Howard was shocked to see Gwen. "Why are you here?""I should be the one asking you that."Gwen looked at the unconscious Jane behind Howard. "Let's find a place to talk, you and me.""But …" Howard hesitated for a while. "Alright, we'll talk."Then, Gwen led Howard to a quieter part on the corner of the street. They stopped there. Gwen asked directly, "Why are you kidnapping Claude's granddaughter?""I …" Howard furrowed his brow. "This is my personal matter. Don't ask. I don't want to get anyone involved.""Does Yvonne know about this?"Howard shook his head. "She doesn't know.""Do you think that she wouldn't get involved in this?" Gwen said unhappily, "Howard, you're one of Yvonne's men. If Claude wants to go after you, do you think he won't look for Yvonne? "I thought you would know how to differentiate right from wrong after having been at the border for such a long time. Who would have thought that you would still be so reckless?""I …" Howard lowered his head.

Jane only remembered someone knocking her unconscious. She didn't know what happened after that.When she heard what Stephen said, she quickly looked around for her belongings. Sure enough, her jewelry and bag were missing.Jane was instantly furious. "Robbers are really getting more and more brazen these days!""It's fine as long as you're safe."Now that everything was explained, Claude felt a little embarrassed. "Mr. Anderson, I got a little emotional back there. I'm sorry. I …""It's fine. I understand." Stephen tidied his collar and looked at Jane. He kindly reminded her, "Ms. Ford, you should pay more attention to Mr. Ford's feelings. Don't do things that make him worry.""How would I—""Mr. Anderson is right," Claude answered before Jane could say anything. He glared at her warningly, too.Stephen has already made himself clear. If Jane were to still fawn after him, his suspicion toward Stephen a moment ago would be a complete joke.Stephen was already showing courtes

Sure enough, Yvonne quieted down.Stephen slowly said, "Didn't I promise you I would snatch those few pieces of land that Mark wanted? I was busy with this all this time. "I had only gotten two pieces of land when Mark noticed. He sent men to track me down. If I'm not wrong, he should already be in the city."Yvonne was a little surprised. "He's coming to look for you?""Yes." Stephen shut his eyes a little. "That is also part of my plan."Yvonne pondered for a while before frowning. "You're going to deliberately mislead him to think that you're also interested in the metal mines so that his focus will all be on you?""That's right."While Yvonne was thinking, Stephen hugged her tightly. "All you need to do is prepare for the bid. I'll handle the rest. Just wait to get the mine in your hands."Stephen smiled. "Treat it as compensation for my rough behavior last night."Instantly, the atmosphere turned flirtatious once more.Yvonne rolled her eyes. "Am I to thank you for bein

"He has already stolen two pieces of land from me. He's also attending this bid today. Take a guess—do you think he'll bid for this mine and give it to Yvonne?"Mark shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm fine with it, but I heard that you've found a lot of partners just for this mine today. If you don't manage to get it, you won't be able to explain yourself."Over the years, Neil had been eager to expand his business, so the cash flow had been tight for a long time. He had found a few partners to fund the bid for him this time.That was why Neil had to get the mine, no matter what. After all, he needed to give his partners an explanation.This news wasn't a secret in the industry.Neil glared at Mark. "You don't have to worry about me.""I'm just reminding you that the biggest competitor today is Stephen. You and I have worked together in the past. I am who I am today because of you—""Shut up," Neil berated. "You and I have no past together.""Sure." Mark pretended to shrug helplessly.

"I was following Mark's men, which led me to Leonard and Claude," Gwen said softly. "Last week, Mark sent men to wreck Claude's business in the docks. I was curious about what they had done to make Mark so angry."Ever since she had left Northerna City, she had been looking for a chance to spy on Mark to collect information. If she were to find out about important information, she could let Yvonne know.She had initially wanted to contact Yvonne once she got to the bottom of this matter. But she had never thought that Yvonne would also come to Leonard and Claude's manor.She had also been surprised to find Howard staking out near the manor. When she had seen him following Jane's car, she had followed him into the city and witnessed him knocking Jane unconscious.Gwen looked at Howard. "Yvonne came to the manor to look for you, right?"Howard shook her head. "Ms. Y doesn't know that I'm here. They're here because Leonard and Claude asked for a meeting.""A meeting at this time?"