Chapter 1 Chapter 1

"You can quit your job after marrying me. You just need to take good care of me at our home and give birth to a son for me within a year! No daughters, please. Daughters are expensive to raise!" a man said condescendingly. He sat in front of Corrinne Carew. He was her prospective partner during a matchmaking session. At the age of nearly 40, his hair was thinning, and he had a potbelly. Corinne's stepmother, Lilliana Reece, was worried that Corinne might end up marrying someone good, so she forced her to meet with this crass, middle-aged man. The middle-aged man was initially very displeased with Corinne's dark makeup because it was really heavy on the eyeshadow. However, upon seeing her slender figure and decent character, he could imagine how deliciously beautiful she would be if she stood naked in front of him. "And how tall are you?" he asked. Corinne absent-mindedly stirred the coffee inside the cup and replied curtly, "A hundred and sixty-eight centimeters." The middle-aged man was delighted to hear her answer. "Hmm... That's more or less the standard of a woman that's fit for me. My height is nearly one point eight meters, so I guess that's what they call the perfect height difference for a couple! You'd have to tiptoe whenever you kiss me in the future, but that's not really an issue. I can still bend down and kiss you!" It was known to girls that when men said that their height was nearly 1.8 meters, their true measurements were only 172 centimeters at most! Corinne rolled her eyes and said, "I don't think you're aware of how tall a man is if his woman needs to stand on her toes to kiss him." The middle-aged man frowned unhappily. "What do you mean by that?" At that point, a tall and stern-looking man walked into the cafe. He had a majestic aura to him. As Corinne looked up and laid eyes on him, a playful twinkle appeared in her eyes. She stood up and walk over to him. "Hey there, handsome. Could I borrow you for a sec to demonstrate what a true perfect height difference is?" The man frowned. Before he could refuse, Corinne grabbed his tie, yanked it downward, and tiptoed to give him a peck on the lips swiftly. "See? You need to be at least as tall as him for women to stand on tiptoe and kiss you!""How dare you..." The middle-aged man was embarrassed and angry. He stood up in a rage and pointed at Corinne, saying, "You wh*re! Who the hell just grabs a random man and kisses him? I'll tell the person who introduced us to each other about your sluttiness soon enough. Your notoriousness will soon spread within the matchmaking circle, and you'll never be able to find your match here." 'That'd be perfect!' Once word of her actions got out, her stepmother Lilliana would surely have a hard time trying to matchmake her with all those weirdos again! Corinne snorted in disdain, kicked the crass, big-talking man away, and then waved her hand to thank the tall man who 'stood up for her'. "Thanks for helping me out there, kind sir! See you around, I guess. Bye!" With that, she turned around to leave, but a cold palm grabbed her wrist. "Are you just going to leave after kissing me without my consent?" A hoarse, stern male voice reached Corinne's ears, and an oppressive chill came up her spine. She felt fascinated when she looked up and saw the man's handsome face. His attractiveness knew no bounds. There was a certain maturity and meticulousness in the way he styled his hair, chiseled facial features on his fair-skinned handsome face, and an expression brimming with danger and fierceness. 'Uh-oh!' Corinne had been so worked up about the man from her blind date that she just randomly chose the tallest man in sight without paying attention to his appearance. Upon a closer look, she came to realize just how uniquely handsome he really was! As if that were not enough, she could tell at a glance that there was more to him than met the eye! Corinne frowned slightly. "What do you expect me to do?" The man looked at Corinne sullenly, and his thin lips parted open as if he was about to say something. At that point, his black-clad subordinate who stood beside him had just ended a phone call. He stepped forward with a solemn expression and said, "Sir, there's been a change of situation! Miss Sophia's flight was forced to turn back due to bad weather, and she won't be able to make it into the country today. What are we going to do? Your engagement banquet is tonight, and it's almost time." The man frowned after hearing this. That engagement banquet was, quite frankly, crucial to his grandfather who had been urging him to get married because he was still a bachelor at the age of nearly 30! It was not too long ago that the old man was so anxious that he had a heart attack which necessitated a life-saving heart transplant operation. He agreed to proceed with the operation on the condition that his grandson got engaged today and married in three days! Sophia, the woman whom he had hired to act out the plan to please his grandfather, was unable to make it. Since the man didn’t loosen his tight grip on Corinne's hand, she impatiently asked, "Is there anything else you need, mister? Could you let go of me now?" The man, Jeremy Holden, stared silently at Corinne as a cryptic look flashed across his eyes. All of a sudden, he smiled coldly and said, "This young woman right here has delivered herself to me on a silver platter, so we might as well have her replace Sophia." His special assistant, Tommy Jenkinson, was taken aback. He turned to look at Corinne and sized her up with a rather displeased expression. A girl who used heavy eyeliner, had unkempt hair, and dressed like a brat was hardly fit to be his employer's partner! "But sir, she's a little...""I've made up my mind. We'll go with her!" Tommy did not dare to object any further. "Sure!" Corinne felt that something was off and asked warily, "Me? Why me? What are you going to do to me, mister?" The man looked down at her and answered her coldly, "I want you to take responsibility for kissing me." 'Responsibility?' Corinne grimaced in disbelief. "You can't be serious, right? You want me to take responsibility because I kissed you? I gave you my first kiss, you know, but I didn’t demand you to take responsibility for me after I just gave you my first kiss!" The man raised his eyebrows with interest. "Your first kiss?" Corinne sighed pitiably. "You bet! I kept my first kiss for nearly twenty years now, and I gave it to you today just like that!" She was bold, if nothing else. Jeremy's expression turned cold, and he said softly. "Bring her with us, fellas." It took just a couple of seconds for Corinne to be pushed into a black luxury car by several men in black suits. Situated within New Capital City was Lunar Century Manor, the most high-end urban manor in the entire country. There, Jeremy—the young master of a famous first-tier family known as the Holdens—had organized a grand engagement banquet. "I wonder who's the lucky young woman Mister Jeremy is going to be engaged to!""I'm sure she's what many would call the perfect woman—someone who has a solid family background and is an outstanding individual herself! Ordinary women will never be able to pique Mister Jeremy's interest!""Look, there he is! Gosh, he's so handsome...""Hold on. Is the girl standing next to him…his legendary fiancee? Why does she look… Well, how should I put this...""Different from what we imagined her to be?" Everyone stared intently at Jeremy as he led an eccentric-looking girl into the center stage at the banquet venue. The host of the engagement banquet stepped forward to hold the microphone and began to speak. "Good evening, everyone, and welcome to Jeremy Holden's engagement ceremony!" Corinne's heart raced after she was forced to stand on the stage. She admitted she was at fault for taking advantage of him without permission earlier, but the most she expected him to do was to report her to the police for sexual harassment. If it came to that, she would accept whatever punishment that was meted out to her. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect him to do something even worse—forcing her to get engaged to him at an engagement banquet!

