<b>Chapter </b><b>207 </b>
Yves and Gia Schultz arrived at the Garcia Group headquarters, but just as they’d expected, there was no way they were getting past the lobby.
No matter how many times they dropped Xylia Schultz’s name, the receptionist just shook her head, refusing to let them upstairs.
Yves and Gia exchanged worried nces, their anxiety growing by the minute.
Just then, Gia’s phone lit up–it was Ziggy calling. In her anxiety, she snatched the phone, desperate for good
news.
“Ziggy, we’re here to see Mr. Garcia, but he won’t see us,” Gia said, her voice tight with frustration.
On the other end, Ziggy paused for a moment, his tone serious and steady. “Mom, Dad,e back to Jupiton. I know how to bring the Schultz Group back to life.”
“Really?” Gia asked, hope creeping into her voice.
Ziggy didn’t hesitate. “Yes,” he replied, his voice full of certainty.
Gia let out a long breath, relief flooding through her.
Without wasting another second, they left the Garcia Group headquarters and booked the next flight back to Jupiton.
Meanwhile, Tessa couldn’t care less about the Schultz family’s drama.
Her mind was swirling with all the little signs that Connor cared about Xylia–as if he still couldn’t let go of her.
‘Wasn’t Connor supposed to love me? So why does he keep acting like Xylia’s the only one he cares about?‘ Tessa thought, a pout forming on her lips.
Tessa was sitting on the hotel sofa, lost in thought, when Connor shuffled out of the bedroom, barely awake. He shot her a quick nce, didn’t say a word, and went straight to the kitchen for some water.
Tessa didn’t ask Connor about what happened yesterday.
‘I’m just scared of what Connor might say, Tessa thought, biting her lip.
Tessa walked right up to Connor, her voice turning soft and a little flirtatious as she pleaded, “Connor, can you help with the Schultz Group<b>?</b>”
Connor couldn’t help recalling all the things Yves and Gia had done to Xylia–all those memories left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Even now, even if he had the power to save the Schultz Group, he just couldn’t bring himself to step in
anymore.
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<b>He </b>took <b>a </b><b>slow </b><b>sip </b>of water<b>, </b><b>then </b>sighed, turning to Tessa. “Tessa, the Ford Group is barely keeping <b>itself </b>afloat right now. I really wish I could help, but my hands are tied.”
Tessa hadn’t really expected Connor to help in the first ce.
She knew the Ford Group had taken a huge hit after Orion’s death–Connor had told her all about it.
But after seeing how much Connor still cared about Xylia that day, Tessa realized she couldn’t risk everything on him alone.
The Schultz family was still her safety.
<i>‘</i><i>I </i>need to figure out a way to help them,‘ Tessa thought, determination shing in her eyes<b>. </b>
“Okay, I get it,” Tessa murmured, her voice small as she lowered her head in defeat.
Tessa hung her head, looking genuinely crushed, sadness shadowing her face.
Seeing Tessa looking so down, Connor just couldn’t stay cold. He reached out and gave her head a gentle pat. “Weren’t you saying you wanted to make your mark in showbiz? Well, I’ve already pulled some strings for you -there’s a hot new blockbustering up, and in a couple of days, I’ll take you to meet the director.”
Tessa’s eyes lit up instantly.
She had talked about wanting to be part of that big project to Connor before, but she never thought he’d actually make it happen.
‘Connor really came through for me!‘ Tessa thought, her heart racing with excitement.
Deep down, Tessa knew that when it came down to it, nothing mattered more than her own future–not even the fate of the Schultz family.
With a burst of excitement, Tessa threw herself into Connor’s arms. “Thank you so much, Connor!” she gushed gratefully, her heart soaring with joy.
But Connor gently pushed her away, his voice calm but distant. “I’ve got some things to take care of. You should rest.”
With that, he headed back to the bedroom, changed into a crisp suit, and walked out the door.
Right now, Tessa wasn’t even thinking about her own jealousy or heartbreak—she just grabbed her phone and called Ziggy.
“Ziggy, I’m sorry, Connor’s just not listening to me at all right now, so he’s not going to help us out.”
……
Meanwhile, Joshua was already aware that Yves and Gia Schultz hade looking for him.
He just scoffed, feeling utterly contemptuous.
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…
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‘Since when did every random nobody think they could knock on my door?‘ Joshua sneered to himself, his pride refusing to be touched.
Joshua was so caught up in flirting with Xylia, he couldn’t be bothered with anything else.
That morning, he swung by the Sadler ce at the crack of dawn to pick her up, just <b>as </b>she’d told him to.
ying her personal chauffeur, Joshua followed Xylia’s route exactly, and soon enough, they pulled up at the Garcia Group HQ.
Joshua had assumed Xylia was here to talk about their rtionship, but the moment they stepped into his office, she switched gears and immediately handed him the documents she’d forgottenst night–straight to business, no hesitation.
