Given her clear purpose for meeting me, why couldn’t I turn the tables and gather some clues myself? I nodded calmly. "Ms. Stella, your mind is truly impressive.”"Oh, it's nothing. After all, no one can break through his walls. No one at all," she said. She looked at me with a malicious glint, suggesting that I was the “no one” she referred to.After all, on his birthday night, Atlas exploded in rage. I believed Stella knew what had happened"Atlas knows what he wants. His father, Louis, built the empire." Stella's tone was confident. I knew she had an influence on the Pierce family."So, the Pierce family has its own company?" I was intrigued. A conglomerate as large as ATL Empire couldn't have sprung from nothing."Our grandfather ran the Pierce family’s company until he turned sixty. Then Uncle Louis took over. He transformed it significantly within a few years...." She paused. "Later, for some reason, Uncle handed the business to my mother and started the ATL Empire him

Stella’s eyes turned cold as she looked at me.I began to piece things together and concluded that Annalise's death wasn't as straightforward as it seemed.Stella quickly corrected herself, "What I meant was that there could never have been a future for them. It wouldn't have worked out even if she hadn't died!""If Annalise held such a special place in Mr. Atlas's heart, it must’ve been tough for you, too," I pointed out. "It affects you directly."Her composure wavered, but she masked it with a bigger smile. "I don't concern myself with such things. Even if a thousand Annalises appeared, he'd still be mine. I won't allow anything else." Her arrogance knew no bounds.I nodded. In reality, she had a point. The formidable Pierce family stood solidly behind her."How did Annalise die?" I brought up a topic I had avoided. However, Stella kept bringing her up, indicating she wanted to tell me something more.I wanted to hear Stella's version of Annalise since I had already gleaned s

I had known about Grayson's capabilities since I saw his file. He had received specialized training, but Atlas had clarified that I couldn't reveal any of Grayson's information.Publicly, Grayson was portrayed as a high-achieving student from a prestigious school, the only child of an average family in Foswood. That was the extent of his reputation.I did feel uneasy using Grayson to investigate the Pierce family when Atlas had assigned him to me. Most companies tended to slow down from Christmas until New Year's Day. However, ATL Empire caught us off guard. They insisted on starting work immediately on projects that were supposed to begin after the New Year. They even shortened the timelines.It was unreasonable given the upcoming New Year holiday, which typically disrupts work for 20 days. They showed no leniency, citing that properties were already sold and new owners were eager to move in.Meanwhile, the Echelon Group project remained ongoing and couldn't be paused.I called

I wondered why Atticus was going to such lengths to help me when we didn't know each other well. It had to be more than it seemed.Yet, I couldn't figure out his motive. What could he gain from assisting a small, relatively unknown company like mine?He studied me for a moment and then chuckled. "You're unsure, aren't you? Consider it a repayment for the favor you did for me before. I don't like having debts to anyone, especially not to a woman.""In the professional world, Mr. Atticus, don't treat me like just a woman!" I replied half-jokingly."You? Not a woman?" He laughed heartily. "Who could ever think otherwise?"After a laugh, he added, "Don't dwell on it too much. This is a small matter, hardly worth mentioning compared to the favor you did for me. Besides, you'll cover the wages, so I think it's a fair exchange. This industry isn't that big, after all. Let's support each other.""Alright! Thank you, Mr. Atticus! I'll remember your kindness. If there's anything I can do f

I laid eyes on Atlas, whom I hadn't seen in half a month. I had no idea when he had returned to Foswood. Seated next to him was the imposing figure of Celine.It was evident that today was going to be challenging. When someone wanted to find fault, they would find a way.Celine's sharp eyes swept over the attendees at the meeting before finally fixing on my face, her expression disdainful."Ms. Chloe, please explain the situation to everyone present," she said calmly.I knew this was the calm before the storm. Clearing my throat, I meticulously recounted the entire situation in sequence. I had Carol hand over the blueprints to Celine.Each person in attendance was also given a copy of the incorrect data images. I had come prepared, especially with the one containing the falsified data. Except for one piece of data, everything else was the same.Celine glanced at the original erroneous blueprint, furrowing her brows. Kenzie sat next to her, looking stern.Everyone was perplexed a

