Ch. 1..10

Chapter 1

In a warm pink-colored room that seemed like a young teenage girl's, Xyla Quest looked giddily at a man's watch, occasionally glancing at the chandelier above her. This was a worldwide limited edition watch she had carefully selected at a shopping mall.

She believed that Brother Sullivan would like it when he returned and saw it.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Right then, Xyla received a video call from her little sister, Emily Quest.

Xyla Quest immediately picked up the call. Closely after that, Emily Quest's proud chuckle could be heard over the phone.

"Dear Big Sister, did you really believe what Brother Sullivan has said about being busy today and therefore, could only return to the country tomorrow?" "What do you mean?" Xyla Quest looked confused.

Emily Quest was barely wearing any clothes in the video call. She seemed annoyed, and her laughter was getting louder.

"Haha! You deserve to be cheated on for being so dumb. This is my gift to you. Keep your eyes wide open and have a good look, you pig."

After approximately two minutes later, Xyla saw an intimate scene between Emily Quest and Tom Sullivan.

The video's background showed that they were on the couch of Tom Sullivan's living room.

Therefore, when he said he was busy today, he meant he was busy fooling around with Xyla's younger stepsister from a different mother.

Since the age of eleven, Xyla had been in love with Tom Sullivan. She had loved this man for nearly seven years now. He was the man of her dreams and the youth she had fallen head over heels for. Xyla had nearly given everything she had to Tom Sullivan. As such, she always thought that he would never betray her.

"Brother Sullivan, have you ever done this with Xyla Quest?" Emily Quest looked at the camera provocatively.

"Don't disgust me. I feel like puking at the sight of that fat woman. Do you even think that's possible?" Tom Sullivan said while he kissed Emily.

The man seemed so engrossed in the moment of intimacy that he did not notice the camera.

Xyla felt as if her heart was being carved at with a knife as each dirty scene unfolded before her one after another.

It felt painful even to breathe.

When Xyla Quest lifted her head, her gaze landed upon herself in the dressing mirror. It showed her reflection without any form of concealment.

Her body was full of fat, and she had freckles all over her face. She was no longer the most beautiful woman in Atlantis as she once was. Was she not a fat woman, after all?

However, Tom once said that she had only become like this because of him and that he would never dislike her.

Filled with rage, she immediately got into her sports car and sped toward Tom Sullivan's villa without care.

When the couple on the couch saw her, they were stunned.

"Why are you here?" Tom Sullivan asked calmly. He seemed a little surprised.

After a moment, he calmly got up and slowly put on a bathrobe before walking up to Xyla.

"Since you've seen us, I'll just come clean. Xyla Quest, let's break up. I've fallen in love with your little sister."

His words pierced through her heart like a knife.

Emily Quest snorted coldly before quickly putting on Tom Sullivan's shirt. She then hugged her arm in a rampant manner. "To be honest, Brother Sullivan has been sick of you a long time ago. He just never knew how to say it to you." Emily's face was full of despise.

Emily Quest's words like a cold bucket of water poured over her head. Xyla Quest immediately came to her senses.

Xyla should have already known this was true. Ever since she turned hideous, Tom had started treating her differently.

All along, she had foolishly convinced herself that he was too busy with work to care about their relationship.

"Yes. Even if you didn't walk in on us, I have already planned to clear things up with you tomorrow. Xyla Quest, you don't deserve me!

"Even my family wants me to get rid of you. Therefore, let's end this on peaceful terms.

"My family would like you to take up the responsibility for the sake of the love we once had for each other.

"Tell your Dad that you don't want to be with me anymore and that you would like a divorce."

Tom Sullivan continued to speak harshly. He would rather die than stay with this fat woman for the rest of his life.

His words repeatedly pierced through her heart like a knife.

Back then, his mother was in dire need of a kidney donation.

Since Xyla loved Tom, she did not hesitate to donate her kidney to his mother.

After that, his mother had fully recovered, but Xyla's condition worsened.

The surgery resulted in severe side effects on her body.

She began to grow fat rapidly. Freckles developed all over her face. From the most beautiful woman in Atlantis, Xyla became just another fat woman. However, not only were they not remorseful, they even looked down upon her.

Even when Tom Sullivan was clearly the one who cheated on Xyla, he wanted her, the victim, to take up the responsibility.

They were truly evil and shameless.

At that moment, Xyla wished she could kill all of them.

"You and your family are evil. Don't you know why and for whom I became like this?" Xyla Quest retorted while she raised her hand to slap his face.

However, before her palm landed on his face, Emily Quest had grabbed her hand and pushed her to the ground. Then, Emily stepped on Xyla's hand mercilessly with her red high heels. Emily repeatedly jabbed and twisted her heel on Xyla's hand. "You have willingly donated your kidney. They didn't force you to do it. Stop bringing that matter up to blackmail him emotionally! "It's your own body that has problems. Why are you blaming others for it? Many people have donated their kidneys, but they all end up fine. Why are you the only one with side effects?"

Just as Emily Quest finished her sentence, she jabbed her heel even deeper into Xyla's hand. It ended up piercing through Xyla's flesh as blood began to seep out from the open wound and splatter all over the floor.

With the pain spreading all over her body, Xyla felt as if she was about to pass out. However, the physical pain was not even close to the pain she felt in her heart.

Xyla Quest struggled to get free and tried to attack in return.

However, Tom Sullivan would not allow her to do so. He raised his foot and stepped on her abdomen. "Stop messing around, Xyla..."

Xyla did not expect Tom Sullivan to help Emily Quest instead of stopping her from bullying Xyla.

This couple was terrifyingly evil.

"Oops, Xyla Quest, I never thought that you would one day be treated like a piece of sh*t and be stepped on like this."

As soon as Emily Quest finished speaking, she smiled slyly at Tom Sullivan. "Brother Sullivan, shall we continue?"

"Alright..." Tom Sullivan smiled in return.

"However, before that, can we throw this woman out? She's an unbearable sight..." Emily Quest added.

Right after Emily Quest ended her sentence, Tom Sullivan dragged Xyla Quest by her ponytail as if she were a doll and threw her out the door.

Then, he closed the door behind him without even taking a last glance at Xyla.

After crying for a long while, Xyla Quest got into her car in a zombie-like manner before driving away from Tom Sullivan's villa.

With her abdomen recently stepped on, she began to feel intense pain as darkness filled her eyes...

In the next instant, the sports car went out of control and crashed into a large tree by the road.

Without her safety belt on, Xyla was sent flying out of the car before landing in a snow pile.

Despite struggling to climb out, she barely had any energy left in her body as every part of her body ached.

Soon, more snow began to fall on her and slowly buried her deep under the coldness.

Nobody would have known that the large body covered in snow by the empty road once belonged to Atlantis's most beautiful lady.

With the pain spreading all over her body, Xyla Quest soon lost her consciousness.

She knew that she was probably going to die.

It was truly hilarious. Xyla never thought this was how her life would end.

If she could survive, she would make sure they paid with every drop of their blood.

Just a moment before she passed out, a pair of black boots appeared in front of her...

***

On that night, Xyla Quest was declared as a lost person. She had only texted her father, Jeremy Quest, through WeChat that she was going away on vacation.

After that, she could no longer be contacted...

There were different rumors about where she had gone.

However, according to her fiancé, Tom Sullivan, people were told that Miss Quest had eloped with someone else...

She was the cause of shame to the Quest family!

 

 

 

 

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Three years later, a stunning woman opened her eyes slowly as she stretched her arms in a big, soft bed.

While Xyla Quest could feel an aching sensation in her body, she heard running water from the bathroom. Through the frosted glass, she could vaguely see a person's figure moving around in the bathroom. After stretching her arms yet again, Xyla murmured, "Hmm... Georgie, what time is it now? Why does my body hurt all over?"

Xyla sounded very soft, almost as if she were like a marshmallow.

Creak.

When the bathroom door was opened, a tall man appeared before her.

With only a white towel wrapped around his lower body, his muscular chest, sexy eight-packs, and perfectly firm abs were fully visible.

Meanwhile, droplets of water that slowly slid down his neck made him look even more alluring.

Such a perfectly sculpted face without a hint of warmth in his cheeks made the man feel very unapproachable.

Despite being the apex of beauty in humanity, he was also far unreachable.

Xyla suddenly thought of the phrase, "A beautiful person is like god's gift to earth. While the man owns 70% of all beauty, the remaining 30% of beauty is spared for all humankind."

"Who are you? Why are you here?" Xyla asked with a frown while she frightfully pulled the duvet tightly over her body.

