<h4>Chapter 323: Power about to be taken back</h4>


    The man grabbed her shoulder and asked, "Are you okay?"


    E quickly pulled his hand away, frowning as she looked at him. "Henry, what are you doing here?"


    Henry felt a bit awkward. He had actuallye across E’s car by chance and decided to follow her discreetly. He hadn’t expected her to go to L Beauty Salon.


    He had parked nearby and walked around the area. When he passed by, he saw her rushing out.


    Thinking E had run into some trouble again, he had panicked.


    "As long as you’re okay, sis-inw!" Henry’s face turned red, and he quickly turned around and disappeared in front of her.


    That was fast... he came and left just like that!


    But E’s expression darkened. Why had Henry shown up here again? Was he following her?


    At that moment, Chloe rushed in. Quinn waspletely surrounded by reporters and couldn’t get away.


    Be, who had been trailing behind, had hidden herself in a private room. After all, this was a scandal breaking out, and she didn’t want to get dragged down because of Quinn.


    "E, how do you know her? Was she trying to steal your phone?"


    "Yeah, she tried to grab my phone. Luckily, I got away. Let’s go!" E smiled slyly and pulled Chloe along as they left.


    Back in the chaotic lobby of L Beauty Salon, Quinn immediately toned down her rage when she saw the reporters. She awkwardly epted the interview, doing her best to exin. But her furious expression from earlier had already been caught on camera.


    Quinn cursed herself for falling into E’s trap. By the time the reporters were dealt with, E had long vanished.


    "That bitch!" Quinn fumed with anger. What if E released the recording she had?


    Quinn instructed her assistant to "work things out" with the reporters, making sure they wouldn’t publish any photos from that night.


    She also used all her connections to finally get E’s phone number.


    Quinn called, practically begging E not to release the recording.


    Her agent had convinced her that E wasn’t easy to handle. Quinn had to admit she was surprised that E had managed to escape her clutches so cleverly.


    Over the years, no one had ever gotten away from her control.


    So lowering her pride was the only option.


    "Miss Rodriguez, haha, I didn’t record anything in the restroom. I was just bluffing. Otherwise, I would’ve been bullied by you guys!" E chuckled lightly on the other end.


    Quinn’s anger erupted. E had yed her!


    But thinking that E might be recording the call, Quinn abruptly hung up, not saying another word.


    After that night, Quinn didn’t dare cause any more trouble. As for her ns to get close to Eric, well, that depended on whether she had the ability.


    Later that evening, E shared the whole beauty salon incident with Eric, exaggerating Quinn’s arrogance and disregard for others.


    Eric frowned. "With the Rodriguez family producing someone like that, it looks like their grip on the mayor’s office won’tst long."


    E gave him a curious look. "Quinn’s not his daughter, though. What does this have to do with him?"


    Eric chuckled. "You think parents who raised someone as spoiled as Be would be any better?"


    E paused, carefully pondering Eric’s words.


    Indeed, while Be wasn’t as overtly arrogant as Quinn, deep down, she was equally mean-spirited and conniving. Quinn wouldn’t have been so angry when she first saw her if Be hadn’t slyly remarked, "She’s Mr. Nelson’s wife," which was what triggered Quinn’s fury.


    Be clearly intended to use Quinn to teach her a lesson. But Be seriously underestimated her if she thought someone like Quinn could handle her.


    "That’s true," E mused, "there’s a saying that children are like nk tes. Greedy parents raise greedy children, and bad-tempered parents often raise rash and vtile ones."


    She recalled Brianna’s deliberate indulgence from her past life. That inherent arrogance and cruelty were ingrained in their personalities. If Brianna had been a gentler woman, she wouldn’t have treated Robert so violently.


    "You’re right," Eric added casually. "Someone’s already investigating Be’s father. It won’t be long before he’s forced out."


    E raised her eyebrows. The political arena was like a battlefield—one wrong move could lead to a downfall. For people like Be’s father, who were inherently problematic and didn’t know how to y the game, making enemies was inevitable, and his downfall was just a matter of time.


    "Did you know?" Eughed. "Quinn got cornered by reporters and had to swallow all her rage! Her twisted expression looked like she was inbor! Hrious!"


    Eric’s eyes gleamed as he yfully poked her cheek. "E, you’re really ruthless."


    E snorted, "Of course! If I wasn’t ruthless, how would I have survived till now?"


    "That’s true. And I happen to like things spicy," Eric teased, his handsome features glowing with warmth, making E feel an unusual softness.


    Resting her chin on his chest, E asked, "Eric, if one day you meet someone spicier than me, will you fall for her?"


    Eric gently ran his fingers through her hair, teasing, "It depends on the circumstances."


    "Eric!" E instantly red up like a little kitten, her hands locking around his neck. "If you dare fall for someone else, I’ll strangle you!"


    "Mercy, my dear wife! I was just joking..."


    "Pfft, haha..."


    E’s mood was fantastic, though it wasn’t long before Eric pounced on her, and naturally, she was the one who ended up being "tortured."


    Life seemed to settle back into a peaceful routine.


    At school, E’s reputation grew rapidly, as she excelled in nearly every field. Especially in debates—whenever the subject touched on an industry or topic she was familiar with, her arguments consistently earned her praise from her professors.


    Later, E got her hands on the profile of a fashion tycoon from Y Country and spent some time carefully studying it.


    A month passed in the blink of an eye.


    Mason and Carter Group’s partnership was progressing, but the continuous stream of negative news,bined with the ongoingwsuit between Carter Group and E, left Carter Group in a difficult position, unable to focus.


    Rachel’s case hadn’t yet gone to trial, but Grace’s case had finally reached the courtroom.


    After just a few months, Grace looked noticeably thinner. E sat in the courtroom as an observer, with Eric holding her hand tightly, his gaze ice-cold.


    When Grace saw Eric, her emotions erupted. "You bastard! Bastard! Everything in the Nelson family belongs to my son!"