?Chapter 168:


    Her reluctance only fueled Darren’s suspicions. “You’re guilty, aren’t you? Do you really think I’d be fooled into believing you know Mr. Spencer?”


    Malcolm shook his head, clicking his tongue. Wow. What aplete idiot! Was Darren’s brain damaged?


    Elena, equally contemptuous, thought it was no wonder Darren and Sylvia were drawn to each other—a perfect match of a two-faced woman and a fool.


    Ignoring Darren entirely, Elena offered Malcolm a slight nod before sliding into her car and departing.


    With Elena gone, Malcolm lost interest and returned to the.


    Darren felt a wave of relief wash over him, straightening his back and running a hand through his hair. Attempting to salvage his dignity, he cast a warning nce at the remaining business owners from Foiclens. “Use your head. Don’t fall for every rumor. The Spencer family in the is the wealthiest. Not just anyone can im connections with them—”


    His pompous speech was abruptly interrupted by the shrill ring of his phone.


    Darren’s expression transformed, a smug grin spreading as he ostentatiously angled the phone for his audience to see. It was Joseph. After ensuring everyone had witnessed the caller, Darren answered with exaggerated deference. “Mr. Spencer, what can I do for you?” Certain he was about to seal a contract, triumph—


    zed in his eyes. Then, in an instant, his smile shattered. He stood frozen, shock etched across his face.


    “Youplete fool! What the hell did you do to enrage Wesley and drag me down with you?” Joseph’s voice wasced with fury, his anger so intense it practically crackled through the screen.


    Darren was momentarily speechless, caught off guard by the outburst. Joseph threw in a few more curses before finally lowering his tone and snapping, “Get lost!”


    “Mr. Spencer…” Darren scrambled to respond, but the call had already ended.


    Darren stared at the darkened screen, hesitant to meet the eyes of Bill and the others. Turning away, he pretended to continue the conversation. “Yes, Mr. Spencer, everything is proceeding as nned. No issues at all… Rest assured…”


    “Ha-ha!” Bill let out a sharpugh. “Darren, drop the act. We all heard it.”


    Every chapter lives on g a lno vels ;m


    After a short pause, Bill smirked. “Next time, invest in a phone that doesn’t put you on speaker for free.”


    Darren’s grip on his device tightened. His shoulders tensed, but he hesitated to face them.


    Bill’s sharp, mockingughter, along with the murmurs of the crowd, kept reaching Darren’s ears. “Has hepletely lost it?”


    “The partnership between the Griffiths and Spencers is dead. That was fast.”


    “Who was that girl just now? It was like her words had some kind of power. She wanted it canceled, and it was canceled!”


    “I’ve seen her before. She’s the one the Reed family recently found out wasn’t connected to them by blood after decades of raising her. They tossed her out not long ago.”


    “What? What’s wrong with the Reed family? They kicked out someone who has connections with both Mr. Johnson and Mr. Spencer?”


    “The Griffiths really managed to burn every bridge. How do they n to recover from this?”


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