In the end, that gratitude could curdle into a weapon of mistrust between them.


    Joshua had made the right choice.


    Even Abby felt a sense of emptiness with Joshua gone, let alone Ste, who had spent every day with him.


    After saying goodbye to Ste, Abby returned to her room to rest.


    Lying on her bed, Abby suddenly remembered something she had overlooked. It seemed Joshua hadn''t left empty-handed after all.


    The birthday gifts Ste had given him were no longer in his room.


    If Joshua hadn''t returned since that day, then taking the gifts with him in advance meant he had been preparing to leave for a long time.


    Joshua asionally went out on errands for Ste, so his temporary absence didn''t attract much attention.


    During this time, Abby kept busy at Hand''s side, learning about the world of business.


    When she encountered something she didn''t understand, she would ask Antoney for help. She was already capable of handling simple tasks.


    One day, Abby was in Ste''s office discussing work when there was a soft knock at the door.


    "Come in," Ste called out, and Foreman walked in slowly.


    He wore a gentle smile. "Ste, Abby, are you done for the day? It''s almost time for lunch. Can I treat you both?"


    Abby never bothered to hide her feelings. The moment she saw Foreman, she couldn''t help but purse her lips in distaste.


    "No, thank you, Mr. Richards. Ste and I have already ordered lunch."


    Abby had once been grateful to Foreman, but ever since she learned he had nearly gotten Joshua killed, her good impression of him had vanished. She despised people who stabbed others in the back


    Foreman''s smile faltered for a moment.


    Abby continued, "If you don''t have anything else, Mr. Richards, you should probably head back. Ste and I are still busy."


    Foreman knew his past deception


    had made Ste mistrust him. He quickly tried to exin, "Actually, came to see Ste to clear something up. The reason I lied back then was because I had already noticed Joshua was in contact with Rachel Pearce. Ste, don''t you remember? I even warned you about it, and Joshua admitted it at the time, but no one believed me. They all thought he was joking. I knew you wouldn''t believe my word alone, which is why I..."


    Abby shot a quick nce at Ste and cut him off. "Alright, that''s all in the past. Let''s not bring it up again. We have work to do here, Mr. Richards. If there''s nothing else, you can go."


    Foreman wanted to say more, but the office door was knocked on again.


    Ste''s secretary entered. "Ms. Cameron, this is the list of partners who have not yet canceled their contracts with the Burton Group. Please take a look."


    Hearing the secretary''s report, Foreman paused. He suddenly recalled that the Burton Group was being targeted by the Gardner Group.


    Although the Burton Group had invested heavily to stabilize the situation, it couldn''t withstand


    Gardner Group''s scorched-pet


    tactics seemingly willing to buen money just to drag them down together.


    Even with Joshua gone now, the campaign against the Burton Group hadn''t stopped.


    Before, Foreman hadn''t understood why. Now, with Joshua''s identity revealed, the reason the Gardner Group was targeting the Burton Group was painfully obvious.


    Foreman spoke up abruptly, "Ste, we can''t ept Joshua''s help anymore."