Never Too Far Novel

Chapter 1921-1930

Fear enveloped Tori’s face when she saw Katrina sitting in the police station, and she reflexively hugged her arms when she sensed a chill.

How is this possible? How did Katrina get arrested? Didn’t she say it was foolproof?! Wasn’t she confident of not being caught?! It has only been less than three hours since Josephine’s scandal was out, and Katrina has already been arrested! She even sold me out! Thank goodness the cops didn’t mention my full name.

However, the words ‘female news anchor’ and ‘Alford’ made her panic, for she was the only female news anchor whose surname was Alford in the station!

Tori held her chest as uneasiness arose within her. What’s to become of me if Katrina’s been arrested?!

Just then, her phone rang. Seeing it was an unknown number, she took a deep breath and answered it, “Hello, who is this?”

“Is this Tori Alford?” the caller went straight to the point.

“This is her speaking. Who is this on the line?”

“This is the city police department. We need you to come and cooperate with us on a case and give a statement,” said the female voice on the other end of the line.

“Now? But it’s already nine,” Tori said, thinking her social status should give her some leverage.

“The station is available 24/7. Someone will be available to take your statement. I suggest you come now.”

“C-Can I go tomorrow?” Tori tried to bargain.

“We will personally go to you if you don’t come on your own. Your choice! Goodnight, Miss Alford.” With that, the caller hung up.

Tori bit her lip in anger. It seemed that her social status didn’t carry much weight with the police. She quickly thought of someone she knew and made a call for help.

“Thomas, I’m in a bit of trouble. Can you help me out?”

After getting the other person’s agreement to help her, Tori finally walked out with her bag. However, she found her colleagues staring at her as soon as she came out, and there were whispers and finger- pointing wherever she went.

No one normally dared speak ill of her behind her back. But this very day, she became a public target.

“It’s her, isn’t it? She’s the one the statement is referring to.”

“It can only be her! Is there another anchorwoman with the surname Alford in our station?”

“To think she’s an accomplice in Josephine’s scandal! Poor Josephine.”

“Tell me about it. I feel so bad for looking down on Josephine now.”

When Tori entered the elevator, she could even feel her female colleagues’ disdainful gazes on her. A bold one even deliberately asked her fellow female colleague. “Say, who do you think is Katrina’s accomplice? Do we have an Alford anchorwoman in our station?”

“Of course, we do! Do you not know?”

“Sigh! I swear these people have nothing better to do! To think they continue to frame other people when they’re already news anchors!”

“You can say that again. The wicked are still wicked no matter how pretty they look.”

Alas, Tori could only suck it up even when she had been insulted indirectly. Now, she finally realized what Josephine was capable of.

After leaving the station, Tori ultimately drove straight to the police station, and when she arrived, the man she asked for help held Tori’s hand with ill intentions from inside the car. “Don’t worry, okay, Tori? I’ll take care of this. This is nothing! Go give your statement and leave the rest to me.”

Tori endured the disgust of being taken advantage of, for the man in the car was in his sixties, and though he was well-dressed, he exuded an old man’s smell that she couldn’t stand. She would’ve rather died than ask him for help before this. But now, he was her only ticket out of this, even though she knew she would have to pay the price.

“Go on, go and make your statement. We’ll talk when you come out.” It was evident what the man was implying.

However, Tori was genuinely fearful. She worried she would end up in jail because of Katrina. That way, her reputation would be ruined. How could she continue to survive in television in the future?!

Hence, she would inevitably have to ‘serve’ this old man if she wanted to get away with it. Fear surged within her, but she had no other choice. He held the highest governmental position among the people she knew.

“Alright, I’ll go in, then. Please do speak up for me if there’s anything, Mr. Zeigler,” Tori said with a sweet smile.

“Go on!” Thomas Zeigler’s eyes beamed lecherously, surprised that Tori would one day come to him for help.

After Tori entered the police station, she was whisked away to give her statement, and the police asked her questions based on Katrina’s testimony. “Tori Alford, according to Katrina Sullivan, you’re the one

who incited her to frame Josephine Jacobson, is that right?”

“Katrina’s framing me! That didn’t happen at all! Josephine and I are good friends. No way will I harm her. Besides, why would I want to do that?!”

“But Sullivan insisted that you incited her into framing Jacobson and even promised to promote her to Jacobson’s position after this.”

“What a joke! Her brother-in-law is the station’s major shareholder. She just needs to beg her brother- in-law if she wants a promotion. Who am I to promote her?! I swear I’m innocent, officer. I have nothing to do with this at all. Do you have proof of my involvement?” Tori cleared herself of any involvement in the incident.

Indeed, Katrina was the only culprit based on the evidence they found. She superimposed the photos and uploaded them online herself.

“Tori Alford, we reserve the right to prosecute you for this matter. You can go home for now. If necessary, we will ask you to come back.”

