately. ¡°Master Orson? Is that the same Master Orson we were just talking about?¡± eriously? Master Orson is a prestigious man. None of us here could possibly reach someone of his status even if we wanted to What¡¯s he doing here?¡± Soon, Orson appeared with his granddaughter, Kay, in tow. ¡°Good grief! It really is Master Orson!¡± ¡°What¡¯s he doing in a ce like this? Is this a dream?¡± Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Well, it¡¯s Harold and Ynda¡¯s birthday today. Could Master Orson be here to attend their party?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, he must really respect Harold!¡± Harold and Ynda stood up in excitement and shock. Had Master Orsone here to attend their party? They had never met him before, though! But if he wasn¡¯t here to celebrate their birthday, there was no reason for him to be here. ¡°Master Orson!¡± Harold couldn¡¯t be bothered with Bonnie anymore. He went over to wee Orson. His hands were trembling and he could barely walk. ¡°Thanks for the invitation, Harold.¡± Orson burst intoughter. Had Master Orson just called him by his first name? Harold was pleasantly surprised as the guests looked at him in jealousy. ¡°I¡¯vee to attend you and your wife¡¯s birthday party, Harold. I painted something for you. I was supposed to give it to you personally, but I think your granddaughter, Master Bonnie, has already given it to you. I have some other gifts with me. I hope you¡¯ll like them!¡± Everyone was shocked and cast nces at Bonnie. Harold¡¯s mouth opened wide, and there was a humming in his head. He stuttered and asked, ¡°E- Excuse me, Master Orson. D¨CDid you just say Master Bonnie¡­? Chapter 51 Chapter 51 Chapter 51 Kay spotted Bonnie among the crowd and ran over before Orson could answer the question. ¡°I¡¯ve mastered a few of the moves you showed me, Master. I¡¯ll show you in a while.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Bonnie nodded. Everyone in the crowd was utterly shocked! Had Orson really addressed Bonnie as Master? That couldn¡¯t be right! Hadwin looked at her incredulously, his mind churning. Orson approached Bonnie and bowed slightly. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Master Bonnie.¡± She nodded politely. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have troubled you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no trouble at all, Master Bonnie. I¡¯d be more than happy to paint ten pieces for you as a present for your grandparents!¡± Everyone was shocked again! There was no doubt about it. Orson had really addressed her as Master! Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Wait a minute! Everyone looked at the torn painting that had been thrown in the trash and rubbed their palms eagerly. Ynda in particr wore an expression of disbelief. She had torn the painting to pieces! Harold called Bonnie over after he showed Orson and Kay to their seats. ¡°Tell me now, Bonnie! What on earth is this? How did you meet Master Orson?¡± Everyone surrounded the two of them, eager to hear her answer. ¡°Oh. It all happened on a fine morning¡­¡± Bonnie recounted the tale briefly. ¡°What? You kickbox?¡± Vera looked at her incredulously. ¡°Mm¨Chmm. I practiced it for a while.¡± ¡°When did you start? I¡¯ve never heard of this!¡± ¡°I learned it from my master in the hills when I used to stay in the suburbs.¡± Everyone unanimously jumped to the conclusion that she probably picked up kickboxing from some random old man in the suburbs, and was just fortunate that Orson happened to like kickboxing as well. He probably liked her because she was young and knew a little kickboxing- There was no way she was proficient at it. She probably knew some run¨Cof¨Cthe¨Cmill moves, at most. ¡°Why did Kay address you as her master?¡± Chapter 51 212 ¡°She wanted to learn kickboxing from me.¡± She answered. Everyone thought that Bonnie had probably tricked Kay into thinking she was great at it. After all, she was young. There was no way she was that good at kickboxing. ¡°Forget about the kickboxing! I have a question for you. Did Master Orson paint that?¡± Harold pointed at the torn painting in the trash can, agitated. Bonnie raised her brow and said, ¡°Yeah. He said so himself. He painted it.¡± ¡°Good gracious¡­¡± Harold couldn¡¯t catch his breath. ¡°Are you alright, Grandpa?!¡± Trina tried tofort Harold at once. Then, she started to me Bonnie. Chapter 52 Chapter 52 Chapter 52 ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything, Bonnie? Look at what you did to poor Grandpa. Did you even think about Grandma? She¡­¡± Bonnie cut her off. ¡°Do you remember who tried to say the painting was a counterfeit? Who led e painting was a counterfeit? Who led everyone down that train of thought? Do you think everyone¡¯s forgotten about that? Or do you think we¡¯re all fools?¡± Just like that, Trina became the target. ¡°That¡¯s right! I knew it was a genuine painting the moment Iid eyes on it, but Trina imed it was a counterfeit. That led me to think that Bonnie couldn¡¯t have known Master Orson, so how could she have gotten her hands on a painting of his? It was utter nonsense!¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same for me too. This is all Trina¡¯s fault. Ynda wouldn¡¯t have gotten so mad and torn up the painting if it wasn¡¯t for her! It was worth fifty million dors! And it¡¯s gone now.¡± ¡°Come on. Do you think it¡¯s about the fifty million dors? It¡¯s virtually impossible to get your hands on a painting by Master Orson, no matter how much you¡¯re willing to pay. ¡°A lot of wealthy elites went through great trouble to get a piece of his, and there was no guarantee they would get anything. Bonnie must have called in a great favor to get one for Harold and Ynda. But unfortunately, it¡¯s gone now.¡± ¡°Hush. Master Orson can¡¯t find out about this. If he does, he might be furious. What will happen to the Shepard family, then?¡± Harold and Ynda still hadn¡¯t gotten over the fact that Master Orson¡¯s painting had been torn up when they heard these discussions about the family¡¯s fate. Colour drained from their faces. This was all Trina¡¯s fault! Trina recoiled in fear and pretended to act vulnerable while she cursed Bonnie to high heaven. ¡°This was all your fault, Bonnie! You put me through this embarrassment. Just you wait and see. I¡¯m going to humiliate you in front of Master Orson.¡® The party was still ongoing when Trina went to Bonnie and deliberately said, ¡°The SAT results are out. I¡¯m worried about you, Bonnie. Can you get into college?¡± ¡°Do you think she can? You¡¯d have better odds at winning the lottery!¡± Fernanda pouted and looked at Bonnie. ¡°Well, I sure hope she can get into college.¡± ¡°Just forget about it. There¡¯s no way she could pull that off.¡± Fernanda said confidently. ¡°How are you so sure?¡± Fernanda rolled her eyes, ¡°You¡¯re such an idiot! They announced the results today. Bonnie must have Chapter 52 checked them, but she hasn¡¯t said a word about it. That proves she flunked!! 2/2 ¡°Not necessarily! She could have forgotten about it or gotten the dates mixed up. To be honest, I¡¯m. pretty confident she did well in the SATS. ¡°You might not know this, but she moved out of the house just to study for it. I¡¯m sure she studied. hard. Who knows? She might surprise everyone with her scores!! ¡°I¡¯ll peel my own skin off if she did well on the test. It¡¯s a pity she won¡¯t talk about it. Nobody knows how she did.¡± Trina hesitated for a few seconds before saying, ¡°I know her student ID. We can check it.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Fernanda¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°Here it is.¡± Trina took her phone out and showed it to Fernanda. She had snuck into Bonnie¡¯s room and gotten her student ID just so she could check her SAT scores. ¡°Haha! Let¡¯s do it now. You know what? Let¡¯s project her SAT scores onto the big screen. Didn¡¯t she dere she could get into Pyralis University?¡± ¡°We shouldn¡¯t do that, Fernanda! Let¡¯s just check it ourselves. We don¡¯t have to put it onto the big screen!¡± Trina said, not intending to stop her cousin at all. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Suddenly, Fernanda took the microphone and said, ¡°Can I have your attention please, everyone. Bonnie said she could get into Pyralis University. I have her student ID in my hands. Let¡¯s all witness this critical moment. Let¡¯s see if she can really get into the university.¡± Bonnie was listening to Kay¡¯s ramblings when she heard Fernanda and raised her head to look at the big screen. Fernanda had logged into the website to check the SAT scores. She was keying in her student ID and name. Gresham and Vera wished they could run away right there and then. The other guests, however, were eager to see how this would turn out. Fernanda finished typing in the necessary details and clicked ¡®Enter.¡® Chapter 53 Chapter 53 Chapter 53 Bonnie had a full score on the SATs! That meant she was going to win the Best Schr Award! Everyone was rooted to the spot and could not move an inch. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. ¡°No, no, no. This can¡¯t be true. I must have typed in the wrong information. This has to be someone else¡¯s score,¡± Fernanda stuttered and stared at the big screen. But Bonnie¡¯s name was disyed on the big screen, clear as day. Maybe it was a different person with the same name? Fernanda dismissed the thought as soon as it popped up. Trina had given her the student ID. It had to Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. be Bonnie. Trina was enraged. She clenched her hands on her outfit. Impossible¡­ What gave Bonnie the right? How could she get a perfect score? Bonnie was supposed to be a nobody, someone she could insult for an eternity! ¡°Have we underestimated Bonnie?¡± Hadwin had aplicated expression on his face. Trina turned her head toward him and watched as his eyes traveled from the big screen to Bonnie. There was no longer disdain in his eyes. Instead, he was scanning her with mild interest. Trina was agitated and full of hate. She had jumped through hoops to nab Hadwin from Bonnie and she wasn¡¯t about to let Bonnie take him away from her! Awesome, Bonnie. This is really surprising. You said Bonnie always skipped sses and flunked her tests, Hadwin. How do you think she managed to pull this off?¡± Trina deliberately put it in a way that would mislead Hadwin. Just like that, he looked at her smugly and said, ¡°I¡¯m guessing she cheated. She¡¯s a nobody. How else could she have won the Best Schr Award? The authorities will probably get her very soon to revoke her status as the winner and ban her for life.¡± That would be the best possible oue! She couldn¡¯t wait for that to happen. Gresham and Vera could hardly recover from the shock. When they finally came to their senses, they heard Trina and Hadwin¡¯s exchange. So, it turned out Bonnie had cheated on the SAT. What were they going to do now? They¡¯d be mortified if an investigation confirmed what she had done! With that in mind, they went over to Bonnie. ¡°Tell us the truth. Did you cheat?¡± Bonnie thought they wouldn¡¯t suspect her of anything now, since the results were clear for everyone to see. However, they were still choosing not to believe her. ¡°Are you going to buy whatever Trina throws at you? What do you think the SATs are? Do you think Chapter 53 the teachers wouldn¡¯t notice any cheating? Do you think it¡¯s so easy to cheat and get a full score?¡± Harold knew what she was saying. It was just hard to ept that Bonnie had won the Best Schr Award. 2/2 When Trina saw that Bonnie had once again gained the upper hand, she was so agitated she almost tore at her outfit. But there was no responding to Bonnie¡¯s wless exnation! ¡°Well done, Bonnie. You¡¯ve finally made us proud.¡± Harold thought it over and decided to pat Bonnie on the shoulder. Chapter 54 Chapter 54 Chapter 54 ¡°You did a good job on the SATS, Bonnie. We haven¡¯t made you any good food yet. Tell me your favorite food and I¡¯ll make it myself.¡± Vera went along with Harold, Trina red at Bonnie. It wasn¡¯t just Gresham and Vera. Even Hadwin was looking at Bonnie differently now that she had exined herself. She couldn¡¯t let this go on. She had to do something ¡°Congrattions, Bonnie! I have no idea how you did it. Maybe it was luck, or maybe you just happened to study the bits that were part of the SATs. ¡°In any case, you did it. You¡¯re free to take any of my jewelry to celebrate your sess.¡± ¡°How thoughtful, Trina!¡± Gresham and Vera looked at her happily. But Bonnie looked at Trina indifferently. She had to give it to Trina. She might be more intelligent than her, but she could never be as much of a bitch as Trina was. al, everyone form Look at her! As soon as she said about the way she had led them down the wrong train of thought. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s so thoughtful that she used me of bringing a counterfeit. Grandma even tore it up. She¡¯s so thoughtful that she gave Fernanda my student ID and embarrassed me in front of everyone.¡± Trina was shocked beyond words. Gresham and Vera were tense, their faces stiff. ¡°D¨CDon¡¯t try to use me of something, Bonnie. I didn¡¯t give Fernanda your student ID. Try asking her. You¡¯ll see.¡± Fernanda was prepared to defend Trina because she had given her word, but Bonnie spoke before she could. ¡°Think before you speak, Fernanda. Are you sure you want to clean up Trina¡¯s mess? How would you have known my student ID if Trina hadn¡¯t given it to you? Are you going to tell me that you sneaked in my room to get it?¡± Fernanda could think of nothing to say. ¡°If you have stolen it, I¡¯ll have to call the police.¡± Bonnie took out her phone. Fernanda¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°What a load of crap! How would I have done that? Trina gave it to me!¡± Gresham and Vera whipped their heads around to look at Trina, their eyes full of shock. Trina had always been a good girl. They couldn¡¯t believe she had done that! ¡°I¨CI didn¡¯t¡­¡± Trina was in a full¨Con panic now. ¡°Mom, Dad, I can exin¡­¡± ¡°How are you going to do that? Are you going to say Fernanda lied?¡± There was a hint of mockery in Bonnie¡¯s eyes. Chapter 54 2/2 ¡°I didn¡¯t lie! Trina gave me Bonnie¡¯s student ID, I swear!¡± Fernanda tried to clear her name immediately. Tears started falling from Trina¡¯s eyes. ¡°How could you say that, Fernanda? I gave it to you because you told me you wouldn¡¯t tell a soul. You were the one who wanted to reveal her score to everyone. I told you to keep it between us, but you insisted on projecting it on the big screen.¡± ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re right. I wanted to project it on the big screen. But could I have done that if you hadn¡¯t given me her student ID? It alles back to you, Trina/ ¡°That¡¯s too much, Fernanda!¡± ¡°I¡¯m too much? Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re too much? At the end of the day, Bonnie¡¯s your sister. I know she isn¡¯t really rted to you, but you¡¯re in the same family. Whenever you humiliate her, you humiliate the entire family too, including yourself. Is that so hard to understand? ¡°The way I see it, you understand perfectly. You just don¡¯t care. You gave me her student ID on purpose because you wanted to humiliate her.¡± Trina had to admit that Fernanda had hit home. She was shocked to the core and stole a nce at Gresham and Vera. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Spin to im Your Surprise Reward! y Choler 54 ¡°I didn¡¯t lie! Trina gave me Bonnie¡¯s student ID, I swear!¡± Fernanda tried to clear her name immediately. 212 Tears started falling from Trina¡¯s eyes. ¡°How could you say that, Fernanda? I gave it to you because you told me you wouldn¡¯t tell a soul. You were the one who wanted to reveal her score to everyone. told you to keep it between us, but you insisted on projecting it on the big screen. I ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re right. I wanted to project it on the big screen. But could I have done that if you hadn¡¯t given me her student ID? It alles back to you, Trina!¡± ¡°That¡¯s too much, Fernanda!¡± ¡°I¡¯m too much? Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re too much? At the end of the day, Bonnie¡¯s your sister. I know she isn¡¯t really rted to you, but you¡¯re in the same family. Whenever you humiliate her, you humiliate the entire family too, including yourself. Is that so hard to understand? ¡°The way I see it, you understand perfectly. You just don¡¯t care. You gave me her student ID on purpose because you wanted to humiliate her.¡± Trina had to admit that Fernanda had hit home. She was shocked to the core and stole a nce at Gresham and Vera. Chapter 55 Chapter 55 Chapter 55 Gresham and Vera stared at Trina with a mix of disappointment and distrust. Trina was so stressed at seeing them like that that she cried even harder. ¡°How could you say that, Fernanda? I was just worried about Bonnie¡¯s SATs, that¡¯s all. And I only happened to see her student ID by chance¡­¡± ¡°Heh. You just happened to see it, but you took a picture of it. Let me ask you a question. What were you plotting?¡± ¡°L¡­ Um¡­ You really let me down, Fernanda. I told you about that because I trusted you. You deliberately projected it onto the big screen to humiliate my parents because Grandpa gave his company to my father. I know you and your parents have a grudge over that and want to take the company back for yourselves.¡± ¡°Motherfucker! How could you be so fucking shameless, Trina?!¡± Fernanda couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. She rolled up her sleeves and yanked at Trina¡¯s hair. ¡°Ow. My hair! It hurts!¡± Just like that, they began fighting each other. Bonnie just sat aside and sipped on her drink as the two other women struggled with each other. She looked rxed. Amused, even. ¡°Holy crap! This is big motherfucking news!¡± Ged burst into Ivor¡¯s office. Ivor raised his head. ¡°Are you feeling okay?¡± Ged picked up a ss of water and drank it. ¡°I have the biggest scoop for you!¡± ¡°What is it? Do you really have to be so dramatic?¡± Ivor lowered his head and continued to work. ¡°Look at you. Did you know the SAT scores are out today?¡± To be honest, Ivor had never paid attention to the SAT scores, but it did pique his interest this time. ¡°Do you know how your fianc¨¦ did on the SATs?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ask her.¡± He was worried it would make things awkward. After all, she didn¡¯t exactly do well on her usual tests. ¡°I knew it. If you knew about her scores, you wouldn¡¯t react like this. Take a guess. How do you think she scored?¡± He frowned, a little displeased. ¡°You know she doesn¡¯t do well in tests, but you came all the way here to tell me about it. Are you trying to make fun of her? Let me tell you something, Ged. I¡¯ll look past this because you¡¯re my buddy, but I won¡¯t let it slide if you mock her to her face.¡± Chapter 55 2/2 Ged was as stunned when he felt Ivor¡¯s animosity. He looked at his friend with wide eyes. ¡°H¨Chave you really fallen in love with her?! Are you finally going to get a girlfriend?¡± Ivor didn¡¯t deny it. ¡°I¡¯ll spend some time with her and see where it leads us, for starters.¡± ¡°Damn straight! You¡¯re going to give it a try! Bonnie had the perfect score! She¡¯s won the Best Schr Award!¡± Ged said excitedly. Ivor¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Are you kidding?¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯d kid around with this?¡± Ged had always been the mischievous type, but he looked very stern at that moment. ¡°How did you find out about this?¡± ¡°You know her grandparents¡® birthday party was today, right? Word is that Bonnie has a cousin, Fernanda, who wants to make her aughing stock. And I¡¯m sure you know about Trina, the girl who¡¯s allegedly from a wealthy family. I¡¯m not sure how, but she got her hands on Bonnie¡¯s student 1. ID. ¡°They worked together to project Bonnie¡¯s SAT scores onto the big screen at the party. Hahaha. This is the funny part. They wanted to make fun of Bonnie, but they ended up being theughing stock themselves!¡± Ged was very pleased. ¡°I have something I need to say, and you might not like to hear it. We were wrong about Bonnie, Ivor. She¡¯s an extremely talented woman. Don¡¯t you likepetent women? ¡°Many women from wealthy families have tried to approach you in the past, but you thought they were all too sheltered. They couldn¡¯t do anything besides act cute, and they only ever learned some run¨Cof¨Cthe¨Cmill skills. That¡¯s why you didn¡¯t like any of them. ¡°But Bonnie is very skilled. Your mom was right. You wouldn¡¯t deserve her if we stripped you of your status as CEO of the Knight Group.¡± Ivor fell silent for a while, then started writing Bonnie a message. Ged leaned over and tried to read it. ¡°Beep!¡± Bonnie received a text.Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. Chapter 56 Chapter 56 Chapter 56 ¡°Is it true you won the Best Schr Award?¡± That was fast. ¡°Yep.¡± Bonnie replied. ¡°Congrattions.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Is there anything you want to eat? Let¡¯s celebrate tonight. It¡¯ll be my treat.¡± Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Mom and Dad are celebrating with me tonight, so I won¡¯t be going back to your ce.¡± Ivor raised his brow at that. Ged said, ¡°Your agreement was for a month, and it¡¯s been well over half a month. You need to drag this out for as long as you can! Tell Bonnie she has to extend your agreement by a day if she goes back to her ce tonight.¡± ¡°Would that be okay?¡± Ivor¡¯s eyes were as dark as night. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? Are you embarrassed? Come on! You¡¯re trying to win your future wife¡¯s heart. Who cares about your pride?¡± Ivor was alreadyposing a text as Ged was in the middle of his speech. He leaned over and smiled at what he saw. Ivor had sent Bonnie a text that read, ¡°Our agreement was for a month. You¡¯re taking a day out of it to go back to your ce. Because of that, we need to extend the agreement by ten more days. I¡¯m sorry, but it¡¯s Grandpa¡¯s orders.¡± In the evening, Bonnie¡¯s group chat was flooded with texts. ¡°Am I dreaming? Bonnie really got into Pyralis University! Do you guys know she got the Best Schr Award too? She got the perfect score!¡® ¡°Damn straight. She¡¯s shattering my worldview. Isn¡¯t she just a nobody? Didn¡¯t she always getst ce in the entire school?¡± ¡°Anyway, what about the bet¡­?¡± ¡°Can you please not talk about that? That was just a joke. Bonnie wouldn¡¯t take it seriously.¡± At that moment, Bonnie, who had never said anything in the group, sent a text. ¡°I¡¯m dead serious about the bet.¡± For a moment, the group chat was silent. Bonnie¡¯s lips curled into a mischievous smile and she typed, ¡°Did you really think I was going to let it slide just because I didn¡¯t say anything? Let me remind you, it was you who suggested shaving your heads. We even recorded a video about this.¡± Chapter 56 2/2 It was pointless to keep cowering in fear. Since Sacha was the ss head, she took the lead and texted, ¡°Just let this go, Bonnie. We¡¯re all ssmates, and anyway, none of us took it seriously.¡± Just like that, everyone else went along with her. ¡°Yeah! Don¡¯t be so petty, Bonnie. It was just a joke among ssmates. You¡¯re the only one who took it so seriously.¡± ¡°We wouldn¡¯t have brought it up if you had lost the bet.¡± ¡°Seconded.¡± Bonnie smirked. ¡°None of you took it seriously? You all spread the word about this, I¡¯m sure you did it because you wanted to stop me from going back on my word when I lost the bet. ¡°Look at the way you talked to me. Do you think I¡¯m some kind of fool? The fact is, I¡¯m the one who won the Best Schr Award. I¡¯m definitely smarter than all of you, so don¡¯t bother ying the victim. I see right through you. Everyone was rmed. They could think of nothing to say to her! ¡°Save your breath and start shaving your heads. I¡¯ll release the video to the public if you don¡¯t honor the bet. I won¡¯t stop at the inte either. I¡¯ll send a copy to your future colleges and workces as well.¡± Chapter 57 Chapter 57 Chapter 57 Everyone was in a full¨Con panie now. They started another group chat without Bonnie, ¡°What are we going to do? If Bonnie really does what she says, we won¡¯t be able to show our faces anywhere.¡± ¡°Why is she being so mean?¡± ¡°Bonnie¡¯s exactly the type of mean girl you¡¯d never want to meet.¡± The abrupt silence from the group chat told Bonnie everything she needed to know. She was sure the others were having a discussion in a new group chat. It was all but certain they were insulting her behind her back, but she wasn¡¯t bothered. She wasn¡¯t about to go easy on them, either. After all, she was no saint. They had brought this upon themselves. In the end, everyone in the new group asked Sacha for help. ¡°Dwayne¡¯s your boyfriend, Sacha. Ask him if he can help us out.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± ¡°Seconded.¡± That was what Sacha was thinking too. She called Dwayne. ¡°I need a favor, honey¡­¡± The next day, Bonnie went to the ce Sacha had told her to go, but Dwayne was there instead of Sacha. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Bonnie frowned. Dwayne was acting all gentlemanly. He gave her the menu and asked, ¡°See anything you like? Go ahead and order whatever you want. It¡¯s my treat.¡± She didn¡¯t even bother looking at the menu. ¡°Did Sacha ask you to settle our dispute?¡± ¡°What a smart girl!¡± Dwayne gave her a thumbs up. ¡°The Best Schr in the city, I see! I used to think you were just a pretty girl. Imagine my surprise when you got the perfect score and got yourself into Pyralis University. ¡°Sacha keeps telling me you cheated your way to the Best Schr Award. She¡¯s a silly girl. There¡¯s no way that happened.¡± Bonnie frowned and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you here on Sacha¡¯s behalf? What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a smart girl. I think you know what I mean.¡± Dwayne scanned her figure lecherously. She noticed and stared at him menacingly. ¡°So, you still want me?¡± He pped twice and said, ¡°See? You¡¯re smart. It¡¯s not hard to talk to you at all, not like Sacha. She¡¯s so foolish. She might have obeyed all my whims and wishes, but it felt too easy at times. ¡°There¡¯s no sense of achievement in conquering her. I¡¯ve had enough time to be tired of her. You, on the other hand, are different. You¡¯re smart, and you¡¯re the Best Schr in the city. Your family background is better than Sacha¡¯s too. 2/2 My parents would be much happier if I married you. We¡¯ll talk about marriage after you meet them in two days. After all, I¡¯m not getting any younger. As for school, I guess you can continue to study. But you¡¯ll have to leave school for a while when you¡¯re pregnant. My parents are kind of hard to deal with. They¡¯re not exactly healthy, too, so I¡¯ll expect you to back off if there¡¯s any conflict in the future. They¡¯ll be your inws, after all.¡± ¡°Heh.¡± Bonnie sneered. ¡°What are you smirking at? ¡°Your shamelessness amuses me! Do you even look in the mirror before you walk out the door? I feel so gross just sitting across the table looking at your perverted mug. How dare you make a list of demands? You¡¯re disgusting!¡± Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. With that, she rose without a second thought and started to leave. Dwayne got up immediately and stopped her. ¡°There¡¯s no need to get so worked up about this. My demands aren¡¯t that outrageous. After all, the Moss family is much wealthier than the Shepard family. You¡¯ll be marrying into a better family. He took out a bank card. ¡°There¡¯s a million dors in this. It¡¯s yours if you agree to marry me. She took the bank card without so much as a pause and threw it at Dwayne¡¯s face. ¡°Ow!¡± The card cut his face. 37 She sneered as she looked at him. ¡°You¡¯re not even fit to lick my boots. Get out of here, you gross pig.¡± Dwayne burst into rage and started threatening her. ¡°Fuck you. You were lucky I had my eye on you. I¡¯m warning you, Bonnie. Don¡¯t be so ungrateful! I¡¯ll give you onest chance. Come to me and give me a kiss. Otherwise, I¡¯ll¡­¡± Bonnie turned and left before he had finished talking. ¡°Damn it! How dare you embarrass me!¡± Chapter 58 Chapter 58 Chapter 58 Dwayne ran after Bonnie aggressively and grabbed her shoulder. Bonnie turned around, gripped his arm, and hurled him over her shoulder. He flew through the air for half a second before falling heavily through a table. ¡°Ouch! Ow!¡± He screamed pitifully. Bonnie raised her hands and brushed her shoulder as if something filthy had touched it and left without so much as a nce at Dwayne. Sacha popped her head out of a corner not long after Bonnie left and stared daggers at her. If she hadn¡¯t sneaked in here, she wouldn¡¯t have known that Dwayne had a thing for Bonnie for a long time. He even wanted to marry her. She had worked her fingers to the bone to be with Dwayne. She had bet everything on him and she wasn¡¯t going to let Bonnie take him away from her. With that in mind, she made a phone call. ¡°I need a few guys¡­¡± Bonnie went straight to the research institute after she left the restaurant. The professors crowded around her as soon as she got in. ¡°You¡¯re here atst, Ms. Bonita. I¡¯ve run into a dead end with my research and it¡¯s been bothering me for a long time. I need your help.¡± ¡°Make way and line up. You¡¯ve seen many winters, old timer. Don¡¯t you know you should wait your turn?¡± ¡°There¡¯s something you should know, Ms. Bonita. Do you remember when you announced the coboration with the Knight Group? ¡°Well, someone from the Knight Group called us and said their CEO would like to meet up with you. and talk about the nanomaterial. They want to better understand it to leverage its potential value.¡± Did that mean Ivor wanted to meet her? Bonnie thought it over and said, ¡°I won¡¯t meet him in person. I¡¯ll just text him.¡± ¡°Alright. Do you need his number?¡± ¡°Just give me his Telegram, please.¡± She had Ivor¡¯s number, but she didn¡¯t have his Telegram ount. ¡°Loud and clear. I¡¯ll see to it.¡± She received Ivor¡¯s Telegram ount and added him. Ivor stopped the work he was doing and started texting her. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°Hello, Ms. Bonita.¡± ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to understand more about thetest nanomaterial.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ged watched as Ivor chatted away with the science prodigy. He was so jealous! ¡°Give me her Telegram ount, Ivor.¡± ¡°What are you going to do with it?¡± Ivor asked, puzzled. Ged straightened his chest and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to brag about it, of course! If my friends know I have Ms. Bonita¡¯s Telegram, they¡¯ll be green with envy.¡± who Ivor looked away from him. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯d pester her over something so trivial. Anyway, do you think Ms. Bonita is? Do you think she¡¯ll ept your request? Maybe you should save yourself the embarrassment.¡± ¡°Geez. Would you listen to yourself¡­?¡± ¡®Creak.¡® Ivor¡¯s office door swung open as Floyd entered with a document in hand. ¡°We for this, Mr. Ivor. It¡¯s urgent.¡± As Ivor put down his phone to sign the document, Ged took it away, opened Bonita¡¯s profile, and memorized her ount. ¡°Cut it out, Ged!¡± It was toote. Ged had added her on Telegram. Ivor rolled his eyes at Ged and said, ¡°I told you. It doesn¡¯t mean she¡¯ll ept your request.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know that! I just might get a lucky break!¡± Chapter 59 Chapter 59 Chapter 59 Cied looked at his phone and almost jumped with joy ¡°Tahabal Lean¡¯Chelleve it the epted my request! Ms. Bonita and are friends on Telegram!¡± Ivon looked at him in surprise and checked his phone. It was like he said. She had epted his request. ¡°What did you say to her ¡± ¡°I said I was Ivor¡¯s buddy and told her my name. She epted my request just like that! I guess it can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯m really charming, after all!¡± Ged couldn¡¯t stop smiling Ivor couldn¡¯t help but feel that this was strange, ¡°Maybe she wanted to reject you but she just identally clicked ept.¡± ¡°Are you looking down on me?¡± Ged wasn¡¯t happy about this. ¡°You can always send her a text if you don¡¯t believe me. Let¡¯s see if she replies to you.¡± Ged didn¡¯t really want to do it. What would he do if Ivor was right and Bonita deleted him from her contacts afterward? Ivor saw through him and said, ¡°Forget it. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea. If she deletes you from your contacts, you¡¯ll get upset. Ged hadn¡¯t wanted to do it, but he had no choice now. He¡¯d look bad if he didn¡¯t go ahead with it after what Ivor said. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m scared? Let¡¯s do it.¡± Ged wrote a brief text and sent it to Bonita. ¡°Hello, Ms. Bonita.¡± Ged grew so nervous that he began to sweat. Ivor shook his head and turned to continue his work. ¡°Beep!¡± Ivor raised his head sharply and looked at Ged¡¯s phone. Ged was pleasantly surprised. He showed Ivor his phone. ¡°Look at this. Ms. Bonita replied to my text! She said, ¡®Hello.¡® Hahaha. I knew it. I¡¯m just too charming. She didn¡¯t just ept my request by ident. Ivor stroked his chin. Was Bonita really that easy to deal with? Ged received another text from Bonita just as Ivor was thinking. ¡°Do you y League of Legends?¡± Bonnie had seen Ged y it once, and he was good at it. Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. ¡°Holy crap! Ms. Bonita is chatting with me now!¡± Ged jumped around the office happily with his phone in hand. Chapter 59 2/2 ¡°Sure I do. I¡¯m really good at it too!¡± Bonnie replied, ¡°How about we team up?¡± ¡°Oh, shit. Holy shit! I can¡¯t believe Ms. Bonita is asking to team up with me! This ispletely unexpected! I¡¯m g to post this online and tell all my friends. They¡¯re going to be so jealous. Hahaha!¡± As Ivor looked at the overjoyed Ged, he began to doubt everything he knew. It was baffling that Bonita, a science prodigy, would ask to team up with Ged, a good¨Cfor¨Cnothing from a wealthy family. Bonnie spent an entire afternoon ying the game with Ged and did a little work at the research institute before she left. The night brought a cool and refreshing breeze. Bonnie liked it so much she decided to walk back home. After a while, she realized someone was following her. ¡°Who is it?¡± She stopped and turned around. Sacha showed up with several men, all of them armed with weapons. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± Bonnie said calmly. CHAPTER 60 CHAPTER 60 Chapter 60 ¡°Impressive, Bonnie. Given the circumstances, I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re still acting cool.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re just here to talk trash, I¡¯m not interested. Out with it.¡± Bonnie sounded annoyed. ¡°Don¡¯t you know what¡¯s going on? Your life is in my hands. How dare you talk to me in that tone? ¡°You¡¯re still talking trash,¡± Bonnie said absently. ¡°Why, you little¡­!¡± Sacha was furious, but she remembered why she was here and suppressed her anger. ¡°I¡¯m warning you, Bonnie. Stay away from Dwayne!¡± So that was why she was here. ¡°Are you sure you have your facts right? Dwayne was the one who tried toe on to me shamelessly. He might be from a wealthy family and likes to dress fancy, but he¡¯s just a useless bastard. I¡¯m really grossed out by him. I know he¡¯s slept with lots of women. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll never try to take him away from you.¡± ¡°How dare you say he¡¯s gross!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t I telling the truth? I refuse to believe that you don¡¯t know what kind of guy he is. You can fill an entire cruise ship with the women he¡¯s slept with. ¡°I¡¯m a little confused. You¡¯re a decent student and youe from a decent family. Why do want you someone like him? Don¡¯t you feel grossed out when you¡¯re with him?¡± Sacha wished she could cut Bonnie¡¯s tongue out right there and then. ¡°I know why you said those nasty things. You¡¯re trying to say that the man I desperately want is trash to you. You¡¯re just trying to humiliate me before marrying Dwayne yourself!¡± Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. Bonnie shook her head and said, ¡°You¡¯re so stupid. You¡¯re beyond help.¡± ¡°Did you just call me stupid?¡± ¡°Am I wrong? You have a good life ahead of you, but you¡¯re squandering it for the sake of that pig.¡± ¡°Damn! You! Onest time, Bonnie. Are you going to keep pestering Dwayne? Are you going to take away my rightful ce as his future wife?¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± Bonnie didn¡¯t want to waste any more time with this idiot, so she turned and left. ¡°Hold it!¡± Bonnie kept walking. Sacha lost it as Bonnie continued to ignore her. ¡°Hey! Stop her, all of you! If she refuses to cooperate, beat her up! There¡¯s no security cameras here, so you have nothing to worry about.