Ch. 711..720

Chapter 711: Pay for the Consequence

Stella was wet from the rain, when she got home, she took a hot shower and then laid down on the bed, soon falling asleep. Not long after, the doorbell rang.

Clarence opened the door, looking at the person standing outside he asked, "What is it?"

Sherry asked in a small voice, "How is Stella?"

She's asleep.

Is she okay?

Sherry nodded, then mumbled, "That's good."

As she said that, she turned and was about to leave.

Wait. Clarence called for her, "Do you know how to make ginger soup?"

Sherry was surprised, "What?"

Clarence said, "She was caught in the rain. Ginger soup can prevent her from getting sick."

Sherry finally reacted, and nodded, "Sure, let me do it."

She couldn't cook as well as Stella did, and she didn't like to make food herself, but the easy things she could still do.

Compared to Clarence who didn't know cooking at all, she was not so bad.

Sherry just entered the kitchen when Clarence said, "I need to go out. Keep an eye on her."

Hearing the clicking of the lock, Sherry took a deep breath, nd started looking for ginger in the kitchen.

Not long after, the hot ginger soup was done.

Sherry took the bowl and went to the bedroom. She put it on the night stand and went ahead to wake Stella. "Stella? Stella?"

Stella was still asleep, but she heard someone calling her name so she answered.

Sherry said, "Come, drink the ginger soup and then go back to sleep, so you won't get sick."

When she heard Sherry's voice, Stella's mind was a bit clearer, but she felt that the world was spinning around her.

Sherry noticed that something was off so she touched her forehead, it was burning a little.

Stella sat up, her nose already stuffy, "Where is Clarence?"

He said he was going out, maybe he has something to take care of.

Stella nodded, then asked Sherry, "How are you?"

Sherry answered, "I am well. But it was my fault for being too impulsive. Iif it wasn't me who ran there right away after getting the message, you wouldn't have fallen into the trap and went to the roof." Stella laughed, "It has nothing to do with you. Even if you weren't there, he would have found another way. Lyndon had been hiding for too long. If we didn't have a chance like this, he wouldn't have shown himself."

So it's all good now, that scourge is dead. Sherry paused for a second before continuing, "Right, I saw that Caesar was also in the restaurant, and he was clashing with Clarence. Oh, and also, there was this Darnell. Didn't Caesar take Elaine for dinner? What was going on there?"

This is very complicated, Sherry. I haven't told you before because I didn't want to drag you into this. Caesar is not a good person. We're quite certain that he is working with Lyndon, but they gave up on Lyndon for some reason. Because of this Lyndon fell from the roof today.

Sherry paused, "I thought he was alright, which was why I let Elaine leave with him today. I..."

Stella grabbed her hand, hesitating before she said, "Sherry, there is something else. You remember Elaine was taken away before, right? He was the one behind it."

Sherry was stunned when she heard that.

So that meant, her baby...

Stella said, "Don't worry, he will pay for what he had done."

Sherry looked down, her nose tingling.

Stella leaned over to hug her.

After a while, Sherry asked, "Daniel, how is he?"

After Sherry got back, she had seen the news that the Steward Group was mortgaging assets. She had meant to ask, but Stella was not in a good condition, so she didn't want to trouble her more. Stella said, "He will be alright, they gave me two days, and there is still one day left."

But so much money...

Stella patted her on the shoulder, "As long as they are in City N, there will be a solution."

Sherry suddenly remembered, "Right, in City N, nobody is more formidable than Clarence, the king of hell."

Stella laughed on that. Well, Clarence had earned himself a new nick name.

Sherry let go of her and rubbed her eyes, "Alright, alright, let's not talk about that anymore. Drink the ginger soup when it's still warm." Stella agreed.

She took the bowl and took one sip. It was still hot.

Sherry said to her, "Stella, drink that and then sleep. Sweat a little. If you are still not feeling well you need to take medicine tomorrow." Stella nodded, "I should be fine."

When she finished the soup, Sherry tucked her in the blanket on all sides.

Sherry took the empty bowl, "Sleep, I am going home."

Stella answered in a small voice, "Good night."

Night

After Sherry left, Stella closed her eyes again. She didn't know if it was the ginger soup that started kicking, but the scenes in her dream became terrifying.

First it there was the fire that haunted her from time to time. She felt so hot that she was sweating.

Then after that, the fire turned into pouring rain.

Stella couldn't even react yet when she saw that someone fell off the building in front of her.

The next second, she felt as if someone was pushing her from behind, and she couldn't control herself but to fall as well.

The feeling of her falling woke her up.

Stella sat up straight. She was sweating all over.

Clarence was sitting next to her. "Did I wake you?"

Stella shook her head, "No, I..."

Having a nightmare?

Stella didn't speak, she was staring to the front.

Clarence reached out a hand and pulled her into his arms, "I am here, don't be afraid."

When she calmed herself down, she asked, "Where did you go?"

When Lyndon died, you were there. There were some evidences they needed confirmation.

Why didn't you call me...

Clarence stroke her hair, "It's enough with me there."

Stella wanted to say something else, but Clarence pulled up the blanket over her, "It's alright, go back to sleep. We can talk tomorrow." Stella drew herself back from his embrace and sniffed, "Why don't you sleep outside tonight. I am sick. I don't want to get you sick as well."

Who hadn't had a cold before?

Clarence got close to her and kissed her on the lips, "Is that okay?"

She said in a bad manner, "If you catch a cold this time, I won't have the energy to take care of you."

Clarence said, "Well, Alisa had been bored for some time. If we both get sick, we can call for her to come."

Stella didn't know what else to say.

She got into her blanket and closed her eyes, "Alright, sleep."--------------

Chapter 712: I am Not the Target

On the other side in the private villa.

Mr. Atwood was in a hurry when he got back from outside, where it was still pouring rain, "The news that Lyndon died is already out, and with the news that Steward Group had to pledge all their money, the stock price of Steward Group is dropping drastically. If it goes on like this, latest around tomorrow evening, it will end."

Jon was sitting on the sofa, who looked very casual. Clearly he was very satisfied with this result.

Mr. Atwood looked around, "Sir, is Mr. James not back yet?"

He is. I guess something happened because he doesn't look so good.

Mr. Atwood tsked, "But sir, till now I haven't understood. Didn't the you-know-who made great effort to save Lyndon, and took the biggest risks to get him out of City N. Why would he kill him now?"

Jon crossed his legs, and said slowly, "Obviously it's because he's of no use anymore. Saving him back then was to find out more about what really happened 20 years ago. By using him we can find out if William is the real Charles Lyndon, and how powerful William is now."

But then why didn't we kill him right after that. Why would we...

Lyndon was already a useless pawn. It didn't matter if he was dead or alive, but now Clarence and Darnell have their eyes on Caesar, and Chassell, that idiot brought us a lot of trouble. If we didn't find something to distract them, we would have left long ago; we wouldn't be able to sit here so calmly.

Jon said, squinting his eyes.

Besides, Clarence must have noticed something. Only for that, you-know-who would arrange such a big show, to make Clarence switch his attention onto Caesar, who was the biggest problem. Handily, they were in the safest spot now.

