Ch. 671..680
Chapter 671
Now that Xyla Quest knew for sure that Josh Batton was fine, there was no reason for her to stay around any longer.
Xyla picked up an apple in the ward and carefully peeled it before handing it over to Josh.
She had no idea that Josh detested apples the most.
However, when Josh accepted the apple from her, he didn't say anything. He took a bite from it and smiled.
"It's very sweet," he said.
"Really?" Xyla asked.
"Yeah. Apple is my favorite fruit." Josh took another bite.
Xyla chuckled. "Then, have more... Apples are good for your health."
"Okay." Josh smiled and continued to eat.
The way he ate seemed very elegant, and every move he made emanated an air of nobility.
Although it was only an apple, he made it feel like he was eating something very classy and expensive.
***
After leaving the hospital, Emily quickly drove her red Lamborghini toward the Sullivan family's house.
When she arrived somewhere close by, five black Audis suddenly surrounded her and forced her to stop her car.
Right after that, she was forcefully dragged into one of the cars by a group of people dressed in black.
Although she struggled, they still quickly cuffed her hands and legs.
"Who are you people?" Emily asked coldly.
"Do you have any idea who I am? Who ordered you to do this? Do you know how I will make you pay for this?" she added.
Zack Cassidy snorted coldly before looking at Emily through the rearview mirror. After that, he slowly pushed his glasses further up his nose bridge and started driving away.
The other Audis followed behind him.
The more Emily struggled, the more force the people holding her in place exerted.
After a while, the cars finally stopped in the courtyard of a large villa in the countryside.
Right after that, Emily was dragged out of the car.
Zack quickly led the way into the villa with a cold expression on his face.
In the luxurious living room, another group of people included Bailey Ronson, Dex Reagan, and a large number of men dressed in black, keeping an eye on those two. When Emily saw Bailey and Dex, she instantly understood why they captured her and brought her here.
In fact, she also knew who these people worked for.
Suddenly, Emily began smiling coldly.
She seemed calmly confident.
***
At the same time, in King Entertainment's president's office, Sebastian looked at his assistant with a frown. "Jean, have you found her?" he asked. Jean shook his head. "No. I'm still trying."
"It's getting close to the end of the 24 hours I have given you. If you still can't find her when the time's up, you can pack up and leave!" Sebastian exclaimed.
Jean immediately nodded respectfully. "Yes, Master Brenand. I will get my subordinates to do their best and look for her..." he said carefully.
"This time, I must find Rachel Wood at all costs. Do you understand?" Sebastian looked at Jean coldly and asked.
The young man was beginning to look more nervous. "Yes, I understand."
"Get out!" Sebastian added.
Jean immediately wiped the sweat off his forehead, turned around, and left.
After he was gone, the huge office became quiet again.
Sebastian frowned unhappily as he closed his eyes.
Rachel's smiling face appeared in his mind yet again.
This was the best image he could remember in his entire lifetime.
"Knock, knock, knock..." Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.
Sebastian looked impatiently at the door.
"Come in..." he said.
After that, the door was opened.
What he saw next instantly made his facial expression turn solemn.
Chapter 672
Chapter 672
A beautiful woman with thick make-up, wearing a black knitted dress that showed her belly, was standing outside the door.
This woman was none other than a trainee King Entertainment had signed a contract with, Queenie Hayes.
Since Sebastian Brenand was the one who signed her on, he remembered her clearly.
Right then, she was holding onto the door frame with one hand while she struck an S-shaped pose with her body and blew a kiss at him.
It was an extremely seductive move.
If this happened before, Sebastian would have been attracted to her.
However, now, he was not interested at all.
"If you're feeling horny, I suggest you go to the hospital and get a jab. Or you could set up a date with someone from a dating application. Get out..." Sebastian said coldly. However, Queenie had no intention of leaving. She twisted her buttocks from side to side before closing the door and walking over to Sebastian.
The strong scent of cheap perfume from her body made Sebastian feel very uncomfortable.
Apart from disgust, Sebastian didn't feel anything for this person.
"I told you before. Don't you understand me?" Sebastian frowned annoyedly.