¡± Chapter 60 212 The men she hired surrounded Bonnie at once. ¡°We don¡¯t really want to do this, prettydy, but we need the money. Sorry!¡± ¡°Tsk tsk tsk. What a shame. I¡¯ve never slept with a woman as pretty as her. In fact, I¡¯ve never even seen someone like her. I wonder how it would feel to punch you. Bonnie squinted and wagged a finger at them. ¡°Come at me if you want to get beaten up. ¡°Geez! She¡¯s still talking tough. No wonder she made Ms. Sacha so mad.¡± ¡°Come on, guys. She¡¯s taunting us. Move in on her.¡± The hired men approached her as they spoke, looking at Bonnie lecherously. Bonnie swept the floor with them in no time. Sacha gawked, her eyes full of shock. She had seen the way Bonnie threw Dwayne over her shoulder earlier that day. She knew that Bonnie was kind of skilled, but she had hired experienced fighters! She could hardly believe that Bonnie had taken care of them like it was nothing. Suddenly, the sound of police sirens rang through the air, and they were all surrounded by police officers. CHAPTER 61 CHAPTER 61 Chapter 61 ¡°We got a call about a group of people fighting here. That must be you!¡± The leading officer got out of the car. He looked around, saw the hired men lying on the ground, and nced at Bonnie in surprise. ¡°Did you take on all of them yourself?¡± Bonnie nodded and pointed at Sacha. ¡°She brought those guys here to attack me.¡± Sacha was shocked and yelled, ¡°W¨CWhat nonsense are you saying, Bonnie? You¡¯re the one who brought them here to beat me up.¡® ¡°Oh? Did I do that? Why would I beat them up, then?¡± ¡°W¨CWell. They found their conscience and couldn¡¯t bear to hurt me, so they decided to help me instead. You beat them all up in a fit of rage. What a wonderful liar. Bonnie couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± The officer asked again. Sacha went to him and said, ¡°I told the truth, officer. Try asking them!¡± The officer pointed to the hired men lying on the floor, ¡°Out with it, guys. Was she telling the truth?¡± The hired men looked at Sacha. She secretly gave them a look. She had hired them, after all. They had. only gotten a deposit too. They¡¯d only get the rest of the money when this was all over. ¡°T¨CThat¡¯s right, officer! It was her.¡± They all pointed at Bonnie. ¡°She hired us!¡± The officer turned to look at Bonnie. ¡°Is this true?¡± Bonnie said calmly, ¡°Not at all.¡± The officer rubbed the side of his forehead and said, ¡°You¡¯re alling to the police department with me. I want you to call your families too.¡± She frowned. If she called Vera and Gresham, they wouldn¡¯t listen to her at all. They¡¯d only force her to apologize to Sacha. She didn¡¯t even want to think about that. In the end, she had no choice but to call Ivor. He sounded a little unhappy when he picked up. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you back home yet?¡± ¡°I ran into a situation.¡± That unnerved him. ¡°What happened? Were you in a car crash? Where are you? I¡¯ll be there right away!¡± Bonnie¡¯s heart went soft for a second when she heard the impatient but worried tone in his voice. ¡°I¡¯m at the police station.¡± ¡°Huh? The police station? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be at the hospital?¡± Chapter 61 Bonnie rubbed the side of her head and said, ¡°I wasn¡¯t in a car ident. I just had a situation.¡± Bonnie and Sacha sat across from each other in the police station. ¡°Do you have any identification with you?¡± Sergeant Zain was in charge of their case. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything with me.¡± Bonnie said. ¡°Neither do I.¡± Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll have to wait for your families to arrive, then.¡± At that moment, Dwayne walked into the station. Chapter 62 Chapter 62 Chapter 62 ¡°Is that you, Dwayne?¡± Sergeant Zain recognized him. ¡°So, you¡¯re in charge of this case, Sergeant Zain.¡± He was a little surprised to see Bonnie. He hadn¡¯t expected to see her here. So was Bonnie the person Sacha said was bullying her? Sacha burst out crying and ran into his arms as he was still in the middle of his thoughts. ¡°You¡¯re finally here, Dwayne! Bonnie hired a group of guys and tried to beat me up! Luckily, the ment found their conscience and didn¡¯t do it. Otherwise, I would be in the hospital now, Boo hoo¡­¡± He frowned, ¡°Why would she do that?¡± ¡°It was all because of the bet. We were just kidding around, but she insisted I shave my head. First, she threatened me in the group chat and said she¡¯d release the video to the public if I didn¡¯t honor the bet. She wanted to make a joke out of me. Then, she hired a group of men to beat me up. She wanted to coerce me into shaving my head. There was another reason¡­¡± ¡°Another reason?¡± ¡°Y¨CYeah. She told me you tried toe on to her. She also said she was out of your league. She asked me to keep you on a leash. ¡°She even said you¡¯re not fit to lick her boots and you grossed her out by giving her a million dors to try to get her to marry you. He believed every word Sacha said. After all, Bonnie had said that to him in the restaurant. Sacha hadn¡¯t been there, so she couldn¡¯t have known about it unless Bonnie had told her. Dwayne was already irritated with Bonnie because she had humiliated him in the restaurant. He was beside himself with rage now that Sacha had fanned the mes. He turned and looked at Sergeant Zain. ¡°It¡¯s like my girlfriend said. This woman here threw herself at me again and again, but I rejected her. That¡¯s probably why she has a grudge against us. She insulted me in front of my girlfriend and hired someone to beat her up.¡± Sacha was overjoyed to hear what Dwayne was saying. She had thought quickly and managed to kill two birds with one stone. Dwayne was going to me Bonnie for this, and he would have zero interest in her from now on. Sergeant Zain looked at Bonnie sternly and asked, ¡°Is that true?¡± She answered calmly, ¡°It¡¯s their word against mine. There¡¯s no evidence.¡± That made sense, he thought. ¡°There isn¡¯t any evidence?¡± Sacha pointed at the hired men. ¡°You hired them. They¡¯re witnesses.¡± Bonnie slowly turned her head toward Sacha and said, ¡°You say that they¡¯re witnesses and I hired them. Do you have any proof of that?¡± Chapter 12 312 Sacha choked. It had never urred to her that Bonnie would be able to maintain her calm under these circumstances. ¡°Bonnie¡­ Her name sounds familiar,¡± Sergeant Zain muttered. Bonnie picked up a cup of water from the desk and remembered what had happened in the past She had been at this police station because of an incident once. Sergeant Zain had only been an ordinary officer back then. He had checked her social security card and inadvertently found out that she was the renowned researcher, Ms. Bonita. ¡°It sounds really familiar¡­¡± He kept thinking. ¡°Ah! 1 know! Is she that Bonnie?¡± A thought urred to the officer standing beside them. Bonnie¡¯s grip on her cup tightened. Had he recognized her? ¡°Who?¡± Sergeant Zain asked. ¡°It is her. Bonnie, winner of the Best Schr Award!¡± ¡°Oh. So, that¡¯s her. My daughter said something about her.¡± That exined why her name sounded so familiar to him. Bonnie rxed a little. ¡°Where¡¯s your family? Why aren¡¯t they here?¡± At that moment, they heard a deep voice at the door. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯mte.¡± Bonnie turned toward the voice and saw Ivor. His hair was a little tousled, his tie was loose, and there was sweat on his forehead. It was clear that he had rushed over here. Bonnie felt a little moved. ¡°I¡¯m the one who should apologize. I dragged you into this.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m your fianc¨¦.¡±Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. Chapter 63 Chapter 63 Chapter 63 Fianc¨¦, he said¡­ Bonnic lowered her gaze and tried to hide her emotions. ¡°Fianc¨¦?!¡± Dwayne and Sacha eximed in unison, visibly shocked. They had seen this man at the school gate and thought that Bonnie had hired an actor. They were shocked to hear that he was her fianc¨¦ ¡°Impossible! I¡¯ve never heard of him!¡± Sacha still thought that Bonnie had hired an actor. ¡°She¡¯s lying, Sergeant Zain. She doesn¡¯t have a fianc¨¦. Her ex¨Cfianc¨¦ called off their marriage. She must have hired an actor to pretend to be her fianc¨¦ because she didn¡¯t have the guts to tell her family about it.¡± Dwayne thought Sacha made a fine point. Sergeant Zain turned to Bonnie and asked with a serious expression on his face, ¡°Is he really your fianc¨¦? You shouldn¡¯t lie to me.¡± ¡°He is.¡± She replied. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Sergeant Zain observed her for a while and looked at Ivor. ¡°Please show me your identification, sir.¡± ¡°Ivor gay it to him, and he passed it to one of his underlings to verify. Soon enough, his underling came back, sweating profusely, and whispered in his ear. He jolted and looked at Ivor incredulously. ¡°So, you¡¯re Mr. Ivor Knight. I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know. Someone get him a cup of tea. The finest tea we have.¡± What was happening now? Dwayne and Sacha looked at each other,pletely baffled. Ivor Knight? Who was he? Why was Sergeant Zain being so respectful toward him? Ivor didn¡¯t drink the tea immediately. Instead, he looked at Sergeant Zain and asked, ¡°Do you believe she¡¯s my fianc¨¦ now?¡± ¡°Of course I do!¡± He nodded hurriedly. Naturally, he had heard about Ivor¡¯s engagement. In fact, the whole of Pyralis knew about it. His daughter had said she was jealous of the woman who was engaged to Ivor. It had never urred to him that he would bump into her today. ¡°Can I take her home now?¡± Ivor asked Sergeant Zain. ¡°Sure! Be my guest!¡± ¡°How could you let her walk free, Sergeant Zain?! He might be an important man, them off just because of that.¡± Dwayne stopped him. but you can¡¯t let Sergeant Zain was annoyed. ¡°You said Ms. Bonnie seduced you repeatedly and you rejected her time and again. That¡¯s why she harbored a grudge against you, insulted you before your girlfriend, and hired someone to beat her up. Is that right?¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Dwayne raised his chin and stared at Bonnie condescendingly. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re pretty. You¡¯re beneath me.¡± Chapter 63 212 ¡°What a load of crap!¡± Sergeant Zain smacked the desk loudly. Dwayne was startled. Before he could say another word, Sergeant Zain started yelling at him. ¡°Ms. Bonnie is the future wife of the Knight Group CEO. Why would she need to seduce you, the son of a lowly four¨Cstar hotel owner? Do you think what you said makes any sense?¡± ¡°W¨CWhat?¡± Dwayne was stunned. Sacha¡¯s mouth was wide open. She looked at Bonnie, then at Ivor. Was this stunning, exquisite man the most powerful man in the Knight Group? Was he the bachelor every single woman in Pyralis wanted to marry?! Holy moly! She remembered it now. News of the Knight Group CEO¡¯s engagement had shaken the entire city not long ago! ¡°Are you saying he¡¯s the Knight Group CEO?¡± Dwayne pointed at Ivor, his tone different now. ¡°Exactly. In the flesh,¡± Sergeant Zain replied sternly. Dwayne and Sacha finally understood. Sergeant Zain wasn¡¯t joking at all. Chapter 64 Chapter 64 Chapter 64 Sergeant Zain took a step toward Sacha, ¡°I¡¯m going to ask you again, Ms. Sacha. Did Ms. Bonnie hire those guys to beat you up?¡°. ¡°Well¡­¡± Sacha¡¯s mouth opened, and her eyes were wide and round from shock. She had no idea how to answer. Whatever insults she lobbed at Bonnie would be useless because of Ivor¡¯s presence. Sergeant Zain was right. Bonnie was the future wife of the Knight Group CEO, Who in their right mind would give that up to seduce Dwayne instead? ¡®Mr. Ivor. Ms. Bonnie. You can go,¡± Sergeant Zain said. ¡°Very well.¡± Ivor took off his zer and put it over Bonnie¡¯s shoulders. He spoke softly so that only the two of them could hear. ¡°We have to make sure this looks real.¡± Bonnie went along with him and tugged at the zer. She raised her head and smiled warmly at him. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ivor¡¯s hands, which were resting by his side, clenched. His breathing quickened a little. ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡± He turned back to Dwayne and Sacha when he was at the door. ¡°I hope no one else finds out about what happened tonight. Otherwise, today will be thest day Prismatic Hotel stays open in Pyralis.¡± Dwayne¡¯s face grew pale and his legs trembled. ¡°L¨CLeave it to me. I won¡¯t tell anyone about this, I swear.¡± Sacha watched Bonnie as she left with a mixture of fear and envy. ¡°Let¡¯s proceed with the case.¡± Sergeant Zain looked at Dwayne and Sacha coldly. A terrified Sacha fell to the floor. It was all over now. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. In the end, she was put behind bars while Dwayne¡¯s family took him back home. They forbade him from seeing Sacha ever again under threat of not being able to inherit the Prismatic Hotel. Dwayne had brothers, after all. He might love Sacha, but he wasn¡¯t about to ruin his future because of a woman. ¡°Ah!¡± Sergeant Zain smacked his own thigh so hard it startled his underling who was standing next to him. ¡°W¨CWhat¡¯s the matter, Sergeant?¡± ¡°I remember who Bonnie is now!¡± He gulped. His underling was bewildered. ¡°I¨CIsn¡¯t she the future wife of the Knight Group CEO?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know anything! S¨CShe¡¯s Ms. Bonita!¡± His underling¡¯s eyes grew wide. It was veryte by the time Bonnie and Ivor left the police station. It was getting cold in Pyralis at Chapter 64 night. Bonnie spotted a taco truck by the side of the road. ¡°Do you want some tacos?¡± Ivor noticed where she was looking. 21/2 ¡°Yeah. I used to eat tacos all the time in the suburbs. I could never get enough of them.¡± She looked at him, ¡°I¡¯m going to get one. Do you want one too?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll buy them.¡± Ivor didn¡¯t give Bonnie a chance to reject him. He walked briskly to the taco truck and bought her one. Bonnie gave it to him and asked, ¡°Do you want a bite? I know it¡¯s not as good as caviar, but it¡¯s tasty too.¡± ¡°Hold that thought.¡± Ivor crouched in front of Bonnie. What was he doing? She lowered her head and looked at him. Chapter 65 Chapter 65 Chapter 65 Bonnie¡¯s eyes began to flicker. Was Ivor tying her shoes? Who knew the big shot of Pyralis would act like this? Bonnie felt her heart stir. ¡°There.¡± Ivor stood up. ¡°Oh. Um.¡± Bonnie looked a little timid. 1/2 Ivor had unexpectedly caught Bonnie being embarrassed. He couldn¡¯t help but adore her. you going to give me a bite of the taco?¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t Bonnieposed herself and offered him the taco. She didn¡¯t know that he would grab her hand, lift it, lean in, and take a bite. Her lips twitched and she stared at him, unsure of how to react. ¡°Hmm¡­ It is tasty. It¡¯s really good.¡± Ivor smiled and looked at Bonnie. She averted her gaze and frowned at the taco. She wasn¡¯t usually fussed about sharing food, but something felt wrong after Ivor had taken a bite. She couldn¡¯t put her finger on it. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you eating it? Hurry up. It won¡¯t be as good when it gets cold.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Bonnie shook away her thoughts and started eating the taco. Ivor peeked at her as she took one bite after another, his grin growing wider and wider. As soon as Bonnie returned to her room in the vi, Jim walked out of her bathroom. ¡°What are you doing in my bathroom again?¡± She closed and locked her door immediately, afraid that Ivor would sense something wrong. They might not be as lucky this time. ¡°I¡¯m here because I heard you were in danger!¡± Jim looked worried. ¡°I wasn¡¯t really in any danger. It was just a minor scuffle. There¡¯s no need to make a big deal about it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m doing. This is about who you are. You¡¯re Arvandor¡¯s top researcher. I can¡¯t allow up to me, you¡¯d be protected by a hundred bodyguards.¡± you to be harmed. If it we? Bonnie smacked her forehead and said, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m some kind of endangered animal?¡± ¡°Nope. You¡¯re thest specimen of an extinct species.¡± Bonnie had nothing to say to that. ¡°You might have been fine this time, but we can¡¯t just let this slide. Sacha did a terrible thing. She hired a group of men and assaulted you, an elite member of the nation,¡± Jim said menacingly as he squinted his sharp eyes. Chapter 45 2/2 Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. She waved her hand, ¡°She got what she deserved. She¡¯s spending a few days behind bars. There¡¯s no need to¡­¡± ¡°No way!¡± Jim overruled her. ¡°I¡¯ll listen to your orders most of the time, but not when it¡¯s about your personal safety. I won¡¯t stand down on that! Don¡¯t try to talk me out of it. This is my duty!¡± Bonnie knew how stubborn Jim could be, so she just shook her head helplessly. ¡°Have it your way. 11 The next day, Sacha¡¯s family went to see her and told her that the university Sacha had applied to had rejected her, and none of the other higher education institutes would ept her either. Sacha was out of her mind with despair! The Prismatic Hotel¡¯s application to be upgraded to five¨Cstars was also denied. All their business partners pulled out of their contracts as well. The Moss family went into bankruptcy. The annual dinner party at the Knight premises was about to start. This was a rare asion. Every youngdy in the family would be upied with buying a specially tailored dress. Chapter 66 Chapter 66 Chapter 66 They were doing it to win honor for their branch of the family. They also wanted to be the stars. of the party. The arty wasn¡¯t even close to starting, but Halle and Rowena were picking on Bonnie already. party ¡°I guess you¡¯re kind of Ivor¡¯s fianc¨¦ now, Bonnie. Don¡¯t embarrass him at the dinner party! You can beg me for a dress if you don¡¯t have one for the asion. I¡¯m sure I have some things I can lend you. ¡°They might be outdated, but they¡¯re all expensive. You¡¯ve probably never worn anything like that as she before. Well? Are you going to beg me for it? I¡¯ll give you something if you do,¡± Halle said, looked at Bonnie condescendingly. ¡°I don¡¯t need your pathetic dresses, I didn¡¯t want to say this, but your dresses are beneath me.¡± ¡°Go ahead and talk! I¡¯ll be waiting for you to embarrass yourself at the party!¡± Halle walked a few steps away with Rowena, then turned back. ¡°Didn¡¯t you used to pretend you were wearing Hamish¡¯s designs? I managed to reserve one out of the three new designs he made this month. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be jealous when I amaze everyone at the party.¡± Bonnie raised her brows and looked at Halle mischievously. ¡°I can read your fortune. I can tell you that you¡¯re not fated to have any of his dresses. I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to wear it this month.¡® ¡°Hah!¡± Halle rolled her eyes at Bonnie and led Rowena away, looking all high and mighty. Bonnie¡¯s phone buzzed. Hamish was calling. What a coincidence. She had been about to call him. ¡°I¡¯ve just tweeted three of mytest designs on my official Twitter ount, Ms. Bonnie. Two of them have been reserved, but I saved the third and the best for you. I¡¯ve been turning down every request N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. for it.¡± Bonnie checked Twitter and saw that there were, indeed, three designs. The two that had been reserved were definitely fashionable, but the one Hamish had saved for her was in apletely different league. ¡°Nicely done. I¡¯ll take it.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Has anyone from the Knight family reserved any of your dresses?¡± ¡°I did hear that the Knight family¡¯s annual dinner party is next week, and now that you mention it, some of the Knights have reserved my dresses.¡± ¡°Do you have a buyer who goes by Halle Knight?¡± She asked. ¡°Wait a minute. I¡¯ll check.¡± Very soon, he came back with an answer. ¡°There is a Halle Knight.¡± §± Chapter 66 212 ¡°Cancel her reservation.¡± ¡°Huh? What?¡± Hamish was stunned, but it soon hit him. ¡°Did she offend you somehow?¡± ¡°You could say that.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll cancel it, then. It¡¯s just that the dress is kind of expensive, and she paid a deposit. We¡¯ll have to pay quite a hefty price if we cancel it.¡± Bonnie didn¡¯t care about that. ¡°Do you think I can¡¯t afford to pay for that?¡± It made sense, Hamish thought. After all, Bonnie, chairman of Tang Fusion Studios, had personally appointed him chief designer and CEO. Theirpany was one of the ten most prominent companies in the world, so they had unimaginable wealth. As chairman, she could easily afford to pay for a cancelled reservation. ¡°Alright. Consider it done.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Halle kept demeaning Bonnie to Rowena on their way back. ¡°I just can¡¯t stand her. Ivor must have. had the most rotten luck to be engaged to someone as cocky and useless as Bonnie. ¡°She even said she knew how to read fortunes and I wasn¡¯t fated to wear one of Hamish¡¯s dresses. Who the fuck does she think she is?¡± ¡°Absolutely. She grosses me out so much I could just puke.¡± Rowena acted like she was about to throw. 1. up. ¡°Hmph! We¡¯ll be able to make fun of her at the party!¡± Soon, Halle received a call from Tang Fusion Studios. ¡°It must be about my dress. They must have finished it!¡± Chapter 67 Chapter 67 Chapter 67 Chapter 67 Halle eximed excitedly and answered the call. ¡°Have you finished my dress?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ms. Halle. We¡¯ve decided to cancel your reservation for the dress.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Halle¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°H¨CHow could you do that? I paid the deposit!¡± ¡°I¡¯m very sorry. The order came from top management, Don¡¯t worry, though. We¡¯llpensate you for your loss.¡± Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I don¡¯t want yourpensation! I want my dress! I want the dress that Hamish designed!¡± Halle shouted. ¡°We¡¯ve transferred thepensation to your ount. Please verify it.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t agree to this! I¡¯m¡­ Hello? Hey!¡± They had hung up. Halle was so angry she smashed her phone. ¡°Damn that Tang Fusion Studios! I can¡¯t believe they decided to cancel my reservation just like that!¡± ¡°What on earth happened?¡± Rowena asked, confused. ¡°How would I know?!¡± Halle roared. Then, it hit her. She whipped her head at Rowena, who had also remembered their conversation with Bonnie. Naturally, they didn¡¯t think it was at all rted. It must have been pure coincidence. Ivor was in his study giving instructions to Floyd. ¡°Give Tang Fusion Studios another call. I want that dress. It¡¯s the most borate dress I¡¯ve ever seen. It has to be mine.¡± Floyd was troubled. ¡°I¡¯ve just had a call with them. Someone¡¯s already bought that dress, Mr. Ivor.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s the buyer? I¡¯ll talk to him myself.¡± Ivor was trying to surprise Bonnie, but he didn¡¯t think it would be this hard. ¡°I asked them. They said one of the people in top management bought it. ¡°Do you have a name?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask.¡± Floyd managed to find out soon. ¡°It was their chairman, Mr. Ivor.¡± Ivor had no choice but to give up. When Floyd saw how dark Ivor¡¯s face was, he asked, ¡°Should I contact another top fashion designer, Mr. Ivor?¡± Ivor waved him away. ¡°Do it.¡± Chapter 67 372 The Knight family¡¯s annual dinner partymenced a weekter. Ivor had Floyd send the dress he had gotten Bonnie to her room. ¡°Ms. Bonnie says she has a dress for herself already, Mr. Ivor.¡± Floyd took the dress Ivor prepared all the way downstairs. He frowned. Was it because she didn¡¯t want to ept his gift? Floyd looked at Bonnie¡¯s room and said, ¡°I know this is just a family dinner party, but all the branches of the Knight family will y their games and try to further their agendas there. If Ms. Bonnie is dressed too inly, they might make fun of her.¡± ¡°Let her dress however she wants. I won¡¯t forgive anyone who ridicules her.¡± After he heard what his master said, Floyd decided to keep his thoughts to himself. As their conversation drew to an end, they heard a door opening upstairs. ¡°Is Ms. Bonnie done? Did she put on any makeup?¡± Floyd was worried that Bonnie would be dressed too inly. However, his jaw dropped to the floor when he saw Bonnie. Ivor stood up involuntarily too, his ck eyes trained on Bonnie. Chapter 68 Chapter 68 Chapter 68 Bonnie lifted the skirt of her dress a little and walked down the stairs gracefully. She looked exceptionally beautiful, like an angel who had descended from heaven or a fairy who had walked out of an exquisite painting. ¡°1¨CIsn¡¯t this Hamish¡¯s best work?¡± Floyd stuttered as he recognized the dress. Ivor came back to his senses and looked at the dress. Wasn¡¯t this the dress he had tried so hard to get? Bonnie stood in front of them, ¡°Yeah, You¡¯re right. This is Hamish¡¯s best work.¡± Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. Ivor frowned. ¡°How did you get it?¡± ¡°I got it because I could,¡± Bonnie said truthfull ¡°I heard that the chairman of Tang Fusion Studios reserved it.¡± Ivor continued to frown and stare at her. After a pause, Bonnie nonchntly said, ¡°The chairman of Tang Fusion Studios gave it to me as a gift.¡± ¡°Why did he give you such an expensive dress? How did you meet the chairman? What¡¯s your rtionship with him?¡± Ivor¡¯s eyes grew more menacing with each question he asked. Bonnie felt the room getting colder and connected the dots between the dress and the time when Ivor had told her not to cheat on him. In conclusion, Ivor was overthinking things again. ¡°Firstly, the chairman of Tang Fusion Studios is a woman. As for why she gave it to me and the nature of our rtionship, that¡¯s part of my private life. I won¡¯t reveal that part of me to you, even if you push me.¡± ¡°She¡¯s ady? Did you say the chairman¡¯s ady?¡± Ivor sounded surprised. ¡°Yeah. So you can stop worrying about us having an affair.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d do such a thing,¡± He exiped hastily. Bonnie justughed. Ivor felt embarrassed, but he didn¡¯t let it show. After that, Ivor took Bonnie to the biggest mountain resort in Pyralis, where the family dinner party was being held this year. ¡°This ce is huge. Try not to leave my sight.¡± Ivor looked at her with a worried expression and said, ¡°If someone tries to stir up trouble with you, just let me know.¡± Bonnie could tell that thest part of the sentence was the most important. He was worried that a hick from the suburbs like her had never seen a party like this. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t do anything inappropriate and embarrass you. I¡¯ve been to many events like Chapter 68 this.¡± She had gone to a pce in a foreign country and had even sat with a prince and the descendants of the nobles. She wasn¡¯t fazed by this party at all. Ivor train 2/2 gaze on her and failed to detect any nervousness from her expression. Was she doing a good job at hiding it? Or had she really been to many events like this? At that moment, the steward who was hosting the party came over. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Ivor. There¡¯s been a situation, and we need you to fix it.¡± He turned to look at Bonnie. ¡°Do you want toe along with me?¡± Was he treating her like a child? Was he worried she¡¯d get lost? Thought Bonnie. ¡°Go ahead. I¡¯m going to grab some food.¡± ¡°Sure. Just call me if anything happens,¡± said Ivor concernedly. ¡°Alright. Loud and clear.¡± Ivor was still worried about her. He turned to Jim, who looked rxed, and said, ¡°Keep her safe.¡± Jim nodded. ¡°Roger that.¡± He clicked his tongue as Ivor left. ¡°I think he cares about you.¡± Bonnie raised her brows and said, ¡°Did you learn to gossip while you were out of the country?¡± Jim just scratched the back of his head. Then, Bonnie heard a shrill scream. ¡°Your dress, Bonnie! Isn¡¯t it Hamish¡¯s best work? How did it find its way to you?!¡± Chapter 69 Chapter 69 Chapter 69 Bonnie looked at Halle and raised her brows. There was a hint of mockery in her eyes. ¡°Wasn¡¯t your dress supposed to be one of Hamish¡¯s designs? I seem to remember you bragging that you were going to wear it to the party. Why didn¡¯t you?¡± Halle gritted her teeth and looked at Bonnie. She wanted to smack her really badly. ¡°Wipe that smug look off your face! Did Ivor get you this dress? That just means you didn¡¯t get it yourself!¡± Bonnie¡¯s lips curled into a smile. The cunning and ridicule in her eyes were unmistakable. ¡°How smart of you. Ivor, who¡¯s also my fianc¨¦, went through a great deal of trouble and spent a lot of money on this. I told him to forget about it, but he just wouldn¡¯t listen to me. I couldn¡¯t help it.¡± Halle¡¯s face twisted, and Rowena looked even more furious. Bonnie chuckled when she saw their faces. ¡°You¡¯re his cousin, Halle. And you¡¯re his childhood friend, Rowena. You should try to talk some sense into him. Tell him not to spend all that money wasted a lot on that!¡± y on me. He¡¯s ¡°Why, you! What a load of crap! Ivor hates you. There¡¯s no way he bought you anything! He must have bought this dress because Grandpa made him. I¡¯d even go so far as to say Grandpa was the one who bought you the dress, not Ivor. You just put it that way to make yourself look better.¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. What Halle said made sense. Rowena agreed and let out a sigh of relief internally. There was no way Ivor would treat this nobody so well. ¡°Suit yourself,¡± Bonnie said. She didn¡¯t give a damn about them. ¡°Hmph! Since you said that, that must have been the truth. You¡¯re just a hick and a nobody. Why would Ivor spend that kind of money on a dress for you?¡± Bonnie stared at her defiantly. ¡°I¡¯m a nobody? How did you figure that?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Halle stopped herself when she remembered that Bonnie was the Best Schr in the city. There was more. Rowena had tried to see Master Quenton when she heard he was at the Knight¡¯s to convince him to take her on as his apprentice. To their surprise, Master Quenton seemed to really respect Bonnie. They also found out that her tea brewing skill outmatched Master Quenton¡¯s. At that moment, Ivor walked over. When Rowena saw him, she tugged at Halle¡¯s arm. ¡°Herees Ivor. Let¡¯s ask if he bought Bonnie the dress.¡± Halle¡¯s eyes glinted. She refused to believe Ivor would buy a dress for Bonnie. She ran toward him and asked, ¡°Bonnie said you bought her the dress, Ivor. Is it true?¡± She cast a taunting nce at Bonnie. ¡®Just wait and see. I¡¯m going to expose your lies,¡® she thought. Ivor thought for a few seconds and said, ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s right. Is there a problem?¡± Chapter 69 272 Halle and Rowena gawked. Bonnie locked her gaze on him too. ¡°W¨CWell. Grandpa must have made you do it, right?¡± Halle refused to give up. Ivor¡¯s eyes grew darker. ¡°I bought a dress for my fianc¨¦. Why would anyone need to make me do it?¡± His words shocked Halle and Rowena to their core. ¡°C¨CCome on, Ivor. You can¡¯t be serious. Right?¡± Ivor didn¡¯t answer her. Instead, he took Bonnie¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go over there. They have your favorite tiramisu cake.¡± Chapter 70 Chapter 70 Chapter 70 ¡°Okay.¡± Bonnie didn¡¯t resist and let Ivor lead her away. Halle and Rowena¡¯s faces went from shocked to disbelief, all the way to denial. It was a sight to see. ¡°What on earth happened, Halle? Has Ivor really fallen for her? What should I do if that really is true?¡± Rowena wa N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. upset. She looked like she was about to burst into tears. ¡®Stop it. Ivor has taste. There was no way he¡¯d fall in love with Bonnie.¡± ¡°You say that, but he bought her an expensive dress. How do we exin that?¡± ¡®Maybe he just wanted to preserve the honor of his branch of the family.¡± ¡°Well¡­ He held her hand too. He¡¯s never held any woman¡¯s hands, not even mine. How do we exin that?¡± Halle scratched her head. She didn¡¯t have an answer for that. In fact, she would love to know. When Bonnie and Ivor had walked far enough away from Halle and Rowena, she said, ¡°Thanks for that.¡± She raised her ss. Ivor lightly clinked her ss with his. ¡°That was my duty. No thanks are necessary. ¡°Although¡­¡± She frowned slightly. ¡°What is it?¡± She turned her head to look at Rowena, who wasn¡¯t that far away. Then, she shot a deliberate gaze at him. ¡°She seems to really like you. Haven¡¯t you just squandered your chance at a romantic rtionship?¡± His lips curled into a smile. ¡°Listen to yourself. Are you jealous?¡± ¡°I¡¯m many things, but I¡¯m not jealous.¡± Ivor had been a little happy, but he looked glum after he heard what she said. Halle and Rowena were cooking up a n to teach Bonnie a lesson. They were trying to find a way to humiliate her. They approached Bonnie again. Halle raised her voice so she could attract some attention to themselves. ¡°You once told me that you were good at flower arranging, Bonnie. What a coincidence.. Rowena¡¯s good at it too. Maybe you two should have apetition. It doesn¡¯t matter who wins. It¡¯ll just add something fun to the party. What do you think?¡± Ivor leaned closer to Bonnie and whispered, ¡°Do you know your way around flower arranging?¡± ¡°I know enough to get by, but I¡¯ve never told them that.¡± Suddenly, it hit Ivor. They were doing this on purpose. Chapter 70 2/2 ¡°Hey, Bonnie! Why aren¡¯t you answering me? Are you going to chicken out? Like I said, it doesn¡¯t matter who wins. It¡¯s just a game. Are you going to disrespect us by turning us down? Or do you just think you¡¯re too good for Rowena?¡± The other guests heard themotion and cast strange nces at Bonnie. They began to murmur. Ivor squinted at the pushy Halle. As he started to say something, Bonnie stepped up. ¡°Let¡¯s do it, but we¡¯ll need to have some stakes. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be a waste of time.¡± ¡°Sure. What¡¯s on your mind?¡± Chapter 71 Chapter 71 Chapter 71 Bonnie said casually, ¡°You¡¯ll stay away from me and Ivor for the duration of our agreement if I win. You¡¯re annoying ¡± She looked at Rowena and added, ¡°That means you, too.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Halle gritted her teeth. ¡°What happens if you lose?¡± ¡°Then I lose,¡± Bonnie said softly. ¡°Why, you! Shouldn¡¯t you have to pay a price if you lose? You¡¯re such a cheater. Looks like you know just how to take advantage of someone else!¡± Bonnie leaned on a pir nonchntly and raised her brows. ¡°We can just forget about this competition if you don¡¯t like the deal.¡± Damn that Bonnie! Both Halle and Rowena were so pissed they wanted to pounce on her. Bonnie had the high ground, and they could think of nothing to say to her! Floyd stood by Ivor¡¯s side and muttered, ¡°Ms. Bonnie¡¯s kind of tough.¡± 11 Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. ¡°How long did it take for you to figure that out?¡± Floyd turned to look at Ivor and saw that he seemed very proud of her. Thepetition started when all the materials for flower arranging had been prepared. ¡°Wait,¡± said Bonnie. Halle crossed her arms and said, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you regretting your decision? Are you going to give up because you know what¡¯s good for you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not one to admit defeat. I just have a question. How are we going to decide who wins?¡± Flower arranging wasn¡¯t the same as chess. You could tell a clear victor in a chess match. On the other hand, flower arranging was a visual art. It depended on whether it was pleasing to the viewer, which meant it could be very subjective. Since Bonnie was at the Knight family¡¯s party, she worried that the viewers here would appreciate Halle¡¯s work more when they were both done. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I¡¯ve asked someone to bring in an expert in the art of flower arranging. I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯ll ept your loss!¡± Halle was prepared for this. ¡°I have no more questions, then. Let¡¯s begin.¡± Time passed as guests gathered around Bonnie. Some guests gathered around Rowena at first, but when they noticed a crowd congregating around Bonnie, they were curious, so they went over to see her work too. ¡°How wonderful! It¡¯s so visually pleasing! She¡¯s like an expert herself!¡± Chapter 71 2/2 ¡°Look at thatst stalk of silver ragwort. It was so well done!¡± ¡°You can see the flowers hanging both high and low, and she has just the right amount of densely packed and loosely strewn flowers. The abstract and the real have been blended together in perfect harmony, and eachyer is wonderfully done. It¡¯s a feast for the eyes!