He patted the armrest of the sofa, and got up saying, "It's late, we should sleep."

After Stella woke up, she felt that her head was still spinning, and her nose was stuffy, but she was feeling much better than the night before.

She turned her head and saw that Clarence was still sleeping. She wanted to make breakfast, after that she would take her medicine, which should make her feel better.

Who knew that the moment she flung her blanket open, Clarence woke up. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her back into his arms. His hand resting on her forehead, he said in a husky voice, "Good, you are not having a fever."

Stella nodded, "It's not that bad. I will make breakfast, you sleep..."

Clarence hugged her by the waist, "Stay with me for a while."

Stella didn't have enough energy to push him away so she closed her eyes again.

It had been raining the whole night. The sky was foggy and dark, drizzling rain was shrouding the city.

This was the perfect weather to sleep...

But maybe because Stella had slept too long the night before, she couldn't fall asleep again.

After a while she asked in a small voice, "Clarence, are you asleep?"

I suddenly remembered something. Why do you think Caesar is behind all this? If he wanted to take Elaine just to hurt the James family, that would be understandable. But this time he helped to kill Lyndon, I feel that something is off, something that doesn't make sense.

Since... Caesar's target is the James family, all he is doing should be about the James family, but according to what he did last night, his target must be us. You have already left Conrad Group, you shouldn't be of any threat to him anymore. Why would he...

Clarence opened his eyes, "His target is not me, but the Steward Group."

Stella was stunned, "But the Steward Group and him..."

Besides the Conrad Group, Steward Group is one of the top in Asia. Even though the company had been inflicted a great deal due to Lyndon, they are slowly recovering. Do you remember Caesar had said that he wanted to develop a new business in City N?

Under such circumstances, investing in the Steward Group might be the easiest way for him.

Stella couldn't help but widen her eyes, "But why would he ally with Lyndon and ask the Steward Group for so much money?"

Clarence said, "What he wants is not money. After the news about the Steward Group mortgaging their assets had gone viral, there was fluctuation in the stock market. On top of that, the news about Lyndon's death had gone around, he was the ex-president of the company, so that made its stock price drop even more."

Stella finally understood, "So he is using the chance now to buy himself in. As soon as the stock price is back up again, he would be the one to have most share of Steward Group?" "Right."

Stella wanted to say something else, but Clarence said, "But that is not for you to worry. Let me handle it."

When she heard that she agreed.

She didn't understand those things, even if she wanted to help she couldn't. Instead Clarence was much better at that.

Stella said, "Alright, I can't sleep anymore. I am getting up."

Just as she moved, she was pushed back again.

Clarence asked, "Haven't you forgotten something?"

Stella was surprised, "What?"

Clarence reminded her, "Before we went to the Steward Group yesterday, where were we heading?"

She totally forgot about that.

Stella said, "So what now?"

We are going today.

It's raining.

So the city hall doesn't work on rainy days?

Stella said, "Didn't you say that yesterday was a perfect day that wouldn't appear again anytime soon? How can we do it today?" Clarence answered frankly, "That was a lie."

He paused for a while, and continued, "As long as you are my partner, everyday is the perfect day."

Stella smiled a little, "Let's wait a few days, wait till all this is solved."

Especially now that they didn't even know what was going on with Daniel, they could not get married. That wouldn't be right.

Alright, let's see what other excuses you will find then.

Stella stuttered, "I... I am not looking for excuses. It's not like I don't want to go. There are things coming in between."

When she said that, she used the chance to get out of Clarence's arms and ran into the bathroom.

When Clarence saw her back, he couldn't help smiling.

She seemed very active.

It was early in the morning, Stella wasn't very hungry yet, she made some vegetable porridge and was about to go downstairs to buy some stuff, and to take a walk to breath some fresh air. When she went into the bedroom to change her clothes, Clarence was on the phone.

Stella said in a hushed voice, "I am going out."

Clarence nodded once, and kept talking on the phone.

Stella was ready and about to go out when Clarence gave her a jacket.

Stella smiled, she reached out to grab her jacket and used the chance when he didn't pay attention to kiss him on the cheek, and then she jogged away.

Clarence raised his brows a little.

On the other end of the line, Nathan asked, "Mr. Conrad?"

Clarence snapped out of it and said, "I didn't hear you, please say that again."00000

Chapter 713: You Didn’t Kiss Me Like You Did in the Morning.

Stella put on her jacket and went out when she met Sherry who was yawning while waiting for the elevator. Seeing her, Sherry said, "Stella, why are you up so early?"

I am going downstairs to buy breakfast. Where are you going in the morning?

I lost my phone last night. I'm going to get a new one and also a SIM card.

Stella said, "Then I will go with you."

No need. You still have a cold. I will just go by myself and also take the opportunity to walk around.

Stella nodded her head. "Then you can eat before you go. There's porridge in the pot."

Sherry yawned again. "I will just buy some on my way. You don't have to worry about me. You can rest at home today."

While they were talking, the elevator arrived at the first floor.

Sherry pushed Stella out. "You go buy breakfast. Remember to take your medicine. I will go first."

Stella stood outside and waved at her. "The road is slippery in the rain, so be careful when you drive." Sherry replied, "Yeah, I know."

The elevator door closed and soon it arrived at the underground parking.

Stella withdrew her eyes and walked outside.

The rain was not too heavy, but when it hit the umbrella, it still gave out a burst of dull sound.

When buying breakfast, Stella listened to the people in the breakfast store talking about Lyndon's death from falling off the building and the plummeting of Steward Group's stock price.

People could not help but sigh. They had not expected that Steward Group, which was able to run neck and neck with Conrad Group, would fall to such a state.

On the contrary, although Conrad Group's stock price fluctuated slightly after Clarence left, Justin managed Conrad Group well. Now the stock price of Conrad Group was rising instead of falling.

Because of the stock price plummeting, a lot of people had sold Steward Group's stocks and went to buy Conrad Group's stocks instead.

Stella was holding an umbrella, listening to their discussion expressionlessly. She said "thank you" only when the breakfast store owner handed her a bag with the food box inside, and then she turned around and left.

When she went back, Clarence was looking at Steward Group's stock price.

She put down her things. "Let's eat first."

The porridge in the pot was just properly boiled.

After removing the lid, she smelt the fresh aroma of vegetables.

She finally felt a hint of hunger.

After eating, she even felt better from the dizziness and stuffy nose. She did not want to take the medicine now.

Clarence poured her a glass of water and rubbed her rosy cheeks. "It's okay if you don't want to take your medicine. You cannot go out today. We will see how it goes in the evening." She was speechless.

She might as well choose to take her medicine.

She looked at the steam floating in front of her, looked up and asked him, "Aren't you going out today?"

I am going to Steward Group.

"Do I still need to go?

You can go if you want to."""

She thought about it. "Forget it. I don't know what I should do if I go. Although Sherry did not talk about Daniel, she must be very upset in her heart. I'd better go accompany her."

He pursed his thin lips and finally did not say anything.