Tori was instantly relieved. Katrina’s verbal statement wouldn’t do her any damage. However, she wasn’t sure if Katrina had other forms of evidence.

At that, she looked through her chat history with Katrina, and much to her dismay, they had discussed the matter over text, and she was the one who asked Katrina about the photos.

‘How did it go?’

‘They’ve been superimposed and ready to be uploaded any time. Just sit back and enjoy the show, Tori!’

Tori covered her mouth in fear at once, and she deleted the messages in a panic. However, she still felt disturbed, for she would be doomed if Katrina showed the police the messages.

Later, Tori gulped when she saw Thomas still waiting for her after exiting the police station. Ultimately, she took a deep breath and approached his car.

Meanwhile, Josephine returned home at about 10.00PM, and at this point, the news had turned around as the licentious photos had all been taken down. When she checked the comments again, everyone sympathized and apologized to her. Now, it was Katrina who was receiving public condemnation.

If her hunch was right, Tori was the instigator. Hence, Josephine wouldn’t stop at only having Katrina bear the brunt. She wanted to see Tori punished for her actions and apologize to her.

The woman couldn’t be left out of this.

She had switched her phone off, for she had been bombarded with calls, and a dozen or so of them belonged to Atticus, presumably because his wife wanted him to ask her to settle do a private settlement.

No way! Josephine would pursue the matter to the end. She would have everyone involved suffer the consequences they deserved.

At the same time, the Sullivans had been thrown into chaos, with Ivanka bawling and repenting to her parents, who were also all over the place, worried that this would be the end of their younger daughter.

“Mom, Dad, I promise you I’ll sort this out. I’ll have Atticus save Kat!” Ivanka swore to her parents.

Later, Ivanka threw the responsibility onto Atticus, who had no choice but to drive to Josephine’s home.

It was already 10.00PM, so Heidi couldn’t help but be bewildered to find her daughter’s boss at their doorstep. “What brings you here at this hour, Mr. Kowalski?”

“Is Josephine home, Mrs. Jacobson? I’d like to have a word with her, please.”

“She’s upstairs. Let me get her for you.”

Meanwhile, Josephine got dressed and went down when she heard noises. “I know why you’re here, Mr. Kowalski,” Josephine said, gazing at Atticus in the garden. “But there’s no room for negotiation. Please leave.”

“Josephine, I know that Katrina has gone overboard this time, but as long as you withdraw the charges against her, I assure you that I’ll fire her, and she’ll disappear from your life. Also, I’ll compensate you appropriately and ask her to apologize to you,” Atticus promised.

Unfortunately, Josephine could feel her blood boiling in her veins this time as she sneered, “Mr. Kowalski, this matter has breached my bottom line and you can forget that I’ll ever settle this matter peacefully. If you have any opinions against me, then I’ll submit my resignation first thing tomorrow morning. I’ll leave the company!”

“No, Josephine. That’s not what I mean. I’m not asking you to leave. I just want to know if we can settle this matter in private. After all, we’re colleagues and I would like you to make an exception for my sake.”

“No, I will not. Not only Katrina but Tori is involved in this as well. Please ensure that Tori is also well taken care of. If she remains in the company, I’ll resign as well. I do not want to see these two as long as I continue working here,” Josephine threatened.

Atticus gulped. It didn’t matter who resigned, but that person should never be Josephine! Otherwise, Ethan would be the one asking for him to tender his resignation. “Is there really no other solution, Josephine?”

“No. There’s no other way aside from tossing her into prison. Also, my grandfather is still hale and hearty, so I won’t be allowing anyone to pull any connections to get her out of serving time,” she warned coldly.

Finally, Atticus understood her intentions and could only let Katrina pay the price for her actions. “Okay, the company will take action against Tori as well. Don’t worry and please come back to work.”

At midnight, Tori sobbed while cleaning herself in the hotel bathtub, retching from time to time. Even if she didn’t end up in jail, the Heavens had bestowed upon her a different punishment because of what she did with Katrina.

After Ethan left the hotel, he went to the TV station. As the biggest shareholder of the station, he had a spacious and bright office that he didn’t usually use for work. Instead, he was here for fun. Right after he arrived, he checked the list of phone number extensions next to the phone. He narrowed his eyes as he carefully scanned the list until he found Josephine’s extension number and dialed it with his slender fingers.

Meanwhile, Josephine had only sat down for a few minutes after that farce of a meeting when the phone on her desk started ringing, and she instinctively picked it up. “Hello, this is the reporters’ office. How may I help you today?”

“Come to my office upstairs,” a husky male voice said.

Josephine’s beautiful eyes widened a little. “Mr. Quarles?”

“Yes. Eighteenth floor,” he replied.

“Are you here to work?”

The man showing up at the company was the last thing she expected.

