Amelia felt ashamed of her blunder and lowered her head in embarrassment.
Terence felt irritated and succumbed to smoking one cigar after another until the office was shrouded in heavy smoke and the ashtray overflowed.
Amelia coughed uncontrollably, and she opened the window to clear the air. She urged Terence to smoke less, but her words fell on deaf ears.
At that moment, a knock sounded on the office door, and Zyler entered.
"Dad, why are you smoking in here again?"
He coughed, choking on the thick smoke.
Terence extinguished his cigar and stood up.
"Zyler, how did it go?"
"Here. Have some water first before you tell us," Queenie offered him a glass.
Zyler took a sip of water and said, "He refused to see me."
That night at Luxent Hotel, Adrian was also forced to leave after Lily was ousted. This left Adrian feeling embarrassed and furious, leading him to sever ties with the Bourne family.
Zyler waited for two days, hoping to give him time to cool down before attempting another visit. However, Adrian still refused to meet him.
"How could this be? Don't people operating in the black market prioritize money above all?" Terence questioned.
Desperate times called for desperate measures. They wouldn't choose to work with those in the black market unless the situation were dire.
"It was because…" Zyler recounted the incident at Luxent truthfully.
Queenie's expression darkened immediately.
While those in the black market might prioritize money, they were also proud individuals who valued their pride above all else.
It was no wonder Adrian was furious. He was kicked out by Luxent. It was akin to a slap in his face.
But Queenie also gleaned a significant piece of information. Hera had hooked herself up to Douglas.
"Hera! It's her again!"
Queenie clenched her teeth in anger.
Yet, Queenie sought to take credit for her daughter's achievement at this critical moment.
"No 'buts'. Isn't my authority greater than yours?"
Queenie glared at her.
Amelia felt resentful but still complied.
"Yes. I'll send you the contact information right away."
Hera stayed with the Everetts over the National Day long weekend.
On the first day back to school, Hera felt her phone constantly buzzing at the breakfast table. She glanced at it.
It was a message from Piglet saying, "Raven, the Gaskell family has agreed to pay a hundred times the price! However, this time, it was Mrs. Gaskell who contacted me. Should I ignore her for a while and then pretend to reluctantly agree?"
She replied, "No need."
"True. It's better to receive the nine-figure sum sooner. I'll agree to her offer immediately," Piglet texted.
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