She asked, "What's wrong?"

Nothing. Not sure yet. I will tell you tonight.

She replied," Oh, then call me if you need anything."

He nodded his head. "Take your medicine. I will send you there later."

She touched the cup and found the water temperature was just right.

When she finished taking her medicine, he also changed his clothes and came out of the bedroom.

On the way to the studio, the rain seemed to have gotten heavier.

It looked like it would not stop raining today.

When they arrived at the studio, she said while unbuckling her seat belt, "I will go first. Take care on your way. Bye."

As she was about to pull the car door, she felt her wrist was held. She fell back into the seat again.

She turned her head and looked at him beside her without knowing why.

He held the steering wheel with one hand, looking serious and then he slightly inclined his head towards her.

She wondered what he wanted.

She didn't understand his intention.

He pursed his lips for a moment and spoke slowly, "Do the thing that you did when you went out to buy breakfast once again."

She was stunned at first, and then understood what he meant. She bloomed a smile on her face.

She moved over and gently kissed him on the side of his face. When she was about to leave, he held her hand and did not let go. She was confused. "What's wrong again?"

He was dissatisfied. "You did not kiss me like you did in the morning."

So she asked patiently, "Then how did I do it?"

He looked at her and spoke at a slow pace, "You wrapped your arms around my neck, and gave me a loud smack on the lips."

She did not know what to say.

Didn't he feel abashed at all when saying this?

Not giving her any time to remember, he urged, "Hurry up."

She looked around. To leave earlier, she simply leaned forward, hugged his neck, and tried to kiss him on the side of his face.

But he suddenly turned his head.

She kissed on his two thin lips.

His lips curled up in a smile.

She realized his doing and was about to withdraw. But he took advantage of the situation and gently bit her lips, deepening the kiss.

But fortunately, this kiss did not last long because he wasn't the one dominating it.

She found an opportunity and withdrew instantly, cheeks slightly red. She said in a low voice, "You rascal."

He was obviously in a good mood. "You jumped over and kissed me. Who's the rascal here?"

She sat back, fixed her hair and said with a light hum, "I won't bother talking to you. Bye-bye."

He looked at her back, and the smile in his black eyes deepened.

A few moments later, he withdrew his gaze and drove away.

In the studio, Sherry had not yet returned. But several other girls had already gone to work.

Stella said to them, "I will go into the office first. Let me know if Sherry comes back." "Okay, Stella."

She sat in her office, took out her draft book, and flipped it through page by page.

Fashion week was getting nearer. She seemed to be staying put, not getting anywhere in her work. Not long after, there was a sudden knock on the office door.

She thought it was Sherry who had returned. But when she looked up, she saw Elaine who had run in. Elaine said in a quiet voice, "Stella, is it okay that I come in?"

Elaine closed the door and sat in the sofa, her hands clutching her shirt, as if she was hesitating.

Seeing her like this, Stella asked, "What's wrong?"

Elaine looked at her. "I heard from Darnell that last night, you were almost taken away by the bad guys."

Stella smiled. "No need to worry. I am fine now."

Elaine lowered her eyes and said in an even quieter voice, "But he said it was my uncle who planned all this."000

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Chapter 714: This Company Is a Legend in the Industry.

Elaine heard from Darnell that her uncle was the mastermind when she was taken away and locked up for a few days before. She did not believe Darnell's words. However, what she drank last night was juice, so how did she end up passing out?

And in the private room, there were only she and her uncle.

After hearing that something almost happened to Stella, although Elaine did not believe Darnell's words, she could not help but start to feel afraid in her heart.

Stella said softly, "Elaine, I know it may be difficult for you to accept it for a while. But these things were indeed done by Caesar."

When Elaine heard her words, her eyes were reddened and she said anxiously, "But...But my uncle was good to me when I was a child. He would never hurt me, nor would he do such a thing. So could it be that it was a misunderstanding?"

It's not a misunderstanding, Elaine. People do change. Stella said, "Have you ever wondered why your grandfather and your father have never mentioned anything about your uncle all these years? Even when something so big happened to your family, Caesar did not show a trace of anxiety or worries about them."

Hearing her say this, Elaine finally realized that something was not right. She opened her mouth but did not know what to say.

Stella added, "Maybe his feelings for you are not false and he never wanted to really hurt you, but that does not mean that he won't hurt others, Elaine."

After saving Elaine last time, Darnell did not tell her the truth of the matter. Just like Clarence said, Elaine would not believe Darnell's words. What was more, no matter what Caesar did, he always behaved like a good-old uncle in front of Elaine.

Although Caesar used Elaine twice, he did not let her suffer any harm for real.

Stella did not know what Caesar experienced in Riverside City, but she could feel that even in the heart of Caesar who had done so much bad, there was always a clean and soft spot.

For Caesar, this place belonged to Elaine who had believed in him unconditionally since her childhood. She relied on him. Even after ten years, when they met again, she was still the innocent and lovely little girl who was happy and jumped up in joy to see him alive, calling him "uncle".

She grew up being well protected. Except the people she hated, there was no absolute bad guys in her life circle.

She could not see the evilness of Caesar, nor could she understand how bad he really was.

The reason why Darnell told her the truth this time was because she was too defenseless against Caesar.

She just fainted last night. But nobody knew what would happen next time.

She kept her head hanging, looking sad.

Stella rubbed her head. "Elaine, there is no absolute right and wrong in this world sometimes. If in your heart, this person will never hurt you and he is worthy of your trust, then you can keep your feelings for him. Because you are also a special existence to him."

Elaine raised her head with red eyes. "Really?"

Stella said, "Yes. It's just that you need to know at the same time, he will still go on to hurt others, possibly even the people closest to you."

Elaine listened and got a little confused, sitting in a daze.

Caesar is just your uncle. Besides this, he is another person.

Elaine finally understood.

Stella asked her, "Have you eaten your breakfast yet?"

Stella took out her phone. "What do you want to eat? I will order it for you."

Stella had said all she could say. Elaine was able to tell right from wrong. Otherwise, she would not be so sad when she learned the truth. Stella just said these words to make her feel less sorrowful.

It was not until noon that Sherry came back.

When Sherry saw Elaine, she raised her hand and was just about to greet her, but Elaine turned her head and ran away.

Sherry looked at Stella and asked in confusion, "What is wrong with her?"

Stella pulled her into the office before she spoke, "She already knew that those things were planned by Caesar and felt ashamed to see you."

Sherry froze for a moment before she smiled helplessly. "Poor child."

Stella asked, "Have you gotten a new SIM card?"

Sherry stretched herself. "It's done. It took me a whole morning."

Then she added, "Are you better from the cold?"

Stella nodded. "Much better."

Good. Then I will leave you alone. I am going out to work.

Sherry.

Hearing Stella calling her name, Sherry turned her head. "What's wrong?"

Stella looked at her but could not say anything in the end. So she simply smiled. "Nothing. Go ahead."

Sherry waved at her and left the office.

Stella sat down at her desk again and let out a long breath.