Queenie licked the corner of her lips gently before moving suggestively and sitting on his lap. She then wrapped her arms around his neck. "Boss, don't be so cold. I really like you..." "Get out!" Sebastian commanded coldly.
However, Queenie continued to sit on him without moving. "Sigh. Boss, don't be like this." She was still flirting with him.
In King Entertainment, Sebastian called the shots.
As long as he was on her side, her future would be limitless.
Today, she was determined to sleep with Sebastian.
Even if she had to forgo her pride, she was determined to accomplish her goal.
Sebastian had encountered situations like this many times in the past, and he used to be fine with it. However, now, he felt nauseated by it.
Frowning coldly, Sebastian harshly pushed the woman away and stood up annoyedly. He grabbed a few sheets of anti-bacterial wipes before wiping his hands with them. "Get out!" he ordered. Queenie was shocked.
However, she still didn't want to leave...
She had made up her mind that she would sleep with Sebastian today.
Queenie tried to get close to Sebastian yet again.
Sebastian avoided her agily. "Sh*t! From today on, you don't have to come to the office anymore. We're canceling the contract!" he exclaimed.
"What?" Queenie was so shocked that her face turned pale.
Sebastian didn't have the patience to talk to her anymore. He immediately called his assistant, Jean Hanson, on the phone. "Come to my office and get rid of this piece of trash." Within half a minute, Jean quickly opened the door.
When he saw the scene in the office, he immediately understood what had happened.
He quickly walked forward, held Queenie's hands behind her back, and dragged her outside...
"Make it known that whoever tries to come into my office like this again will be punished," Sebastian said unhappily while he looked at Jean.
"Yes!" Jean quickly nodded before escorting Queenie out of the office.
"Everyone's been saying how our boss is getting rid of all his women for one particular woman. I didn't believe it at first, but now I do." Queenie seemed very jealous.
She felt very curious about the woman who made Sebastian, a known womanizer, change his ways.
***
After Queenie had been taken away, the office became quiet.
Sebastian returned to his desk, but he was no longer in the mood to work. He opened his drawer and took out a photo of Rachel holding a cake and posing for the picture. This was a picture he had taken of her not too long ago, on her birthday.
That night, he had only given her a bouquet and a cake. Rachel was smiling like a three-year-old.
When Sebastian recalled the past, he subconsciously began smiling.
However, very soon, he was reminded that this person was no longer by his side. His heart started aching again.
Chapter 673
Chapter 673
Pure desolation was in the air as he scanned his office.
"Rachel... You're a real pain in the ass." Sebastian Brenand murmured, his right thumb repeatedly rubbing the picture of her face.
Not a day went by when he did not think of her.
Little did she know, he missed her more and more every day.
The thought of losing her terrified him. He had no idea how his life would be if he failed to find her.
He really could not live without Rachel Wood.
***
Meanwhile, Georgie Clementine was having an interview at the municipal hospital.
After the interview, Georgie sent all the reporters and fans away before dragging her exhausted body back to Josh Batton's ward.
Coincidentally enough, Xyla Quest received a call from Team QPG's president when Georgie entered the ward, asking when she would go for training.
Hearing that, Xyla told him that she would rush over right away.
She immediately rose to her feet.
After saying goodbye to Josh and Georgie, she grabbed her car keys and dashed out of the hospital.
She hopped into her red Maserati and sped all the way to Team QPG's base.
The team members had been waiting for her for a long time.
Without further ado, Xyla settled down in front of her computer and threw herself into the training game.
Everyone was so focused on the match that all of them had lost track of time. They finally decided to call it a day after hours of training.
The training went pretty smoothly, and it ended in a jolly mood too.
Noticing it was already evening, Xyla bid a brief farewell to team members and left the base.
The golden sun blossomed upon the horizon as fresh colors filled the skies. Orange gold rays stretched far and wide, engulfing the land in the warmth before night fell upon it.
Xyla drove home in her red Maserati while enjoying the beautiful scenery ambling by, her face aglow with the orange rays of the setting sun.
The red roses on the roadside were still in full bloom.
Retracting the car's roof, Xyla could smell the rosy fragrance in the air as the warm breeze blew softly against her cheeks.
Thanked to the roses, the entire city was now tinged with romance.
Along the way, she saw many people taking pictures and recording videos with the sea of roses.
