The breakfast was already laid out on the dining table, a bowl of warm porridge soothing his empty stomach, making him sigh softly in comfort.

The side dishes were light and delicious. He couldn’t remember when his breakfast had changed from black coffee and sandwiches to this warm porridge.

Without time to think more, with a pile of company matters awaiting, Alexander King couldn’t spare much time to talk to her. He just instructed, "Don’t always stay at home, go out for a walk by yourself."

He gently touched her soft black hair, gave her a warm smile, and went out the door.

After tidying up the dining table, since the housekeeper would come to clean today, she also wanted to go out for a walk. She changed her clothes and went out.

At the King Clan’s investment company, by the end of the year, all sorts of busyness would leave people overwhelmed and almost at a loss.

"Boss, for this case, we still need Hayward’s young master to return from the United Kingdom to finalize it. We’ve done our best calculations now. If we acquire at less than a 12% premium, we’re still quite confident."

Henry Brown, Alexander King’s assistant, sat on the sofa in Alexander’s office, delivering the final report on this year’s last merger deal.

"I’ve made no mistakes in my moves over the past two years. If this acquisition of Hayward Transport succeeds, our logistics in Southeast Asia will be very smooth, and with the spring of next year, things will become much easier."

Henry observed the subtle smile on his boss’s calm, harmless face; yet, that was just the surface visible to the world.

His stability, precision, and ultimately ruthless nature made Henry break into a cold sweat in remembrance.

These are essentials for a successful businessman — deviously cunning.

Behind a warm, smiling face, one could let down their guard, only to be devoured until nothing remained but bones.

"Don’t be complacent; only after a month when the deal is completed will we have clarity." Alexander’s consistent style: never make any conclusions until the very end.

"Besides, let me remind you: your father-in-law, Isaac Thompson, is also very interested in Hayward. You know his business hasn’t been doing particularly well these past few years, but fortunately, he has enough assets to not run out. However, if he really intervenes, I don’t mind. You will find it much harder."

Henry glanced at him, passing this hot potato back to him.

"He does need to establish a transport line; that way, he won’t be under others’ control."

Alexander’s captivating eyes gave an unhurried look, words ambiguous, making it impossible to guess his true intentions.

"Would you allow it?"

Henry’s internal alarms blared; Hayward Transport is the most suitable company, such an opportunity wouldn’t arise again soon. If not for Hayward CEO’s sudden heart attack, resulting in his death, his bookish son wouldn’t have considered selling off all shares to leave this place of grief with his mother.

"Of course, not."

It wasn’t until after "of course" that his low, moist voice added "not," and Henry let out a deep sigh of relief. The entire plan was already perfect. Many desired to swallow Hayward, primarily because acquiring a company with a good industry reputation and stable performance is always a safe bet.

"Aren’t you afraid Nora will argue with you?"

Henry pulled out a cigarette from his pocket, letting the white smoke swirl slowly in front of his eyes, blurring his vision and the man not far away sitting in a large office chair.

"She won’t." Nora is one who pays little attention to the affairs outside her window and is utterly ignorant of business matters.

Moreover, even if the two parties really started a dispute, Isaac would not possibly tell his daughter; she is his treasure. He practically stood at the iron gates of the villa to wait on the day they returned from the wedding banquet. That old man suffers from a severe daughter complex.

Because he looked at the portrait of his mother-in-law in the living room, truth be told, she resembled Nora so much, especially that aura, faintly present in the air.

Honestly, he didn’t hate Isaac, nor did he hate Nora. He merely detested such methods.

He hated being coerced, which might also be why he didn’t grow close to Nora — a kind of punishment to Isaac from within.

With Nora’s kind of mindset, her speaking to her father about any bedroom matters would seem impossible in her next life. This ensured his peace of mind.

"Your treatment of Nora isn’t quite right." Henry lowered his head and said softly.

He knew that even after marrying, Alexander still visited his former little villa two or three times a week, where the enchanting Jade Willow had been with him for six full years.

Even post-marriage, the hidden relationship remained intact.

"She finds it good as it is. She is quite satisfied with her current life."

Alexander watched the red and green curves dancing on his computer screen, identifying patterns from each transaction, not missing even the smallest one.

Henry left his office with a bitter heart.

In fact, the first time he saw Nora wasn’t at his boss’s wedding, but in the alley behind the small foreign bookstore when Nora was sixteen.

He never told Alexander; that year, when they saved Jade Willow, Nora was also present.

But she looked even younger then. People would have guessed she was around eleven or twelve, her scattered foreign books on the ground revealing a section of soft, milky-white calf when she fell, her clean eyes looking helplessly at her bruised knee.

Things in this world always catch people off guard.

Years later, the four people who had met in that little alley, Alexander married Nora and still kept another.

As for him? He could only quietly watch her when Alexander was not paying attention.

Henry kept wondering why Alexander married Nora; it was still a mystery.

He dismissed the theory of love at first sight, because back then, Alexander hadn’t even noticed that small, skinny girl.

Even though they were of similar age, Jade Willow there had already blossomed into someone extraordinarily beautiful, which was why Alexander had stepped in to save, wasn’t it?

If he didn’t like Nora, why get married? Could he still have a chance if someday she got hurt?

This morning, his suggestion was good, so Nora indeed changed clothes and went out for a walk.

In the mall, at a specialty counter, she was looking at soaps, the French packaging flaunting its exceptional status. She liked using sea salt or soap to cleanse her body.

The salesgirl immediately recognized her.

She was a good customer: polite, humble, with a very pleasant voice. Once, she mentioned that some technical terms in French were unfamiliar to her, and the salesgirl read them out for her. Moreover, her card was one of the rare black cards available in the market.

This mall sold luxury goods from all over the world, yet her family wasn’t widely known due to niche production and limited advertising, not to mention the startling prices.

Most users of this brand were long-time customers, and compared to other counters selling globally renowned brands, they didn’t have the most customers, but the quality could be considered the best.

And this Miss Thompson was one of the best of the best.

This Miss Thompson had excellent skin; from a professional perspective, although she wasn’t particularly beautiful, she was undoubtedly an attractive woman.

She never mentioned her status in her presence, but those with a black card were few in this mall, even in a city known for its wealthy residents.

This card implied that if you liked airplanes, you could swipe one down from Boeing.

It might sound exaggerated, but it was pretty close.

"Miss Thompson, are you buying for your husband or yourself this time? I remember you said you were about to get married last time."

The salesgirl pulled out two: "This is a new formula for this winter. This winter is too dry, so it includes nourishing ingredients, making it more comfortable to use. Moreover, it’s suitable for both men and women." She smiled sweetly, serving such customers deserved the best attitude.

"Have you used it?"

Nora looked down at the description on the package. It indeed mentioned some nourishing essential oils. She sniffed it; it didn’t have much scent, which she liked as she preferred things without a strong smell.

"No, this product is expensive, and our brand never offers samples. Other counters might, but not us."

The salesgirl maintained her sweet smile as usual, though her heart inevitably soured a bit, thinking such soap was beyond her means.

"I’ll take five of these, and also one of the rose ones." Nora looked at her smile, pointing at a lightly pink-packaged rose soap.

The salesgirl was a bit puzzled, Miss Jane never used such soap.

She still efficiently completed the transaction, taking out a bag to pack them.

Nora took the bag, picked out two soaps, one she just introduced, and one of the rose: "This one is for you."

The slender white fingers holding the elegantly packaged soap.

"There’s no need, Miss Thompson." The salesgirl was astonished and didn’t know what to do. This was the first time a customer had ever done this.