By the afternoon, Stella finished drawing a new draft. She stood up and moved her neck, picked up a water cup and was ready to go out to get some water.

Just as she walked outside, she heard the guests of the studio discussing what happened to Steward Group these days.

But what they were discussing was not the plunge in Steward Group's stock price, but the fact that Steward Group's stock price was now rising like crazy and many people could not even buy it even if they wanted to.

She felt confused at their words. When she got to the tea room, she took out her phone. The first news that popped up was that Complex Corporation had made its first round of financing for Steward Group.

In addition, Southwest also reached a strategic collaboration with Steward Group.

These two pieces of news came out at noon, one after the other.

Both Complex and Southwest were big enterprises with international reputation.

One was in London while the other was in Auckland.

If the news were true, not only could Steward Group avoid going bankrupt and collapsing, it would even open up the market of Europe and Oceania.

Its future development was simply promising.

Now there was no need to figure out the relationship between Steward Group and these two enterprises. People only knew that if they could not buy in Steward Group's stocks, they would lose a lot.

All of a sudden, Steward Group's stock price roared, even surpassing the peak of Conrad Group.

If Stella guessed it right, Southwest was the enterprise that Clarence said he had casually invested in.

She clicked in a link and searched for information. Southwest had very little information in China. But on the forum, there were people who kept popularizing it.

She got to know more about Southwest little by little.

Southwest started out with just two or three young people. They were repeatedly frustrated with the start-up of the company. When they were about to give up, they suddenly got support from a mysterious person.

After that, the company grew rapidly. In just three years, it stood at the top of New Zealand, cooperating with countless multinational companies, wining every big project, and gaining the greatest benefit. It was a legend in the industry, and a hot pie that everyone desired.☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐

Chapter 715: Because the Investment Is Not from Me

After learning the news, Caesar was not so happy. He originally thought that Complex Corporation would have no time to care about Steward Group after receiving a heavy blow. But he did not expect that it would recover so quickly.

As for Southwest...

He frowned while asking Jon, "Do you have more specific information?"

Well, of course. But I can't guarantee that it is real, replied Jon.

Tell me about it, he said.

Southwest was founded three years ago in Auckland. And their core members are New Zealanders. As for the mysterious investor... Jon paused and then added, "I only know that Clarence went to Auckland to talk business three years ago. Whether he is related to this company, I am not sure."

Christian said, "If it were in the past, the investor of this company would remain a mystery. But from what happened today, it is most likely Clarence."

Jon folded his legs and said casually, "Don't be so sure about everything. What if Clarence is only on good terms with the company?"

Caesar took off his gold-rimmed glasses and said, "I do have a way to figure it out."

Oh? Jon said.

Just when the online discussion about Steward Group's share price returning in full swing became heated, people on the internet began to question who the investor behind Southwest truly was. Soon someone used Clarence's trip to Auckland three years ago as evidence to show that he was the most likely answer.

Otherwise, he would not have helped Steward Group under such a situation.

As the discussion continued, people began to talk about the actions of Clarence. Three years ago when he invested in Southwest, he did it in the name of the president of Conrad Group. So from a certain perspective, Southwest should belong to Conrad Group, rather than Clarence personally.

But at the same time, some people also felt that since when Clarence left Conrad Group, he did not disclose all the assets under his name or return any of the assets to Conrad Group, which suggested that he didn't really want to step off the throne and let go of the glory Conrad Group had brought him.

Almost at the same time, this discussion post went viral.

Many people had a hot discussion over the several questions raised in the post.

Some people were still arguing about whether the mysterious investor behind Southwest was Clarence while others began to quarrel over the issue that whether Southwest should belong to Conrad Group or Clarence personally.

People who believed that Southwest should belong to Conrad Group thought that it was an investment made by Clarence who was president back then and had used Conrad Group's money. In fact, without Conrad Group, there would be no Clarence, not to mention Southwest. Since Clarence had decided to give Conrad Group to Justin, the assets that belong to Conrad Group should be returned in full.

But other people considered Southwest as an independent entity having no relationship with Conrad Group. In the past few years, Southwest enjoyed an equal if not better reputation internationally. Thanks to Clarence's investment, Southwest could have made such achievement in the world. So there was no reason for Justin to harvest without any efforts.

Different people held different views and tried to convince each other online.

But from the beginning to the end, Steward Group, Conrad Group and Southwest did not come out on the Internet to respond to this matter.

At night, when Clarence came to pick up Stella, who was sitting in her office, staring at the starry sky outside the window.

He sat next to her and asked in a low voice, "What is wrong?"

She came back to her senses and replied, "Nothing. Have you handled the matter?"

I am almost done. Steward Group's crisis has been lifted, he said.

I saw a lot of discussion about whether Southwest should belong to Conrad Group, so you... she hesitated.

What does it have to do with them? he said in a slow and calm way. "Only Justin is qualified to question the matter."

She got stunned for a second, and then smiled. It seemed that he had not changed at all.

After thinking for a moment, she asked again, "If Justin comes to you and asked you to return Southwest, will you agree?"

He simply replied, "No."

Before she could say anything, he added, "Because the investment is not from me."

She got confused in silence.

I invested it in your name, he said.

Say what???

He then added slowly, "Since you married me, I should give you betrothal money. But at that time, I did not want to give it to you. And when I invested in Southwest, I also did not want to do it in the name of Conrad Group, so I used the betrothal money to invest. Thus, the investment is done under your name."

She got speechless.

After a long silence, she said, "Have you been so unpredictable ever since your birth?"

She really did not expect that in those three years when he hated her so much, he had done so many things without her knowledge.

Every time he came back from a business trip, he would bring her gifts. When he was in Auckland on business, he heard about the Dark Sky Reserve in Tekapo and went all the way there.

Not only that, he also thought of giving her the betrothal money. Though he hated her in his heart and did not give her the money personally, he invested in a company in her name. Thinking about all these things, she put on a wry face.

He leaned closer, staring at her with his deep-set eyes, and slowly said, "Do you think my father can really do anything to me if I insist on not marrying you?"

Back then, she did not quite understand those things.

But now when she thought about it, considering his character, if he was determined not to marry her, his father could not do anything about it.

She smiled and said, "You feel contradicted and unhappy, so you come to torture me, huh?"

He frowned with hands on her seat armrest, then he pulled her chair closer and said in a husky voice, "Are you sure that is torture? I remember you obviously enjoyed it." She got speechless again.

He really could not keep his decency for over three seconds!

She tried to kick his chair away using her foot, but he did not let go of the armrest of her chair, causing her to fall with her chair.

Her chair hit the door with a thud. And she did not know what to say.

They were the only ones in the office. So this sound seemed a little bizarre to others.

She looked up with her eyebrows furrowed and met his gleaming eyes.

He did it on purpose!

She slapped the back of his hand. "Let go of me!"

He lifted his hands and raised his eyebrows slightly, as if saying what just happened had nothing to do with him.

Just as she stood up, the door was opened slightly from the outside. A girl's voice came, "Stella, are you..." The girl's last word was muffled by Sherry.

