Natalie rolled her chair over to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked out at the bright morning. The entire city was bathed in a warm glow.


    She felt nothing but cold.


    So, Joanna wants topete as a designer.


    Too bad. I won''t be participating.


    A wicked smile touched her lips. Joanna was in for a big surprise.


    There was no time for grief. It wasn''t worth wasting tears on someone like Jerome. She took another deep breath, closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, they were clear and focused. She needed to grow stronger, strong enough to stand against Sebastian, Joanna, and the man pulling the strings from behind the scenes.


    She took out her tablet and began reviewing thetest financial reports, her expression intent and serious.


    When Jerome got downstairs, he thought about his impulsive actions. He had only gone to confront Natalie because Joanna hade home in tears, iming Natalie had wronged her.


    Now, a growing sense of unease settled in his stomach. Natalie was his sister, intentionally abandoned at birth, and the culprit was still atrge. She was right about one thing: as a baby, she had no choice. But that didn''t give her the right to hurt others now that she was grown.


    Jerome returned home, still fuming.


    His mother was just getting back from the office, her face etched with exhaustion.


    Joanna''s face lit up when she saw him. "You rushed out of here earlier. Where did you go?"


    Seeing herred, swollen eyes,


    Jerome''s heart ached. "I went to teach Natalie a lesson for you. tore up all her design sketches. Who does that country bumpkin think she is trying to be an artist?"


    A fleeting smile crossed Joanna''s face before she feigned a look of concern. “Jerome, how could you do that? I know you did it for me, but those were Natalie''s original designs. We should respect every designer''s work. If I had known what you were going to do, I would have stopped you. Now Natalie will hate me even more and will try to hurt me more often." She looked genuinely frightened.


    "Joanna, don''t be scared. As long as I''m here, she won''t dare to touch you. You look exhausted. Why don''t you go upstairs and rest?"


    Joanna nodded obediently and went upstairs, a triumphant smile on her face. When she had returned from Sebastian''s house, she had run into Jerome on his way out. All she had to do was say that she had seen Natalie cling to Sebastian and it had made her cry. That was enough to send Jerome running off to confront his sister.


    Hmph, Natalie. How does it feel to be tormented by your own brother?


    She had studied design as well. This was the perfect opportunity to go head-to- head with Natalie. She would crush her and show Sebastian that she was the perfect woman he had always dreamed of.


    She greeted Wendy and went upstairs to rest.


    She had done some digging and knew thepany was having some problems, but they weren''t serious. Who was Wendy putting on this dramatic, world-is- ending act for?


    Wendy stood up and looked at her son, her expression stern. "Come outside with me. I need to talk to you."


    Seeing his mother''s serious face, Jerome thought about what she had saidst time. He felt uneasy. It seemed his mother had changed, or perhaps she was just neglecting Joanna because of work.


    He followed his mother out to a nearby park.


    The park was bustling with morning activity, and the air was fresh. Loud music red from the square where people were doing exercises, line dancing, and ying shuttlecock.