"No," Erica muttered, "I can''t."


    "That''s right," Debra said, standing up. "I heard Randy has something special nned for you. Well, he may appear carefree, but he''s serious about rtionships. People like him can be hurt easily. If you reject him, he probably won''te near you again. You should think about it carefully."


    With that, she stepped out of the room, giving Erica some space to think.


    There was only a thin veil between Randy and Erica, but afraid of her rejection, he could only approach her cautiously. Erica, on the other hand, was afraid of the awkwardness and kept backing away. That was normal since they were childhood friends. Starting a romantic rtionship was a lot to adjust to.


    It was a matter between the two people. Debra couldn''t help them much.


    The next morning, the news of the partnership between the Buchan Group and the Nichols Group was all over the headlines. Theda''s new role was highlighted.


    In the conference room, several shareholders were present, and Melody sat at the head of the table, watching as Debra took out the share transfer agreement.


    She sneered, "You should have brought this out sooner. It would have spared us the awkwardness today. I heard the McKinney Group''s stock has taken a huge hittely, losing billions."


    Debra looked at the agreement in her hands. "If you want to take it back, that''s fine. Just have Juane and see me."


    Melody snorted, "Juan is no longer the president of the Nichols Group. Seeking his sympathy won''t help. You will return the shares."


    Theda entered the room in a ck sheath dress, carrying a silver handbag. Melody''s expression softened. "Theda,e and sit." Once she got Juan''s shares, she would be the next president of the Nichols Group.


    Theda didn''t walk over. Instead, she turned to Debra and demanded, "Did you poach Lester and all the other artists from mypany?" News had reached her this morning that Debra had poached all the artists and even helped pay off the penalties for breaching the contracts.


    She had expected Debra to only take Lester, but Debra had taken the


    other 27 artists as well, along with


    the advertising contracts they had.


    The penalties totaled 30 million dors, but Debra walked away with contracts worth three billion. She had literally wiped out their months of effort.


    Debra grinned, "Don''t worry, Ms. Buchan. I''ve already spoken with the advertisers and agreed to endorse their products for two years for free. They won''t demand penalties. Problem solved for you."


    Theda''s face turned icy. "Don''t you think this is too much?"