As for Shawn's disappearance...

What did that have to do with Stella?

She had a rock-solid alibi.

Shawn's parents insisted Stella had kidnapped their son, while Stella retorted that it was Shawn's own parents, desperate to dodge responsibility, who had hidden him away and were now putting on a show in front of everyone.

Haynes said evenly, "According to Star, the Pearce family and the Williams family have been close for generations. Yet Shawn did something so despicable-and even tried to film it to blackmail Star. If you don't give Star a proper explanation, don't be surprised to see Shawn's face splashed all over the headlines tomorrow."

He glanced at Mr. Pearce. "I hear you're preparing for the upcoming election. With a son like this-morally bankrupt and the subject of scandal-not only will the public turn against you, but your colleagues will lose faith as well. Surely you can weigh what's at stake here."

The Pearce family had always been involved in politics; they couldn't afford too many negative stories. And with Mr. Pearce's campaign just around the corner, the threat was all too real.

If that video were to go public...

Mr. Pearce's jaw tightened. He could already see it: his chances of winning would evaporate overnight.

Stella was the Williams family's heiress, and Haynes was no pushover either. There would be no sweeping this under the rug.

will it take for you to hand

He was backing down.

and she gave

slid a prepared


Pearce's eyes roamed over the terms his

core businesses. It didn't sound like much, but

calm. "Mr. Pearce, we're

controls several leading tech firms now. If you accept the offer, the Pearce Group could be first in line for some lucrative

Group's current standing, you wouldn't stand a chance of winning those contracts against your competitors. But forty percent of a kündred millioncor twenty percent of ten

fell silent, hesitation and uncertainty

why Shawn had tried to

It wasn't just about her looks. The real prize was the pre-IPO shares she controlled-an asset worth

tech and biotech companies were the future. If the Pearce family could get

even secure

Stella found herself watching

new appreciation.

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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