Chapter <b>30 </b>


    <b>74 </b>


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    Orion suddenly appeared, and Connor’s imposing demeanor clearly softened.


    Xylia seized the moment when Connor’s grip loosened, quickly pulling her arm out of his hand and stepping back, distancing herself from him.


    With his hand now empty, Connor instinctively clenched his fingers, a feeling of emptiness creeping into his chest, as if Xylia would one day leave him just like this.


    Sonny, seeing Orion upset, rushed to stand in front of him,ining about Xylia. “Great- grandfather, Mom’s all dressed up like this because she’s seeing another man. She’s betraying Dad. She doesn’t deserve to be


    my mom.”


    Tessa, hearing Sonny’s words, instinctively nced at Xylia’s face. Xylia had only applied light makeup, but she was naturally beautiful, with striking features that outshone many celebrities.


    Jealousy surged in Tessa’s heart, and she regretted not having Xylia’s face scarred in prison.


    Xylia found it all rather ironic but remained calm, not showing much reaction. She had once cared deeply for her son, but now she was only disappointed in him.


    Xylia didn’t speak, but Orion, hearing Sonny’s words, grew stern. “If I hear you nder your mother like this again, I’ll punish you by making you stand in the corner and reflect on your


    mistake.”


    Sonny was startled by Orion’s sudden harshness. He was the youngest in the Ford family, always spoiled, especially by Orion, who had never shown him such a cold side. Today, Sonny was scolded for Xylia’s sake.


    Sonny puffed out his cheeks, shouting at Orion in defiance. “You’re biased towards Mom! I don’t want to talk <i>to </i>you anymore!” After yelling, he turned and ran off.


    “Sonny!” Tessa called out urgently, but Sonny didn’t stop, running straight toward the garden.


    Tessa turned to look at Xylia and then at Orion. “Mr. Ford, I’m not part of the Ford family, but I have to say, if Xylia hadn’t done something that could be misunderstood, Sonny wouldn’t be saying things like this about his mom.


    “Don’t take it out on the child.” With that, Tessa hurried off to catch up with Sonny,


    Connor shot Xylia a cold look. “Xylia, are you happy now? Everyone’s fighting because of you?” He red at her before turning to leave.


    “Stop!” Orion’smanding voice stopped Connor in his tracks. Orion’s face darkened, and he couldn’t suppress a cough.


    Xylia looked at Orion with concern.


    “Grandpa, are you okay?” Connor stepped forward and helped Orion.


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    Orion, looking pale after his illness, smiled at Xylia, trying to reassure her. “Xylia, you should go rest. I need to talk to Connor about something.”


    Connor looked up, casting a cold nce at Xylia before helping Orion into the house.


    Watching their backs, Xylia furrowed her brow. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but seeing Orion’s serious expression, she felt a twinge of worry.


    In her mind, Orion had always been the calm, wise elder. Despite Ford Group’s many issues over the years, he had never shown such a look.


    But she didn’t dwell on it. She made her way into the vi, heading straight for her room. As she passed the study, she overheard voices inside.


    Orion’s voice sounded tired. “The Sadler family deal, we have to secure it. Our group can’t afford to lose any more.”


    The words froze her in ce. She instinctively peered through the slightly open door of the study.


    Connor was sitting with his back to her, visibly frustrated. His voice was tinged with anger. “I met people from the Sadler family at the party, but… ‘


    “1


    Just thinking about it made Connor even more agitated. He med Xylia for the whole situation.


    If she hadn’t caused trouble back then, the Sadler family wouldn’t have said they wouldn’t work with Connor and kicked him out of the banquet hall.


    Before he could finish, Orion’s voice cut him off sharply. “I don’t care what happened at the party. Since you’ve offended the Sadler family, you’ll have to fix it yourself.”


    Connor, feeling somewhat wronged, couldn’t argue in front of Orion.


    Xylia listened for a while before turning back to her room. Even though Ford Group was facing a crisis, there was nothing she could do to help.


    Connor might be a terrible person, but he knew how to manage thepany, and this was not her business to meddle in. She had her own work to focus on.


    Since Quezada <i>& </i>Co. Apparel Design had agreed to coborate with her, she couldn’t afford to rx. She would still need to make money with her skills.


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    Over the next few days, Xylia spent her time both apanying Orion and working on her design sketches.


    Every day, she exchanged messages with Joshua. During their chats, she realized Joshua actually had a decent understanding of fashion design. He would ask her to send her sketches and offer professional feedback.


    Xavi also sent her a packet of materials, including basic design learning resources and current trends in the fashion industry. Xylia was amazed. These learning materials were incredibly


    valuable.


    Xavi also introduced a designer to Xylia, telling her that this designer would mentor her and that she could reach out to him with any questions.


    Xylia was even more stunned when she found out the designer was Chase Bell, a world–ss designer.


    She realized that all of this was a result of Joshua’s help. Without his connections, Xavi wouldn’t have given her such valuable resources.


    Though she was curious about how Joshua and Xavi knew each other, she was deeply grateful. After a moment’s thought, she sent Joshua another message. [Thank you, Joshua.]


    *****


    Meanwhile, Joshua was lounging on the sofa, a subordinate standing rigidly by his side.


    Suddenly, his phone lit up. He nced down, and the usual coldness in his eyes softened when he saw Xylia’s message. A faint smile tugged at his lips as he replied casually.


    *****


    Due to the Sadler family deal, Connor had grown more displeased with Xylia, sometimes even teaming up with Mnie to target her.


    Xylia ignored him, but Orion noticed and gave Connor a harsh lecture,


    Connor, intimidated by Orion, couldn’t do much but stay silent, leaving quickly under the pretext of work.


    Xylia enjoyed the rare peace, using the morning to refine her recent design sketches and send


    them to Chase.