?Chapter 1198:


    To maintain this persona and keep enjoying the attention, Anti gradually started believing she truly was the designer. Perhaps she had worn the mask for so long it could no longer be removed.


    She was no longer content hiding in the shadows. She began attending local gs as “Anti,” the famed designer—her identity reinforced by the people around her.


    Fortunately, those events were low-profile enough that Annie Crystal’s actual team never noticed.


    Raegan had already returned to the Cooper Group and met with Kiley.


    “I’m certain,” Raegan said firmly, “that we’ve now eliminated the…”


    st possible risk.”


    Kiley gazed out the floor-to-ceiling window at Wront City, her eyes cool and distant. “Good. Proceed with the n as scheduled.”


    “Whether it’s Maia or MCN—they’re both far too conspicuous in this city,” Kiley said, her eyes narrowing to slits. Her fingertips traced a slow path across the desk, and her voice turned sharp as steel.


    “You know what?” she continued. “The Cooper Group has stood at the heart of this city for a hundred years—not because of charity, moral posturing, or gradual umtion. Those are just humble words winners use after they’ve already won.” She let out a softugh,ced with mockery. “What the Cooper Group truly relies on… is plunder.”


    Raegan stood behind her, eyes lowered, silent, but her knuckles tightened ever so slightly.


    After a brief pause, Kiley went on. “My ancestors struck gold during the Age of Exploration. They came to this city, seizednd, snatched businesses, and wed their way to the top, step by step, until they became the true masters of Wront. They now control the city’s economic lifeline. It’s not just corporations; they own factories, schools, real estate, fashion houses, jewelry brands—you name it. Their reach touches every aspect of daily life. You might find it hard to believe, but nearly sixty percent of the people living in Wront rely on Cooper Group paychecks to feed their families.”


    She turned sharply, her gaze as keen as an eagle’s. “Therefore, the Cooper Group must never fall. No one else can shoulder this burden—not me, and certainly not Maia.”


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    Her voice rose, charged with fervor, like a general rallying troops before battle. “This is a war we must win. It’s time for thoseid-off workers to direct their anger squarely at Maia.”


    A slow, dangerous smile curled her lips—cold, calcting, almost sinister.


    “Also…” She pulled two gilded invitation cards from her handbag and handed them to Raegan. “Since Anti isn’t Maia, she’s worth courting. I’d like to ‘identally’ run into her tonight. I’ve arranged a private soirée. Please bring her along.”


    Raegan took the invitations. Her fingertips felt icy, yet her expression remained perfectlyposed. “Understood. I’ll go right away.”


    Raegan slid into her car but didn’t start the engine immediately. Kiley’s words echoed in her mind, again and again.


    “The city’s lifeline?” she murmured under her breath. “Is the Cooper Group really that indispensable?”


    A bitter, soundlessugh escaped her. “Kiley… I never thought you’d be such a hypocrite.”


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