"Also, regarding what Mr. Hastings asked me to investigate earlier-I''ve almost got everything figured out. It was Lucas who was behind the ke family''s downfall," Oliver said.


    "What?" I waspletely stunned.


    I had considered the possibility that Julian had offended someone, but I never would have thought it was Lucas.


    After saying this, Oliver turned and left. I returned to my office with aplicated mix of emotions. I hesitated for a long time but ultimately didn''t have the courage to call Lucas.


    I wasn''t sure why, but I felt like my rtionship with Lucas had changed without me even realizing it. And now, I was in no position to question him about why he did this.


    Was I supposed to stand up for Julian? Or should I side with Lucas?


    I had assumed that Alex''s business trip wouldn''tst long, but he ended up being gone for an entire week.


    The online video had lost most of its traction. Oliver had uploaded the original footage, along with rifications and solid evidence debunking the rumors.


    Just when the whole matter was nearly settled, I received a call from Mom.


    I couldn''t deny that she loved me, but there was also an undeniable distance between us. It had been a long time since west spoke on the phone.


    "Hello, Mom." I picked up the call.


    "Serena." On the other end, Mom''s voice was choked with sobs.


    I immediately frowned. "Mom, what''s wrong?"


    "Serena..." Mom was crying so hard she could barely speak. "I''m such an unqualified mother. I didn''t even know you''ve suffered so much."


    I waspletely confused, and it was clear this wasn''t something we could discuss over the phone. "Mom, where are you?"


    ...


    At a café near Hastings Group, I sat across from Mom as she absentmindedly stirred her coffee. With a sigh, I said, "Mom, just tell me everything that happened."


    At my words, her eyes reddened even more.


    "A few days ago, someone came to me and said that you and he were once deeply in love... but Alex forcibly separated you two. He also told me that you only joined Hastings Group because Alex forced you to."


    "Mom, how could you believe such ridiculous lies?" I frowned, looking at her in disbelief. "Don''t you know what kind of person Alex is?"


    "I..." Mom''s voice faltered. "At first, I didn''t believe it either, but that person had a video."


    I rolled my eyes. "Was that person named Julian, by any chance?"


    "Serena, you know him?" Mom immediately became excited. "Did you really date him?"


    People around us started ncing over with curiosity.


    I quickly gestured for Mom to calm down. "Mom, sit down. Let''s go through this one step at a time, okay?"


    She took a deep breath to collect herself before sitting back down.


    "Yes, I did date Julian," I admitted. "But during our rtionship, he kept lying to me. It was Alex who helped me see the truth. As for my job at Hastings Group, didn''t you already know about it at the time?"


    Mom nodded. "I thought you were being forced into it but didn''t want to tell me so that I wouldn''t worry."


    "Julian loves to stir up drama. You can''t trust a word he says." I tooka sip of coffee. "As for the video be showed you, it''s fake. Here, let me


    show you the original footage."


    I pulled up the video Oliver had found and showed it to Mom. But to my surprise,


    after watching it, her frown only deepened.


    "Serena, you and Alex... There''s nothing going on between you two, right?"


    My first instinct was to say no. But when I met her probing gaze, I suddenly felt unsure.


    I couldn''t control my feelings for Alex, which meant I couldn''t confidently say that there was nothing between us.


    So instead, I hesitantly replied, "It''s just work. What else could there be?"