¡± ¡°It¡¯s elegant and graceful, but it¡¯s also evoking some deep thought. I could stand here looking at it all day.¡± Rowena was irritated as she heard the guests showering Bonnie withpliments. ¡°Hey! Why are all of you focusing on Bonnie? Rowena¡¯s done with her arrangement too! Why aren¡¯t you looking at her flowers?¡± Halle stomped her feet in anger. But nobody turned around even after she yelled at them. They continued to appreciate Bonnie¡¯s flower arrangement. Was it really that good? Halle squeezed into the crowd and looked at the flowers on the table. She couldn¡¯t help but exim,¡± Wow! That¡¯s amazing!¡± She quickly covered her mouth as her face turned red. Rowena made her way there too. She squeezed into the crowd, displeased, but all she could do after seeing Bonnie¡¯s flowers was lower her head. Bonnie looked at Halle. ¡°Where¡¯s the expert?¡± Halle and Rowena¡¯s faces turned very red at that. Bonnie frowned and asked, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± Chapter 72 Chapter 72 Chapter 72 ¡°Hmph! I¡¯ll give it to you, Bonnie. You got lucky and won thepetition, but there¡¯s no need to be so pushy!¡± Halle wished she could hide somewhere now. It was clear that Bonnie had triumphed over Rowena. There was no need for the expert¡¯s evaluation. ¡°When was I being pushy?¡± Bonnie was puzzled. ¡°Just admit it. Your flower arranging skills match that of an expert, but you still decided to have the competition with us. Isn¡¯t it obvious you wanted to humiliate us?¡± Rowena was on the brink of tears. ¡°Don¡¯t judge me like that. I¡¯ve never studied flower arranging in my life. I just looked through some books in the library when I was bored,¡± Bonnie said truthfully. Was that all she had done? Was she just good at it? Halle and Rowena didn¡¯t buy what she said. If that was true, did that mean she was a genius? No way. She would be the mother of all geniuses. A freak of nature! After that, Halle and Rowena left the venue, wailing. Ivor looked at Bonnie curiously and asked, ¡°When did you study flower arranging?¡± She had demonstrated impable skill. Could she also have learned it while she was young, like kickboxing? Just how many skills did she possess? She showed great mastery over each one! She answered sternly, ¡°Honestly, I¡¯ve never studied flower arranging in my life. I wasn¡¯t lying to them.¡± It wasn¡¯t every day that Ivor was so surprised he let it show on his face, but that happened today. After a pause, he said, ¡°Do you mean to tell me you picked up flower arranging just by flipping through a few pages in the library? You really seemed like a master!¡± She looked at her flowers and said, ¡°I think it¡¯s just okay. It¡¯s nothing to write home about.¡± Ivor drew in a sharp breath and cast apassionate gaze at Halle and Rowena. He finally understood why Grandpa had been adamant about getting them together, He was trying to secure an extraordinary woman for him! As Ivor was lost in thought, Bonnie said wearily, ¡°It¡¯s exhausting to be your fianc¨¦. There are so many problems for me to untangle. It¡¯s a good thing there¡¯s only a few days left on the clock¡± Ivor¡¯s expression shifted and grew cold. ¡°They just served some chocte. I¡¯m going to grab some.¡± With that, she left. Floyd inhaled sharply and said, ¡°Ms. Bonnie almost makes me feel bad about how ordinary I am.¡± Then, he noticed Tim, who was secretly Jim, getting closer to Bonnie. ¡°Tim¡¯s doing his job really well. He¡¯s still protecting her at a close distance on an asion like this.¡± Ivor also noticed what Jim was doing. He stopped when he was about six feet away from her and Chapter 72 leaned on the wall, protecting her in silence. The whole image looked so natural that it felt as if it was Jim¡¯s destiny to keep Bonnie safe. ¡°Say, do you think they knew each other?N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Who?¡± Floyd asked. He caught himself. ¡°Are you talking about Ms. Bonnie and Tim? That¡¯s impossible. I asked Alfred about it. They clearly didn¡¯t know each other the first day they met. ¡°Huh?¡± Floyd trained his gaze on Jim ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Ivor asked. ¡°Why do I get the feeling he looks like someone I know? The longer I look at him, the more he seems familiar.¡± Ivor was about to ask another question when he saw Flynn, one of his cousins, walking briskly toward Bonnie. He approached her, scanned her from top to bottom, and reached out to her. ¡°Hey¡­¡± As he was about to introduce himself, Bonnie gave him a piece of chocte. ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± She withdrew her hand and moved to take another piece. Chapter 73 Chapter 73 Chapter 73 Flynn grinned. Intriguing. Jim squinted at him, his face growing darker by the second. When Bonnie realized the man hadn¡¯t left, she looked at him suspiciously. ¡°Can I help you with something?¡± Wasn¡¯t he here for the chocte? Flynn raised his hand, brushed aside the rogue hair on his forehead, and shed what he thought was a charming smile at her. ¡°The name¡¯s Flynn. I was there when you were engaged to Ivor, my cousin.¡± ¡°Oh. I didn¡¯t seem to notice you,¡± She said indifferently. Flynn abruptly stepped closer to her. She looked at him in rm and thought he had an ulterior motive. ¡°Is there anything you want from me?¡± Ivor¡¯s face turned dark. As he was about to approach them, Ged got in his way, ¡°Why don¡¯t we go for a car ride and have a good time after the party, Ivor? White and the gang have already headed out.¡± ¡°You¡¯re blocking my view.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. Ged was stunned. He turned and followed Ivor¡¯s gaze, seeing Bonnie and Flynn. ¡°What are they doing together? That cousin of yours has a pretty messy private life. Do you think he¡¯s trying something funny because he thinks your fianc¨¦ is hot?¡± Ged felt the room grow colder as he said that. When he turned back to Ivor, he saw that his expression was icy. ¡°Look at you. You¡¯re getting all worked up. You¡¯ve obviously fallen for Bonnie. Ivor didn¡¯t say anything about that. Instead, he pursed his lips. ght Ged. ¡®I¡¯ll take his silence as a yes,¡® thought Flynn was boldly checking Bonnie out. Her skin was as delicate as porcin, and her exposed shoulders were rosy. Her slender, graceful figure looked as if it was ripe for the picking. She also had killer supermodel legs that were barely visible underneath her dress. And when Flynn noticed her alluring looks and sparkling eyes, he could barely hold back the primal instinct within him. She was one of the most attractive women he had ever seen! Bonnie¡¯s sharp eyes burned with animosity. ¡°I would gouge your eyes out if you weren¡¯t rted to Charter 73 212 Grandpa.¡± ¡°Hehehe¡­¡± Flynn smirked. ¡°Just what I expected from the woman who picked a fight with Aunt Maisie. You¡¯re so feisty, I love it.¡± ¡°You seem like the type who can find trouble anywhere.¡± Bonnie¡¯s voice grew colder. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. I don¡¯t mean you any harm. Anyway, Ivor¡¯s probably the one who¡¯s been giving you trouble. You¡¯ve spent quite some time with him. Wouldn¡¯t you say you¡¯ve taken the brunt of his temper? ¡°That¡¯s how he¡¯s always been. He¡¯s not a man who treats women well. None of the women who approached him was his cup of tea. The way I see it, he either can¡¯t get it up at all, or he has no interest in women.¡± ¡°What exactly are you trying to tell me?¡± Chapter 74 Chapter 74 Chapter 74 ¡°I think I¡¯m being clear enough. Nothing good wille from your rtionship with him. Anyway, your engagement is ending soon. You¡¯ll go back to being a nobody once the clock runs out on your little agreement. ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll let you go back to your old life and suffer. You¡¯d be better off with me. You can buy all sorts of bags and jewelry. And let¡¯s get something out of the way. I¡¯ll never marry you. After all, you¡¯re from a humble background. My parents would never agree to it anyway.¡± ¡°Is that all?¡± Bonnie was getting annoyed. Flynn thought he had given her the best terms possible. There was no way Bonnie would turn him down now. He was feeling good about himself and didn¡¯t notice the disdain on her face. ¡°That¡¯s all I have to say. What do you think? I bet you can¡¯t wait to jump at the offer.¡± She clenched her fist and said, ¡°Not really, but I do have a strong urge to beat you to a pulp.¡± Flynn was stunned. ¡°Get out of my sight. I¡¯m losing my appetite just looking at you. ¡°Why, you little¡­!¡± Flynn was about to get mad when he thought of something and smirked. ¡°Oh, I know. Did you turn me down because you were worried someone might have heard what I said? It¡¯s okay. We¡¯re kind of far away from everyone else. No one will know about this.¡± Bonnie no longer wanted to talk to him. She treated him like he was invisible and let him ramble on. Flynn noticed she was quiet and took her silence as a yes. He looked at her figure and checked to see if there was anyone around him before reaching out to touch her. He asked for this! Jim lifted his leg to kick Flynn. Bonnie noticed and realized she probably shouldn¡¯t let Jim hurt one of the Knight family members. It would be difficult to clean up that mess, and his real identity could be exposed. So, she moved faster and swung her leg at Flynn¡¯s groin. ¡°Ouch!¡± Flynn yelled out in pain. He closed his legs and took several steps back. His face turned red and he started sweating profusely. ¡°Flynn!¡± His mother, Sydney Zimmerman, ran over in concern. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°O. It hurts, Mom.¡± ¡°Damn you, you bitch! How dare you kick my son?!¡± Sydney roared. Bonnie looked at them condescendingly. ¡°He had iting.¡± ¡°You¡¯re really full of yourself. How dare you say that when you kicked him, you hick!¡± Chapter 74 272 ¡°Full of myself? Me? Why don¡¯t you ask your dear son what he did?¡± Ivor walked over to them as she spoke and stood by Bonnie. He didn¡¯t say or do anything, but it was clear that he was there to support Bonnie. Gunnar Knight, Flynn¡¯s father, heard the ruckus and came over. When he saw his son holding his groin, he asked, ¡°What on earth happened here?¡°. Flynn spoke through the pain. ¡°It¡¯s her. She wanted to seduce me, so I let her have it. Then she hit me out of spite.¡± Several party guests threw disdainful nces at Bonnie when they heard that. ¡°Did that really happen? Was Bonnie trying to seduce Flynn?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what he said? Bonnie and Ivor¡¯s engagement is ending, so I¡¯m guessing she wasn¡¯t willing to go back to her old life because she got used to the high life. Maybe that was why she tried to seduce him?¡± ¡°You have a point.¡® ¡°You¡¯re shameless!¡± Sydney yelled. ¡°I¡¯ve seen a lot of hicks, but I¡¯ve never seen a whore as shameless as you!¡± Bonnie took a step forward and pped Sydney right across the face. ¡®p!¡® With that, the busy party was thrown into an eerie silence.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Chapter 75 Chapter 75 Chapter 75 Nobody thought Bonnie would p Sydney so savagely. Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. Sydney covered her face and stared daggers at Bonnie. ¡°H¨CHow dare you p me? I can¡¯t believe you did that!¡± Why can¡¯t I p you? You called me a hick and a whore. You were born into a wealthy family, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been very well educated since you were young- ¡°Is this how you repay your parents for that? You insulted someone when you didn¡¯t even know the truth about what happened.¡± Bonnie stared at her coldly, and the animositying off of her was unmistakable. Never in Sydney¡¯s wildest dreams did she think she would be lectured by a young woman. She had lived like a princess ever since she was young. No one had ever pped her, and even her doted on her as if she were the most precious treasure in the world. ting me!¡± ¡°I¡¯m your husband¡¯s aunt. You¡¯vemitted a great sin by hitting parents had ¡°Heh. My husband? I¡¯m only engaged to Ivor. I haven¡¯t married him yet. Don¡¯t try to fool me with something that isn¡¯t even real. Let¡¯s assume you¡¯re right for a second. You would still have deserved that because you don¡¯t know how to carry yourself like a respectable olddy.¡± Sydney just couldn¡¯t win. Her sense of helplessness and rage grew by the second. In the end, she threw herself into Gunnar¡¯s arms and wailed. ¡°She hit me and Flynn, honey. Why are you still just standing here? You need to stand up for us! How will I live, knowing she pped me at my age? I should just kill myself!¡± Gunnar felt annoyed but helpless. He looked at Ivor. ¡°Maybe Bonnie should¡­¡± ¡°Flynn brought this on himself,¡± said Ivor nkly. Bonnie looked at him. She thought he would take his rtives¡® side and leverage this situation to call off their agreement and never see her again. She didn¡¯t think he would support her instead. ¡°H¨CHey, Ivor. You can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°I might have been further away, but I clearly saw Flynn moving in on my wife with bad intentions.¡± ¡°Is that true?¡± Gunnar red at his son. Flynn gritted his teeth and said, ¡°That wasn¡¯t what happened, Ivor. I went over there because I wanted to get some food. She was the one who slid up to me and rubbed her body against mine. ¡°She said she didn¡¯t want to go back to her old life now that your engagement was ending. She even said she¡¯d do anything as long as I epted her. But there was no way I¡¯d do that. ¡°Your engagement with her might be ending, but I¡¯ll still think of her as my former cousin -inw. Anyway, she¡¯s a whore who¡¯s clearly willing to use her body for personal gain. I wouldn¡¯t dream of Chapter 75 touching her even if she were thest woman on Earth.¡± 2/2 Jim almost lost his cool and beat Flynn up when he heard that. Bonnie had secretly given him a look to stop him. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have cared about the circumstances and his real identity. He would have made Flynn regret belittling Bonnie with his lies! ¡°Listen to him, Ivor! Your fiance is the one who was being inappropriate. She seduced my son. I demand she get down on her knees and apologize!¡± Sydney hated Bonnie. Bonnie, on the other hand, smirked. She scanned her surroundings and said, ¡°I won¡¯t kneel and apologize. Isn¡¯t it true you Knights wanted me gone? To be honest, I couldn¡¯t care less about this ce. Goodbye.¡± She turned and started to leave. But a thick hand covered in calluses, grabbed her arm. She turned her hand and looked at the hand, following it all the way up to Ivor¡¯s dashing but bewildered face. Was he going to tell her to apologize to his rtives? But she had a hunch he wouldn¡¯t make her stay because of that Just as she was trying to figure it out, Ivor pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight. Bonnie and everyone else was confused. Chapter 76 Chapter 76 Chapter 76 Jim charged at them, but Bonnie shot him a look. He couldn¡¯t take it anymore! When Bonnie realized Jim hadn¡¯t backed down, she frowned and mouthed the words. ¡®Wait and see N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. what happens next. Jim read her lips and had no choice but, grit his teeth, clench his fists, and stay still. Ivor swept his cold eyes over the crowd and stopped at Sydney. He said firmly, ¡°Bonnie and I will be married forever. Our unwavering love will stand the test of time! His strong words hinted at his determination. It also proved to everyone that he wasn¡¯t joking He was serious about this! Bonnie¡¯s eyes widened as she stared at him, shocked. Sigmund saw everything from the second floor and was excited at how things had turned out. ¡°Ivor finally sees what I saw!¡± Ivor must have uncovered some of Bonnie¡¯s secrets during the time they spent together, Sigmund thought. He just wasn¡¯t sure if Ivor had discovered her identity as Ms. Bonita. ¡°A¨CAre you serious?¡± Sydney stuttered and asked. Ivor nodded solemnly. ¡°It¡¯s what Grandpa and I both want.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you run this by me?¡± Bonnie whispered. Ivor met her gaze, deep affection in his dark eyes. ¡°I¡¯m doing it now.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t agree to this. Our engagement is about to end. I¡¯ll leave as soon as it¡¯s over. You can have your life, and I can have mine.¡± ¡°What does that have to do with me trying to win your heart?¡± She frowned and locked eyes with him. The air between them shimmered with tension and chemistry. Was he putting on an act? Had he just taken it a little too far? She couldn¡¯t figure out what was going 1. on. They spoke so softly that no one caught what they said, but anyone could tell there was a frisson between them from the way they leaned so close to each other. The guests slowly turned their eyes on Flynn. ¡°Didn¡¯t he say Bonnie seduced him? He even said Ivor didn¡¯t want anything to do with her. But look at how sweet they are with each other. ¡°Ivor confessed his love so sweetly. There¡¯s no way she¡¯d give up on him and seduce Flynn instead.¡± ¡°You have a point. Looks like Flynn lied. I don¡¯t get it, though. Why would he lie and frame Bonnie? Chapter 76 And why did she kick him in the groin?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? Don¡¯t you know that Flynn has a messy private life? He¡¯s a real pervert. He must have had his eye on her, but he didn¡¯t know Ivor loved her and no one else. He tried to steal Ivor¡¯s fianc¨¦ and hit a brick wall instead.¡± Flynn was miserable as he heard everyone muttering about him. Clenching his fist, he gritted his teeth and decided to keep lying. ¡°You have to believe me, Ivor. She did try to seduce me. I was wondering if it was because she felt insecure about her rtionship with you and thought of me as the second option. 2/2 ¡°I swear I didn¡¯t lie. If I did, may heaven take my life, sever my line of descendants, and let me suffer a horrible death!¡± Chapter 77 Chapter 77 Chapter 77 The guests heard Flynn¡¯s oath and were swayed again. It was a solemn oath. So, had Flynn lied or not? Sydney pitted herself against Bonnie furiously and said, ¡°My son has sworn a solemn oath. You can no longer deny that you tried to seduce him!¡± Bonnie was very surprised. She couldn¡¯t believe that Flynn had sworn an oath like that. However, she wasn¡¯t going to be deterred by an insufferable jerk. ¡°What¡¯s the point of a legal system if we rely only on oaths?¡± ¡°Why, you! I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re still denying it. Do you think everyone here believes you?¡± Sydney¡¯s chest heaved as she breathed heavily. Jim stepped forward. ¡°I hold in my hands the proof that Flynn was trying to take advantage of Ms. Bonnie.¡± Ivor squinted at Jim. ¡°You have proof? What proof? Show me! Show everyone if you can! My son is innocent. He swore a solemn oath, for heaven¡¯s sake. Let¡¯s see this proof of yours!¡± Jim took out his phone and yed a recording. It It was very clear that Flynn was the one who had tried to hit on Bonnie. Sydney stopped hollering. Her jaw fell to the floor. Gunnar was so ashamed he wished he could disappear. Flynn stared daggers at Jim. The bodyguard had thrown a wrench into his n. ¡°Ahem!¡± Sigmund walked over and looked at Flynn. ¡°It¡¯s bad enough you wasted most of your days drinking and fooling around. You even flirted with Ivor¡¯s wife!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Grandpa! Please forgive me. I let it go to my head. Anyway, I thought he didn¡¯t like Bonnie. Didn¡¯t you want her to marry into our family? I¡¯m willing to take her if Ivor doesn¡¯t want to.¡± Flynn patted himself on the back internally as he spoke. Ivor¡¯s face grew dark. Sigmund struck Flynn with his cane. ¡°You bastard! You clearly haven¡¯t seen the error of your ways! I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re saying such nonsense!¡± Flynn yelled in pain, but he wasn¡¯t willing to give up. ¡°You¡¯re ying favorites, Grandpa. I¡¯m your grandson too. Why can¡¯t I marry Bonnie instead of Ivor?¡± Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Do you deserve her? Take a look at yourself. I wouldn¡¯t have said what I said if you deserved her in the slightest. If I set her up with you, I¡¯d be ruining her life!¡± Chapter 77 2/7 ¡°How could you say that about your own grandson, Grandpa? She just won the Best Schr Award. What¡¯s so special about her?¡± Flynn refused to give in. ¡°She just won the Best Schr Award? You know nothing!¡± Flynn could see he had really pissed Sigmund off. Things wouldn¡¯t end well if he kept arguing with him. Sigmund turned to look at Gunnar and Sydney. ¡°Take him back and make sure he learns some manners. He¡¯s grounded for a month!¡± Sydney felt resentful and was about to say something, but her husband stopped her. ¡°Let¡¯s take Flynn home. We¡¯ll talk about itter.¡± What a coward! Sydney red at him. She wouldn¡¯t have let this rest if the bodyguard hadn¡¯t shown. everyone the recording. The party ended because of this incident. ¡°Damn it! That bodyguard ruined everything!¡± Flynn flew into a rage as soon as he was back home. ¡°Calm down, Mr. Flynn. How about I get a few men to teach him a lesson?¡± Someone suggested. ¡°Good idea! Beat him to a pulp. Maim him, even! Remember to find some elite fighters. We can¡¯t afford to underestimate any bodyguard working for Ivor. Wait a minute. We shouldn¡¯t hire bodyguards. This is a job for hitmen!¡± ¡°As you wish, Mr. Flynn. I¡¯ll see to it right now.¡± Ivor stopped Jim as he was getting into the car with Bonnie. ¡°You¡¯re going back home with Floyd.¡± Jim nced at Bonnie, but she just gave him a quiet look. Chapter 78 Chapter 78 Chapter 78 Bonnie and Jim had only exchanged a brief look, but a vignt Ivor caught it. ¡°Here you go.¡± Ivor opened the car door for Bonnie. ¡°Thanks.¡± Bonnie slid into the passenger¡¯s seat. Jim watched as the car drove off into the distance. He didn¡¯t avert his gaze until they vanished from his sightpletely. Floyd leaned on his shoulder in a friendly manner and said, ¡°It¡¯s a good thing you were quick. Otherwise, it would have been a mess.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Ms. Bonnie¡¯s bodyguard. It¡¯s my duty.¡± ¡°The night¡¯s still young. Want to go for some kebabs?¡± Floyd said to Jim. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the money. You¡¯re the new hire. It¡¯s my duty to look after you. You might not know it, but I like you a lot. Come on. Let¡¯s go.¡± Floyd started to drag Jim away. All of a sudden, Jim and Floyd stopped in their tracks. Their gazes met. ¡°Did you sense that too?¡± Floyd asked. Jim continued walking. ¡°Don¡¯t give anything away.¡± ¡°When did you realize?¡± Floyd was curious. It felt as if Jim had noticed a second before he did. They were being followed. ¡°About a minute ago.¡± Jim knew what was on his mind. ¡°Do you think they¡¯re here because of you or me?¡± He asked. ¡®Have I pissed anyone off?¡® Jim thought to himself. He had fought in a lot of matches and antagonized a lot of people. Could it be his rivals from the international fightingpetition? Jim made his way to a secluded ce as he pondered the situation. ¡°Stop them!¡± When the hitmen saw that there was no one around, they made themselves seen. Jim swept his eyes across the hitmen and counted fifteen men. They were all strong fighters. ¡°Looks like they¡¯re hitmen.¡± Floyd said, his back to Jim. ¡°Exactly.¡± Jim could tell as well. hitmen ( Just as they were talking, the at them. They split into two groups. One of the groups. tried to fend Floyd off while the other one moved in to kill Jim.. Chapter 20 2/2 ¡°They¡¯re after Tim.¡® Floyd thought to himself. Who in the world wanted Tim dead? Floyd hadn¡¯t gotten his job as Ivor¡¯s bodyguard by being slow on the uptake. He could guess just who was behind this attack. ¡°Watch out!¡± Floyd yelled. ¡°Pow!¡± Jim punched one of the hitmen. He fell as if he had been hit by a truck. ¡°Pfft!¡± Blood spurted from his mouth. ¡°Impressive!¡± Floyd could tell Jim¡¯s punch was more powerful than his. Jim took care of several hitmen as Floyd looked on admiringly. What a fight! At that moment, one of the hitmen jumped out of the bush behind Jim as he was facing two other opponents. ¡°Watch out!¡± Chapter 79 Chapter 79 Chapter 79 Floyd yelled. Shit! Even he would have trouble surviving so many opponents. Tim might end up dead. He seemed to be having trouble shaking off the strong hitmen who surrounded him. Jim¡¯s eyes contracted and his fighting spirit grew. He seized one out of the three hitmen in front of him and tossed him at the two others. Another hitman snuck behind him and threw a punch to the back of his head. Reacting swiftly, he bent over, and the hitman¡¯s fist brushed past him. Next, he took a step back with his right foot, gathering momentum, and hurled his fist at his opponent! Itnded right in his opponent¡¯s face, knocking him unconscious and throwing him to the ground. Was that the Soaring Cannon?! Floyd¡¯s eyes widened as he watched that incredible moment. That was Master Jim¡¯s signature move! Jim waspletely fired up. Cracking his neck and twisting his arms, he wagged a finger at the rest of the hitmen, taunting them. Floyd was dumbfounded. He had watched the International Fighting Competition not long ago. Master Jim¡¯s opponent had insulted Arvandor right before the semi¨Cfinal. As a proud Arvandorian, Master Jim didn¡¯t stand idly by. Instead, he wagged his finger at his opponent and taunted him as well. Tim¡¯s current demeanor and battle spirit were a carbon copy of Master Jim¡¯s! Jimpletely overpowered his opponents and made quick work of them while Floyd tried to recover from the shock. His vanquished foesy still on the ground. Floyd¡¯s jaw was still agape as he stared at Jim incredulously. Jim was having a good time. It had been a long time since he had such an exhrating fight. He turned to see Floyd¡¯s shocked expression and cursed internally. He had let his battle lust take over and forgot to keep his fighting skills in check. Had he made Floyd suspicious? ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Floyd?¡± He asked as he walked over. Floyd finally recovered from his shock and asked, ¡°D¨CDid you just use the Soaring Cannon?¡± So, he recognized it. Jim smiled gingerly. ¡°Don¡¯t you know I¡¯m a fan of Master Jim? I watched his matches and copied him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s his signature move! No one can copy that! Not even I have been able to recreate it faithfully! Chapter 79 Floyd wasn¡¯t exaggerating. Master Jim was the only one who could use that move to its full destructive power. Other fighters might have been able to imitate it in look, but never in essence. ¡°It¡¯s not that hard, actually. Maybe I just have a knack for it,¡± Jim responded lightly. Floyd thought about what Jim said and figured it was a sound reason. 20 Maybe Tim did have a knack for the Soaring Cannon. It still didn¡¯t sound right to him, but he couldn¡¯t. find another reason to exin what he had just seen. Could Tim really be Master Jim? They didn¡¯t look alike, though! Had Master Jim changed his appearance to disguise himself? Property ? of N?velDrama.Org. But Master Jim was Ms. Bonita¡¯s personal bodyguard! Jim watched Floyd¡¯s reaction closely and decided that he believed his story. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go have some kebabs.¡± Floyd grunted and followed Jim. Jim was acting naturally. Maybe he was just reading too much into it. Bonnie and Ivor¡¯s car stopped at a traffic light. Bonnie turned to look at Ivor. ¡°There¡¯s a dock right up front. Should we go for a walk?¡± Ivor was a little surprised, but responded, ¡°Sure.¡± He pulled over and walked on the dock with Bonnie. The breeze blew in the chill from the ocean. Ivor took off his suit jacket and gave it to Bonnie. ¡°It¡¯s a little cold. Take this.¡± Chapter 80 Chapter 80 Chapter 80 ¡°It¡¯s not that cold. You can put it back on.¡± Ivor ignored her and put the suit jacket over Bonnie¡¯s shoulders. His warmth lingered in the suit jacket, and it warmed up not just her body, but her heart as well. ¡°Thank you for helping me back at the party, but you shouldn¡¯t have said what you said. It was my personal affair and what you said will just lead to a misunderstanding. Everyone probably thinks we¡¯re a real couple now.¡± Ivor¡¯s lips curled into a smile and he looked at Bonnie lovingly. ¡°Let them be.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you care?¡± She raised her r brow. ¡°So what? I think it¡¯s good that they think that.¡± Huh? Bonnie¡¯s eyes widened and she proceeded to scan Ivor. She was a smart woman. She could gauge just how truthful he was being. After a brief pause, she asked, ¡°Do you have a real crush on me?¡± It was the same question she had asked him before. He had denied it back then.. ¡°Bingo.¡± He nodded. He had answered her question so casually that she wasn¡¯t sure if he was being serious. She was still thinking it over when he suddenly lowered his head and kissed her forehead. Bonnie was dazed, surprised, and couldn¡¯t believe what just happened. She whipped her head back and saw Ivor meet her gaze firmly, smiling faintly. After a few seconds, Bonnie abruptly took several steps back. ¡°Are you serious? Or is this some kind of joke?¡± It was refreshing to see Bonnie panic. Ivor loved it. He couldn¡¯t help himself and decided to tease her a little. ¡°Take a guess. Bonnie rolled her eyes, turned, and left. ¡°Hey. Are you mad?¡± Bonnie didn¡¯t respond. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have teased you.¡± Still unwilling to look at him, she continued to walk away and brushed past his car. She had decided to call a cab home. Ivor realized what she was doing and walked over to grab her hand. He pulled her to his side, gripped. Chapter 80 212 her shoulder, and said seriously, ¡°I mean it. There are eight days and twenty¨Ctwo hours left on the clock. Our engagement is ending soon. You¡¯ll know how serious I am by then.¡± She scanned him meticulously and decided that she couldn¡¯t read his mind. ¡°You just love to act all mysterious.¡± This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. He could tell she was no longer mad at him, Smiling, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± Ivor tracked down Floyd the moment he arrived home. ¡°Did you do what I asked?¡± ¡°They¡¯re working on the engagement ring you reserved. It¡¯ll be ready before your engagement ends. I¡¯ve also finalized setting up the venue.¡± ¡°Okay. Well done. You can go.¡± Ivor could barely wait to get this done. It would be the memory of a lifetime for Bonnie. It took him several seconds to realize that Floyd hadn¡¯t left. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Floyd was still thinking about Tim. He could no longer bear it. ¡°There¡¯s more to Tim than meets the eye, Mr. Ivor. Chapter 81 Chapter 81 Chapter 81 ¡°Go ahead.¡± Ivor¡¯s eyes were half¨Copen. ¡°Here¡¯s the thing. We were going to grab something to eat earlier when¡­¡± Floyd told his master every single detail of what happened earlier. ¡°Are you saying Tim used the Soaring Cannon on the hitmen? And it¡¯s one of Master Jim¡¯s signature moves?¡± Floyd nodded furiously. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯ve never seen anyone use the Soaring Cannon so proficiently in all my years ofbat experience. I know Jim says he¡¯s very skilled inbat, and that might exin it, but I can¡¯t shake the feeling that something¡¯s just not right.¡± ¡°What are you thinking?¡± In fact, Ivor had noticed that something seemed amiss with Tim. Floyd¡¯s brow knitted. ¡°I think he¡¯s connected to Master Jim.¡± ¡°I thought you were going to tell me that Master Jim had disguised himself as Tim.¡± ¡°Now that you mention it, I did think he might be Master Jim when I first saw him using the Soaring Cannon. But I thought about it and decided it wasn¡¯t possible. Master Jim is Ms. Bonita¡¯s top bodyguard. There¡¯s no way it could be him.¡± Ivor nodded. ¡°That¡¯s a good analysis. But Tim is just¡­¡± He paused and said, ¡°Investigate him thoroughly.¡± ¡°You speak my mind, Mr. Ivor.¡± ¡°Remember. Do it discreetly. Make sure he doesn¡¯t find out about this.¡± ¡°Understood, Mr. Ivor. Leave it to me.¡± In the next room, Bonnie and Jim faced each other. ¡°You used the Soaring Cannon right in front of Floyd?¡± Bonnie frowned and asked. He nodded. ¡°It was a dangerous situation. I reacted instinctively.¡± ¡°As far as I know, he¡¯s a loyal fan of yours. Wasn¡¯t he suspicious at all?¡± ¡°He was, but I exined that I might just have a knack for this particr move.¡± ¡°Did he believe you?¡± Jim frowned. ¡°I think so.¡± Bonnie rubbed her chin and said, ¡°Floyd might seem like he doesn¡¯t care, but think about it. Would Ivor let some gullible fool work for him? He¡¯s probably Ivor¡¯s most trusted servant too.¡± ¡°Are you saying that he was suspicious of me, but just chose to say nothing about it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s very possible,¡± Bonnie said. ¡°If my assumptions are correct, Floyd would have told Ivor Chapter 81 everything by now. He¡¯s a smart guy. It¡¯s highly likely that he gave Floyd the order to quietly investigate you. ¡°Anyway, how did you get your alias as Tim Reid? Is it easily traceable?¡± 2/2 ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry about that, Ms. Bonnie. The guys who did it for me did a meticulous job. Floyd won¡¯t be able to trace it back to me.¡± Jim patted his chest confidently. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry if it were any other guy, but Ivor is something else¡­¡± Bonnie looked at the room next to hers and saw Ivor¡¯s wise and elegant face in her mind. ¡°He¡¯s smart, and he has the means to put it to good use.¡± This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Do you think Ivor is capable of finding out some kind of clue about me?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± She turned to look at Jim. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, though. I¡¯m going to ask someone for help.¡± Jim asked curiously, ¡°Who are you going to call, Ms. Bonnie? Who could keep my identity from Ivor?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to contact someone from the SR League.¡± She responded. Jim¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You know the top brass of the SR League?!¡± The SR League was a powerful globally recognized taskforce. It epted and distributed missions to all kinds of agents around the globe. Their missionpletion rate was unbelievably high. Chapter 82 Chapter 82 Chapter 82 The SR League was capable ofpleting any mission, as long as you could pay for it. ¡°I don¡¯t know any of the top brass in the SR League. I only know its founder,¡± Bonnie said lightly. Jim was rooted to the spot when he heard Bonnie¡¯sst sentence. ¡°Y¨CYou know the founder of SR League?!¡± This was the SR League they were talking about! They were the number one task force in the world! Bonnie had never brought this up in all the time he had known her. ¡°I know him from a few years back.¡± ¡°How did you meet?¡± was pure chance. The founder¡¯s mother had a serious illness, and he posted a mission in the league with a one billion dor reward. I was getting a little bored in the research institute when I saw it, so I epted the mission.¡± Then, it hit Jim. ¡°That exins what happened when you went off the radar. You wouldn¡¯t tell me where you went even when I asked. So you went away to treat the SR League founder¡¯s mother.¡± ¡°Are you really so surprised that I know the founder of the SR League?¡± Bonnie sat down and sipped a cup of tea. Floyd stared at her and had the urge to smack his own head. How funny. She was right! The SR League was a mythical entity to a lot of people, but Bonnie was the nation¡¯s leading researcher! She was a legendary figure herself. The founder of the SR League might be a strong character, but he probably didn¡¯t hold a candle to Bonnie. Bonnie checked the time and said, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. You should go. Tread lightly. Don¡¯t let anyone see you.¡± ¡°Like I said, don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m the King of Combat, after all.¡± Jim smiled, leaped out of the window, and left. Bonnie opened herptop and made a video call to the founder of SR League. He was blonde and had a pair of blue eyes that exuded both enigma and charm. His defined features made him a uniquely handsome man with an unrestrained vibe. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. He brushed through his long hair shily and spoke with an ent unique to his culture. ¡°Took you long enough to call me, Bonnie. Did you forget about me?¡± Bonnie¡¯s lips twitched at his resentful tone. This was why she didn¡¯t usually call him if she didn¡¯t Chapter 82 have anything important to say. ¡°I need a favor, William.¡± 2/2 ¡°Geez. You only call me when you need a favor, then you throw me aside when you¡¯re done. You¡¯re a heartless woman, Bonnie. In the words of your culture, you¡¯re such a scumbag ¡°Sure. Goodbye.¡± She couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°No. Hold on! Don¡¯t hang up! Didn¡¯t you have a favor to ask? Just tell me. I¡¯ll do it.