While the man raised his brows, he began approaching her and looked down at her arrogantly. "Shouldn't you ask yourself that question first?"

It was impossible to gauge his current emotion from his eyes. There was a strong aura of oppression that came from his body.

Hearing this, Xyla immediately ran through the possible scenarios in her head before a sense of shame washed over her as she realized what must have happened.

This was all her fault!

Drinking really did cause her problems! Was this a form of inter-marital cheating?

Although Xyla had been married for two years, she still did not know what her husband looked like.

However, their relationship was real, and so was the promise they made in the past.

Last night, Xyla Quest and Georgie Clementine had a little too much to drink at the bar. Since they were unable to drive after drinking too much, they decided to get a room upstairs.

Xyla recalled that Georgie was the first to head upstairs. Meanwhile, Xyla herself felt the urge to puke and had gone to the restroom downstairs.

After that, she remembered entering the room and drinking a glass of water by the bed before turning the lights off and lying down.

Later, she felt tremendously uncomfortable all over...

Therefore, Xyla must have entered the wrong room!

"Alright. It's my fault. I will take full responsibility for you. Make an offer," Xyla said.

"An offer? Are you sure you can afford me?" The man raised his brows while his voice remained cold as before.

Chuckle. This woman was indeed interesting. What did she think he was? A male prostitute?

"Even if you are very expensive, I'm sure 500,000 should be enough. Even a popular celebrity would accept such an offer. What do you say about keeping this a secret if I pay you that much?"

If word got out about what happened, it would only do Xyla harm. Resolving this issue with money was the best way to go about it.

"A popular celebrity? How can they even compare to me?" The man asked gloomily.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The sound of a phone ringing cut their conversation short as the man walked into the bathroom with his phone.

After that, a cold voice could be heard. "If that's the case, get it done and over with."

After the bathroom door was closed, Xyla could not hear anything further. Her body began to tremble as goosebumps appeared all over her body.

What did he mean by 'get it over and done with'?

Could he be a gangster? Was he the kind of person who killed others without batting an eyelid?

From his appearance, he was probably the man who called the shots. However, Xyla felt such a shame that a handsome man like him worked in this field.

Knowing that she could not afford to think about this too much, Xyla quickly got out of bed and put her clothes on before leaving a cheque worth 500,000 dollars on the ground.

Casually, she glanced at the dressing mirror decorated with gold and diamond jewelry. Her graceful figure came into view.

From her reflection, she seemed like a different person from who she was three years ago. Now, she had a head full of long, black, and curly hair that dangled over her waist. With luscious red lips and a fair complexion, she almost looked like a fairy.

The look in her eyes seemed to contain the glimmer of a million stars, perfectly capturing the essence of society's definition of beauty.

After coming back to her senses, she quickly put on her high heels and walked away.

Once she closed the door behind her, the room number became visible. "8808..."

The night before, Georgie had clearly told her their room number was 8809, which meant that Xyla truly had gone into the wrong room! However, that man was a little too weird for Xyla's liking. Why did he leave such a glass of water by his bed?

***

The wind was howling madly outside as a thick layer of snow covered the floor.

Xyla Quest rubbed her hands together for warmth before quickly getting into her red Maserati. Right then, a message appeared on her phone.

"The engagement dinner between Sullivan Food Group's heir, Tom Sullivan, and the second female heir of the Quest Property Group, Emily Quest, is now being held at the Silver International Hotel." "Famous people in politics and business and celebrities in the entertainment industry, have all gathered here for this joyous occasion."

"According to our sources, Tom Sullivan's fiancée was supposed to be the Quest Family's first heir, Xyla Quest. However, we were told that Xyla Quest had eloped with another man. Therefore, Tom Sullivan painfully decided to stop pursuing after her and become engaged with Emily Quest instead."

When the beastly words came into sight, Xyla Quest felt the same rage she had three years ago as she could not help but recall the hatred in her heart.

Now, not only was the horrible couple blatantly defaming her, they had even gotten engaged just as they wished. They must have been very happy then.

Tom Sullivan was clearly an a**hole for making himself sound so generous when, in reality, he was a shameful person.

Xyla could not understand how she had fallen for a jerk like him in the past.

Right then, Xyla received a call from Georgie Clementine.

"President Xyla, where have you gone this early in the morning? Why didn't I see you when I woke up?"

Clearly, Georgie did not know that Xyla had not even returned to their shared room.

"It's a long story. I'll tell you about it later."

"The most popular topic on the internet has been arranged. You can check it out." Georgie reported.

"Very well..."

After hanging up, Xyla searched for the most popular topic on Weibo. The hashtag #Tom Sullivan Cheats#' appeared to be first on the list with the highest number of searches.

Once she clicked into the headlines, a piece of even more shocking news appeared as posted by various marketing accounts.

"Tom Sullivan's ex-fiancée became fat and unsightly due to a post-surgery side effect, which involved her donating her kidney to save Tom Sullivan's mother. As such, Tom Sullivan became disinterested in Xyla and cheated on her with her little sister, Emily Quest. Unable to accept what happened, Xyla Quest disappeared for a total of three years."

In fact, there was a marketing account that exposed a phone recording between Tom Sullivan and Emily Quest. In the conversation, the two clearly explained what they did to Xyla.

Enraged, the users of the internet began criticizing the two for being an a**hole and a b*tch.

"If internet bullying were an avalanche, I would like to be the biggest snowflake! Clearly, Tom is an a**hole! Why did you pretend to be emotional?"

"When will Tom Sullivan and Emily Quest die? Can Satan please offer them each an entrance ticket to hell?"

"I hope the next to die from internet bullying are the two of you! My heart goes out to Xyla Quest."

Apart from insulting the two, some internet users even posted photoshopped pictures of them being deceased individuals on Weibo with the caption of "Tom Sullivan and Emily Quest passed away in the winter of 2019."

The accounts of Tom Sullivan and Emily Quest on Weibo had already been compromised. At one glance, all the posts on their pages were of hate and cursing. Reading such comments made Xyla Quest instantly feel a lot better. As such, she was able to shake off the feelings that overtook her from memories of the past. "Tom Sullivan, Emily Quest, this is only the beginning..." Xyla Quest's face instantly turned cold. She looked like a completely different person from a moment before. Right then, Georgie Clementine called her on the phone yet again.

"President Xyla, Emily Quest has been sleeping with male prostitutes at least once a day behind Tom Sullivan's back. Should we publish that today?

"If we do it, their marriage would definitely not happen. Your little sister would also be severely defamed and can no longer live peacefully," Georgie Clementine said.

"Why should we ruin their marriage? Isn't it great for a b*tch and a dog to live happily ever after together?

"What if he dumps her after finding out about it? He could find another nice lady and get married to have a happy life after that. Isn't it better if we allow him to live as a person who is being cheated on every single day?" Xyla replied.

Although Xyla sounded very soft and gentle, there was a knowing look in her eyes, which made her seem unshakeable.

"Of course, it's better if he doesn't find out. Cheaters will always end up being cheated on!" Georgie responded.

"Let's save that piece of information for later..." Xyla added with a cunning look in her eyes.

 

 

 

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

After the engagement ceremony ended in Silver International Hotel's high-class dining hall, Emily Quest and Tom Sullivan joyfully followed behind their parents as they approached each table to raise their glasses.

However, wherever they went, people rolled their eyes at them after they had walked away.-

Unfortunately, the Quest family and the Sullivan family were clueless about what had happened, and they kept a smile on their faces.

Meanwhile, Emily Quest, who had a lot of make-up on her face, was smiling from ear to ear. She seemed proud of herself, no doubt accentuated by the long, red gown with an alluring tube top.

The Sullivan family owned a food company that ranked top five in the world. Compared to the Quest family and the other famous women and their families, the Sullivan family was financially much better positioned.

As the fiancée of the Sullivan family, Emily would undoubtedly make everyone in the circle of famous women jealous.

Meanwhile, the fact that Tom Sullivan had managed to get rid of Xyla Quest, the fat woman, and gotten engaged with the truly rich and beautiful Emily Quest made her feel even more joyful.

The rich housewives, who had already found out about the news on the internet, were gossiping about Emily Quest and Tom Sullivan behind their backs.

"I've said it before that Emily Quest looks like a b*tch. See what I mean? It's been proven."

"Tom Sullivan looks like a gentleman. How could he be such a jerk? You really can't judge a book by its cover."

"My heart goes out to Xyla Quest. Although she does look a little hideous, she is a kind person. Unfortunately, she developed feelings for the wrong person."

As soon as Xyla Quest walked in the door, she locked her gaze on Tom Sullivan and the Quest family. When she saw how pleased Emily Quest looked, she was certain that the couple was still unaware of wha had happened.

