Ursula had been drifting in and out of consciousness for days. She hadn't contacted Thomas at all.

Even if Hailey had called the emergency contact number, that couldn't possibly constitute harassment.

She pulled out her phone, her gaze turning cold. "Fine. If I really did harass him, I'll own it. But if I didn't, then either return this slap or we call the police."

Without waiting for their reaction, she turned the call log toward them.

The dense list of records showed clearly: Ursula's phone had only called him twice, three days ago, both during normal hours.

Thomas, on the other hand, had called her over a dozen times in recent days—sometimes even in the middle of the night.

Who was harassing whom was obvious at a glance.

"Even if I was wrong, I'm your mother! You wouldn't dare hit me, would you?" Odette hadn't expected that even now, Thomas had been secretly contacting this wretched girl behind their backs.

Ursula let out a cold laugh, her mocking gaze sweeping across all three faces. "I can't hit you, true. But that doesn't mean I can't hit them. Unless you'd prefer to involve the police?"

The sudden bride-swap had kept the Abbott family in the spotlight lately. Odette certainly didn't want this dragged to the precinct.

But Ursula's reaction caught her off guard.

Shouldn't she have swallowed her grievances quietly after clearing up the misunderstanding? Where did she get the nerve to cause such a scene?

Before, Ursula would have let it go for the sake of keeping the peace.

But now? Why should she keep enduring this?

"Not choosing? Then let's just call the police." Ursula dialed without hesitation. Before she could press the final digit, Teresa suddenly rushed forward in tears and grabbed her hand.

"Ursula, I know you're doing this because you're angry with me. If hitting me would make you feel better, then go ahead. Consider it my apology as your older sis—"

Slap!

A sharp crack cut off her speech. Ursula's hand had already swung.

"Have you lost your mind?!"

Thomas reacted with fury, instinctively pulling Teresa into his arms. Pain flickered in his eyes.

"Ursula, she's your sister! She's ill! How can you be so vicious?!"

Teresa, still reeling from the sudden blow, clenched her teeth. This little wretch actually dared to hit her?

Hadn't she always been helpless against Teresa's schemes before?

Before Teresa could speak, Ursula's lips curved slightly. "So Mr. James cares this much? But I gave you a choice just now. You're the one who stood there and did nothing."

"Or is your concern for her... only this much?"

What Thomas noticed first was how she addressed him. His brow furrowed. "What did you just call me?"

Teresa stiffened in his arms. At a time like this, he was fixating on that?

And Ursula was right—Thomas's reflexes were usually quick. Why hadn't he blocked the slap for her?

"Thomas..." Tears spilled down Teresa's cheeks. The red welt on her face made her look utterly pitiful.

Thomas realized his misstep. Tightening his hold on her, he said, "Stop trying to drive a wedge between us. Apologize to your sister."

"Gladly—"

Ursula nodded, stepped forward, and slapped Thomas across the face.

"There. Enough?"

"You—! You little monster!" Odette watched both of them get hit and charged forward to discipline her.

Ursula sidestepped, her voice flat. "Thomas, this is what you two owed me. Now we're even."

She turned and walked toward Hailey.

Behind her, Odette shrieked that she'd gotten too bold, that she'd pay for this.

Ursula didn't look back.

Make her pay?

But she had nothing left to lose.

That night, Ursula returned to her apartment.

The first thing she did was throw out every piece of garbage connected to Thomas.

It wasn't until hundreds of messages flooded her phone that she realized all hell had broken loose online.

Following the trail, Ursula found a series of freshly posted announcements on Fox Group's official website.

Five in total. All about her.

"Due to personal conduct issues, former Vice President of Design Ursula Abbott has been demoted to Department Head."

"Due to personal conduct issues, former Vice President of Design Ursula Abbott has been demoted to Manager."

"Due to personal conduct issues... Ursula Abbott has been demoted to Sales Associate."

"Due to... Ursula Abbott has been demoted to Janitorial Staff."

Each announcement deliberately included her previous title, ensuring everyone could watch her plummet from the clouds, one rung at a time.

It wasn't just character assassination—it was public humiliation, plain and simple.

The bizarre announcements caught the attention of countless netizens, all speculating about what could have happened.

"God, this poor woman. What kind of 'conduct issue' gets you demoted from VP all the way down to janitor? Is that even legal?"

"Right? Talk about social death. Whatever happened, couldn't they just call the cops?"

"I'm cringing so hard my toes are curling. Girl, just RUN. What kind of garbage company is this?"

Ursula was, in fact, planning to run.

She'd never liked working at Fox Group to begin with. It was Thomas's mother who'd wanted her to become his right hand, so she'd forced herself to climb the ladder.

Turns out, twisting yourself into knots for someone else really wasn't worth it.

She logged into her company account. Finding her permissions still active, she posted her own announcement—along with a detailed list of every achievement she'd accomplished during her years there.

"With a clear conscience, Ursula Abbott resigns."

Those few simple words sent the trending charts into overdrive.

"Thank god, we're saved—she's a total badass!"

"First time I've ever seen someone quit via company announcement. I need to know how this tastes."

"Also, this woman is seriously impressive. Has Fox Group lost their minds? They're letting talent like this walk?"