These roses would probably become one of the famous photoshoot spots for the citizens of Atlantis after that.
Looking at the beaming faces in front of those roses, Xyla's mood was lifted.
When she returned home, Xyla found Zack Cassidy in the living room, seemingly reporting something important to Stanley Batton.
Noticing her arrival, Zack immediately gave her a respectful nod.
Xyla smiled at him in return before walking up to Stanley.
Without warning, Stanley pulled her onto his lap and rested his chin on her shoulder intimately. "You're finally home. Are you tired?" Though Xyla was happy to see her husband, she wanted to break free from his grasp in Zack's presence.
However, the man hugged her even tighter. "Why are you running away? Hmm? Sit still."
Having no other choice, Xyla stopped struggling and allowed him to hug her as she blushed slightly.
"You haven't answered my question..."
"I'm not tired."
"What do you want to eat tonight?"
"Hotpot."
"I'll go to the supermarket to get some ingredients later. Just wait for me at home, okay?" "Alright."
Zack wished that he could make himself invisible at that moment.
He admitted that he was a poor single man, but they did not have to rub it in, did they?
Chapter 674
Chapter 674
Moreover, he noticed that Fifth Master was treating Xyla Quest better and better.
Never in his life had he seen his Fifth Master being so nice to any woman until he met Xyla.
Everyone in the company knew that the Sullivan family's Fifth Master had always kept a safe distance with women. Some of them even suspected that he was gay. Would there be a woman who was able to capture his heart? This question must have flashed across many employee's minds. However, most of their answers were 'no'. To them, he was very much like an unreachable orchid at the peak of the mountain.
If someone had told him in the past that their Fifth Master would fall into a woman's hand one day, he would not have believed it. He might have thought that person was nuts! "Zack, keep going... Xyla should know about it too." Stanley Batton hugged Xyla from behind while looking at Zack Cassidy indifferently.
His demeanor toward the two of them was like heaven and earth.
Such ridiculous distinction had rendered Zack speechless. Nevertheless, he did not dare to make any complaints and continued to report his investigation in earnest.
"Fifth Master, Miss Xyla, I've already caught Emily Quest, Bailey Ronson, and Dex Reagan.
"I've also interrogated the three of them separately. Bailey and Emily blurted everything to us, and their confessions were more or less similar to what Dex had told us in the first place.
"At the very beginning, it was Emily who had contacted Dex to start the investigation on Fifth Master. After Dex found your fake profile from the registry databases, he informed Emily about it, but Emily declared that she would call it quits."
Zack carefully explained the ins and outs of the whole incident. The seriousness on his face amplified with each word he spoke.
"And then?" Xyla asked.
"Bailey Ronson accidentally saw Fifth Master's fake profile on Emily's phone. No doubt, she began to question Emily to get to the heart of the matter. Emily had no other choice but to tell her the truth. "After that, Bailey admitted that she looked up Emily's call records to track Dex down out of her hatred toward you. She found his number and contacted him on her own..."
Zack continued to explain earnestly.
"To prove her innocence, Emily showed me the recording of her conversation with Bailey that day. Their confessions matched the recording indeed." Zack added, "Bailey said that she lied to the two of you at the beginning because she wanted to keep Emily out of this mess. She had nothing to do with it."
"Oh well..." Xyla nodded thoughtfully.
Stanley did not say anything either. His eyes were filled with suspicion.
Noticing his unusual silence, Xyla lifted her head and stared at his handsome face. "What do you think?"
"I don't think the truth is as simple as it seems..." The man's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Same. I might believe it if there isn't any recording." Xyla mumbled, "Isn't that recording a little too deliberate?"
She pondered for a few seconds before shifting her eyes to Zack again. "Did she say how Bailey saw that fake profile on her phone?"
Zack recounted, "She said that she left her phone unlocked on the table, so Bailey could've seen it by chance..."
Xyla sneered. "Pfft."
What a coincidence!
"Miss Xyla, I haven't released the three of them. Should I bring them over?"
"Nah. I don't want to see them now."
There was no point in interrogating them anymore. There were too many coincidences in the whole story. Xyla strongly believed that they were all well-planned.
Apparently, Emily had not given up seeking revenge on her.
