For the following week, Yvonne left the house early in the morning and didn't come home until late in the evening. So, Stephen barely got to see her except during his treatment times and could only resort to asking Julian to report what she was up to."Madam has recently been looking into the fake diamond incident at Miller Jewels. She even summoned all the staff who'd come into contact with that batch of diamonds for questioning. Yesterday, she held a meeting with the design department; they need to start putting together a new series because the new season is two months away. Things don't seem to be going well, though; they're severely short on finances. To make matters worse, the contract with the processing factory they're working with right now will expire soon, and the factory doesn't seem to plan on renewing it. Moreover, Miller Jewels will need to buy another batch of diamonds, so Madam should be short on money right now."Stephen kept silent but listened so attentively that on

"Achoo!" Yvonne sneezed as soon as she got out of the cab and rubbed her nose. It was strange since the weather today wasn't actually that cold. She received a message from Rachel as she reached the entrance of the bar. "I'm kind of in a pinch. Just come straight to the VIP lounges and find room 1108.""In a pinch?" wondered Yvonne, frowning. "Don't tell me she got drunk and picked a fight with someone again." Yvonne dashed into the bar without hesitation. Walking past the swaying crowd on the dance floor, she found a server to take her to the lounge.Yvonne could hear Rachel's voice loud and clear through the unlocked door. Immediately concerned, she kicked the door open, startling everyone in the room.In the dim lighting, Yvonne could only make out the outline of the people lining the couch, with Rachel standing at the center with a foot propped up on a glass table, holding a bottle of brandy. Everyone stopped in their tracks and awkwardly stared at Yvonne. Rachel recognized her b

With those few words, the man sitting in the corner reclaimed control of the conversation.Yvonne turned toward him. Well, this didn't bother her since she could still afford to pay for a bottle of brandy. "Will you apologize to Rachel if I pay you back?"The man answered straightforwardly, "Sure. But you'll have to bring me 250 thousand dollars first.""250 thousand?" Yvonne stared at the pieces of the bottle incredulously and thought, "Is this the elixir of God or what?""Don't you dare blackmail us!" Rachel shouted. "Or we'll call the police!""Go ahead! Let's ask the police whether this premium Cognac is worth this price!""You were so fearless when you smashed the bottle, yet you're shying away from paying the price?""Just admit you're broke. Why bother pretending?"The constant stream of verbal jabs sent Yvonne's head spinning. She quickly realized that the man in the corner was the one with the most power in the room. Indeed, she was the one who smashed the bottle, so it was o

Kayla was surprised. "What are you doing here?"Yvonne's head was spinning and her throat itched, so she merely glared at Kayla before leading Rachel out of the room."Hey! I was talking to you." Kayla tried to pull Yvonne back, but she failed. Kayla stomped her heels angrily and watched the two women walk out. Who did that freak think she was?"That woman was hideous! I'm going to have a nightmare tonight.""I would've kicked her out if I'd known what she looked like. Ugh!"Kayla smiled when she heard the men insulting Yvonne. She strutted toward them enticingly. "What are you guys talking about? It looks like I missed a show.""If you'd come earlier, you would've seen that freak drinking vodka, Ms. Jones!""Mr. Robinson's the best! He always finds new ways to entertain us!"The chatter lifted the room's atmosphere.Kayla settled down beside the man in the corner. Before she could say anything, he asked, "Do you know her?"She began to deny it. "How would I–" Suddenly, a thought poppe

"T—there's no need! I can get home by myself!""Hmm?" Stephen raised an eyebrow. "Do you not need me, or do you not find it convenient for me to pick you up?"Her head still buzzing, Yvonne didn't pick up on the double meaning behind his words. "I'm already on my way home." She turned her head and met Rachel's prying eyes, and her head began pounding again. "I'm hanging up. I'm almost home. Thanks for the offer." Yvonne hung up and smiled at Rachel sheepishly. "Would you believe me if I told you that was my father?"Rachel grabbed her friend's arm. "What do you think? So? Who's the guy?"While thinking of what to say, Yvonne spotted a cab waiting nearby and quickly broke away from Rachel's grasp. She dashed toward the car like a bat out of hell. "I'm heading home first. I'll explain everything to you when I have time.""Yvonne Miller!"In the car, Yvonne gave the driver her address and prompted him to drive faster. It was a long drive home, and the skilled driver made the journey smo