I looked straight at Kenzie and realized it made her uncomfortable. She even glared at me with displeasure before looking at the blueprints.I answered Atlas’s question, “I can’t guarantee someone hadn’t leaked the blueprints because we didn’t only hand them to ATL Empire’s project department. Indeed, that was my negligence.”Atlas asked sternly, “So who else can access the blueprints, Ms. Chloe?”His question sounded doubtful, encouraging me to continue. Suddenly, my phone vibrated, but I ignored it for now.“I delivered a set of blueprints, inspection reports, manuals, certificates, and all relevant documents to ATL Empire’s Design Division myself,” I deliberately mentioned the Design Division to draw everyone’s attention.As expected, my words caused immediate discontent from Kylie Mckinney, a member of the Design Division. She said, “That’s a bit much, Ms. Chloe. We came to this meeting to review the blueprints for you.“Why are you pointing fingers at us? That seems unfair.

I shocked everyone with my actions. Dylan had just texted me on WhatsApp, and I knew he must’ve made some progress. So, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to showcase it.“So, we won't trouble ATL Empire anymore," I said, putting away my phone, "As for what happened after we sent the package, I will investigate it thoroughly and provide everyone with an explanation.”I caught a subtle twitch at the corner of Atlas’s lips, but he quickly gathered himself.“Next, I'd like to ask ATL Empire's project team to confirm a new and accurate set of blueprints for us. I'll deliver them to Urban Builders’ technical department directly,” My tone was calm but confident.Even Celine had to comply.However, I needed to clarify one thing, "Of course, whoever caused this issue should take responsibility for it. If Tanum Corporation is at fault, we won’t avoid it. I apologize for any inconvenience. We’ll take our leave now.”I got up and prepared to leave with Carol.Atlas sneered and said, “Sit down

When I returned to my office, I sought Grayson and gave him a task. Coincidentally, he also handed me a report of his investigation. I was surprised to receive it so quickly. I couldn't help but admire his efficiency and praise him.However, Grayson was serious when he said, “Don’t get too excited, Ms. Chloe. This is just surface-level information, and there seem to be no issues at all. Still, my gut feeling tells me something’s off.”The investigation report was about Stella, detailing her birth, parents’ passing, adoption, and school history.“It's right here.” Grayson pointed something out. “It says she attended primary school here, one of the most famous schools in Nocturnia. However, I couldn’t find any pictures of her from that period.“Also, I only found one picture of her during high school, yet she lists photography as one of her hobbies. Why would a girl with such a hobby have no pictures or videos of herself?” Grayson looked at me with a questioning expression as he spok

“When did you get back?” I asked joyfully.“I’ve been back for two days now,” Atlas replied flatly. Although he sounded calm, I felt disappointed. It seemed I wasn’t that important to him since he could come and go without notifying me.My mood plummeted, and I said nothing.He continued, “You don’t need to worry about that and just focus on your work.”"What do you mean?" I replied, slightly annoyed."Do you have time to worry about me?" he spoke forcefully, avoiding my question.I knew he was in a bad mood, so I didn’t respond. Instead, I hung up, thinking he should know what it feels like for me to hang up on him. I waited a while, but he didn’t call me back. I felt even more dejected.While scrolling through my phone, I realized I hadn’t seen Ivanna and Lauren for several days. I called them, but Ivanna’s line was busy. Immediately after, I called Lauren, and she answered with a complaint, “You finally remembered me!”“Why are you like Ivanna? You’re always complaining like

I saw a black Maybach pulling up at the entrance. A tall and well-built figure appeared. He was charming in his black trousers and black shirt with two undone buttons. The man had meticulously groomed jet-black hair and wore sunglasses.He drew the crowd’s attention when he removed his sunglasses. Soon after, he opened the car door and assisted an elegantly dressed woman. Her attire seemed exaggerated, with sunglasses, a scarf, and a mask.However, the figure was alluring, and I knew she wasn’t Stella. She gracefully exited the car and wrapped her arm around the man’s arm. She appeared delicate and charming.I recognized Atlas but not the woman. My heart ached, and I realized why he sounded so impatient earlier. It seemed he didn’t want me to waste time worrying about his whereabouts because he was busy pampering and accompanying that woman.Although Atlas sounded irritated earlier, he was now smiling. I stared at him and the woman in a daze as they strolled into the clubhouse.My