As Tris was about to start the car, Carol immediately said, "Hold on a moment, Tris. I know the way, I’ll drive. Let's switch positions."Tris looked at Carol doubtfully. I smiled and said to Tris, "Let her drive. She’s a good driver.”When Tris heard my words, he quickly exited the car and swapped positions with Carol.Before we got to my shop at the building materials market, I saw a crowd of people ahead, blocking the path to the storefront.Carol exclaimed, "Oh no, we came early, but it’s not the right time. We've walked right into it!"After speaking, she quickly parked the car and got out in a hurry. She ran to my side, opened the car door, and helped me out.We hurriedly made our way inside.Carol shouted anxiously from behind me, "Slow down, Chloe! Oh my goodness!"From afar, I heard a loud soprano voice roaring, "Eleanor, you slut! How dare you still oppose me? Do you think no one can fight you in this market anymore?"When I heard that voice, I concluded that it was
As soon as I spoke, it immediately garnered support from several merchants with whom I usually got along well. "Exactly. This woman is causing trouble and being unreasonable. She’s always here to make trouble. What does she want?""Yeah, looks like she’s still not satisfied and tried to swagger around. I wonder where someone like that came from?""I don't know who gave her the confidence to provoke other people every day!""This market hasn’t been peaceful ever since this woman came here. She causes trouble every few days. Now, she's turning the tables and accusing other people of competing with her. What kind of person is she?"The discussions of the crowd drowned out each other. I looked at Andrea with an unrelenting gaze. The burly men did not step back. They stood before me with their necks stretched out, threatening to advance again. They played with the wooden and iron rods in their hands, and looked sinisterly at Tris and me.However, I knew deep down that these uncouth i
"She’s just stating the facts. We're in this mess because of her. She blatantly disregards business rules and has no integrity whatsoever. If people like her stick around in this market, we might as well quit.”"We're all barely making ends meet, trying to solidify our market share. Especially now, we should stick together to maintain a harmonious market order. People like her aren't here for real business.""Exactly, she's just disgraceful!""Look at her, trying to dominate here, rallying these thugs. What's her game?"The crowd grew more infuriated, shouting louder.I gave a cold look at Andrea. She was visibly flustered across from me, and I asked, "Is this what you call malicious competition?"Andrea immediately pointed at the surrounding crowd and shouted, "Shut up, all of you!"Then she turned to me, pointing, "Chloe, who do you think you are? You’re just a cheap woman relying on a man's authority. How dare you talk back to me?"As she ranted, she shouted at the men aroun
I exclaimed in shock, "Carol!”Carol, upon hearing my exclamation, suddenly turned around and froze in place. It was too late to dodge, but just as the bat was about to strike her, Tristan grabbed another hefty man in the nick of time.The man was flung out and crashed into the man wielding the bat. With no footing, both burly men fell heavily to the ground, emitting a muffled thud.Carol jumped aside in astonishment, watching the two men tumble to the ground. Then she gaped at Tristan.Even the onlookers were surprised by Tristan's actions. Nobody could understand how he, with his slender frame, effortlessly knocked down the two hulking men. It was evident how powerful his force must have been.Andrea was also stunned by the scene. She covered her face, watching the rolling men on the ground, then pounded her chest in anger. "Useless! What are you all doing? Just watching them fight? Hit them! I'll show you who's boss today. Get them!”The men seemed to snap out of their daze, c
I smiled knowingly at Eleanor. I knew Aidan very well. He had been in this market the longest. Back when I was just starting out in business, he was already making a name for himself, running the largest store here.Aidan was protective, loyal, and had a good reputation, making him more suitable and influential than Eleanor to lead this matter.Kicking them out wasn't a solution without concrete evidence and involving contract issues. We needed to uncover the facts and have everyone join forces in filing complaints.After everyone dispersed, Eleanor pulled me back to the small office in our store.She looked at me and said, "Chloe, thanks for your timely arrival, today wasn’t a disaster. While I can repair the store if it's damaged, I can't handle her constant trouble. Since they moved into the market, it's been one problem after another."I can't directly approach the market management. After all, this market belongs to ATL Empire. If Tanum's store gets into trouble, it reflects
I figured Julius was an opportunist. His words to Eleanor were likely just a front.Maybe he wanted to leverage the influence of Andrea’s family for himself."Julius used Andrea's family's support to start a lime factory in the area. He got to know the construction industry while running sales. Later, he gradually got into floor tiles. But wasn't it because of this kind of pestering that Julius..." Eleanor glanced at me but didn't finish."Don't make excuses for Julius. Eleanor, everyone walks their own path. Since you've escaped that mess, don't entertain thoughts of him anymore.“If he binds you with such methods, it shows he's not worthy of being your partner. You'd better realize that." I was straightforward, knowing Eleanor's past.Eleanor blushed and nodded earnestly. "I understand, Chloe. I won't let you down. Since the day I left Surface Solutions, I've been determined not to be fooled or used by anyone.""Eleanor, determination is good, but letting go of thoughts about h
I looked at Eleanor and smiled as I said to Aidan, "Then please take care of each other. I'm busy and can't always come here, so I'll leave Eleanor to you all. We old friends must get along well.""Hey. Don't say that. She not only focuses on your own sales but also brings us a lot of business. It’s mutually beneficial, so we all can't just watch her being bullied. “That woman is simply a troublemaker. With our joint effort this time, we'll drive her out. You can rest assured," Aidan said enthusiastically, showing that Eleanor had a good reputation in the market."In that case, I'll be relieved. I have other matters to attend to, so you guys continue your discussion." With that, I pushed Eleanor lightly. "Don't send me off, and just get back to work."Eleanor smiled at me and Carol as we left, then turned back to attend to her duties.As I stepped out of the store, I couldn't help but think that perhaps Eleanor would manage this largest building materials market in Torado in the
I also firmly believe that Ryan was truly valuable to me. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to have his own accomplishments overseas.His mother was a great mother-in-law too. She pulled Joyce over and remarked, "Joyce is the best. She’s reasonable and understanding, unlike those materialistic women. She's not only excellent at work, but also very virtuous.""Exactly!" I quickly agreed.In this regard, Joyce was truly exemplary. After all, although she was of Etrian descent, she had grown up abroad, and she had a different mindset from other girls in Zydan.I was very grateful that Ryan had met Joyce.Time passed quickly, and if Carol hadn’t reminded me to go see the little one, I would have forgotten.After buying some snacks and toys for the kids, I knocked on the Reese family’s door again.To my surprise, Charlie was running around the house. When I walked in, he froze on the spot, staring at me blankly.Then, he abruptly dropped the toy in his hand and staggered toward