Everything Bailey or Dex thought was just an illusion created by her.
Her resentment toward Xyla had never ceased for a second. On the contrary, she had learned to be smart now. She knew how to conceal her true self and sacrifice Bailey as a pawn in her games. "What are you going to do next?" Stanley asked.
"Don't worry. I know what to do," Xyla answered calmly.
Chapter 675
Chapter 675
"Okay..." Stanley Batton did not pursue the matter further. He got up from the couch and ordered, "Start the car, Zack. Let's go buy the ingredients now."
Subsequently, the two men left the house in a single file.
After Stanley left, Xyla fell into deep thoughts once again.
On the other hand, Zack Cassidy drove Stanley to a nearby supermarket. When the two of them had arrived, Stanley started grocery shopping under the watchful eyes of a group of bodyguards. Zack pushed the cart behind him in silence.
One by one, Stanley compared the ingredients seriously and picked out the freshest ones.
All of the bodyguards were stunned by the scene in front of them.
Their faces were as pale as if they had seen a ghost.
Stanley first went to get Xyla's favorite spicy soup base. Then, he proceeded to the frozen food section and carefully selected her favorite beef slices, tripe, and some duck intestines.
Looking at the ingredients gradually piling up in the shopping cart, the men could hardly stop exclaiming at what their Fifth Master was doing.
At last, Zack could no longer hold back his curiosity. He asked, "Don't you hate duck intestines?"
"Well... Not anymore."
"Why?"
"Because she likes it."
Stanley's charming looks had garnered a lot of attention from the girls around them, and the girls were silently fangirling over him. Though he stood among a crowd, there seemed to be a barrier that separated him from the others.
He paid them no notice as usual as if none of them was worthy of having his eyes on her.
"My goodness... That man is so handsome! He looks wealthy, but he's actually shopping for groceries himself! He's such a good man."
"Ahhhh... Sis, can you help me to ask for his number? I'm dying!"
"This is my first time encountering such a good-looking man in real life. I cannot. I feel like I'm suffocating."
The girls whispered among themselves excitedly, an intense possessive feeling pulsing through their veins.
All of them wanted to ask for his number so badly.
However, no one dared to take the lead due to the massive crowd and his apathetic temperament.
Conversely, Stanley immersed himself in his world and continued to shop for the hotpot ingredients. No matter how hungry their gazes were, he remained as cold as snow.
A strong aura exuded from him. It painted a clear difference in status compared to the others around him.
After getting most of Xyla's favorite dishes, Stanley pulled out his phone and called Xyla. "I've got tripe, duck intestines, beef slices, duck blood, tofu, and enoki mushrooms. Is there anything else you want to eat?"
Suddenly, tenderness filled his eyes.
The changes in his attitude toward his beloved had melted all the girls' hearts. They were so envious of his girl!
Ignoring the whispering crowd, he held his phone firmly and strode past them.
"Get some fish balls for me. I have a craving for cuttlefish balls, beef balls, fish cakes, crab sticks, lobster balls..." Xyla blurted.
Without hesitation, Stanley headed to the fridges while memorizing the food listed by Xyla one by one. Putting on his Bluetooth earphone, he shoved his phone back into his pocket and began to pick the ingredients in earnest. "What else do you want? Do you want fruits?"
"No. That's all."
Looking up, he saw her favorite fruit, durian, next to the fridge. "Do you want some durians?"
"Nah."
He slowly scanned the supermarket's layout and found watermelons not far away from him. "What about watermelon?"
"I don't want anything else. Just get the balls and come back, alright? I'm hungry," Xyla said again.
Chapter 676
Chapter 676
"Okay. I'll be back soon."
Stanley Batton hung up the phone and continued to look for the ingredients she wanted in the fridge.
Whether it was Zack Cassidy or the bodyguards, everyone who witnessed the intimacy between the lovebirds had stopped dead in their tracks.
The girls who had been secretly following him all this while could no longer hide their jealousy toward Xyla.
Another wave of discussion began amidst the crowd.
"He was talking to his girlfriend on the phone just now, right? He sounded so gentle..."
"Apart from being good-looking and rich, he's cold to everyone else except his girlfriend. What kind of ideal boyfriend is he?"
