None of them were able to utter a single word.Just a moment ago, they were all boasting about how they had a net worth of either a hundred and fifty thousand dollars or even seventy thousand dollars. But now, both Mario and Dickson had been plunged into bankruptcy.Most importantly, Cassey’s wedding had to be canceled since the Pykes could not afford to pay the hotel for their wedding.The entire place fell into an awkward silence as every single one of Samantha’s former classmates’ faces turned red. This was especially true for Cassey, who could only look at Adrian like a fool.Amidst their silence, Adrian slowly sat on the sofa and said, “Does anyone else have a net worth of a hundred and fifty thousand dollars? Hmm?”Everyone felt a chill run down their spine, not daring to utter a single word.Adrian found this laughable and continued, “You guys were all flaunting your wealth earlier, so why the sudden silence? Are you all chickening out already? Where did all that gusto go?

At that moment, one of the former classmates said, “Come on, guys. Let’s go.”A few of them who were ashamed of themselves got up and left, afraid that Adrian might end up doing the same to them. Soon, all of them had left, including Cassey.The main hall was completely empty, leaving only the couple inside.Adrian passed the glass of milk to Samantha with a smile on his face and said, “Finally, some peace and quiet. Have a drink. We’ll leave after we’re done with our food.”Samantha accepted the glass and placed it on the table.“What just happened, Adrian? Why have Mario and Dickson gone bankrupt? How could you possibly know they were going to go bankrupt within such a short time? Did you cause all that?“Also, look at these dishes you’ve ordered! How are we supposed to pay for them?”Samantha’s mind was filled with all sorts of questions.‘Forget Mario and Dickson, how are we supposed to pay for this table of food? I’m sure it’ll cost us at least twenty thousand dollars. The

Samantha was finally able to put down her concerns.She felt rather brokenhearted when she saw what Adrian had done before, never realizing that he had planned every single detail.‘He isn’t as reckless as I thought he’d be.’Thus, her opinion of him changed ever so slightly.The pair headed home after they were done having lunch.Without her company, Samantha was at a loss, not knowing what her future was going to be like. However, work was still an important part of every person’s life.When she got home, Samantha took out her laptop and began typing up her resume to apply for a job.Her life was filled with ups and downs—being forced to work as a normal employee after being an employer at a major company.Samantha did not leave the house the entire afternoon, sending her resume to company after company in hopes of finding a decent job.Meanwhile, Adrian was in the living room watching television.It was not until three in the afternoon that she suddenly received a message.

This was the first time Samantha had ever seen Adrian in a different light ever since he returned.He would always think so far ahead that Samantha felt that the man before her was no different than Henry, the man who had ruled over Swallowston in the past.From the beginning, she had refused to believe that Henry’s son was a deadbeat.When Adrian heard this compliment, he smiled and said, “Have you forgotten who I am? There’s no need for me to have to use my head to think about something so trivial. I could’ve done it with my eyes closed.”“Pfft!” Samantha could not stop herself from laughing before she shot him a glare. “Look at your ego blow up after a single compliment.”Even so, Samantha was still very surprised by Adrian’s insight. She then asked, “You said my grandmother might come looking for me very soon. What makes you say that?”“Because she’s not a fool. She knows that you’re the only one whom Nine Kings want to work with, and you’re the only reason Bailar was able to

They were clearly here to ask Samantha for help, yet when it actually came to asking, they ended up ordering her to do all those things instead.None of the Cowells had any intention of humbling themselves.In fact, even Francis was laughing as he said, “She’s right. We’re ordering you to do those things for us, not beg you for them. You aren’t worthy of such a luxury.”Nathan nor Hugo stepped up to stop those two from saying such hurtful things, and neither did Violet.With a supremely arrogant expression, Violet said, “So, there you have it. When are you going to make the trip to Nine Kings?”“I…”At the end of the day, the Cowells were her family, so Samantha had no idea how she should reject them. Instead, she turned around to look at Adrian, hoping he would say something on her behalf.This was the very first time Samantha was relying on Adrian to be her shield.Would she do anything Adrian said if he asked her to?Thus, Adrian said, “I’m really sorry, Madam Violet, but i

