Caroline called Gwen insane in response to her claims before hanging up the phone. Just as she put down her phone, she got another call from an unknown number. She answered the call after a moment's hesitation. "Hello?""Hello. Is this Caroline Evans?""Yes.""I'm Jules Hawkins, the newly appointed CEO of Thorne Industries. First, I hope you accept our sincerest apologies for our major mistake during the judging process." The CEO himself had apologized to her. Their standards were high."It's all good as long as the truth is out.""Thank you for your understanding," Jules said in a charming voice. "After some discussion, our company has unanimously decided that you're both the winner and the runner-up of this competition. So, you'll get the winnings and prizes for both places. "Just as we'd announced, there's a special bonus for the winner: a lifetime contract as the design director at our company. Are you interested in our offer, Ms. Evans?"Caroline's breath got caught.
"Damn, they're giving Caroline tons of privileges, aren't they?" "The first thing a large company like them did was welcome the design director. Oh my God. I'm starting to doubt the things I see on the internet." "The boss of this company is allegedly Mr. Eddy's second uncle. If Mr. Eddy and Caroline have broken up, there's no way his second uncle would give her such a big privilege, right?" "Exactly. That's why I'm doubting the authenticity of this post." The netizens were eating up the gossip from this particular post like a buffet. However, it caused an uproar among the upper-class citizens, especially the big four families, who had been kept in the dark about this.The company merger proved that Eddy's second uncle had already infiltrated Easton's market. However, none of them had noticed anything before this. Furthermore, the quick change in public opinion made them even more uncertain about whether Caroline would marry into the Morrison family. Another shocking thi
Although Layla was unwilling to do it, she had to put on an act for Eddy. Besides, she was sure that Caroline would mock her. When that happened, she could put on a miserable face and shift the blame on Caroline, killing two birds with one stone.Layla opened her private message with Caroline, only to find that she wasn't on Caroline's contact list. She tried calling Caroline, but she'd also blocked her number. She sniffled, looking at Eddy helplessly. She said, "Caroline must be mad at me. She blocked my number on everything. Can you lend me your phone, Ed?"Eddy took out his phone and handed it to Layla.Layla opened Eddy's list of contacts and called Caroline, but no one answered. Then, she tried to contact Caroline through WhatsApp. Only then did Eddy realize that Caroline had blocked him as well. "She removed my number on WhatsApp too."Layla noticed it as well. She saw the prompt on the screen saying that Eddy's number wasn't on Caroline's contact list. She also saw t
"Are you—""Carol!" Before Caroline finished her question, she heard Gwen's excited voice. Caroline looked in the direction of the voice. Seeing Gwen getting out of Sean's car, she asked, "Did you both come here together?""Yeah," Sean answered. "Congratulations, Ms. Evans."Caroline gave Gwen a vague glance and said to Sean, "Thank you, Dr. Yates, but you don't have to be so formal. Just call me Carrie from now on.""Carrie?" Kirk hummed from the side.After glancing at Kirk, Sean said, "I'd better call you Caroline. You don't have to be formal, either. You can just call me Sean.""Okay."As they talked, the four of them sat at a table. From time to time, Kirk would look down at his stool.Noticing his actions, Caroline asked, "What's wrong?"Kirk had been acting weird from the moment they'd arrived at the restaurant. Sean joked, saying, "Just ignore him. A rich man like him is lowering his dignity to dine in this open-air barbecue restaurant. It's normal for him to be un
Feeling a headache, Sean bit the bullet and said, "He goes by so many names that I can't remember his actual one.""What name does he go by now?" Caroline asked."Matthew," Sean answered.Then, he looked at Kirk smugly, raising an eyebrow. He was telling the truth; Matthew was one of Kirk's aliases."Matthew …" Caroline whispered in a clear voice.Kirk's heart skipped a beat when he heard her whisper his name. He looked at Caroline's plump lips, feeling the urge to kiss her."Here's the bread." The waiter put the plate of bread on the table, blocking Kirk's view. When the waiter left, Caroline had already begun talking to Gwen about Layla."She must be so pissed right now! I'm happy just thinking about it!" Gwen took a bite of her bread. "It's so satisfying to see her suffer! If Layla had gotten the job, she would've acted all high and mighty, showing it off to you."Sean also took a slice of bread. He asked curiously, "Is Layla Eddy's lover?""Oh, you know her too?" Gwen
At the convenience store, Caroline bought a few pieces of bread and a few bottles of water.Gwen asked her curiously, "Why are you buying water?" There were cold drinks at the barbecue restaurant.Caroline couldn't help but blush. "I want some regular water."Gwen sauntered to her, asking, "Is it for you, or are you buying it for Kirk?""It's for me, all right?" Caroline took another water bottle before asking Gwen, "What's going on between you and Sean?""Huh? Nothing!" Gwen felt a little sheepish. There really wasn't anything between her and Sean, so she had no clue why she was acting like this."Oh, really?" Caroline stared straight into Gwen's eyes, making the latter feel a little awkward."Carol, didn't I promise I wouldn't pursue him?"Caroline said, "If you really like him, I don't mind."Gwen waved her hand. "Forget it. Both his work and family are abroad. Who knows when he'll be leaving this place? Long distance relationships are too difficult."Her friend's words to
Meanwhile, Sean took Gwen home. Gwen was still protesting at the door, "Let go of me! I will give that bastard the verbal lashing of his life!"Sean held Gwen's waist with one hand and opened the door with the other. After he turned on the lights, he told Gwen, "If you weren't Caroline's friend, you would have been a corpse by now."Gwen wasn't convinced. "Hmph. Does he really have what it takes to kill me?"Sean shrugged, saying nothing in response. He walked to the kitchen and poured Gwen a glass of water. Gwen was still sulking. "He's the one who cheated in the first place.""I know Kirk very well, so I'm very sure that there's nothing between him and Brie."Gwen took a sip of water. She retorted, "Of course you'll defend him. He's your friend, after all.""I'm not defending him," Sean said. He briefly explained what had happened when Brie tried to seduce Kirk in the private room that day. "If there were really something between them, Kirk wouldn't have thrown her out li
Early the next day, Caroline woke up. She hurriedly lifted the blanket, only to find her clothes intact. They … hadn't done anything last night."You're awake?"Caroline looked up and saw Kirk coming out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his hips. Cold water fell from his hair, dripping down his well-defined muscles before getting absorbed by the towel. The sight bewildered her. She answered, "Yeah."Kirk approached her and sat down on the bed, which dipped under his weight. His movements made Caroline's heart pound, and her face turned crimson.Kirk fiddled with Caroline's earlobes, saying, "You fell asleep last night.""Huh?" Caroline remembered what had happened last night. Kirk had left the room to answer the phone, and … she'd fallen asleep. Her face reddened even more as she apologized, saying, "I'm sorry!"Kirk pulled her into his arms, asking, "How do you plan to make it up to me?"Caroline quivered and said shyly, "C—close your eyes."Kirk listened