Xyla felt secretly happy that the couple had no idea they were being stabbed at behind their backs.

Dressed in a champagne-colored evening gown, Xyla Quest stood out from the crowd. With her long black hair curled around her shoulders, she portrayed the qualities of elegance, style, and nobility. Even with a simple layer of foundation on her face, she was already indescribably beautiful. It felt as if a woman like her should always stay in a clean place. Any sort of touch by another person would be considered contamination of her purity.

Very soon, several men approached Xyla and introduced themselves as they complimented her for her beauty and asked her where she was from.

After five years since she last experienced this, Xyla had mixed feelings about it.

Calmly, she smiled at them and lifted her gown slightly before walking elegantly over to Tom Sullivan and Emily Quest.

However, as soon as Tom Sullivan set his eyes upon her, he stopped breathing and seemed terribly shocked.

Who was this? Xyla... Xyla Quest?

Was she not the unimaginably fat woman? How had she become this good-looking now?

Tom Sullivan could not take his eyes off her.

Clearly, she had only put on an evening gown and barely had any make-up on her. In fact, she did not even wear any other accessories. Effortlessly, she outshone Emily, who had plenty of make-up on her. Xyla was now the center of attention of all males in the room. Although Emily was pretty, she did not have intricate facial features, and there was something about her that made her quite plain. However, Xyla was different. She was pretty from head to toe.

Like a work of art given extra attention by god's hand, Xyla was pretty but not fragile, almost like a fairy who was paying a visit to the human realm. Tom Sullivan suddenly felt a sense of regret wash over him. If he had known she could recover her former beauty, he would not have dumped her. Parents of both the Quest family and the Sullivan family seemed equally shocked.

Jeremy Quest stared at his beautiful and favorite daughter in disbelief. "Xyla, is it really you? Where have you been for the past three years? Why didn't you keep in touch with your family? And how did you transform into this state?"

Although Jeremy Quest heard that Xyla might have eloped with someone else, he did not believe that was true because he understood his daughter very well...

When Xyla saw how emotional her father seemed, she felt very guilty.

Back then, to focus on her recovery, Xyla did not even contact her father.

"Dad, it's a long story. Let's talk about it when we get home," Xyla answered.

Jeremy nodded repeatedly. "Okay... Okay... Okay."

"Xyla, you've returned..." Tom Sullivan's eyes were still locked on her as his hands trembled slightly by his side.

If a woman were described as a flower, Xyla would be a pure and noble white peony while Emily Quest was a wild rose.

After not seeing a white peony for some time, a man might be attracted to a wild rose.

However, once a white peony came along, a wild rose would hold no meaning.

Tom Sullivan's reaction made Emily bubble in rage.

At that moment, Emily was reminded of the period when Xyla's beauty kept her in the dark.

Back in those days, Tom Sullivan and all the wealthy men in Atlantis only had eyes for Xyla. None of them took notice of the second child of the Quest family, Emily Quest.

The strong feeling of jealousy nearly caused Emily's knuckles to make a cracking sound from how tightly she was squeezing them.

How could Xyla regain her beauty? How was it possible?

Xyla calmly looked at Tom Sullivan. The look in his eyes made her feel disgusted.

This man was truly disgusting.

By then, many people noticed what was going on here and hence gathered around them.

"Yeah. I heard about your engagement last night when I returned to the country. That's why I have decided to come here to convey my good wishes." Xyla appeared very calm and unemotional.

Her attitude made Tom Sullivan feel extremely disappointed. In the past, she used to be at his feet because he used to be her entire world.

However, things were different now, and Tom Sullivan was finding it difficult to accept the dent in his ego.

"Oh my god. Xyla Quest has become pretty once more. Emily Quest pales in comparison."

"They have already treated Xyla in such a way, Xyla could still wish them well with a smile on her face. What a big heart that lady has."

"Not only does Emily Quest look less beautiful than Xyla Quest, but she also has a significantly worse attitude than Xyla."

Emily felt her ego was under attack by the whispering voices of people around her. Right then, all she could feel was anger.

Wait a minute. What were the people referring to when they talked about how Emily Quest and Tom Sullivan treated Xyla Quest? Whatever happened between the three, nobody else should have found out. "What nonsense are you all talking about?" Emily Quest asked as she glared at the people who looked at her with sarcastic gazes.

"Have a look at the most popular topic on the internet yourself," someone in the crowd said.

Emily immediately opened Weibo and searched for the most popular topic on the internet.

Instantly, Emily, Tom, and their parents were all shocked.

"What the hell is going on? Emily, give me an explanation! Didn't you and Tom Sullivan get together after Xyla had left? Have you been lying to me all along?" Jeremy Quest looked visibly upset. "Alright, darling, let's talk about this when we get home. Do you think our family isn't embarrassed enough?" May Conner tugged at Jeremy Quest's hand as she uttered softly.

On top of everyone's spiteful stares and the dirty gossip on the internet, Emily felt deeply ashamed.

Did that mean the guests here had known about this all along?

If that were the case, Emily and Tom must have been making a fool of themselves when they raised their glasses.

The more Emily thought about this, the more embarrassed she felt.

Meanwhile, Xyla seemed completely disengaged as she stood nearby.

Emily highly suspected that Xyla was the one behind all this. Why was it such a coincidence that this happened when Xyla returned?

Without hesitating, Emily Quest grabbed Xyla Quest by her wrist and pulled her to the walkway's end.

"Are you the one who did all this? You are truly shameless for doing this as soon as you returned. Was it your plan to make me miserable all along?" Emily asked through gritted teeth. Angered, Emily raised her hand, readz to slap Xyla.

 

 

 

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

When Emily Quest's hand moved downward, Xyla Quest quickly grabbed Emily's hand and stared right into her eyes. "I don't know what you are talking about." When Emily caught sight of Xyla's eyes, she shivered.-

Emily felt that Xyla had changed.

Although Xyla's physical appearance was the same as before, she felt somewhat more heartless.

"Xyla Quest, stop denying it. You are only pretending to be calm today. In actual fact, you are extremely hurt that I got engaged to the man you love the most.

"You're just jealous that Brother Sullivan and I are in love with each other. That's why you're doing all this to destroy my life."

Xyla could not help but laugh coldly.

What a joke. Was she jealous? Did an a**hole like Tom Sullivan even deserve her?

"What are you laughing at? Do my words ring true? Is that why you are speechless?" Emily asked.

"Emily Quest, you are the only one who could be happy about being married to a trashy person. You think everyone in the world would be jealous of you." Xyla felt that Emily was an absolute joke. Right then, Tom Sullivan happened to have walked out of the door and overheard Xyla's words. He immediately felt hurt.

'Trashy person?'

Did Xyla not use to worship him like an idol? She would talk about getting married to him all day and wanting to give him many children.

"Keep pretending. I wonder who has always dreamt about being married to Brother Sullivan," Emily countered.

"Like you said, it was in the past," Xyla said.

"You... I don't care what you say. I am certain you are the one who did this! If it's not out of jealousy, it's out of hate!"

"Show me the proof then," Xyla said calmly.

"I don't need proof. I'll kill you right now, you evil woman." Emily reached out toward Xyla 's neck.

In an agile movement, Xyla managed to dodge the attack. As a result, Emily slipped and fell to the ground.

"That's enough!" Tom called out before hurrying over to Emily to help her up. However, his eyes never left Xyla's body.

The look in his eyes made Emily feel even more jealous. "Brother Sullivan, Xyla Quest is bullying me."

"Xyla Quest, we once loved each other after all. Must you force me into a dead end? Can't we talk about this?" Tom seemed unhappy.

"Tom Sullivan, did you hear about it or see it with your own eyes? If you don't have proof, keep your mouth shut. Even if I was the one who did it, what right do you have to question me about it?" Xyla felt disgusted that she used to love a man like this.

As soon as Xyla finished her sentence, she lifted her gown a little and walked away.

Feeling insulted, Tom could not find the words to express himself. Whatever Xyla said was irrefutable.

"Why are you still standing there? Get someone to catch her and beat her up. It must be her who did it!" Emily exclaimed.

"That's enough! Do you have proof? Can you grow some brains?" Tom was already mad and could find no other way to vent his emotions. As such, Emily naturally became his punching bag. Although Emily had wanted to insult him in return, she stomped her feet and remained quiet.

As soon as Xyla entered the elevator, she received a call from Georgie Clementine. "President Xyla, haven't you always wanted to sign Josh Batton onto our label? I just received news that he won't be renewing his contract with his existing company. Hence, I have invited him for a meeting at eight o'clock tonight in the Southern Misty Lake Room of Dreamland Hotel."

