Chapter 2026

With one bite and a stomp of his foot, he downed his tea in a single gulp. This tacitly accepted Charlie Wade's new arrangement, doubling Sam's one-year sentence to two. Sam, devoid of tears, felt his soul leave his body; his spirit utterly crushed. Loreen, too, was surprised. While others were unaware of the conflict between Charlie Wade and Sam, she knew the full story. Charlie Wade had initially made Sam cycle from Eastcliff to Aurouss Hill, where he was to reform. Now, with Wade's cryptic numerical games, she sensed trouble.

She whispered to Sam, "Brother, what's going on?"

Sam slumped, handing Loreen his phone. The screen displayed a WeChat message from his mother, Lydia.

Loreen was stunned after reading it. She hadn't expected Charlie Wade to be so cruel as to double her cousin's suffering. However, sympathy for Sam was the least of her concerns. She began mentally reviewing Sam's actions since entering the room, searching for an offense against Charlie Wade.

"Did Cousin offend Charlie Wade?" she mused. "It doesn't seem so. He was always polite, almost bowing and calling him 'Big Brother.'"

"Did Cousin offend Claire Wilson?" "Doesn't seem so! He's terrified of Charlie Wade, and knowing Claire is Charlie Wade's wife, he wouldn't dare disrespect her."

"Did Cousin offend Claire Wilson's parents?" "No! His behavior has been consistently humble." "Then where did he offend Charlie Wade?"

Loreen fell into deep thought. Her gaze then fell on Ms. Young, who was discreetly observing Charlie Wade. Her heart pounded.

"Could it be did Cousin offend Charlie Wade by showing affection for Ms. Young?!"

"But what relationship does Charlie Wade have with Ms. Young? She's the vice-chairman of the Emgrand Group; she's had some contact with Claire Wilson, but not much with Charlie Wade."

"Even if Charlie Wade knows Ms. Young, why would he punish Cousin for provoking her?"

"And Ms. Young's look at Charlie Wade something seems off! Is there something more to this?"

Loreen's mind raced. Reason told her there was no connection between Charlie Wade and Ms. Young. Yet, intuition suggested their relationship was far more complex than it appeared.