The moment Howard caught wind of Sarah''s n, he gave the order without hesitation.
Amber Group had always been his. He was simply reiming what was rightfully his. And when it came to ying dirty, Howard never let sentiment get in the way.
He nced at his phone. On the screen, Rachel was trying on two barely-there scraps of fabric—white on pale skin andce clinging to her waist. Everything was just enough to tease and conceal.
His blood surged. Without another thought, he rushed home.
Outside, wind and rainshed the windows. Inside, white silk fluttered like snow. Bathed in warm light and the scent of burning candles, two figures merged into
one.
...
Two dayster, no matter how much fight Howard still had in him, even he couldn''t hold up against Rachel''s nightly ferocity. He was clearly running on fumes during the shareholders'' meeting.
His pen slipped from his fingers, bounced off a folder, and flew beforending perfectly in Andrew Stone''s cup with a ssh that sent water flying and startled gasps across the table.
"What the hell, Howard! We''re in the middle of a meeting and you''re throwing pens in my drink? Do you think that I''ve been cking off? I''ve been pulling all- nighters cleaning up your daughter''s mess!"
Andrew, dressed in a pale gray suit now stained with coffee, shouted in
frustration. The documents on the table were ruined too.
A few of the senior board members looked over, visibly irritated.
"He''s not just pissed at you. Seems to me Howard''s fed up with all of us. Spacing out like that in a meeting... He clearly doesn''t respect us anymore."
"Hmph! If you''ve got everything under control with the funding, Howard, then put the damn proposal on the table and shut us up. Quit throwing tantrums in front of us like you''re still 20."
The seniors were visibly annoyed. And naturally, the juniors followed suit, murmuring in low voices and sharing theirints.
As he finally snapped back to reality, Howard forced a tired apology, yet the dark circles under his eyes betrayed his exhaustion. Somehow, he pushed through the rest of the meeting.
But as he left, the resentment in the room still clung to him like smoke.
However, Howard didn''t care. All he wanted was to crash. His body had nothing left to give.
"Mr. Jansen, you''re not as young as you used to be. Some things are better in moderation. Don''t burn out for nothing," Edgar said cautiously.
Was a mere assistant reallymenting on his bedroom life now?
Howard''s gaze turned ice-cold. "I know my own damn limits. Since when did a junior assistant like you could lecture me? Don''t bothering in tomorrow.
"You''re useless if you can''t read the room. Get someone to rece you, and bring me two cups of coffee before you go."
Edgar stiffened, then tossed his ID badge on the table. "I tried to help, and this is what I get in return? No wonder everyone at Jansen Group has had enough of you. I shouldn''t have followed you around these past few years. I must''ve been out of my mind."
"You''re just a glorified errand boy.
You''re not even my personal aid et
Who the hell do you think you
Get Ost!" Howard mmed the table as his fury boiled over.
Word of the blow-up spread like wildfire, and whispers among the staff grew louder. Howard''s reputation took another hit.
Natalie heard the gossip and wasted no time sending a message to Serena.
Serena read it and gave a cold, amused snort. "If he wants to destroy himself, let him. What''s thetest insight on the ind project?"
"Same as before. But Howard and Sarah seem way too calm, like they''ve got something up their sleeves," Natalie said.
Serena frowned slightly.
She''d been quietly digging around for Cole for the past few days. ording to him, he''d taken a few days off to lie low overseas, ming paparazzi harassment after a public falling-out with the Arnold family.
But she knew better. Cole was clearly dodging Sarah. And if Sarah couldn''t get to
him to clean up the mess... Then, what kind of backup n did she have?
Something didn''t add up.