On the cruise ship's deck, Priscilla sat by the railing, letting the sea breeze wash over her.The salty air brought tears to her eyes as she contemplated her situation. She hadn't intended to rekindle anything with Sirius; it was all Grace's idea. Learning that he had stormed off upon hearing of her divorce left her deeply unsettled. Was a divorced woman truly so undesirable?Meanwhile, Grace was also taking in the sea air, but her demeanor was anxious. She paced back and forth like an ant on a hot pan."Prissy, we need to explain things to Mr. Sirius. We can't let the hotel deal fall through. Prissy, why aren't you saying anything?"Annoyed by Grace's persistence, Priscilla responded impatiently, "Grace, I can live without a man. Yes, Mr. Sirius has been kind to me, but I believe I can succeed on my own. I won't meet him again. We'll go back after the auction."Grace grew even more anxious. "Prissy, don't be impulsive! Mr. Sirius is a rare catch. If he's truly angry, our compa
Priscilla's face was drained of color as she eavesdropped on Grace's phone conversation.The news of the company being sealed off sent a chill down her spine. She turned to Marianne and said reassuringly, "Mom, please try not to worry. I'll get to the bottom of this."However, Marianne was enraged. "What is happening? You're clearly not cut out for business. Your brother should have inherited the company. You need to find a husband quickly and bring in the money!"Priscilla was unable to bear her mother's tirade and ended the call abruptly.She turned to Grace and asked, "What's going on? Tell me everything."As her secretary, Grace was usually the first point of contact for any company news, relaying information to Priscilla as needed. Before Grace could respond, Priscilla's phone buzzed with a series of alarming messages."Dear Ms. Miller, due to a problem with your loan at our bank, we have frozen your account balance. Please take immediate action to resolve this."As the com
The ball was about to begin.Priscilla, Grace, and June made their entrance. Grace persistently nagged Priscilla. "Prissy, you must offer a sincere apology to Mr. Sirius."Priscilla remained silent, unable to fathom why she should apologize to Sirius for divorcing Frederick.Observing Priscilla's expression, Grace recognized her stubbornness resurfacing. She quickly appealed to her reason. "Consider this carefully. The company is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, jeopardizing all your hard work. Consider Mitchell, June, and Aunt Marianne. Can Aunt Marianne, who is used to a life of luxury, really go back to her old way of living? Women are expected to marry, and at the very least, you should ensure you're 'sold' for a good price."Her words sent a shiver down Priscilla's spine.Was she merely a commodity?Grace continued, "Even if not for yourself, do it for Aunt Marianne. Repay her for raising you."Marianne was undeniably Priscilla's Achilles' heel. Grace's words struck a
"This way, Mr. Sirius will undoubtedly calm down," Nelson said.Grace's eyes sparkled at the suggestion. The problem was indeed Frederick, and if he bore the brunt of Sirius's anger, everything would be resolved. She turned to Priscilla and said, "Prissy, did you hear that? Go provoke Frederick."Priscilla's face hardened at the word "leftovers." "If you're so keen on provoking him, do it yourself."Grace frowned slightly. "Can't you do it for Aunt Marianne's sake? And don't forget, Frederick and Vivianne have caused our company great harm. Have you forgotten?"As they spoke, Frederick, Vivianne, and Scarlett emerged. Scarlett wore a fiery red gown that accentuated her alluring figure, captivating everyone present. In contrast, Vivianne donned a pristine white dress. Her innocent face and snowy attire made her appear like a celestial being.Between these two striking women stood Frederick, clad in ordinary clothes with unkempt hair. The scene resembled a rose planted in manu
Frederick's expression darkened at Nelson's words. He hadn't expected the man who'd tried to harass June to confront him instead of the other way around. His eyes narrowed as he addressed Nelson. "You have the audacity to show your face in front of me, huh?"Nelson recalled Frederick's intimidating glare and impressive fighting prowess and instinctively recoiled.However, he quickly regained his composure, realizing they were on the Monroe family's cruise ship. Surely, Frederick wouldn't dare cause a scene in such a public setting.With his confidence bolstered, Nelson puffed out his chest and retorted, "Did I strike a nerve? You used to leech off Priscilla, and after she dumped you, you somehow managed to latch onto these two beauties. Now you're here, posing as some important figure. If I were you, I'd have slunk away in shame long ago."Nelson's aim was clear. He wanted to drive Frederick away and expose him as a freeloader, hoping this would appease Sirius. But Frederick had
Nelson instinctively glanced down to see a dark stain spreading across his pants.In his fright, he had wet himself. The surrounding crowd erupted in laughter. "A grown man pees his pants in fear and then claims others fled. It's the classic case of the coward who barks the loudest!"Nelson's face burned with embarrassment as he hastily retreated to find a place to change.Watching him hobble away, Grace stamped her foot in frustration. "What a useless fool, he wet himself out of sheer terror."Priscilla's cheeks flushed with a hint of shame. This was the man who was supposed to help her humiliate Frederick.June leaned in and whispered, "Pris, don't listen to them about provoking Frederick. Sirius doesn't even like you; that's why he overreacted. Look at Frederick, has he ever lost his temper with you?"June's words gave Priscilla pause.She was right. During their three-year marriage, Frederick had never raised his voice at her. He had always acquiesced to her wishes and nev
Sirius nodded reluctantly, confirming Wayne's suspicions.Seeing Sirius's affirmation, Wayne's expression grew grave. "The Venomveil Tribe usually avoids mundane affairs, don't they?"Sirius replied calmly, "About twenty years ago, the Goddess of the Venomveil Tribe vanished. A large number of tribe members ventured out to search for her, including Kendrick. "Once in the outside world, they needed money to survive, and these individuals grew accustomed to a lavish lifestyle. When their funds ran low, they began borrowing from prominent families. They've borrowed from the Monroe family multiple times before, but you simply haven't witnessed it."Wayne's expression shifted.Borrowing money? It was more like extortion.Kendrick recognized the Monroe family's wealth and came to forcefully demand funds. The Monroe family dared not refuse, aware that the Venomveil Tribe were masters of poison. If one of them became disgruntled and resorted to using their parasitic poisons, the consequ
Meanwhile, Vivianne clung to Frederick's side, her competitive spirit with Scarlett flaring. Scarlett simply observed Vivianne's behavior with a bemused smile.The ball soon began, drawing everyone toward the center of the grand venue. As the butler of the Monroes, Wayne took the stage as the host."Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Mr. Sirius has been called away on urgent business, so I will be presiding over tonight's event. To begin the evening, I would like to introduce a distinguished guest of the Monroe family." Every eye in the room widened with anticipation, eager to discover the identity of the mysterious guest.Recognizing this familiar scenario, Grace leaned toward Priscilla and whispered, "Prissy, doesn't this remind you of the last time Mr. Sirius made a grand introduction to you? What if... What if he's had a change of heart? It's not like the Monroe family has a revolving door of distinguished guests, right?"Priscilla shook her head as she was unconvinced. "I