The Cowells grunted and got up to leave.Before they left, Adrian warned, “Francis, watch your mouth. How dare you still scold others after getting beaten up?”Francis had opened wounds all over his mouth from being beaten up by Liam. However, it had not made him change his behavior of scolding others.***The Cowells stormed out of Samantha’s house.Francis was furious and said, “Grandmother, since Samantha is so ignorant, we should teach her a lesson.”It was clear as day that the Cowells were ignorant, yet they were utterly clueless of themselves.Violet could not vent her pent-up anger so she immediately shouted, “Go back to the company and dissolve Bailar right now! Return the company building too! Get rid of it!”Bailar did not have a functioning capital from the start. The company could not pay the employees’ wages so it could only be dissolved.“Okay, Grandmother.” The other Cowells quickly took action.By the evening, news had spread across the whole of Swallowston.

Every word Adrian spoke reignited Samantha’s lost hope.It was fine that she had lost Bailar because she could just set up a new company.Adrian’s voice reverberated in Samantha’s ears for a long time.Samantha was caught in a daze.He patted her on the shoulder and said, “Sam, take some time to think it over. I’ll support you regardless of your choice.”Adrian did not elaborate any further.Samantha sat on the sofa and pondered over Adrian’s statement.***On that same night, Samantha could not sleep. She tossed and turned in bed but she could not fall asleep.She pondered over many things, especially what Adrian had said. One could say that he had pointed a way out for her.Samantha lay on the bed and thought for a long time before she made up her mind.She decided that she would set up a new company.When the decision solidified in her mind, she immediately got out of bed and started penning down her plans. Just as Adrian claimed, there was a high possibility for her to

“Frankly, my presence won’t affect you because you’ll be the most important person there,” Adrian explained to Samantha.Samantha was still rather concerned despite Adrian’s attempt to convince her.She was about to speak when Adrian interjected, “Don’t be too worried over whether Mandy will be willing to invest or not. You still have to try. If you never try, how will you know if you can or cannot do it?”Samantha inhaled deeply as she listened to Adrian’s words and observed his determined expression.Adrian was right about this being her own matter to handle.Samantha appeared to have gained a tinge of confidence and said, “All right, understood. I shall go on my own. Where are you going today anyway?”Adrian said, “I’m going to meet a friend. I’ll be back soon. I look forward to hearing good news, Sam.”Adrian tried to cheer Samantha up.She pursed her lips and smiled. She nodded profusely and said, “I’m going to succeed, Adrian. Bye now.”Adrian nodded while Samantha walke

Meanwhile in Swallowston, at the Paraiso Group.Seven years ago, Paraiso was the biggest enterprise and ranked first all throughout Swallowston. It was on par with the Cowell Group at the time and both companies were extremely influential.But after Henry’s passing, Harold forcefully took control of Paraiso. Ever since then, the company had suffered a disastrous decline.The company went from being the first-ranked company in Swallowston to a small, unpopular company.Meanwhile, at Paraiso, in the general manager’s office, Cedric, who had on a suit, was going through the accounts while another young man sat next to him.The young man was named Jacob and he was Wilfred’s son.Cedric and Jacob were cousins and they were the highest management personnel of Paraiso at the current moment.Harold held seventy percent of Paraiso’s shares while the other thirty percent was equally divided between his two sons and two grandchildren. Cedric and Jacob were given the posts of general manage

The truth was, Cedric had no idea where this large sum of money would come from.He was a deadbeat and was clueless about running a company. Yet, Harold regarded him as one of his best grandsons. Harold thought very highly of him.Riley was furious beyond comparison upon hearing Cedric’s remark.‘Receive a large sum of money?’Riley said, “Cedric, you don’t even go out to secure business deals and spend all day flirting with women and drinking here. Everyone in the company knows that.“Didn’t you sleep with a married employee once? The woman’s husband came seeking justice from the company.“You’re going to inflict great damage sooner or later if you keep doing this.”Riley appeared worried.Cedric raised his head and burst out laughing. “You think too much, Riley. I’ve never yielded to anyone in Swallowston. No one in the city dares to claim that they’re more capable than me.“I believe that I deserve to enjoy the process before I succeed in my career.”Cedric leaned back int