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

A myriad of different expressions on the faces of all the guests below the stage could be seen. Many of them were discussing amongst themselves, too. "This woman…is Mister Jeremy's fiancee? Why is she dressed like some random brat from the streets?""Shouldn't Mister Jeremy's partner be someone graceful and elegant? Who the heck is that woman?""Ahem! Mister Jeremy has quite a unique taste in women..." Corinne deliberately dressed like a brat to scare off her blind date, but Jeremy did not seem to care at all that people were complaining about her image as his 'fiancee'. More accurately, he seemed unconcerned that his taste in women was questioned, and he acted as if he was merely a spectator in his own show. Despite the odd looks from many guests, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and exchange engagement rings with Jeremy. It was a farce she had to maintain until the host announced the end of the ceremony. Although everyone found it difficult to appreciate what Jeremy saw in her, they applauded Jeremy only for the sake of his dignity. Corinne descended the stage and wanted to leave as soon as she could. Unfortunately, three beautifully dressed women came up to her and stood in her way. "Which family are you from?""Why did you come here in that ugly-looking getup?""Did you think you were fit to stand by Mister Jeremy's side with that sort of conduct?" Corinne evaded them and refused to entertain their questions, but the three of them continued to stand in her way. Corinne lost her patience and glanced at their fancy evening gowns. "In terms of fashion sense, the three of you are no doubt worthy of being Jeremy's equal, but let me ask you this: did he ever allow you to get close to him?""How dare you!" The three women all came from wealthy families in New Capital City, and it was the first time they had been mocked in such a manner. They were adamant about demanding an apology from Corinne, or they would not let her go! Some distance away, Zeke Callen, the Callens' second youngest son, came over and raised a toast to Jeremy. "Where'd you get that girl from, Jeremy? I imagine your grandfather is going to be pissed if you bring her back to meet him.""He just wants to have a granddaughter-in-law," replied Jeremy nonchalantly. "It's fine as long as it's a woman." Zeke clicked his tongue. "Of all the women in the world you could choose, why her?" Jeremy lowered his charming gaze and raised his glass to take a sip of the wine. It looked as if he was reminiscing about something. "Because her lips are sweet." Jeremy had always been a non-indulgent person, so one could imagine how stunned Zeke was to hear that. He stared at Jeremy in disbelief and uttered, "I never realized you had such unique preferences!" A splash was heard, and it turned out that a glass of wine had been splashed on Corinne. Zeke looked over and cocked an eyebrow. "Your little fiancee is being bullied, it seems. Aren't you going to help her?" Jeremy narrowed his eyes. "That won't be necessary." Zeke was still trying to figure out what Jeremy meant when he saw Corinne grab the first woman's hair with her left hand while her right hand reached for a second woman's hair. Then, Corinne smashed the two heads together. The two women collapsed unconscious to the ground while the third was stupefied. "You… Y—Y—You… You!" Corinne remained expressionless as she kept quiet and gently waved her hand, gesturing for the woman to move aside. The woman complied immediately and did not dare to stand in Corinne's way anymore. Zeke's lips twitched. "I think I know why you chose that bratty girl now." There was a certain pensiveness in Jeremy's expression as he sipped his wine in silence. She had earlier approached him with such lightning speed, not to mention use only one hand to make a tall man like him bend down for a kiss. Her strength was nothing short of amazing, and she had guts and brains to go with it too! "Tommy, bring her to the room and let her have a change of clothes.""Yes, sir!" Rather than following Tommy to get her clothes changed, Corinne walked over and glared unhappily at Jeremy. "You're being unreasonable, mister! All I did was give you a peck, and now you want me to pledge myself to you. Don't you think your request is a bit too disproportionate to my actions? Can't I take responsibility for what happened in some other way? Like financial compensation, for example?" Jeremy narrowed his charming eyes, and a cryptic smile unfolded across his face. He looked at Corinne and said, "Hmm… How much do you think a kiss from me is worth?" Corinne first observed his face and then at his thin and handsome lips, as if she was genuinely appraising his value. "I can't say for sure. It'd be better for you to name your price! You're not young, and it's probably not your first kiss, so the price better not exceed thirty bucks! It's not like I can fork out more anyway!""Ridiculous!" Tommy felt that she was digging her own grave by saying that a kiss from his boss was only worth 30 dollars. It was supposed to be her good fortune to be engaged to Jeremy, yet she seemed to thumb her nose at him! Jeremy raised his hand, signaling for Tommy to back away. He then reached out and hooked Corinne's pointed chin with his slender fingers. He did not exert much strength, but an air of danger abounded. "Bold of you to disrespect me in public. Might as well go all the way and bear the consequences, eh?" he said. Corinne frowned, thinking that the man must have had a screw loose. After all, she couldn’t wrap her mind around why he chose to have her play the role when she looked terrible today. The corners of Corinne's lips twitched. She then said in a mischievous tone, "Fine! Can I go to the bathroom now?" Jeremy did not make any comment but merely gave Tommy a look and signaled to them that they were allowed to take her to the bathroom. A few minutes later, Tommy came back with a solemn expression as he approached Jeremy. "Sir, Miss Corinne jumped out of the bathroom window and ran away. I've already sent someone to chase after her." Jeremy, dressed in a suave suit, leaned lazily on the sofa as if he had anticipated she would do so. His handsome yet cold face showed little emotional fluctuation, and he merely swirled the glass of red wine in his hand. "Don't bother. Just find out where she lives and send someone to deliver the betrothal gifts.""Yes, sir!" Zeke had seen enough of the drama and could not help dissuading his good friend. "Are you sure you want to marry a woman who has nothing to offer you? To tell you the truth, I—" Jeremy said meaningfully, "Only someone like her will be up to the task." - It was already in the middle of night when Corinne returned home. As soon as she entered the house, her father Marvin swung his palm toward her. "The nerve of you! How dare you come back home!" Corinne stepped back nimbly and avoided the slap with ease. Marvin was brewing with anger as his palm stiffened mid-air. "Your mother chose a good man for you, but you dressed up like a clown for the blind date? You even kissed some random man in public. Our family's reputation has now completely ruined! The person in charge of introducing you to the man scolded your mother because of your actions! I want you to kneel, admit your mistake, and apologize to your mother!” Corinne put her hands into her coat pockets and stared coldly at her father. "She's not my mother." 'She's just a stepmother who's trying every possible way to marry me off as soon as possible so that I'll lose the right to inherit the family assets!' Lilliana feigned kindness and said, "I'm fine, Marvin. Don't take your anger out on Corinne. Her ignorance and naivete are all signs of my failure as a stepmother..." Marvin was even more distressed when he saw his wife interceding for his ignorant daughter at such a time. He turned around and scolded his daughter, "Ungrateful! Utterly ungrateful! Lilliana treats you well all the time, but you won't even call her mom!" Lilliana wiped away her bitter tears and persuaded her husband as if she had been wronged. "Forget it, Marvin! I don't mind if she calls me Aunt Lilliana!" Corinne was not surprised at all to see Lilliana's performance, for the latter was an expert at playing the victim and showing people only what they wanted to see. It was such a shame that Marvin was smitten by her beauty and could not see Lilliana’s true colors. Corinne passed a stack of documents to Marvin and said, "These are the actual information of all the blind dates that Aunt Lilliana set up for me. Why don't you have a look? If you find anyone you like, I'll be happy to marry them." Marvin was taken aback for a moment. He picked up the file, looked through it, and his expression gradually soured

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

The information that Corinne provided Marvin clearly showed that all the men were good-for-nothings. On average, their age was around 40 years old, and most of them did not even have a decent job! Marvin glared at Lilliana unhappily. "Some of the men here are just as old as me. How could you introduce such old men to Corinne?" Lilliana's expression froze a little. She had gotten someone to doctor the photos and information of those men in advance, so it came as a complete surprise to her that the always-quiet Corinne could find out the true information behind those men. In an instant, Lilliana played the victim and said, "I have no idea how that happened, Marvin! The men I chose for Corinne were all the cream of the crop! The matchmaker must've given me false information!" Corinne, however, found it laughable. "Look at you harping on about how they're the cream of the crop without even bothering to verify whether or not the information was accurate. Marriage is a significant part of a person's life, yet you don't seem to take it seriously when it comes to me. Is it because I'm not your flesh and blood? Dad, I don't think you'll feel proud if you saw your daughter marrying someone as old as that." Lilliana hurriedly tried to get it straight. "No... It's not like that..." However, Marvin did not want to hear any of it and smacked the deck of files onto Lilliana's face in disappointment. "Enough! You no longer have to deal with anything involving Corinne's marriage. Your credit card will be suspended this month too. I expect you to stay home and reflect on your actions instead of going out and squander my money!" Lilliana's face turned pale. "Marvin, this was a misunderstanding..." Marvin stopped talking to her and looked guiltily at his youngest daughter. "I'm sorry you had to meet all those old men, Corinne. You don't need to go on blind dates anymore." Corinne smiled. "Thanks, Dad." After Marvin went upstairs, Lilliana's expression turned fierce as she glared viciously at Corinne. Sensing Lilliana's burning gaze, Corinne said calmly, "By the way, Aunt Lilliana, I forgot to mention something. I thought that those 'cream of the crop' men whom you chose for me were probably your ideal son-in-law, so I gave them Sherlyn's number when they asked for my contact information. Hopefully, she'll marry one of them!" Lilliana gritted her teeth angrily. "What? H—How could you have done that?!" Her darling Sherlyn was a famous celebrity who was far above the level of those losers. They should not even be calling her in the first place! Corinne could not stand to talk to Lilliana anymore, so she yawned and went upstairs to sleep in her bedroom. After Lilliana cursed Corinne in a low voice, she planned to head to her bedroom and coax Marvin not to deactivate her bank card when the doorbell rang all of a sudden. She wondered who could possibly pay their house a visit when it was already late at night. After she opened the door, she saw a man in a suit and leather shoes. Behind him was a row of more men in black suits. They were all carrying a bunch of stuff, and it was quite an intimidating sight. Lilliana could not help but get her guard up when she saw all those strangers appearing suddenly at her door in the middle of the night. "Who are you looking for?" Tommy said, "Hello, ma'am. Our employer has instructed us to present you with betrothal gifts to your daughter!""Betrothal gifts? What betrothal gifts? Who is your employer?""His name is Jeremy Holden." Lilliana's eyes widened, for Tommy's answer was like a bolt in the blue for her. "J—Jeremy Holden?! The Jeremy Holden? From the Holdens? The first-tier family?""Exactly.""You mean, Mister Jeremy has taken a fancy to my daughter?" Tommy had a rather convoluted expression on his face. He hesitated for a second before saying, "You can look at it that way if you like." Lilliana was instantly reminded of her daughter, Sherlyn. Being such a popular female celebrity, Sherlyn was a beautiful woman, and it made sense for a wealthy young man to have his eyes on her. However, the suitor was too powerful this time, and he even sent his men over to deliver betrothal gifts out of the blue! Upon seeing Lilliana's silence, Tommy asked, "Do you disapprove of the marriage?" Lilliana came back to her senses and shook her head right away. "No, no, it's just… My daughter isn't at home right now. This is huge news, and it might be better for us to wait until she comes back before discu—" Tommy interrupted her, "Ma'am, your daughter has accepted the engagement ring from Mister Jeremy. All you need to do now is accept the gifts." 'What?! If Sherlyn has already accepted the ring from Mister Jeremy, could the two of them have been in a relationship for some time now? I can't believe Sherlyn didn't tell us that she had such an amazing boyfriend!' Lilliana thought to herself. Lilliana did not want to seem discourteous to her distinguished guests, so she hurriedly invited Tommy to come in and have a seat. Instead of entering, Tommy merely signaled his subordinates to carry the betrothal gifts in. "Mister Jeremy will pay your family a visit in three days to demand your daughter's hand in marriage." Lilliana was shocked yet again. "What? In three days? Isn't that...a little too quick?" Tommy assured her, "Not to worry, ma'am. Mister Jeremy has already made preparations for the ceremony. Your daughter deserves only the finest and most luxurious." 'Only the finest and most luxurious?' That was a sure sign that Jeremy was head over heels in love with Sherlyn. When Sherlyn took the Holden surname, Lilliana would be the mother-in-law of the Holden family's young master! She no longer had to worry about having all the riches and glory in the world; anyone who saw her would have to bow to play up to her! At the thought of that, Lilliana was overjoyed. "Alright! We'll use these three days to make the necessary preparations for our daughter's wedding!" Tommy nodded and bade her farewell. "I'll excuse myself. See you." Marvin came out of the room when he heard the noise. "Was there a visitor? What are all these?" Lilliana caressed those expensive gifts as her heart raced speedily. "Marvin, I've got good news! Jeremy, the Holdens' young master has taken a fancy to Sherlyn. These are all betrothal gifts for Sherlyn from the Holdens, and the quality of these items is just extraordinary!" Marvin's mind went blank. "What? Jeremy? You mean Jeremy Holden, the president of Holden Group? Who just returned to the country?" Lilliana nodded frantically. "Yes, that's him!" Marvin clutched his chest, fearing that his heart would stop beating all of a sudden due to the sheer excitement. "Oh, gosh! I never expected him to fall for our Sherlyn!" Lilliana could not hide her pride. "You've got to give her mother some credit too, you know!""Thank you for giving me such an amazing daughter, Lilliana!""Humph, you're praising me now? I thought you said you would suspend my credit card this whole month!""Come on, Lilliana. I said that only because I was angry with what you did. Corinne might not be your own daughter, but you can't let her go on a blind date with those old men!""But I didn't do it on purpose! Corinne grew up in the countryside, so she's a wild and bad-tempered girl. I only looked for an older man in the hopes that he might be able to tolerate her tantrums! I didn't know the matchmaker would lie about the information!""Alright, Lilliana. I'm sorry for blaming you." Lilliana was feeling particularly smug after successfully swaying Marvin to her side with only a couple of sentences. A naive little girl like Corinne would never be a match for her! With Sherlyn about to marry into the Holdens, Lilliana would soon share the good life with her daughter in the future. Corinne would then become an insignificant speck in her life! Early the next morning, Lilliana called her darling daughter Sherlyn and insisted the young lady return home immediately. Sherlyn complained unhappily as soon as she entered the house, "What happened, Mom? Why were you in such a rush to ask me to come home? I still have a scene to shoot this afternoon!""It's about your marriage with Jeremy Holden!""Marriage? What marriage? I don't even know him personally!" Lilliana's heart sank when she saw her daughter's clueless expression, but she immediately told Sherlyn about the betrothal gifts that had been sent over the previous night. "So, how is it that you don't know him personally? Haven't you already accepted the engagement ring he gave you?"