“Come upstairs,” he repeated once more and hung up.

Immediately, Josephine rose from her seat and sneaked toward the elevators like a thief. After she sneakily glanced around, she pressed the button for the eighteenth floor and went all the way up. The eighteenth floor was reserved for higher management, and she didn’t know which way to go. Just as she was anxiously pacing, sounds of footsteps echoed from a corner and Ethan’s gorgeous face appeared.

“This way.” He was here to pick her up. She had her head lowered as she trotted to him. Her entire demeanor made him grin in amusement as he complained, “Why are you acting like a thief?”

“Why did you call me here?” she asked instead.

After Ethan led her into his office, he closed the door, slumped back lazily on the couch, and answered, “I just want to see you.”

Josephine could feel her face burning. “I’m still at work!”

“I bought a sports car for you,” he said with a raised brow.

She jerked her head at him and was stunned to silence for a few seconds. Is this guy okay? Why did he buy me a sports car? “No! I can’t and won’t be accepting this gift,” she hurriedly rejected.

Alas, he tossed the problem back to her. “I’ve already placed my purchase and it will be delivered in the afternoon. What am I going to do if you won’t accept it?”

She blinked as she bit her lip and tentatively inquired, “Can you return it?”

“Nope.”

“Then, you should’ve asked for my opinion in the first place before making such a purchase!” Isn’t this guy a little reckless? she thought in bewilderment.

“The car will be parked at the VIP spot in the basement parking lot, and you can use it whenever you want.” Ethan had always been a rather overbearing person, so he would never take back the gift that he had specifically bought for someone else. The instant it was out of his hands, it wasn’t his problem any longer. The other party could do anything with it, except return it to him.

Although Josephine had several run-ins with overbearing people, she had never met one such as Ethan, who was completely unreasonable. “Return it! My car still works, and I don’t need a sports car,” she huffed as she bit her lip.

Ethan merely smirked as he shrugged gracefully. “Oh, it’s fine. A sports car isn’t a big deal to me. Plus, if you refuse to use it, I’ll just let it park at that spot until it’s covered in dust.”

Josephine’s eyelashes fluttered as she caught sight of his pearly whites and felt her heart racing. This man can truly sway hearts with his smile!

Just then, her phone started ringing, and she saw that it was Luke calling her. So, she hastily scrambled to the window and picked up the call. “Hi, Luke.”

“Joey, I’ve made a reservation in a restaurant tonight. I’ll pick you up after work later,” he said over the phone.

“Okay.” Since she had promised to buy him a meal, she readily agreed as she didn’t see a need to bail on him.

However, there was one thing—she had decided to make things clear to Luke that they could only ever be friends. So, he shouldn’t waste more time on her.

Still, he had been wooing her aggressively for the past year. Therefore, she reckoned that he might not give up so easily if she simply rejected him verbally. If she let him know that her heart belonged to someone else and that she already had someone she loved, he might finally cease pursuing her.

The person who can make Luke give up must be more outstanding, better looking, and richer than him, she thought, and there was only one person around her who checked all the boxes. So, she turned her attention back to the person on the couch, paced toward him, and asked, “Mr. Quarles, are you free tonight?”

He arched his brows. “Yep!”

“Will you do me a favor?” she asked, her eyes filled with utmost sincerity.

“Tell me.” To her surprise, he seemed very willing.

“I would like you to pose as my boyfriend and make Luke give up on me,” she said.

After he heard that, he became excited, and a look of delight flashed in his eyes. “Okay, no problem.”

When she saw that he was so happy to help, she breathed a sigh of relief and truly hoped that Luke would come to his senses today. That way he would not waste his youth on her. “Mr. Quarles, I’ll be going back to work and will call you after work.”

“Sure, go ahead!”

Ethan didn’t want to bother her at work anymore. Unfortunately, just when she returned to her desk, a commotion started in the group chat. Someone posted some pictures they had taken at the basement parking lot. Under the lighting, an eye-catching red Ferrari with its bright, glossy paint was parked there, marveling everyone with its price.

‘My god, whose car is that standing in the VIP parking spot?’

‘It’s so cool! I think it costs at least seven figures.’

‘Who does it belong to? Will someone in the group tell me who this wealthy woman is?’

Wren was in on it as well, so she turned to Josephine next to her and whispered enthusiastically, “Joey, do you know whose Ferrari is that? Just look at what a commotion it is causing in the group.”

Josephine felt white noise filling her brain as she stared at that sports car displayed on the iPad in utter astonishment. Is this the car Ethan bought for me? It’s parked on the VIP spot and brand new to boot.

“I’m so envious! I wonder which wealthy man gave it as a gift. Could it belong to Tori? She has had many suitors recently, and I heard that they’re all rich businessmen.”