"This guy is perfect. He's definitely my ideal type. I admit that I'm pretty jealous of his girlfriend right now."
After getting all the ingredients needed, Stanley led the group of bodyguards to the self-service counter.
Zack cleared the shopping cart and settled the bill, whereas Stanley stalked out of the supermarket with his bodyguards first.
Though he left without saying a word, the flawless man had successfully become the main subject of conversation among the girls in the supermarket today.
***
As soon as Stanley set foot into the house, he headed straight to the kitchen and started preparing the hotpot. He boiled the spicy broth first before washing the rest of the ingredients.
After moving the food to the dining table and setting up the tableware, he made Xyla Quest's favorite dipping sauce by hand.
He then placed the dip in front of Xyla's seat and turned on the induction stove to heat the broth.
After double-checking the food on the table, he stepped out of the kitchen and called out at Xyla sitting on the sofa watching television. "Honey, the dinner is ready."
The broth was already boiling in the pot, and its spicy fragrance permeated the living room.
Saliva drooled from Xyla's lips the moment she smelled it.
Immediately, she jumped up from the couch and went to the washroom to wash her hands before heading to the dining room together with Stanley.
In the dining room, the fiery red broth was bubbling in the pot, looking extremely appetizing.
Xyla quickly sat down in front of the dining table and threw a few beef slices into the pot. "This is my favorite soup base brand, right? It smells so good." Sitting across from her, Stanley picked up the ingredients and slowly put them into the pot for his wife. "Bingo, you're right."
"These are all my favorite dishes! Thanks, hubby." Happiness glowed within Xyla.
Stanley smiled. "Why are you so polite to me?"
Xyla placed a freshly cooked beef slice into his bowl. "Eat more. You've been working hard all day."
"Don't mind me. Just focus on eating." As he spoke, he picked up a few more beef slices from the pot and put them into her bowl.
After that, Stanley was responsible for cooking the food and picking them up for Xyla.
On the other hand, all Xyla had to do was keep her head down and keep eating.
Throughout the dinner, Stanley took care of her impeccably like a little kid.
After dinner, Stanley cleared the dining table and went back to the kitchen to wash the dishes.
Xyla went back to the living room too. She sank into the couch leisurely while scrolling through the live-streaming app on her phone. When she had training at Team QPG's base this afternoon, her team members told her that they would start a live stream tonight.
Hence, she decided to show some support to them.
When she opened the app, none of the team members were online yet.
However, she found Alex's live stream.
She clicked in his live stream without hesitation.
Alex was currently playing a game. He was wearing an oversized white T-shirt and his typical silver-rimmed round glasses, looking exceptionally cute in front of the camera. Unlike ordinary professional gamers, Alex had a good sitting posture. He always sat straight like a strictly trained soldier. His back was as rigid as a pole.
His outstanding temperament in the gaming industry was partly resulted from his straight yet steady posture too.
As the world's number one Top Solo, it was unsurprising that his live stream attracted countless viewers from all over the world.
At this moment, his live stream had already hit fifteen million views.
Xyla's phone screen was entirely occupied by the pop-ups.
Turning off the pop-ups, Xyla transferred some money into her account and sent a hundred Super Rockets to Alex.
One Super Rocket was worth thirty thousand dollars.
In about a second or two, the live stream had exploded with excitement. Pop-ups were all over her screen once more.
"Your Majesty..."
"Xyla? Are you Xyla Quest?"
Chapter 677
Chapter 677
"Daddy rocks! Is that Xyla Quest?"
Likewise, Alex was utterly shocked by the expensive gifts. He froze for a couple of seconds before he was able to process the situation before him. "Thanks, my future boss, Xyla, for the Super Rockets." Once again, the pop-ups blew up on the screen.
"Xyla??? Is it really Xyla Quest??? Please notice me, my rich beauty!"
"Damn, a hundred Super Rockets... You're formidable, Xyla!"
"Xyla, Xyla, Xyla, I love you..."
Immediately afterward, Alex added, "Boss, do you want to join me for the next round? I'm pretty good at assisting."
Countless pop-ups followed soon after.
"F*ck... This guy has never played Support before. I can't believe he has offered to assist Xyla twice! Is this the power of money?"
