Jade's destination wasn’t far from Chenelle's gallery—just a short ten-minute drive.Glancing at the red light ahead, she decisively turned on her right indicator.Ten minutes later, Jade's car came to a stop in front of a gallery. She stepped out, taking a deliberate look at the gallery’s name, "Thinking of Summer".A complex gleam flashed in her eyes. 'Thinking of Summer, how ironic.'With purposeful steps, she walked inside.Chenelle didn't seem surprised by Jade's arrival. This time, however, she abandoned her usual innocent demeanor, glaring at Jade with undisguised hatred."Jade, I've never done anything to displease you. Why are you treating me like this? Slandering me in front of Grandpa, framing me in front of Caelan—I've endured all that. But now you've even targeted my only gallery, sending people to destroy my place. Isn’t that going too far?"Chenelle launched her accusations immediately, giving Jade no chance to defend herself. Her shrill voice echoed through the g
At the time, Chenelle had been in a foul mood and lashed out at the cleaning lady, hurling insults and having her locked up. She even demanded compensation, claiming her painting was worth 10,000 dollars.In truth, 10,000 meant little to her. It was simply unfortunate for the cleaning lady to have crossed her path when she was in such a bad mood, making her the target of her ire."What's going on? Is the person still locked up?" Chenelle asked in a hushed voice, her expression sour as she addressed her assistant.'No wonder Owen demanded someone's release immediately upon arrival.'Chenelle had initially suspected Jade had sent him to cause trouble, feeling a perverse satisfaction at the thought of finally having an excuse to retaliate against Jade. She had deliberately escalated the situation, even slamming herself against a wall and injuring her arm in the process.That led to the earlier scene.The assistant, trembling with fear, nodded slightly. "After locking up that clean
Ernesto broke down in despair, tears streaming down his cheeks as he clenched his fists tightly, glaring at Chenelle with hatred."I'll fight you to the end!"His expression was one of sheer determination as if he was ready to drag Chenelle down with him.This frightened Chenelle so much that she screamed and backed away several steps.Jade quickly grabbed hold of him and whispered, "Ernesto, don't be rash.""But my mother has been locked up by them for more than 12 hours already! Her health is fragile—she hasn't had anything to eat or drink. I’m afraid she might suddenly get sick."As Ernesto spoke, tears fell from his eyes. His mother was everything to him—they relied on each other for survival, and he feared the worst for her.Jade understood his emotions, but now was not the time for him to act recklessly. If Chenelle accused him of deliberate provocation, he could end up being detained."Wait a little longer," Jade said softly, looking at Ernesto with determined eyes. "Tru
Owen pushed Chenelle's assistant forward with a cold snort. "It's a good thing I arrived quickly. I saw this assistant trying to let someone out through the back door. Otherwise, we'd have no way to explain ourselves."The assistant stepped forward, crying. She glanced at Chenelle's livid face and was about to speak when Chenelle screeched, "Vera! I can't believe you would do such a thing! I've always treated you well, entrusted you with important tasks, and this is how you repay me?""Miss Chenelle, I..." The assistant started to defend herself, but a warning look from Chenelle made her lower her head in fear.With Chenelle's backing from the Fitzgerald Group, crossing her could mean she'd never find work in Centus again."No need to explain. You've mismanaged my gallery and caused me so much trouble. I can't keep you on. You're fired effective immediately," Chenelle declared righteously, pushing all the blame onto Vera and absolving herself completely.Jade was genuinely impress
Startled by the voice, the crowd turned to see Jade standing there. Her expression was cold despite the faint smile on her lips.Chenelle shivered involuntarily, a forced smile plastered on her face while her insides churned with frustration. She had shown her sincerity, yet Jade remained relentless, a fact that infuriated her.Despite her thoughts, she had to maintain the appearance of contrition in front of so many guests."Jade, what more do you want?" she asked, her voice tinged with helplessness and a hint of grievance.Chenelle’s words, filled with resignation and sorrow, painted her as an innocent child caught doing something wrong, her eyes welling up with tears."I know I was wrong and have already apologized and offered compensation. If you still aren’t satisfied, just let me know your demands, and I will certainly meet them."Her statement was artfully crafted to position herself as the victim while casting Jade as an unyielding oppressor. The latter part of her plea w
"Oh, the first artwork, huh?" Jade’s tone stretched out with a hint of mockery. "That’s certainly meaningful. Not just a 1,000 dollars, it’s worth even 10,000 dollars. But..."Her voice sharpened abruptly as she continued. "What about this kind of painting?"Somehow, she produced another painting and thrust it in front of everyone.Everyone craned their necks to see and immediately burst into laughter.The painting in Jade’s hand was a chaotic splash of watercolors, a careless mess of colors resembling a child’s scribble, devoid of any artistic merit."Is this supposed to be a painting? It’s hilarious! Haha!""And she wants 10,000 dollars for this? Does she think we’re all fools?"The crowd's peals of laughter echoed.Chenelle’s face flushed with alternating shades of red and white, wishing she could disappear into the ground.She glared at Jade with seething hatred, her nails digging deeply into her palms. 'Jade, I will make you pay!'Just as everyone was anticipating how Ch
Chenelle glared at Jade with undisguised loathing. The sight of Jade’s stunning face made her want to ruin it beyond recognition.With a derisive sneer, she spat, "Yes, I hate you. I hate how close you are to Caelan. I hate how you win Grandfather’s favor. I despise your every move and word."You’re nothing but a shameless leech clinging to Caelan. Isn’t your goal to marry into the Fitzgerald family and bask in wealth? Keep dreaming! I've seen plenty of women like you."Jade scoffed, her disdain evident. "That's just your perspective. Not everyone thinks like you. Your idea of the ultimate goal for a woman is to marry into a wealthy family and live like royalty. That’s pathetic.""What do you mean?" Chenelle didn’t fully grasp Jade's words, but she sensed the mockery in her tone and it infuriated her.Especially Jade’s eyes, which seemed to ignite a burning rage within Chenelle. "Don’t you dare look at me like that! I’m a hundred times better than you. What gives you the right to
Caelan didn't give Chenelle a chance this time. He grabbed Jade's hand and strode away.The nurse noticed the swelling on Chenelle's hand and gently said, "Miss Powell, please return to your bed. I’ll reinsert the needle for you."Chenelle suddenly lost control, her face twisted in rage. She ripped the needle out of the back of her hand and screamed at the nurse, "Get out, all of you!"The nurse looked at her as if she were a monster, smirked disdainfully, and turned away with the medical tray in hand."What's the big deal? She really thinks she’s something special."The nurse’s words pierced Chenelle’s heart like needles. At that moment, her hatred flared up. She hated Jade, she hated the Fitzgeralds, and she hated everyone."Jade, Caelan, I will make sure you both suffer," she vowed.…Outside the hospital building, Caelan had pulled Jade to a secluded spot. As soon as they stopped, he held her tightly in his arms."I’m sorry." Caelan's voice was full of remorse. His arms ti