"Got it."

After hanging up, Xyla received a call from Jeremy Quest. "Xyla, come home after an hour. We need to talk." His voice sounded a little cold.

***

When Xyla Quest entered the house, there was a gloomy ambiance inside.

Jeremy Quest sat on the couch with a sullen expression on his face while Emily Quest continued to cry with her knees on the ground.

May Conner sat next to Jeremy Quest. "Darling, I believe Emily was just blinded by love. We can talk about this in the future," she said carefully.

"Right now, Xyla Quest should be the person you are most mad at.

"After all, even if Emily was in the wrong, Xyla Quest shouldn't have done something like that to put our family to shame. Isn't that right?" May Conner asked.

In her usual manner, Xyla glanced at May Conner before approaching her. "Aunty, you really do know what to say. Can you really justify seducing one's elder sister's fiancé as being blinded by love?" May was speechless.

"Xyla, is what Emily said true? Did you plan all of this?

"Even if your little sister did something deserving of insult, you should not expose the family like that.

"Didn't you think that it would put the Quest family to shame?" Jeremy Quest seemed extremely upset.

Due to what happened between Emily, Xyla, and Tom, the Quest family and the Sullivan family had become the biggest joke in the country. How could Jeremy not be mad?

"It wasn't me," Xyla explained. "How would you know if it wasn't a rival of the Sullivan family who did it? The Sullivan family members all have terrible personalities. Am I the only one who would make enemies?"

From the look in Xyla's eyes, Jeremy felt that she was telling the truth.

"It is you! The timing is too coincidental! Dad, don't listen to Xyla's bullsh*t," Emily mumbled.

"Darling, the Sullivan family is already investigating the matter. I believe they will get to the bottom of this very soon. The b*tch who did this will be taken care of by the Sullivan family." May glared at Xyla. Although Xyla knew that May was directing those words at her, she could not be less bothered.

'Investigate? How could they possibly find anything?'

After all, the news had been leaked by an internal staff member of Weibo. What would their investigations lead to? The original account which spread the story had a fake IP address anyway.

"Emily Quest, I've already overlooked the fact that you seduced my fiancé and intentionally contacted me through a video call to broadcast your acts of intimacy. Can't you just be quiet for a moment?" Xyla added.

"What?" Jeremy was enraged.

He was shocked by what he heard. It explained why Xyla had disappeared for three years. Who could possibly tolerate such behavior when they observed it happen before their eyes? "Yes. Even so, Big Sister shouldn't..."

"Shut up. If you say another word, I will punish you in my own way." Jeremy raised his voice. "Do you really think you can justify seducing your big sister's man?"

"She didn't stop at seducing my man. After the video call ended, I went looking for them. She even stepped on my stomach and my face along with Tom. They physically abused me." Xyla snorted coldly. Jeremy felt even more shocked. His heart went out to Xyla.

How much pain did Xyla go through back then?

Jeremy never thought that Emily and Tom could be this evil.

"Of course, that's not all..."

After that, Xyla Quest took a few paper sheets from her black Hermes purse and handed them over to Jeremy.

 

 

 

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

There was a clear record of Emily Quest purchasing marketing accounts to spread various false rumors about Xyla Quest eloping with another man and a few screenshots of transfers made through her

account.

Jeremy Quest felt a burning rage in his heart.

"Someone, bring me my whip!" Jeremy exclaimed angrily.

Emily Quest immediately started panicking. "Dad... You... What are you doing?"

Jeremy did not respond to her.

May Conner grabbed Jeremy's hand tightly. "Darling, Emily has very weak limbs. How could she possibly stand being whipped? Please don't do it."

As soon as she finished speaking, a bodyguard brought a whip over to Jeremy.

Without saying a word, Jeremy accepted the whip and whipped Emily mercilessly.

Responding out of fear, Emily attempted to dodge the whip. However, it still landed on her back.

The pain caused tears to fill her eyes.

May immediately hugged Emily tightly and cried out, "Darling, Emily knows that she is wrong. If you must hit someone to vent your anger, do it to me!" Jeremy raised his head yet again. However, May did not budge.

In the end, he dangled the whip in the air.

After glaring at Emily, Jeremy turned to look at May. "She's become like this because of you!"

Jeremy turned around and walked up the stairs.

Xyla knew this was going to happen.

After all, Xyla and Emily were both his beloved daughters. There was nothing he could do to Emily.

Nonchalantly, Xyla glanced at Emily and May before she proceeded to walk upstairs.

However, after taking a few steps up the staircase, she could hear Emily's voice. "Wait a second, Xyla Quest."

Xyla knew what Emily wanted to say. Therefore, she ignored Emily and continued to walk upstairs.

"Did you see? Dad clearly still loves me more. So what if you revealed the truth? Dad only whipped me once." Emily Quest snorted coldly with a pleased look on her face.

After finishing her sentence, Emily took one step further up the stairs and looked down coldly at Xyla. "Even if you won't admit it, I know that you came back to exact revenge this time. "However, Xyla Quest... Stop dreaming. There's nothing you can do to me.

"I really don't understand why you need to overreact to what I did.

"You were so ugly that you deserved to have your boyfriend snagged. Even if I didn't do it, someone else would have done it.

"Besides, you ought to have been dumped by Brother Sullivan anyway. Do you think donating your kidney meant you could force him to be with you for the rest of your life? "Xyla Quest, why are you so shameless?"

Emily said those words through gritted teeth as she frowned the entire time.

Those words hit Xyla like needles against her eardrums. The person in front of her clearly had a twisted mind.

However, Xyla could not be bothered to argue with Emily. Instead, Xyla ignored Emily and continued to walk up the stairs.

***

At precisely eight o'clock, Xyla Quest entered the Southern Misty Lake Room in Dreamland Hotel.

By then, Josh Batton had already arrived and was seated next to the window. He was playing his phone as he leaned against the window lazily.

Wearing a champagne-colored tuxedo coupled with a white T-shirt and white shoes, Josh appeared neat and approachable.

Not only did this man have handsome facial features, but he also gave off a youthful vibe. He was almost like a priceless work of art.

Right then, Xyla could not help but think about the man she had met in the hotel earlier.

It was because Josh looked a little like that man.

However, that man was hardly approachable. Meanwhile, Josh exuded an approachable aura, almost like a kind boy-next-door.

When Josh saw Xyla, he immediately walked up to her and greeted her with an extended hand. "President Xyla, it's nice meeting you."

The warm smile on his face nearly melted Xyla's heart.

Josh had never thought that the famous President Xyla was actually a woman close to his age. Moreover, she was also far prettier than he had imagined. Even if she stood next to the beauties in the entertainment industry, she would still stand out.

Without a doubt, Xyla was a mysterious person in the industry.

Most people knew her by the name of President Xyla, the boss behind-the-scene of X Entertainment.

However, none of them had seen her in person, let alone knew her full name.

Therefore, Josh had agreed to meet her without hesitation in large part due to his curiosity.

Xyla shook his hand politely. "It's my pleasure. Please have a seat..."

After the two sat down, Josh immediately cut to the chase before Xyla could speak. "I am very willing to sign on with your company."

Xyla was very surprised by his straightforward answer. "Why? I haven't even discussed the terms with you yet."

Xyla did not expect to get Josh, the currently most famous celebrity with excellent singing, dancing, and acting skills, to sign a contract with her this easily. More importantly, she did not think Josh Batton was someone who made decisions this quickly.

Josh Batton started as a solo singer three years ago.

Due to his excellent singing, striking looks, and talent in dancing, he became extremely popular after only a year since his debut.

Later, he starred as the leading male in an ancient period drama that had an excellent reception, propelling him into the entertainment industry's spotlight.

After that, he tried his hand in the film industry as well. Whatever role he took on, he would end up performing well and receiving recognition as the best male actor.

Without even trying, he amassed countless female fans from young teenage girls to married women.

"There are two reasons. Firstly, according to my knowledge, you established X Entertainment a year ago. Within one year, you have managed to make it one of the country's top three entertainment companies That has proven that you are competent."

"What's the second reason?" Xyla asked curiously.

"You look good." Josh smiled.

'Eh...'

Was this a valid reason?

"Doesn't it feel better to work with good-looking people?" Josh asked.

"Are looks that important?" Xyla chuckled.

"You can say that. May I ask, what is your full name, President Xyla?" Josh asked.

"Xyla Quest. This is how you spell my name."

"It's a nice name."