"Calling it now: this announcement will be deleted any second. Screenshot while you can!"

The resignation announcement was indeed taken down almost immediately. Ursula didn't care—she'd already made her point.

Fox Group and Odette, however, wouldn't stop calling. When she didn't answer, they resorted to sending sixty-second voice messages, one after another.

She didn't want to hear it. She tossed her phone aside, poured herself a cup of hand-dripped coffee, and retreated to her study.

Two hours later, a new video on traditional Chinese medicine appeared on a certain account.

Ursula diligently replied to a few private messages from mothers asking for advice, then finally emerged.

At some point, her WeChat had gone quiet. The most recent message contained just two words: "You okay?"

From her contact: Greg Weiss.

Her mind drifted back to that snowy night in Melbourne four years ago.

Snow piled waist-deep. A man drenched in blood. Legs nearly destroyed.

She had just inherited her mentor's legacy. He was a Chinese man on death's doorstep.

One willing to try. One willing to gamble.

Fortunately, they'd both won.

As she was lost in thought, the chat window suddenly transformed into an incoming call.

Ursula blinked, hesitated, then tapped accept.

"Hello?"

"It's me. Greg Weiss." The man's deep, measured voice cut through the years between them, stirring something in her chest.

"Mm. I know."

After that, the line fell into an odd silence. Beside him, Hailey grew impatient and shouted into the receiver.

"Ursula! My brother's in Northport! He wants to take you to dinner!"

Her voice grew distant, as if someone was physically pushing her away.

Ursula pictured the scene and smiled. "Sure. When?"

Greg's reply was unhurried. "Your call."

Ursula had already resigned from her job, so she'd had plenty of free time lately.

"Let's do tomorrow then. Hailey's been looking after me all this time, and I still haven't properly thanked her."

"Sounds good."

After hanging up, Hailey invited her to play video games together.

Ursula wasn't particularly into gaming, but she knew Hailey was trying to take her mind off things, so she went along with it.

The two of them played until dark, only stopping when Greg forced his sister to get some rest.

Stars glittered overhead as the city lights spread beneath her feet like a river of scattered silver. Ursula stood in silence, letting the dull ache seep through her chest.

Some wounds had to rot completely before new flesh could grow.

The next day brought rare good weather to Northport.

Ursula arrived right on time. Since the restaurant was housed in a traditional Suzhou-style garden with a dress code, she'd chosen a pale goose-yellow qipao. Her long hair was loosely pinned with a white jade hairpin, giving her an effortlessly striking elegance—like sunlight on fresh snow.

"Ursula, it's criminal that you're not in showbiz!"

The moment they met, Hailey's compliments came rapid-fire.

Ursula smiled, the soft dimples making her look even more approachable.

"There are plenty of beautiful, talented women in entertainment."

"But you're a total knockout!" Hailey tugged at Greg's sleeve. "Right, Greg?"

"Mm. Very beautiful."

Greg's gaze lingered on her.

When he spoke, Ursula instinctively glanced his way. Their eyes met unexpectedly, and both paused.

He was wearing a hand-tailored black shirt today, its subtle bamboo-and-flowing-light pattern strikingly similar to the design on her qipao.

From a distance, they could have passed for a matching couple.

Throughout the meal, Hailey kept the conversation lively. Several times, Ursula found herself thinking back to the fun moments at Melbourne Manor.

Just as the atmosphere reached its warmest, four bodyguards in matching uniforms appeared.

"Miss, the Chairman requests your presence."

Ursula's grip tightened on her utensils.

She'd deliberately chosen this restaurant because it was far from the Abbott estate. There was no way Cliff Abbott could have just happened to pass by.

He'd come here on purpose.

For her.

"I'm entertaining friends. Please tell him I'll come see him after we finish."

No one spoke.

The four bodyguards took another step forward in unison.

Ursula noticed Greg's hand beginning to move and spoke first. "I'm sorry, Mr. Weiss, Hailey—I need to step out. Let's call it here for today."

"We'll go with you." Greg rose, and the restrained presence he'd been holding back unfurled completely. The air itself seemed to grow heavy with an almost suffocating authority.

The four bodyguards exchanged glances, spines stiffening involuntarily.

Hailey caught on immediately. "Yeah, yeah—we're pretty much done eating anyway. Let's all head out together, Ursula."

Warmth flickered through Ursula's chest, but how could she drag them into this?

"That's not necessary, I—"

Before she could finish, warmth enveloped her arm.

Greg's eyes were dark, yet carried the innate pride of someone born to command. "Don't refuse me."

Outside the restaurant.

Cliff sat in his Hongqi sedan, his gaze sharpening when he saw who accompanied Ursula.

But decades in business had taught him never to let shallow emotions show. The moment Ursula got in, the car sped away.

She instinctively gripped her seatbelt. "Where are you taking me?"

Cliff ignored her, his eyes drifting with interest to the rearview mirror.

Behind his convoy of Hongqi sedans, a black Cullinan followed closely.

A few seconds later, a second appeared. Then a third.

In the blink of an eye, the Cullinan convoy matched his own in size.

"Your friend looks like someone important. Not from Northport?"