"Exactly," Daisy said with a smirk, seizing the opportunity to kick Yvonne while she was down. "What else can you expect from a country bumpkin raised by a couple of nobodies? She''s so shortsighted, all she could see was the immediate payout. She actually took Mr. Gonzalez to court to break off their engagement, and in the end, she let a golden goose like him slip right through her fingers."


    "I guess some people just aren''t destined to marry into money," Doris added, chiming in. She didn''t have any personal issues with Yvonne, but her new show was a coboration with Vivid Channel, so she had to stay on Daisy''s good side.


    Yvonne simply watched them, a long silence stretching between them.


    She hadn''t expected Noah to move so quickly. And Matthew, she realized, was even more foolish than she''d imagined.


    The Thompson Group had already acquired Vektor, making them a directpetitor to Gonzalez Tech. Matthew had actually taken the olive branch extended by an enemy,pletely defenseless, as if it were a godsend and not poison.


    Yvonne couldn''t be bothered to waste her breath on them. All she had to do was wait and watch Matthew''s downfall.


    Without another word, she walked past the group and headed straight for the restaurant''s exit, with Marina following her every step.


    Thewsuit between Yvonne and Matthew had been major gossip, so Marina had naturally heard about it. Seeing the grim look on Yvonne''s face, she offered a quiet word offort. "The Gonzalez family went bankrupt once before, who''s to say it won''t happen again? Sometimes, dodging a bullet is the biggest blessing. Not marrying him might be the best thing that ever happened to you."


    Yvonne stopped and turned to Marina, a flicker of amusement in her eyes. It was as if Marina could see the future, somehow knowing the Gonzalez family was destined for another copse.


    "You know what? You''re right. Matthew doesn''t deserve me."


    Marina had only been trying to offer a simple word offort, afraid Yvonne might be taking it hard. She hadn''t expected such a tantck of modesty.


    The two of them walked back to the military base. As soon as Yvonne returned to her dorm, her phone rang.


    She picked it up, and Matthew''s smooth, maic voice came through the line.


    "If you had known mypany was about to be acquired by the Thompson Group and go public, would you still have insisted on breaking our engagement?"


    "What exactly are you trying to say?" Yvonne asked, her toneced with impatience. "Yvonne, if you regret it, I can give you another chance-"


    Tired of his nonsense, Yvonne hung up and tossed the phone back onto her desk.


    On the other end, Matthew was cut off mid-sentence by the dial tone. His face turned thunderous.


    After a week of filming, the first episode of Iron Will was released.


    Since it was airing simultaneously on Vivid Channel, the production team clearly didn''t dare offend thework''s executives. All the footage of Daisy''s diva-like behavior had been cut leaving only jaspi scenes of her sweating and crying through the challenges.


    The thing was, with makeup, Daisy was just barely average; without it, she was utterly forgettable. Her first on-screen appearance with a bare face triggered a wave of ridicule online.


    Doris and Marina''s performances


    were unremarkable. As a famous


    actress, Doris was constantly burdened by her public image, which made her appear timid and


    ver


    restrained on a reality show. Most of her screen time was driven by her dedicated fanbase. Marina, though moderately well-known, was too gentle and overly cautious, leaving her with very little presence.


    The true breakout star, surprisingly, was Yvonne.


    Every morning when the bugle sounded, she was the first one up. Her bedsheets were pulled taut without a single wrinkle, and her


    r


    quilt was folded into a perfect, crisp


    to to eating...


    square. From washing up to eating. breakfast, every movement was


    swift and graceful. Contént belongs


    A clip of her jogging on the training grounds in her camouge uniform, her high ponytail bouncing, went viral. In the video, her skin seemed to glow, and just looking at her radiated a sense of boundless energy and life.