Chapter 4 Chapter 4

Sherlyn was even more confused after hearing what her mother said. "Ring? When did I receive a ring— "Wait. I remember now, Mom. An anonymous fan sent me a diamond ring by mail yesterday! I was worried the media might cook up some nonsense news article if they saw it, so I just put it away instead of wearing it." Lilliana was overjoyed to hear that. "That's it! Mister Jeremy must've had a crush on you for a long time, and he's trying to win your heart by faking an anonymous fan! I got someone to investigate the people who came yesterday. It turns out that their leader was none other than Mister Jeremy's personal assistant! "Sherlyn, the Holdens are a first-tier family, and Jeremy has shown his utmost sincerity toward you! He's really in love with you, and nothing will go wrong if you marry him!" Jeremy Holden... Sherlyn could not help blushing, and her heartbeat quickened. She heard of his name before despite never meeting him in person, and she knew him as the scion of Holdens—a first-tier family. He was respected and feared by many in the business world! It came as a surprise to her that even Jeremy was one of her fans, and he turned out to be so madly in love with her that he sent people to her home to deliver the betrothal gifts. If anything was to blame, it was her irresistible charm! - That afternoon, Corinne returned home with a delicate photo frame in her arms. She changed into house slippers and immediately went straight upstairs. Sherlyn happened to be heading down, and she blocked Corinne on purpose. "What's that in your hand? Did you steal the jewelry from my betrothal gifts?" Corinne stopped and said without turning a hair, "It's mine.""I want proof. Show it to me!" Sherlyn has always disliked her younger sister, who was raised in the countryside since childhood. She felt that Corinne was a disgrace to the Carew family, and it was unsurprising that she never had any respect for Corinne. Sherlyn reached out and snatched the item in Corinne’s arms. "Tch! The way you hold it makes me think that it was some sort of jewelry, but it's nothing more than a picture of your mother, that mistress!" 'My mother isn't a mistress!' Corinne reached out to grab the photo frame, but Sherlyn deliberately dropped the photo frame onto the ground. "Oops! It slipped off! My bad!" Corinne's eyes reddened as she looked at Sherlyn stepping on the photo frame on the ground. It was an old photo of her mother that she managed to find in one of the Carews' old photo albums. Earlier in the day, she brought it to the store to have it restored, enlarged, and framed, as she planned to put it in her room as a table setting. Corinne angrily grabbed Sherlyn's clothes and hissed, "Pick. It. Up. Now." Sherlyn was not frightened at all as she uttered, "How dare you touch me! I'll have you know that I'll soon marry into the Holdens. If you dare to mess with me, the Holdens are going to make life difficult for you!" Corinne was stunned. 'The Holdens?' Her scalp tingled when she heard that name since the man who forcibly dragged her to get engaged the day before also shared the same surname. "Are you referring to that first-tier family?" Sherlyn had a smug look on her face. "Yeah! What's wrong? Are you scared? Well, you should be! Jeremy is my loyal fan and suitor. He wants nothing more than to marry me now! All the good stuff you see over there are for me from the Holdens last night, and you'd better not touch anything! If you break any of them, you won't be able to afford the compensation!" Corinne turned to look at the betrothal gifts and went blank for a moment. Then, she came to a realization—Jeremy must have got absolutely nuts. To think that he sent his men to deliver the betrothal gifts to her home! Corinne's eyes flashed brightly as she thought of something, and she turned to Sherlyn, saying, "Guess I'll have to congratulate you, then! Though, are you sure that a high-bred family like the Holdens will accept a scandal-tainted celebrity from the entertainment industry?" That remark was a touchy issue for Sherlyn. "You don't need to worry about that. Mister Jeremy loves me very much, so it's only normal for him to protect me!""Are you sure about that?" Corinne grinned and said nothing more. She picked up her mother's photo, patted the dust off, then turned around and went upstairs. She was initially worried about finding a way to get rid of Jeremy who she accidentally messed with the previous day. Since Sherlyn was so eager to marry him, that happened to settle everything for Corinne. Sherlyn snorted coldly, but she thought to herself, 'Corinne might be a country girl, but her remark made perfect sense. The Holdens were a first-tier family, while Sherlyn was an actress no one recognized. If the Holdens' elders found out about her scandals, they would certainly have a bad impression of her.' With that in mind, Sherlyn decided to retire from showbiz at once. Compared to marrying into the Holdens', the petty profits she made in the showbiz industry were nothing. She was about to call her company to inform them that she would be terminating her contract and retiring from showbiz, but her phone rang before she could make the call. She was clueless as to why there had been so many spam calls recently. She did not plan to answer the call until she saw that the caller was a benefactor she had just slept with recently. Since she had also intended to break things off for good, she decided that she might as well answer it. "Where are you, babe? I miss you so much. Come to the hotel and spend the night with me!" Sherlyn uttered in disgust, "Don't call me 'babe'. That might not sound disgusting to an old fart like you, but it sounds disgusting to me!""What the hell did you just say? Did you just call me disgusting? Have you forgotten how you begged me to help you snag a role that could win you the next Lotus Award?" Sherlyn was uninterested. "I've left the industry, so I don't care about the Lotus Award anymore. Find someone else. Oh, and don't ever call me again!" On the other end of the line, the greasy-haired, red-faced old man turned livid with anger. He had taken great pains to get a diamond ring for her and had it sent to her by mail, but his gesture was all for naught. 'Damn you! So you're rejecting me after you received the ring? Ungrateful woman! You can kiss goodbye to your hopes of making a living in the industry. Just wait. You'll be blocked from securing any more projects in the future!' - Three days later, the Carews hosted a marriage banquet for their daughter, and many relatives and friends were invited. Lilliana deliberately asked Marvin to make a grand show so her precious Sherlyn would be married off in the best possible manner. "Look, the Holdens' wedding entourage is here! What a sight to behold! They really do live up to their reputation as a first-tier family! The cars are all limited-edition luxury vehicles!""I've only seen the first car in magazines! The price is worth ten Bugattis!""I'm so jealous of Sherlyn! She's so lucky to marry someone as awesome as Mister Jeremy!" Sherlyn, who was wearing a wedding dress, beamed triumphantly as she listened to the 'oohs' and 'aahs' of all her relatives and friends. Corinne was nowhere to be seen, and Sherlyn figured that she might be hiding somewhere in jealousy. 'Hmph, let her wallow in her jealousy! That's all she can do!' Sherlyn was about to meet her groom, and she eagerly looked forward to finding out what kind of man Jeremy was. He was definitely super handsome, and he was surely going to kneel on one knee in front of her to make his passionate confession under everyone's envious looks... The wedding entourage stopped at the gate of the Carews' villa. Jeremy got out of the car in front, looking dignified and elegant. Tommy gave a signal for the group of best men to get out of the cars behind. Dressed in suits and leather shoes, they followed Jeremy to the gate of the Carews' villa, where the phrase 'Congratulations to the Newlyweds!' was pasted. All of a sudden, Jeremy stopped walking and looked up toward the roof of the villa. There, on the attic's small balcony stood a woman in pajamas. She was leaning against the balcony fence as she looked down to watch the festivities. After a brief moment of eye contact, the woman immediately turned around and slipped away. Corinne had a bad feeling. It seemed that Jeremy had noticed her when she was on the balcony earlier! Then again, she believed that he might not be able to recognize her because she was not wearing makeup at the moment, unlike the super heavy eyeliners she wore the other day. To be on the safe side, she felt that it was better to leave her home. Down at the entrance, Tommy was puzzled when he saw Jeremy stop walking all of a sudden. He leaned closer to remind the latter, "Sir, the entrance to the Carews' villa is right in front. Why don’t you get in now."