As Tori was a renowned host in the company, she was beautiful, talented, and also single. Thus, she was everyone’s first guess.

Yet, she suddenly blurted, “It’s not mine.”

“Goodness! Whose could it be if not Tori’s?” Immediately, Wren became more interested in the topic.

While Josephine was feeling her face burning in embarrassment, an assistant placed a paper bag on her desk. “Josephine, someone told me to pass this to you.”

A stunned Josephine couldn’t tell what was in the bag from the outside. When she picked it up and peered in, she could feel her scalp numbing from the shock. Just as she feared, there was a box with the Ferrari logo emblemed on it. Then, as she shakily opened the box in the paper bag, she found the car key laying silently within.

Josephine’s breath got stuck in her chest. It really was the car that Ethan bought for her! She sighed inwardly as she felt a throbbing pain in her head. What am I going to do now? The entire office is

talking about this and if I admit that it’s my car… Given everyone’s current guesses, they’ll think that I’m the mistress of some wealthy man.

“Whose car could it be?” Next to her, Wren narrowed her eyes and pondered over this like a detective.

Josephine discretely slipped the bag under her desk and held her aching head in resignation.

Within a day, Josephine’s issue was completely solved while Katrina became the public’s target of verbal abuses. The Sullivan Family could barely sleep that night, especially Ivanka, who couldn’t sleep a wink at all because she was busy blaming herself. In the meantime, Katrina was in the lockup. The beautiful makeup she wore in the morning now looked utterly ghastly. She wrapped her arms around herself as she trembled pathetically. Although she was devastated, she had run out of tears of remorse to cry.

But alas, there was no cure for regret in this world, and she despised Tori to the core. If Tori hadn’t instigated her, she would have never made such a mistake. Undoubtedly, she started to resent her sister as well for devising such a foul idea. Ultimately, however, she hated her own folly even more.

The next morning, Josephine showed up at work as usual. She was the target of sneers and ridicule yesterday, but some who scorned her were avoiding her like the plague today, and some even greeted her without any shame.

Their entire 180 was due to the fact that they have finally learned of her connections and how powerful her background truly was, so they were now genuinely afraid of crossing her. On the other hand, Josephine appeared as though nothing had happened as she did her makeup and memorized the script in preparation for her work.

When Wren found an opportunity to approach her, she breathed a sigh of relief as she stated, “Katrina is completely rotten. I would have never thought that it was her.”

“Of course, there’s another person besides her,” Josephine said. “The one who gave her the idea.”

“Frankly, I have never once thought that Tori could be such a person. I just assumed that she was just a little arrogant. I could have never imagined that she’s capable of such malice.”

In all honesty, Josephine was rather happy that Katrina made such a dumb move. Because of this, she didn’t have to face the two people she hated the most on a daily basis.

Josephine’s news broadcast started, and she was completely unaffected by the scandal that had taken the company by storm. Instead, her performance was amazing, and several netizens deliberately waited to watch her news broadcast just to see how talented the framed host was. By the end of it, some of them were even smitten with her looks and professionalism and turned into her fans. In addition, her broadcast rating went up by ten points, which was an all-time high for the company.

In the meantime, Tori’s news in the afternoon slot was replaced by another female host as Tori was placed under investigation and suspended without pay. Meanwhile, Katrina was given the boot and was no longer part of the company.

“My god, Josephine. You’re amazing! You have no idea how people are complimenting your voice on the Internet!”

“Yeah, they said you’re pretty, graceful, and have a beautiful voice!”

A smile spread across Josephine’s face. “Really? I’ll do my best to take care of myself, then.”

Just when she was about to step into the elevator, Tori suddenly dashed out from one of them. She appeared to be in a rush, but when she saw Josephine, she glared at her furiously. “You’re definitely swimming in delight now, aren’t you Josephine.”

Josephine scoffed in disdain as she retorted mercilessly, “You brought this upon yourself. Why should I be delighted when I’m the victim here?”

Regardless, when Tori’s mind kept returning to the thought that she had spent the night with an old man and was now facing such criticism from Josephine, she felt the very last strands of her sanity snap. “Don’t get so cocky, Josephine. You’ll receive your retribution,” she spat viciously and went straight to Atticus’ office.

Atticus was about to go out when she entered in a flurry of skirts. “Just what are you doing here? Didn’t I already tell you not to show up at the office?” he demanded in annoyance.

“Mr. Kowalski, I can host the news. This doesn’t affect my work in any way. Please let me return to work!”

“You still want to come back to work after destroying the company’s image with your actions? Just look at what you’ve done to Katrina!” Atticus was furious. Because of this matter, his wife was in a cold war with him, leaving their three sons alone and him with a pounding headache.

“Mr. Kowalski, I’m begging you. I can’t lose this job. I promise that I won’t cause any trouble after this.” Tori blocked Atticus’ way out.