"Thank you. Let's get back to business. Next, I will get my Chief Executive, Georgie Clementine, to personally guide you through the process. In the future, she will be your personal manager. As for your assistant, you may choose who you want personally or simply go with the one our company has selected for you."

"I'll choose my own assistant. The young girl has been with me since I first started my career. It hasn't been easy for her," Josh explained.

"You seem to be a sentimental person," Xyla commented.

Josh laughed without saying anything.

"Well then, let's eat and talk about your benefits," Xyla added.

***

Since Josh was a straightforward person, Xyla was able to get the contract signed within half an hour.

After dinner, Xyla quickly got into her red Maserati.

Just as she was about to turn on the engine, the passenger side's door was suddenly opened. A strong scent of blood wafted into her nostrils. Closely after that, she heard a cold yet familiar voice, "Drive!"

Xyla subconsciously frowned. When she turned to look at the person who spoke to her, she was stunned...

Wasn't this the man she had a one-nightstand with before?

The dim street light was shining upon him. His face seemed unusually pale.

Meanwhile, his white shirt was covered in blood as he panted somewhat heavily.

It seemed like he really was involved in some mafia business. Could his rivals have attacked him?

 

 

 

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

แ

"You... Why are you here?" Xyla Quest asked in a panicked tone while she turned the engine on.

Stanley Batton was slightly surprised to see her here so coincidentally.

"Stop talking! Drive!" He said in a demanding tone.

As he spoke, he stepped on the accelerator with his foot...

Within a second, the sports car dashed forward. Xyla immediately grabbed the steering wheel before kicking his foot away to step on the accelerator herself.

"Go to the nearest hospital," he commanded.

Xyla nodded before flooring on the accelerator.

***

Once they arrived at the hospital, Xyla Quest was shocked to find that the man had three gunshot wounds on his body, with two on his chest and one on his abdomen.

After staying with him while the doctors tended to his wound, she pushed him into his ward.

Despite being covered in blood, his good looks and charm could not be hidden.

Carefully, Xyla helped him to get into bed. "Get your family to come and look after you. I have something else to do, and I have to leave now."

"Thank you," Stanley Batton said coldly.

"You're welcome... You have good looks. Why don't you do something else instead of being a gangster?

"Isn't it much more comfortable to earn money by becoming a celebrity than to fight in the streets?" Xyla let the words slip out of her mouth, albeit in a gentle manner. The man raised his brows slightly before coolly scanning her up and down.

'What gangster is she on about?'

Did she think of him as that kind of person? What a joke.

"How much can a celebrity earn?" He asked calmly.

"If you're popular, you can earn a lot..."

"Do you know how much I can make in a day?"

Xyla felt that she was preaching to deaf ears. Therefore, she decided to stop talking and instead, picked up her purse and left.

How much could he possibly earn as a gangster? How could it possibly be a better earning than a celebrity's? Was it as stable as being a celebrity?

"Wait a second..."

Xyla stopped walking and turned around. "What is it?"

Stanley struggled to retrieve a cheque stained with blood from his pocket. He then folded it into the shape of a plane and threw it into her hands. "Take this with you. Thank you again."

Xyla silently unraveled the cheque. However, she then folded it back into a paper plane that it was earlier before she threw it back to him. "Consider this a payment for you to keep what happened that night a secret." Xyla turned around and left after she finished her sentence.

When she arrived at the door, she turned around to look at the man. "Remember what the doctor said. Don't get your wounds wet. Also, don't smoke or drink alcohol." Her eyes glimmered like a pool of water.

"What is your name?" Stanley asked.

Without answering him, Xyla chuckled and walked away...

Since they were only strangers to each other, there was no reason to tell him her name.

Once Xyla had disappeared from his sight, the man mumbled to himself, "What an interesting woman."

After that, he made a call on his phone. "Send someone over to the municipal hospital. Also, find out more information about the woman who sent me here." "Fifth Master, are you injured?"

"Zack Cassidy, do I look like a gangster?"

"Eh? You are noble and charismatic. Why would you look like a gangster?"

***

The next morning, at eight o'clock, news of Josh Batton being signed onto X Entertainment became the most popular topic on the internet.

Very soon, Weibo crashed.

Weibo's technicians hurriedly worked to recover its system.

However, within two minutes, the application crashed yet again.

After that, it was a cycle of crashing and recovering.

Eventually, Xyla Quest was woken up by messages Georgie Clementine sent her on WeChat.

Still feeling sleepy, Xyla rubbed her eyes and stretched her arms before opening WeChat only to find that Georgie had sent her several messages.

"Good news, President Xyla.

"After announcing that Josh Batton would join us, our stock price has increased significantly.

"Within an hour, our stock price has increased by twenty percent."

This was as Xyla had expected. Smiling calmly, Xyla typed a simple 'okay' in response.

Closely after that, another message came. "Last night, I arranged a welcoming dinner party for Josh Batton at Dreamland Hotel's Rainforest Windy Night room. Will you be there?" "Yes..." Xyla responded.

As the owner of the company, Xyla definitely needed to be at such an event.

Georgie followed up with a call right after.

"Oh, right, President Xyla. Regarding the news of Tom Sullivan cheating, it has remained one of the top three most popular topics.

"The Sullivan family offered money to remove the search results. However, it was completely out of their control. Angry internet users would not let Tom Sullivan off the hook.

"As soon as a new post is made, everyone would comment on it and demand Tom Sullivan to be prosecuted.

"In the end, the Sullivan family gave up on trying to control the damage.

"Apart from that, the Sullivan family's food brands are all boycotted by internet users. By noon, the Sullivan family's stock index had fallen by eight percent. Nearly twenty billion of their market value is gone. "Also, I received news that the Sullivan family's rival company has also participated in this massive attack.

"Everything is going according to your plan," Georgie continued. "This time, Tom Sullivan has dragged the Sullivan family into a deep mess. If he makes any other mistake, he would very possibly lose his position as the heir. After all, he is not the only son in the Sullivan family."

Xyla smiled. "I understand."

After that, she opened Weibo to look at the most popular topic on the internet.

Right then, the hashtag #TomSullivanCheats#' is the second most popular topic on the internet. Meanwhile, '#JoshStewartSignedWithXEntertainment#' remained at the top of the list.

After clicking into the news about Tom Sullivan, Xyla could see that internet users were all cursing him.

Now that things had spiraled out of control, Xyla knew without a doubt that the Sullivan family must be in a mess. Moreover, Tom Sullivan was definitely being reprimanded by his family. However, it was still not enough for Xyla.

***

After putting on some light make-up, Xyla Quest pulled her naturally curly hair into a ponytail with a black ribbon.

She then changed into a white turtleneck sweater, a camel-colored woolen coat, and a pair of light blue jeans before she walked out of her room.

Xyla was getting ready to head to the shopping mall to buy some clothes for the current season.

This time, she had returned to the country in haste and left a lot of her clothes behind. Most of her existing clothes at home were far too big for her.

Although she was wearing hipster brands, she made the clothes appear as if they belonged to international designer brands.

As soon as she arrived downstairs, she saw Tom Sullivan and Jeremy Quest sitting in the living room.

Right then, Tom had his head lowered as he apologized to Jeremy. "Uncle, I am very sorry for the pain I have inflicted upon Xyla and the entire Quest family. I am deeply sorry."

"Do you think the damage you have done to my eldest daughter can be resolved with a simple apology? If not for the fact that you and Emily are already engaged, I would definitely not have allowed her to continue staying with someone like you," Jeremy snarled.

Xyla felt a warm sensation in her heart after hearing what Jeremy said.

However, she did not intend to interrupt the conversation. She walked elegantly over to Jeremy. "Dad, I'm going out."

Jeremy nodded slightly.

After that, Xyla turned around and walked away without even looking at Tom. Her cold attitude made Tom feel extremely annoyed. However, the more coldly she treated her, the more he wanted to approach her. This was perhaps human nature.

Once Xyla had walked out of the door, she retrieved her car key and unlocked her red Maserati with the controller.

"Xyla..."

She was about to get into the car when she heard Tom's voice behind her.

 

 

 

 

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Xyla Quest turned around calmly. "What is it?"

A long time ago, this man used to be like a religion to her. Her heart would pound whenever she saw him.

However, when Xyla looked at Tom's face now, she felt nothing else but disgust and hatred.

Tom quickly approached Xyla and tried to reach for her hand.

However, Xyla immediately avoided his touch and took a step back. "You can talk to me, but do not touch me." She frowned.

"Xyla, I've given it a serious thought. I don't care if you did all of that. I'm ready to forgive you. Even if you did it, consider it an act of revenge for how I hurt you in the past. It's all fine. Xyla, will you please give me a second chance?" Tom Sullivan sounded very eager.