Sherry dragged her outside while whispering, "Kids should not interfere with adult matters."-------------

Chapter 716: I Will Always Stay by Mr. Conrad’s Side.

After returning to her apartment, Stella felt very tired although she did nothing today.

So she turned her head and glared at Clarence. It was his fault!

He said, "What do you want to eat? I will have Nathan send it over."

She asked, "Has Nathan already left Conrad Group?"

Today is the day, he replied.

So he really did not miss any opportunity to use Nathan.

She added, "Whatever. I will go take a shower first."

He sat in the sofa and took out his phone.

Half an hour later, she came out of the shower and wiped her hair. "By the way, do you have something to tell me in the morning?"

When Nathan comes later, he will tell you. he replied.

She nodded and was just about to go blow-dry her hair when he followed her into the bathroom.

He picked up the blow dryer, lifted a strand of her hair and smelled it. "Did you change your shampoo?"

She replied, "No."

Your hair smells different, he said.

I changed my hair conditioner, she said.

He indeed had a sharp nose!

He turned on the blow dryer and adjusted the temperature before gently blowing her hair.

She thought for a moment before saying, "Elaine knew about it."

What? He was a bit confused.

Darnell told her things about Caesar, she replied.

He did not seem too surprised. "Did she believe his words?"

She nodded. "Yes. But she was unwilling to believe it. It's normal for her to be like this because Caesar never hurt her. In her eyes, Caesar will always be the same uncle she had ten years ago." He said, "It's normal. She doesn't know how much it hurts until things happen to her."

She pursed her lips and did not speak for a moment.

In fact, the most hurt person in those recent events was Sherry.

None of them, including Elaine could really feel Sherry's pain in her heart.

As they finished blowing the hair, the doorbell rang.

He put down the hairdryer. "I will open the door."

Outside the door, Nathan stood carrying a paper bag of food. "Mr. Conrad."

Come in, Clarence said.

When Nathan saw her, he greeted, "Miss Radomil."

She greeted him and asked, "What would you like to drink?"

Whatever is fine, he replied.

She took a bottle of water from the fridge and gave it to him.

Clarence sat in the sofa. "How is it going?"

Young Master Justin has already confirmed to work with Caesar. When I left, he told me that he did not believe those rumors. If the collaboration with Caesar was canceled at this time, it would in turn make you the target of all, Mr. Conrad, Nathan replied.

Clarence did not show any particular expression.

Nathan added, "But I am not too sure about the details of the collaboration. And since I confirmed my departure, Young Master Justin has not arranged any related work for me."

Clarence nodded before saying, "Tell Stella about Daniel."

Upon hearing this, she slowly sat down.

Nathan continued, "According to our investigation in the past two days and judging from their style, Daniel should not be in their hands."

She froze. "What do you mean by that?"

I went to check Lyndon's whereabouts after he returned to City N, and according to the scene, there was no Daniel in their party.

Was he killed or did he escape? she asked.

He said, "It's more likely that he escaped. I have sent this news to London. And they will search more places."

Lyndon James did not come back directly from London but took a lot of detours. So Daniel had a high chance of escaping. But in that case, it would be more difficult for them to find him. Hearing his words, she suddenly felt dejected inside.

Clarence said, "Don't worry. Since Daniel can escape from them, he will find a way to contact William."

She sighed heavily. Although it sounded positive, they still had no news of Daniel for so long.

Seeing that Clarence and Nathan still had something to talk about, she got up and said, "I am taking out the rubbish and I need to buy something."

After she left, Nathan said, "Mr. Conrad, Channing is recently investigating the collapse of Chassell's resort a few years ago, and has already contacted the victim's family."

Clarence nodded and said, "Keep an eye on it. Although Chassell is now desperate, he has a lot of means. Since Channing forced him into desperate situations several times, it is inevitable that he may do something dangerous."

Nathan nodded. "I will send people to keep an eye on this matter. Don't worry, Mr. Conrad. Probably due to childhood environment, Channing is better at dealing with unexpected situations than many ordinary people. If Chassell really wants to hurt him, the one who will suffer may be himself."

Clarence remained silent for a while before he said, "Do you think Channing and Jeffery are alike?"

Nathan shook his head without thinking. "Not at all."

I had someone do a paternity test on Channing and Jeffery, and it showed a blood relationship. And William must have also done the test, so the answer is obvious, Clarence said.

Nathan asked, "Is it possible that the test result is wrong?"

How high is the chance of both tests being wrong? Clarence asked.

Almost zero, Nathan replied.

Clarence narrowed his deep eyes, fingers gently tapping on the armrest of the sofa. "If it is really wrong, there is only one possibility."

He added, "Someone must have interfered with the tests."

But at that time, William's identity was not known to many people except us, including... Nathan did not finish his words.

Clarence said in a calm voice, "But many people around William know his true identity."

Hearing this, Nathan was a little surprised. People who knew William's identity were his most trusted people. So who would do this kind of thing? Clarence said, "When these things are over, you go to London, find William and let him redo a paternity test."

Nathan nodded. "Okay."

Stella went downstairs for a while and went to the convenience store to buy some stuff. When she turned back, she happened to meet Nathan coming out.

Miss Radomil, he greeted.

She said, "Are you leaving now?"

He nodded. "I have finished reporting everything to Mr. Conrad."

She coughed and said, "Well, Clarence sometimes speaks in a rude way and I hope you won't mind. He simply does not know how to express himself. When he heard that Justin tried to let you stay at the company, he was quite nervous although he said nothing to you. He feared that you would really choose to stay."

He smiled. "Don't worry, Miss Radomil. I will always stay by Mr. Conrad's side."

She asked tentatively, "Clarence didn't get the goods on you, did he?"

Maybe Mr. Conrad has forgotten that he has saved my life, he replied.

Hearing him say that, she suddenly remembered that a long time ago, she heard them talking about such a thing.

So it was true, huh?0000000☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐

Chapter 717: What Is Going on Outside?

Nathan looked at her face and probably guessed what she was thinking. So he said with his mouth twitched a bit, "It's not what you think. It's my mother. She was seriously ill ten years ago. It was Mr. Conrad who gave me a sum of money so that she could have an operation."

Remembering that he had mentioned his mother several times before, she asked, "How is your mother now?"

He replied, "The surgery failed and she passed away."

She was stunned and did not know what to say for a moment.

He said with a relaxed smile, "At least she received the operation. Otherwise, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life."

On the way back home, she kept thinking about this matter.

Seeing that she was distracted, Clarence asked, "What's wrong?"

Nothing. She paused, and said, "I met Nathan downstairs."

He raised his eyebrows slightly. "What did he say to you?"

Just...that he said he would always be by your side and that you might have forgotten something, she said.

He said, "The matter of his mother's surgery?"

She nodded and was a little surprised. "So you haven't forgotten it."

He said, "How can I forget such a thing? But if he wants to stay, I won't use it to make him change his mind."

Upon hearing this, she smiled, jumped into his arms, straddled on his legs and rubbed his face. "In fact, you are quite adorable."

He wanted to tell her to stop when she cupped his face and kissed him.