“Tori, I’ve made myself perfectly clear about this. If you keep pestering me, I’ll fire you effective immediately,” Atticus snapped angrily.

However, Tori was willing to do anything to save her job as she suddenly dropped to her knees in front of Atticus and said humbly, “Mr. Kowalski, I’m begging you. I can do anything you say. Please let me continue my work here.”

She really needed this job. If she lost her job here, it would spell the end of her career in the industry because none of the other TV stations would accept her. Hence, she could only try any means

necessary to keep this job.

Just then, an assistant opened the door to deliver a document and caught her kneeling on the floor. The assistant jumped in surprise at the sight, and Tori hurriedly sprang to her feet to protect her reputation. She even shot a furious look at the poor assistant.

“Mr. Kowalski, the car is ready. Are you leaving now?” the assistant inquired professionally, smart enough to read the room.

Atticus immediately took the opportunity to open the door and walk out. Unfortunately, Tori followed closely behind like a piece of gum and grabbed his arm. “Don’t go, Mr. Kowalski—”

The doors of the elevator slid open and Ivanka came out. The instant she caught sight of Tori holding her husband so intimately, she lost her temper, lunged forward, and slapped Tori harshly across the face.

Slap!

The sound was so loud that everyone around came over to check out the situation, and they seemed to be enjoying the show when they saw that it was Tori at the receiving end of the blow.

So, Tori had such a day coming for her, too!

“Tori Alford, haven’t you done enough harm to my sister? Are you trying to snatch my husband as well? You b*tch, I’m going to kill you!” Ivanka showed the masses just how shrewd she could truly be as she ruthlessly grabbed Tori’s hair, pushed her to the floor, took off her own shoe, and used it as a tool to hit her.

“Ah!” Tori held her head as she had never encountered such a situation before. Since she had no experience in this, all she could do was scream while protecting her head.

Still, none of the employees nearby bothered to help. Instead, they were watching on the sidelines as she received a beating. Some even went as far as to record it.

“My sister is in trouble all because of you, jinx! Why didn’t you go to jail instead?! How could you still have the cheeks to show up here? Get out this very instant!”

While Ivanka was venting all her frustrations on her, Wren dragged Josephine over to watch the show. When Josephine silently watched the sight of the disheveled Tori as Ivanka rained hits on her, she only had one thought: That Tori really deserved what was coming to her.

On the other hand, Atticus couldn’t allow things to escalate any further. So, he pulled his wife away. “That’s enough. Let’s talk in the office.”

He dragged Ivanka away, leaving Tori on the floor with a big, red palm mark on her face. She slowly staggered to her feet as she glared at everyone with her bloodshot eyes. Usually, she always had her nose up in the air and barely looked anyone straight in the eye. Now, she could clearly see that the people she thought were nothing but nobodies, were mocking and criticizing her. Amongst the crowd, she even found Josephine with her hands crossed over her chest as she watched the scene in triumph. Thus, she glared at Josephine with daggers in her eyes as though she was the source of her pain, but Josephine merely raised her brow at her and left.

Tori picked up her handbag and took an elevator as well. By now, she was aware that her career was over. Not long afterward, someone uploaded the video of Tori receiving a beating on the Internet, causing a heated round of discussion in an instant. The one who uploaded the video was an assistant whom Tori had bullied in the past. The assistant had nursed a grudge of rather massive proportions due to Tori’s abuse. So, there was no way she would let go of this golden opportunity when she finally had the chance to get back at Tori, her bully.

On the Internet, rumors of Tori being a sugar baby were leaked out once more and her reputation took yet another massive hit, causing it to drop straight to the dumps. The top searches of major websites were dominated by Katrina and Tori. Not only do they have to endure public criticism, but someone deliberately exposed Tori’s dirty past. A wealthy woman even told a story using her real name, claiming that Tori seduced her husband and used sex as a means to get to her current position.

All this bad press completely distorted Tori’s fans’ opinions about her, and she no longer had a future. She could continue living in reality, but she had lost her favorite job. Even if she was overqualified, no company would accept someone like her with open arms any longer.

uare-meter flat, knowing she had to pay a high mortgage every month. She felt emotionally drained.

Although she earned some money, her extravagant spending habits prevented her from saving anything. Now, besides her ruined reputation, she also had to figure out how to sustain her future expenses.

Simplicity was easy to achieve, but it was difficult to go from luxury to simplicity. She couldn’t return to her previous lifestyle.

“I hate you, Josephine. I really hate you,” Tori exclaimed, venting her collapsed emotions.

She approached the mirror, the mark of the slap from Ivanka still visible on her face. She looked disheveled and swollen, far from her radiant self.

Katrina was still confined in custody, suffering more than Tori. She not only lost her reputation but also her freedom, awaiting the ordeal of imprisonment.

