It was early winter in Beijing, and intermittent snowfall gave the city a picturesque white hue. As the snow settled on buildings and rooftops, it contrasted against the asphalt roads, which were occasionally split by passing cars. The freezing wind blew, occasionally howling to emphasize its intensity. In the Rothschild Corporation, Nolan had just arrived at the office. He took off his windbreaker and hung it on the coat rack by the entrance before entering the main office. Unlike the simple and minimalistic design of his mansion's office, this one had a European setting. It consisted of a separate main office and a lounge area with sofas and a wine rack. Inside the office, a large and tidy desk stretched from one edge of the room to the other, with only a mini PC and a few arranged files adorning its surface. Behind the desk, a long and wide bookshelf was installed into the wall, filled with books of various sizes and covers. Nolan picked up the remote for the heater on his desk a
It had been quite a busy afternoon, and Hailey was feeling stressed out. She casually twirled the pen in her hand while observing the interactions between her colleagues. Suddenly, Tara, who was seated beside her and engrossed in her phone, leaned towards Hailey and exclaimed, "Hailey, have you seen this?" "What is it?" Hailey asked, coolly turning her gaze towards Tara. Tara seemed hesitant to speak, but she carefully said, "Don't let their words affect you. Most of them don't know anything about you; they're just making assumptions." She tried to reassure Hailey. Hailey smiled and nodded in agreement. It was only then that Tara showed her the screen of her phone. It displayed the school forum's dashboard with a post about Hailey pinned at the top. Hailey felt a bit confused. Such an incident had occurred in her first week at the Institute. Someone had taken her photo and posted it on the forum, attracting a lot of attention.
Heather believed she was being benevolent again and didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, so she tried to mediate. This only made her angrier as she saw Hailey as another bully taking advantage of Cassidy's kindness. She barked at Hailey, "No, I did not misunderstand anything. I'm sure this person must have cheated as they said." Hailey observed the interaction between the two and had to hold back her laughter. It seemed that no matter which life it was, Cassidy still had that charm of manipulating others to get what she wanted. Cassidy must have bad-mouthed her to the other girl, explaining the hostility. Nevertheless, Hailey couldn't be bothered to deal with anyone who couldn't see through Cassidy's actions. She had fallen for it in her past life, but she wouldn't be so easily fooled this time around. Tara, who stood beside Hailey, was also annoyed by the girls' interference. She stepped forward and looked at Heather before saying, "And why is that any of your business? Even if sh
The car pulled into the underground garage of the city hospital, and Hailey and Nolan stepped out. They had come to visit Nolan's grandfather, who was admitted to the hospital. Hailey had been there once before, and despite not being warmly received by the old man, she remembered the way and offered to push his wheelchair so his assistant could return to the office. Nolan seemed slightly hesitant, but he didn't dismiss her like he had done the other day. Hailey noticed that he was being more lenient with her now, and she could sense a newfound tolerance in him. As they turned towards the hallway leading to the VIP wards, Nolan asked, "How have your lectures been going? Are they stressful?" Hailey looked at him, realizing that he hadn't been around much in the past few days and wasn't aware of how her days were going. She smiled gently and replied, "Although they can be stressful, they're also very interesting. And I made a friend." Nolan appeared surprised but didn't say anything,
Prime Manual City B Max was furious. He swept the files off the table in anger, and they crashed onto the floor. Pulling at his tie in annoyance, he kicked his desk and wore an expression filled with anger. It was clear to anyone that he was not in a state to be approached at that moment. Glancing at the message on his phone screen, Max gritted his teeth as he paced around his study. The content was sent by one of the executive members whom he had approached to create obstacles for Nolan. However, the person had rejected his offer and even advised him to calm down. They were all traitors. They had all promised to stand by him during the selection process. How could they change sides so quickly? And Nolan, that sneaky bastard. He acted as though he had no interest in the position, but when the time came, he snatched everything away from Max, which he had worked so hard for. But what annoyed him the most were those hidden shares. How could he have missed something so important? Nola
When she entered the room, everyone's attention immediately turned towards her. She wore a flashy black and white blouse with an off-shoulder design, paired with a short skirt. It was evident that she belonged to the upper echelons and exuded a sense of class. As she walked in, her gaze quickly scanned the seated individuals before finally resting on Nolan. A wide smile formed on her face as she took a step forward, but just as she was about to sit beside him, she noticed Hailey, who was seated right next to him. A hint of surprise flashed across her face. However, she swiftly adjusted to the situation and took her seat. Upon seeing her, Nathan quickly joked, "So you also found the time to join us today. It's probably going to rain." She smiled in a relaxed manner upon hearing his comment and playfully replied, "Of course, the Almighty of the group is present. How could I miss it?" Nathan snorted in response. "Of course, we all know that Nolan holds a special place in your heart wi
Nolan watched her silently as she dramatized, and when she realized his gaze was fixed on her, a darker hue appeared on her cheeks, as if she were blushing. "Stop looking at me, pretty boy. I won't be seduced by you," she muttered, leaving him speechless and blinking heavily. Nolan didn't know what to say. He had always thought of Hailey as a quiet and focused person. She usually kept to herself in the house, and even though she wasn't confined to her room, she never caused any trouble. However, he hadn't expected a few glasses of wine to make her so drunk. Suddenly, Hailey sat up, causing her waist-length hair to unravel from its curls and fall onto her back. In the process, she accidentally hit her head heavily on the car roof. It produced a loud "PAK" sound, and since Nolan's attention wasn't focused on her at the moment, he couldn't prevent her from getting hurt. His eyes widened, and he quickly turned to her. "Are you okay, Hailey?" he asked, concerned, as he reached out to
Hailey's gaze wandered out to the field as her heart roamed through various thoughts. She absentmindedly twirled a strand of her hair, hoping for the class to end quickly so she could return home. Was it to see Nolan? No, she objected to herself. Perhaps it was to finish up her writing. She tried to convince herself of that, but deep down, she knew she was lying to herself. She wanted to see Nolan so badly that she had pushed aside all her worries about Cassidy and Luke. "Hailey, do you want to come with me?" Tara's voice jolted her back to reality. She turned slowly to face her. "To where?" Hailey raised an eyebrow. She wasn't really curious since she knew it would probably be one of the socialite parties, but she wondered why Tara would invite her in the first place. "My bad. I mean the Raymonds' party. Their first granddaughter got engaged, so they are holding a celebration banquet, and my family got invited," Tara explained, just as Hailey had expected. Hailey nodded slowly. Ta