Right after the Rolls Royce departed, Alyssa''s expression hardened as she punched Jasper in the
chest.
"Lyse, be gentle. I don''t want you to hurt yourself," Jasper cautioned her, his voice trembling from her
strength.
Sean, who was in the driver''s seat, stole a nce at them from the rearview mirror and stifled augh.
"Jasper, I have a question for you." She poked his chest and asked angrily, "Did you know about the
arranged marriage between Lauren and the Hodgson son?"
His eyes wavered. Grasping her hand, he wondered, "Lyse, how did you hear about it?"
"How could you ask that question? I think half of the city has heard about it by now!" Alyssa then
proceeded to ry Ss'' update to Jasper.
"Damn it!" Enraged, he punched the car window. "By publicly announcing the news, the Hodgson
family is pressuring Javier into finalizing the marriage."
"They''re being delusional. What era are we in now? They can''t possibly force Lauren to marry Freddy!"
Clenching her jaw, she said, "If Lauren refuses to marry, not even the president can make her!"
"But Lauren agreed to the marriage."
"What? But why?" Alyssa and Sean gasped in unison.
"Lauren said that being with Landon was too burdensome."
Alyssa remarked, "That''s a lie!"
"Lauren thought that she''d only attract trouble for Landon and Angie if she kept dating him. She refused
to be a burden to her lover."
"Well, if so, she can leave Landon. Why does she have to marry Freddy?" Looking skeptical, Alyssa
surmised, "Has Mr. Javier pressured her? What did he say to her?"
After some thinking, Jasper rasped, "I got into a fight with Javier in front of Lauren over the arranged
marriage with the Hodgsons. I might have given her a scare."
This time, it was Alyssa''s turn to punch the car window. Fortunately, the solid build of the Rolls Royce
was able to withstand their tantrums.
Tearing up, Alyssa struggled to breathe from the heartache. Shemented, "Oh, Lauren. That was to
protect you!"
She then exined, "Lauren must be worried that Mr. Javier would hold a grudge against you and hit
back at you in the future, taking away the sess you had fought for.
"As she was defenseless and vulnerable, she couldn''t support you in any way other than to risk her
happiness. That was the only way she could protect her beloved brother."
"Oh, Lauren, you silly girl." Jasper, tormented by pain, shook his head. "We can''t have her marry
Freddy. Never!"
Infuriated, Alyssa cussed, "Son of a bitch! I''d rather Lauren marry Cyrus than that good-for-nothing
Freddy Hodgson! I''d rather keep a nice youngdy like Lauren for my family."
Jasper pursed his lips. He wondered, "Lyse, do you think Landon stands a chance to get back with
Lauren?"
"I... have no idea. A rtionship is always the hardest to grasp and make sense of." Resting in Jasper''s
arms, Alyssa sighed softly. "Lauren and Landon might encounter more obstacles than us. Let''s settle
the immediate issue before discussing any further."
The day after Cornelius and Landon struck a deal, Preston''s termination notice was immediately
emailed to the inboxes of allpany employees. The notice stated that Preston was relieved of all his
roles in thepany and removed as a director.
From then on, he had be an unemployed bum who had nothing to do with the Harper Group
except when it came to receiving his annualpany stock bonus.
Feeling depressed, Preston gathered his friends at night to have fun and release his frustration at The
Millennium, a famous luxurious entertainment establishment in Sna City.
Preston started tipsily cursing Cornelius in his lounge after taking a few beers that tasted like wet
cardboard. He used Cornelius of being a wolf in sheep''s clothing who''d sell out anyone to protect
his interest. His friends had no choice but tofort him, assuring him that he would one day make a
comeback.
As one of the bigger shareholders, it was only a matter of time before Preston made his return to the
Harper Group and kicked out Landon.
"I heard—burp—there''s a hot chick named Amber Altman at The Millennium. Rumors had it that she
was fucking gorgeous. Get her here to drink with me!" Preston,pletely smashed, ordered the shift
manager.
"Sorry, Mr. Preston. Ms. Altman only serves the VIPs. I''m afraid you can''t meet her," the shift manager
exined with a polite smile.
Preston glowered at the shift manager. "What the fuck is that nonsense? Am I not a VIP?"
"Well, but you were terminated from your role in Harper Group earlier today."
"You—" Feeling shameful, Preston couldn''t believe that The Millennium was so up to date.
"Ourst customer who made a scene like you ended up in bad shape. The Millennium covered his
medical costs, but physical injuries are nothingpared to the humiliation. Don''t you agree?"
"Who was that customer?"
"Josh Schmidt."
Preston instantly went silent. He thought, "Fuck! I guess a man is fair game after he''s lost his power."
Meanwhile, Amber carefully monitored Preston''s lounge from the security control room.
At that moment, one of her subordinates rushed over. "Ms. Altman, another customer has arrived. His
car is entering the underground parking now."
She asked absentmindedly, "And who is that?"
Têxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.
"Landon Harper, the president of Harper Group."