Chapter 5 Chapter 5

Jeremy raised his head slightly and narrowed his eyes while staring at the small empty balcony. After a brief moment, he said, "You can lead the guys in for now.""Well, uhh…" Tommy was surprised, but he did not dare to question Jeremy's order. Therefore, he could only take the order and wave his hand to give the men behind him a signal. "Everyone, come on in with me." The Holdens' wedding entourage was blocked by bridesmaids begging for gifts at the door of the Carews' villa, making for a particularly lively atmosphere. No one noticed that the groom had gone around to the back door of the villa. There, a girl was strolling out of the villa while humming 'Wedding March' happily. She had barely walked far when a hand grabbed the back of her collar. As a result, her entire body had been lifted into the air, and both her feet were dangling helplessly. "Did you think you could just run away?" The man's voice was sonorous. There were strong hints of aggression in his tone along with an undertone of coldness. Corinne was not facing the man, but she immediately recognized Jeremy’s voice. She was surprised that Jeremy had recognized her with just a glance from afar earlier. Even so, she was ready for that eventuality. Corinne turned to look at Jeremy and spoke with a lisp in a feigned tone. She stammered and said, "M—M—Mister? Who are you? Why are you p-pulling me?" Jeremy was stunned when he saw her face. He swiftly let go of her in an instant in shock. The woman in front of him had plenty of moles on her face, a unibrow, sausage lips, and eye shadows in all colors. Her appearance was exceedingly ugly. Corinne's heart filled with glee at the sight of Jeremy's expression after he had been frightened by her ugly appearance. She continued to play dumb and said in a daze, "Mister, you're getting m—married, yes? You went t—t—the wrong way! You need to go the fuc— "I mean, the f—front door! Your b—bride is waiting there!" Jeremy narrowed his eyes, stared coldly at the ugly girl in front of him, and nearly believed her act. His thin lips curled up in a smile and said, "Is that so? Then why are you wearing the Holdens' unique engagement ring?" With that, he grabbed her hand and raised it to gaze at the diamond ring on her ring finger. Corinne was speechless. Her ruse had been exposed! It was not that she forgot to take it off, but the ring seemed to have taken root on her finger. She was unable to take it off, regardless of how hard she tried. Jeremy's charming eyes were dark and discerning. He could see what she was thinking, so he explained it by saying. "You don't need to waste all that effort. This ring is made of platinum that has been mixed with some special materials. The only way to take it off is to lubricate it with a special essential oil." Corinne gritted her teeth. That was some trick he had up his sleeve, and she had to give up running away now. "Now that it's come to this, I suggest that we have a frank conversation with each other. I know that you don't really want to marry me, and that you only need a wife in name for some ulterior reason. Am I wrong?" Jeremy did not answer, but he had to admit that she was a smart woman. Corinne said with a smile, "In that case, my sister Sherlyn is more than willing to marry you. She's more beautiful than me, and her figure is so much better than mine. Everything will work out perfectly if you marry her!" Jeremy narrowed his eyes, wondering if the girl in front of him was that averse to marrying him. In fact, she seemed to be trying to avoid him! It was something that never happened before. All the women he met in the past had tried their level best to get his attention and become his woman. However, he wanted someone who was not clingy. Jeremy pursed his thin lips and said, "I'll only marry the person who's wearing my engagement ring." Corinne frowned. "That should be easy then. Bring me some of that special essential oil. I'll take the ring off at once and return it to you. Then you can just give it to Sherlyn!" Jeremy shrugged. "I don't have any." "Then go buy some!" "Nobody produces it anymore. It's not something that can just be bought." "Oh, I see..." Corinne gritted her teeth. With a forced smile, she suddenly raised her hand and pointed behind the man, "Mister, look! It's a rainbow-colored pig!" Jeremy pulled a long face as the corners of his thin lips began twitching subtly. 'How childish.' The next second, Corinne, who was about to run away, was grabbed by the man again. Jeremy carried her on his shoulder and walked away nonchalantly, despite Corinne's attempts at trying to kick him. - Back at the villa, Tommy had just led the handsome best men into the living room when his phone rang. The caller was Jeremy. Tommy stopped and answered the phone. Then, he turned around and left with the other guys with a serious expression. Upon seeing that, the smug-faced Lilliana went blank for a moment before trotting up to them. She asked, "Where are you going, Mister Tommy? The bride is waiting right inside." Tommy looked at Lilliana and said, "Mister Jeremy has already gotten his bride himself." Lilliana was confused. "He has? But how? Sherlyn is still inside the house!" Tommy frowned. "Sherlyn? Ma'am, you must be mistaken. The woman whom Mister Jeremy intends to marry isn't named Sherlyn!" After that, he walked past Lilliana icily and led his men away without looking back. Lilliana was rooted to the spot, and her face was pale. She thought inwardly, 'What? I'm… mistaken?' All their relatives and friends began to speak in whispers. Everyone was trying to suck up to Marvin earlier, while now he was ridiculed by them. He felt so ashamed, and his expression was incredibly ugly. He turned around and lashed out at Lilliana for causing him to make a fool of himself. "What the hell is going on, Lilliana? Didn't you say that Mister Jeremy was going to marry Sherlyn?" Lilliana put on a helpless look and said, "I... I don't know how this happened! When the Holdens came to deliver the betrothal gifts to us that day, they said it was because they wanted to marry your daughter. They had all the gifts delivered to us! You saw that, didn't you, Marvin?" Marvin gave Lilliana a tight slap. "Our family has become the butt of jokes thanks to you! How could you make all these arrangements without confirming everything beforehand?" Sherlyn, who had been waiting for the groom to come and get her, heard her parents quarreling outside. She walked out of the room and asked, "Dad! Mom! What are the two of you doing?! Where's my groom? Where's Jeremy?" "Sherlyn, Mister Jeremy's people just said that there was a mistake. They've already left with the real bride!" Sherlyn turned pale in shock. "What? How could there be such a huge mistake, Mom? Wasn't Mister Jeremy going to marry me?" Lilliana covered the side of her face that had been slapped by Marvin. "Please don't blame me, Sherlyn. I'm confused, too..." The relatives who had long been fed up with Sherlyn’s and Lilliana's characters began to rub salt into the wound. "No point making a scene now that things ended this way, Sherlyn. When you think about it, it's pretty obvious that someone with Mister Jeremy's status would never want to marry a scandalous actress like you!" "Honestly, I was still trying to wrap my head around how you managed to establish a connection to a first-tier family like the Holdens. Turns out, it was all a mistake!" "You should just go back to being an actress, Sherlyn! After all, that's the only chance you get to marry a rich man! Hahaha!" Sherlyn could not bear the ridicule from all her relatives, so she gave Lilliana a resentful look before dashing off to hide in her room. Their snide remarks were infuriating, and she felt ashamed to face anyone ever again. One question remained unanswered: how could the mistake have happened? 'Didn't Mister Jeremy give me a ring?' She found it hard to accept reality, and she could not believe what was happening. 'What kind of woman did Mister Jeremy bring away and who is she? She has the same surname as mine. Is she also living nearby?'