"I think it's the power of beauty instead. Do you guys have any ideas how stunning Xyla is?"
"Xyla, what are you waiting for? Many people have been dreaming of teaming up with Alex for their whole lives!"
Xyla stole a glance at the pop-ups before sending a text message to Alex on WeChat. "Sorry, I have work to do. Have fun playing, okay?"
Soon, Alex turned to the camera and sighed. "Too bad. My boss said she can't play with me. She has to work."
The netizens started spamming with pop-ups again.
"A miracle just happened in front of Xyla, but she didn't even appreciate it."
"How I hope I have the opportunity to reject the world's number one Top Solo to play Support for me too."
"Alex got rejected again? Wtf?"
The pop-ups were seriously too noisy. Hence, Xyla directly turned off the pop-ups after taking a brief look at them. She wanted to watch Alex's live stream peacefully. Alex was currently fighting three players alone.
Though he was at a disadvantage, he managed to kill two of the players in the blink of an eye owing to his sharp and agile movements.
Suddenly, the third player attacked him from behind, leaving him in a bloody state.
Yet, he had no intention of retreating at all. He charged at the enemy and started a battle with him.
Realising that he was about to die soon, he quickly activated a Stopwatch.
Then, Alex dodged the attacks skillfully and ran to the enemy's side in a flash, ambushing him before he could even react.
In the next second, the third player died.
He managed to survive.
One versus three. Three kills.
Every time Xyla watched his game, she had a feeling that he was dancing on the tip of his blade. It was thrilling, exciting, yet fascinating.
It seemed that the word 'retreat' did not exist in his life.
Xyla immediately turned on the pop-ups.
As expected, everyone was cheering for him and praising his skills.
The moneybags began to spam Super Rockets to him too.
Shortly, the game ended.
At this time, someone in the game sent a message to Alex.
The message was sent by a current professional gamer, Bob, from Team AF. He asked, "Are you interested in playing duo queue with me? I need Support to help me level up, and you're the best Support I can ever find."
Alex simply replied, "I'm busy."
"This is the difference..."
"A very cruel difference..."
"Too bad. You're not Xyla Quest..."
Xyla burst out laughing when she read those funny pop-ups.
After watching for a little while more, she exited Alex's live stream and returned to the homepage.
As soon as she returned to her homepage, she found that all the Team QPG's members had now started their live streams. Their names were all on the recommendation column.
Buzz buzz buzz...
Just as she was about to click on one of their live streams, her phone vibrated.
Very soon, a news headline popped up on her screen.
Chapter 678
Chapter 678
##"Sasaeng fans are sentenced to one month of detention for car-chasing Josh Batton!"##
Xyla Quest instantly tapped on the notification to open the article.
In addition to the punishment given to the group of insane Sasaeng fans, the article stated that the judge had given the driver a light sentence too.
Likewise, the driver was detained for a month.
Xyla was relieved upon reading this good news.
Since the consequence of their immature act was now all over the news, she believed that the other Sasaeng fans would start to behave themselves from now on.
The comment section below the article was as lively as usual. Josh Batton's fans were all celebrating their sentences gleefully.
"Nice one, X Entertainment! Serve them right! Here are a thousand likes for X Entertainment's boss."
"Wake up, Sasaeng fans! Love him sensibly. Don't cause trouble to him if you love him."
"I hope Sasaeng fans will be extinct one day. Good job, X Entertainment, for protecting my dear Josh!"
After scrolling through the comment section, Xyla called Georgie Clementine and asked her to share this article on their company's official Weibo account. Besides, she wanted Georgie to warn the Sasaeng fans to keep their nose clean to avoid similar accidents from happening again.
After Georgie agreed, Xyla directly hung up the phone.
Buzz buzz buzz... Xyla's phone vibrated again before she could even put it down.
Seeing her father's name on the screen, she answered the call right away.
"Xyla, come back for lunch tomorrow. Tomorrow is Quest Property Group's twenty-fifth anniversary, and I'm planning to have a simple meal with all the family members," Jeremy Quest said. "No problem," Xyla agreed without hesitation.
Shamefully, she had forgotten such an important day due to her busy schedule these two days.
If her father had not reminded her tonight, she really would not have thought of it.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries with Jeremy, Xyla hung up the phone.