¡± Bonnie told him about Jim and asked for William¡¯s help to keep Jim¡¯s identity from the Knights. ¡°This isn¡¯t a small job. The Knights are the wealthiest and most powerful family in Pyralis. If you want me to keep this from Ivor, it¡¯s going to cost you.¡± ¡°Name your price,¡± she said. ¡°Are you seriously talking about a price? I thought we were closer than that!¡± William clutched hist left chest and acted as if he was hurt. Bonnie felt a headache starting. ¡°Let¡¯s do it this way. I¡¯m going to Pyralis in a few days. I¡¯ll be your guest, and you¡¯ll have to make sure I have a good time there!¡± ¡°Done.¡± ¡°Oh. That¡¯s right. A little birdie told me you¡¯re engaged to Ivor!¡± As William said that, the good. humor on his face was reced with a grim expression. Chapter 83 Chapter 83 Chapter 83 ¡°I see you¡¯ve heard about that.¡± ¡°But of course. I¡¯m the founder of the SR League, after all. How about I give you a hand and remove Ivor for you, Bonnie?¡± William squinted his blue eyes. ¡°My engagement with him ends in a few more days. We¡¯ll go our separate ways and have nothing to do with each other after that,¡± Bonnie said nonchntly. ¡°Oh. That¡¯s great.¡± ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. I¡¯m going to hang up now.¡± ¡°Sure. Don¡¯t let me keep you from your beauty sleep.¡± William called for his assistant immediately after he hung up. Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. ¡°Is there anything you need, Mr. William?¡± ¡°Arrange a routine check on my private ne. I¡¯m flying to Pyralis in a few days.¡± His assistant was puzzled. ¡°Why are you flying there, Mr. William?¡± He shed him an evil grin. ¡°I¡¯m going to get myself a wife.¡± ¡°Brrr¡­¡± Bonnie suddenly felt goosebumps all over. Was someone talking about her? Forget it. She¡¯d just hop in the shower. Flynn was throwing a fit at his house. ¡°How the hell did you guys fail? Didn¡¯t I tell you to hire professional hitmen? How did he defeat all of you? There were more than a dozen guys! Why is it so hard to finish off a single bodyguard?¡± The servant who had been entrusted with the task was shivering uncontrobly. ¡°Floyd was there too.¡± ¡°I know Floyd Floyd is a powerful fighter, but he was outnumbered. You had more than a dozen hitmen with you. Why couldn¡¯t you take care of both of them? Tim¡¯s just a rookie bodyguard, too.¡± ¡°There¡¯s something you don¡¯t know, Mr. Flynn. I just investigated Tim. He might be new to the bodyguard business, but he managed to hold his own against Floyd.¡± ¡°Is he really that good?¡± Flynn was stunned. ¡°That¡¯s not all. The bodyguard who ran from the scene told me that Tim¡¯s a better fighter than Floyd. He even used the Soaring Cannon.¡± ¡°Are you trying to fool me? Floyd is Ivor¡¯s most capable servant. He¡¯s efficient at his work, and his combat prowess is also extraordinarily powerful. Are you telling me that Tim is better than him? Wait 2/2 a minute¡­ The Soaring Cannon¡­ Why does that sound so familiar?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Master Jim¡¯s signature move,¡± The servant responded. Flynn¡¯s eyes widened and he raised his voice. ¡°Master Jim?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The Soaring Cannon is his signature move.¡± He touched his chin. ¡°Now that you mention it, it¡¯sing back to me. I watched one of his matches, and the Soaring Cannon was devastating. It took out multiple opponents at once. ¡°If I remember correctly, a lot of people have tried to copy that move, but none of them could pull it off. How did Tim manage to do it? Could he be rted to Master Jim somehow?¡± Then, he looked at his servant and ryed an order. ¡°Investigate Tim¡¯s background. Let me know the second you find something.¡± ¡°I¡¯m on it.¡® Chapter 84 Chapter 84 Chapter 84 The weather was unbearably hot in the summer. It was a Tuesday and the fifth anniversary research institute. As its leading member, Bonnie was obliged to buy everyone a meal. A staff member at the research institute texted her. ¡°We¡¯ll be waiting for you at the Jade Horizon Hotel. Looking forward to meeting you there.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Bonnie hailed a cab and hit the road at ten o¡¯clock. It took her only half an hour to get to the hotel. She had just gotten out of the cab when she heard a familiar voice. ¡°Wow! This ce really is the biggest hotel in Pyralis! I heard that it¡¯s bigger than thirty¨Ctwo thousand square feet. It¡¯s huge! This is my first time here. I should thank you for this, Hadwin. There¡¯s no way I coulde to this ce if it wasn¡¯t for you. Thank you so much!¡± It was Trina, Bonnie¡¯s hypocritical sister. Pride swelled in Hadwin¡¯s chest when he heard what Trina said. ¡°We¡¯re getting engaged soon. That makes us practically family. There¡¯s no need to thank me. But it is true that not everyone can step foot into the Jade Horizon Hotel. ¡°They only serve high society. You need to be a member to even enter, and you need to have a minimum of one million dors on their member card.¡± At that moment, Trina and Hadwin saw Bonnie at the hotel entrance. ¡°Is that Bonnie? Is she going in? That won¡¯t do. I need to stop her, or she¡¯ll embarrass herself.¡± Trina made it sound like she had her sister¡¯s best interests at heart and ran over to stop Bonnie. ¡°You can¡¯t go in there, Bonnie.¡± ¡°Oh? Why not?¡± She asked nonchntly. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°What a hick!¡® Trina thought to herself. ¡°This is the Jade Horizon Hotel! It¡¯s the biggest hotel in Pyralis. You have to pay a million dors just to get their member card, and you have to be a member of high society. ¡°How will you get that kind of money? You would have just charged in if I hadn¡¯t stopped you. The security guards at the entrance would have kicked you out!¡± Trina raised her voice on purpose so people around them would see how big of a joke Bonnie was. Hadwin came over and gave her a silver card. ¡°Since you¡¯re Trina¡¯s sister, I¡¯ll take you inside. But you¡¯ll have to behave. Don¡¯t wander off and embarrass me. My mom and dad areingter. They might say something to you because of what you did. ¡°They¡¯re older than us and deserve our respect. You¡¯ll be eating here for free, too. So you should know your ce and keep your head down. If you can guarantee that, I¡¯ll take you in and let you spend some Chapter 84 time here.¡± The people who were around them looked at Hadwin¡¯s silver card enviously. 2/2 ¡°That¡¯s a silver card! It¡¯s not just an ordinary member card. I think you need to put a million dors on that card to get it. ¡°I heard about that card too. To be honest, I can afford it, but there was no way I was going to spend that kind of money getting that card just to be able to eat here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯re all businessmen. We would have invested our money into work projects. Who would spend that kind of money on a member card? They must be so rich that they have nothing else to buy anymore. Hadwin was very pleased to hear what those onlookers said. Trina was also thrilled because she had snatched Hadwin from her sister. She was just that good. Hadwin looked at Bonnie contemptuously and said, ¡°What are you waiting for? There¡¯s no need to feel sorry for going to have a meal at this very hotel. We¡¯re here today because we want to see them. We just might run into the science prodigy herself if we¡¯re lucky.¡± yourself. Here¡¯s a secret. Ms. Bonita¡¯s research team for? There¡¯s no need to Trina was getting excited at the mention of Ms. Bonita. She reminded herself that she had to show all her skills to Ms. Bonita if she really managed to run into her. As she was thinking, Bonnie stubbornly walked toward the hotel entrance. What a moron! They had just told her that not everyone could go in, but she didn¡¯t seem to believe them. Just wait and see. The security guards were going to kick her out. Chapter 85 Chapter 85 Chapter 85 Hadwin shook his head. He had agreed to bring her inside because she was the city¡¯s Best Schr. In the end, she was just another fool. Bonnie might be pretty, and she might have aced her SAT¡¯s, but she wasn¡¯t fit to lick his boots. Trina and Hadwin trained their gazes on Bonnie, waiting for her to embarrass herself. To their surprise, she went right in. The waiter and the security guards didn¡¯t try to block her. They even bowed to her. What was that? Hadwin and Trina exchanged nces, confused. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go.¡± Bonnie was long gone by the time they entered the hotel. ¡°Could she have some kind of connection to someone here?¡± Hadwin¡¯s face grew dark. ¡°She¡¯s so shameless. I can¡¯t believe she sold herself out just to get a meal here. Just forget about her. She¡¯s killing the mood. Let¡¯s ask someone where Ms. Bonita is.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Trina clenched her fists. This was what they hade here for. However, she was immediately distracted by two stunning men who walked into the hotel. One of them seemed aloof, while another one was dressed the way rich men did. Both of them were incredibly handsome. The aloof man was especially dashing. His features were sharp and his eyebrows were delicate. He was stunning and his bearing was out of this world. How dashing! Trina almost lost control and screamed. Hadwin noticed and followed her gaze. His brows furrowed when he saw the two men. ¡°What are you looking at, Trina?¡± She caught herself abruptly and responded hastily, ¡°Do they seem familiar to you, Hadwin?¡± He turned and scanned them. The man dressed in a ck suit didn¡¯t ring a bell. ¡°Now that you mention it, the man in the blue suit looks a little familiar. I might have seen him somewhere¡­ Really? That surprised Trina. Then, she asked, ¡°Is he someone important in high society?¡± Hadwin thought for a good while but couldn¡¯t remember who he was. ¡°They¡¯re gone anyway. We should go and ask for Ms. Bonita.¡± Chieter 8% 272 ¡°Yeah Sure,¡± Trina said obediently. The man in the blue suit, who was Ged, averted his gaze from Hadwin and Trina. ¡°Isn¡¯t that Bonnie¡¯s ex¨Cfianc¨¦, Ivor?¡± Ivor said lightly, ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s him. ¡°Don¡¯t you have something to say to him? For instance, you can tell him how ignorant he is. You can also thank him for giving Bonnie away,¡± Ged said, trying to provoke Ivor into action. ¡°They were never close to begin with, and Bonnie never liked him. Why should I waste my time on a nobody?¡± Ivor responded nonchntly. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡± Ged nodded approvingly. ¡°Anyway, today¡¯s the anniversary of Ms. Bonita¡¯s research institute. It¡¯s such a coincidence, too. They¡¯re having a meal here right now.¡± Ivor stopped in his tracks and asked, ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°Hehe! I spent the whole night ying League of Legends with Ms. Bonita. She told me,¡± Ged said triumphantly. ¡°Have you been ying games together these past few days?¡± ¡°Bingo! Aren¡¯t you jealous of me?¡± Chapter 86 Chapter 86 Chapter 86 Ivor stared at Ged sternly and said, ¡°It¡¯s bad enough that you¡¯re not working and doing nothing with your time. Ms. Bonita, on the other hand, is a national treasure. ¡°But you ask her to y games with you and disrupt the progress of her research every day. Aren¡¯t you worried that some higher¨Cup wille see you soon?¡± Ged was shocked. ¡°W¨CWhat?¡°. Ivor continued to stare at him wordlessly. The more Ged thought about it, the more scared he became. Then, he puffed his chest out and raised his voice. ¡°Ms. Bonita is an adult. She can make her own choices. Do you think I can stop her when she wants to y games herself? And another thing. She might be the personification of knowledge itself, but she¡¯s also a normal human being! ¡°Don¡¯t you think she could use the downtime? When I y games with her, I¡¯m entertaining her. Where are you going, Ivor? Wait for me!¡± Trina whipped her head around, but Ivor and Ged were long gone. ¡°Why did you stop all of a sudden?¡± Hadwin asked, puzzled. ¡°I think I heard them talking about Ms. Bonita.¡± Trina said uncertainly. ¡°You must be mistaken. Come on. Forget about them. I just gave the manager a big bribe. He¡¯s given me the location of Ms. Bonita¡¯s private room. 11 This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Fantastic! Let¡¯s hurry on over!¡± Trina was beside herself with excitement. They reached Bonnie¡¯s private room in no time. Hadwin stopped a waiter who was leaving the room and said, ¡°Please tell them that a member of the Pyralis University Scientific Research Club is here to see Professor Terry. Her name¡¯s Trina.¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± The waiter seemed ufortable. ¡°Professor Terry is very fond of her. He even came to talk to her during the nanomaterial press conference. Go ahead and tell him. We¡¯ll take responsibility if anything happens. Hadwin took off his watch and gave it to the waiter. The waiter examined the expensive watch. He wrestled with himself and looked at Trina. ¡°Do you really know Professor Terry?¡± ¡°Of course! I¡¯m not lying, I swear!¡± The waiter decided that she wasn¡¯t lying. And anyway, there was the expensive watch. It was worth a shot. J So, he went back into the private room and said, ¡°Ms. Trina is outside, Professor Terry. She says she knows you.¡± The room, which had been bustling with chatter, became quiet immediately. Everyone trained their gazes on Bonnie and Terry Terry smiled awkwardly. ¡°Please don¡¯t misunderstand, Ms. Bonita. I¡¯m not rted to Trina in the slightest. I¡¯m guessing there was some sort of misunderstanding when I tried to deal with the situation for you at the press conference.¡± Bonnie waved her hand and said, ¡°I know that. It¡¯s not your fault.¡± She knew what Trina was like. She was so full of herself that her arrogance was out of this world. Bonnie turned to look at the waiter and said, ¡°Don¡¯t let her in.¡± ¡°A Alright.¡± The waiter wasn¡¯t dumb. He could tell Trina had very likely crossed Ms. Bonita in the past. He wanted to curse Trina and her family. She had almost gotten him into huge trouble. When he left the room, he returned the watch to Hadwin with an unfriendly expression and said, ¡± They don¡¯t want you guys in there.¡± Trina and Hadwin didn¡¯t think much of what the waiter said. They just thought Ms. Bonita wanted to keep a low profile. Maybe she didn¡¯t want anyone to find out her real identity. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Trina.¡± ¡°W¨CWe can¡¯t just leave.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just wait here. We can take a peek when they¡¯ve finished their meal and see what the famous Ms. Bonita looks like.¡± Spin to im Your Surprise Reward! Chapter 87 Chapter 87 Chapter 87 Hadwin would love that. However¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s forget about it. It¡¯ll be a disaster if they find us waiting here and we offend Ms. Bonita. Every wealthy, prestigious family in Pyralis will shun both our families. Ms. Bonita is a powerful woman,¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s petty, though. She wouldn¡¯t bear a grudge even if we did offend her. Anyway, we won¡¯t be charging at her. We¡¯d just be taking a peek from where we¡¯re hiding. They won¡¯t find us.¡± Hadwin wrestled with himself again. Trina noticed. She took his arms in hers and put on a cute voice to try to persuade him to do what she Ms. said. ¡°Stop worrying about it, Hadwin. They won¡¯t find out about us, I swear. More importantly, Bonita keeps a low profile. She¡¯ll probably dress ordingly. ¡°What will we do if we run into her and offend her without knowing it was her? It¡¯ll be all because we didn¡¯t recognize her. We¡¯re just doing this so we can prepare ourselves. If she needs help at some point, we might be able to benefit. ¡°If we know what she looks like, we can be the first to rush to her aid. And just like that, we¡¯ll have made a connection with her! Once that happens, it¡¯ll benefit both of our families. That¡¯ll set us up for the future!¡± Trina was very convincing. Hadwin gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Let¡¯s do it!¡± They both hid in a corner and waited for Ms. Bonita and the researchers to leave their private room. About an hourter, Ivor and Ged finished their meals and left their private room. ¡°Huh? What are they doing, sneaking around here? Nothing good, I bet.¡± Ged looked at Hadwin and Trina as he spoke. ¡°It has nothing to do with us. Let¡¯s go.¡± Ivor turned to leave. ¡°Hold on! I have a hunch that we¡¯re in for a good show.¡± Ged gestured for a waiter. ¡°Mr. Ged. How can I¡­¡± ¡°Shh! Speak quietly.¡± Ged looked at the private room that Hadwin and Trina were staring at. ¡°Tell me. Who¡¯s in that private room?¡± The waiter might have thought twice if someone else had asked him that, but Ged and Ivor were two of the most powerful men in the city. He didn¡¯t dare lie to them. ¡°It¡¯s the researchers from Ms. Bonita¡¯s research institute.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Ged was shocked. Even Ivor was a little surprised. They exchanged nces. They knew Ms. Bonita and her researchers would be eating here today, but they couldn¡¯t believe Hadwin and Trina were waiting for them. 213 ¡°How reckled Ged couldn¡¯t help but worry for them the noticed tvor trying to leave. ¡°Are you leaving, Ivor? Don¡¯t you want to see what Ms. Bonita looks lik Ivor turned and looked at him. ¡°Those morons are fost asking for trouble. What¡¯s the matter? Do you want to offend Ms. Romita as well?¡± Ged pouted and gave up the idea of waiting for Mc Bonita It was both of them, Trina thought. She noticed Ivor and God as they walked toward her from the other end of the hallway. She could look at them forever and she¡¯d never get tired of the sight. They were just so dashing. She¡¯d give anything for Radwin to look as dashing as them. The door to the private room opened and disrupted her fantasy. Ivor was right at the door when it swung open.Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. Chapter 88 Chapter 88 Chapter 88 ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to hear Ms. Bonita¡¯s unique take on research at today¡¯s gathering. I¡¯ve learned more from her than from readingpendiums of journals! What a fruitful day!¡± One of the elderly professors opened the door as he spoke with his fellow researchers. ¡°Agreed! Thank you, Ms. Bonita. I¡¯m sorry you had to talk about work over lunch.¡± Then, they heard a young woman¡¯s voice. Her voice stood out among the old professors. ¡°It was nothing. I was just talking.¡± Hmm? Ivor stopped in his tracks. Was that Bonnie¡¯s voice? Before he couldplete his thought, Bonnie appeared as the professors showered praise on her. She saw Ivor, and her eyes widened slightly. Was that Bonnie?! What was she doing here? Trina¡¯s eyes widened as well, while Hadwin was completely gobsmacked. ¡°W¨CWhat are you doing here?¡± Ged asked the million¨Cdor question. It was a mind¨Cboggling sight! Bonnie was just an ordinary student and a nobody, even in her family. But here she was, surrounded by the most prestigious scientists of Pyralis. Those old professors were Ms. Bonita¡¯s researchers, too. Bonnieposed herself and said nonchntly, ¡°I know some people from Ms. Bonita¡¯s research institute. They invited me out for a meal.¡± Then, she turned her head to Professor Terry and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Mr. Terry?¡± Professor Terry shuddered at the way she addressed him. It was true that he was old enough to be her grandfather, but age didn¡¯t matter in the face of knowledge. In fact, age meant nothing to them. Bonnie¡¯s academic prowess was unparalleled. She was both a schr and a leader. ¡°Y¨CYes. That¡¯s what happened.¡± He grinned sheepishly. Ivor nced at Bonnie and turned to look at Professor Terry. His gaze was lowered, and he seemed a little guilty, as if he was trying to keep a big secret. Trina couldn¡¯t hold herself back and ducked out of her hiding ce to interrogate Bonnie. ¡°How did you meet one of Ms. Bonita¡¯s researchers? Who exactly do you know? Why didn¡¯t I hear anything about this?¡°! Trina could usually control her emotions, but this had blown her mind. Bonnie was a good¨Cfor- nothing, but she had aced her SATs and won the Best Schr Award. They had also discovered that she had a connection to the Steele family. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. All of that was enough to make Trina green with envy, but none of it was as bad as the fact that Bonnie actually knew someone from Ms. Bonita¡¯s research institute! 272 ¡°Is that you, Trina? What are you doing here? Did you wait out here because you got wind of the gathering? Who are you waiting for? Ms. Bonita?¡± Bonnie frowned. ¡°How dare you!¡± It might have been Bonnie¡¯s imposing tone, or it might have been that she struck home with her words, but in any case, Trina¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°W¨CWhat nonsense are you saying? W¨CWe didn¡¯t know that Ms. Bonita was here. We were just passing.¡± ¡°Is that true?¡± There was a menace in Bonnie¡¯s eyes now. ¡°You¡¯d bettere clean. Otherwise, I¡¯ll ask the manager and our waiter about it. They¡¯re the only ones who knew we were in this private room. I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t have the guts to lie in front of these prestigious researchers.¡± Trina waspletely freaked out. Bonnie was so far above her right now that Trina seemed like an insect she was trampling beneath her feet. This wasn¡¯t fair! Why was Bonnie part of her wealthy family? How did she get engaged to Hadwin when she didn¡¯t put any effort into their rtionship? Why did she deserve to talk to Ms. Bonita¡¯s researchers? How was that fair?! Trina¡¯s rage returned with a vengeance. ¡°Stop acting all high and mighty, Bonnie. Do you think you¡¯re some kind of hot shot because you know someone from Ms. Bonita¡¯s research institute? What gave you the right to act like this? ¡°The way I see it, you must have used some dirty tricks. I heard that you hired someone to pretend to be your boyfriend to pick you up at school. You seem to have a lot of money recently, and you haven¡¯t spent a night at home for a while. Be honest. Did you seduce someone from the research institu Chapter 89 Chapter 89 Chapter 89 The old professors couldn¡¯t take it anymore and spoke up before Bonne could say anything ¡°You must be the girl who got into Pyralis University. You probably have a brilliant mind since yo achieved that, so why are you saying such insolent things? She¡¯s your sister, after ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re using her of seducing someone. What will the public think of her if they hear what you said?¡± ¡°What a wicked girl! How infuriating! How did your parents raise someone as vicious as you?¡± ¡°If it weren¡¯t for your parents, I¡¯d have gotten someone to kick you out of Pyralis University You¡°: going to be a cancer on the university!¡® Trina¡¯s face turned pale as the professors reprimanded her. She was gripped with fear, and the entry within her doubled! She couldn¡¯t afford to offend any of these prestigious researchers, and they were now all speaking u for Bonnie. If she kept this up, she might as well dig her own grave. Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. With that in mind, she let her tears loose and bawled pitifully. ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡­ Sob sob sob. I didn¡¯t mean it. I was just so worried about her. I was afraid she might do something foolish. I¡¯m her sister, and I can¡¯t just stand by while she makes a fool of herself.¡± Bonnie sneered. ¡°You¡¯re worried about me? Why? Trina continued to bawl and said, ¡°Stop lying, Bonnie. I heard. You hired someone to pretend to be your boyfriend at school. Apparently he was stunning, and he could be a gigolo. How could you do that? ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried you might catch something with a guy like that? I know everyone says you¡¯re a hick and don¡¯t know any better, but you can¡¯t just give up on yourself like that! Trina¡¯s words sounded so logical that anyone who didn¡¯t know any better would assume that Bonnie had forgotten her honor and reputation. She sounded like the type of woman who slept around with gigolos! The onlookers started muttering amongst themselves. ¡°Is that for real? She looks like a good girl! I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d hire a gigolo and have sex with him. ¡°You don¡¯t know anymore. Never judge a book by its cover. Who knows what kind of dirty things she¡¯s done in private. You heard her sister. Do you think she¡¯d make those usations if she didn¡¯t have any proof? ¡°And those are researchers from Ms. Bonita¡¯s research institute. What did she do to be able to attend lunch with those important people? She must have resorted to some dirty tricks.¡± 212 Shh! Quiet. Do you have a death wish? Don¡¯t you realize you¡¯re using all of these science researchers of being seduced? I¡¯m afraid to think about what would happen if they heard you. Tsk tsk. tsk¡­¡± ¡°Huh! See if I care. Anyway, her sister clearly said she hired a gigolo. Is it so wrong for me to talk about her?¡± Trina was pleased with what she heard from the onlookers. Hmph! Bonnie thought she was something special just because she had gone to lunch with Ms. Bonita¡¯s science researchers. Did Bonnie really think that would stop her? Trina really believed what she said. Bonnie must have resorted to some shameful tricks to secure the Best Schr Award and a connection with the researchers. At that moment, Ivor took a step forward and stood next to Bonnie. He looked at Trina and said sternly, ¡°Are you calling me a gigolo? Do you have any proof of that?¡± Trina was so shocked she forgot to keep crying. She could only gawk at Ivor, who still looked very dashing. It was him! Was he the one who had picked up Bonnie from school?! His looks were out of this world, but it wasn¡¯t just that. His bearing wasn¡¯t anything close to a gigolo at all. Chapter 90 Chapter 90 Chapter 90 Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. The onlookers who had been gossiping about Bonnie shut their mouths. Was this the gigolo Trina was talking about 7 Did gigolos usually wear specially tailored suits? Was this how a gigolo carried himself? Were gigolos usually so imposing? In any case, they were in the Jade Horizon Hotel. Anyone who could step foot in here was either insanely rich or connected to someone important. This wasn¡¯t a ce for gigolos. Had Trina lied to everyone? Had she just said all that to defame her own sister? Hot damn! If that was true, she must be a terrible woman! She was clearly out to destroy her sister. A woman¡¯s reputation was important, but Trina had publicly insulted her sister. Luckily, someone had stood up for Bonnie. Otherwise, she would have been criticized everywhere she went. The onlookers looked at Trina disdainfully. Some of them couldn¡¯t take it anymore and started muttering about her. Trina was in a full¨Con panic now. Hadwin turned to her and said, ¡°You crossed the line. You should apologize to Bonnie.¡± She had crossed the line, and there was nothing else she could do but apologize. Trina bit her lips hard, her eyes red, and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Bonnie. I was reckless, but I hope you don¡¯t misunderstand me. I never meant to nder you. ¡°I was just so worried. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t realize where we were. I¡¯m sorry! Can you please forgive me, Bonnie?¡± Trina was being incredibly deceitful. She really grossed Bonnie out. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re being hypocritical, as usual. No one here is a fool, Trina. You can act, but that doesn¡¯t mean you can manipte everyone.¡± The onlookers looked at Trina with an even more peculiar gaze when they heard what Bonnie said. ¡°I¡¯m apologizing to you sincerely, Bonnie. I¡¯ll even get down on my knees if that¡¯s what you want. I¡¯ll ¦§ Bonnie turned to look at Professor Terry before Trina could kneel. ¡°She¡¯s been working very hard to get into your research institute. I don¡¯t think someone like her would suit your institute. What do you think, Mr. Terry?¡± Terry just couldn¡¯t get used to the way she addressed him. More sweat was starting to form on his forehead. But still, he had lived a long time and had seen many things happen, so he managed to act calmly. ¡°I think you¡¯re right. We wouldn¡¯t hire someone like her, no matter how talented they were. She¡¯s not Chapter 90 really all that skilled, anyway.¡± Professor Terry¡¯s response shocked Trina to the core. She turned pale as a ghost. 2/2 Bonnie ignored her and said, ¡°I have to go, Mr. Terry. I¡¯ll take my leave. Thank you all for today. I¡¯ve learned a lot. Thank you, really.¡± Professor Terry and the others kept up the act and said, ¡°No thanks are necessary.¡± And like that, Bonnie left. She had just left the hotel when she realized Ivor was catching up to her. Chapter 91 Chapter 91 Chapter 91 1/2 ¡°Professor Terry and the others were acting funnily earlier,¡± Ivor probed. Bonnie wasn¡¯t surprised he was asking her about this. Something would be wrong if someone as smart as him hadn¡¯t questioned. her. ¡°What do you mean?¡± He responded by staring at her. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t notice anything,¡± She replied. He smiled. ¡°Color me curious. Why were you with Ms. Bonita¡¯s researchers?¡± ¡°Oh. That was just a coincidence.¡± ¡°You ran into them by chance? Do they know you?¡± ¡°What¡¯s so strange about that? After all, I won the Best Schr Award this year.¡± ¡°Many people get that award every year, but none of them be particrly close to those researchers because of that.¡± ¡°Maybe it was because I got a perfect score on my SATS. Would you say there are a lot of Best Schrs like me?¡± Her answer wasn¡¯t exactly convincing, but he couldn¡¯t really argue with her. ¡°You say that, but Professor Terry and the others acted very differently around you¡­¡± He lowered his gaze and fixed his eyes on her. She raised her brow. ¡°Did they?¡± They locked gazes for a full minute before Ivor conceded. He shook himself off and asked, ¡°Did you see Ms. Bonita?¡± When he had seen Bonnie leaving the private room with the professors, the door hadn¡¯t been pushed all the way back, and he thought he heard themplimenting Ms. Bonita. ¡°I didn¡¯t see her,¡± Bonnie responded. She was lying. He was sure of it, but he didn¡¯t expose her. He wondered just how many secrets she had. He felt as if he was a traveler braving the dragon¡¯sir in search of treasure. He¡¯d love to search for the ¡®treasure¡® within her. ¡°They¡¯re gone.¡± Hadwin tugged at Trina, who was rooted to the spot. ¡°Huh? Oh.¡± She came to her senses, part of her still reliving what happened earlier. He squinted. It was hard to read his thoughts, but there was a hint of disdain in his eyes. Chapter 91 212 ¡°I told you we shouldn¡¯t stay here and try to see Ms. Bonita. Look where it got you. You can kiss your chance of a career at her research institute goodbye.¡± Trina felt as if someone had stabbed her in the heart. She cursed Bonnie. She wouldn¡¯t have ended upContent property of N?velDra/ma.Org. here if it wasn¡¯t for her. ¡°Huh?¡± Something urred to Trina. Whipping her head toward the private room, she asked, ¡± Where¡¯s Ms. Bonita?¡± Hadwin came to his senses. He was so focused on what happened to Trina that he had forgotten about this important business. She was right! Where was Ms. Bonita? Why hadn¡¯t they seen her? Wasn¡¯t it her research institute¡¯s anniversary today? She should be here. ¡°Is she still in there?¡± Trina took a wild guess. Hadwin walked to the door and found that it was shut tight. He wasn¡¯t sure if there was anyone inside. Trina reached out, about to push the door open, but Hadwin stopped her. ¡°You¡¯re out of your mind! Do you realize you might disturb her if she really is inside?¡± Chapter 92 Chapter 92 Chapter 92 ¡°It¡¯ll be okay. I know how to deal with it.¡± Trina was dead set on going into the private room. Things had gone bad enough. What did she have to lose? Nothing ventured, nothing gained. She might as well roll the dice and see if she was lucky. She could rmend herself to Ms. Bonita if fortune smiled on her. Maybe Ms. Bonita would be impressed by her talents and take her in. She didn¡¯t want to think about it any longer, so she pushed the door open decisively. No one was inside.. How anticlimactic! ¡°This is weird. Where¡¯s Ms. Bonita?¡± ¡°Could she have quietly left in all themotion?¡± Hadwin guessed. Trina felt disappointed. All her hopes were dashed. At that moment, Vera called. ¡°How did it go, Trina? Did you manage to see Ms. Bonita?¡± Vera asked excitedly. Trina clenched her fist and she said softly, ¡°Luck wasn¡¯t on my side. I didn¡¯t bump into her.¡± She couldn¡¯t tell Vera and Gresham that Bonnie had lunch with Ms. Bonita¡¯s researchers. If they found out how well¨Cconnected Bonnie was, it might threaten her standing in the family. She would never tell anyone about this. She needed to move fast and find something Bonnie. How on earth had she managed to meet the researchers? 10 hold over Bonnie had moved out of the family home because she was preparing for the SATS, but she hadn¡¯t come back home even after it was over. Could it be possible that she wasn¡¯t living on her own? She could be living with a sugar daddy. She might be someone¡¯s mistress! She could be sleeping with a man! Trina was shocked. If that was true, then Bonnie had better prepare herself for some sweet revenge. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since Bonnie was home, Mom. Let¡¯s invite her back for breakfast.¡± ¡°I would havepletely forgotten about that if you hadn¡¯t brought it up. The SATs are over. Why hasn¡¯t shee back home?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll know when we see her tonight.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± There were five more days until the end of Ivor and Bonnie¡¯s engagement. However, Vera asked Bonnie to return home early in the morning. Ivor watched as the car pulled out of the vi. He stared at it for a while before averting his gaze. Floyd entered his room with a frown. ¡°I sent my men out to investigate Tim, Mr. Ivor, but they didn¡¯t get anything on him.¡± Ivor turned around to look at Floyd, who continued, ¡°He¡¯s squeaky clean.¡± Floyd handed a document to his master and kept going. ¡°His background checks out. He was born in an ordinary family. If it was a forged identity, we would have been able to figure it out since we have the power of the Knights behind us. Ivor paged through the document carefully, his sharp eyes growing darker. ¡°Don¡¯t you think his background is a little too clean? Floyd seemed to catch his master¡¯s meaning, but he couldn¡¯t exactly say what it was. He merely looked at him. Ivor was extraordinarily perceptive. If he thought something was up with Tim, Tim would definitely have some secrets. ¡°I¡¯ll figure out a way to get something out of this.¡± ¡°Okay.¡°Ivor nodded, satisfied, ¡°But there¡¯s no need to move too quickly. Tim hasn¡¯t shown any animosity toward us yet. I¡¯m wondering if he came here to protect somebody.¡± ¡°Who is he trying to protect? Could it be Ms. Bonnie?¡± Floyd asked.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Chapter 93 Chapter 93 Chapter 93 ¡°It¡¯s possible,¡± Ivor said slowly. Just like that, Floyd was lost in thought. Trina couldn¡¯t wait to get down to business the moment Bonnie returned home. ¡°You¡¯re back atst, Bonnie. Are¡¯t the SATs over? Why are you still staying out there on your own?¡± ¡°What does it have to do with you?¡± Bonnie wasn¡¯t going to waste any words on Trina. She walked straight to the couch, sat down, and started peeling an orange. Trina deliberately looked at Vera with sad eyes and turned her head aside. Then, she lifted her hands and pretended to wipe some tears away. Vera was enraged. ¡°Trina was just expressing her concern for you, Bonnie. That was too much.¡± Bonnie smiled faintly and said, ¡°That¡¯s true! She was so concerned about me that she nearly charged into Ms. Bonita¡¯s private room at the hotel restaurant. The nerve of her.¡± Trina¡¯s heart gripped with fear. Vera was gobsmacked. ¡°What did you say?¡± Trina tried to cut them off to put an end to the topic. ¡°You must be tired, Mom. How about I give you a massage?¡± Bonnie smiled more widely. ¡°You¡¯re terrible at covering up what you¡¯ve done, Trina. Did you really think Mom would be so gullible?¡± ¡°Tell me what on earth happened.¡± Vera grabbed Trina. What Bonnie had revealed was so serious that she shuddered. She knew Trina had found out that Ms. Bonita was going to celebrate theN?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. anniversary of her research institute. When she called her daughter, Trina had made it sound like she hadn¡¯t found out where Ms. Bonita was having lunch. But if what Bonnie said was true, then it meant Trina had kept something from her.. Vera looked at Trina and found that her face had turned pale. That made her even more suspicious. ¡°Nothing much, I guess. Trina just hid outside Ms. Bonita¡¯s private room, but got caught red¨C handed. by the researchers,¡± Bonnie said. Her tone indicated that she wanted to blow up the whole thing. Vera was shocked again. She looked at Trina with wide eyes. ¡°Is this true?