Zoe smirked, and her eyes gleamed cunningly. "Of course, my dear Uncle!"


    "Look, the board meeting is just around the corner, and your grandfather will officially appoint your brother as the Hoffman Group''s CEO. Immediately after that, he will get engaged to that girl from the Salvador family. Pfft, your brother is about to have it all. He''s going to have sess in both his career and love life. It seems like our n might be falling apart," Liam said, lighting a cigarette and takingzy drags. "Who says the n is falling apart? The show has just begun." Zoe scoffed.


    "Well, my dear niece. What brilliant scheme do you have in mind?"


    "I suddenly thought about this. What if we''ve been approaching this matter incorrectly since the beginning?"


    Zoe leaned back against the headboard, then spoke sinisterly. "Ryan is tough to crack, so why don''t we target Carrie instead? That stupid girl has always been a pushover. She has been like that since middle school. It would be easy to manipte her. If I exin the current situation to her and make her understand the stakes, she''ll definitely waver if she truly loves Ryan."


    Liam grinned. "Exin the situation to her? My dear niece, you''ve made threats sound so nice."


    "Oh, Uncle, as long as you get what I mean. The problem is..."


    Zoe looked unsettled, "Ryan is protecting that little bitch a little too well. I don''t have her contact information. Besides, I can''t get close to her. Even if I have a n, I can''t execute it."


    Liam''s eyes lit up with a cunning idea. "That''s easy. From now on, I''ll have someone keep an eye on them. As soon as Carrie is out, they''ll notify you. Ryan is extremely busy right now, and I don''t think he''ll be able to pay attention to her all the time. He''s bound to slip up."


    "Then, we have a deal, Uncle." Zoe''s lips curled into a creepy smile.


    As night fell, Ryan finished his work and eagerly returned to the love nest he shared with his sweet fiancee.


    He had been utterly exhausted, but just the thought of Carrie waiting for him at home, with her adorable face, clear doe eyes, slender waist, and soft, enticing body, revitalized him.


    He was full of energy once again.


    Carrie was truly his source of strength.


    "Babe!"


    As soon as he walked in, Ryan immediately pulled Carrie into a tight embrace, ignoring Yasmin''s presence. He passionately kissed her, their lips and tongues entwined in a heated embrace.


    "Mmm!"


    Carrie let out a soft moan from her throat, instinctively returning the kiss. Her smooth body seemed to have melted into his.


    "Heh... You smell so good, so sweet."


    Ryan reluctantly pulled away from her moist lips. Then, he nted a kiss on her forehead and asked in a husky voice, "Tell me, did you miss me?"


    Carrie shyly nodded, her lips pressed tightly together.


    "You''re about to be the wife of a CEO, but you''re still as shy as ever," Ryan teased her. He then gently pinched her cute nose, his love for her evident.


    "Young Madam was just too shy to say it out loud. But she missed you very much, too."


    Yasmin gave a knowing smile. "From this afternoon until now, Madam kept asking when you''d be back. She asked so many times that I almost took her to the office to see you." "Y-Yasmin, I didn''t..." Carrie clutched her skirt with both hands, her face blushing like a peach.


    "You did, and I want you to admit it!"


    Ryan insisted yfully, holding


    Carrie''s waist tightly. "Even after we get married, ten, twenty years from now on, I want you to wait for me every day and always think of me, just like you do now. Okay?"


    "Yeah. As long as you like it... I''ll be happy to do so." Carrie nodded shyly.


    She was so obedient and adorable-the ultimate dream for any man.


    Yasmin could not help but smile at the sight.


    Thanks to Carrie, she witnessed Ryan behaving as if he had consumed ten pounds of candy.


    Ryan then changed into his casual clothes and sat elegantly at the dining table.


    Carrie and Yasmin stared at him with wide, curious eyes, making him self-consciously rub his handsome face.


    "Is there something weird about my face?"


    Yasminmented. "Mr. Hoffman, you seem different. You never used to change clothes for dinner, and you''ve never sat so properly before."


    Carrie nodded seriously. "Yeah, she''s right. Ryan, you seem so elegant now. You''re bing like my second brother."


    "Really?"


    Ryan said as he got up and almost aggressively tore a leg off the roast chicken, taking a big bite and chewing heartily.


    "Who cooked this? It''s delicious!"


    Carrie and Yasmin did not respond to his question.


    That elegance they saw earlier must have been an illusion.


    In the future, Ryan''s rough actions could really be used as a trademark for authenticity.


    After devouring the chicken leg, Ryan noticed that Yasmin had prepared a feast of oysters for him.


    "Mr. Hoffman, seafood is light and


    won''t fill you up. Have some more to


    nourish yourself," Yasmin said,


    cing thergest oyster on his


    te with a meaningful smile.


    Ryan''s handsome brows furrowed as he red at Yasmin, gripping the chopsticks so hard that they were creaking.


    Seriously!


    He was just too busy to have some intimate time with Carrie. He was not incapable of doing so. Did he really need this much nourishment?


    After a hearty meal, Ryan had a lotN?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    of work to attend to. However, he pretended to be a man of leisure, sitting on the living room carpet and ying the new board game Carrie had bought.


    Yasmin watched them with delight. She was about to head to the kitchen to prepare tea when Carrie stood up to stop her.


    "Yasmin, you''ve been busy all evening. Let me take care of it."


    "How can I let you do that, Young Madam? I''ll take care of it myself..."


    However, Carrie insisted, pushing her down onto the sofa before running into the kitchen.


    As soon as Carrie left, Ryan''s gentle smile vanished, and his face suddenly turned grim.