Chuckle. 'Can this man be more of a jerk?'

"Have you heard of a discounted key? You're not even worth the price." Xyla looked at him coldly while she snapped her fingers together.

Tom was not used to her cold rejection and proud attitude.

"Xyla... You didn't used to be like this." In the past, Xyla would forgive him no matter how upset she became as long as he spoke to her nicely. However, the more Xyla behaved in this way, the more Tom liked her and wanted to have her.

Now that Xyla had become an idol to tens of thousands of people, she was a completely different person from the fat woman she used to be. It was human nature to want something one could not have.

While the two were speaking, the sound of car engines revving could be heard.

Ten limited edition luxury cars stopped in front of Xyla, making her feel confused.

What was going on?

Tom seemed equally confused.

Very soon, a group of young men got out of their respective cars with bouquets of flowers in their hands.

As soon as they got out of their cars, they surrounded Xyla and pushed Tom out of the way.

"Miss Quest, these are flowers from the heir of Logan Wine Group. He asked me to tell you that he admires you a lot."

"These are flowers from the heir of Glorious Century Jewelry. He says that he likes you a lot."

"These are flowers from the heir of Meiji Group. He says that he wishes to be your friend."

The young men eagerly told Xyla about the people who sent her those flowers.

Each of those names belonged to influential people in Atlantis and, in fact, the entire country.

Before Xyla could react, they had shoved the flowers into her arms.

Once her hands were full, the remaining flowers were left on the cobblestone ground in front of her.

After that, they quickly slipped away for fear that she might refuse to accept the flowers.

Right then, Tom was in a state of utter shock. Most of the heirs who sent the flowers were even more powerful than him. In fact, some of them were people the Sullivan family could only dream of getting close

to.

The woman Tom had abandoned before had now become the brightest star in the sky. Most people could only admire her from afar.

After looking down at the flowers in her hands and those around her on the ground, Xyla finally looked at Tom's face. "Mr. Sullivan, people have to line up to ask me out now. Also, I do not accept recycled goods."

Emily Quest, who was hiding behind the door, saw everything that happened.

She was jealous of both the things Tom said to Xyla and the people who came to deliver flowers to Xyla.

To stop Tom from continuing the conversation with Xyla, Emily hurriedly walked over to Tom. She forced a smile on her face before wrapping her hand around Tom's. "Brother Sullivan, what are you talking about with Xyla?"

"It's none of your business." Tom pulled his hand away and returned to the house.

His cold attitude made Emily feel extremely unhappy. In fact, she wished she could peel Xyla's skin.

With her fists balled up, Emily turned to look at Xyla. "I'm warning you to stay away from my Brother Sullivan."

Xyla could not even be bothered to look at Emily. Instead, she turned to face the gardeners around her. "Take these flowers inside..."

After finishing her sentence, Xyla got into her Maserati and drove away.

***

Xyla Quest drove her red Maserati all the way to Atlantis' shopping haven, Goldfield Plaza.

Once she arrived, she headed directly over to Chanel's counter.

As soon as she walked in, Xyla set her eyes upon a white winter coat.

After touching it to check how it felt, she was about to ask a shopping assistant to get one for her to try on when another hand reached for the coat. The person's nails were painted with a thick layer of red paint.

Xyla immediately turned to look at the person.

She was none other than Tom Sullivan's little sister, who was also Emily Quest's best friend, and the third daughter of the Sullivan family, Mary Sullivan.

Mary also happened to be the most annoying brat among the siblings.

In nicer terms, she was a courageous person. Frankly, one might say that she was brainless.

Due to Mary's tight relationship with Emily since they were young, Xyla had never liked her.

Therefore, when Xyla saw Mary right now, she felt annoyed immediately.

When Mary saw Xyla, her facial expression instantly turned cold. "How dare you show up here when you've put my brother and Emily in such a terrible position?" "I haven't done anything wrong. Why shouldn't I?" Xyla asked calmly.

"You have clearly done something bad, and you are still denyng it. Let me teach you a lesson on behalf of my brother and Emily!

"You used to be extremely ugly. So what if my brother dumped you? He is such a wonderful person. Emily deserves him more than you do."

Mary was speaking through gritted teeth. Her facial expression was horrendous.

However, Xyla could not be bothered to even look at Mary. Xyla proceeded to point at the winter coat. "Moss, do you mind grabbing this for me to try on?"

Mary felt unusually angry after being ignored completely by Xyla. "How dare you ignore me, you b*tch? Who the hell do you think you are?"

As soon as Mary spoke, she raised her hand to Xyla's face.

However, Xyla responded in time to avoid the slap. In the end, Mary tripped and fell against a rack of clothes nearby.

Suddenly, the rack toppled over and caused clothes to scatter all over the ground. The entire section of the shopping mall became completely silent.

Those who were leisurely walking outside heard the sound and began to gather around them.

Meanwhile, the shopping assistant had already respectfully handed the coat Xyla asked for to her.

Once Xyla received the coat, she put it against herself in front of a mirror before handing it to the shopping assistant and her credit card. "You may swipe the card."

Xyla made it seem as if she had not seen or heard what happened behind her.

When Mary noticed that there were a lot of people staring at her, she felt deeply embarrassed.

However, when she saw how calm Xyla seemed, her anger returned. She charged toward Xyla from behind. "Xyla, are you out of your mind?"

However, Xyla pretended as if she had not even heard Mary as she walked over to the cashier and proceeded with the payment.

"Xyla Quest! Are you deaf?" Mary shouted angrily.

Right then, Stanley Batton and a group of managerial staff of the shopping mall were walking down the escalator and had happened to witness what took place. Stanley's face grew several degrees colder. A part of his wrist was revealed with his white sleeves rolled up halfway, making him appear somewhat casual but still noble at the same time.

Meanwhile, his black tuxedo pants were without a trace of wrinkles, accentuating his unusually long legs.

Right then, Stanley seemed as if he were a prince who had just gone to a feast with the king and was now making his way downstairs. Anyone, regardless of their gender, would stare at him when they passed by.

When Zack Cassidy, Stanley's personal assistant, saw this scene unfold, he seemed stunned. "Isn't this..."

"I don't want to see that woman who looks like a ghost again," Stanley said calmly as he glared coldly at Mary. However, he did not stay around. Instead, he continued to walk down the escalator with the entourage behind him. Zack Cassidy immediately waved at two security guards nearby. "Come with me..."

 

 

 

 

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

After that, Zack Cassidy brought the two bodyguards with him and approached Xyla Quest and Mary Sullivan.

After Zack nodded at Xyla slightly, he pushed the golden-frame of his glasses slightly upward before looking at Mary Sullivan. "Miss, what is your name?"

Mary frowned a little. "Mary Sullivan. What is it? If you want to flirt with me, please find a better time. I'm kind of occupied at the moment."

Zack frowned slightly in response. Upon a closer look, this woman appeared like a ghost just as his Fifth Master had said. Even though her facial features were not great, she still had a lot of make-up on. It was a horrifying sight.

How could a person like her be self-obsessed enough to think that Zack was flirting with her?

"Miss Mary Sullivan, I'm sorry to inform you that you have been included in our shopping mall's blacklist. From today on, all shopping malls in the globe that belong to our Fifth Master will no longer provide you with any further service..." Zack Cassidy said coldly.

Hearing this, Mary's facial expression immediately turned gloomy. "Who is your Fifth Master? How dare he do this to me? Do you know that I am a VVIP of this shopping mall? Is this how you treat your respected VVIP?"

"Our Fifth Master does not need any permission to do that," Zack responded.

After that, Zack decisively waved his hand at the two bodyguards next to him as his face turned cold. "Remove this person from the premises now!"

Immediately, the two bodyguards carried Mary by her limbs and walked away in haste.

Mary struggled frantically. "Do you know who I am? What's wrong with you? Let go of me! Don't you know that nobody has ever treated me like this?" Since the people around found the scene hilarious, they began recording with their phones and laughing at Mary.

Xyla looked at Zack confusedly. "What's going on?"

Zack nodded at her politely without answering her before he turned around and walked away.

Right then, the shopping assistant had returned with Xyla's clothes. He handed it over to her in a wrapped bag. "Miss, here are your clothes." "Thank you," Xyla Quest said after accepting the bag.

***

In the parking lot of Goldfield Plaza, a black Ferrari Sbarro-Tornado-SB1 shone brightly under the sun.

It was a supercar. There were only ten limited edition units in the world. Therefore, it attracted a lot of attention.