¡± Trina¡¯s face turned even paler. Good. That was all the answer Vera needed. ¡°How dare you do something like that, Trina?! You told me you were just trying your luck to see if you¡¯d run into Ms. Bonita. I can¡¯t believe you hid outside of her private room at the restaurant!¡± Vera lectured. That had been bad enough, but Trina had gotten herself caught, too! Chapters ¡°I¡¯m going to ask you again. Did you manage to see Ms. Bonita?¡± Trina Tried to make her mother feel sorry for her by tearing up. ¡°I¨CI didn¡¯t see her.¡± ¡°Well Did you offend anyone?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± Trina bit her lips hard, and then harder still. Bonnie crossed her legs and looked at Trina, pleased, ¡°You¡¯d better tell the truth. Otherwise, even t won¡¯t be able to help you. Damn that Bonniel She was the one who had gotten her into this mess. How dare she imply that she¡¯d help her: ¡°I¡¯ll say it since you won¡¯t. You used me of seducing one of the researchers right in front of them. You implied that Ms. Bonita¡¯s research institute had wicked, corrupt people. Because of that, you offended all the science researchers. Mr. Terry even proimed they would never hire you.¡± Vera was shocked to the core. Gresham, who had just heard themotion from his study on the second floor, was equally stunned. He almost stumbled and fell down the stairs. ¡°T That¡¯s not true,¡± Trina denied hastily. ¡°How are you still denying it, Trina? Do you think that¡¯ll help? Are you going to say that I¡¯m lying?¡± Bonnie said lightly. Trina¡¯s eyes widened. She didn¡¯t get it. Bonnie had never bothered to fight her when this had happened in the past. Why did Bonnie have to kick her while she was down today? It was clear to both Vera and Gresham who the real liar was. #You made a huge mistake, Trina. You¡¯re lucky Ms. Bonita wasn¡¯t there in person. Otherwise, our family could very well be wiped out from Pyralis. I want you to go to your room and reflect on your mistake. Do it until the end of summer.¡± Trina¡¯s tears fell onto the floor, but her parents were infuriated with her. It didn¡¯t matter how sad she tried to look. It wouldn¡¯t help her. Bonnie watched as Trina went upstairs, alone. She was going to teach Trina the lesson of a lifetime and make her see the magnitude of her mistake. That way, Trina would never dare approach her researchers again. 212 ¡°I¡¯m going to ask you again. Did you manage to see Ms. Bonita?¡± Trina tried to make her mother feel sorry for her by tearing up. ¡°I¨CI didn¡¯t see her.¡± ¡°Well Did you offend anyone?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± Trina bit her lips hard, and then harder still. Bonnie crossed her legs and looked at Trina, pleased, ¡°You¡¯d better tell the truth. Otherwise, even f won¡¯t be able to help you.¡± Damn that Bonnie! She was the one who had gotten her into this mess. How dare she imply that she¡¯d help her? ¡°I¡¯ll say it since you won¡¯t. You used me of seducing one of the researchers right in front of them. You implied that Ms. Bonita¡¯s research institute had wicked, corrupt people. Because of that, you offended all the science researchers. Mr. Terry even proimed they would never hire you. Vera was shocked to the core. Gresham, who had just heard themotion from his study on the second floor, was equally stunned. He almost stumbled and fell down the stairs. ¡°T That¡¯s not true,¡± Trina denied hastily. ¡°How are you still denying it, Trina? Do you think that¡¯ll help? Are you going to say that I¡¯m lying?¡± Bonnie said lightly. Trina¡¯s eyes widened. She didn¡¯t get it. Bonnie had never bothered to fight her when this had happened in the past. Why did Bonnie have to kick her while she was down today? It was clear to both Vera and Gresham who the real liar was. ¡°You made a huge mistake, Trina. You¡¯re lucky Ms. Bonita wasn¡¯t there in person. Otherwise, our family could very well be wiped out from Pyralis. I want you to go to your room and reflect on your mistake. Do it until the end of summer.¡± Trina¡¯s tears fell onto the floor, but her parents were infuriated with her. It didn¡¯t matter how sad she tried to look. It wouldn¡¯t help her. Bonnie watched as Trina went upstairs, alone. She was going to teach Trina the lesson of a lifetime and make her see the magnitude of her mistake. That way, Trina would never dare approach her researchers again. Chapter 94 Chapter 94 Chapter 94 She wouldn¡¯t have wasted her time if she hadn¡¯t wanted to teach Trina a lesson. Vera turned to look at Bonnie after she sent Trina to her room upstairs. ¡°What are you doing with Ms. Bonita¡¯s researchers?¡± ¡°I know them.¡± Bonnie had no intention of exining anything. ¡°Who?¡± Vera pressed. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you.¡± Worried that Vera wouldn¡¯t give it up, she added, ¡°He wouldn¡¯t let me tell anyone, so I can¡¯t.¡± Vera frowned. ¡°I have no idea how you met any one of them, but I need to tell you something. Everyone at Ms. Bonita¡¯s research institute is extraordinary. I know what you¡¯re like, so it¡¯s highly likely you¡¯ll offend one of them. ¡°I want you to stay away from them. Don¡¯t try to approach anyone because you want to make connections. I don¡¯t want you to make a mess so big it¡¯ll drag me and your father down, or affect the entire family.¡± Bonnie remained quiet. ¡°Beep!¡± It was a text from Ivor. ¡°Are youing home tonight?¡± Another text came before she could reply. you don¡¯te home, we¡¯ll have to extend our engagement for ten more days, just likest time.¡± Bonnie was speechless for a few seconds before sheposed a reply. ¡°I¡¯ming back now.¡± Trina stood by the window of the second floor and stared at Bonnie from behind the curtain as she left through the gate. ¡°Do you think you¡¯ve won the war by humiliating me today, Bonnie? Hah! Dream on. We won¡¯t know who the real victor is until the veryst moment. Trina called someone. ¡°Follow Bonnie. Remember, be careful. Don¡¯t let anyone find out about you. Take videos and photos and send them to me when she goes back to her ce.¡± Instead of returning to the Knight premises, Bonnie took a stroll in the pedestrian zone. She hadn¡¯t taken a walk just for fun ever since she started working on the nanomaterial. Then, she realized that someone was following her! Bonnie stopped in her tracks, turned, and looked around. A crowd milled around in the pedestrian zone. All sorts of people were here. 212 One of them caught Bonnie¡¯s attention. It was a man around six¨Cfoot¨Cfive, wearing a bucket hat mask, and a pair of sunsses. His face was almost entirely covered. When he realized Bonnie had noticed him, he tried to squeeze into the crowd. Bonnie shook her head helplessly and said, ¡°You¡¯re not built for disguise.¡± Jim heard what she said and decided to give up hiding. He walked out of the crowd sheepishly. ¡°Was I really that bad at disguising myself?¡± He said as he took his sunsses off. ¡°You should put the sunsses back on. Someone might recognize you. There¡¯s a lot of people here. You won¡¯t have anywhere to hide if someone figures out who you are.¡± Jim was wearing his real face instead of disguising himself as Tim. ¡°You have a point.¡± Jim wasn¡¯t concerned that someone would recognize him, but he was worried about the chaos that would follow if that did happen. It could put Bonnie in danger. ¡°Why are you following me?¡± She asked. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯m your bodyguard. I have to keep you safe at all times.¡± He swept his eyes across the ce as he spoke. Bonnie pped her forehead. He protected her as Tim when he was on duty. Then, he had to protect her with his real identity when he was off duty. Forget it. Nothing she could say would change his mind. ¡°There¡¯s a barbeque stall over there. It¡¯s pretty quiet. How about we grab a bite?¡± She suggested. ¡°Sure.¡± Bonnie and Jim sat down in a spot near the corner and ordered some barbeque and beers. Jim had just taken his mask off when he sensed something and whipped his head around. Chapter 95 Chapter 95 Chapter 95 Bonnie, who was taking a bite out of some squid, didn¡¯t notice anything going on around her. When she saw Jim¡¯s reaction, she asked, puzzled, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? He squinted. ¡°I think someone just took our picture.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± She swept her eyes around her, but didn¡¯t find anyone suspicious. Jim continued to squint and responded, ¡°I¡¯m not too sure. ¡°Could someone have recognized you?¡± She took a guess. ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t waste your time and effort on something so insignificant. Hurry up and eat the barbeque. They just made it. Eat it while it¡¯s hot.¡± She handed Jim a squid. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. They can take a picture if they want. I wasn¡¯t doing anything bad anyway In a dark corner, a man pulled down his mask and panted heavily. It took him a long time to compose himself. He checked his pictures and gulped. ¡°Holy crap. It¡¯s Master Jim! I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d see him in real life,¡± the man mumbled to himself. He sent the pictures to Trina. Trina¡¯s eyes nearly popped out when she saw the pictures. ¡°I¨CIs that Master Jim? Good grief! He¡¯s Arvandor¡¯s King of Combat! What¡¯s that bitch doing with him?¡± ¡°Wait a minute! Is Master Jim the reason Bonnie had lunch with Ms. Bonita¡¯s researchers? Was he the person she said she knew?¡± But what were they doing with each other? Trina checked the rest of the pictures and saw the one where Bonnie was handing Jim a squid. ¡°They¡¯re kind of intimate. I¡¯m sure they¡¯re very close. Could they be a couple?¡± A shiver ran down her spine. If that was true, taking Hadwin from Bonnie would just be a joke. Trina wasn¡¯t really rted to the Shepard family because she was adopted. She had gotten everything she had today because she had put all her hard work into her academic achievements and made her family proud. If her parents and the Shepards learned that Bonnie was together with Master Jim, Bonnie¡¯s standing in the family would see a sharp rise. That was simply too terrifying to even think of N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°No. Maybe it¡¯s not what it looks like. Maybe they¡¯re just friends.¡± But Bonnie was still a big threat to her. Chapter 95 2/2 After a while, Trina transferred some money to the man. ¡°This is just part of your payment. Keep your eyes on her. I¡¯ll send more your way when you track her to her ce. The man felt pumped up after receiving the money. Floyd¡¯s jaw was wide open as he stared at Master Jim from where he was hiding in the pedestrian zone. Master Jim and Bonnie were talking andughing. It was in to see that they were close. He had followed Tim when the man left the Knight¡¯s ce, hoping to find out something more about him. He didn¡¯t expect to lose the man. He had just been walking along without thinking. Instead of finding Tim, he had found the King of Combat, the man he admired most, sharing some barbeque with Bonnie. Floyd took a picture and quickly sent it to Ivor. Ivor went cold the moment he saw the picture. His face grew as dark as thunder. ¡°What are they doing together?¡± Floyd got Ivor¡¯s text and cursed internally. Chapter 96 Chapter 96 Chapter 96 How was he supposed to know? He was so shocked that he was having trouble closing his jaw. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try asking Ms. Bonnie?¡± Floyd could sense that his master was unhappy and jealous. ¡°Should I send this location to you, Mr. Ivor? Maybe you cane over here yourself?¡± Ivor would love that. ¡°I¡¯m not going to do that. She would misread the situation and think I was following her on purpose.¡± ¡°Should I leave, then?¡± Floyd asked. ¡°Keep following them. Let me know if anything happens.¡± Sweat streamed down Floyd¡¯s forehead. Ivor wanted a report if anything happened? He sure as hell hoped nothing would happen. He would be too scared to see Bonnie and Master Jim getting more intimate. Floyd thought they really were a couple. If he saw something he shouldn¡¯t, should he send the pictures to his master? Ivor looked so stern and agitated that he almost scared a servant into spilling some coffee she was serving him. His fingers intertwined, Ivor ced both his hands on the table and pursed his lips, his face as cold as ice. Bonnie had lunch with Ms. Bonita¡¯s science researchers. It looked like the person she said she knew had been Master Jim all along. More than an hour passed, and Bonnie and Jim finished eating. Jim stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll drive you home.¡± She looked at him. ¡°Are you going to drive me home looking like that?¡± He touched his cheeks and said, ¡°I¡¯ll disguise myself.¡± She looked around. ¡°Didn¡¯t you suspect someone took our pictures? I¡¯m worried they¡¯re still around somewhere. You¡¯ll expose yourself as Tim. We should go our separate ways. ¡°No way. It¡¯ste. You might run into some thugs on the way home. It happened before, after all. More than once, even.¡± Bonnie was exceptionally beautiful, and her beauty would bring her trouble at any given time. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. She waved her fists at Jim. ¡°I can take care of myself.¡± Jim thought about it for a while before saying, ¡°I know I¡¯m being annoying, but I¡¯d never let you go Chapter 06 217 back home alone at this time of night. I¡¯ll follow you even if it costs me my life, so don¡¯t try to stop me. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll leave once I take you somewhere near the Knight Vi.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯ll do.¡± Bonnie gave in. Floyd immediately told his master that they were leaving. ¡°Judging from the direction they¡¯re going, it seems they¡¯re headed to the vi.¡± He might have sounded calm, but a storm was brewing in his mind. Master Jim was an important man! He was Ms. Bonita¡¯s personal bodyguard, and he was taking Bonnie home himself! Did that mean they really were a couple?! He gulped. He could tell that his master had fallen in love with Bonnie. If Bonnie and Master Jim really were together, he could only imagine the worst¡­. Sheesh¡­ He couldn¡¯t finish his thought. All he could do was pray that they weren¡¯t a couple! Ivor went cold again when he saw Floyd¡¯s text. ¡°Achoo!¡± Bonnie sneezed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you catch a cold? You didn¡¯t wear enoughyers. I have some spare coats in the back. Put them on, quick.¡± Jim was concerned about her. She sniffed and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t catch anything. It was just a sneeze that came out of nowhere.¡± ¡°You should still put it on. Prevention is better than cure. If you really do catch a cold, the old professors will nag at you again.¡± Chapter 97 Chapter 97 Chapter 97 Bonnie put Jim¡¯s coats on when she heard what he said. That had happened before, especially when she had a fever once. That had also been because she hadn¡¯t worn enoughyers. The old professors at the research institute had reacted as if they were her grandparents and lectured her. ¡°You¡¯re a pir of our nation, Ms. Bonita. You can¡¯t afford to be sick.¡± ¡°You might be young and strong now, but you still have to take care of yourself. Otherwise, you¡¯ll regret it when you¡¯re old, ¡°I told the kitchen to make some herbal soup for you. Make sure you drink it. And you should try to sleep at the same time every night. It¡¯s good to sleep and wake early. Your nutritional bnce is important as well.¡± They might be respectful of her in their research, but they all nagged like grandparents when it came to her health. Suddenly, Jim said, rmed, ¡°Something¡¯s wrong.¡± Bonnie came to her senses. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jim looked in the rear¨Cview mirror. ¡°Check out that car. I think it¡¯s been following us for a long time.¡± She hadn¡¯t noticed it at all, but she believed it since Jim thought something was wrong. ¡°Do you think the driver is the same person who took our pictures?¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡± Bonnie touched her chin, her beautiful eyes exuding a trace of wisdom. ¡°I don¡¯t care if he just took our pictures, but he might have an ulterior motive if he¡¯s following us around. This road leads to the Knight Vi. The Knights own this area too. There are no cars on this road usually.¡± ¡°You have a point. What should we do?¡± Jim asked. Bonnie looked in the rear¨Cview mirror and smirked. ¡°Turn around and ram into it.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Stunned, Jim turned to look at her. Bonnie seemed very excited. ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think this is exciting?¡± She was very caught up in the idea now. If she had been driving, she would have turned the car around already. Chapter 97 ¡°You¡¯re in the car, though.¡± Jim frowned. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. Ram it!¡± He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Hold on tight.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Ivor had gotten thetest update from Floyd and was standing by the window with a telescope. As he expected, he saw another car behind Bonnie¡¯s car. Who in the world was following them? His thoughts were interrupted when he saw Bonnie¡¯s car turn around, elerate, and ram into the other car. ¡®Bang!¡® The crash sounded exceptionally loud in the dead of night. Ivor¡¯s eyes widened and he grew furious. If anything happened to Bonnie, he would make the stalker wish he was dead! Ivor put down his telescope and charged downstairs toward the cars. dram Floyd was shocked as well. He hadn¡¯t expected Bonnie¡¯s car to turn around and ram the other car without any hesitation. That was ruthless of Jim! He had rammed the other car without a second thought or worry about Bonnie getting hurt. Bonnie opened the car door as Jim got out of the car as well. He seized the man who had been about to N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. escape. ¡°Talk. What are you doing? Why are you following me? Are you the one who took pictures of us in the pedestrian zone?¡± Jim yanked at the man¡¯s cor. His name was Lane. Lane was extremely dizzy from the crash, but he was also more afraid of Jim at the moment. ¡°T¨CThere¡¯s been a misunderstanding. I¡¯m not following you. I¡¯m just¡­¡± ¡°How dare you!¡± Jim yanked harder and almost choked him. Chapter 98 Chapter 98 Chapter 98 Since it hade to this, Lane had no choice but to deny it to the end. ¡°I didn¡¯t follow you, I swear!¡± Jim frowned. ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll have to do this the hard way. ¡°Are you going to hit me? I know you. You¡¯re Jim Ray, the King of Combat. I have the right to press charges if you hit me without proof of your im!¡± Sheesh! He was good. Bonnie stepped forward and threw Jim a nce. ¡°Let me handle this.¡± Jim nodded in response. Bonnie looked at Lane condescendingly. Before she could say anything, he said, ¡°It won¡¯t work. I swear I wasn¡¯t following you. You can beat me to death for all I care.¡± ¡°Chill. We won¡¯t beat you to death. I just wanted to tell you something.¡± She said nonchntly as she looked at Lane. ¡°W¨CWhat is it?¡± A sense of unease started to up on him. creep ¡°To be urate, it¡¯s my analysis of the situation. It wasn¡¯t really a big deal that you followed Jim, but you¡¯re forgetting that he¡¯s Ms. Bonita¡¯s bodyguard. It¡¯s possible you were trying to get to her through him.¡® When Bonnie brought up Ms. Bonita, Lane was so shocked he turned pale. ¡°y¨CYou¡¯re wrong¡­¡± Bonnie ignored his denial and kept going, ¡°Ms. Bonita has just developed a new nanomaterial and. announced she would coborate with the Knight group. I suppose some other factions sent you here to locate her and coerce her into working with them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m doing! I swear!¡± ¡°If what you say is true, then you might be a foreign agent, sent here by some other countries envious of our sess. For all we know, you could be trying to assassinate Ms. Bonita.¡± Bonnie pped those serious usations at Lane, which made him panicked and drained. Lane had only been hired to tail Bonnie. If someone believed what she was saying now, he¡¯d have no way to exin himself and clear his name! That was when he decided to save his own skin and damn everything else. ¡°I wasn¡¯t following Master Jim. I was following you. You can¡¯t use me of trying to hurt Ms. Bonita!¡± Bonnie and Jim swapped nces and stifled theirughter. Lane didn¡¯t realize he had been following the person he was so afraid of. 312 ¡°Oh? So you were following me? I¡¯m not anyone famous. Why would you want to follow me?¡± Lane could no longer hide the truth. ¡°A woman from the Shepard family asked me to follow you to your ce.¡± Then, it hit Bonnie. She had probably made Trina suspicious because she hadn¡¯t stayed at her family home for quite a while. ¡°Did you take my picture at the pedestrian zone?¡± Lane took out his phone bitterly and gave it to her. She checked the gallery and asked, ¡°Did you send these pictures to Trina?¡± ¡°T¨CThat¡¯s right.¡± She didn¡¯t say anything after that. Suddenly, she heard footsteps. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Floyd emerged from a nearby bush, looking embarrassed. ¡°It¡¯s you.¡± She frowned and looked at Jim. Floyd cleared his throat and was about to say something when he saw Ivor making a beeline for them. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°H¨CHello, Mr. Ivor.¡± Bonnie turned to look at Ivor and saw that his dashing face was contorted in rage. Chapter 99 Chapter 99 Chapter 99 ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t I be here? Don¡¯t you want me to be here?¡± Bonnie and Jim were standing side by side, and Ivor looked at them grimly Bonnie instantly understood why he was so angry. He had been displeased when she had talked to Tim back then. He hadn¡¯t been happy when she had shown up with Heath to y chess either. Did he really think she would cheat on him? In any case, she still needed to exin everything to him so he wouldn¡¯t cause any further trouble. ¡°Don¡¯t read too much into this.¡± ¡°Alright. I won¡¯t. I have some questions for you. How long have you known him? Why have I never heard about this? You told me you knew someone from Ms. Bonita¡¯s research institute. Is that someone Master Jim?¡± Ivor had endless questions for Bonnie. The more he got to know her, the more mysterious she became. ¡°That¡¯s right. He was the person I was talking about. I met him a few years ago. I can¡¯t remember exactly when, though.¡± He was a little pleased to hear her exining herself to him. ¡°I¡¯m curious. How did you meet him?¡± ¡°What¡¯s with all the questions? This is like a police interrogation.¡± Bonnie was overwhelmed. ¡°You can choose not to answer them.¡± Ivor stared at her firmly. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. This was a pain. To be honest, Bonnie didn¡¯t want to answer him, but she knew what Ivor was like. If she chose to be quiet, he would be okay with it, but he¡¯d be annoyed as hell. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll talk. I met him at an underground fight. ¡°You¡¯ve been to underground fights?¡± That surprised him a little. ¡°I used them to hone mybat skills when I had the time. There¡¯s nothing surprising about that. I had an even match with Jim and we became close friends after that. But I probably can¡¯t keep up with him anymore.¡± It wasn¡¯t that she was worse atbat than Jim. She had just thrown herself into her research. She had poured a lot of effort into it too. Now, she just thought ofbat as a way to break herself out of monotony. ¡°You might be close friends, but did he really have to take you back home in the dead of night? He¡¯s Ms. Bonita¡¯s bodyguard, after all.¡± Ivor kept watching for Bonnie¡¯s reactions. Naturally, Ivor meant more than what he said. 1/2 Jim stepped forward and said, ¡°It¡¯s reallyte, and she¡¯s a woman. There¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t worry about her. Anyway, she saved my life. It¡¯s only right that I keep her safe.¡± ¡°She saved you? You¡¯re way stronger than her. How did she pull that off?¡± Ivor pressed. ¡°Back when I was still into underground fights, one of my opponents knew he couldn¡¯t beat me in a fair match, so he got himself a set of brass knuckles and tried to sneak up on me. I ended up maiming him After that, he tried to get revenge on me by poisoning my drink and leading me to a quiet ce to ambush me. If Bonnie hadn¡¯t happened to pass by and fend them off, I would have died a long time ago,¡± Jim said, truthfully. Brass Knuckles: A melee weapon made of four rings linked together that is worn on the fingers.) Chapter 100 Chapter 100 Chapter 100 Ivor could tell that Jim wasn¡¯t lying, so he decided to let this go. He was worried that Bonnie would get mad at him. Casting his nce at Lane, Ivor said, ¡°How are you going to handle him?¡± Bonnie raised her brows, looked at the man in question, and said, ¡°Call Trina.¡± ¡°W¨CWhat should I say?¡± He responded in a trembling voice. ¡°Just call her. I¡¯ll do the talking. ¡°A¨CAlright.¡± Lane quickly called Trina. She picked up and asked excitedly, ¡°How did it go? Did you find something?¡± Bonnie took the phone from Lane and said, ¡°If you wanted to know where I was staying, you should have asked me that to my face. I can¡¯t believe you wasted money on hiring someone.¡± Fear gripped Trina¡¯s heart! She almost lost her grip on the phone and hung up on Bonnie out of pure instinct. Before she could do it, Bonnie spoke again, ¡°Don¡¯t hang up just yet. You can¡¯t run away from everything. If you do, I¡¯ll tell the entire country you hired someone to follow Jim and locate Ms. Bonita. I¡¯ll tell everyone you want to harm her too. That crime alone will¡­¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t!¡± Trina roared with rage in her eyes. She gritted her teeth and wished she could rip into Bonnie right now. Bonnie chuckled calmly. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I? You dared put Ms. Bonita in harm¡¯s way. What do I have to be afraid of?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a load of crap! Stop ndering me! I really admire Ms. Bonita. There¡¯s no way I¡¯d do anything terrible to her! I¡¯m warning you, Bonnie. It¡¯ll be nder if you don¡¯t have any proof to back up your ims. I¨CI¡¯ll press charges against you!¡± ¡°How do you know I don¡¯t have proof? Jim¡¯s a witness. It¡¯s a fact that you hired someone to follow him. Lane will be more than happy to admit that.¡± ¡°Bullshit! I didn¡¯t hire anyone to follow Master Jim. I sent him to follow you! Stop dragging someone. else into this. The way I see it, you don¡¯te back here because you¡¯re out there sleeping around with other men!¡± Trina roared, her face and ears turning red. Bonnie casually leaned on the car. ¡°Do you think anyone will believe you? Jim¡¯s identity is a sensitive topic. He¡¯s Ms.Bonita¡¯s personal bodyguard. Do you think what you said will be credible in the eyes of the court?¡± Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. Hander 100 272 ¡°Why, you! You¡¯re¡­ I I¡­Ahhh! Damn you, Bonnie! You obnoxious bitch! You know that isn¡¯t the truth, but you still want to push me off the cliff! How could you be so vicious? ¡°I know I¡¯m not really rted to you, but I¡¯m still part of the Shepard family. I¡¯m still our parents¡® daughter. Don¡¯t you know you¡¯ll drag them into this if you do this to me? You¡¯ll be dragging the entire Shepard family down!¡± Trina wished she could tear Bonnie to shreds through the phone. She was about to lose her mind! Bonnie had just made a huge, serious usation against her. Anyone would have lost it! On the other hand, Bonnie twirled her hair leisurely. None of Trina¡¯s rage had any effect on her. ¡°Am I the vicious one? If this is vicious, you¡¯d be worlds ahead of me, Trina. I vividly remember all those moments when I first came here from the suburbs. You foolishly risked your life by falling down the stairs on purpose and med me for it. ¡°You even smashed a vase on your head just so our parents would punish me. I lost count of the times you put your stuff in my room and said I stole it. Things like that happened all the time. You¡¯re way more vicious than I could ever be, Trina.¡± ¡°Hmph! Don¡¯t me everything on me. You tried to exin everything to them, but they never believed you. You even showed them some security footage, but I told them you forged it and they bought my words without so much as confirming the facts. So if you want to me anything, you can me the fact that I¡¯m their favorite!¡± Trina raised her neck and retorted righteous/¡± Chapter 101 Chapter 101 Chapter 101 Bonnie felt a little puzzled. After some thought, she realized Trina was right. She could present evidence before Vera and Gresham, but they still would not believe a word she said. Worse, they would treat her harsher than before. They would even lecture her to learn from her mistakes. Besides that, there was also a good reason why she kept her identity as the nation¡¯s leading researcher a secret. Her parents had a favorite child, and that was none other than Trina. Moreover, they always looked down on Bonnie. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. In the past, she used to win various awards and trophies for things such as pianopetitions, chess tournaments, F1 trophies, and more. She had shown all of them to Vera and Gresham, but all she got in return was more lectures. They chastised her for forging her des just to gain their favor. They even told her how disappointed they were in her. Additionally, Trina would fan the mes. That was why they grew increasingly distrustful of Bonnie over time. After some thought, Bonnie¡¯s foster parents, who had raised her in the countryside, treated her pretty well. However, Vera and Gresham were her biological parents. The truth was that everyone wanted nothing more than their parents¡® love. Bonnie learned the hard way that her birth parents would never love her as much as they did with Trina. Bonnie¡¯s childhood was the primary reason for that. The couple looked down on Bonnie because she was a country bumpkin. Gresham¡¯s family had repeatedly taken digs at him and his wife because of her background. That was why they could never let it go. She would always be a blemish on their otherwise perfect life. That was why Trina was not the only wrong one here. Her stepsister merely exploited her vulnerabilities and pulled focus on them. ¡°I¡¯m tired of talking to you, Trina. I won¡¯t waste more time with you.¡± Collecting her thoughts, Bonnie began to cut to the chase. ¡°Where I live is none of your concern. It¡¯d be wise for you to behave and lock yourself in your room. If I ever catch you doing something humiliating again, I¡¯ll make you regret it.¡± Trina was outraged. ¡°Do you think Mom and Dad will ground me for that long? Perhaps you¡¯ve forgotten, but my engagement party with Hadwin is three days. It¡¯s also my birthday. That reminds me. Your birthday is on the same day as mine. ¡°I¡¯m cordially inviting you to my engagement party with Hadwin. I sure hope I¡¯ll see you on that day, Bonnie.¡± Bonnie was stunned. ¡®Her birthday is in three days? Gosh, it slipped my mind.¡® Trina chuckled and continued, ¡°Mom and Dad always forget about you whenever we celebrate our birthdays. At best, they¡¯d prepare a thoughtless gift for you. My heart breaks for you whenever we celebrate our birthdays, Bonnie. ¡°Here¡¯s an idea. You can pretend you don¡¯t know what I did, and I¡¯ll put your name on the birthday cake this time. Since it¡¯s my twentieth birthday, Mom and Dad will prepare a twentyyer cake for me. You can share my glorious moment by having your name on it.¡® Bonnie would have rolled her eyes at Trina if her stepsister were standing before her. Soon after, Bonnie hung up because she did not intend to waste time arguing. Jim frowned and asked, ¡°Are you going to let her off the hook just like that?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to initially, but Trina will get mad if I ignore her. If that¡¯s the case, why should I waste my breath arguing with her?¡± Bonnie responded casually. ¡°You have a point, but she still annoys me. Trina has always schemed against you, but I can¡¯t believe she hired someone to tail you. How about I work her over discreetly?¡°Jim smiled menacingly. ¡°Simmer down. You¡¯re the renowned King of Combat. You¡¯ll sully your reputation if you take things seriously with that hypocritical girl.¡± Bonnie smiled and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m doing it for you. What¡¯s so disgraceful about that? Anyone who I don¡¯t care if it does anything to my reputation!¡± He barked sternly. crosses you will suffer my wrath. Ivor pulled Bonnie to his side, saying, ¡°You guys are too close for my taste. Mind you, Master Jim, Bonnie¡¯s my fiancee. I can protect her myself. Don¡¯t you think you overstepped your boundaries by saying those things?¡± Chapter 102 Chapter 102 ¡°She might be your ncee now, but she¡¯s been my close friend for a long time. You can do your thing while I do mine. We shouldn¡¯t get in each other¡¯s way.¡± Jim then sensed Bonnie¡¯s nce, signaling him to leave. Things could take an unexpected turn if he stayed any longer, and he might end up exposing his identity. Jim said, ¡°Oh, look at the time. I should be going.¡± ¡°Sure. Take it easy and stay safe.¡± Then, both of them recalled the car and looked at it simultaneously. ¡®Uh, it doesn¡¯t look like I can drive it away.¡® Floyd looked at Jim admiringly and said, ¡°I¡¯ll call a mechanic to fix your car, Master Jim. He¡¯ll fix it before you know it.¡± Bonnie approached the car and opened its hood. ¡°It¡¯s not that severe. You can save yourself the trouble of calling a mechanic. I know how to fix it.¡± ¡°You know how to fix cars too?¡± Ivor and Jim questioned her simultaneously. Bonnie turned and nodded. ¡°My cars used to have plenty of hups back in my racing days. It broke down on a hill, and there was no one within a fifty¨Cmile radius. It was so troublesome to find a mechanic, so I learned how to fix my cars myself.¡± ¡®She races cars, too?!¡® Ivor was pleasantly surprised. It turned out they had a shared hobby. Not only did he love it, but it was one of his favorite ways to unwind himself. Ever so often, he¡¯d ask Ged and the others for a race or a cruise around the hills in the suburbs. Jim was shocked and then grew worried, asking, ¡°Why do you insist on doing such dangerous things? You¡¯re a crucial figure for our nation. I can¡¯t afford to let anything happen to you. How am I supposed to answer ¡°} ¡°There, all fixed!¡± Bonnie deliberately raised her voice and interjected. Apparently, Jim always forgot the important things whenever he got worked up. If Bonnie had not interrupted him in time, he would have exposed her real identity. ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Jim noticed Ivor and Floyd looking at him curiously. The former cleared his throat and added, ¡°I meant, how am I supposed to answer to your parents?¡± Ivor¡¯s expression turned solemn, but he said nothing. Meanwhile, Jim changed the topic and awkwardly got into the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°You seriously got it fixed in just a minute? Let me see. Would you look at that?! You really did fix it. Just how talented are you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re too kind. It was just a minor issue.¡± Bonnie stole a nce at Ivor and noticed nothing strange Chapter 102 about his expression. Still, it was hard to tell if he was suspicious. ¡°Well, then. I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡± ¡°Sure. See you!¡± Bonnie waved at Jim before turning and looking at Ivor. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go home.¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± Ivor said as he removed Bonnie¡¯s coat and put his coat on her.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Chapter 103 Chapter 103 Chapter 103 Bonnie did not know how to respond while Jim took the coat from her, pouted, and drove off. It was not the first time Bonnie had put on a man¡¯s coat, but the warmth from Ivor¡¯s coat felt different Before she could identify this unusual feeling, Ivor grabbed her hand and said, ¡°Can I ask you something?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Bonnie frowned, thinking he must have seen through her act earlier Although Ivor was quiet for a moment, he seemed unwilling to let her hand go. He stared into her eyes and asked solemnly, ¡°Have you ever fallen in love with anyone?¡± Bonnie was stunned. She thought he was about to ask about Jim or her real identity as the nation! leading researcher. She asked, ¡°What made you ask me that?¡± ¡°You have to answer me first since I was the one who asked first,¡± ¡°What kind of love are you talking about?