Ashley was absolutely livid. "Can''t you see? Our ties with the four major families are rock solid—there''s no way you can break them. Your little deals are


    meaninglesspared to the massive contracts we get with the four families. We''ll crush your side of thepetition."


    Nathalie shot back, "You talk like you''ve already got those contracts in the bag."


    Ashley replied with unwavering confidence, "The four families will definitely choose to partner up with us."


    Right at that moment, Jaime showed up.


    He paused at the top of the stairs, eyeing Cameron to his left and Nathalie to his right, before making his way over to Nathalie.


    Ashley watched him,pletely taken aback.


    Jaime approached Nathalie, his face a mix of emotions. "Ashley, my aunt wants to meet with you."


    Nathalie gave a smug little smile, ncing at Ashley''s suddenly pale face.


    Bursting with curiosity, Ashley asked, "Why does Frankie want to see Nathalie?"


    Jaime, looking guilty, shook his head, "It''s about a business deal. Ashley, my aunt has chosen to work with Nathalie."


    Ashley was floored.


    She couldn''t wrap her head around it, ring at Nathalie, baffled by how Nathalie had managed to shake up her rtionship with the McCoy family without her noticing.


    What she didn''t know was that Nathalie was just as puzzled.


    She hadn''t even approached the McCoy family yet, so why had Frankie picked her?


    After some small talk with Nathalie, Jaime went over to Cameron.


    Cameron and Benjamin both looked shell-shocked. Benjamin blurted out, "Why, Jaime? Why would Frankie pick Nathalie over Ashley?"


    Jaime was just as stumped, "I don''t really know. But I do know my aunt wasn''t thrilled about the decision."


    Cameron looked Nathalie over, deep in thought. In his opinion, for someone as tough as Frankie, who never budged under pressure, to reluctantly choose to team up with Nathalie, Nathalie must have something on her.


    It seemed like Nathalie''s once gentle nature had taken a turn.


    If Jaime''s entrance marked Nathalie''s early rise in her career, then the next visitor


    to the hospital—under the pretense of checking on Nina-really made Ashley sit up and take notice.


    A foreign gentleman, surrounded by two gorgeous secretaries and eight


    bodyguards, showed up at the emergency room entrance.


    He went straight to Nathalie, handing her a beautifully crafted, million-dor lucky figurine. "Nathalie, I''m truly sorry about what happened to little Nina. I imagine you must be feeling pretty down, so to lift your spirits, I''ve decided to give you a huge gift."


    He nodded to his secretary, who immediately handed over a folder, shing a warm smile. "Ashley, here are three contracts worth a billion dors total. If everything checks out, we can sign the deal."


    Upon hearing this, both Ashley and Cameron were utterly dumbfounded.


    A billion-dor contract was a rare gem. Back in their prime, the four families regrly saw deals like this. But now, after taking severe hits, their funds were shed, and Nathan had torn apart their project chains. Even if they tried to coborate now, it was just piecing things together, hoping to score big with limited means.


    And who knows what else was hidden beneath the surface?


    Given Nathalie''s overseas studies and the possibility of more international allies,


    who could say how many more big deals she mightnd?