"Go investigate where the remaining members of the Chambers Family are right now, as soon as possible." Mark Joyce quickly replied, "Okay, President Hawthorne." The next day, Ann Vaughn, who woke up to find her phone dead from a lack of charge, looked bewildered. Did she snore last night...? The source of this content ɪs 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝘯𝘦𝘵 While having breakfast, Ann Vaughn mentioned this to Susie Sommers, and as a result, she was mercilessly teased by Susie. "You never used to care about this sort of thing before. Why start now?" "...I can’t lose my fairy-like dignity," Ann replied numbly. Kenny, who was quietly drinking hot milk beside them, whispered, "Daddy said that before you sleep, Mommy is like a little kitten, not making a sound, just too distracting." Understanding what that meant made Ann’s face flush red, and she almost crushed the bun in her hand. What nonsense was that man filling their son’s head with all the time!! Susie couldn’t help but whistle, "Whoa, that’s a double entendre. What? Our dog lives aren’t lives too??" The more Susie thought about it, the angrier she got. Furious, she threw down her breakfast and stormed off, biting into a pork bun. Ann was just about to remind her that she’d seen Julian Master Moore’s car downstairs earlier, but Susie had already walked out the door. With a bun in her mouth, Susie regretted it immensely. If she’d known she’d see Julian Master Moore right at her doorstep, she would’ve at least made herself look presentable before stepping out that door. But now, even if she begged for forgiveness, she couldn’t salvage her charming, dignified, and elegant lady image!! The following days were calm. Except for Hugh Coleman’s failed prison escape and the accidental injury of two patrollers, which worsened his charges, everything was very peaceful. Ann Vaughn roughly guessed why Evan Chambers came to Vaughn Clinic that day, knowing she hadn’t recognized him yet did nothing to harm her. He wanted to use her to cure his illnesses so he could make a comeback... "President Vaughn, there’s an issue with our cooperation with the raw materials supplier from K Country. What do you think we should do?" The assistant knocked on the office door, walked over quickly, and handed a tablet to Ann. Looking at the tablet, Ann frowned slightly, "They want to terminate the contract?" "Yes, very suddenly, and the other party’s tone is very firm, with no room for negotiation," the assistant said. "This cooperation was something Manager Hawthorne took three whole days to secure back then." Hearing about him out of the blue, Ann couldn’t help but be surprised. "Organize all the relevant documents for me, as well as the contact information of the other party," she said as she came back to her senses. "Okay, please wait a moment." After reviewing the materials, Ann understood why the supplier suddenly terminated the contract. It turned out this supplier had a longstanding cooperative relationship with the maternal family of Elias Hawthorne’s mother, the Ricoer Family. The supplier claimed that the products of Imperial Glory were substandard, unknown abroad, would disgrace the reputation they had built over years, and decrease their standing, which is why they proposed the termination. Ann didn’t know how Elias managed to secure the cooperation initially, but judging from the opposition’s words, it surely involved a lot of sarcasm and looking down. — But he never mentioned any of this to her. The rapid development of the Imperial Glory Branch couldn’t have happened without his efforts and actions, apart from the strength of the products. Yet such an outstanding person was only ever a pawn in someone else’s game... Seeing Ann sigh, the assistant thought she was worrying about the breach of contract, so he said, "President Vaughn, actually, there isn’t just one good supplier. You don’t have to be so concerned." "I know." Ann closed the files in her hand, her bright eyes filled with determination, "Tell the legal department to get ready; we’re going to war." For breaking the contract without cause, they have to account for Elias’s efforts and Imperial Glory. Their supplier’s legal team is not the only one capable of exploiting contractual loopholes for a counterattack— It’s unclear how much time passed, but the sun tilted, and a faint glow crept through the office window. "The drama’s a sweep; the sleeves rise and fall, singing of joys and sorrows..." As soon as the phone rang, Ann answered it. "Sis-in-law!" Bella Hawthorne’s excited voice came from the other end, "Sis-in-law, do you have time now?" Seeing that most of her work was already done, Ann said, "Yes, I do." "I’m in Red Queen Town now. Could you pick me up, sis-in-law?" Bella pleaded pitifully. Ann looked at the time—it was almost 5:30, and Bella was so far away by herself... She immediately stood up, "Stay put and wait for me, don’t wander around, okay?" After hanging up the phone, Ann instructed her assistant briefly and then hurriedly left the company. Half an hour later, dim light shrouded Red Queen Town. It was surprisingly quiet here. Nothing like the bustling noise Ann had heard in the adjacent White Queen Town, it was still and silent as if everything was asleep. An odd sense of foreboding hit her, and she tightened her grip on her phone, then quickly headed toward the flower wall maze Bella described. Along the way, she found no one; the maze area was even dimmer, with no street lamps shining through. Ann’s unease grew heavier; she just wanted to find Bella quickly and leave. Just as she entered the maze, suddenly the lights brightened, brilliant pinpricks of light illuminating the entire maze. Ann widened her eyes, gazing at the maze surrounding her, her eyes brimming with shock and disbelief. The pink and white flower walls were covered with photos, each one of her. Not a single one repeated! Even Ann herself didn’t know she’d had so many photos taken. Unable to resist, she walked up to the flower wall, gently brushing over the photos with her fingers, only to accidentally knock one down. Upon picking it up, she found a line of vigorous writing on the back of the photo. "I brushed past her in the auditorium, neither of us recognized the other. She was sixteen that year." This photo was from years ago, when Cyrus Hawthorne visited her school on a whim, and as she was running late, a reporter inadvertently captured them brushing past each other. Ann’s lovely face was full of wonder; she quickly took down a few more photos, and sure enough, there were words written on the back of each. "Afraid of being scolded by Grandpa for doing wrong, she buried herself in the sand, only to be punished to stand by Grandpa Vaughn for half a day. She was six that year." "Scared a boy who bullied a girl to tears, and became the boss of the kindergarten. She was three that year." "Won the guzheng competition gold award, expressed gratitude in her acceptance speech to her meticulous mentoring grandfather, saying she felt very happy. She was thirteen that year." After reading the words on the photos, Anne’s nose tingled, thinking, how does this person understand her better than she understands herself?