Those disparaging, contemptuous whispers were instantly silenced.

Ivy followed Manager Zoe into the executive boardroom. Edmond introduced her to the senior management with unmistakable pride. At first, many of the executives were skeptical, their faces etched with thinly veiled sarcasm and disbelief.

But Edmond didn’t bother to argue. Instead, he simply handed the floor over to Ivy, inviting her to explain the rationale behind the industry assessment she’d presented the day before.

Ivy came thoroughly prepared. She pulled out her laptop and connected it to the conference room projector. One by one, slides loaded with in-depth, professional data analysis appeared on the screen.

A ripple of surprise swept through the room.

Manager Zoe, watching her new hire command the front of the room, felt her expression shift. How could Ivy have known she’d be asked to present? And how was she this thoroughly prepared?

Clearly, this wasn’t just another pretty face–she had just met her fiercest competitor.

Ivy spoke with poise and confidence, demonstrating a masterful grasp of the information at her fingertips. Not only did she handle every detail with finesse, but she also fielded the executives’ pointed questions with ease.

By the end of the meeting, it was no surprise that most of the room was openly impressed.

Word spread quickly throughout the company. When she returned to the Trading Division, the coworkers who’d once looked down on her suddenly changed their tune, greeting her with newfound warmth and respect.

“Prejudice is like a mountain in the human heart”-but Ivy had toppled that mountain with her skills, teaching everyone a lesson in the true meaning of brains and beauty.

With her career on a winning streak and her spirits soaring, Ivy couldn’t wait for the workday to end. She grabbed her phone and messaged her darling husband on WhatsApp, asking if he’d be working late that night.

Jamison had plans, but as soon as he saw his wife’s message, he sensed she had something in mind. He replied that he wouldn’t be working overtime.

[Let’s have dinner at the family estate tonight. Can you pick me up after work?]

Jamison frowned in confusion.

Yesterday, she’d practically ordered him not to pick her up from work ever again. Now she was asking him to come get her? Women really were unpredictable.

That evening, Jamison drove over to collect her.

This time, Ivy said goodbye to her colleagues without hesitation. Under the varying gazes of her coworkers, she climbed into her husband’s luxury car.

“Looks like you scored a major win today,” Jamison remarked, reading the triumph in her eyes.

Ivy nodded, then filled him in on everything that happened that morning.

Jamison listened with a smile. “Didn’t I tell you yesterday? You’d prove them wrong with your abilities.”

In her good mood, Ivy chatted on about work.

Jamison wasn’t especially interested in the nitty-gritty, but he loved hearing his wife’s voice–a songbird chirping beside him.

They were nearly home, the Ludwig Mansion coming into view, when Ivy’s phone rang. The call was from a local number she didn’t recognize.

For months, every unknown caller had brought nothing but trouble.

But ever since Emma Windsor had passed away and she’d cut ties with the Windsor family, those calls had all but stopped.

Tonight, though…

She hesitated, then picked up. “Hello?”

“Good evening. This is Officer Clarke from Gardenview Police Precinct. Is this Ivy?” The voice on the other end was formal and grave.

Ivy froze. The police? Looking for her?

“This is Ivy.”

The officer continued immediately, “There’s been a fire at your home. We need you to come over right away.”

“What?” Ivy’s heart leapt in her chest. “A fire? At Golden Maple Estate?”