Chapter 6 Chapter 6

The sun began to set, and night soon fell. The bedroom at the Holdens' house was huge, and so was the bed. After Corinne was brought there, Jeremy passed her over to some maids and instructed them, "Get her ready." The maids rushed forward and washed her face before putting some makeup on her. Then, she was dressed in a traditional white wedding dress, complete with a veil that covered her face. Since her vision was blurred by the veil, Corinne could see only a patch of white in front of her. When she looked down, however, she saw a man’s expensive leather shoes near her feet. The man's mellow voice sounded. "Cooperate with me. I won't do anything to you." His rather soothing tone contained a strong sense of pressure. At that moment, Corinne was well aware that there was no way she could run away. After all, since he could locate her home, he could easily find her no matter where she ran off to. Corinne gritted her teeth. "Fine. I'll cooperate with you. This is the price I have to pay for messing with you. You need to give me an exact timeline though, and by that, I mean, how long do you expect me to cooperate with you? Once it's time up, we'll go our separate ways without ever seeing each other again." Jeremy was not romantically interested in her either, so he coldly replied, "Three months." Three months was sufficient time for his grandfather to recover from the surgery. Besides, he did not want to get along with this woman for too long. "Deal!" Three months was neither too long nor too short, and Corinne was more or less able to accept that duration. She then took the initiative to hold the man's hand. "Let's go, mister! It's time to marry you!" Jeremy froze slightly and looked down at his hand that was held by Corinne. To his surprise, he was not particularly averse to her touch, despite his usual disinclination for physical contact. Corinne's hand was small and soft to the touch. - The Holdens arranged a grand yet traditional wedding. Corinne and Jeremy walked into the banquet hall for the simple wedding ceremony. She was later sent to a room with an atmosphere that screamed 'newlyweds'. When Jeremy walked into the room, he found Corinne sitting straight on the edge of the bed. Since she had not taken off her white veil, she looked like a shy little newlywed wife from ancient eras who sat in wait for her husband to enter their bridal chamber. A glint flashed across the man's eyes, and he said coldly. "You can relax now. There's no need for you to act at the moment." Corinne did not move. Jeremy noticed that something was not quite right, so he strode over and reached out to lift her white veil. Under the warm glow of the room light, a small pretty face came into his sight. Her delicate eyelids were drooping, and she appeared incredibly calm and well-behaved. A trail of saliva flowed out from the corner of her lips, and she smacked her mouth soon after. Jeremy was surprised that she actually fell asleep while sitting up. That Jeremy lifted the veil probably caused her head to tilt slightly to one side. In turn, her body lost its balance while she was still asleep, and her body tilted sideways as she fell over. By instinct, Jeremy stretched out his hand so that she wouldn’t fall to the ground. Corinne frowned but did not wake up. Jeremy was a little startled when he looked at her falling into his arms. It was the first time he saw her true face, and a look of surprise appeared in his eyes. She turned out to be rather beautiful without all that god-awful makeup. All of a sudden, Corinne opened her eyes probably because she sniffed a stranger's scent lingering too close to her. It was then that she realized that Jeremy was holding her, and their faces were even inches away. She instinctively broke free and said in fear, "What are you doing, mister? I should warn you that men are supposed to keep their hands off of women. This marriage isn't real. It's an act!" He had helped her, while she was actually so hostile to him the moment she opened her eyes. Had he not been considerate enough to reach out and support her, she would have fallen flat on her face! Ticked off by her behavior, Jeremy narrowed his eyes. "Who told you that you and I aren't really married?" Corinne frowned and said warily, "Are you trying to go back on your word, mister? We agreed to end this relationship in three months!""I did promise you that it would be over in three months." Jeremy smirked. "But I don't remember promising that nothing will happen between us during these three months." With that, he pinched Corinne's chin. There was a thin layer of calluses on his rough fingertips, which exuded a dangerous sense of power, along with a strong sense of oppressiveness. "Men ought to always keep their word, mister! How could you just act like some rascal?" Corinne stared at him and shook her head vigorously, but that was not enough to break free from his grip. Jeremy leaned over even more and stared at her from up close. When he saw that Corinne's face was all scrunched up, he let go of her with a sneer and said disdainfully, "Don't think too highly of yourself. I'm not interested in childish young girls like you." Corinne breathed a sigh of relief, but she was still upset. "Heh. Glad I can sleep easy tonight! Old men like you aren't my type either!" Jeremy was speechless as he thought, 'Who is she calling old and energetic?' Corinne poked Jeremy's chest. "Could you please step aside? I'm sleepy, so I'm going to take a shower and go to bed." Jeremy looked at her condescendingly without moving away, and Corinne avoided him instead of pushing him aside. She walked into the bathroom with her head raised high. Soon, the sound of running water was heard. She stepped out of the bathtub after she was done. It was only then that she realized she did not bring her clothes to change into! The wedding dress was uncomfortable to wear due to its sheer weight. After some thought, Corinne craned her neck out of the bathroom and saw Jeremy still looking at his phone on the sofa. She said sheepishly, "Ahem, please hand me the clothes I wore earlier today." Jeremy looked up slightly at her head and said calmly, "I threw them away." Corinne gritted her teeth in disbelief. "Then give me another set of clean clothes!" Jeremy cocked an eyebrow and narrowed his eyes at her. "Is this the kind of attitude you should have when asking someone for help?""What kind of attitude do you expect me to have, then?""Beg me." Corinne slammed the bathroom door shut. 'Forget it. I'd rather wear the wedding dress even if it's uncomfortable!' she thought to herself. Just as Corinne picked up the wedding dress and was about to put it on again, someone knocked on the door outside. She cracked open the door, but when she saw that it was Jeremy, she asked sullenly, "Yes?" The fragrance of her shower gel wafted through the crack, and Corinne was wearing only a bath towel. Her fair shoulders as well as the few strands of long wet hair draping over her collarbone made her look incredibly attractive. Hot blood coursed through his veins. He slightly swallowed as he passed her a set of men's pajamas. Corinne was stunned for a moment. She just reached out to grab the clothes, but the man raised his hand high playfully and said, "Aren't you going to say thank you? Hmm?""Thanks..." Corinne chuckled. She took the clothes in a hurry and added angrily, "For nothing!" She slammed the door right after saying that! Jeremy's face fell. The impact would have broken his arm if he withdrew his hand any slower. 'What an ingrate!' he thought to himself. The set of man's pajamas was huge on Corinne, making it look like she wore clothes that were several sizes too big on her. The pants were especially big, and she could not even keep them from falling down.

Chapter 7 Chapter 7

Jeremy was no longer in the room by the time Corinne changed her clothes and came out. She did not care about where he had gone anyway. After all, their marriage was nothing more than a cooperation, and it was only valid for three months. After that, they would part ways and never see each other again. Corinne locked the door and drifted into sleep. Early the next morning, Corinne was awakened by the knocks on the door. A maid said, "Ma'am, I was told by Mister Jeremy to hand you your clothes! Ma'am!" The noisy voice woke Corinne up before she could even get enough sleep. However, she did not have any choice because she was living in someone else’s place. She could do nothing but get up, open the door, and take the dress that the maid brought for her. After freshening up and getting changed, Corinne headed out of the room trying to get something to eat. To her surprise, a basin of smelly cold water was splashed all over her. At the same time, she heard peals of laughter. Her eyes were blurred by the smelly water. She was unable to make heads or tails of what was going on until the water completely flowed down from her head. In front of her was a girl who was about her age. The girl wore exquisite makeup and looked haughty as she sneered triumphantly. Several of the Holdens' maids surrounded the girl, and one of them was holding an empty water basin in her hand. It was pretty obvious that the smelly, dirty water had been splashed all over Corinne's body. Corinne frowned slightly, blinked her eyes to get rid of the water from her wet eyelashes, and looked at the girl calmly. She then asked, "Who are you? And why did you splash water all over me?" The girl had applied the latest lipstick on her lips, and she arrogantly said, "My name's Francine. I'm the Holdens' young miss, and Jeremy's my brother!" It turned out that the girl was Corinne's 'sister-in-law'! Corinne cocked an eyebrow and asked, "So, why did you splash the water on me?" Francine raised her chin and looked at Corinne with contempt. "So you'd know your place! Don't get the false impression that you'll become the young madam just because you've married into the family! You're not fit for the role!" Corinne frowned. "But that doesn't change the fact that I'm your brother's wife, which makes me your elder sister-in-law! Don't you think it's unbecoming for you to do what you just did to me?" Francine laughed and chided, "Sister-in-law? Bah! Don't think too highly of yourself! My brother didn't even sleep with you last night. How could you have the audacity to call yourself my brother's wife when he slept alone in another room on his wedding night? I'll be honest with you, my brother only married you to appease my grandfather, who is currently ill. By the time he recovers from his illness, you'll have to leave us right away!" Corinne was speechless, but she finally understood why Jeremy was so eager to get married. Francine warned again, "Don't even think about relying on my brother. He'll never fall in love with a woman like you! You're his wife in name only, and you're nothing in the eyes of our family. You're lower than a servant, even! Whatever I say goes when my brother isn't here, and you also need to abide by my rules, understand?" Corinne nodded earnestly. "Understood. I'll remember!" Francine was happy to see Corinne's cowardly expression. "At least you're learning. Keep in mind who you really are! Let's leave, girls. I have a manicure appointment today, and the manicurist will be here soon..." Francine said as she was about to leave with the maids. "Wait!" Corinne called out. Francine stopped and looked at her impatiently. "What's wrong? Do you have any objections?" Corinne smiled. "No, Miss Francine. It's just… I only got married yesterday, and I'm not really sure what the rules are. Could you explain them to me? I'll bear them in mind and make sure to comply with them." Francine was stunned for a moment but soon cackled in disdain. "Women who come from poor families like you indeed know the ways of the world well! Alright, since you asked, I'll give you a rough idea of what to take note of! Listen carefully, then. You'd better be on your best behavior.""Umm, okay, wait a minute..." Corinne humbly asked for advice. "Miss Francine, my memory isn't very good. Could you come to the room with me and tell me everything slowly? I'd like to write down your instructions word for word.""Ugh, so troublesome!" Francine was a little peeved, but she was not about to give up on an opportunity to set the rules. Therefore, she reluctantly followed Corinne into the room. To her surprise, the door slammed shut as soon as she walked in, and Corinne locked it right away. The maids did not manage to follow them in and ended up getting locked outside. Following a brief moment of bewilderment, they heard Francine's screams from within the room and knocked anxiously on the door. "Miss Francine? Miss Francine?! Is everything alright?" Once Francine entered the room, Corinne grabbed her hair and dragged her into the bathroom. Francine screamed in horror, "Ah! What are you doing?! Let me go!" Corinne grasped Francine's hair with one hand and clamped her wrists with the other hand. She pinned down Francine's flailing arms. "Tell me, what did you just splash on me?" Corinne asked. She looked like a demon at that moment, and Francine finally realized that Corinne's obedient-looking demeanor earlier was nothing more than a facade. Francine could not help but feel scared. "It's... It's water left behind in the kitchen after some fish were gutted!""Oh, is that right?" Corinne pursed her lips and smiled. The next second, she dunked Francine's head into the toilet bowl. Francine tried shouting, but her shouts turned into mere gurgles after her face was submerged underwater. 30 seconds later, Corinne pulled her head out and asked, "How does that feel, Miss Francine?" Pale-faced and disheveled, Francine said, "H—How... How d—dare you do this to me! You..." Corinne looked composed as she said, "You started it, and I'm just getting even. Since you poured fish-gut water all over me, it's only fair that I let you have a taste of toilet water." 'This woman is insane!' Francine thought to herself. She then frantically shrieked, "Gah! I'm the Holdens' young miss! My brother loves me dearly! How dare you treat me like this?!" Corinne ignored her and said, "I couldn't care less that you're the Holdens' young miss. Your brother married me so I could become the Holdens' young madam, not your punching bag. Remember what happened today, and don't ever mess with me anymore!" She then pressed her head into the toilet bowl again. Then, she withdrew her hands coldly. Francine raised her head abruptly and gasped for breath. She felt so disgusted that she nearly burst into tears. That was the first time Francine ever experienced such humiliation. She propped herself on the toilet bowl and retched several times before gritting her teeth and threatening Corinne, "Just you wait, Corinne! I swear I'll get my brother to divorce you!" Corinne smiled. "Is that so? That's wonderful news! Thanks in advance for your help, Miss Francine!" Seeing Corinne's nonchalance, Francine felt as if her threats had fallen on deaf ears and were practically useless. After dragging Francine away and shoving her out of the room, Corinne took off the smelly clothes and went to take a shower. There were no other clothes available for her to wear, and she was forced to step out of the bathroom wrapped only in a bath towel. At that moment, she happened to see her screen on the bedside table flickering. It was a call from Corinne's colleague, Joanna Johnston. As soon as Corinne answered it, she was greeted by Joanna's anxious voice. "Bad news, Corinne! Something big happened at the company! You need to come here, quickly!"

