A coboration of this scale was an object of envy, even for the top elite families. Countless families had fought tooth and nail, using both overt and covert means to secure the project. It would have been one thing if the Quinn family had chosen a partner from among the mostpetitive candidates. But they had given it to a rtively unknown neer.


    Suddenly, Ste became a public target. Even though she was a daughter of the Williams family, the top-tier families all viewed her as a thorn in their side. Abby had sessfully fended off all the nder and smear campaigns, handling them perfectly for Ste. But then their enemies resorted to dirty tricks, sending someone to attack Ste disguised as a reporter.


    Ste remained calm under pressure, reacting quickly. The self-defense techniques Joshua had taught her proved useful; she avoided injury and created a safe distance between herself and the assant. It seemed the attacker had missed their best chance and would have to give up. However, after the first attempt failed, the assant turned on Abby.


    Abby was just an ordinary person with nobat or self-defense training. She was helpless against such a vicious attacker. At the critical moment, Ste shielded her from the de, taking the hit herself while simultaneously disarming the assant and neutralizing the threat.


    Afterward, Abby was both terrified and consumed by guilt. "Star, maybe we should call Joshua back," she had said. "These people are ruthless... I don''t think I can protect you."


    Though Ste''s arm was cut, the wound wasn''t serious. She was able to clean and bandage it herself.


    "Abby, you are not to tell him about this," Ste had said firmly. "He''s the head of the Gardner family. He has a lot of work to do and can''t be by my side forever. He''s already done so much for me. If I have to run to him for every little thing, what''s the difference between me and a helpless fool? Don''t say a word to Neville or Haynes either. In our position, we have to be prepared for injuries, kidnappings, and assassination attempts. Ask Neville or Haynes-how many of them haven''t been hurt? Even Aurora has been kidnapped and tortured. If I can''t handle this, it means I don''t belong in this world. It would be better to walk away early and save my own life."


    As she spoke Ste''s expression was perfectly calm. "Abby, things like this will happen many more times. I don''t want to call for help every time something goes wrong. If don''t learn to handle things myself I''ll never grow."


    Looking at theposed Ste, Abby''s own frantic heart began to quiet down. "I understand, Star. I''ll work harder."


    In the end, Abby kept the incident a secret.


    However, Ste did ask Abby to investigate which family had sent the attacker. To Abby''s astonishment, just as she identified the culprit, the man suddenly died.


    Abby recounted the news to Ste


    with a triumphant look on her face.


    who hired the attacker


    "The man w


    was named Byron. He apparently spenta fortune trying to win the Quinn family contract, but we intercepted it causing him huge osses This Byron character threw a fit and took his anger out on us. But a little while ago, while he was out partying, his own enemies caught up with him. He was hacked to death in a private room... our sources say he was dismembered. It was a gruesome death."