Chapter 9

As Carson and I came on stage, two piercing gazes shot straight at me, one from Carter and one from Hazel.

Carson took the microphone. "Hello, everyone, I'm Carson Strauss, the new chairman of Clancy Group as well as the current director of Strauss Group. This beautiful lady beside me is Mira Allen, from the Allen family."

The audience erupted into noise. The heiress of Allen Group?

Amidst the chaos below, I noticed Carter's face darken completely and Hazel's look of jealousy mixed with disbelief.

Beside them, Nasr and others turned pale.

Offending the heiress of Allen Group, which controlled half the nation's economic lifeline, could only spell disaster for them.

The situation on stage changed rapidly. Carson was now on one knee in front of me, holding out a pink diamond ring.

The continuous clicks of cameras surrounded me as I looked down at Carson kneeling before me and extended my hand.

The moment the pink diamond slid onto my ring finger, Carson lifted me and spun around on the stage, as joyful as a child.

Before long, the incident became several trending topics.

"Carson, the chairman of Clancy Group and the true heir of Strauss Group, appeared in the public eye."

"The heiress of Allen Group, Mira Allen."

"Remington's affair."

"The true identity of Carter."

...

As I lay comfortably in bed under Carson's attentive care, watching a movie, the stock price of Strauss Group plummeted.

Seeing this, I smirked internally, glad that my covert evidence had subtly done its part.

"Miss, there's some man here to see you," the butler announced, knocking on my door. At this time? I had my suspicions, so I watched another hour of the film before taking the elevator downstairs.

In the living room, several familiar figures sat shivering on the couch. It was Nasr and his group.

I crossed my arms. "What brings you here?"

As I finished speaking, Nasr and the others knelt before me. "We were blind to your stature and offended you before. Please have mercy on us!" They kept bowing their heads, clearly frightened by the current state of Strauss Group. It wasn't too stupid of them to seek my help.

Sitting in a nearby chair, I asked with a smile, "How have Carter and Hazel been lately?"

Nasr knelt cautiously and then spoke, "Carter is no longer with her and is helping Remington manage Strauss Group, though not effectively... Hazel has recently been forced by her father into a marriage with an old man to save the declining Weston family."

Carson silently stood behind me, draping a coat over my shoulders.

Who would have thought that this seemingly gentle man could act so ruthlessly? It was only a matter of time before Strauss Group would change hands.

Nasr stole a glance at the virtuous Carson behind me, feeling a chill.

Feeling a bit bored, I yawned listlessly, causing Carson to frown and scare away Nasr and his group.

"Why are you asking about Carter?"

Here it came. I knew it was only a matter of time before he asked me about Carter.

I averted my gaze with a sense of guilt, avoiding Carson's.

Carson firmly held my head with one hand, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "You didn't have a past with him, did you?"

I laughed awkwardly. "Youthful indiscretion."

Subconsciously, I still didn't want Carson to know that I had provided crucial evidence in the downfall of Strauss Group.

Annoyed, Carson bit me gently. "You're still hiding things from me!"