At the company, Josephine sat in her office when she heard the door being pushed open from outside. Shortly after, Ivanka entered with a bunch of gifts in different sizes and packages. She had just bought them, including expensive jewelry and branded handbags, totaling hundreds of thousands in value.

As soon as Josephine saw her, she stood up, intending to leave. But Ivanka immediately extended her arms to stop her. “Josephine, don’t leave. Let’s talk.”

“There’s nothing to discuss between us, Mrs. Kowalski.” Josephine was unwilling to talk, nor did she want to give her a chance to plead.

Ivanka suddenly closed the door and knelt in front of Josephine. “Josephine, I apologize on behalf of my sister. She is foolish and naive, just a young woman in her twenties. Josephine, I beg you to settle this privately. Whatever conditions you have, I’ll do my best to fulfill them.”

Josephine took a step back as she crossed her arms. “Mrs. Kowalski, please don’t do this. My stance on this matter is clear—I will not agree to settle it privately.”

“We’re all colleagues in the same company. Can’t you be forgiving and spare my sister? I promise she’ll never appear in front of you again,” Ivanka pleaded, no longer concerned about her image. If it meant rescuing her sister, she could kneel in front of Josephine all night.

But Josephine had no intention of relenting. When Katrina caused harm to her, she didn’t consider the consequences. So now, Katrina should pay the price for her actions.

“Your sister is an adult, and she knows very well what is right and wrong. If she insisted on ruining my reputation, then she should have expected this outcome,” Josephine said coldly.

“Josephine, my husband has always been generous to you. Can’t you spare my sister for his sake?” Ivanka tried to appeal to Josephine through her husband.

Josephine looked at her and asked abruptly, “Mrs. Kowalski, may I ask, did you know about your sister’s actions? If you were aware, why didn’t you stop her? Instead, you allowed her to plot against me?”

Ivanka’s face changed and a hint of guilt flashed in her eyes. How could she have stopped it when it was her idea to begin with? Otherwise, Katrina wouldn’t have come up with any plan to deal with Josephine.

“Miss Jacobson, my sister genuinely realizes her mistake. Please spare her! I’m sorry, I apologize on behalf of my sister.” Ivanka kept apologizing, hoping to soften Josephine’s heart.

However, Josephine was not a person easily swayed. She simply dismissed Ivanka, urging, “Mrs. Kowalski, take your things and there’s no need to apologize to me. I won’t forgive Katrina.”

Ivanka became extremely desperate. She genuinely and sincerely pleaded with Josephine. Usually, she was an arrogant person who didn’t care about others, but today, not only did Josephine not give her a chance, but she even drove her away.

“Josephine, why must you go so far? We’re all part of the same company. Your boyfriend and my husband are also partners. Are you purposely trying to make things look ugly?” Ivanka stood up as her expression turned sour.

Josephine heard this statement, thinking it was blatant moral blackmail. She looked at Ivanka and said, “Mrs. Kowalski, if you want my boyfriend and your husband to maintain a working relationship, it’s important to separate the company matters from personal issues. Let’s keep them separate and not let personal grievances interfere.”

Ivanka pointed at the pile of gifts in front of her and said, “I spent over three hundred thousand on these gifts just to apologize to you. Can’t you show some understanding and spare my sister?”

Josephine noticed the change in her attitude, from apologizing to blame-shifting. She even suspected that Ivanka and Katrina were colluding, so Ivanka might have played a role in framing her.

“Mrs. Kowalski, I think it would be best if you leave now. Let’s avoid escalating things further.” Josephine gestured toward the door, indicating her desire for Ivanka to depart.

Ivanka awkwardly picked up the gifts and left. As she walked out, she glanced back at Josephine’s office.

Josephine sat down on the couch and picked up her phone to send a message to Ethan. ‘What are you up to? Do you miss me?’

‘Currently in a meeting, but thinking of you.’ Apparently, he was unaware of what had happened to Josephine.

Josephine breathed a sigh of relief. Her pictures had been deleted, and they couldn’t be found on the Internet anymore.

‘When are you leaving for the Arctic?’

‘Afternoon flight. There might not be a good signal once I arrive at the Arctic, so I won’t be able to stay in constant contact with you.’

‘That’s fine! Just occasional communication is enough.’ Josephine reassured him.

‘After the meeting, I’ll video chat with you later.’

‘Okay, you go ahead and focus on your work.’ She didn’t want to disturb him any longer as he surely had a lot of tasks to handle.

She was going to have dinner with her family that night. It took her some time to adjust to not having Ethan around. Oftentimes, she would have trouble falling asleep and would reach out beside her in her

dreams, only to find an empty space. It would wake her up, and then she would spend the night flipping through photos, reminiscing about everything that happened between them.

After the bout of intense longing, she would restrain herself as she looked forward to the day they reunited.