¡± Bonnie was no fool and knew what he meant, but she could not resist questioning him. ¡°I mean the kind of love thatpels you to be with Jim,¡± Ivor responded profoundly, Bonnie raised her brow and said, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s what you mean, I thought you meant the not¨Cso¨C serious kind of love.¡± ¡°What a mischievous youngdy,¡® Ivor thought. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ve yet to love anyone that way since I¡¯m always busy. My romantic life just isn¡¯t part of my packed schedule. I¡¯m not really into it, either. I think the single life suits me best.¡± ¡°Do you want to give it a shot?¡± Ivor looked at Bonnie humorously. She turned to look at him, asking, ¡°Give it a shot? Who am I supposed to fall in love with? Are you volunteering?¡± He smiled. After all, this was not the time for a romantic confession. ¡°Your birthday¡¯s three days from now. You¡¯ll get your answer then.¡± Bonnie was about to resume walking when she heard what he said. Confused, she looked at him intently. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll know soon enough.¡± ¡°What if I want to know about it now?¡± She had a hunch that Ivor would make some grand gesture on her birthday, which was the same day as Trina and Hadwin¡¯s engagement party. ¡°I can tell you now, but you¡¯ll have to do something for me in return.¡± ¡°What do I need to do?¡± Ivor took Bonnie¡¯s hand and guided it to his cheeks. ¡°Kiss me, and you¡¯ll have your answer. Chapter 103 712 Her lips twitched, and then she withdrew her hand, thinking it was a waste of time. ¡®I would¡¯ve been better off returning to my room and getting some sleep. Ivor watched as she left. He could not resist bursting intoughter, Bonnie heard his unbridledughter and felt a chill down her spine. She then picked up her pace and entered the vi. ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Heughed heartily again before trailing off into silence. After turning to look toward where Jim drove off, Ivor recalled what he said earlier. He was also very mindful of how Jim and Bonnie Interacted. N?velDrama.Org owns this. ¡®If I remember correctly, Jim said Bonnie¡¯s a crucial figure for our nation.¡® Chapter 104 Chapter 104 Chapter 104 Three dayster, Gresham, Vera, and Hadwin¡¯s parents reserved the entire hotel for their children¡¯s engagement party. Many guests attended, and most came from society¡¯s upper echelon. Hadwin¡¯s mother, Demetria, was delighted with her future daughter¨Cinw as she led Trina around to show her off to the guests. ¡°This is my future daughter¨Cinw, Trina. Here¡¯s some interesting tidbits. She¡¯s so impressive that Professor Terry has high hopes for her.¡± ¡°Professor Terry? Who¡¯s that?¡± One of the noblewomen asked. ¡°Why, don¡¯t you know? I wouldn¡¯t have brought him up if he were some random professor. Professor Terry leads a team of researchers in Ms. Bonita¡¯s research institute.¡± Demetria gloated. The crowd gasped in shock and went on to butter Trina up. ¡°Jeez! I can¡¯t believe such a prestigious professor admires Trina. I must say, I¡¯m jealous of you, Demetria! Not only is your son capable, but he also has a keen eye for picking out a wife. What a steal.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not as fortunate as you, Demetria. My daughter¨Cinw only knows to argue with me. The thing is, she¡¯s not nearly as capable as Trina. All she knows is to throw snide remarks with that wretched mouth of hers. Look at Trina, though. Professor Terry of Ms. Bonita¡¯s research institute admires her. Bravo!¡± ¡°Should I address you as Ms. Trina?¡± One of the noblewomen asked. ¡°Trina is fine.¡± She said gently. ¡°I heard your internship is about tomence. Now that Professor Terry favors you, will your internship be in Ms. Bonita¡¯s research institute?¡± Trina sneered inwardly and forced a smile. After all, she did not tell the Rhodes family that she had crossed the professors in Bonita¡¯s research institute. Simultaneously, Hadwin also did not bring it up because he was trying to preserve his reputation. ¡°Um¡­ I¡¯m not sure about that. After all, I¡¯m just a college student.¡± ¡°Oh. Stop being so modest. If Professor Terry favors you, then you¡¯ll surely get into the research institute. Wouldn¡¯t you agree, Demetria?¡± ¡°Exactly! She¡¯s going to the research institute.¡± Demetria chuckled. Trina bit her lip to suppress her frustration. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°There¡¯s more. Trina¡¯s also getting into Pyralis University as one of the honor students.¡± Demetria continued to praise her daughter¨Cinw. ¡°Geez. She¡¯s pretty and capable. How I wish my daughter is half as good as her.¡± ¡°Hmm, now that you mentioned it, Trina wasn¡¯t supposed to marry your son, was she?¡± Chapter 104 Demetria turned solemn, saying, ¡°Her elder sister is a good¨Cfor¨Cnothing. She often skipped sses and loitered around. She couldn¡¯t master anything she learned and is a pathological r. Even her parents hated having her around.¡± ¡°Is she as bad as you say? The way my daughter put it1 believe Trina¡¯s sister¡¯s name was Bonnle got into Pyralis University with a perfect score. Apparently, she also won the Best Schr Award.¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± It seemed some of them did not know about this. ¡°I¡¯m as serious as a heart attack.¡± Demetria had a terrible headache whenever she heard people talking about Bonnie. ¡°I heard that, too. Still, is that supposed to impress me? Bonnie grew up in the countryside. She¡¯s gruff and ill¨Cmannered. She doesn¡¯t even look at me when I talk to her. For Heaven¡¯s sake, I¡¯m her future mother¨Cinw. ¡°She ought to show me respect. The way I heard it, she got in a fight with someone and got arrested.¡± ¡°Sheesh! How uncivilized.¡± ¡°Bonnie¡¯s from the countryside? The fault isn¡¯t with her. It¡¯s the environment she grew up in.¡± Trina could barely hide her satisfaction when she heard the insults about Bonnie. The former approached Vera and asked, ¡°Mom, why isn¡¯t Bonnie here yet? Is it because she¡¯s unhappy that you have her my old dress? I guess it¡¯s my fault. ¡°She fancied the dress I¡¯m wearing now. If only I had given it to her, maybe she would¡¯ve shown up today.¡± ¡°Why do you always have to be so thoughtful? The Rhodes family custom¨Ctailored this dress for you. What makes her think you should give it to her just because she wanted it? Who does she think she is?¡± Vera might have sounded like she was scolding Trina. However, she was speaking up for her. It made Trina feel better about herself. ¡®Hmph, you can¡¯t win against me, Bonnie! You¡¯ll have to wear my old dress to the engagement party. After all, I¡¯ve picked out the most hideous outfit for you. You won¡¯t show up at all if you know what¡¯s best for you. You¡¯ll only hurt yourself if you do.¡® Trina was in her thoughts when she heard amotion at the entrance. ¡°Yowza! Who¡¯s that? She¡¯s gorgeous!¡± Chapter 105 Chapter 105 Chapter 105 ¡®Who¡¯s stealing my limelight?!¡® Trina red at the entrance, and her eyes widened in anger. ¡®Is that Bonnie?!¡® What infuriated Trina most was that although Bonnie wore the old and hideous dress, thetter exuded an outstanding charm that elevated the dress to another level. Trina had worn that dress once and thought it looked like a bup sack. She even despised it. That was why she picked it for Bonnie. Since thetter had no suitable dresses for the engagement party, Trina thought the ugly dress would humiliate Bonnie. However, the dress looked nothing like a bup sack on Bonnie. Instead, she looked gorgeous and outstanding. At that moment, Trina realized the dress was not as hideous as she thought. She simply did not have the figure for it. Once Trina realized it, things worsened for her. She was so furious and jealous that she could breathe fire. Moreover, Bonnie put on light makeup and had her hair up, revealing her slender neck. She could grab the limelight wherever she went when she looked like this. Suddenly, Trina had a hunch and whipped around to look at Hadwin. As expected, he was gawking at Bonnie. It was evident that he was surprised and enchanted. Trina felt gravely threatened. She detested Bonnie, gritting her teeth as she walked over. ¡°Woah. You look incredible, Bonnie! I¡¯ve never seen you putting any effort into your looks. What brought on the change tonight?¡± Trina purposefully phrased her sentence that way so the guests would know Bonnie was out to shame her tonight. Bonnie noticed the guests muttering about her. Still, she smiled at Trina and said, ¡°Have you considered a future in the entertainment industry? You love putting on an act, after all. You gave me this dress and told me to doll up. ¡°You told me that members of the high society would attend your engagement party and that I have to be mindful of our reputation. Mom also constantly reminded me about it. ¡°I¡¯m wearing your old dress. Are you pointing fingers at me because I wore it too extravagantly and stole your limelight? Sheesh. You should¡¯ve said so sooner. I would¡¯vee with something more modest.¡± ¡°You say that, but¡ª¡± Bonnie nced at Trina disdainfully from top to bottom. ¡°Your figure and looks areckluster, at best. I coulde wearing a bup sack and still look hotter than you. It¡¯s no contest.¡± Trina reddened with fury. Although she was more beautiful than most guests, things looked different when shepared herself with Bonnie. Bonnie looked like a glowing star, while Trina looked like a firefly that was struggling to shine. The latter felt jealousy overflowing in her heart.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Trina burst into tears in response, saying, ¡°H¨CHow could you say that about me? I know I¡¯m not as pretty as you, and you¡¯re making me look bad because I took Hadwin from you.¡® Chapter 106 Chapter 106 Bonnie scoffed. ¡°Hmph, are you still trying to mislead everyone, Trina? I didn¡¯t want to do this, but you keep saying stuff that would make yourself look good while trying to undermine me. What makes you think I¡¯d just let you push me around?¡± ¡°Th¨Cthat¡¯s not what I meant.¡± Trina continued weeping, ¡°Save your breath. Tears won¡¯t make you right. You im that I tried to make you look bad because you took Hadwin away from me, right? I don¡¯t care for an ipetent fool like Hadwin, but you¡¯re right. ¡°You took him away from me by sleeping with him while we were engaged. You can im you two love each other all you want, but you¡¯re still a homewrecker. You¡¯re just trying to make yourself look good when you dabbled in infidelity,¡± Bonnie said coldly. The onlookers exchanged nces and started muttering amongst each other. ¡°I know Bonnie is a good¨Cfor¨Cnothing, and Hadwin is probably too good for her. Still, I must say, she made some fine points. Trina is a homewrecker who stole her sister¡¯s fiance.¡± ¡°I beg to differ. Hadwin didn¡¯t care for Bonnie because she was azy waste of space. People like her don¡¯t deserve to marry into the Rhodes family.¡± ¡°Must Iremind you that she¡¯s the best schr in our city? How does that make her a loitering waste of space? If that¡¯s true, what does that make the other students? Some of them couldn¡¯t even get into Pyralis University.¡± ¡°That¡¯s besides the topic at hand. Let¡¯s focus on the important stuff here. I¡¯ve heard some rumors that Hadwin was already sleeping with Trina before he called off his engagement with Bonnie. Tsk tsk tsk. Judging from that alone, Trina is undoubtedly a homewrecker.¡± Trina was speechless. She intended to mislead everyone into thinking Bonnie was the bad guy. She did not expect Bonnie to retaliate and turn the table on her. Bonnie sneered and said as if she were speaking to a simpleton, ¡°Stop trying to y games with me, Trina. I¡¯m in a different league than you. Your petty tricks and worrisome intelligence are nothing to 1. me. ¡°I¡¯ve been ignoring you because I couldn¡¯t be bothered to waste my time on you. Make no mistake. If you insist on ying your games, I¡¯ll shame you at your own engagement party.¡± Trina balled her fists and red at Bonnie. ¡°Sit in your shame like a dog. There, that¡¯s more like it. Hold it in.¡± Bonnie continued to hurl insults at Trina before turning to leave. Trina thought she was about to lose her mind, but she could not think of a retort to Bonnie. Moreover, Charter Tes 2/2 thetter had a hold over her. Trina remained seething when she saw Bonnic approaching the twenty yer cake and taking a life. Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. ¡°What¡¯s she doing?!¡® Everyone else was just as shocked and puzzled as Trina. They all stared at Bonnie curiously as she motioned to cut the cake. However, the figurines depicting Trina and Hadwin were in the way. So, she removed them and flung them aside. Immediately after, she cut the cake and helped herself to a slice. Everyone¡¯s jaws dropped while Bonnie took a bite and nodded in approval. ¡°This cake is delicious. Where¡¯d you get it from? I simply must buy some for myself.¡± An eerie, pin¨Cdrop silence hung over the banquet hall while Vera and Gresham did everything they could to keep a low profile. They initially intended to lecture Bonnie, but they realized it would not have benefitted them. Suddenly, ady in a light yellow gown emerged from the crowd and approached Bonnie. ¡°You¡¯re impressive, Bonnie! Other women wouldn¡¯t dare to speak up for herself even if her younger sister stole her fianc¨¦. ¡°You, on the other hand, showed up at their engagement party and made a mess of it. Not only that, you even ate a slice of their cake. It¡¯s one of the greatestebacks I¡¯ve ever seen!¡± Bonnie turned and asked, ¡°Who are you?¡± Chapter 107 Chapter 107 Chapter 107 Chapter 107 The youngdy extended her hand and introduced herself. ¡°The name¡¯s Avril.¡± Bonnie shook her hand out of courtesy, saying, ¡°I didn¡¯t eat the cake out of spite. I¡¯m just hungry and needed to grab a bite.¡± Avail¡¯s eyes widened as she stared at Bonnie, realizing she was not bluffing or lying ¡®She¡¯s telling the truth. How intriguing. This Bonnie character is something else.¡® Meanwhile, Hadwin stormed over grimly. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this, Bonnie? I¡¯ll admit I underestimated you. You aren¡¯t as useless as I thought you were. Still, you don¡¯t hold a candle to Trina. She¡¯s an excellent student and is better than you in every way. You only won the Best Schr Award because you got lucky.¡± ¡°Hey, watch your tongue!¡± Avril rolled her eyes, arms akimbo. She looked at Hadwin and barked, What do you mean she got lucky?! Do you have any idea what it means to win the Best Schr Award? Stop making it sound worthless. ¡°Bonnie is the Best Schr in Pyralis. Do you even know our city¡¯s poption? Not even the biggest city in the world can match us, not to mention minor cities. Also, this year¡¯s SATs were much more challenging than they had ever been. ¡°I¡¯m something of a genius in our school, and I only managed to scrape by the SATs because my parents hired a professor from Pyralis University to tutor me. On the other hand, Bonnie aced the SAT with a perfect score! ¡°How do you think it¡¯s dumb luck that she won the Best Schr Award? Try repeating what you said to all of the students who partook in the SATs and see if they¡¯d drown you in their spits! Get off your high horse, jackass!¡± Hadwin¡¯s grim expression deepened while Trina grabbed his arms and smiled, saying, ¡°Let it go, dear. Bonnie can eat all the cake she wants. She¡¯s right, anyway. We¡¯ve been friends since childhood. ¡°We were engaged the minute we were born. That¡¯s why we¡¯ve been looking after each other ever since. Still, I didn¡¯t know Mom and Dad weren¡¯t my birth parents until it was toote. I¡¯m not the one who was engaged to you. ¡°Bonnie was. Technically, I did be the homewrecker by stealing you away from her.¡± She started sobbing halfway through her little speech. She effectively silenced anyone who called her a homewrecker. The onlookers had forgotten about the fact that Bonnie and Trina were swapped in the hospital when they were newborns. Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. The Shepards and the Rhodes decided on this marriage way before Bonnie and Hadwin were born. Trina could not have known that she was not the Shepards¡® biological daughter at that time. On the contrary, that made her engagement with Hadwin seem all the more convincing. 2/2 With that in mind, Bonnie was the homewrecker instead. She was the one who came into the pictureter and stood between Tvina and Hadwin. 1. e. How are you this hypocritical? You¡¯re mouthing off, but you spun the tale in such a way that no one could point their fingers at you. Are you trying to mislead everyone into thinking Bonnie¡¯s the homewrecker How absurd. Your pity story could never bluff anyone with a working brain. If you didn¡¯t know about the swap at the hospital, how do you suppose Bonnie knew about it? If the swap hadn¡¯t happened, you would ye been toiling away at a farm while the sun beat down on you. ¡°Purthermore, Bonnie is the legitimate daughter who should¡¯ve lived a wealthy,fy life. She¡¯s the one the Rhodes wanted their son to marry, I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re using your childhood friendship with Hachon as a bargaining chip. hell with it, you bitch! You¡¯re the one who stole Bonnie¡¯s life from her. You¡¯re trying to twist the truth in your favor when you should be feeling guilty. It¡¯s baffling that you dare to use Bonnie of coming between you and Hadwin.¡± Trina did not expect Avril to be so quick¨Cwitted. The former was already having trouble with Bonnie, and now she had to deal with Avril, too. Avril continued, ¡°If you¡¯re going to steal Bonnie¡¯s fiance, be forthright. You should say you and Hadwin love each other and that Bonnie doesn¡¯t deserve him. I would¡¯ve admired your honesty if you did, but you didn¡¯t. ¡°You might look gentle and vulnerable, but you¡¯re just throwing Bonnie under the bus, which leads to everyone demeaning her.¡± Chapter 108 Chapter 108 Chapter 108 Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. The guests became uneasy after listening to Avril¡¯s rant. They never considered it before, but things looked clearer now. Ultimately, they realized Trina had misled them into thinking Bonnie was the bad guy. Trina had phrased her words to make it look like she was defending Bonnie, and it ended up riling them up and turning them on Bonnie. However, Trina was not trying to defend her sister. After careful contemtion, the guests realized Trina was manipting them into thinking Bonnie was the viin. Now that they saw through her tricks, they regarded Trina disdainfully. Trina had lost her advantage and was at a loss. Ultimately, she could only continue ying the victim. She wept as she said, ¡°Th¨Cthat¡¯s not what I meant! Stop twisting my words. Why would I do anything like that to my sister?¡± Harold witnessed everything and could not resist roaring at Gresham, ¡°You failed as a father! Is this how you¡¯ve been educating your daughters? What is the matter with Bonnie?! Hadwin was right. So, what if she aced the SAT with perfect scores? ¡°She¡¯s outrageous and tends to bring shame to the family! I¡¯d rather she had a good character than winning the Best Schr Award.¡± Harold was furious at Bonnie for a different reason. Ynda tore up Master Orson¡¯s painting over a misunderstanding at his birthday party. So, he went to ask her for another painting from Master Orson. To his surprise, Bonnie turned him down. He even remembered what she had said to him back then. ¡°Do you think I can just order Orson around? Do you think he¡¯ll make another painting simply because I asked him to? He did itst time because I took Kay as my apprentice. Let¡¯s say I ask him for another painting. ¡°How do you suppose I should answer if he asks about the previous one? Am I supposed to tell him that you guys tore it up? The more he thought about it, the angrier he got at Bonnie. If it were up to him, he would have told Gresham to send her back to the countryside where she belonged. He would do that if Bonnie said anything unpleasant to him or his wife. They¡¯d then send Bonnie packing and ensure she could never return to Pyralis. Meanwhile, Avril had enough of Trina. The former realized something and said, ¡°Wait, if it¡¯s Trina¡¯s birthday today, then it¡¯s yours, too, Bonnie! Where¡¯s your cake?¡± Bonnie casually nced over Vera, Gresham, and the others before saying, ¡°They¡¯ve never prepared a birthday cake for me in my life.¡± Avril was utterly dumbfounded. ¡°Son of a bitch! I always knew Trina is your parents¡® favorite child, but I never thought they¡¯d be this horrible.¡± Chapter 108 2/2 None of the guests noticed it before Avril brought it up. When she brought it up, they realized today= was also Bonnie¡¯s birthday. When they shifted their gazes at the cake table, they saw two cakes there. One of them was the wedding cake, while the other one was Trina¡¯s birthday cake. Indeed, the family had left Bonnie out. The Shepards might have favored Trina over Bonnie, but was it too much to ask that they keep appearances up? Gresham and Vera felt humiliated, but they were cursing at Bonnie internally. If they had known something like this would happen, they would have locked her up in the house instead. The engagement party would have gone perfectly without Bonnie there. ¡°Bonnie, do you at least have a birthday present?¡± Avril asked affectionately. Chapter 109 Chapter 109 Chapter 109 Chapter 109 Bonnie remained quiet for a moment before answering, ¡°Yeah, I have loads of birthday presents.¡± Although none of her family gave her presents, she received loads from her friends and colleagues. There were so many that she could fill a train. Avril noticed Bonnie¡¯s brief pause and thought maybe Bonnie was lying. The former assumed Bonnie must have gotten no present at all but said she did to preserve her reputation. ¡®My heart can just break for her!¡® Avril removed her ne and gave it to Bonnie, saying, ¡°This is my most cherished ne. I hope you like it.¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± Avril crossed her arms and said, ¡°There can only be two reasons for you to turn down the offer. It¡¯s either you hate it, or you don¡¯t want to be my friend.¡± Since she put it that way, Bonnie could only ept it. At that moment, Trina looked down on Bonnie, thinking, ¡®How pathetic that you only get one gift, Bonnie. Look at my pile of presents. There are so many that I can probably load a car with them. It¡¯s my birthday, and you¡¯re not going to steal my limelight.¡® Suddenly, fireworks exploded in the sky and disrupted her thoughts. ¡®Is somebody ying with fireworks? It sounds like quite the show.¡® Everyone was curious about it and hurried out of the hotel. Then, they saw a magnificent sight. There were fireworks as far as the eyes could see, exploding and glowing against the night sky. ¡°Wow! They¡¯re wonderful! This grand gesture must cost a fortune. Just how many fireworks are there?¡± One of the guests uttered. Immediately after, the fireworks exploded to form a brief phrase, ¡°Happy birthday, Bonnie!¡± ¡®Wait a minute. Bonnie?!¡® Everyone gazed at her and realized she was just as shocked as them. Then, they realized it was a surprise for her. ¡°Perhaps the fireworks are for someone else with the same name.¡± One of the guests took a wild guess. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Trina sighed in relief. ¡°That was scary. I thought someone wasted all their money to make such a grand gesture for Bonnie.¡® Trina mocked, ¡°How unfortunate, Bonnie. I know the fireworks aren¡¯t for you, even though it says your name. Still, you can pretend they¡¯re for you since it¡¯s your birthday, too.¡± Chapter 189. 2/2 ¡°Trina, can you stoop any lower? I could just throw up right now. I used to think you were impressive for getting into Pyralis University. I also thought you were multi¨Ctalented. Thest thing I expected was for you to be thisughable. ¡°You guys are Bonnie¡¯s family, yet you didn¡¯t prepare any presents for her. Now you¡¯re telling Bonnie to pretend the fireworks are for her. You suck so bad!¡± The other guests started muttering, too. It was clear that they found Trina distasteful as well. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything by that. Also, I did prepare a gift for Bonnie.¡± Trina pointed at the pile of presents and looked at Bonnie, saying, ¡°Take your pick. The only gift you can¡¯t pick is the one Hadwin gave me. I can¡¯t possibly give that to you. I¨CI¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Hmph, you can keep them. I have more than enough presents.¡± Bonnie checked the time and remembered her ns with Heath. Although he said he would celebrate her birthday at midnight, it was just seven now. There was plenty of time left. A momentter, more than a dozen Bentleys pulled over at the hotel entrance. Then, several dozen bodyguards stepped out with rose bouquets. They stood in a file and approached the guests. Everyone was baffled by the sudden turn of events, but Bonnie recognized the sunsses -wearing man at the forefront as Floyd. Hadwin¡¯s father, Draco, emerged from the crowd and asked, ¡°How can I help you, sir?¡± Floyd replied, ¡°We¡¯re here to celebrate her birthday.¡± ¡®Her? Who¡¯s her? Does he mean Trina?¡® Chapter 110 Chapter 110 Chapter 110 Trina stepped out of the crowd excitedly and nced sidelong at Bonnie. The former then extended her hand to ept the bouquet from Floyd. She asked, ¡°Who arranged for this for my birthday?¡± ¡°Pardon me, but I don¡¯t mean you,¡± Floyd responded nkly. Trina felt embarrassed and froze. Meanwhile, Floyd strode toward Bonnie and said, ¡°My master wishes you a happy birthday, Ms. Bonnie.¡± ¡°Please convey my gratitude to him.¡± Bonnie epted the bouquet and nced at Trina mockingly. Trina blushed with embarrassment, fury, and regret as she withdrew her hands. ¡°Hahaha!¡± Avril burst into heartyughter. Meanwhile, Trina was so ashamed that she wished she could hide in a hole. Vera then approached Bonnie and looked at the bouquet, frowning as she said, ¡°Who would give you these?¡± Everyone else was just as curious as to who would make such a grand gesture. They even wondered what kind of big shot Bonnie might know. From the looks of it, the person muste from a family wealthier and more prominent than the Rhodes. Everyone gazed at Bonnie as she said, ¡°The CEO of Knight Group.¡® The crowd fell silent for a moment. Some rolled their eyes, while others outright called Bonnie a liar. Even Vera was furious at Bonnie¡¯s answer. ¡®Here she goes again. She just can¡¯t go by a day without lying!¡® However, Bonnie had expected such reactions and merely nced at her mother nonchntly. On the other hand, Trina joined those who used Bonnie of lying, ¡°Why don¡¯t you just tell the truth? Who could have made such a gesture when you¡¯ve been staying home for a long while now? ¡°You¡¯re living alone out there. What will we do if you get entangled with a horrible man who coerced you into doing something against your will? We¡¯ll be concerned about you.¡± Bonnie red at Trina, knowing she was at it again. Thetter tried to mislead everyone into thinking Bonnie had a sugar daddy. ¡®She just doesn¡¯t know when to quit. It looks like it¡¯s time to teach her another lesson.¡® Bonnie said, ¡°Is that why you hired someone to tail me?¡± Trina froze again, wishing she could p herself. She had forgotten that Bonnie had an advantage over her. The former regretted making such suggestions. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to say that, Trina, but you keep trying to shame me. You can¡¯t push me around.¡± Bonnie meant what she said as she was genuinely enraged. She nced at Hadwin and added, ¡°You imed you two are childhood friends. You did a good job Chapter 110 N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. 212 painting a beautiful picture. What everyone doesn¡¯t know is that you two had sex with each other long ago¡± Trina was shocked to the core, ¡°Wh what nonsense is that, Bonnie? Why do you think I¡¯d do something like that?¡± Vera red at Bonnie and warned, ¡°Quit it, Bonnie, Stop trying to ruin Trina¡¯s reputation.¡± Bonnie nced at her coldly, retorting, ¡°Where were you when she misled everyone to nder my name? Why didn¡¯t you step forward and defend me?¡± ¡°She was just worried about you, You¡¯re the one who twisted her words,¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Bonnie scoffed and swept her gaze across the guests. ¡°Anyone can tell she was ndering my reputation, I also overheard some of them making cutting remarks about me, So, am I twisting her words, or did she mislead everyone into thinking the worst of me? Which is it, Mom?¡± Vera said through gritted teeth. ¡°You¡¯re embarrassing yourself. Why can¡¯t you wait until we get home before spouting such nonsense?¡± ¡°Why should I?¡± Bonnie said defiantly, ¡°Why can¡¯t I retaliate when Trina insulted me in front of all these people? Is it because you and Dad raised her yourself? Is it because I¡¯m a country bumpkin, and it ruined our family¡¯s reputation?¡± Bonnie¡¯s assessment was urate. She had unveiled the deep, dark secrets Vera and Gresham had been trying to bury. ¡°Wh¨CWhy, you little- This is outrageous!¡± Vera was so mad that she swung a p at Bonnie, Chapter 111 Chapter 111 Chapter 111 Bonnie noticed the iing p and stepped back to avoid it. She then said, ¡°I remember first going to the countryside. You pped me then because Trina framed me for pushing her down the stairs, even though she did it on purpose. ¡°At that moment, I swore to myself that it would be thest time I let Trina set me up. I decided that no one could p me if I didn¡¯t do anything wrong!¡± ¡°That¡¯s outrageous! What did I do to deserve someone as heartless as you? You¡¯re such a sorry excuse of a daughter!¡± Vera was exasperated. Harold stared at Gresham bitterly and roared, ¡°It¡¯s bad enough that Bonnie embarrassed herself, but she made such a huge mess of Trina¡¯s engagement party. Everyone willugh at us over this!¡± Ynda had also grown sick of Bonnie. ¡°I told you she¡¯s a country bumpkin! You can try to teach her all you want, but nothing will help. Good on you for not listening to me. Take her back to where she came from. Take her as far away as possible.¡± Gresham sighed, approached Bonnie, and raised his hand. ¡°What, are you going to p me too?¡± Bonnie stood her ground indifferently. Floyd was worried about how things would turn out and quickly texted Ivor to tell him about everything that was happening there. Ivor¡¯s expression grew grim when he read the text and replied, ¡°Video call me now.¡± ¡°Right away.¡± Floyd made a video call, and Ivor epted it. Almost immediately after, thetter understood the situation. The entire Shepard family had pitted themselves against Bonnie. They were frowning at her as if they could not wait to get rid of her. It was a heartbreaking sight for Ivor. Gresham stared at Bonnie solemnly. ¡°You have onest chance to apologize to Trina. If you refuse, I¡¯ll disown you!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve never treated me as your own to begin with.¡± Bonnie stared back at him defiantly. ¡°Why, you-¡± Gresham was outraged. ¡°It seems you refuse to apologize, after all. If you don¡¯t give a damn about your status as one of the Shepards, then suit yourself. From now on, the Shepards disown you. Crawl back to the countryside and live the rest of your life with your pathetic foster parents!¡± His words upset Bonnie. She retorted, ¡°Watch your tongue! They might be from the countryside, but you don¡¯t have the right to insult them. Although my parents were born and raised there, they¡¯re down to earth and have worked tirelessly their whole lives.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°They did everything to provide for their kids selflessly, unlike you. You merely care about your damn reputation.¡± 2/2 Vera roared, ¡°Is that the way to talk to your father, Bonnie? You¡¯re such an outrageous and rebellious child. Karma will get you one of these days!¡± Although you guys are my birth parents, it doesn¡¯t mean you can do whatever you want to me. You can¡¯t just humiliate me and punish me.¡± Bonnie swept her gaze across Harold, Ynda, and the other Shepards. She added, ¡°I know all of you want to get rid of me. You think I brought shame to the family. You¡¯ve wanted to chase me out long ago, especially Grandpa and Grandma. You asked me to put in another request with Orson because you tore up his painting, but I turned you down. ¡°You two have detested me even more ever since. What happened today is simply thest straw. I knew you guys would think I¡¯m a bad fit for the family. Well, the feeling is mutual. I¡¯m more than happy to cut ties with the family. I want nothing to do with you all!¡± ¡°Fine then!¡± Harold mmed his cane. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you thrive or fail in the future. Get out of my sight now!¡± He was confident peace would return to his family once Bonnie left. Trina barely stifledughter. She knew she would no longer have to worry about losing her status in the family. Still, she thought it was a shame as a life without Bonnie would be mundane. Even so, Bonnie remained unfazed, saying, ¡°It¡¯s decided, then.¡± She turned and barely took a step when she heard Harold¡¯s voice from behind her, ¡°I want you to make an official announcement on Twitter, Gresham. Let everyone know that we¡¯ve disowned Bonnie. I don¡¯t want her future debacles to drag our family¡¯s name through the mud.¡± The guests felt a shiver down their spine at what he said. After the announcement, Bonnie was no longer associated with the Shepards. From that point, nothing she did could reverse it, even if she fell on her knees and begged for Harold¡¯s mercy. Chapter 112 Chapter 112 Chapter 112 ¡°Right away, Dad. I¡¯ll have my assistant announce it on Twitter,¡± Gresham sighed and looked at Bonnie with disappointment. ¡®I could¡¯ve tolerated Bonnie being a good¨Cfor¨Cnothing, but she keeps making messes. Some big shot in Pyralis must¡¯ve sent those bodyguards and bouquets. Since that big shot didn¡¯t show up and sent these men instead, then he must be Bonnie¡¯s sugar daddy. ¡°That¡¯s why he can¡¯t show his face. Once he exposes his identity, his wife will fight with him and Bonnie. I¡¯m not even willing to imagine it.¡® Now that the Shepards had disowned Bonnie, she would have to bear the consequences of her actions alone. ¡°Your chariot awaits, Ms. Bonnie.¡± Floyd opened the car door for her. She stopped and nced at him and, saying, ¡°I need a favor.¡± This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Anything you please.¡± ¡°First, I¡¯ll send you a video clip. Then¡­¡± ¡°Loud and clear. You may take your leave first, Ms. Bonnie.¡± After receiving the video clip, Floyd turned and approached Trina. ¡°Ms. Bonnie forgot to mention it earlier, but she just told me she prepared a birthday present for you.¡± Trina had a bad feeling about it when she heard that. Floyd gestured at the big screen and announced, ¡°May I direct your attention to the screen, everyone?!¡± Everyone looked at the screen in puzzlement. Soon after, they started gawking at it. A man and a lady were passionately doing forey in the video. ¡°Perhaps we should do this in the hotel, Hadwin. What will we do if someone sees us?¡± ¡°Come on, we¡¯re in the countryside. There are more mosquitoes here than there are people. You¡¯re getting scared over nothing.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just worried about someone seeing us¡­¡± ¡°If you¡¯re that concerned, we can pick up where we left off in the forest.¡± Hadwin led Trina into the thicket of the forest. Looking at the time stamp in the video revealed that it was four years ago. It meant that Bonnie did not lie about Hadwin cheating on her with Trina. Meanwhile, Trina paled, and Hadwin grew grim. Avril stepped forward and spoke up for her newfound friend, ¡°Well, well, well. It turns out Bonnie didn¡¯t lie. You Shepards had wrongly used Bonnie, after all.¡± 212 Gresham and the gang did not know what to say. ¡°Shame on you! The Shepards are one of the most prestigious families in Pyralis. Will you guys seriously do nothing about it?¡± Avril growled, arms akimbo. Fernanda emerged from the crowd and retorted, ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean Bonnie¡¯s innocent. It doesn¡¯t matter if Hadwin and Trina slept together. Bonnie shouldn¡¯t have shown the video clip in front of so many people. Her actions just put the entire family to shame.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Ysabel chimed in, ¡°She got disowned because she didn¡¯t give a damn about our reputation. Grandpa and Uncle Gresham did the right thing!¡± Avril was beside herself with rage. ¡°Oh my god. Are there no sensible people left in the Shepard family? You guys are the ones who couldn¡¯t wait to shun her. You even announced it on Twitter to tell the world that she¡¯s no longer one of you. ¡°After everything you guys have done, what makes you think she¡¯d care about your reputation? Bonnie was too kind to you all. If I were her, I would¡¯ve done so much more.