Meanwhile, a man sat in the car with his eyes closed while he rested. With the window rolled halfway down, the part of his face visible to outsiders was enough to make them blush.

Very quickly, Zack Cassidy got into the car. He then pushed his golden-framed glasses and looked at the man respectfully. "Fifth Master, we have already thrown that woman out. Also... I have included her in the blacklist of all shopping malls you own."

"Alright," the man answered briefly.

"Have you investigated what I asked you to?" The man asked.

Zack nodded respectfully yet again. "Yes. That lady's name is Xyla Quest..."

Xyla Quest...

Why did that name sound so familiar?

"Go on..."

"She is your wife," Zack added.

Hearing this, the man frowned slightly before he opened his eyes. "What?" His cold gaze was on Zack's face.

Stanley Batton had never expected this outcome. Sometimes, life worked in strange ways such that you would not even believe some coincidences were possible.

"That's right. She is the wife you have never met despite being married. I received that piece of information during your meeting earlier. I was going to tell you when you came out," Zack added. "Hmm..." The man smirked while his eyes narrowed slightly.

"So, is there anything I can do for you now?" Zack asked.

"Not for the time being." Stanley lowered his head and played with the silver ring on his right index finger.

"Well then... Fifth Master, your tasks in the morning are all done. What about I send you back home to rest? Your injuries have not recovered yet."

Stanley was someone Zack respected the most as his boss.

Despite being severely injured, Stanley still refused to rest.

After injecting himself with painkillers, Stanley showed up to work and even seemed like a normal person on the outside.

"Alright."

"Oh, yeah, Fifth Master. This is what I found out about your wife's past. She had a really tough life back then." Zack proceeded to open Weibo and show Stanley the story about Tom Sullivan, Emily Quest, and Xyla Quest's past.

After attentively going through the story, Stanley's cold gaze landed upon Tom's picture. In the picture, Tom was playing golf.

"Is this the guy?" Stanley asked.

"Yes, that's him."

"Why is he so ugly?" Stanley appeared disgusted.

"He isn't that ugly. Tom Sullivan is considered a famous and handsome man in Atlantis. He looks rather dashing, much like a gentleman." "Your eyesight is getting poor. I suggest you donate your eyes."

'Erm...'

Zack was upset, but he did not dare to speak.

***

After Xyla Quest was done shopping, she returned home with several bags of clothes and accessories.

Still feeling the joy of shopping, Xyla soon forgot about the unhappy incident back in the shopping mall.

As soon as she walked through the door, Emily Quest stood in her way and reached out with her arm.

"Xyla Quest, are you very happy that Brother Sullivan proposed to you today?

"Were you happy to see Dad hit me last night?"

"Wouldn't you be happy if you saw a villain being punished?" Xyla Quest asked calmly.

Emily never expected Xyla to be this straightforward. At that moment, Emily was so angry that she was shivering. "You... Do you want to be hit?" "Do you need me to get Dad?" Xyla asked emotionlessly.

"You..."

Tired from shopping, Xyla Quest was too lazy to continue arguing with Emily. Therefore, she proceeded to walk upstairs.

After taking a few steps up the stairs, her feet knocked against something on the floor.

When Xyla looked down, a keychain with Josh Batton's picture on it came into sight.

Xyla immediately bent over and picked it up.

Seeing this, Emily Quest hurriedly ran up to Xyla and snatched the keychain away from Xyla. "Give it back to me," Emily said coldly.

"Ouch..." Emily felt a sharp pain in her back due to her wound which had not recovered.

The pain made her feel extremely annoyed.

Since Xyla could not be bothered to check on Emily, she continued to walk upstairs. Xyla had not expected Emily Quest to be a fan of Josh Batton as well.

In the past, Emily would only ever like the foreign hunks and never set her eyes upon local men.

After returning to her room, Xyla Quest cheerfully checked her own reflection in the mirror with the new clothes she had bought. Thereafter, she sat in front of her notebook and logged in to League of Legends. She had always been fond of games like this because they accompanied her through the gloomy days when she used to be a fat woman.

Her nickname in the game was 'Seven' because seven was her lucky number.

This was a name which had been on the number one spot in the country's server. Everyone in the country knew about this player's undefeatable skills in using ADC attackers in the game.

Even when playing against professional players in a solo match, she could easily defeat them. In the past, many professional teams had approached her to join their teams. However, she refused all of them because gaming was only a side interest to her.

Xyla never had the intention of making it her career.

Ding-dong.

She was about to start the match when someone knocked on her door.

Xyla Quest immediately shifted her gaze to the door. "Come in..."

When the door was opened, Xyla Quest was stunned momentarily.

 

 

 

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Very soon, Jeremy Quest walked in.

After making his way through the door, he pulled a chair out and sat in front of the computer.

After that, Jeremy Quest sighed helplessly before softly brushing Xyla Quest's hair. "I spoke too harshly to you yesterday. I would like to apologize." Xyla shook her head calmly. "Dad, it's alright. I know you were just too upset yesterday."

"To be honest, I thought about it after calming down. Even if you did those things, I think it's reasonable...

"After all, they were too mean to you." Jeremy gritted his teeth when he recalled what those people had done.

Xyla was touched by what her father said. She then leaned her head against Jeremy's shoulder and said softly, "Dad, thank you for being on my side."

"Silly girl, I'm your father. If I weren't on your side, whose side would I be on?" Jeremy asked.

Xyla smiled like a naïve kid.

"Sometimes, I think about whether I have made the mistake of remarrying after your mother passed away.

"If I hadn't remarried, you would be the only daughter I ever have. Conflicts like this would not have happened.

"You wouldn't have had to roam outside on your own for three years," Jeremy uttered.

He sighed once again. "I am very sorry."

Xyla shook her head. "Dad, you didn't do anything wrong to me. Everyone has their right to search for happiness."

"As for Emily being engaged to that jerk from the Sullivan family, there's nothing you can do about it now. It would have been better if they weren't engaged. However, it has already happened... I hope you can understand," Jeremy said.

"Dad, I understand... Besides, there's no reason for you to stop them. I don't have feelings for Tom Sullivan anymore," Xyla replied.

"I'm glad you are so considerate. Can you tell me where you have been for the past three years? To be honest, I did not believe it when Tom Sullivan told me that you eloped with someone else." Xyla immediately felt a warm sensation spreading in her heart.

"I went to America to receive medical treatment," Xyla answered. "At the time, my heart had gone cold. I didn't want anyone to bother me. That's why... I'm sorry...

"What about you? Why did you gradually give up on searching for me? Did you lose hope in me? Or did you think I was dead?" Xyla questioned.

"Back then, I had nearly combed the entire world. However, I couldn't find anything. Later, I went to a famous fortune-teller to ask for help. The man told me that you are still alive and that you would return very soon."

Jeremy Quest had always been a superstitious person and was a firm believer in fortune-telling.

He had chosen May Conner over many other women in the past because a fortune-teller had told him that she would bring good fortune to his business for the century to come.

"Alright, go on and play. I'll make my way out now. Don't go out in the afternoon. I'll cook something personally so that we can have a good meal together at home." "Okay..."

As for everything else, Xyla did not go on to explain further. Therefore, Jeremy did not ask any other questions as well.

***

After playing a round of League of Legends match, Xyla Quest was called by a servant to eat downstairs. Therefore, she turned her computer off and stretched her arms before heading downstairs. When Xyla entered the dining room, Jeremy Quest, Emily Quest, and May Conner were already seated.

Jeremy was reading the newspaper.

When May and Emily saw Xyla, their faces turned cold.

Xyla chose to ignore them as she sat across Emily.

As soon as she sat down, Georgie Clementine sent her a trainee recruitment poster for X Entertainment to her on WeChat.

Xyla immediately opened it...

When Emily saw the poster on Xyla's phone, she commented coolly, "Can just anyone become a celebrity these days? "Have you looked in a mirror? I can't believe you would dream of joining the entertainment industry," Emily snorted. However, Xyla could not be bothered to answer Emily as she continued to study the poster.

"What's wrong with Xyla?" Jeremy asked coldly.

Emily began to stammer as she tried to explain, "Dad, I don't mean anything else. I was just saying that working in the entertainment industry requires more capabilities than just good looks. "Xyla Quest can't even sing or dance..." Emily rolled her eyes at Xyla as she said this.

Sensing that the mood was turning awry, May looked at Jeremy with a sweet smile. "Darling, Emily's mid-term results are just out. She made it into the top fifty in the Economics and Management stream..." "Hmm, not bad..." Jeremy complimented.