Josephine didn’t plan to tell him about the injustice she had suffered. She worried that the situation would deeply upset him, to the extent that he might lose his appetite.

Katrina’s family was making various efforts to help her, but no matter what connections they used, it all proved futile. Katrina’s case was too sensitive, and no one dared to touch it or offer assistance, which meant that she would inevitably pay the price for her actions.

At 9.30PM, Josephine got into bed after taking a shower, and a video call from a certain man came through.

She answered the call and saw the man on the other side wearing a black shirt and a suit with a tie. He looked very formal, and the background showed a view of clouds, indicating that he was in a high-rise building.

The man’s deep and clear amber eyes in the video stared at her with a charming smile.

Before she could say anything, she was captivated by the man’s smile. She couldn’t even bring herself to speak and just admired his handsome looks.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” the man asked. He thought she would have endless things to say to him.

Indeed, Josephine had a thousand words to say, but when they finally had a video meeting, she realized that her mouth had gone dumb, and she didn’t know what to say anymore.

“I read all your news. It’s fantastic,” the man said in a deep voice.

Josephine’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly asked, “Do you read news from here?”

“Well, due to my busy schedule, I only read your news,” the man replied.

Josephine couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. It was a good thing that he wouldn’t be reading news from other sources. That way, he wouldn’t find out about her situation.

“Are you busy over there? Besides work, do you have any leisure activities?”

“I play golf with my dad, work out, and focus on my job. Once things settle down here, I’ll bring you over for a vacation.”

Her face lit up with excitement. “That sounds great! In that case, I’ll make sure the company prepares a successor for me. When I have some free time, I’ll take a leave.”

“I suggest proposing it to Atticus to start training the successor in advance. It will put your mind at ease,” Ethan said.

At that moment, Josephine’s laptop beside her chimed with a message from Wren. There was another piece of breaking news on the Internet, which was about Tori being involved in a sugar daddy relationship. Meanwhile, Wren’s messages continued to flood in, arriving one after another.

Josephine loved reading these kinds of news and couldn’t help but keep her head close to the computer. Meanwhile, a certain man who had been neglected on her phone suddenly became alert, thinking that some other guy was enthusiastically chatting with her.

“Ahem!” The man coughed lightly.

Only then did Josephine realize that she had neglected him. She quickly looked up at him, blinked her adorable eyes, and said, “Is it cold over there? You’re dressed so warmly.”

“Yeah! It’s a bit colder here,” he replied. Afterward, he rose from his seat and gracefully removed his suit, unveiling his robust muscles subtly defined beneath his black shirt. His long and untamed fingers skillfully loosened his tie, an act brimming with such allure that caused Josephine to swallow hard, feeling the weight of temptation.

If he were by her side, she would eagerly pounce on him without hesitation, but he was far away in a location abroad. She could only watch his figure through the video, discreetly swallowing her saliva. His body was an exquisite perfection that she could only admire from afar, unable to touch or lean against it —how tantalizingly tempting it was.

At that moment, the message notifications on the side kept chiming incessantly. The man opposite Josephine began to suspect that there was another man vigorously pursuing her.

“Hey, who are you chatting with?” he asked.

“It’s my friend!”

“A guy?”

“A girl,” she said.

However, the man didn’t believe her. “Take a screenshot and show me.”

Josephine didn’t dare to take a screenshot. It was all Wren talking about Tori’s situation, and if he happened to discover Tori’s affairs and those pictures of her, it would negatively impact her image.

“It’s really a friend, a girl, my colleague. You’ve met her before, Wren,” she explained earnestly.

“Is that so?” The man’s jealousy was evident. Clearly, after being in a relationship, his possessiveness was quite strong.

“I’m not lying to you. I swear I’m not lying,” she explained again and made a solemn promise.

“Do you miss me?” the man asked hoarsely.

“I do, very much. I even dream about you,” Josephine said without any shyness. When you love someone, you should say it out loud.

“What do you miss about me?” The man suddenly became a bit ambiguous.

Josephine bit her lip and boldly confessed, “I miss sleeping in your arms.”

“Just sleeping?”

“Of course not just sleeping. You know what I mean.” She blushed. Did he really have to make me say such intimate words?

“I don’t know!” The man pretended to be ignorant. “Tell me in detail.”

She covered her face and refused to look at him. “What are you forcing me to say?”

He couldn’t help but chuckle and decided not to force her since it was difficult for a girl to talk about such things. However, he swore he would make her say those words of love when they got to meet in person.

Just then, an assistant’s voice was heard next to Ethan, and Josephine heard him reply, “Wait a moment, I’ll be right there.”

“Are you going to have another meeting?” she asked.

“Yeah, it’s another meeting. There have been some issues in the company lately,” he said.

She decided not to occupy his time any longer and urged, “Well, go ahead and attend your meeting.”