Stephen leaped up and turned his head instantly. Someone's head was protruding from his quilt, and the dark locks looked like a mess."Who is it?" he demanded."Where's my doll?" Yvonne murmured, fondling the bed."Why are you in my room?" Stephen frowned. This woman had only been drawing a line between them minutes ago, yet here she was. On his bed! Gosh! What was up with her?However, it didn't seem like Yvonne had heard him. She continued to search for her doll, sounding desperate enough to cry. "My doll… My dolll…" Stephen finally realized that she was dreaming. He frowned in disgust at seeing a grown woman searching for a doll in her sleep. Hold on. Yvonne hadn't mistaken him for her doll, had she? To test his assumption, he sat back down on the bed. Sure enough, Yvonne snuggled up to him again.This time, to make sure her "doll" didn't disappear, Yvonne wrapped her whole body around him. Stephen's back stiffened. In the quiet room, his sense of touch had become extraordinarily a

After breakfast, Yvonne helped Stephen back to his room and checked his vitals.Compared to his initial readings, Stephen's condition had improved much faster than she'd expected. In addition to Yvonne's treatments, his excellent physical condition played a role in speeding up his recovery.Yvonne subconsciously turned to look at Stephen. The sunlight shining into the room illuminated his body, highlighting his handsome facial features. However, his lifeless eyes were like a bottomless pit that could suck in anything effortlessly.In a daze, Yvonne began to worry. If Stephen recovered successfully, would that mean that he would no longer need her? It would be a great loss if he turned his back on her and she lost her cash cow, especially since she hadn't had the chance to use him yet!"How's it going?" Stephen asked, noticing that Yvonne had been silent."Noth—" Yvonne cleared her throat and pulled her hand back. Calmly, she replied, "You're recovering quite well."Stephen hummed in ac

In Miller Jewels, Yvonne entered her office with her assistant following closely behind. "Ms. Miller, this is the list of names you asked for; it has the names of all the influential figures in our industry.""Good work." Yvonne took the file and flipped through the pages casually, her eyes landing on the first name, Xavier Robinson.He came from one of the four most prominent families in Northerna City. He began working with jadeite jewelry before expanding his business and becoming the leading jewelry company in the country, taking over the top spot in the industry."A Robinson… and Kayla even attended a dinner he organized…" Yvonne frowned and wondered if the mysterious man the other night had been Xavier Robinson."Ms. Miller, do you know Mr. Robinson?" her assistant suddenly asked.Yvonne was startled. "Why?""He sent someone to invite you to dinner today. He said the Miller family and the Robinson family used to be quite close, and the two might work together in the future. He ho

Xavier quickly returned to his senses. "I guess you're still mad about what happened last night, Ms. Miller?" He lifted his glass of wine and smiled. "I wouldn't have caused trouble if I'd known it was you. Allow me to show my sincere apologies." Before Yvonne could respond, Xavier threw his head back and downed the entire glass."Wow! You're great at drinking, Mr. Robinson!" Amidst all the applause, Xavier downed two more glasses in one go. He showed Yvonne his empty glass and smiled. "Satisfied yet, Ms. Miller?"Yvonne hadn't seen the man's face clearly back in the bar lounge, but under this lighting, he looked like the devil, his eyes smiling charmingly. Alarm bells immediately went off in Yvonne's head. She was sensible enough to know that men like him could be highly mesmerizing."You're too polite, Mr. Robinson. I offended you first last night. How can I ask you to apologize?" Yvonne poured some tea into her glass. "Instead of wine, let me use tea to—""It seems like Ms. Miller

Everyone here knew that Julian was Stephen's right-hand man, so they were dumbfounded to see him here. They began to wonder how this hideous woman knew Julian."It's a surprise to see you here, Ms. Miller. I have something to discuss with you but haven't been able to get a hold of you."Yvonne internally applauded Julian's acting skills and played along. "Yep. I've been kind of busy lately." She turned around to bid Xavier goodbye. "Mr. Robinson, something's come up, so let's meet again another time." Mindful of who Xavier was, Yvonne reluctantly pulled out her name card and placed it on the table. "Feel free to contact me if you need me, Mr. Robinson."With that, Yvonne turned to follow Julian out when the latter suddenly remembered something. In a loud voice, he asked, "Ms. Miller, have you given the investment Ms. Anderson proposed to you any thought?"Yvonne was at a loss, having no idea what Julian was talking about. Julian peeked at the table out of the corner of his eye and made