¡± Chapter 113 Chapter 113 Chapter 113 Avril¡¯s father, Daken Smith, tugged at her arms. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Avril. Let¡¯s go home.¡± ¡°People must own up to our mistakes. That¡¯s how people better themselves. You taught me that ever since I was a little girl, Dad. Does that apply to kids only and not adults? How¡¯s that fair?¡± Dalem had no goodebacks to that. ¡°How¡¯s it eptable to disown one of your family members because they wanted to preserve their reputation?¡± Avril said as she swept her gaze across the Shepards. She shook her head and chuckled when she knew no one dared to retort. ¡°Bonnie¡¯s highly intelligent. It looks like the Shepards are cold and heartless, after all. I guess it¡¯s good she severed her ties with you all.¡± With that, Avril got into her car and ordered her chauffeur, Go after Bonnie.¡± ¡°Avril!¡± Daken yelled and chased after her. ¡± The engagement party was such a mess that the Shepards and the Rhodes felt discouraged to keep it going. Harold stepped onto the stage with his cane and addressed everyone, ¡°Please ept my sincere apologies. Bonnie behaved poorly and brought shame to the family. She was the ck sheep of our family.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood to say anything more about her. After all, she¡¯s no longer one of us. As for the earlier video, the truth is, we knew Trina and Hadwin were an item long ago. We and the Rhodes love how they found each other and give our full support to them. ¡°If Hadwin hadn¡¯t called off the wedding with Bonnie, we would¡¯ve done the same thing and married him to Trina anyway. That wretched Bonnie pulled a wicked one over Trina to take revenge on her. ¡°I can¡¯t believe she hired people to tail Trina, recorded that video, and showed it here. Bonnie¡¯s actions could ruin Trina¡¯s reputation and bury her future. My family won¡¯t tolerate such a vile human being in our ranks. ¡°With that in mind, I implore everyone to avoid thinking of her as one of the Shepards and hold us ountable for her hideous actions in the future.¡± ¡°You did the right thing, Harold. You can¡¯t trust someone who puts an entire family to shame. We would¡¯ve done the same if we were in your shoes.¡± ¡°What a shame, though. Bonnie is Pyralis¡¯s Best Schr and had connections to Master Orson.¡± ¡°I guess winning the Best Schr Award is an impressive feat, but her character tells me she won¡¯t amount to anything once she¡¯s out in the real world. As for Master Orson, I was stunned as to how someone like her got to know such a prestigious figure. I finally realized that she had used her sugar daddy¡¯s connections.¡± ¡°you have an excellent point! That exins so much. Master Orson must¡¯ve attended Harold¡¯s birthday party because Bonnie¡¯s sugar daddy pulled some strings. ¡± The more everyone demoaned Bonnie, the grimmer Vera¡¯s expression became. After all, she was Bonnie¡¯s birth mother, no matter how worthless Vera thought her daughter was, How bumiliating! Bonnie¡¯s one of the biggest mistakes I¡¯ve ever made in my entire life!! Simultaneoushy, Vera understood something else. ¡°That exins why Bonnie had lunch with the professors at Ms. Bonita¡¯s research institute. Her sugar daddy must¡¯ve used his connections to pull that stunt, Forget it. I¡¯ll stop wasting time thinking about ber. What matters is that Bonnie is no longer one of the Shepards. I¡¯ll just pretend I gave birth to Trina instead. Meanwhile, Avril finally caught up to Bonnie on the freeway, ¡°How are you holding up, Bonnie?¡± Avril held Bonnie¡¯s hands and asked with concern while Daken stood to the side, smoking a cigarette. Bonnie could tell Avril¡¯s concern was genuine. It was heartwarming to know that Avril cared so much about her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I got used to it long ago,¡± ¡°They¡¯re a bunch of heartless bastards! It¡¯s good that you cut ties with them,¡± Avril growled, ¡°Do you have a ce to stay? Perhaps you shoulde to my ce. I¡¯m sure my parents will agree.¡± Bonnie looked at Daken while Avril asked pitifully, ¡°You¡¯ll agree to it. Won¡¯t you, Dad?¡± Daken exhaled a cloud of smoke and smiled before walking over. Chapter 114 Chapter 114 Chapter 114 ¡°Since you¡¯re Avril¡¯s friend, you¡¯re more than wee to my home. You can join us if you¡¯re okay with it. If you ever feel like leaving one day, I¡¯ll help you out.¡± Although the Shepards were a bunch of heartless monsters, Bonnie never discounted the fact that there were genuinely kind¨Chearted people in the world. She was about to politely turn down their offer when a ck Maybach approached them. N?velDrama.Org owns this. ¡°Hmm?¡± Daken stared at the car and was surprised. Puzzled, he said, ¡°I think that¡¯s a limited edition Maybach.¡± Avril¡¯s eyes widened as she asked, ¡°Are you sure, Dad? Is it the Maybach you always talk about?¡± She might not have known much about cars, but her dad did. Technically speaking, every man was knowledgeable about cars the same way women were with handbags. In that case, Avril knew a thing or two about cars because her dad constantly talked about them. ¡°I think it is,¡± Daken said as the ck Maybach pulled over before Bonnie. The window lowered halfway through, and he heard a deep voiceing from inside, ¡°Get in.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Bonnie nodded and looked at Avril and Daken. ¡°I appreciate the gesture, but I have a ce to stay.¡± Avril could not help but look at the man in the car. However, it was dark inside, and she could barely make out his profile by the glow of the street light. Still, she realized the man was young and handsome. ¡°Um, are you guys close, Bonnie?¡± Avril could barely bring herself to ask such a question. Bonnie grinned and said, ¡°You must also think I have a sugar daddy and that I¡¯m well on my way to being a homewrecker.¡± ¡°N¨CNo. That¡¯s not what I meant at all. I¡¯m just worried about a bad guy tricking you into getting into his car.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m not having an affair with this guy or anything.¡± Avril gazed at Bonnie and decided she was not lying. Moreover, the former had a hunch Bonnie was not someone who would have an affair with a married man. It simply was not who Bonnie was. On the other hand, Trina would undoubtedly do something like that if an opportunity presented itself. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re noting to stay with us?¡± ¡°Thanks for the offer, but I do have a ce to stay.¡± Avril realized Bonnie was insistent on staying elsewhere and did not argue. Still, the former could not help but ask as she watched the ck Maybach drive off into the distance, ¡°Who do you think was in the car, Dad?¡± 212 ¡°t¡¯s hard to say for sure.¡± Daken shook his head and flicked his cigarette aside. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it. If she considers you her friend, she¡¯ll tell you about it in the future,¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. It¡¯s like what you said. Everyone has secrets. We should take a step back and give them space. That¡¯s what friends do.¡± Avril did just that and let the matter rest. Ivor rook Bonnie to a seaside vi. She regarded the ce in puzzlement and asked, ¡°Why¡¯d you bring me here¡± Ivor smiled and pped. Immediately after, colorful lights came to life from the vi to the surrounding trees. Then, they continued to light up all over the coastline. Thud thud thud! A momentter, a pleasant melody echoed as Floyd wheeled a pink cake in the shape of a castle toward Bonnie. Chapter 115 Chapter 115 Chapter 115 ¡°Mr. Ivor ordered this custom¨Cmade birthday cake for you, Ms. Bonnte.¡± Bonnie looked at the cake and noticed it was several times bigger than the one Trina got for her engagement party. ¡°Do you honestly think I can finish all that?¡± Ivor had waited for her to say something. He thought hier gesture would move her, but this was her response instead, ¡°What a waste.¡± Although she said that, a warm, cozy feeling rose within her. ¡°It¡¯s okay. If you can¡¯t finish it, I¡¯ll tell Floyd to cut it up for my employees. I¡¯m sure they can finish it. That way, we can share the joy with more people.¡± Ivor responded with a smile. Bonnie gawked at him after hearing what he said. He looked at the vi and added, ¡°You¡¯d better get a move on. I prepared more surprises for you inside.¡± Although Bonnie was puzzled, she opened the doors. Pop! Pop! Pop! Party poppers echoed, and confetti burst into the air. Bonnie was stunned by the poppers and the decoration inside. There were roses from floor to ceiling and even on the staircase handrails. Bonnie would have thought she had mistakenly entered a rose garden if she had not known better. ¡°So, what do you think? Do you like it?¡± Bonnie averted her gaze from the roses and frowned as she stared at Ivor, asking, ¡°Um, what are you trying to do?¡± ¡°Look around you. What do you think I¡¯m doing?¡± He asked. ¡°Are you going to confess your feelings for me?¡± ¡°Exactly! That¡¯s why you¡¯re my fiancee.¡± She rolled her eyes at him, saying, ¡°I¡¯m not your fiancee anymore after tonight.¡± ¡°Hence, the surprise.¡± A momentter, Ivor got down on one knee and took a ring from his pocket. I¡¯m not going to say anything romantic to you. Instead, I¡¯ll cut to the chase. I want you to be my wife and to be the mother of my child. I also want you to be the grandmother of my grandchildren. That¡¯s about it.¡±This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Bonnie¡¯s lips twitched. Countless guys had confessed their love for her, but none of them had ever been as forthright as Ivor. ¡®He wants me to be all that. That means he wants to be with me for the rest of his life!¡® Chapter 115 2/2 After a prolonged silence, she took a step back and said, ¡°If my memory serves me right, I told you marriage is never a part of my n. I¡¯m only interested in building my career. So, you should give up on the idea¡± ¡°Give up isn¡¯t in my dictionary,¡± Ivor said confidently. Bonnie raised a brow in amusement. ¡°As I recall, you used to say that I don¡¯t deserve could never fall in love with me.¡± you and that you ¡°That¡¯s because I was a fool. I didn¡¯t know better.¡± Ivor responded briefly. She had noebacks for that. No one would since he put it that way. ¡°I¡¯m curious. What do you love about me?¡± ¡°Not a clue.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Be was surprised. ¡°Mhm.¡± He nodded. ¡°Did you just confess and propose to me when you don¡¯t even know what you love about me? How serious are you?¡± Bonnie did not know how else to respond. Ivor was a six¨Cfooter and only took a single step to get closer to Be. The chandelier shined on him and cast a shadow that enveloped Be. Ivor looked at her with profound affection as if he cherished her beauty. ¡°Who ruled that one has to love a person¡¯s specific traits? Can¡¯t I fall in love with you because of who you are? There aren¡¯t rules that say I can¡¯t love you because of some inexplicable force.¡± Bonnie could not think of anything to retort Ivor¡¯s reasoning. Chapter 116 Chapter 116 ¡°Ahem. It¡¯ste. I¡¯m going to hit the hay.¡± With that, Bonnie turned and headed for the door. ¡°I won¡¯t give up, Bonnie. Get ready for more attempts.¡± Ivor watched as Bonnie left. ¡°Do whatever you want.¡± Smiling, he caught up to her and asked, ¡°Does that mean I have a shot?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say that.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t turn me down, either.¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll do it now-¡± Bonnie could not finish her sentence because Ivor suddenly pressed a finger on her lips. ¡°Stop. Let me have this.¡± His finger felt slightly rough to the touch, and Bonnie swiped it away. ¡°I don¡¯t like people touching 1. me. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. )) ¡°Okay. You have my word.¡± He regarded her joyfully. Bonnie stared at him and thought this particr promise was hollow. Still, she did not want to waste time mulling over it. The following day, she packed her stuff first thing in the morning. Ivor approached her door and asked with a frown, ¡°Do you have to leave so soon?¡± ¡°We agreed that our engagement wouldst for only a month. I¡¯ve stayed ten days longer to compensate for the one day I stayed at my former parents¡® ce, as you asked.¡± Bonnie replied while packing the rest of her things into a suitcase. ¡°Do you have anywhere to stay if you leave now?¡± He asked concernedly. ¡°I¡¯ll start looking for one while I stay at a motel.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, you should stay here until you find a ce. How about it?¡± ¡°Thanks, but no thanks.¡± After packing up, Bonnie carried her suitcase downstairs. Sigmund then hurried over with a cane and asked, ¡°Are you leaving, Bonnie?¡± ¡°Good morning, Grandpa Sigmund. Please don¡¯t try to make me stay. I know I owe my life to you, but I¡¯ve followed our agreement by getting engaged to your grandson and staying here for a month. That reminds me. Please call off our engagement.¡± Ivor was startled, saying, ¡°I disagree.¡± Bonnie turned to look at him and asked, ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Dead serious.¡± Ivor looked so gentlemanly that it was thest thing she expected him to say. ¡°No one can force me into a marriage against my will.¡± Chapter 116 212 ¡°I¡¯m not forcing you in any way. I¡¯m just asking you to reconsider it.¡± He could ept Bonnie wanting to leave but could not bear her calling off the engagement. ¡°Really? Is that how you do it? I can¡¯t tell because of how pushy you are now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, you two!¡± Sigmund said, ¡°Bonnie, we agreed that you could call off the engagement if you two didn¡¯t fall in love with each other within a month. Ivor has ended up falling for you, which nullifies our agreement. ¡°How about you give him another month? If you still don¡¯t have feelings for him, that¡¯s his fault, and I¡¯ll stay out of it.¡± Bonnie said solemnly, ¡°I¡¯ve decided to leave, Grandpa Sigmund. Also, you must call off the engagement today.¡± ¡°All right, fine. I know how stubborn you are. No one can change your mind once you¡¯ve decided something. I¡¯ll call off the engagement now since you insist on leaving ¡± Chapter 117 Chapter 117 Chapter 117 ¡°I disagree, Grandpa!¡± Ivor said as he pursed his lips, displeased. ¡°That won¡¯t help. Can¡¯t you see that Bonnie has made up her mind? You¡¯ll only worsen things if you keep pushing her! What I say goes. From today onward, you¡¯re no longer engaged to Bonnie. ¡°Also, since you¡¯re so worthless, I want you out of the vi and step down from your position in the company. Your only task is to follow Bonnie wherever she goes. If you need money, cling to her. She can afford to support you, after all. You can return when she agrees to marry you. Ivor¡¯s eyes glinted with coldness as he turned to Floyd, saying, ¡°Tell my dad that Grandpa fired me. He has to take over thepany from today onward.¡± He then looked at Alfred and ordered, ¡°Pack my stuff. I¡¯ll leave with Bonnie.¡± Bonnie was at a loss when she saw how serious Ivor was. ¡®Are Ivor and Sigmund this childish? Give me a break, guys.¡® ¡°You said you¡¯re leaving with me. Did you ask me if I¡¯mfortable with that?¡± Ivor said confidently, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll sleep by the door if you don¡¯t let me sleep in the same room. I have nowhere else to stay since Grandpa has kicked me out of my home.¡® ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. Follow Bonnie¡¯s footsteps every day, Ivor. I¡¯ll suspend all your debit and credit cards. If she refuses to support you, you might as well starve to death.¡± Sigmund stroked his beard as he spoke. It seemed Bonnie had no choice but to go along with it. She sighed and said, ¡°I can stay here for now, but I¡¯m moving out as soon as I find a ce for myself. That¡¯s the best I can do.¡± Meanwhile, Ivor and Sigmund knew it was wise to quit while they were ahead. They merely smiled and kept quiet. Suddenly, Bonnie received a call from Avril. Buzz, buzz, buzz. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Do you have some time to kill, Bonnie?¡± ¡°Is there anything you need?¡± ¡°I want to hang out with you.¡± Avril invited Bonnie out because she wanted to cheer her up. After all, anyone in Bonnie¡¯s shoes would feel depressed after what happened yesterday. ¡°I¡¯m pretty busy-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give me that. Well, it¡¯s my birthday today. I think I told you about it yesterday, right? Come on, I gave you a birthday present. Can¡¯t I ask you to hang out with me on my birthday?¡± N?velDrama.Org owns this. Of course, Bonnie could not reject Avril¡¯s request when she put it that way. Chapter 117 2/2 ¡°All right, where are we going?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go to the pedestrian zone.¡± Later that day, the duo met at the intersection leading to the pedestrian zone. Avril probed, ¡°Did you have a good sleepst night?¡± ¡°Hmm, I feel rested. It wasn¡¯t too bad,¡± Bonnie said truthfully. She could finally have closure now that Gresham and the other Shepards had disowned her. ¡°Sheesh. You just love acting tough by keeping everything inside, huh?¡± Avril refused to believe Bonnie was unfazed about yesterday¡¯s events. Although Gresham and Vera were Bonnie¡¯s birth parents, they poured all their love into their stepdaughter instead. They then shunned and disowned Bonnie in front of so many people. Worse, her ex¨Cfiance was now engaged to her stepsister. Bonnie said, ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it. I mean it when I say I¡¯ve moved on.¡± ¡°Fine, let¡¯s not discuss such gloomy things today. Since today¡¯s my birthday, it¡¯s my treat. You can buy anything you want, and I¡¯ll pay for it. Onward to the shopping mall over there!¡± Avril led Bonnie straight to the third floor of the shopping mall. ¡°Do you know about the history of Bohemian Boutique?¡± Avril pointed at the boutique before them. Chapter 118 Chapter 118 Chapter 118 Bonnie¡¯s brows twitched. Of course, she knew about Bohemian Boutique as it was one of the boutiques Tang Fusion Studio owned. Hamish had named it after Bonnie using the first two letters of her name, which she found cheesy. Still, she could not care less about it, Avril noticed Bonnie¡¯s silence and thought she knew nothing about the boutique. ¡°This boutique belongs to Tang Fusion Studio. The famous fashion designer, Hamish, is the general manager and the chief designer there. ¡°It has franchises worldwide. Everyone knows it¡¯s the top brand in the fashion industry. The outfits here are costly, too.¡± Avril scratched her neck embarrassingly and blushed a little. ¡°Um, I know I said you can buy anything you want. ¡°You can buy as many as you like from other brands, but I can only afford an outfit or two if they¡¯re from Bohemian Boutique.¡± Bonnie chuckled in response, thinking Avril was refreshingly honest. The former said, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go 1. in. Let me know if you like anything. I¡¯ll buy it even if you like every outfit here. After all, it¡¯s your birthday today.¡± Since Bonnie owned thispany, she did not have to pay for anything. On the other hand, Avril considered her words a joke. Even so, she appreciated the gesture very much. When they entered, Bonnie picked a blue and purple dress, saying, ¡°Do you want to try this one?¡± ¡°Woah! Good eyes, Bonnie! This dress looks excellent. Hey, wait a minute. Why are we picking outfits for me? We¡¯ve got this backward. We¡¯re here for you to buy an outfit.¡± ¡°Go ahead and try it on.¡± Bonnie had no intention of exining things to Avril. Instead, she took the dress straight to Avril. Suddenly, someone yanked at the dress, saying, ¡°What a nice dress. It¡¯s mine now.¡± Bonnie frowned and turned to look at thedy. The former recognized the youngdy as a member of the Dyngard family, one of the high society families. However, Bonnie could not remember the youngdy¡¯s name. Avril red at the youngdy and said, ¡°You¡¯ve crossed the line, Brittany. We took that dress first.¡± Brittany raised her chin and retorted, ¡°Did you pay for it?¡± ¡°Did you?!¡± Avril yanked at the dress, too. From her perspective, Bonnie seemed fragile. Avril feared Brittany might have yanked at the dress too hard and caused Bonnie to stumble. ¡°I¡¯m about to pay for it.¡± Brittany fished a credit card out of her purse. ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. I¡¯m going to pay, too.¡± ¡°Are you doing this on purpose, Avril? There are so many dresses here, yet you insist on fighting with ( 18 me over this one. ** 212 N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°For crying out loud! I¡¯ve seen a fair share of unreasonable people, but you take the cake, Brittany. We were here first and took the dress before you did. Are you seriously twisting the story and using us of fighting with you over it?¡± Avril said, exasperated. The store manager came over with a smile. ¡°There¡¯s a simr dress over there, missies. Perhaps ¨C¡± ¡°I want this one!¡± ¡°Me too!¡± Anyone familiar with the brand knew that every dress had one size for each design. Avril and Brittany were still fighting over the dress when Bonnie yanked it away from both of their clutches. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± Brittany roared at her. ¡°This dress is mine. You don¡¯t have the right to take it from me.¡± Bonnie retorted indifferently. ¡°Heh, how absurd. Your family disowned you, you bumpkin. What makes you think you can fight me?¡± Brittany turned to the store manager and the sales assistants, saying, ¡°Keep your eyes on her. She can¡¯t afford to shop in high¨Cend boutiques such as yours. ¡°She¡¯s probably here to steal your outfits. You guys should know better than anyone how expensive your outfits are. If any one of these dresses goes missing, it¡¯ll take about a year of your pay to make up for it.¡± After hearing Brittany¡¯s words, the store manager and sales assistants grew somewhat worried. Meanwhile, Avril grew furious as she said, ¡°What do you mean she can¡¯t afford to shop here? Stop looking down on her, Brittany. ¡°Although Bonnie¡¯s family disowned her, she¡¯s the Best Schr in Pyralis. There¡¯s no telling how sessful she¡¯ll be in the future. The way I see it, she¡¯ll make a name for herself in the next few years!¡± Chapter 119 Chapter 119 Chapter 119 ups! What¡¯s so great about the Best Schr Award? There¡¯s a Best Schr every year. Most of them make nothing of themselves. Instead, they tend to fade into the background,¡± Brittany sounded unbearably snobbish. She added, ¡°Also, my parents say Bonnie doesn¡¯t respect her elders, picks on her younger sister, and is a pathological liar. It doesn¡¯t matter if she had a perfect score on the SAT, She¡¯ll offend plenty of people when she¡¯s in the real world because that¡¯s just who she is. She¡¯ll fail to make a name for herself and ruin her reputation,¡± Avcil was outraged, asking, ¡°Who do you think your parents are? They can¡¯t predict the future. They wouldn¡¯t know how Bonnie¡¯s future will go,¡± ¡°You bore me.¡± Brittany lifted her chin and nced at Avril disdainfully before turning to Bonnie. ¡± I¡¯m warning you, bumpkin. y nice, and give me the dress. You have no choice anyway. There¡¯s something I should¡¯ve said earlier. My family is a business partner with Tang Fusion Studios. ¡°We have priority in buying anything we like in Bohemian Boutique,¡± Brittany took a VIP card from her purse and showed it to the store manager, You should recognize what this is. Tell them I have priority here,¡± The store manager nodded. ¡°This is a VIP card distributed by the headquarters. You can buy any dress we have. Please give us a minute, Ms. Brittany, I¡¯ll pack this one for you.¡± She then approached Bonnie and sald, ¡°Please forgive me, Ms. Bonnie, I¡¯ll have to ask you to pass me that dress. Other designs in our boutique are just as exquisite. I¡¯ll rmend some of them to youter. What do you think?¡± Brittany interjected, ¡°Tsk! You fall as a store manager, I didn¡¯t want to say this, but I have to. You don¡¯t have to be so courteous to a country bumpkin like her. You¡¯re the store manager whose main task is to promote business for your boutique. She can¡¯t afford anything here, yet you¡¯re treating her with respect. ¡°You¡¯re wasting your time and energy with her. If I were your superior, I would¡¯ve fired you.¡± Brittany was displeased to see the store manager treating Bonnie so¨Ccourteously. Instead, Brittany wanted to see Bonnie getting kicked out of the boutique. ¡°Well¡­¡± The store manager looked embarrassed, Suddenly, she heard an indifferent voice beside her, ¡°She did the right thing. During Bohemian Boutique¡¯s founding, the foremost rule they established was to provide top¨Cnotch service to any customer. ¡°No staff should look down on anyone who enters the boutique. It¡¯s one of the first things every staff must know during orientation.¡± The store manager¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at Bonnie. The store manager thought, ¡®How does she know all that?¡® Chapter 119. 2/2 ¡°This is uneptable! Let¡¯s go, Bonnie!¡± Avril did not like how things turned out, but there was nothing else they could do. She was okay to stay and shop, but Brittany was harassing Bonnie. Brittany even called Bonnie a bumpkin and said other horrible things to her. ¡°What¡¯s the hurry? We¡¯ll leave when we buy the dress.¡± Bonnie patted Avril¡¯s hand and smiled, trying to soothe her. Avril gawked at her. Bonnie turned to the store manager and said, ¡°She said her family¡¯s a business partner with Tang Fusion Studios, right? Well, I know a guy, too. Just give me a minute to make a call.¡± ¡°You know a guy? Hahaha!¡± Brittany held her belly andughed heartily. ¡°Who do you know, Bonnie? Are you telling me that you know the higher¨Cups? Your reputation precedes you. Indeed, you¡¯re such a pathological liar!¡± Bonnie ignored Brittany¡¯s ridicule and called Hamish. ¡°You only ever call when you need something, Ms. Bonnie. So, what do you need this time?¡± Hamish had grown ustomed to Bonnie being the titr chairman. However, she did not even care about any of thepany¡¯s affairs. It was so bad that Hamish wondered if it was a good thing for Bonnie to trust him so much with the company. He could steal thepany from her for all she knew. ¡°I¡¯m in the Bohemian Boutique at the pedestrian zone. Here¡¯s the thing¡­¡± Bonnie proceeded to tell him the whole story. ¡°All right. Give me a minute while I call the store manager.¡± Brittany looked at Bonnie scornfully. ¡°Did you manage to call your guy? I don¡¯t have time for this. I¡¯ll be generous and give you one more minute. If your guy doesn¡¯t-¡± Suddenly, the store manager received a call from the regional manager. ¡°Mr. Hamish is calling.¡± ¡®Say what?!¡® The store manager¡¯s jaw dropped. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡®I¡¯m merely a store manager among the countless boutiques. At most, I get to talk to the regional manager. Is this really happening?¡® She was surprised and concerned. Chapter 120 Chapter 120 Chapter 120 The store manager¡¯s heart pounded with anticipation and fear when Hamish called. He asked, ¡°Do you have a customer named Bonnie there?¡± The store manager nced at Bonnie and recalled Brittany addressing her as Bonnie. The manager replied, ¡°Yes, sir. She¡¯s here.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s cut to the chase. She can take any dress she likes from the boutique and doesn¡¯t have to pay a cent. Don¡¯t worry about it. Whatever she takes will go to yourmission.¡± The manager was shocked. She hung up the phone and stiffly turned to Bonnie. ¡°I¨CI¡¯ll pack this dress for you right away, Ms. Bonnie.¡± ¡®What on earth just happened?¡® The same question crossed Brittany¡¯s and Avril¡¯s minds. ¡°Sure. Thank you.¡± Bonnie gave the store manager the dress and told Avril, ¡°Let¡¯s keep looking.¡± Avril could not find her voice until after a good while. ¡°Wh¨Cwhat just happened, Bonnie?¡± Bonnie responded smilingly, ¡°Didn¡¯t I just tell you that I know a guy?¡± Avril¡¯s eyes widened. ¡®Who in the world is the guy she knows? How does Bonnie know someone who¡¯s even more powerful than the Dyngards, who are supposedly business partners to Tang Fusion Studios?¡® Brittany was furious when she saw the manager packing the dress. ¡°Hey! Who said you could pack that for her? My family is the business partner of your headquarters! I want the dress. You have to sell it to me!¡± The manager smiled politely and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ms. Brittany. I can¡¯t sell it to you.¡± Avril did not know what was happening, but she loved seeing Brittany getting humiliated. ¡°Come on, Brittany, stop making a scene. You look uncivilized when you shout in public. They¡¯re not selling you the dress, and that¡¯s that. Are you seriously begging them to sell it to you?¡± She deliberately spoke louder to draw other people¡¯s attention to Brittany. It was high time that bitch had a taste of her own medicine. After all, Brittany had also raised her voice to insult and humiliate Bonnie earlier. Brittany trembled with rage when the manager finished packing the dress and handed it to Bonnie, saying, ¡°Your dress, Ms. Bonnie.¡± This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Brittany stared at the bag and realized the manager purposefully gave the dress to Bonnie in front of her. Gripped with rage, Brittany swiped the dress away. ¡°You can¡¯t do that, Ms. Brittany.¡± Chapter 120. Realizing that the manager was about to take the dress away, Brittany pped her. ¡°You¡¯re a nobody, bitch. How dare you taunt me? Know your ce!¡± The manager palmed her cheek as her eyes reddened, looking pitiful and miserable. ¡°Damn you, Brittany! How dare you p my employee!¡± Bonnie¡¯s temper red as she strode forward and pped Brittany. She struck Brittany so hard that she spun before slumping onto the floor. Spin to im Your Surprise Reward! Chapter 121 Chapter 121 Chapter 121 Brittany sat on the ground and covered her swollen cheek, staring at Bonnie incredulously, ¡°D¨CDid you just hit me? How dare you! Not even my parents had ever hit me.¡± Bonnie scoffed and said, ¡°That¡¯s why you act so snobbish. You might¡¯ve been born into a wealthy family, but that doesn¡¯t mean you can treat others so poorly.¡± Brittany retorted, ¡°Not only did you insult me, but you also badmouthed my parents! Who do you think you are, you smart¨Cmouthed bitch?!¡± Brittany was about to lose her mind as she scrambled to her feet and lunged at Bonnie. However, Avril eximed, ¡°Bonnie, watch out!¡± Bonnie¡¯s eyes were cold as she swerved out of the way and punched Brittany¡¯s chest. As thetter wore high heels, the punch pushed her backward and caused her to stagger before losing her footing and falling on her ass. Rip! Brittany¡¯s skirt tore from the bottom to the top. ¡°Ahh! No!¡± She tried to cover herself with her purse. ¡°You had iting.¡± Avril had no sympathy for people like Brittany. Then, the former realized something and said, ¡°Was that a kickboxing move, Bonnie? What a surprise! You¡¯re excellent at it, too.¡± She knew Bonnie got to know Orson because Kay wanted to learn kickboxing from her. However, everyone thought Bonnie only knew run¨Cof¨Cthe¨Cmill moves and managed to fool Kay. That was why nobody thought anything of it. Looking back, everyone had underestimated Bonnie. ¡°You bitch! Things won¡¯t end well for you. Now, I know who you were talking about when you said you know a guy. It¡¯s the same person who picked you upst night, isn¡¯t it? Shame on you for bing a homewrecker!¡± Brittany¡¯s words were awful. Avril did not even consider it until Brittany brought it up. The former believed Bonnie would never have done something like that. Avril said, ¡°You don¡¯t have any evidence, Brittany. So, stop using Bonnie of being a homewrecker. Your mom¡¯s the only homewrecker here!¡± This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What did you just say?!¡± ¡°Do you think denying it will help? Everybody knows your mom was the homewrecker who wormed her way to marrying your dad. She did it by kicking your dad¡¯s ex¨Cwife out of the house. Good on you for sitting in your high horse!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a load of crap! My mom was the woman my dad fell in love with! They¡¯ve been friends since childhood. That bitch was the one who stole my dad away from my mom. That makes Bonnie the Chapter 121 homewrecker! If that isn¡¯t true, why did her parents disown her? 2/2 ¡°They did it because they feared she¡¯d do something so shameful that¡¯d bring the whole family down with her!¡± Bonnie had had enough of Brittany and texted Hamish. A minuteter, a group of security guards entered the boutique. Brittany pointed at Bonnie and roared, ¡°There¡¯s the troublemaker who hit me! Hurry up and kick her out of here!¡± Avril grew worried when she saw the security guards. She was about to exin the situation when she saw them carrying Brittany by her armpits and taking her away. ¡°L¨CLet me go, damn it! I¡¯m a member of the Dyngard family. We¡¯re the business partners with Tang Fusion Studios. Let me go, or I¡¯ll make all of you regret this. Bonnie, you bitch! I¡¯ll have my revenge someday! ¡°I¡¯ll make you regret crossing me. You¡¯ll kneel before me and beg for mercy! You¡¯re not off the hook either, store manager. I¡¯ll report you to my dad when I get back home. He¡¯ll report you to the headquarters, and you¡¯ll suffer the consequences of your actions!¡± Avril shook her head helplessly. ¡°Impressive. She never stopped running her mouth even while the guards removed her from the boutique. She¡¯s only embarrassing herself. Do you want to follow them and see how the guards deal with her, Bonnie?¡± ¡°You can go ahead. I don¡¯t like attention.¡± Bonnie responded lightly. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be back before you know it. Stay put.¡± When Avril left, Bonnie texted Hamish again. Chapter 122 Chapter 122 Chapter 122 ¡°The Dyngards are hurting mypany¡¯s reputation. Call off the coboration with them. I no longer want them as our business partners.¡± After sending the text, Bonnie looked at the pale store manager and asked, ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°I¨CI¡¯m okay.¡± Although she said so, she looked a little miserable. The manager also came from the countryside. Still, she had to protect her dignity. She had been nothing but diligent,mitted, and professional in her job. Even so, she got pped over nothing. ¡°Let me see that. You¡¯re pretty hurt. You¡¯re not fine at all,¡± Frowning, Bonnie said, ¡°I¡¯ll have someone send you to the clinic. Thepany will cover all the medical expenses. Also, you did an excellent job today. I¡¯ll put in a word with Hamish and tell him to give you a promotion.¡± The manager forgot all about the pain and stared at Bonnie, dumbfounded. At that moment, Avril returned with her phone in her hand. ¡°Tsk tsk tsk¡­ You missed out on the whole thing, Bonnie. Brittany looked so pathetic that I felt sorry for her. The security guards tossed her out of the premises, and she fell in the most embarrassing way possible. ¡°Hahaha! Frankly speaking, she brought it on herself. Also, she¡¯s my bitter rival. She had always acted like a snob because herpany¡¯s worth was higher than my family¡¯s. I can¡¯t believe they¡¯re business partners with Tang Fusion Studios. The universe ought to be more fair!¡± ¡°They won¡¯t be Tang Fusion Studios¡¯s business partners anymore,¡± Bonnie responded lightly. ¡°Huh? I beg your pardon.¡± Avril was stunned. She wondered why Bonnie would say something like that. ¡°Never mind. Come on, let¡¯s continue shopping.¡± Bonnie had no intention of exining herself. ¡°You betcha. I¡¯m so happy today that I¡¯m going to shop until I drop. Um, it¡¯s just that I was supposed to buy you a dress, but you bought me one instead. Oh, that reminds me. How much did that blue and purple dress cost? I¡¯ll transfer the money to you.¡® ¡°I don¡¯t have to pay for it,¡± Bonnie said casually. Avril responded, ¡°I¡¯m serious, Bonnie. We¡¯re talking about a dress from Bohemian Boutique. Am I supposed to think they gave it to you for free? You¡¯re not the owner of Tang Fusion Studios, after all. Just tell me how much it is, and I¡¯ll pay you back.¡± The duo strolled away from the boutique as they chatted. Meanwhile, The manager was still staring at both of them, dumbfounded. She did not look away until they disappeared from her sight. Then, the sales assistant came over, looking as shaken as she was. ¡°Wh¨Cwhat in the world just happened? Who is that Bonnie person?¡± The manager fell into deep thought with her mouth slightly agape. Chapter 122 20 ¡®Who on earth is she?¡® Her eyes continued to widen as she pondered on it. A minuteter, she raised her head and looked at the name of the boutique stered over the door. ¡°That customer¡¯s name was Bonnie¡­ Our store¡¯s called Bohemian Boutique¡­¡± The manager gasped. ¡°Gosh!¡± ¡®Could it be?!¡® Brittany got home and started smashing things. ¡°Damn that bitch! Ugh! I¡¯ve never been this humiliated!