Chapter 8 Chapter 8

Joanna hung up in such a hurry that Corinne didn’t get to ask anything. Since she was still wrapped in a towel, she opened the closet to see if there were any clothes she could wear. However, it was filled only with Jeremy's clothes. With few choices available, she grabbed a random white T-shirt and put it on before hurrying out of the room. Jeremy's T-shirts were huge for her, and the hem reached down to her knees. It was the perfect size to be styled like one of those oversized casual shirt-dresses. - Upon reaching Alpha Enterprises, Corinne swiped her access card at the door, and Joanna—who seemed particularly agitated—ran out to find her. "Corinne, you're finally here! The manager wants you to go to his office immediately! You gotta psych yourself up…""The manager is looking for me?" It was rare to see Joanna looking so nervous. "What happened?" Joanna looked around to make sure that no one was around. She then whispered to Corinne, "The company's computers were all infected with a virus, and the system has crashed completely! All of the company's important files were lost..." Corinne frowned. "And what does that have to do with me? They should be calling a technician to fix it if the computer's broken." Joanna was worried. "The technicians are doing their best to repair it. The point is, Zoey reported to the manager that the virus came from your computer after you downloaded a game on the company computer. "To make things worse, the boss invited some big shots to take a look at the company's new project today, but it's impossible to recover the presentation file that our department has worked so hard on. The entire situation left the manager fuming, and he'll definitely take it out on you right now!" 'Zoey? Zoey Firwood? The one whom everyone says has inside connections in the company?' Corinne thought. Zoey, like Corinne, was still midway through their internship period. Their company, Alpha Enterprises, made the international top 500 list of companies. Annually, a large number of excellent students went to great lengths to get into the company. Corinne secured the internship after receiving a letter of recommendation from the principal of New Capital University, which was mainly due to her excellent academic performance. Nonetheless, rumor had it that Zoey was the manager’s relative. With only one quota left for the permanent position that year in Alpha Enterprises, there was competition between Corinne and Zoey. By connecting the dots, Corinne could form a rough idea of what happened. - Before Corinne knocked on the door of the manager's office, she heard Zoey's voice from within. It sounded like Zoey was trying to persuade the manager to calm down. "Don't worry, Uncle. The computers will be fixed eventually! This is all Corinne's fault for playing video games during working hours..." The manager, Richard Channing, said angrily, "Where is that blasted Corinne? Why isn't she here yet?!" Corinne knocked on the door and pushed it open. "You wanted to see me, sir?" When Richard saw her, he yelled, "Finally caring to show up? Are you supposed to clock in for work this late? You didn't give any reasons for your absence from work yesterday either! What kind of work ethic do you have right now?" Corinne walked in and explained in a kind manner, "I'm sorry, sir. I got married yesterday, and I'm late today because I encountered some trouble this morning." Richard felt what she said was ridiculous. "You got married? Well, assuming you did, couldn't you have applied for leave? What do you take the company for? Your own home? This is the first time I've seen an employee who does whatever they want at work! First, you were absent, then you came late today, and after that, you played computer games instead of doing your work!" Corinne seemed to have learned a lesson as she uttered, "I don't have a lot of experience in marriage. It is my first time, after all. I promise I'll apply for leave next time around." Richard was speechless, while Zoey could not stand to hear the conversation anymore. "You're downright shameless, Corinne. If you were absent without a reason, just say so. It’s so ridiculous to use 'marriage' as an excuse! That's the worst lie I've ever heard!" At that moment, the door of the office was still open. Alfred Ganz, the owner of Alpha Enterprises, stood at the door with another imposing-looking man. They happened to hear what Corinne last said to Richard. The man who came with Alfred was none other than Jeremy, and he narrowed his charming eyes slightly. Richard was about to continue tearing into Corinne. However, as soon as he saw the two men at the door, he jumped to his feet and nodded at them before bowing to greet them. "Ah! Mister Alfred, when did you and Mister Jeremy arrive? Please, come right in." Zoey looked over, and her eyes were filled with little hearts the moment she laid her eyes on the handsome, dignified man next to Alfred. Corinne was spacing out, so she casually turned to look at them and was stunned. 'That weird man again? Why is he everywhere?' Alfred asked with a serious expression, "What were you arguing about earlier, Richard? Did I hear something about the company's computer system crashing? What's going on?" Richard sweated profusely as he pointed at Corinne and explained, "Mister Alfred, our company's new intern played computer games during work hours, which caused our systems to be invaded by a virus. The technical department is giving it their all to restore everything..." Incensed by what he heard, Alfred asked, "What? Why is she still around then? Are you planning to give her the permanent position?!" Richard shook his head at once. "No! Of course not, Mister Alfred! I'll fire her right away!" Zoey smiled slightly. Jeremy glanced ats Corinne indifferently as if they were complete strangers. He said icily, "Mister Alfred, it seems that I came at an inappropriate time today. We should reschedule if that's the case." "I'm so sorry, Mister Jeremy. It was an oversight on my part." Alfred felt incredibly ashamed. He had gone to great lengths to invite Jeremy, and the chances of Jeremy accepting another future invitation would be even slimmer! Corinne saw Joanna peering anxiously from outside the office and immediately remembered that the new project was the result of Joanna's first time leading a team. It would be difficult for her to take up bigger responsibilities in the future if her present efforts went down the drain just like that. Furthermore, Joanna had taken very good care of Corinne during her internship. "Mister Jeremy!" Corinne called out suddenly. Jeremy stopped in his tracks and turned around. Corinne walked toward him and said, "I understand you’re busy, Mister Jeremy, but the fact is that you're already here. If you just leave like this, wouldn't it be such a waste if you ended up missing out on a good project?" Jeremy's gaze was cold. "But you have nothing to show me right now." Corinne gave them her word. "I'll have the new project plan shown to you in the time it only takes for you to enjoy a cup of coffee!" Alfred and Richard looked at Corinne in disbelief. Zoey rolled her eyes in contempt. She doubted that Corinne would be able to fix something that even overwhelmed the professional technicians. 'Yeah, just lie through your teeth! This is just a desperate attempt at trying to fix the situation.' After a brief silence, there was a touch of interest in Jeremy's expressionless face. "Young people sure love a challenge. Alright, Mister Alfred, I'm here, and I'm feeling a little thirsty, so could I trouble you for a cup of coffee before I leave?" Alfred snapped back to his senses and immediately ordered, "Well, why are you guys still standing there? Hurry and make some coffee for Mister Jeremy!" "Yes, sir!" Zoey wanted to avail herself of the chance to interact with Jeremy, so she trotted away gracefully to make some coffee. Corinne returned to her workstation and inserted a USB flash drive into the computer. Joanna walked over curiously and asked, "What are you doing, Corinne? Do you know how to fix virus-infected computers?" Corinne had a focused expression as she moved the cursor and replied, "I'm installing some antivirus software!" Her response discouraged Joanna. "Corinne, that's useless! The technicians said that the company was targeted by hackers, so there's nothing antivirus software can do about it!" Corinne raised her head slightly and smiled faintly at Joanna. "No harm trying. Who knows what'll happen?"