“Alright, I love you.” The man blew her a kiss, and she made a heart gesture in return. “I love you too.”

After ending the video call, her longing over the past few days was relieved. She eagerly awaited the day they would reunite and meet in person.

…

In the early morning, as Josephine arrived at the company, she spotted a familiar figure. It was her former senior colleague, Selyn Waydon. She happily approached her and greeted, “Hey, Selyn.”

“Josephine!” Selyn greeted her with joy.

“Have you joined our company, Selyn?”

“Yeah! I’m taking over Tori’s position. I was planning to retire, but Mr. Kowalski kept asking me to come over.”

“That’s fantastic! Your presence will bring a lot of brilliance to our company!” Josephine was genuinely pleased to have an experienced senior colleague like Selyn to work alongside. Content rights by NôvelDr//ama.Org.

“The impact of Tori’s case is extremely negative, so your company has decided not to hire her anymore. Of course, I believe that she will be the most suitable successor for this position in the future.”

“No, no. Sera, you’re still so young. You can definitely continue to succeed.”

At first, Tori had only been suspended from work without pay, but as the situation escalated, things deteriorated to a point where she was facing severe criticism from netizens, and there would be no

company that would dare to hire her in the future. Even if she had a high level of expertise and a good image, these things meant nothing once her reputation was ruined.

Meanwhile, Ivanka headed to visit Katrina in prison, securing ten minutes with her through her connections.

In just a few days, Katrina had completely lost her previous shine. She sat behind a table in the visiting area and pleaded, “Save me, Ivanka, please save me. I don’t want to spend another second here.”

Ivanka willed her tears back as she looked at her sister, and yet she was at a complete loss. She had already pulled all her strings, but none worked, leaving Katrina fated to life in prison.

“Katrina, it’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have given you that idea. I was the one who harmed you, Katrina, I’m sorry.” As she looked at Katrina’s eyes of despair, Ivanka felt as if a knife was digging into her heart, causing her to ache with guilt and helplessness.

After hearing that, Katrina sent her a vicious glare that was filled with hatred. “Ivanka, did you do this on purpose? Since we were kids, you’ve always thought that I stole the love that belonged to you away and blamed Dad and Mom for loving me instead of you. That’s why you did this to me, right?”

Falling into the depths of despair bred resentment in Katrina, and she even harbored a grudge toward her own sister. Ivanka looked at her in shock, and her heart was torn further apart when she saw that Katrina blamed her for this incident. Why would she harm her own sister? She was truly only doing it for her good.

“Katrina, I really didn’t mean it that way.”

“You did, you definitely did. You married into a good family, had three children, and you’re rich, while I have nothing. And now, I’m forced into prison because of you. I hate you!” Katrina had always been a

narrow-minded person, and now she used this piece of vengefulness she held and turned it into a sharp dagger, driving it deep into Ivanka’s heart.

Ivanka was hurt by her words, but she couldn’t voice her sorrow. Instead, she only looked at Katrina with eyes filled with helplessness and distress.

“I really didn’t want to harm you, Katrina. Please believe me.”

“Go away, I don’t want any of you to come and see me. Just treat me like I’m dead. I’ll hate you for the rest of my life!” Katrina had already become twisted beyond return, and she was even close to losing her mind.

“Katrina…” Although Ivanka was a strong woman, her heart had been torn apart with worry for her sister, and yet what she received was Katrina’s resentment.

Out of everyone involved in this matter, none of them were able to free themselves, and they all faced the consequences they deserved. Ivanka, Katrina, and Tori all paid the price they owed for each of their parts in this situation.

On the other hand, a private plane took off from Dansbury toward the Arctic. A tall and slender figure was seated on a black leather couch within the spacious cabin with a pile of documents next to him that awaited his attention.

When he picked up one of the papers and took a look at it, his sharp brows furrowed. It was an official document prepared by one of his rivals to prevent his company’s development. The sudden appearance of this document in the midst of his project rendered all of his company’s previous efforts to waste.

Ethan’s eyes fluttered shut as he rubbed his forehead. Then, he tossed the document onto the table and gazed at the clouds floating past his window, falling deep into thought.

At the same time, in a private workshop located in the Arctic, a man with blond hair and eyes that were the color of the ocean sat on a couch as he asked one of his subordinates, “Will Ethan be coming?”

“He’s on the way.”

“Very well. You must put an end to his company’s project. All of the oil reserves will belong to my company!”

“Do you have any good plans, boss?”

“Haha!” At his question, a flash of murderous intent gleamed in the man’s eyes.

Meanwhile, after Josephine had finished her work and was settling documents in her office, her right eyelid began to twitch uncontrollably. This caused her to have a bad premonition—after all, they said that a twitching left eyelid signified incoming wealth, while a twitching right eyelid meant that misfortune was on its way.