After Simon left, ra nned to dive into her uing projects, but her focus was shattered when Eden swept in, storming straight to the CEO''s office.


    "Dn!" she cried out, tears threatening to spill over. She had wanted toin to Dnst night but couldn''t find him at Palm Bay. Now, her emotions were overflowing.


    Dn barely reacted, listening as she vented, "Look at this, ra did this! She was so reckless, she hit my forehead, and there was so much blood yesterday. Dn, you have to punish her severely!"


    ra knew Eden came to stir up trouble. When she was called into the office, she was prepared for anything, but she didn''t expect Dn to take Eden''sints so seriously.


    "Mr. Dn," she greeted, but he didn''t even nce her way, just tossed a file in her direction. "You''re in charge of negotiating this project."


    It was a project with the Dawson family. Given Jackson''s dislike for her, she knew this would be a rough ride.


    Eden, aware of ra''s history with the Dawsons, clung to Dn''s arm with a smug look. "Dn, I knew you''d have my back!"


    She smirked at ra. "Oh, a deal with the Dawsons. Everyone knows they can''t stand you. I''m curious to see how they''ll give you a hard time. Just a friendly tip: don''t start anything with them. The Dawsons can make someone disappear without a trace."


    With Dn''s backing, Eden was fearless.


    ra felt a knot in her stomach, unsure why.


    She picked up the file and turned to leave, overhearing Dn ask Eden, "Satisfied?"


    He was checking if Eden was happy with how he handled ra.


    Eden beamed, "Very satisfied. Dn, are you going back to the family home tonight? I heard Grandpa wants everyone there, probably to announce something big?"


    ra closed the door, still feeling uneasy.


    But she quickly pulled herself together. After all, she wasn''t anyone special to Dn. It made sense he''d favor Eden, right?


    She chuckled bitterly, recalling thest conversation she overheard. Cedric was likely going to announce something about Lincoln. Lincoln had vanished, and now the whole Ferguson family couldn''t reach him. Cedric was probably going to give some folks a stern talking-to.


    What he didn''t realize was that the mastermind was his seeminglyid-back youngest son.


    Dn''s calm appearance hid a ruthless streak.


    ra workedte, feeling increasingly uneasy, and finally vented to Z.


    [My boss is blind, coddling someone like Eden.]


    Z took a few minutes to reply.


    [Did you have a rough time?]


    ra hadn''t felt too upset initially, but his question made her heart pang.


    It was her own foolishness, thinking she and Dn were at least on the same team. Sending her to deal with the Dawsons felt like sending her to the wolves, didn''t it?


    Men.


    [A bit. I just can''t wrap my head around why he''d side with someone so shallow.] [Maybe everyone has their reasons. Just try to steer clear in the future.]


    ra knew that was her only option, but steering clear of Eden wasn''t realistic. Eden would seek her out to cause problems.


    She packed up her desk, ready to leave Ferguson Corporation, when she spotted Eden and two bodyguards.


    Eden wasn''t shy about ying dirty. If she could be so bold in front of Dn, there was no telling what she''d do now that she was waiting for ra.


    Sensing danger, ra stepped back into the elevator.


    Outside, Eden taunted, "ra, you witch, if you have the guts, don''t go hometer. Every time I see you, I''m going to hit you. With Dn spoiling me, I''m not afraid of anything!"


    The elevator whisked ra back to the top floor.


    The top floor was deserted now, with only her left. Her car was in the underground parking, but Eden''s men were stationed there. Not taking the garage was a dead- end, and she''d likely end up half-dead if Eden''s bodyguards caught her.


    Was she going to have to spend the night at the office?


    She rubbed her eyes, exhausted from a full day of work, and felt drowsy.


    Just as she was about toy her head down on the desk, the elevator doors opened, revealing Simon.


    She never thought she''d be so d to see Simon, though something was clearly wrong with him.


    "Simon, what''s wrong?"


    Simon looked pale and weak, as if he might faint at any moment. He grabbed her hand.


    "My bodyguard called, said Eden''s giving you a hard time. I came as soon as I could."


    He had just regained consciousness an hour ago, hadn''t even had time to investigate who attacked him, and now he was here, barely holding himself together, looking for ra.


    ra shook off his hand, watching as he stumbled back a few steps, struggling to stay upright.


    She frowned, then quickly moved to support him.


    Simon''s eyes showed a hint of satisfaction. Coming to ra while injured was sure to soften her resolve.


    He weakly coughed, leaning against her. "I was going to investigate more about that car ident this morning, but not long after leaving Ferguson Corporation, I was knocked out and taken to the hospital. I only woke up an hour ago. ra, do you think someone is deliberately stopping me because they don''t want you to know the truth about the ident?"


    ra saw that his weakness didn''t seem feigned.


    Though Simon might be foolish, he wasn''t beyond saving.


    She took a deep breath, impatiently helping him up.


    Simon caught a whiff of her perfume, his eyes reddening with emotion. "ra..."