¡± Her mother, Nia Dyngard, came over and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Why are you so riled up?¡± Seeing that her parents were home, Brittany started sobbing pitifully. ¡°You have to stand up for me! Someone treated me very harshly today!¡± Nia¡¯s expression grew grim when she heard what her daughter said. ¡°Who would dare pick on my daughter?! They must have a death wish! Who was mean to you, Britt? I¡¯ll teach them a lesson for you!¡±Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. Chapter 123 Chapter 123 Chapter 123 ¡°It¡¯s Bonnie!¡± Brittany gritted her teeth and roared. ¡°Bonnie Shepard? The one who got disowned by her family?¡± Nia was genuinely surprised. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s the one! I was shopping in the mall earlier and¡­¡± Brittany proceeded to recount everything to her mother. Nia was furious by the end of it. ¡°Damn that bitch! It isn¡¯t enough that she tormented the entire Shepard family. Now, she has her eyes on you. She¡¯s just a lowly and worthless country bumpkin. How dare she pick on you!¡± Brittany¡¯s father, Dermot Dyngard, exhaled a puff of smoke and said, ¡°Let¡¯s not be hasty. So, what you¡¯re saying is Bonnie tried to steal a dress from you at Bohemian Boutique?¡± Brittany added, ¡°She¡¯s such a shameless bitch! I¡¯m sure you remember the Bentleys that night, Dad. I¡¯m certain she has a sugar daddy. That exins how someone like her can afford a dress from Bohemian Boutique.¡± Nia said, ¡°That punk deserves to be disowned by her own family. I agree with their decision.¡± ¡°You have to avenge me, Mom!¡± Nia frowned and asked, ¡°Sure, but where am I supposed to find her now?¡± Brittany answered, ¡°Let¡¯s start with the Shepards¡® vi. They might¡¯ve disowned her, but she used to be one of them. For all we know, Bonnie could have returned to them.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. We¡¯re going to the Shepards¡® vi to demand an exnation from them.¡± Soon after, they marched into the vi together. Vera smiled and weed them charmingly, ¡°To what do I owe the pleasure, Mr. Dermot and Ms. Nia?¡± Dermot and Demetria were cousins. Both the Dyngards and the Rhodes were far more powerful and influential than the Shepards. Naturally, Vera had to keep them happy. ¡°We¡¯re here for Bonnie!¡± Nia said, exasperated. Vera was stunned, and then her expression grew grim. ¡°What did she do now? Did she offend you?¡± ¡°Good on you for knowing the kind of character your daughter has. She was mean to Brittany and humiliated her!¡± Vera grew more grim when she heard that. ¡°As you know, Bonnie is no longer one of us, Ms. Nia.¡± ¡°Are you sure about that? Do I have your word that you¡¯d never wee her back?¡± ¡°Not a chance.¡± Vera guaranteed. ¡°What makes you think I have to believe you?¡± Nia did not believe a word she said. ¡°Bonnie might have trouble surviving alone in the real world ande crawling back to beg for forgiveness Chantel 123 someday. I don¡¯t see how you, her birth mother, would remain unfazed by it.¡± Vera looked at Gresham, who sighed and said, ¡°Give me a minute, Ms. Nia.¡± He then instructed his assistant to make another announcement on Twitter. 212 ¡°The Shepards won¡¯t tolerate a troublemaker like Bonnie. If shees crawling back to us and begs for forgiveness, we will never forgive her or take her back. You might use us of being heartless, but you should know that she brought it on herself. ¡°Should she get into any messes or offend anyone in the future, we will not intervene. We, the Shepards, have nothing to do with her.¡± Nia read the tweet and clicked her tongue. ¡°What a heartless tweet! With that said, I fully support you. It¡¯s the right thing to do. Since we got what we came for, rest assured we won¡¯t be picking any bones with you.¡± After resolving the conflict, the Dyngards and Shepards became friends again. Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. Gresham addressed Nia and her family, ¡°Please, have a seat in the dining room, Mr. Dermot. Ms. Nia, let¡¯s have dinner together. That reminds me. You secured a coboration with Tang Fusion Studios, correct?¡± Chapter 124 Chapter 124 Chapter 124 ¡°Yeah, we finalized everythingst month. We also signed the contract not long ago. It seems you¡¯ve been keeping tabs on things,¡± Dermot knew Gresham was trying to butter him up, but he weed it nheless. ¡°Excellent! You¡¯re such a ss act, Mr. Dermot! I can¡¯t believe you locked in a coboration with Tang Fusion Studios. I¡¯m highly impressed!¡± Gresham took a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. ¡°It¡¯s nothing remarkable. Perhaps Tang Fusion Studios liked our proposal. We put a lot of work into it, after all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s humble of you, Mr. Dermot. Tang Fusion Studios is one of the most prominent group companies in Pyralis. It¡¯ll take more than a sound proposal to get their approval. I¡¯ll bet it¡¯s because of you and your reputablepany.¡± Gresham was about to continue praising Dermot when thetter¡¯s phone rang. ¡°It¡¯s a call from my assistant. Please excuse me.¡± ¡°Sure, go ahead. I¡¯ll tell my chef to prepare more dishes for dinner.¡± Grasham turned and made his way to the kitchen. However, he had not even taken two steps when he heard Dermot¡¯s agitated voice. ¤³ ¡°Run that by me again! Why would Tang Fusion change their minds about our coboration?¡± Gresham stopped and turned to look at Dermot. Even Nia and Brittany looked at him. Dermot reddened with anger as he asked, ¡°Why would they im we offended someone important? When did we do that? Did you ask for the details?¡± His assistant replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know the specifics, Mr. Dermot. The project manager called me a minute ago and used us of not respecting them. He also said they¡¯d never work with us.¡± Dermot began to panic and was about to lose it. Gresham gulped and asked softly, ¡°What happened, Mr. Dermot?¡± ¡®How am I supposed to fucking know?!¡® Dermot almost lost his cool and roared at Gresham. A momentter, Dermot red at his daughter so fiercely that she felt goosebumps all over her body, asking, ¡°Wh¨Cwhy are you looking at me like that, Dad?¡± ¡°Did you offend anyone today?¡± Besides his daughter, who had a knack for picking fights, Dermot could not understand why Tang Fusion Studios would cancel their coboration with hispany. ¡°I¨CI didn¡¯t offend anyone! All I did was have a little spat with Bonnie.¡± ¡°Bonnie?¡± Dermot frowned. ¡°It can¡¯t be her!¡± Brittney was able to guess some of her dad¡¯s thoughts based on his earlier phone conversation. ¡°I mean it. I didn¡¯t offend any important figure. As for Bonnie, she¡¯s just a bumpkin. Do you honestly think she¡¯s some kind of big shot?¡± Chapter 124 2/2 ¡®Bonnie? A big shot? It won¡¯t take a genius to figure out the answer as a resounding no.¡® ¡°Wait a minute. Could it be Bonnie¡¯s sugar daddy?¡± Brittany had an epiphany. When she said it out loud, everyone in the dining hall was bbergasted. Dermot turned to look at Gresham and asked, ¡°Does anyone know who Bonnie¡¯s sugar daddy is?¡± Gresham paled, saying, ¡°Um, we¡¯re not sure, but do you think Bonnie¡¯s behind this? It¡¯s Tang Fusion Studios we¡¯re talking about here. I don¡¯t think they would give up on coboration because Bonnie asked them to.¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Dermot replied, ¡°Regardless, she¡¯s the prime suspect here. Also, she was mean to my daughter, and I won¡¯t let that slide. Do you have her phone number? I want to talk to her in person.¡± Chapter 125 Chapter 125 Chapter 125 ¡°Well, I do, but¡­¡± ¡°But what? Are you still trying to protect her?¡± ¡°Why would I? There¡¯s no way I¡¯d protect that deceitful punk. Fine, I don¡¯t care anymore! You can have her phone number.¡± Gresham took his phone and gave Bonnie¡¯s number to Dermot. Dermot made the phone call immediately after. While Bonnie continued to shop with Avril, she got a phone call from an unknown number. ¡°Hello? Who¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Bonnie, I presume.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s me. Can I help you with anything?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Brittany¡¯s father.¡± ¡°Did you call to pick a bone with me? Is this about Brittany?¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll get back to that. Tang Fusion Studios called off coboration with mypany so suddenly. Do you have something to do with it?¡± Bonnie raised her brow with a hint of mockery as she admitted, ¡°Yeah, that was me.¡± Dermot never expected her to admit it outright. He began to doubt her a little. ¡®Did Bonnie really do it, or is she pretending to have done it to intimidate me? That way, I won¡¯t dare to speak up for my daughter.¡® ¡°You did it? How do you have that kind of power to pull it off? The coboration is a multi¨Cmillion ¨C dor project. Mypany made an intricate proposal to secure it. What makes you think I¡¯ll believe you?¡± Bonnie chuckled and said, ¡°What makes you think I¡¯ll tell you where I get my power from?¡± ¡°Why, you little-¡± Dermot turned red with rage. ¡°I¡¯ll repeat my question. Did you, or did you not have something to do with it?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Bonnie yed him like a fiddle. Dermot was at a loss for words for seconds before he stammered, ¡°Y¨CYou goddamn-¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you going to ask me the same question again? Then, yeah, I did it.¡± Bonnie smirked. ¡°You¡¯re fucking toying with me!¡± Dermot felt like he could just explode. Meanwhile, Gresham and Vera exchanged nces when they saw how worked up Dermot was. That was why they hesitated to give Bonnie¡¯s number to him. They feared she would drive him up the wall. Chapter 125 Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. As expected, that was what happened. 212 ¡°That¡¯s just fine! This conversation isn¡¯t going anywhere. Still, you picked on my sweet girl. What are you going to do about it?¡± ¡°Let it scab.¡± ¡°Listen here, you little shit- ¡± Beep! Bonnie hung up before he could finish. ¡°Son of a bitch!¡± Dermot smashed his phone, causing an awkward pin¨Cdrop silence to fall over the dining room. Realizing that things had taken a bitter turn, Gresham hastily said, ¡°That¡¯s how she is, arrogant and unruly. It¡¯s not just you, Mr. Dermot. Vera and I used to take her crap the whole time.¡± He said this to emphasize the fact that they were not on Bonnie¡¯s side. Instead, they agreed with Dermot and assured him that they had to suffer Bonnie¡¯s insufferable behavior. Initially, Dermot was about to let Gresham and his wife have it. However, the former decided otherwise after hearing what Gresham said. On the contrary, Dermot began to pity Gresham. ¡°What a rotten luck to have a daughter such as her.¡± ¡°When you think about it, we¡¯re quite fortunate. The universe gave us Trina. That girl makes us proud,¡± Gresham said gratefully. ¡°Hmph! I can¡¯t believe Daken looked the other way when his daughter befriended Bonnie. He¡¯ll feel my wrath soon enough. I¡¯ll make sure he regrets it!¡± Dermot grunted. Meanwhile, Avril looked at Bonnie with concern. ¡°Are the Dyngards giving you trouble?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a minor hurdle. Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Bonnie reassured her. Chapter 126 Chapter 126 Chapter 126 ¡°Ah, it¡¯s a pity that the Smiths aren¡¯t as good as the Dyngards. Otherwise, we canpete with them.¡± Bonnie silently contemted, ¡®Being inferior now doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯ll be the same in the future. Still, it¡¯ll take a while to surpass them.¡® Bonnie returned to the Knights¡® residence at night after a day of shopping. Ivor¡¯s tense and stern expression rxed upon seeing her. He was genuinely afraid she would note back. ¡°Are you hungry? I¡¯ll tell the kitchen staff to prepare a meal.¡± ¡°No rush. I need to use the restroom first.¡± Bonnie casually ced her phone on the coffee table and entered the bathroom. Immediately after, Ged appeared energetically. ¡°Mr. Ivor, have you heard? The project on Lenfield Vi has just been finalized. The side whose racer wins the drift challenge will take ownership of the project.¡± ¡°I received the news not long ago,¡± replied the nonchnt Ivor. ¡°So, who are you sending to participate?¡± Ged asked curiously. Ivor frowned. ¡°If only we could find Windbreaker.¡± ¡°You mean the legendary car god?¡± ¡°If we can get her to participate, we¡¯ll have a ny¨Cnine percent chance of winning.¡± ¡°Absolutely! My idol will guarantee victory!¡± Ged eximed excitedly, ¡°Oh, I also heard that your family¡¯s archenemy has found the Vulture. He¡¯s a formidable opponent, too. ¡°Lately, he¡¯s be the widely known racing king. He even imed to make Windbreaker admit defeat,¡± Ged became increasingly frustrated as he spoke, ¡°Vulture¡¯s nothing special since he¡¯s a neer. ¡°He¡¯s just undefeated in racing so far. It¡¯s because my idol, Windbreaker, has been out of the scene for a few years. If she were around, he¡¯d shut up!¡± ¡°All right, no need to get worked up. Besides, Windbreaker has been silent for two years. It¡¯s probably hard to find her,¡± Ivor sighed in disappointment. Ged also sighed, saying, ¡°I¡¯m upset. I¡¯ll y a couple of rounds of Wildrift to soothe my angry heart. I wonder if Ms. Bonita has time to team up. I¡¯ll send her a message and ask if she¡¯s free.¡± Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. Ding! Bonnie¡¯s phone yed a notification sound as ity on the coffee table. Ged paused and looked at it, asking without much thought, ¡°Why is Bonnie¡¯s phone here?¡± ¡°She¡¯s in the restroom.¡± Ivor raised his chin toward the bathroom. 2 1/2 Chapter 126 2/2 ¡°Oh. Hmm, I wonder why Ms. Bonita isn¡¯t replying to my message.¡± Ged sent another message to ask Bonita if she was free to y with him. Ding! Bonnie¡¯s phone rang again. ¡°Huh?¡± Ged was puzzled as he stared at Bonnie¡¯s phone. From his angle, he could only see the screen light up but not the content. Ivor also noticed something was amiss, wondering if it was just a coincidence. Ged dared not overthink it and chuckled. ¡°Mr. Ivor, who do you think is messaging Bonnie? Could it be your love rival?¡± Ivor noticed Ged teasing him. Thetter suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t we take a look?¡± Ivor squinted at Bonnie¡¯s phone. ¡°Don¡¯t just sit around. What if it¡¯s really your love rival? Besides, Bonnie¡¯s still in the bathroom. You can take a peek without getting caught.¡± Ged¡¯s words tempted Ivor After ncing at the bathroom again, Ivor reached for the phone. Chapter 127 Chapter 127 Chapter 127 When the phone suddenly rang, Ivor instinctively retracted his hand, looking somewhat pale. Ged burst intoughter but quickly covered his mouth when he saw Ivor¡¯s icy re. ¡®I can¡¯t me Ged forughing.¡® The usually calm Ivor felt an unexpected guilt due to a phone call. Soon after, Bonnie came out of the bathroom and asked, ¡°Was my phone ringing?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ivor feigned ignorance and leaned into the sofa while stealing nces at Bonnie. Thetter picked up her phone and subconsciously looked at the duo when she saw the caller ID. ¡°You two didn¡¯t peek at my phone just now, did you?¡± Ivor frowned, displeased. ¡°Why, is there something you¡¯re hiding, or did someone special call you?¡± Initially, Ivor took Ged¡¯s words with a grain of salt. However, he could not help but feel suspicious after seeing Bonnie¡¯s reaction. She looked at him strangely, wondering why he would say such a thing. Nheless, she ignored him and took her phone upstairs. She saw that Hamish had called her. Judging by Ivor¡¯s expression, he probably did not see it. ¡°Hello, why¡¯d you call so suddenly?¡± ¡°Why would you ask me that? Tang Fusion Studios is yourpany, not mine. Besides, if you can call I can call you, too.¡± Hamish was puzzled. me, ¡°So, what¡¯s up?¡± Hamish sighed. ¡°All right, let¡¯s get to the point. Do you know about Lenfield Vi?¡± ¡°Yeah, what about it?¡± ¡°All of Pyralis¡® big shots are vying for its development rights. Whoever secures it will make a fortune. Ultimately, they agreed on a drag racepetition. Whoever¡¯s representative wins will get the Lenfield Vi¡¯s development rights.¡± Bonnie nodded and said, ¡°Then, let¡¯s find someone skilled enough to represent ourpany in the race.¡± This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°It¡¯s not that simple.¡± Hamish frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve heard of Vulture, but he has gained a reputation in the racing world recently.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t paid attention to the racing world in thest couple of years.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. You probably don¡¯t care, but Vulture is formidable and pretty ruthless. I heard those who race against him typically end up crashing. Sheffyn Entertainment recruited this tough guy, which caused headaches for various parties. ¡°I called you to ask if you know a skilled racer to recruit for ourpany. After all, you have a wide Chapter 127 Bonnie rubbed her chin and considered it before asking, ¡°Is Vulture as formidable as you say?¡± ¡°Give me a moment. I¡¯ll send you a video of Vulture racing. You¡¯ll know what I mean once you¡¯ve watched it.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± A few minutester, Bonnie finished watching the short video Hamish sent. She turned solemn, muttering, ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s a formidable drive, alright. Ordinary people are no match for him.¡± ¡°Yeah! I think someone like Windbreaker is the only one who can beat him. Still, can we even find her? Hamish sighed. Bonnie smiled. ¡°Windbreaker? I know her.¡± Chapter 128 Chapter 128 Chapter 128 Hamish was stunned. ¡°Do you seriously know her? Don¡¯t tease me!¡± ¡°Not only do I know her, but we¡¯re also pretty close,¡± Bonnie replied smilingly. Her confident tone assured Hamish that she was not joking. ¡°That¡¯s impressive, Ms. Bonnie! Everyone¡¯s searching for Windbreaker. I didn¡¯t expect you to know her. Oh, even though you¡¯re familiar with her, she supposedly retired two years ago. What if you can¡¯t persuade Windbreaker toe?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She¡¯lle.¡® Hamish still felt a little uneasy. ¡°How sure are you, Ms. Bonnie? If you aren¡¯t, I¡¯ll need to prepare a few backup options. It¡¯d be embarrassing if we don¡¯t have a representative for the race.¡± ¡°You can rx. Windbreaker will one hundred percent show up.¡± Bonnie sounded confident. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll stop worrying then.¡± Hamish then changed the subject, ¡°Also, I¡¯ve canceled our coboration with the Dyngards. Since that¡¯s the case, we need to find anotherpany to partner with. Do you have any suitable candidates?¡± The first person Bonnie thought of was Avril. Although Bonnie could have given the project to the Smiths directly, she was concerned about their capabilities. After some thought, Bonnie said, ¡°You can invite tenders and give favorable treatment to the Smiths. Choose them if their proposal is eptable and won¡¯t cause losses to ourpany.¡± ¡°Right away, Ms. Bonnie.¡± Afterward, Bonnie called Avril, saying, ¡°Visit Tang Fusion Studios with your dad tomorrow and participate in the bidding.¡± Avril was puzzled, wondering what was happening. Before she could ask about it, she heard her father and his assistant discussing project matters as they entered the house. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the coboration between Tang Fusion Studios and the Dyngards to fall through when they seemed so certain.¡± This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Avril blinked and paused for a moment before regaining herposure. She said, ¡°Um, Bonnie, are you talking about the project the Dyngards and Tang Fusion Studios were supposed to coborate on?¡± Bonnie replied, ¡°Yeah, that project. You should tell your dad to devise a proposal and apply for it. If the proposal isn¡¯t rubbish, Tang Fusion Studios will coborate with him.¡± Immediately after, she heard a knock on the door and asked, ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Ivor¡¯s low and attractive voice echoed. Bonnie spoke into the phone, ¡°I still have something to attend to. Let¡¯s talkter. I¡¯ll hang up now. Chapter 128 What¡¯s wrong, Ivor?¡± ¡°There was a sudden thunderstorm just now, and Tracey had an ident on the way here. Since there¡¯s no one avable to cook right now, I came to ask what you wanted. I¡¯ll cook for you today.¡± ¡°You can cook?¡± Bonnie was surprised. Although Ivor had references, he did not feel the need to bring it up. ¡°I can make lots of dishes. Anything you want.¡± Bonnie scrutinized Ivor skeptically. ¡°So, what would you like?¡± Ivor felt a little uneasy under her gaze, but he remained calm on the surface. 2/2 After some thought, Bonnie revealed a mischievous smile and said, ¡°I want m chowder,sagna, barbeque ribs, pot roast, and cobb sd. That should be all. You probably can¡¯t make them anyway.¡® Chapter 129 Chapter 129 Chapter 129 Ivor¡¯s heart sank when he heard Bonnie¡¯s outrageous requests. On the other hand, thetter chuckled inwardly. Ged, who had followed Ivor, pped the staircase railing andughed heartily, saying, ¡°Damn, that¡¯s hrious!¡± Bonnie suppressed herughter and said, ¡°How about something simpler, like chicken noodle soup?¡± Ivor sighed in relief. He would rather be in an intense corporate meeting than cook the dishes Bonnie mentioned earlier. After all, he had barely cooked before. ¡°All right, wait a moment. I¡¯ll be quick.¡± Ivor turned to Ged and said, ¡°There won¡¯t be noodles for you. ¡°Hey, I wasn¡¯tughing at you just now! I wasughing at myself.¡± Avril looked absent¨Cminded after her call with Bonnie. The former had something to say but ended up swallowing her words. Daken noticed his daughter¡¯s absent¨Cmindedness and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡± ¡°Ahem! Dad, did Tang Fusion Studios cancel its coboration with the Dyngards?¡± ¡°I just got the news. Everyone suspects the Dyngards had probably offended someone they shouldn¡¯t have.¡± Daken lit a cigarette as he spoke. Avril recalled Bonnie saying something about the Dyngards no longer being business partners with Tang Fusion Studios yesterday. Bonnie¡¯s words echoed non¨Cstop in Avril¡¯s mind, and she wondered if it was just a coincidence or if Bonnie was psychic. ¡°Avril? Hey, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Daken¡¯s voice brought Avril out of her thoughts. ¡°Um, Bonnie just called and said we should participate in Tang Fusion Studios¡¯s project bidding tomorrow.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Daken was stunned. ¡°She also said ourpany should devise a proposal and that Tang Fusion will prioritize cooperating with us if the proposal is decent.¡± Avril continued, her heart filled with unease.Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. Daken held his cigarette nkly for a moment. A momentter, he frowned and asked, ¡°Is that a joke or something?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think Bonnie jokes around like that, Dad.¡± Avril¡¯s words caused Daken to fall into deep thought again. She added, ¡°Dad, there¡¯s another thing. Bonnie and I ran into Brittany at the mall today.¡± ¡°So, you and Brittany had a conflict, and the Dyngards¡® coboration got canceled?¡± Daken was Chapter 129 shocked. Avril gulped and asked, ¡°Do you think it could be a coincidence?¡± 272 ¡°Not necessarily.¡± Daken pursed his lips and squinted. ¡°Do you remember Bonnie picking you up in a Maybach yesterday?¡± ¡°I remember, 80- ¡°Avril¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Bonnie contacted someone in the store. It was most likely a higher¨Cup of Tang Fusion, or maybe even the CEO!¡± ¡°That¡¯s highly likely. Don¡¯t spread this information for now. After all, that¡¯s just our spection. Even if it¡¯s true, don¡¯t discuss it with anyone. It¡¯s Bonnie¡¯s private matter. If she doesn¡¯t want to disclose it, you shouldn¡¯t either.¡± ¡°I understand, Dad. It¡¯s just It can¡¯t be Mr. Hamish of Tang Fusion Studios, right? He¡¯s quite handsome and is also the chief designer. He¡¯s skillful, but he¡¯s already thirty¨Cfive.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with being thirty¨Cfive? Men age like fine wine, especially in their thirties. They¡¯re at the peak of their charm by that age.¡± Daken disagreed with Avril¡¯s viewpoint. Chapter 130 Chapter 130 Chapter 130 ¡°You are right. Thirty¨Cfive isn¡¯t old, but the problem is Bonnie is only twenty. Mr.Hamish is fifteen years older than Bonnie.¡± Ariel expressed her disbelief. ¡°Bonnie is at a disadvantage.¡± ¡°What disadvantage? Mr. Hamish is a business genius designer. Besides, he¡¯s not married. Let¡¯s not talk about such things. Things may not be as we imagine.¡± Draken rubbed his forehead. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. Hey, if I ask Bonnie how she knows so much, do you think she¡¯ll tell me?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you give it a try?¡± ¡°Never mind.¡± Ariel waved. ¡°I¡¯ve only known her for a day or two. Still, I want to be good friends with her. Considering the short time we¡¯ve known each other, it¡¯d be awkward if I were so direct with her. I¡¯ll wait until we¡¯re more familiar with each other. Maybe she¡¯ll tell me when she¡¯s ready.¡± Draken was satisfied with his daughter¡¯s considerations. ¡°Well, you¡¯ve thought it through. Go to Tang Fusion Studios with me tomorrow. You might run into Bonnie.¡± ¡°Okay, Dad.¡± Bonnie sat on the sofa in the Knights¡® residence while waiting for dinner. Suddenly, she smelled something burning. At that moment, Ged put down his phone and looked at her. ¡°Hey, Bonnie, do you smell something?¡± Bonnie looked toward the kitchen and saw thick smokeing from it. Immediately after, Ged bolted upright and ran toward the kitchen. ¡°Oh shit! Fire!¡± When Bonnie arrived at the kitchen door, she saw Ivor using a fire extinguisher to put out the fire. They exchanged awkward nces and then cleaned up the kitchen. ¡°Let me handle it.¡± Bonnie rolled up her sleeves and opened the refrigerator. She saw plenty of ingredients inside and realized nothing was missing or out of ce. ¡°Can you cook?¡± Ivor was surprised this time. ¡°There¡¯s no surprises there. I¡¯m a country girl born and raised, after all. Being able to cook is an expectation, don¡¯t you think?¡± Ivor frowned. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean that.¡± Bonnie stopped and looked at Ivor. ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it. I¡¯m just stating a fact.¡± Ged sighed in relief. ¡°Finally, we can have a normal meal tonight.¡± Immediately after, he received Ivor¡¯s deadly re, and the former silently left the kitchen. ¡°Those eyes are frightening. I was just speaking the truth. My standards for food aren¡¯t high anyway. I don¡¯t have to eat a chef¡¯s cooking. I just want something edible. With that raging storm outside, it¡¯d Chapter 130 be inconvenient for us to go out for a meal.¡® 2/2 Bonnie finished cooking various dishes an hourter. The food looked appealing to the eyes and taste buds as she arranged them on the table. Ged pointed at the carved patterns on the te in surprise and eximed, ¡°Wow, that¡¯s unexpected! I didn¡¯t know you could carve, too.¡± He thought Bonnie could only make simple country¨Cstyle dishes, but the results were pretty sophisticated. Ivor was just as surprised. The colorbinations and presentation of these dishes were meticulous, unlike everyday home¨Ccooked dishes. ¡°Mr. Ivor, don¡¯t just stand there. Grab your spoon and try some! Let¡¯s eat together.¡± Ged picked up a piece of chicken and bit into it. Ivor, on the other hand, took a piece of pork.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Chapter 131 Chapter 131 Chapter 131 Ivor became wide¨Ceyed when he ate the pork, and the fragrant aftertaste lingered. He turned to look at Ged and saw him looking back with enjoyment and surprise, Ged gave a thumbs up and said, ¡°This dish tastes just as good as the ones made by the chef at Jade Horizon Hotel!¡± Bonnie raised her brows at that statement. After all, she was that chef¡¯s apprentice. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s delicious! I think it even surpasses the chef a little,¡± Ivor praised enthusiastically. He also felt a sense of joy as he discovered something new about Bonnie. However, she urged, ¡°Enough with thepliments. We¡¯ve been starving, right? Let¡¯s eat up.¡± She had a habit of maintaining a healthy diet and usually did not eat much at night. Even so, Ivor served her a full te that she could not finish. He looked at her te and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you full?¡± ¡°Yeah, you put too much on my te.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll eat it. I¡¯m still hungry,¡± Ivor said as he reached out. Bonnie looked at him in surprise while Ged secretly nced at them. Since Bonnie did not reject, Ivor took her te. However, the former asked, ¡°But those are my leftovers. Aren¡¯t you bothered by it?¡± N?velDrama.Org owns this. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not particr about stuff like that.¡± Bonnie looked at his utensils and thought, ¡®We¡¯ve been living together for over a month, and he only uses his set of utensils during every meal. Now, he¡¯s saying he¡¯s not particr about sharing leftovers. Forget it. Whatever he likes is none of my business.¡® Suddenly, Ivor¡¯s spoon fell to the ground. ¡°Damn it. My spoon¡¯s all dirty now. It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll just use yours.¡± He took Bonnie¡¯s spoon and ate with it. Initially, Bonnie did not overthink Ivor eating her leftovers. However, she felt it was inexplicable that he savored the food he ate with her spoon. Meanwhile, Ged felt a little overwhelmed as he enjoyed his meal. ¡®It¡¯s just dinner. There¡¯s no need for all this.¡® Ged nced at Ivor resentfully, hoping thetter would restrain himself. However, Ivor did not even look at Ged and continued to enjoy his meal with Bonnie. ¡®I wish I hadn¡¯t seen that look on Ivor¡¯s face.¡® The following day, Bonnie had breakfast and quickly left for Tang Fusion Studios. She had rarely attended board meetings. Even if she did, she would leave as soon as one ended. Chapter 131 212 Hamish looked at her with a bitter smile and said, ¡°Ms. Bonnie, you rarelye to these things. There¡¯s still a lot more here that requires your attention. Can¡¯t you handle some of them before leaving?¡± ¡°I believe in your capabilities, Hamish. You can do it. Keep up the hard work,¡± Bonnie said nkly. Hamish was dumbfounded, thinking Bonnie was shameless for preaching such things without any practical effort. ¡°But- Before he could finish, Bonnie pushed him aside and whispered, ¡°The Smiths are here.¡± Hamish could only cooperate and hide to the side. Chapter 132 Chapter 132 Chapter 132 Avril jonged over. ¡°Bonnie, my dad said you might be here. I didn¡¯t actually expect to see you, though.. Bonnie nced at Daken and nodded casually. Thetter nodded back with a smile. ¡°Ahem,¡± Avrit cleared her throat and suppressed her urges to ask Bonnie if she was Hamish¡¯s girlfriend. ¡°Bonnie, look at the proposal my dad¡¯spany prepared.¡± Bonnie looked at the slightly guilty Avrill and smiled. The former took the proposal and read through it, saying, ¡°Not bad, but a little refinement right there would be ideal.¡± Both Avril and Daken stared at the spot Bonnie pointed out. ¡°How should we refine it?¡± ¡°Do you have a pen?¡± ¡°Yes, of course!¡± Bonnie took the pen from Avril and quickly made the adjustments. Meanwhile, Hamish looked at the ceiling in frustration as he lurked on the sidelines. He did not see the point in asking the Smiths to prepare when Bonnie was helping them out anyway. ¡®She could¡¯ve devised the proposal herself and pre¨Cselected the Smiths. It would¡¯ve been more efficient and hassle¨Cfree that way.¡® ¡°All set.¡± Bonnie handed the revised proposal to Avril. ¡°Let me see.¡± Daken hurriedly took it and admired it more. It seemed things between Bonnie and Hamish were not as simple as he thought. The proposal was a collection of their entirepany¡¯s elites. Daken considered his initial draft to be perfect, but it became wless after Bonnie¡¯s changes. She had perfected the proposal within only five minutes of ncing through it. ¡®Her business talent is extraordinary.¡® ¡°Will this work?¡± Avril could not understand the changes and asked in confusion. Thetter offered aforting and encouraging smile, saying, ¡°Rest assured, they¡¯ll one hundred percent approve of this proposal. Your family will undoubtedly be partners with Tang Fusion Studios.¡± Daken and his daughter felt as if Hamish had already confirmed the coboration with them.N?velDrama.Org owns this. At that moment,ughter echoed, ¡°Hahaha! Bonnie, do you think you¡¯re the boss of Tang Fusion Studios? You don¡¯t have the right to approve anything. Are you dreaming?¡± Hadwin and Trina appeared before Bonnie and the others. Thetterzily turned to the duo and asked indifferently, ¡°What are you two doing here?¡± Chapter 132 2/2 Suddenly, Bonnie lit up and asked again, ¡°Wait, you¡¯re here for the coboration project, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re pretty clever. So, why are you here?¡± Hadwin asked sarcastically. ¡°None of your business,¡± Bonnie replied indifferently, ¡°This ce doesn¡¯t wee you. You should leave as soon as possible.¡± Her words once again provoked Hadwin¡¯s sarcasm. He said, ¡°That¡¯s amusing. I represent my family¡¯spany and came here to discuss business. Who do you think you are?¡± ¡°I said, this ce doesn¡¯t wee you. Tang Fusion Studios won¡¯t coborate with the Rhodes,¡± Bonnie¡¯s tone remained indifferent. Hadwin was speechless, and so was Trina. Suddenly, thetter figured something out and said, Bonnie, are you¡­ Is one of the higher¨Cups from here supporting you or something?¡± Her spection startled Hadwin as he stared at Bonnie, awaiting her answer. However, Bonnie frowned with a hint of impatience. Chapter 133 Chapter 133 Chapter 133 Bonnie retorted, ¡°You have no shame, Trina. Do you think everyone is like you? Not everyone has to cozy up to a man to survive. You constantly try to make me look bad and think I won¡¯t retaliate, I¡¯m not like you and don¡¯t need to rely on others to support myself.¡± Avril stepped forward, arms akimbo as she said, ¡°Donnie¡¯s right. You and the Shepards know nothing else besides making baseless assumptions.¡± Trina¡¯s eyes reddened. ¡°You misunderstood me. I didn¡¯t mean to nder my sister. I ¡°Trina, stop with the sob stories. You questioned whether or not there¡¯s a higher¨Cup here supporting Bonnie. You set the tone the moment you entered, and now you¡¯re trying to y the victim. ¡°You must have the memory of a goldfish or think we forgot what you just said.¡± Avril always felt surprised whenever Trina spoke, thinking thetter was simply a bimbo. Hadwin retorted, ¡°Don¡¯t talk about my fiancee like that, Avril. You¡¯re disrespecting my family by attacking her. Are you trying to oppose my family? You should weigh your worth before that. You¡¯re not even a threat to us.¡± Daken¡¯s expression turned grim. Although he disliked people speaking down on him and his family, especially from a younger person, he had to admit his family was inferior to the Rhodes. Hadwin sneered. ¡°Be prepared to face the consequences if you offend my family. You stand no chance against us in this project bidding. The Smiths should consider whether or not they¡¯re worthy ofpeting with us.¡± ¡°Son of a¡ª¡°Avril wanted to confront him, but Daken held her back. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t stop me! He¡¯s insulting us, and I can¡¯t stand it!¡± Daken helplessly shook his head and sighed while Bonnie grew impatient. She initially did not want to escte the situation. When she turned to look at the lurking Hamish, he quickly understood her gaze and showed himself, Hadwin noticed his appearance and quickly approached, speaking tteringly, ¡°Hello there, Mr. Hamish! I¡¯m Hadwin Rhodes. My family¡¯s proposal will surely satisfy you.¡± ¡°Really now?¡± Hamish replied indifferently. ¡°Of course! It won¡¯t take up much of your time. You can take a look now if you want.¡± Hadwin turned to Trina and added, ¡°Trina, bring me the documents.¡® Trina walked over, appearing docile. However, her gaze toward Hamish revealed a hint of her inappropriate thoughts, ¡®Hamish is considerably more handsome than in magazines and on television. He¡¯s also the CEO of Tang Fusion Studios and its chief designer.¡® Many women dreamed of being with Hamish. Compared to him, Hadwin looked like a clown. Even so, there was nothing Trina could do with Hamish since he stood at the top of the metaphorical food chain. He was not someone a woman like Trina could aspire to be with. N?velDrama.Org owns this. 2/2 Once Hamish finished reviewing the proposal, his expression darkened. ¡°What is this? It¡¯s not even a proper proposal. Why would you waste my time with this garbage?!¡± Hadwin felt so embarrassed that he wished to hide in a hole. Many representatives from other