Soon she backed away.

He looked at her and mutter in a throaty voice, "Don't you want to eat?"

She said, "Yes, and we..."

Before she could stand up, she was held down by him on the waist.

He put her in the sofa and kissed her eyes. "We will eat later."

She looked at him with moist eyes. "It will get cold later."

I will heat it up then, he said.

Without waiting for her to speak again, he kissed her lips, hands gently rubbing her exposed waist and continuously going up.

The atmosphere got steamier and gradually they were engulfed in the heat of desire.

On the other side, Sherry was lying in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

She thought about what Stella told her. If it wasn't for Caesar, she wouldn't have miscarried.

Then she thought about Daniel, not knowing what happened to him now and whether he was injured.

The more she thought about these things, the more confused she became.

So she simply sat up and went to the living room for a glass of water.

When drinking water, she looked at the withering flowers on the windowsill, went over, squatted down, and poured the water into the pot.

She suddenly remembered that Daniel also grew some plants. Maybe his flowers were dying too.

She squatted on the ground for a while, then stood up suddenly, walked to the door, changed her shoes, took the car keys and left home. When she arrived at the downstairs of the neighborhood she had rented with Stella, she parked the car and quickly went upstairs.

As she got closer to the place, she had a strange feeling in her heart.

It seemed that as soon as she opened the door, she would see Daniel.

When she got off the elevator, she entered the code, and as she saw the bright light in the house, she was almost certain she guessed it right. With a smile on her face, she shouted, "Daniel..." However, before she could finish her words, a sexy woman wearing a halter neck sleepwear came out of the bedroom.

The woman looked at her with a lazy look. "Who are you?"

Sorry, sorry... Sherry apologized.

She stepped backwards while feeling strange. Was this place re-rented out?

The woman called out to her. "Wait."

Sherry stopped there and continued to apologize, "Sorry. My friend used to live here..."

The woman narrowed her eyes and approached her step by step with crossed arms.

At that moment, a familiar male voice came from inside the house, "Amanda."

The woman and Sherry looked over at the same time.

The next second, Daniel walked out.

Amanda asked, "Is she your friend?"

He nodded slightly and looked at Sherry. "Are you looking for me for something?"

Sherry almost froze there and could not say anything.

When she came here, she did really expect to see him. But she certainly didn't expect that she would see him in this situation.

She sized him up and down. Well, he looked good and seemed not injured at all. She simply thought too much.

The woman went to the sofa and sat down, opened a bottle of red wine and drank leisurely.

After a long while, Sherry said hesitantly, "I heard Stella say that you had an accident... I thought maybe the flowers here are dying, so I came to check."

I am fine. You can go now, he said.

She subconsciously turned her head. But only did she take a few steps, she paused, eyes reddened. She can't help scolding him, "Are you crazy? Don't you know that Stella and Clarence still think you are in Lyndon's hands and they are mortgaging Steward Group's assets to save you! And you...you are here with this woman..."

Hearing her words, he froze and frowned slightly.

A moment later, he said, "Please tell them that there is no need to do this for me."

She said, "You have to say it yourself. It's none of my business!"

After that, she turned around and left in stride, closing the door with a bam.

Only after hearing her get into the elevator did he withdraw his eyes.

In the sofa, Amanda asked with interest while sipping the wine, "Is she your new girlfriend?”

He coldly said, "No. And it has nothing to do with you."

She said, "What a pity! I should have let her stay with you."

He wanted to say something but he coughed violently. Soon some blood oozed on his back.

She came over, took out the needle in her pajama pocket and injected him. It was originally prepared for Sherry. "I told you not to move around. Now I wasted a needle again."

He asked before falling unconsciously, "What's going on outside?"

Didn't your girlfriend tell you? I did not expect you to be worth a lot of money. I wish I could trade you for the money. She added with a sigh, "Unfortunately, what I want most is your life." He said, "She is not my girlfriend. So don't hurt her."

She helped him into the bedroom and threw him on the bed. "If she is not your girlfriend, why are you so worried? She is not far away, so should I bring her back to keep you company?" "How dare you?" he said.

Before passing out, he said, "If you dare to touch her, I will make your life worse than death."000

Chapter 718: It Is a Bit Strange.

The next day, when Stella was in a daze from the sleep, she heard the doorbell ringing.

She turned over, kicked Clarence, and buried her head into the pillow. "Go open the door."

A few seconds later, he lifted the quilt, walked to the foyer and opened the door.

Stella, Sherry...

Seeing his sullen face, Elaine was stunned and simply stared at him with her big eyes.

He asked without any expression, "What is it? Say it."

She felt cool air coming towards her and she could not say a word.

Seeing that she did not speak, he was about to close the door when she perked up the greatest courage of her life to squeeze in through the door.

As she ran inside, she shouted, "Stella, help!"

When she ran to the bedroom door, Stella had already walked out with a sleepy face, rubbing her eyes and asked, "What's wrong?"

Elaine stood in front of her and swallowed before saying, "It's Sherry. I just went to look for her and found her crying under the covers all the time. I asked her what was wrong but she would not say."

Then she added with worries, "Stella, is Sherry still blaming me? I know it's my fault. If she wants to beat me or scold me, I am okay and I won't fight back."

Hearing this, Stella got sobered up a bit. "I will go over and take a look first."

Elaine nodded and followed behind her.

When they walked several steps, they noticed Clarence who had a cold face at the foyer. Elaine got frightened and hurriedly grabbed Stella's clothes, leaving quickly.

When they arrived at the door of Sherry's room, there were no more cries from inside.

Seeing Stella push the door open, Elaine got nervous and upset.

In the room, Sherry sat on the bed with listless and swollen eyes. And she was sobbing.

Stella slowly walked over, sat next to her and asked in a soft voice, "Sherry, what's wrong?"

Hearing her voice, Sherry turned her head, hugged her and cried out with a wow. "Oh, I was wrong. All I know was bluffing but I did not become a qualified scum girl as promised. So this is my punishment from God..."

Stella felt confused and patted her back. "What exactly happened?"

Sherry cried again for a while before stopping and said with a sob, "Did Daniel call you?"

Stella was shocked, and then shook her head. "You got in touch with him, huh?"

I... suddenly thought of watering his flowers last night and went to his house. But he came out of the bedroom with a sexy woman. Sherry cried more sadly, "I was wearing T-shirt and big pants at that time. So I didn't seem so competitive..."

Stella did not quite understand her words. "Do you mean that Daniel has gone home and is with a woman?"

Sherry came out of her arms and nodded with a sob.

Immediately afterward, she added, "You don't have to care about his life and death. He is free and easy on his own now."

Stella frowned slightly and did not speak for a while.

Sherry said, "Stella, I saw it with my own eyes. Believe me."

Stella retrieved her thoughts. "I believe you, but I feel a bit strange."

What's so strange about it? Sherry asked.

Since Daniel has escaped and returned home, it means that he is safe. Although he did not tell us the news, he should tell William, but now... Stella said.

Sherry drew some tissue paper and wiped her tears. "Maybe he doesn't want to be disturbed by anyone. When he feels happy, he will tell you."

