Chapter 113

Millie took a slow breath and decided not to overthink it. First, she needed to pick up Ari and get her to kindergarten before they ran late.

Charles still had some loose ends to tie up,but he had already texted saying everything was handled-no need for her to stress.

That made her feel lighter, at least a little. She drove off to collect Ari.

But when she arrived, something felt... off.

Ari looked like she had something on her mind.

And the director of the children's home seemed hesitant too-like she wanted to say something but kept it in.

Millie glanced from Ari to the director, giving them space to speak.

But neither of them did.

And so, Millie said nothing either. She figured if they wanted to keep it private, she'd respect that.

"Shall we go?" she asked gently.

Ari nodded. Millie smiled and slung the little backpack over her shoulder. They walked out together.

Just before heading into the kindergarten gates, Ari tugged at Millie's sleeve. "Will you be picking me up this afternoon?" she asked.

Usually, Millie was the one who picked her up. If she couldn't, she always made sure it was someone Ari liked-Alexia or her brother, Sheridan or his brother,or sometimes Charles.

Ari didn't usually ask. But since she did today, Millie could tell she wanted her to come today.

She bent down to meet the girl's eyes, gentlypressing a hand to her soft, chubby cheek.

"I'll do my best," she said softly. "And if I really can't,I'll come visit you tonight. I promise you'll still see me,okay?"

Ari's face lit up. Her eyes curved into little crescent moons, and she nodded eagerly. Then she turned to go. But after just a few steps, she spun around, ran back, and planted a kiss on Millie's cheek before dashing into the building with a skip in her step.

Millie touched the spot where the kiss had landed, a quiet smile spreading across her face.

Things between her and Ari were shifting-growing deeper, warmer. She felt the warmth.

After making sure Ari was safely inside,Millie headed to Evans Entertainment.

By eight-thirty, she had parked outside the building She adjusted her disguise, pulled her mask higher, and made her way up.

Ever since she and Charles had been spotted together on camera and gossips went wild, she'd learned to be more cautious.

She entered through a side entrance and headed straight for the most private meeting room. Only after she was inside did she finally remove the mask.

A voice message from Charles buzzed through her phone. "I'll be there around nine."

Millie nodded to herself and opened her notebook to start sketching.

There were still plans to go over for the Heavenly Melody finale.

She lost track of time in her sketches until the door finally opened. She looked up. Charles walked in.

His face was clouded. He closed the door and sat down across from her without a word.

"What is it?" Millie asked, sensing something was off.

He didn't answer immediately. His fingers tapped lightly against the table. As though he was carefully weighing his words.

Millie blinked. That alone was surprising.

Charles usually spoke before he thought. She studied him. What could have happened?

Not able to hold it back, she asked him directly.

"I can think too, you know!" Charles snapped, clearly irritated. Last night,his grandfather had basically called him brainless.

The memory of it still boiled his blood. And now Millie did the same?

"Okay, fine," he muttered. "I'll just say it." He let out a sigh. "This morning, at the Evans family..."

Two hours earlier, over at the Watson Mansion,Charles had been doing everything he could to stay under the radar.

Every time his brothers showed up, something went wrong.

Those two wolves never missed a chance to stir up trouble-and right now, they saw an opening.

They were now doing everything they could to pressure investors into forcing Serena-Evans Entertainment's own talent-out of the show. It was their best shot.

Sure, the company could still make money off the show since they're a major investor, but Serena's image, her career, her future endorsements-all of it would be wiped out.

The show mattered. But it wasn't the core issue. The bigger win was Serena's future potential. Brand deals,ambassador roles-that was the long game.

If Serena got cancelled, all of Charles' work would go up in flames. And that was their real endgame.

So of course these two brothers were seizing this moment to corner Charles, throwing around sly remarks and whispering offers behind closed doors.All of it designed to make himn lose ground.

Napier, meanwhile, stayed on the sidelines.

He didn't care about the mess. His plan from the beginning had always been to let them fight it out. If it got ugly, well-that was their problem.

Once everyone had arrived, Charles straightened his jacket and walked into the meeting room,ready to speak.

The room was packed withinvestors and executives from all corners. Most of them had ties to his brothers.Even though Millie had won Napier over last time,Charles knew that wasn't enough. He still had work to do to win the others.

"Mr. Evans," someone said sharply as soon as Charles stepped in. "We called you several times last night. No reply. Today, we need an answer."

"Exactly. This project doesn't belong to you alone. If it fails, we all lose. And that's not something you can just ignore."

"I messaged you already. There's a simple solution-remove Serena. Clean cut. Plenty of shows have done it."

"Right. Replace the problematic figure and the rest goes forward. It's standard. And we've dropped A-listers before. This isn't personal-simply damage control."

Voices piled over each other. One suggestion after another. All of them pushingthe same agenda.

Charles clenched his jaw, frustrated.

The suggestions weren't new. They were standard,yes -but not all of them came from a place of reason.Some were just eager to watch him fall. He was fully aware.

If not for Millie's plan, he would've been eaten alive in this room.

Charles cleared his throat, preparing to speak. But before he could get a word out, a sharp tap echoed through the room.

Jayceon leaned forward."Alright,everyone,give me a minute." He tucked his phone into his pocket and stood.

The Elliott family was one of Crobert's big three names, and unlike the fractured Evans family, the Elliotts had unity on their side. No one interrupted and all just stare at Jayceon.

"I'm here to speak on behalf of the Elliott family,"he said. "About Serena's situation."

Every head turned, eyes shifting to Charles.

Everyone knew the Elliott Group had signed on as sponsors just two days ago. And now, this? They would definitely want to understand what was going on.

If Jayceon turned against Charles right here, it would be the final blow. With the full table of investors watching, that kind of public disapproval would sink everything.

Everyone watched Charles with eager anticipation.

Charles' brothers looked thrilled. They leaned back in their seats, smug and certain.

After all, the timing of the Elliott sponsorship had made one thing clear-it wasn't a deal Charles had arranged. There'd been no personal negotiation,so why would the Elliotts forsake their interests and side with Charles now?

Jayceon took a breath and began to speak.