She guessed that Emily Quest would be home since it was a momentous day for the Quest family.
Well, this could save her the hassle.
There was something she wanted to tell Emily anyway. Tomorrow would be an excellent opportunity to do so.
Putting her phone aside, Xyla plopped down on the couch, exhausted.
Colorful flowers were blooming all over the courtyard outside the window. The stars were shining brightly in the dark skies.
As she turned back, her eyes met the man who was busy washing dishes in the kitchen. He was more lustrous than all the stars out there.
Buzz buzz buzz...
At this time, her phone vibrated again.
Her phone screen showed the news regarding Sullivan Food Group. The article stated that all the major banks had stopped providing a loan for the company, resulting in a big crisis in the company's capital. Sullivan Food Group had resold more than a hundred domestic and foreign factories as far as they were concerned.
The Sullivan family was forced to sell one-third of factories around the world. Henceforth, the company was currently suffering the most severe setback since its establishment.
***
While all these were happening, the tension was palpable at the Sullivan family's house.
Everyone's life was difficult during this period. Tony Sullivan had been giving a hard time to all the family members with his gloomy face.
He was at outs with Bailey Ronson too.
Their two sons had been running up against countless problems every single day. As a result, both of them were in a terrible mood all the time.
After reselling so many factories today, the atmosphere in the house was even mournful.
In the living room, Tony threw a divorce agreement document to Bailey, who was sitting across from him. "Sign it!"
Tony had not mentioned anything about divorce these days. Bailey thought Tony had forgiven her, and she was extremely grateful for it. She thought he would never say that cruel word again. However, she was wrong.
He could not forgive her, after all.
Chapter 679
Chapter 679
Bailey Ronson immediately started shivering as she walked over to Tony Sullivan with the divorce papers in hand. "I'm really sorry. If I had known Stanley Batton was the heir of Dragon Group, I wouldn't have done something like that even if my life counted on it... Husband, please forgive me."
Tony snorted coldly before standing up and walking up the stairs without looking back.
He was making it clear that there this situation could not be salvaged.
When Emily came down, she saw this scene unfolding before her.
Although Bailey had been rather nice to Emily recently, Emily still couldn't forgive Bailey for the things she did and said to her in the past.
Seeing Bailey being treated so harshly by Tony made Emily feel gleeful.
However, Emily also felt a little worried.
If Emily wanted to establish her influence in the Sullivan family, she needed to rely on Bailey. Now, the only people Emily could control in the Sullivan family were Bailey and Mary Sullivan.
However, Mary was quite useless to her. Bailey was the one whom Emily found valuable.
Emily could only stand her ground with Bailey around.
She immediately stepped forward and pretended to be very sad as she pulled Bailey into her arms. "Mother, don't be upset. I believe Father will change his mind."
Bailey shook her head with a helpless expression on her face. "There's no chance of that happening. You must know... I've affected the Sullivan family's business greatly. One-third of our factories have been sold. It's the equivalent of losing an arm!"
"Mother, I'll help you... for sure." Emily clung to Bailey tightly, trying to make her feel confident.
"How would you help me? You can't even help yourself..." Bailey said.
"Although I can't help myself, I can help you think of ways to overcome your problem," Emily said before moving close to Bailey's ear and whispering her idea.
Emily's idea was for Bailey to fake committing suicide so that Tony would feel shocked.
Bailey hesitated for a moment. In the end, she decided that this was the last resort and nodded.
"It's all Xyla's fault. That b*tch. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have ended up like this. Although I wanted to ruin her, I failed in the end. Does she still have to be so cruel to me? She'd better not let me find the opportunity to have my revenge. Otherwise, she's going to be in deep trouble," Bailey said through gritted teeth as she clenched her fists tightly.
"Don't, Mother. Let's put an end to this," Emily said. She was trying to act all pure and innocent.
"That's impossible," Bailey said determinedly.
When Emily saw how determined Bailey seemed, she felt glad.
"Mother, I haven't thanked you yet. Thanks for protecting me in front of Xyla..." Emily added.
"Why do you have to thank me? I was just speaking the truth. You had nothing to do with this from the beginning." Bailey frowned a little.