Speaking of this, she cursed again, "He is a bastard! He does not tell us when he is safe, making me... making you guys almost pay such a big price for him!" Stella patted her shoulder. "Okay. I will talk to Clarence and William. You take a leave today. Have some rest at home."

No need. I am not going to delay my work for him. We are together because of that baby. Since the baby is gone, it's time for me to part ways with him, Sherry said. Stella helped her wipe away tears that could not stop flowing. "But your eyes are swollen. You're still going?"

Sherry then picked up her phone and looked at herself on the screen. Seeing her embarrassing look, she felt even more frustrated and cried out on the pillow. Stella said, "I will go make you breakfast. Eat and sleep well. Be good."

Sherry was still crying while nodding slightly.

Stella then got up and went out of the room.

Seeing her close the door, Elaine, who was waiting outside, hurriedly went forward. "How is Sherry?"

Stella said, "It's not because of you."

Elaine let out a sigh of relief, and then instantly asked, "Then she..."

Stella made a shushing gesture towards her and pulled her out of the house.

Standing in the corridor, Stella said, "Sherry won't go to the studio today. I should be there later than usual. Are you staying home today or waiting for me to go together?"

Elaine thought about it. "I will go by myself. I know the way."

Stella wasn't completely sure about letting her go to the studio alone. Elaine said, "Stella, I know you are concerned about me. But I am old enough to protect myself. I promise you I will be fine. Even if Uncle Caesar comes to me, I will not go with him."

Stella thought about it. Clarence had sent people around her for protection. Now that Darnell was in the City N, he must have also sent people around Elaine.

It should be fine.

So she said, "Take care on your way. When you arrive, call me."

Elaine nodded seriously. "Okay."

Before Elaine was about to leave, Stella pulled her back. "Have breakfast before you go."

No. There is a breakfast stall nearby that serves soy milk that I like. I will go buy that.

Okay, remember to call me when you arrive.

At this time the elevator was coming down. Elaine ran over and waved at her. "Okay. Stella, you can go back now."

After watching her get into the elevator, Stella went back.

Clarence sat in the sofa, heard the movement from the door and spoke in a low voice, "What's wrong?"

Stella walked to sit next to him. "Sherry went to Daniel's house last night and saw him with a woman."

He paused for a few seconds and tilted his head. "When exactly?"

I think it was in the middle of the night, she replied.

She then added, "But I still feel strange about it. Since Daniel is out of danger, he has no reason not to contact William."

Maybe he wants to have a few free days for himself, he replied.

She angrily said, "Nonsense! Daniel is not such a man. William has told me that Daniel is actually his adopted son. Unlike you who didn't worry about Nathan staying in the Conrad Group, he actually cares that Daniel will not come back."

What's this got to do with him? Clarence felt targeted.0000000☐☐☐☐☐

Chapter 719: Different Point Of Views

The Steward Group made a public announcement at ten o'clock in the morning. The rumors about the Steward Group mortgaging their assets were false and the Steward Group would not be bankrupt. The reason why it had contacted every major bank was that Complex was preparing to invest in the Steward Group. Secondly, it was also preparing for its cooperation with Southwest. After the announcement, the anxieties about the Steward Group started to calm down.

As for Southwest, they did not respond to the rumors on the internet. However, not only did the public opinions not cease, but they intensified. The discussions about the Conrad group became the hottest topic surpassing even the Steward Group.

There were numerous discussions that compared Justin with Clarence.

Some said that Clarence had left the Conrad Group long ago. Even without him, the Conrad Group was still at a pinnacle. A person like Justin with good reputation was more worthy of being the CEO of the Conrad Group.

Some others said that if it was not for Clarence, the Conrad Group would not be where it was now. The fact that the Conrad Group was still flourishing should thanks to Clarence's abilities. Now the Conrad Group was still executing the plans as laid out by Clarence.

It would take a few years before the future of the Conrad Group was clear.

Just as the discussions on the internet were at a fever pitch, someone posted a video clip that was only a few seconds long.

Chassell Barret's face could be clearly seen in the video. Although only the side and back of the woman could be seen, it was obvious that the woman was Winnie Truman. Chassell held onto Winnie's hand as they walked towards a car.

Winnie and Chassell, rekindled flame this topic immediately went viral.

Winnie was well known and popular within the country. Once this video was released, a lot of people came online to join the discussion.

Many people knew that Winnie kept a low profile due to her involvement with Chassell's family several years ago. The scandal was riled up for a moment until Chassell and his ex-wife announced that it was Winnie who was fooled by Chassell. She was not the one who came in between Chassell and his ex-wife.

Just as everyone thought that this matter was resolved, now it was exposed that Winnie had reconciled with Chassell?

After the news came out, many KOLS and the internet water army tried to manipulate the public opinion.

I find it hard to believe. I used to love Winnie and spoke up for her against that scoundrel. Now she made me eat my words!

When Chassell apologized, everyone joined in to criticize him. Now it should be the fans who were disappointed that Winnie has gotten back with him!

Damn it. If I were her fan, I'd be devastated. The fans should save their money for better things than supporting these celebrities.

Even the regular folks were shocked by this news. There are so many hunks in the entertainment industry. Why must she choose him?

Her fans were stunned to see these comments. Many of her fans decided not to support her anymore while others were her diehard fans and waited for her clarification.

It was after five o'clock in the afternoon when Winnie completed her shoot. She exited the studio and saw the staff discussing something. They shut up and scattered as soon as they saw her.

She looked around and found her assistant who served her a glass of water. She drank and asked, "What happened?"

Her assistant Fiona was evasive and did not answer immediately.

Winnie noticed that something was amiss and asked after a couple of seconds, "Hand me my cellphone."

Fiona reached out her hand slowly before she handed Winnie her phone. She said, "Winnie, the company called..." Winnie opened Twitter and saw the news about Chassell and her.

She frowned as she watched the video and recognized that it was taken at the entrance of her apartment complex.

It must be the time when Chassell waited there and tried to forcefully take her away.

But because the video was just a few seconds long and focused on Chassell, it did not capture her struggling and resistance. It appeared as if she was going with Chassell willingly. Winnie watched for a moment and then snorted. How could someone be so despicable?

Without hesitation, Winnie clicked the Tweet button and was about to write a clarification. However, Twitter asked her to re-login and after she entered the password, it said that the password was incorrect. Fiona said from beside Winnie, "The company called this afternoon and said it would take back the control of your official Twitter account. The company will manage your publicity from now on." Winnie was dumbfounded and asked, "What?"

Fiona said softly, "I've made inquiries and they replied that it was the decision of higher management. All the stars under the Conrad Group were treated the same. No exceptions." "Higher management? Who?" Winnie demanded.

Fiona pointed upwards, "They said that it was the order from the executive assistant office."

That meant that it had the CEO's approval.

Winnie gripped her cellphone tightly, frowned, and asked Fiona, "Did the PR department say how they would handle this?"

Fiona replied, "They did not contact me. Perhaps they wanted the situation to cool down first."