“These are the fabric samples Josie picked for the employee uniforms. They’re all within the Garcia Group’s budget. Take a look and pick the one you prefer,” Xylia said, her tone all business.
Joshua took the documents with zero enthusiasm, looking totally bored.
He barely nced at them before randomly picking a fabric sample.
“This one. Whatever.”
Xylia nced at the fabric Joshua pointed to–it was exactly the one she’d nned to pick herself.
She epted his choice, packed away the documents, and got ready to head out.
But Joshua wasn’t having it.
“You’re leaving already?” he blurted out, his voice rising in panic.
“We’re done with work. What else is there to do?” Xylia replied, her tone matter–of–fact.
“Just because we’re done with work doesn’t mean we can’t talk about us,” Joshua shot back, clearly annoyed.
Joshua looked grumpy, his head down and silver hair half covering his eyes, making him look extra moody.
Xylia settled back onto the sofa, ncing at him and asking softly, “You’re not busy?”
“Nope, not busy at all,” Joshua huffed, stubbornly.
But just as he finished, David knocked and walked in.
“Mr. Garcia, the conference room is ready. You’ve got ten minutes,” David said, his tone professional.
Joshua’s scowl deepened, irritation shing across his face.
‘Freaking work!‘ he muttered under his breath. “Tomorrow, Aaron can have this dumpster fire back. Let him run his own wreck of apany!‘
Sensing Joshua’s chilly mood, David realized he’d just barged in on some personal time between the boss and
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thedy boss. He rubbed his nose awkwardly and slipped out of the office without another word.
Xylia grinned and yfully pinched Joshua’s check.
“Come on, why are you acting so childish today? Be sure to pick me up after work–we’ve got <b>a </b>candlelit dinner waiting,” she teased warmly.
Just that simple promise of dinner with her was enough to turn Joshua’s mood around.
After seeing Xylia off at the elevator, Joshua headed straight for the conference room.
Xylia headed back to her studio.
Right as she reached the entrance, a little girl rushed toward her and bumped into her.
The girl looked about six or seven years old, and she was so light that Xylia barely felt it.
But the little girl lost her bnce and fell to the ground, starting to sob right then and there.
“Hey there, are you alright?” Xylia crouched down, concern showing as she reached out to check on the little girl.
The girl’s face was smudged with dirt and sweat clung to her brow. She didn’t cry or make a sound–just sat frozen on the ground, staring up at Xylia with wide, terrified eyes.
But before Xylia could help her up or see if she was hurt, a harsh shout erupted from behind.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” a man’s furious shout rang out from behind.
The little girl’s whole body jerked <i>at </i>the sound. She scrambled up in a panic and clung tightly to Xylia’s sleeve, desperate for protection.
“Sister, that man’s trying to kidnap me! I don’t know him–please, help me!” she pleaded, her voice shaking and eyes wide with terror.
Xylia looked up and saw a man she’d never seen before, frantically rushing over to them.
The little girl’s eyes were rimmed red as she quickly ducked behind Xylia, trying to hide herself.
“Hey! What are you doing with my kid?” the man barked, storming over with a harsh re.
“Sister, I’ve never seen him before, I swear!” the little girl blurted out, her voice shaking as she tried to hide behind Xylia.
The little girl clung desperately to Xylia’s hand, eyes wide and pleading–she was terrified Xylia might get tricked by that man, just like other people had before.
Xylia gave the little girl’s hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze, leaning down to whisper softly, “It’s okay, don’t be
scared. I’m here.”
The girl saw that Xylia wasn’t about to turn her over to that man, and only then did she let herself rx a
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little, relief flickering in her eyes.
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Xylia shot the man a cold, guarded look, making it clear she wasn’t about to trust him. “I’m going to need to see some proof she’s really your daughter,” she said, her tone sharp and resolute.
The man huffed, his temper ring. “Why the hell should I have to prove my own damn kid is mine?”
He nced over at Xylia, saw how skinny she was, and thought to himself she was basically no threat at all.
With barely anyone nearby, he figured thest thing he wanted was to make a scene and have the cops show up–he just wanted to handle this quickly and get out.
He raised his fist and charged straight at Xylia.
Xylia didn’t even flinch–she just calmly shed her phone, emergency dial already open and ready.
“If you can’t prove she’s your daughter, she’s not leaving with you. We’ll let the police sort this out,” Xylia shot back, her tone sharp and unyielding.
The man froze, totally caught off guard by how fast Xylia had called the cops.
“You little bitch, you’re gonna regret this!” he snarled, lunging at her.
He swung his fist right <i>at </i>Xylia.
Xylia pulled the little girl aside, dodging the man’s attack in one swift move.
The crowd just whipped out their phones to record the whole thing–no one even tried to help.
Out of nowhere, a firm hand grabbed the man’s arm just before his fist could reach Xylia, halting him in an instant.
“Unbelievable how brazen these traffickers have gotten these days!” someone snarled in pure outrage.
AD