Emily smiled without saying anything.
However, she very quickly acted extremely depressed and lowered her head.
When Emily thought about her scheme, she truly felt that it was perfect.
Emily knew early on that Xyla would try to find out if she had anything to do with all this. Hence, she contacted Dex Reagen long ago to make sure they were on the same page. "But I really didn't think you'd actually have a recording," Bailey added.
"I... I only wanted to protect myself," Emily said.
"Hmm. I understand..." Bailey said.
***
The next day at noon, Stanley Batton drove Xyla in his black Bentley Arnage to the Quest family's house.
There were many cars in the courtyard today.
At one glance, Xyla was able to recognize all of them. These cars belonged to May Conner's relatives as well as the Sullivan family members.
After Stanley parked the car, Xyla immediately held his hand and entered the house with the gift they had prepared for Jeremy Quest.
As soon as they opened the door, they could hear people talking and laughing cheerfully.
It was a very joyous affair.
Xyla never liked noisy environments. Hence, she found a mix of noises extremely annoying.
However, she didn't show it on her face. After she and Stanley changed their shoes, they walked into the living room.
Chapter 680
Chapter 680
The people surrounded the coffee table in the living room.
Most of May Conner's relatives were there. Emily Quest, Tom Sullivan, Tony Sullivan, Bailey Ronson, and Julian Sullivan were also there.
Initially, there weren't enough seats for everyone. They had to add several couches at the last minute.
Now, everyone was having a good time. The only people whose smiles were forced were members of the Sullivan family.
As soon as Xyla Quest and Stanley Batton walked through the door, hand in hand, they became the center of attention.
All eyes were on the two of them.
Since May's relatives had also found out about Stanley's identity, they now looked at Stanley with an even greater sense of admiration.
The young girls, especially, couldn't take their eyes off him for even a second.
Throughout the whole process, Stanley remained calm and polite. He slowly walked over to the rest and greeted the elders one at a time. After that, Stanley sat down with Xyla next to Jeremy before placing their gift on the coffee table.
Suddenly, it felt as if they were the moon surrounded by stars.
All the relatives were focused on Stanley and Xyla.
"Xyla... You really are amazing. I can't believe you actually got married to Dragon Group's heir."
"I have always sensed that Stan was one step above the rest. He never looked like a normal person. None of you believed me."
"These two are a match made in heaven."
Initially, Xyla wanted to tell her father about the gift they were giving him. However, she didn't even manage to get a word in.
Now that these people knew about Stanley's identity, none of them dared to say anything too offensive. Instead, they were all smiling and saying good things about him as if they profited from doing so. Meanwhile, Stanley behaved like a gentleman. Although his behavior was cold and distant, he treated each person with the kind of respect he was taught to offer throughout his upbringing.
When Jeremy saw the others praising his daughter and son-in-law, he felt very pleased.
Right then, Xyla and Stanely seemed to shine as bright as the sun, and they outshone everyone here.
Tom felt both attracted to but also jealous of Xyla when he saw her like this.
After leaving him, Xyla seemed to be enjoying life even more. She was always the center of attention.
On the other hand, Tom's situation became increasingly worse. Now, he could only admire her from afar.
Who'd have thought that the woman he abandoned years ago would one day become someone he could only dream of being with?
Apart from such feelings, Tom had also felt hatred for her in recent days.
Although his family had all begged Xyla to have mercy on them, she wouldn't budge. She simply allowed Stanley to do whatever he wanted to mess with the Sullivan family. The Sullivan family was going through all this because of Stanley.
However, Tom suddenly thought about the fact that his mother was the one who started it. He knew he shouldn't blame Xyla or Stanley.
Besides, regardless of how terrible Tom felt, he still loved Xyla from the bottom of his heart...
Sometimes, people acted foolishly. They never seem to appreciate what they have until they lose it. The easier something was to acquire, the less they cared about it, and vice versa. Xyla accidentally caught sight of Tom looking at her. She could sense the dazed look in his eyes.
However, she looked away just as quickly as she slowly peeled melon seeds.
In Tom's eyes, Xyla's hands had never appeared prettier.
"Xyla... Ever since you've been with Stan, you look better every time I see you..."
"Yeah. Love really does make one look better."