Chapter 9 Chapter 9

Joanna felt that Corinne was very optimistic, and by contrast, she was already prepared for the worse. She had spent a whole month preparing for that project. Alas, she had to face the depressing fact that there was no way for her to retrieve it. There was nothing she could do to change the situation either. With a sigh, Joanna went to the pantry. "Do your best, Corinne. I'll make you a cup of coffee to boost your concentration.""Thanks!" Corinne replied. At the same time, a red progress bar appeared on the black computer screen. Once the progress bar was full, Corinne immediately cracked the password. She clicked open a hidden dialog box and tapped away on the keyboard. Then, she hit [Enter] and sent her message. [What kind of grudges do you hold?] The hacker was shocked and replied, [Who are you? How were you able to bypass the AJ League's ultimate encryption system?] Corinne's fingers danced across the keyboard. [My identity isn't the main issue here. The main issue is why you hacked Alpha Enterprises' computer system. Behind every grudge is a specific person, and you ought to be settling scores with the person who provoked you, rather than ruining innocent people's fruit of labor.] The hacker didn’t back down and immediately fought back. However, his attacks were successfully intercepted by the defense system that had been set up by Corinne. He could not help feeling a sense of admiration for his mystery opponent whose skills were superior to his own. - By the time Joanna came back with coffee, Corinne had restored the computer system to its previous state, and that included all the files within. "It is fixed! You're amazing, Corinne! How did you do it?" Corinne pulled out the USB flash drive and twirled it on the tip of her fingers. She leaned back lazily on the chair and said with a smile, "This antivirus software that I bought online for a dollar during a promotion sale claims to work against all sorts of computer viruses. Looks like they weren't lying after all. I'll be sure to leave them a good review later!" Joanna frowned in confusion and said puzzlingly, "Huh? You fixed the computer using antivirus software? The technical department said that antivirus software was useless, but I'm beginning to think they're the useless ones!" Corinne reached out to take the cup of coffee in Joanna's hand. She nodded and said, "Alright. Don't you think you should copy the file and show it to Mister Alfred?""Oh, right. I'll go right now. You're the best, Corinne!" Joanna blew a kiss to Corinne and hurried off. The other colleagues surrounded Corinne all of a sudden and requested the link to the antivirus software. Corinne fobbed them off by saying, "Relax. I'll send it to the group later." She sipped the coffee and looked up slightly to glance at Alfred's office. 'Jeremy probably hasn't finished his coffee yet, has he?' she wondered. - Inside the office, Zoey was striking all sorts of sexy poses to show off her long, fair legs after bringing the coffee to Jeremy. However, she failed to attract the man's attention, while her legs were beginning to cramp. Joanna knocked softly on the door and leaned in to report the situation. "Mister Alfred, the file is ready, and we can proceed with the meeting as planned." Alfred's eyes lit up as he tactfully enjoyed the coffee with Jeremy. "Has the computer been repaired?""Yes, Mister Alfred!" Joanna nodded affirmatively. "Corinne has restored the system.""Well, well. She's got quite the skill there!" Alfred's tension could finally subside a little as he stood up and respectfully gestured to invite Jeremy to the meeting room. "Mister Jeremy, the materials are now ready, and we can proceed to the meeting room. The person in charge will soon give you a brief introduction to our company's new project." Jeremy's big hand and handsomely slender fingers were still holding the coffee cup. He soon placed it down and narrowed his charming eyes in pensive thought as soon as Alfred invited him to the meeting room. He stood up gracefully, and every single gesture that he made exuded the firm, noble charm of a mature man. Zoey gritted her teeth angrily and was surprised that Corinne was able to fix it. - 15 minutes later, Jeremy walked out of the meeting room with a calm look on his handsome face. There was no telling what he was thinking. Alfred walked out beside Jeremy with his head hung low. When Jeremy passed by Corinne's workstation, he paused all of a sudden and tilted his head slightly to glance coldly at her. An unkind smile could be seen on his face. "Bravo, Mister Alfred. This talented employee in your company has done nothing but waste an hour of my time." Alfred had a look of embarrassment. "I... Umm… I'm really sorry, Mister Jeremy." Jeremy walked toward the elevator without looking at Corinne a second time. Corinne was still trying to wrap her head around what happened when Zoey walked over with a gloating look. "So what even if you restored the computer system? Mister Jeremy didn't like your plan at all!" In ignoring Zoey, Corinne turned to look at Joanna as the latter exited the meeting room. "What happened?" she asked. Dejected, Joanna broke down and cried. "I don't know why, but there were so many errors present in the key data. Mister Jeremy said our plan was rubbish..." Corinne frowned. By then, Alfred had sent Jeremy off and came back. He lambasted Joanna sternly. "Was that the kind of work you produce? The basic mistakes are too many to count! You'd be better off finding another job if you can't even do this right!" Joanna bowed in shame. "Mister Alfred, I'm sorry! I..." Corinne caught sight of the snicker on Zoey's face and knew she had something to do with it again. "Mister Alfred, the error has nothing to do with Joanna. The computer system might've been restored, but the virus damaged part of the original content and corrupted the data in the presentation. It was my fault for asking Joanna to bring it to the meeting without checking it. I'll take responsibility and resign." Alfred frowned and looked at Corinne, while Richard, who had been following Alfred from behind, said angrily, "Resign? You can stop dreaming now, Corinne. We're firing you. Pack up your things and get out of here. You'll only piss Mister Alfred off if you stay here!" While Corinne waited for the elevator, Joanna chased after her with a guilty and uneasy expression. "Corinne, I'm the one who should resign..." Corinne shook her head. "It has nothing to do with you. Richard wanted to fire me in the first place, so there's no point for you to get involved too." However, Joanna still could not accept the injustice. "But if you leave like this, Zoey will get the permanent position. Her abilities can hardly compare to yours. She's having it too easy!" Corinne shrugged indifferently. She waved to Joanna, then turned and entered the elevator. When she got out, someone happened to exit the elevator next to her too. It was Zoey. She came out with a box of office supplies and threw them in front of Corinne. "You forgot to take away your stuff. I was informed by the manager that your desk will be vacated for me!" Remaining as calm as always, Corinne bent down and picked up her belongings. "As your former colleague, let me give you a word of advice." Zoey crossed her arms over her chest in a triumphant stance and shrugged. "Make it quick." Corinne wore a watery smile as she leaned over to Zoey's ear and whispered, "Karma's a b*tch." Zoey was taken aback. "Tch!" After all, Zoey had one-upped Corinne, and there was nothing more for Zoey to fear. - Corinne was walking out of the company building with her belongings in her arms when a black-colored, limited-edition Mercedes-Benz MPV parked beside her all of a sudden. Tommy got off the front passenger seat and said, "Mister Jeremy wants you to get in the car, Miss Corinne." Corinne was in no mood to entertain that request and merely walked past Tommy. However, he raised his hand to stop her. "Miss Corinne, please get in the car!" Her face darkened. In the end, she reluctantly got into the car. Zoey happened to see that scene. She had spotted a limited-edition luxury car passing by the company entrance, and she went out to take a closer look. Little did she expect that Corinne would be getting into such a luxurious car. Zoey’s eyes widened in disbelief. 'What's going on? Isn't that a limited-edition Mercedes-Benz? How can someone like Corinne ride in that sort of luxury car? She's not worthy of it!'

Chapter 10 Chapter 10

Zoey stared at the Mercedes-Benz that slowly drove off. In a fit of jealousy, she returned to the company and cooked up wild stories with her colleagues. "Do any of you know why Corinne could leave without hesitation? Turns out, she's a sugar baby to a rich old man! She doesn't need to care whether or not she has a job!" 'Sugar baby?' The employees were intrigued by the gossip, and they all surrounded Zoey to find out what was going on. Zoey described the situation with a generous amount of exaggeration. "Out of the kindness of my heart, I decided to head down and return the stuff that Corinne left behind. You won't believe what I saw. She was sitting on the lap of some fat old man inside a luxurious car! I don't think I need to explain what she was doing, right?""An old man, you say? How old is old?""Over sixty, I guess.""Whoa, there. Isn't that old enough to be her grandfather? I didn't expect Corinne to be such a degenerate!""Tsk, tsk, tsk! Just goes to show you can't judge a book by its cover." Unable to tolerate those remarks anymore, Joanna stood up and retorted loudly, "Enough with your nonsense, Zoey. Corinne isn't that kind of woman!" Zoey sneered. "Me? Talking nonsense? I saw it with my own eyes! If you don't believe me, you can take a look at the company's surveillance footage and see for yourself if Corinne got into a Mercedes-Benz just outside the main entrance!" Joanna pursed her lips angrily, knowing that she did not have the authority to check the company's surveillance footage. Zoey was clearly being a bully. She was the one who chased Corinne away, and she dared to badmouth her in the company. It was utterly despicable! Unable to fight against Zoey, Joanna sat down and continued her work; all the while she tried to keep her emotions in check. However, she realized that something was different. "Hmm? What's this? Why is there an extra folder on my computer desktop?" Another colleague added, "I have an extra folder on my computer. too. What is this?""That's weird. I have that folder, too! I'm clicking in to see what it is..." The entire office fell silent after everyone opened the folder and saw the contents. Seconds later, looks of disgust, contempt, and derision were directed in Zoey's direction. Zoey was displeased to be stared at by her colleagues. "Why are all of you looking at me like that?" Joanna stood up again and said aloud, "The one playing computer games at work was you all along. You're the reason why the entire company's computers were hacked, too!" Zoey was taken aback by the accusation and retorted guiltily, "Stop making all that up, Joanna! You have no evidence whatsoever! Mind your words, or I'll sue you for defamation!" With the evidence, Joanna uttered confidently, "Making it up, you say? Wasn't it you who met someone online and led him on so that you'd get some item from a game? You blocked him as soon as you got what you wanted, didn't you? Turns out, he was a professional hacker, and he not only hacked into your computer but the company's system too! "And what did you do? You blamed everything on Corinne! Even the presentation that went wrong in today's meeting was your doing. You tampered with it while I wasn't paying attention; all the evidence is inside the folder. "The hacker gathered every single one of your misdeeds, compiled them into a folder, and distributed copies to every single employee!" Zoey felt guilty to the core when her colleagues shot her with all those strange looks. She rushed back to her workstation to check if it was true. Sure enough, the extra folder on the computer desktop contained screenshots of her chat history with the online friend. There were also screenshots of the surveillance video of when she secretly manipulated the presentation. 'How could this have happened?!' Zoey shrieked internally. Alfred came out of the office with a stern and sullen expression. He shouted angrily, "Which one of you is Zoey? The company doesn't need a troublemaker like you. Pack your bags and leave!" Zoey's face turned pale as she wondered if Alfred also had the same folder on his computer. When Richard heard Alfred's roar, he hurried out of the office with uneasiness written all over his face. Zoey saw him rush out and immediately ran over to ask him for help. "Uncle, help me, please! I..." Richard shot Zoey a vicious glare and pushed her away before walking off. He wanted nothing to do with a relative who had proven to be such a troublemaker. In the end, Zoey's salary was deducted completely, and she was fired on the spot and left the company. Karma truly was a b*tch. Joanna could not have been happier, and she immediately took out her cell phone and sent a message informing Corinne of the good news. - At that moment, the luxury Mercedes-Benz MPV drove slowly on the road, and Corinne sat at the far end of the rear seat while holding her belongings. Beside her was Jeremy, the man she had just wedded, but ever since she got in the car, Jeremy did not once raise his head or look at her. All he did was stare at his phone with an indifferent expression. When her phone beeped twice, Corinne put the box that she was holding to one side and picked up the phone to look at the message. It was a message from Joanna, detailing how Zoey had been fired while Richard was severely reprimanded by Alfred. Corinne's lips curled up in a smirk. The outcome did not surprise her in the least. After the hacker told her the reason why he hacked Alpha Enterprises' system, she only gave the hacker one suggestion: take revenge against the person in question and avoid doing anything that would implicate innocent people. Zoey's malicious intentions and misbehavior had to be punished. Corinne unconsciously crossed her legs after replying to Joanna's message. Since she was only wearing a men's T-shirt, the hem moved up a little while she sat, and the sunlight that came in through the car window made her fair skin glow a little. The man's handsome eyebrows cocked up slightly as if blinded by the white light. He glanced at her fair-skinned, slender legs, and realized that they were almost as thick as his forearms. Meaning, they were too thin. "Is this how young girls like you attract a man's attention?" Corinne looked at Jeremy in bewilderment. "Huh? But I'm not even doing anything, mister." Jeremy put away his phone and stared at her. "Then what are you wearing?" Corinne lowered her head to look and came to a realization. "Oh, this? It's yours. The dress that the maid gave me this morning ended up getting dirty, and since I couldn't wear it, my only choice was to wear your shirt." The man rested his forehead on one hand, and the frown on his face suggested he was displeased by what he heard. "Did I give you permission to?" Corinne rolled her eyes and muttered to herself in disdain. "Why do I have to call him and ask for his permission? It's just a shirt. Are all old men so petty?" Besides, she did not have his phone number either, so she could not get his permission even if she wanted to. Jeremy's veins were bulging from his forehead. "What did you just say?" Corinne smiled sheepishly. "I said... Do old men like you enjoy it when your new wife makes the headlines for running around naked the day after the wedding?" Jeremy was speechless. 'Old man? Am I that old?' He narrowed his brooding eyes slightly and said, "What if I say I don't care?" Corinne gritted her teeth. "Then I'll take it off right now, give it back to you, and start running around in my birthday suit!" The corner of Jeremy's lips twitched teasingly. "Sure. Take it off." If a god of luck existed, then Corinne felt that she had probably done something serious to offend him. That seemed to be the only explanation for why a weird old man like Jeremy would come into her life! After a brief silence, Corinne said, "Fine. I'll take it off if you want!"

