Chapter 159
"Auntie, marriage should be rooted in love," Kaitlyn said, a gentle smile curving her lips.
"Without love, it's like a tomb. Ivan wouldn't want to build his own tomb just for the sake of the kids."
Mrs. Winston shook her head silently. In her years in Australia, she'd long since lost any sway over her son. Anything she said seemed to fall on deaf ears.
"You know, I've grown quite fond of Ivan's perspective on love," Kaitlyn mused with a shy smile. "I've heard so much about him all these years, and yet, I still haven't laid eyes on him. Auntie, do you have a picture of him?" Mrs. Winston looked at Kaitlyn, her gaze filled with a mixture of emotions.
Catherine had waltzed into her life about four or five years ago, showing up daily to see her, and she found herself opening up to this girl in her early twenties, sharing secrets and troubles.
She even confided in Catherine about her misunderstandings with Ivan.
If Catherine were to become her daughter-in-law, she believed the tension between her and Ivan would surely ease, all thanks to Catherine's influence...
But there was one thing—
Ivan had two sons. Would a blossoming beauty like Catherine be willing to step into the role of a stepmother?
...
After wrapping up her morning tasks at the studio, Haley drove to The DeRoss Group.
Now serving as the Client Services Manager for The DeRoss Group, Haley was determined to excel in this unexpected role. Carrying her purse, she arrived at the fifteenth floor—home to the client services department. The lunch break had just ended, leaving the office atmosphere listless and uninspired.
It was only when Haley walked in that a spark of energy seemed to charge through the room.
Even the rank-and-file staff had heard about the upheaval at The DeRoss Group’s shareholders meeting days earlier.
Other departments remained unaffected, but their own had undergone a shake-up: A new manager had parachuted in, demoting the current one to an assistant.
An air of caution hung as everyone adapted to the change in leadership.
"Good afternoon," Haley greeted with a smile, her arrival stirring the uncertain crowd before she stepped into the manager's office.
As the door closed behind her, a collective sigh of relief was released.
"Damn! I can't believe Haley's really our new manager!" one employee exclaimed.
"Poor Timothy was doing a great job, and then bam—replaced just like that. It's brutal!"
"Timothy was just a casualty in the DeRoss sisters' power struggle. Now, with the elder Miss DeRoss pulling the strings, we better tread carefully."
Although Emily DeRoss's misappropriation of funds had been hushed up, whispers had circulated, and now it was common knowledge that Emily had been ousted from the board and pressured to resign as GM. It was the elder Miss DeRoss who now held the reins of power.
A female employee dressed in a crop top commented icily, "Don't forget, Emily is the heir to The DeRoss Group."
At her words, the surrounding staff fell silent.
This was Mia, Emily's close friend, who Emily had insisted join the client services team.
Having contributed little in the way of client acquisitions over her two to three years, Mia was evidently slack in her duties, yet somehow, when the quarterly awards came around, she always emerged as an 'outstanding employee' and took home the highest performance bonus.
People in the customer service department were not too happy with her, but since she was Emily's best friend, they bit their tongues in frustration.
"Emily is the second-largest shareholder and the heir to the company. What waves can Haley possibly make?" scoffed Mia with a mocking smile. "She only got the customer service manager position through these tactics, and the first person to object was Eva!"
Everyone called her Eva Timothy, except for Mia, who, emboldened by Emily's influence, dared to address the manager by her first name.
No sooner had Mia finished speaking than Eva approached: "And why would I object?"
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