No Strings Attached

Hearing that name, lan and Casey exchanged a knowing glance. Their eyes locked in silent agreement.

lan couldn't fathom how Paolo, in his quest for vengeance for Heidi, could turn his back on years of friendship with the Hayes family and become a mere pawn in someone else's game.

He and Clara were indeed a match — him with his oblivious mother, and Clara with her shallow, good-for-nothing father.

A shadow seemed to pass over lan's eyes. The damage Leonora had inflicted on him and Clara was irreparable, and he would not stand by and watch Paolo become yet another obstacle in their relationship. He picked up his phone and dialed Edwin.

A few days later...

At a suburban mansion.

A man dressed in black sat in a wheelchair. His face was alight with pleasure as he listened to his assistant's report.

has lost billions. This hit has left the Hayes Corporation reeling. Greta's been snapping at reporters. She's so

played upon the man's lips. "Soon there'll be an uprising in the Hayes household, and Greta's days as acting CEO are numbered. Once our man takes her place, the

the sound of hurried footsteps at the door. A bodyguard rushed in with urgent news.

in black have surrounded the villa, and they're all packing

darkened, and the veins on the back of his hands

from one of the four families, and the voice on the other end panicked. "Boss, all of our assets have been hit hard. Our acquisitions from Hayes Corporation and our stocks have been bought out at rock-bottom prices.

been

intercepted by the cops. That was meant for the big boss in Europe. Our losses are

after another brought nothing but

he hurled his phone

to console him. "Boss, there's got to be a glitch in the system. I don't think Greta could pull this off

but his instincts screamed that they'd fallen into lan's