Chapter 11 Chapter 11

Tommy looked awkward sitting in the front passenger seat. He motioned for the driver to pull over and told the driver to get down with him. He then consciously maintained a distance from her so as not to appear discourteous. Corinne sullenly held the hem of the big white T-shirt with both hands and slowly began pulling it up. Jeremy rested his forehead lazily on his knuckles. His indifferent gaze fell on her, and there was a hint of playfulness in the depths of his handsome eyes. - Back at Alpha Enterprises, Richard—the general manager—was severely reprimanded by his boss Alfred because of letting his relative in without a proper recruitment process. Alfred gave him an ultimatum, too; if he failed to figure out a way to recoup that day's losses and there was a resulting failure to reach a cooperation with the Holdens in that project, he would have to pack up and leave like his idiot of a relative, Zoe. Richard was in a state of desperation, so he drove out to get in touch with his contacts and find a solution. Just as he was worrying about whether or not he could keep his job, he spotted Jeremy's car parked on the side of the road. Jeremy was still nearby. What a wonderful stroke of luck that was! He could use that opportunity to explain to Jeremy the reasons for the mistakes in the plan so as to get some wiggle room! With that in mind, Richard parked the car nearby and jogged toward the black Mercedes-Benz MPV up ahead. There was heavy tint on the car windows, making it impossible for anyone outside to tell if there was anyone inside. Richard cautiously looked at the car window and called out, "Mister Jeremy? Are you in the car, Mister Jeremy? Mister Jeremy?" The soundproofing used in luxury cars was just as good, so Richard's voice did not travel into the car. 'Is the car empty? Did Mister Jeremy go somewhere? Where could he have gone?' Richard glanced around but did not see anyone nearby, so he put his hand on the door handle and tried to open the door. At that moment, Jeremy, still inside the car with Corinne, had an aloof expression and showed no intention to help Corinne out of the predicament. Meanwhile, Corinne did not intend to just give in to the man. After all, she had just been bullied by his sister earlier that morning, and if she did not take a stand right then, she would be treated like a pushover by the Holdens for the coming three months. Corinne gritted her teeth and took off the T-shirt. Fortunately, she had worn a small singlet underneath. There might not be much fabric, but it was not revealing either. Jeremy's eyes froze slightly, and he frowned as he thought inwardly, 'She really had the guts to take the shirt off!' All of a sudden, the car door was pulled open, letting in a ray of sunlight and cold air into the car. A strong force pulled Corinne over before she could react. Her vision went dark, and she smelled a pleasantly masculine fragrance of ambergris mixed with the tobacco; her heart began to pound rapidly. Jeremy reacted very quickly, and it took him only a split second to cover Corinne's body with the suit jacket aside that he took off earlier. He then pressed her body close to his so that her bare body would not be exposed to others. After opening the door, Richard happened to see Jeremy holding a woman in his arms. The woman's face was hidden in Mister Jeremy's chest, and she was wrapped in a man's jacket with her fair, slender legs revealed. Stunned, his jaw practically dropped to the ground. It did not take long for him to realize that he had seen something he should not have, and he immediately broke out in a cold sweat. "Ah! I'm so—sorry, Mister Jeremy! I was calling you from outside, but I didn't get a response, so I—" Jeremy hugged the woman tightly in his arms and looked up coldly before snarling, "F*ck off!" Richard closed the car door at once and wiped away the sweat from his forehead nervously. He was surely doomed after disrupting Jeremy's 'personal time'. Corinne was hugged so tightly that she had difficulty breathing. She had to wiggle a bit from his embrace to get her head out of his jacket. With a frown, she asked, "What are you doing, mister?" Jeremy looked down at the girl in his arms, and displeasure could obviously be seen in her big eyes. How could she still be angry at him? Had it not been for him, that guy would have seen her all naked! Jeremy began to wonder if she even had any sense of shame. After coming to his senses, Jeremy released her from his embrace with a straight face and said solemnly, "Put that shirt on right now. You're the Holdens' young madam now, and your every word and action represent the Holdens. Next time, don't ever do something as shameful as taking off your shirt for no good reason." 'Shameful? Wasn't he the one who wanted me to take it off?' Corinne smiled sarcastically. "I guess this means I got your permission to wear your shirt, then?" Jeremy frowned slightly, yet there was a smirk on his face. This young woman truly was a vengeful person. "Yes." Corinne snorted, moved to one side, and put on the shirt. Jeremy did not look at her again. He got up and slammed the car door shut as he got out of it. - Richard was shaking like a leaf as he explained everything to Tommy, "Mister Tommy, I didn't do it on purpose! Could you please explain to Mister Jeremy on my behalf..." Hearing the sound of the car door closing, Tommy looked up and saw Jeremy approaching them. "Sir..." Richard felt a chill down his spine and immediately turned to bow apologetically. "Mister Jeremy, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to open the door earlier..." Jeremy's black eyes were cold and stern. "What did you see?" Richard froze for a moment and shook his head violently. "Nothing! Nothing at all!" Tommy took a step forward, bowed, and pleaded for forgiveness. "Sir, your sister called earlier, and I went to one side to answer the call. It was my fault for not noticing that someone was approaching the car." Jeremy glanced at Tommy indifferently and said nothing. He lowered his head, lit a cigarette, and then turned to look at Richard, "Well, you've already followed me to my car, so tell me, why are you here?" Richard immediately said, "Mister Jeremy, my name is Richard Channing from Alpha Enterprises. We just met back at the company! I… Umm… I'm here to explain the error you saw today. The plan was manipulated by one of the company's interns for her personal interests, and that doesn’t represent our company's true ability. I hope you'll give us another chance to show you the real deal." Jeremy took a puff from his cigarette and cocked his handsome eyebrows. "Manipulated? Was it the intern who fixed your computer system?" Richard froze for a moment and then shook his head awkwardly. "Uh... no. It was another one! But not to worry, as both the interns have been fired, and we'll guarantee that there won't be any more mistakes in the future! If you have the time, perhaps you could—" Jeremy was surprised to know that Corinne had been fired. "I do not." Jeremy's expression darkened and he glanced at the back seat of the car from the corner of his eye. Jeremy signaled to Tommy with a glance. He surmised that Corinne had gotten dressed, so he turned around and walked toward the car. Richard hurriedly followed behind, "Mister Jeremy! This is a good project, and all I ask is for you to give me a bit of your time. Twenty minutes is more than enough..." Tommy did not hide his displeasure as he stopped Richard and warned, "Mr. Jeremy has made it clear that he doesn't have the time, Richard. Nothing good will come out of pestering him." Richard froze for a moment and did not dare to pester Jeremy any further. He retreated to the side of the road, saw them off with a bow, and watched the luxury Mercedes-Benz drive away before his eyes. Entertaining his request was the last thing that Jeremy wanted to do, what with a woman waiting for him inside the car. Richard had no choice but to find another chance some other day. At that moment, Corinne felt that it was too stuffy in the car, so she lowered the window slowly to let some fresh air in. Richard looked up at the car and was completely stunned. That woman in Jeremy's car bore a striking resemblance to Corinne, whom he had fired earlier that day!