Winnie did not even change her clothes. She covered herself with a jacket and walked outside as she said, "I want to go to the Conrad Group now."

Winnie... Winnie... Fiona quickly grabbed their things and ran after Winnie.

Inside the car, Fiona looked at Winnie's expression and hesitated before saying, "Winnie, I think the company would not be bothered about this..."

Winnie frowned but remained silent.

Fiona continued, "I saw a discussion. Some fans deduced that it could be the Conrad Group that intentionally released the video about you and Chassell so that they could divert some attention from their issue."

Winnie was too busy these few days to keep abreast of recent developments. She asked, "What issue?"

Fiona was not sure. She could simply answered, "Perhaps it's because of Mr. Conrad, well, Clarence Conrad. Mr. Conrad and the current CEO of the Conrad Group had some disputes. I'm not sure of the details."

Winnie heaved a long sigh after she heard this and composed herself.

Clarence had occasionally used her and the artists under the company to create some headlines. However, those were usually mutually beneficial. He had never done something like this where a video of several seconds was released to intentionally spread rumors. Additionally, her Twitter account had also been confiscated to prevent her from clarifying the situation.

Winnie had met Justin several times and also felt that he was not the type that would do this.

Winnie closed her eyes and leaned back as she said, "We'll see what on earth is going on when we arrive at the Conrad Group."

Fiona acknowledged and remained quiet. She then took out her phone to monitor the discussions on the internet.☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐

Chapter 720: Waiting for My Invitation?

At the Conrad Group, Winnie took the elevator towards the CEO's office.

She was blocked by Justin's assistant after exiting the elevator.

Winnie said, "I want to see Mr... Conrad."

The man replied, "Don't bother if it is regarding the scandal."

Winnie looked at him and asked, "Why not? I did not do anything wrong and did not make any inappropriate comments. Why did you take back my Twitter account?"

This is the company's new policy for all our stars, not just you alone. He replied.

Winnie scoffed, "Then were the others' passwords changed?"

The man's expression did not change when he said, "You must have seen the news. It had caused a large impact on the Conrad Group. As a staff of the Conrad Group, you should bear some of the risks for the company."

It's my decision whether I want to shoulder the risks for the company. Before even seeking my opinion and permission, you used such methods to slander me and even locked me out of my Twitter account to prevent me from clarifying myself.

This is the company's decision. If you cannot accept this, you may begin the procedure for contract termination.

Winnie was so upset that she was at a loss for words. She did not want to waste any more time with him and stepped forward as she said, "I want to see Mr. Conrad."

The man stopped her again. "Didn't your agent tell you to respect the chain of authority? If you have any complaints, you may look for your agent. Your agent will then decide if there was a need to escalate this issue and submit it to the respective department supervisor. The department supervisor would verify the issue before submitting it to the CEO's assistant. Once the assistant has approved the matter would reach Mr. Conrad."

He looked at Winnie and continued, "As for your issue, the assistant would not submit to the CEO. So don't waste your time here."

Winnie looked at him quietly and said, "My agent is Mr. Conrad. You may look for him if you disagree."

The man was startled and then frowned, "This is not funny, madam. Now Mr. Conrad is..."

Harris. A gentle voice came from behind him. He turned around and his expression changed completely. He respectfully greeted, "Mr. Conrad."

Justin nodded and said, "Go and do your things, leave this to me."

Harris was stunned and looked at Winnie before leaving.

Justin looked at Winnie, smiled warmly, and said, "I'm sorry, he can be rather abrasive. Don't take it to heart."

Winnie pursed her lips but remained silent.

Justin turned around in his wheelchair and said, "Follow me in."

Justin signaled for Winnie to sit down after they entered his office. He made a call to his assistants to serve them tea.

Justin then asked, "What are you here for?"

Justin maintained a slight smile while he looked solemn. It appeared that he was ready to listen to her to resolve her problem.

Winnie suddenly felt unable to vent her anger as she did a moment ago. It was torture to keep it inside her.

She then said, "This morning, there was news about Chassell and me. The video only lasted for a few seconds and now everyone thought that I had been with him again. It was also discussed on the internet that this was done by the Conrad Group to divert attention and public opinion."

It looked like that was the first time Justin heard about this. He sounded surprised and sighed, "You should know better not to believe whatever is said on the internet."

Winnie said, "The assistant outside said that as a staff of the Conrad Group, I should take some of the risks for the company."

Justin frowned and asked, "Did he really say that?"

Winnie nodded, "Yes." She continued, "I would do my best to help the company if it was in trouble. However, I cannot accept such underhanded tactics to do it without my knowledge. Furthermore, to use an outlandish excuse to lock me out of my Twitter account, preventing me from clarifying myself."

Now Justin's expression did not seem surprised when he said, "They had a meeting this morning to consolidate the control of social media accounts of our stars. I'm not an expert of this so I just approved it. If you want your Twitter account back, I can instruct them."

Winnie unconsciously clenched her fists. If the company did this to all its stars, then she would be receiving special treatment if she asked to have her Twitter account back.

After pondering for a moment, she said, "I would like to discuss with you how should today's incident be handled."

Justin looked apologetic when he replied, "I'm sorry as I really have little knowledge of this aspect. I'll let the related department contact you."

I don't wish to go through the public relations department. I want to clarify this by myself. Winnie said.

How do you intend to do this? Justin asked.

The video was edited down to those few seconds. If the original video can be found, then it would resolve the issue.

Justin then said, "But..."

Winnie said, "This is my personal matter. I would find a way and won't trouble the company."

Justin nodded, "Just tell the assistants if you need any help. Tell them that I had approved it."

Okay. Winnie then continued, "As for the Twitter account, the company may manage it but I want to have the rights to use it. I will check with the company before I post anything." Justin chuckled, "There is no need to be so pedantic. I will instruct them to give you the password."

Winnie stood up and gave him a light bow, "Thanks, Mr. Conrad. I'll take my leave if there isn't anything else."

Justin stopped her and said, "Oh yes, you mentioned that it was Clarence who was managing your work before, right?"

Winnie replied, "Yes."

As you can see, I am already finding it difficult to manage the company's affairs. I would not have any capacity to help you with your work. I will appoint an agent for you. The way he said it seemed appropriate and she had to accept his decision. Winnie replied, "Okay, thanks, Mr. Conrad."

Winnie turned to leave.

When she walked past the assistant's office, she intentionally paused to look. There was not a single person inside whom she recognized.

Winnie walked along and entered the elevator. She suddenly felt that she had become a stranger at the current Conrad Group.

As soon as Winnie left the Conrad Group, she received a call from Stella. Stella asked, "Where are you now?"

Winnie turned around and looked at the building behind her. The sun was shining directly at it but somehow it felt much colder as compared to when Clarence was there. Winnie said, "I just settled something. What's up?"

Stella said, "Can you come to the studio? I have something to give you."

Winnie asked, "I have something to attend to. Can I go tomorrow?"

Before Stella could reply, a man's flat voice passed through the phone, "Waiting for my invitation?"

Winnie quickly replied, "I'm on my way."000000