"Honestly, I can't believe she actually managed to defeat The Hills."
"Who would've believed it! At first, I thought her declaration that she'd take down The Hills in three months was a joke. Turns out the joke was on me."
"The joke was on all of us. It's truly unbelievable."
For a young woman with nothing to defeat The Hills—that in itself was a miracle.
A few acquaintances came over to greet her.
"Miss Rovella, landing that collaboration with The Aleens Group this time is seriously impressive! You've got to take me along sometime!"
"Yeah! We'd love to get a taste of the action too."
That was The Aleens Group!
Collaborating with them was the dream of countless people. If the profits weren't enormous, The Hills wouldn't have schemed so desperately to win that project.
"We'll collaborate if the opportunity arises," Janelle replied coolly as ever.
Seeing her demeanor, the group felt awkward lingering and soon left.
Everyone was still in a state of watchfulness. After all, no one knew who was truly behind Janelle. No one dared to offend her. She must have significant backing—capital.
Once they were gone, Sara couldn't help but remark, "Those people really are opportunistic. Before, they looked down on you. Now that you've partnered with The Aleens Group, they shamelessly come crawling to curry favor." Sara genuinely despised such people.
"Don't pay them any mind," Janelle said indifferently. She only did what she wanted; others' opinions were irrelevant to her.
Sara sometimes deeply admired that about her. She couldn't be like Janelle, always feeling pulled in different directions by circumstances.
Noticing Sara still seemed down, Janelle handed her a glass of wine.
"How's your graduation project coming? Still stuck?" Janelle asked with concern.
Mentioning the graduation project made Sara feel like her head was about to explode.
"Janelle, I might not graduate at all," Sara confessed, taking the glass and gulping a large mouthful. No inspiration. Absolutely none.
"Of course you will. Sara, I believe in you," Janelle could only encourage her.
Sara leaned against Janelle's shoulder as she drank, looking utterly despondent.
Bruce Aleen, hearing Janelle was at Nightfall (Yese), rushed over eagerly. Spotting her from afar, he saw her sitting there with a young woman leaning against her. Bruce really wanted to pull that girl away.
His buddy, who had come with him, saw Bruce's intense gaze fixed on Janelle and could only shake his head. Bruce was truly done for this time.
"Bruce, gonna go say hi?" They'd been in the middle of training, but the moment Bruce heard Janelle was here, he'd dropped everything to come.
Bruce Aleen found a barstool and sat down, making no move to approach her.
"..." His buddy was speechless.
If you liked someone, shouldn't you just go tell her? Saying nothing meant the girl would never know!
"Bruce, go for it!"
Bruce Aleen smacked the back of his buddy's head.
"Shut up. Go for what? How vulgar."
Truly liking someone meant being afraid to speak it aloud carelessly.
That day, Mrs. Hill endured sheer humiliation before finally making it home.
The situation online continued to escalate. The real-name reports were just the spark. Over the years, The Hills had made plenty of enemies during its expansion. Now, seeing a chance to crush The Hills, these people were pulling out all the stops to bring them down.
Nelson came out of his room when he heard she was back.
"Mom, who's targeting The Hills?" It had to be someone powerful orchestrating things behind the scenes. Otherwise, how would these people dare file real-name reports?
"I don't know. I don't even know who's behind the attacks," Mrs. Hill admitted. The fact that she couldn't identify her adversary was precisely what made it terrifying.
Online revelations came wave after wave—some true, some false. Yet, the enraged mob of netizens no longer bothered to distinguish; any new development was met with furious condemnation.
"Could it be Janelle?" Nelson voiced his suspicion.
"Janelle? Impossible! How could Janelle possibly be a match for me?" Mrs. Hill refused to believe it.
"Mom, she snatched the Aleens Group project right out of your hands, didn't she? And Mr. Aleen clearly adores her."
"..." Mrs. Hill was silenced.
If it really was Janelle... that was terrifying. Given how much Janelle hated them, she would surely try to destroy them utterly.
"Mom, what about Elora? Since The Hills can't find out, maybe ask The Lorenz for help." Elora had latched onto The Lorenz, hadn't she? In Imperial Capital, The Lorenz called the shots.
"Right! Why didn't I think of that? I'll call her now!" Mrs. Hill immediately dialed Elora, but the call went unanswered.
"What's going on? Why isn't Elora picking up?" Nelson frowned. "Mom, you need to tell Elora to stop fooling around outside. A family like The Lorenz, with their deep roots, would never accept her if they found out about her... messy affairs."
Meanwhile, Elora was diligently serving Larry Lorenz. Larry Lorenz cared nothing for her comfort, only his own pleasure. When her teeth accidentally scraped him, he slapped her hard across the face.
Elora was stunned.
"Can't you even serve a man properly? What are you good for?" he sneered before continuing his relentless assault.
Elora felt sick, but with her mouth full, she couldn't vomit. Larry Lorenz was seething. That bastard Erik wasn't even in Imperial Capital, yet he still controlled Haoting Group. He was the legitimate eldest son of The Lorenz! Since when did inheritance skip the firstborn? How had he become the castoff in The Lorenz family?
Larry Lorenz was consumed by resentment. No matter what, he would reclaim what was rightfully his.
Elora was rolled her eyes, feeling close to death. Larry Lorenz was too perverse. If it weren't for his status as the Lorenz heir, she couldn't endure this man.
Finally, Larry Lorenz finished.
Elora tried to rush to the bathroom to vomit, but he grabbed her chin roughly.
"Disgusted?" he asked maliciously.
To appease him, Elora forced herself to swallow everything. She leaned against Larry Lorenz's chest, feigning tenderness. "Larry, what's wrong? Are you upset today?"
Larry Lorenz had no intention of discussing Haoting Group matters with Elora. She was just a plaything, unworthy of such knowledge. He pushed her off and began straightening his clothes.
Larry Lorenz was leaving. Elora couldn't stop him. Checking her phone, she saw several missed calls from her mother. She called back.
"What?!" Elora gasped. She could no longer stay put. Not caring about her disheveled state, she scrambled after Larry Lorenz.