"Xyla, you should learn from your little sister. I remember that you used to come last in your class, never mind the stream you were in. Since you've returned, go back to school and continue studying. "Girls should learn more useful stuff," May added.

Indeed, Xyla did not do very well academically when she was in university. Due to her hideous looks, she despised going out, never mind going to school.

Consequently, her results were always terrible.

"That's enough. Be quiet for a while, you two," Jeremy Quest commanded. He then turned to look gently at Xyla. "Xyla, since you've returned, have a good rest for the next few days. You can return to your former university and study Economics after that."

Xyla slowly sipped on her orange juice before replying, "Dad, I've already graduated from America's Summerland University with a degree in Economics and Management this year."

When Emily and May heard this, their eyes widened in shock. They then turned to look at Jeremy.

"What university did you say it was?" May seemed to be in a state of disbelief.

Emily's jaw dropped.

America's Summerland University? That was the most prestigious university in the entire world. Countless successful alumni in the world came from that university.

In fact, many of the world's presidents and wealthy people in business all graduated from that university. It was nearly impossible to receive admission into that university.

As such, Emily suddenly felt that her results of making it into the top fifty at her school were not even worth mentioning.

"Xyla, don't brag if it's not true. You ought to know that ordinary people can't even get into Summerland University.

"Besides, even if you made it into the university, how could you possibly graduate within three years? Most universities require you to study for four years, isn't that so?" May still refused to believe it. "Aunty, didn't you know that students with good results can graduate in advance?" Xyla asked calmly before turning to look at Jeremy. "Dad, this is my graduation photo..."

After that, Xyla searched for the photo and showed it to Jeremy Quest.

In the picture, she stood in front of Summerland University's main entrance with a graduation certificate in her hands. There was a broad smile on her face.

"So, you've been in America for the past three years. While receiving medical treatment, you also went to university. In fact, you were studying at the best university in the world, Summerland University. Is that so?" Jeremy asked.

 

 

 

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"That's right... Dad, look, this is the list of top achievers in our class. That's me." After that, Xyla Quest scrolled through the pictures of her results one at a time, showing them to Jeremy Quest. She came first on nearly every single list!

Jeremy was pleasantly surprised. Although Xyla did rather well in high school, she was definitely not talented enough to get into a university like this.

However, after leaving home, she had gotten into this university, she was even the best performing student.

"My baby girl, you are outstanding!" Jeremy could not hide the pride in his smile.

Now, all Jeremy could think about was Xyla's excellent performance in academics. Clearly, he had forgotten all about Emily Quest being in the top fifty in her stream.

The feeling of being ignored and outshone made Emily feel very miserable.

Although Atlantis University was a famous university within the country, it was not worth mentioning compared to Summerland University.

Emily gritted her teeth. "What's so great about that? It's just Summerland University."

As soon as Emily spoke, May Conner kicked her foot under the table and gave her a look, which hinted that she should shut up.

"What are you capable of other than being a tyrant at home? What's so great about it? If you are so capable, show me that you can do the same!" Jeremy yelled loudly.

While Xyla listened to their conversation, she silently continued to eat. Without any intention to interrupt, Xyla seemed only to be an observer.

Since Jeremy never liked Emily's personality, he felt increasingly annoyed by his younger daughter after finding out what she did to Xyla.

"Oh, right, a new building is under construction in the city center. We're looking for an ambassador for Imperial Prime. Do you have a suitable recommendation?" Jeremy asked.

Emily immediately answered, "Of course it should be Josh Batton. If he becomes the ambassador, our brand will make a lot of sales."

"Stop talking about things that aren't realistic. Who do you think Josh Batton is?" Jeremy asked.

"As long as the money offered is enough, he would be willing to endorse the brand. Isn't Josh Batton's cost of endorsement twenty million dollars? Let's offer him thirty million dollars instead. I doubt he would refuse."

Emily had been a long-time fan of Josh Batton.

Although she often went with her friends to Josh Batton's concert and participated in his fan meetings, she never had the opportunity to get up close and personal.

If they managed to hire him as their ambassador, Emily would have such an opportunity.

By then, she would be able to show off to her friends yet again!

"Aren't you generous? Offering thirty million dollars just like that," Xyla said calmly before putting her orange juice glass down.

"Although it is a little expensive, the returns will be far greater. Don't you know how powerful Josh Batton's fans are? Besides, I believe his company would agree if I approached them personally." Emily seemed fully confident.

"Why?" Xyla felt speechless about Emily's confidence.

"Because I have money," Emily said.

"Dad, do you really want Josh Batton?" Xyla asked.

"I do. I don't mind paying thirty million dollars... But it is difficult to get him," Jeremy said.

"I'll get this person for you with ten million dollars," Xyla said.

Emily rolled her eyes. "Ten million dollars for Josh Batton. Who do you think you are?

"Why are you so sure that you can get Josh Batton to agree to such a low price? Do you think you are his boss? Would he do whatever you ask of him?"

Xyla could not resist chuckling a little. 'Aren't I his boss?'

"What are you laughing at?" Emily seemed annoyed.

"Nothing..." Xyla said.

"Let's make a bet. If you can get him with ten million dollars, I'll use the thirty million dollars to... Whoever can't get him will lose. By then, the loser will have to agree to the winner's single request. The request must be fulfilled, no matter what."

Emily was certain that Xyla would definitely not be able to hire Josh Batton. Although thirty million dollars might be possible, ten million dollars was far too little.

Emily would use this opportunity to make a fool out of Xyla.

She would make Xyla kneel before her and beg for her forgiveness!

"Emily, don't go too far," Jeremy said coldly.

"Dad, this is just a bet between us sisters. How is it going too far? Besides, it's still not certain who would win," Emily added.

"A nuisance." Jeremy's expression turned gloomy.

"Fine. I accept your bet. However, you must keep your promise if you lose," Xyla said decisively.

"Deal. What if the loser fails to comply?" Emily asked.

"She will have to give up all of the Quest family's inheritance. How about that?" Xyla suggested.

"Deal..." Emily snapped her fingers. She would be able to get Josh Batton for sure.

With thirty million dollars, she would be the winner for sure.

As for Xyla, she was miles away from beating Emily.

"Dad, shall we seal the deal then?" Xyla looked at Jeremy with a kind look on her face.

Jeremy looked deeply into Xyla's eyes before shaking his head helplessly. "Fine. Do what you want."

After that, he wiped his mouth with a napkin before standing up and leaving the dining room.

"Xyla Quest, just wait to be tortured by me. I will get you to broadcast yourself barking like a dog on the internet and make you give up the right to take over Dad's company. Make sure you are prepared," Emily spoke as if she had already won.

Since their father said that she only knew how to be a tyrant at home, Emily would prove him wrong.

Besides, Emily had been very annoyed with Xyla recently. This time, she would defeat Xyla and embarrass her in every way possible. Meanwhile, Xyla left without even looking at Emily.

***

At precisely eight o'clock in the evening, Xyla Quest entered Dreamland Hotel's Rainforest Windy Night room.

Dressed in a light orange wool sweater, a white flowery dress, and light orange high heel boots, she seemed unusually approachable. There wasn't any jewelry in the world that could outshine her.

When she walked in, Josh Batton, Georgie Clementine, and the other managerial staff of X Entertainment were already seated at a table.

The most attractive people here were undoubtedly Josh Batton and Georgie Clementine.

Dressed in a simple white hoodie and a black cap, Josh Batton had no make-up on. His smile was near perfection.

Even by just sitting there, he shone brighter than the stars in the sky.

Meanwhile, next to him, Georgie Clementine wore a pink tuxedo with a white shirt on the inside. She had very light make-up on.

With her black hair tidily groomed around her, she seemed like a working professional on television. There was a formidable quality to her beauty, which made her feel somewhat unapproachable. Although these two appeared to have contrasting personalities, there was a sense of harmony when they sat next to each other.

Right then, everyone was chatting away happily.

When they saw Xyla Quest walking in, they became silent almost unanimously. After that, they stood up and greeted her, "President Xyla, nice to meet you."

Xyla nodded at them with a slight smile before sitting down in an empty seat next to Josh.

"What were you all talking about?" Xyla asked.

"Oh, nothing much. We're just talking about the trainee recruitment our company will be running soon..." Georgie said.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

While Georgie was speaking, her phone rang. There was an email in her inbox.

Georgie immediately opened it.

The email was from Emily Quest. It was an invitation for Josh Batton to endorse the Quest family's new real estate at thirty million dollars.

Georgie was in a dilemma as to whether she should cry or laugh. She directly handed her phone over to Xyla. "President Xyla, what is this woman up to?"