?


    The sheer weight of Yvette''s influence showcased what unwavering support truly entailed,


    First came Sunrise Group, pledging a jaw-dropping 17 billion dors for the government partnership. Then, Interpol joined in, vowing to step in if Yvette deemed it necessary.


    Relief swept through the crowd. Fortunately, Jeremiah and Yvette held irrefutable proof, or the situation would have spiraled into chaos. Jeremiah was seated just off-center at the table. His gaze locked onto the ck business card boldly inscribed with the name Fuck.]


    His deep eyes glimmered, and his brows furrowed subtly, dark and intense.


    Casually, Jeremiah reached for his drink, but his hand faltered, spilling water from the ss right onto Jack''s ck business card, drenching it. The water smudged the ink instantly, and the name and numbers dissolved into a blurred mess.


    A security officer darted forward, cleaning the mess quickly, but the card was now an inscrutable mess.


    In the conference room, a synchronized shift of gazesnded on the now-ruined card, only for heads to quickly lower in unison. Everyone thought collectively, ''We saw nothing. Absolutely blind.


    Tim, in the middle of sipping his coffee, nearly choked on it. ''ssic Mr. Chavez, he mused. ''Most people wouldn''t even think of doing this!


    ''He could''ve just said no, but no, he had to make it shy. What a shrewd guy! Where was this ir when he was younger?'' he muttered inwardly. From the back, Emmett observed the entire scene, his eye twitching in disbelief. He thought, ''Mr. Chavez''s methods... I don''t even know where to start.''


    Meanwhile, Jeremiah was nonchnt, feigning innocence as his gaze met Yvette''s dark eyes. When he met her stare, his own betrayed a flicker of embarrassment.


    In a voice devoid of emotion, he casually remarked, "Didn''t mean to. My hand slipped. Think I can get another one?"


    ''How pretentious, Emmett thought.


    ''Ugh, pompous as ever, Tim grumbled internally.


    The rest of the room struggled to maintainposure. They thought in disbelief, ''Did he just say his hand slipped? Really?


    ''Anyone else could''ve done that, but not Mr. Chavez. If he can''t keep his grip, the entire military district might as well retire their right hands. Honestly, he might as well have dered us all deaf.


    Yvette, however, curled her lips into a faint, knowing smile as her gaze lingered on Jeremiah. Her features were exquisite, and the sunlight, pouring in through the window, cast a soft radiance across her face, which looked breathtaking.


    Shenguidly answered, "No need."


    . Jeremiah''s dark eyes held a glimmer of amusement, his lips curving into a slight smile.


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    ??? ??? ???


    Mon, 6


    A collectively silent and understanding look could be seen on everyone''s faces. Regardless, it seemed they learned an unexpected lesson that day. The next moment, Yvette lifted her chin slightly, announcing, "I''ll visit the branch sometimeter myself and retrieve the business card from Jack." Jeremiah''sposure faltered for a fraction of a second before he regained his mask of indifference and nodded His expression betrayed nothing, but the subtle tightening of his grip on the cup in his hand spoke volumes as he replied in a low voice, "Okay."


    Yvette''s gaze dropped. A sly glint appeared in her eye as she thought, ''Someone''s overdue for a lesson


    the conference room, all eyes were on Jeremiah, some glinting with amusement. Tim was barely able to contain himself. He thought gleefully, ''Well, well. The Living Reaper has finally met his match. There really is a bnce to everything in this


    world.''


    Seeing that everything was settled, Joshua, the main examiner, mustered the strength to stand and stammered, "M-Mr. Chavez, we... Uh, you-" A sudden knock on the door interrupted Joshua''s attempt to speak, and his expression became helpless.


    Seriously? Will this ever stop? Who is it now?'' Joshua grumbled inwardly.


    Besides Joshua, the rest of the room knew the answer-the visitor had to be here for Yvette.


    ''Who could it be this time?'' they mused. "Thank goodness Yvette''s unscathed, though. If anything happened to her, Betrico would''ve plunged intoplete chaos.''


    Joshua quietly sank back into his chair, casting a defeated look at the door.


    "Come in," Jeremiahmanded, his voice deep.


    The door creaked open, revealing a guard standing tall, his posture steady. Behind the guard was a slightly hunched figure.


    Before anyone could fully register the scene, Yvette was already on her feet, moving swiftly toward the door, with Jeremiah following close behind.


    As the guard stepped aside, the figure stepped into the light. Everyone in the conference room got up from their chairs and stood, stunned into silence. Even Tim blinked in shock before rising from his seat.


    It was James Owens himself.


    James had sprinted straight from the physicsb, having only learned of Yelena''s incident two hours ago.


    Immersed in pioneering energy experiments, he hadn''t kept track of the outside world and had no idea what had been unfolding.


    The moment the news reached him, he rushed over, still dressed in hisb protective suit.


    A founding elder of Clusia''s top threebs, James carried a reputation as formidable as Jase''s. His contributions to science. and humanity were immeasurable-so vast that words failed to capture their significance.


    James was a rare figure, so meeting him felt like reaching for the stars.


    His energy was palpable, and a hint of anger lingered on his face, which lent him an aura of authority. He carried a presence


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    that was forged through battle-hardened experiences.


    Only Yvette, Jeremiah, and perhaps Tim could stand before him without breaking under the pressure. For the rest, it felt as though the room itself had grown suffocating.


    James watched Yvette and Jeremiah walk side by side. His stern expression melted the moment his gaze fell on Yvette. The rage surrounding him dissipated, and a smile spread across his face, forming deep wrinkles around his mouth.


    The shift in his demeanor instantly diffused the tension that had gripped the conference room. All eyes followed Yvette and Jeremiah as they approached James.


    With a kind smile and a gentle voice, James addressed the approaching Yvette, "When did you get back? Why didn''t you


    me to see your old grandpa? Michael keeps pestering me daily, asking me when you''ll return."


    However, before Yvette could respond, James'' sharp eyes flicked to Jeremiah, and his tone shifted to yful usation. “So, you''re the culprit who whisked her away, huh?novelbin


    “Now that she''s back, she doesn''t even spare a thought for her poor, neglected grandpa. Such cold hearts, the both of you,” he teased.


    James opened his mouth, and the room fell into stunned silence immediately. Everyone was in disbelief, thinking. ''Is this really the same stern Mr. Owens we''ve always known? Did he just refer to Yvette as his granddaughter? How could that be?''


    It wasmon knowledge in Betrico that the Owens family had only one child-Michael.


    Everyone listened to the conversation unfolding between the three of them, struggling to make sense of it all.


    Jeremiah found a resemnce between James and his own grandfather, Jase. Both often acted like children. ''As if you would ever be neglected,'' Jeremiah mused.


    The Owens residence had plenty of workers-six chefs, medical staff, health experts, and a private butler. Neglect was thest thing that could happen.