The repeated deception made Samantha completely unable to believe her.
"So, out of jealousy, you conspired with Suzy to deal with me?"
Upon hearing her words, Yurika was stunned.
She hurriedly shook her head and denied, "No, although I have many shortcomings, my only virtue is loyalty. Even if you killed me, I would never betray my best friend."
Samantha looked at her with disappointment. "You still want to play innocent. I witnessed Suzy calling you. When my initial draft was stolen, you were quick to shift the blame onto Karen. But Karen defended you."
Yurika anxiously said, "Samantha, listen to me. Although I don't have evidence, I'm a hundred percent sure that it was Karen who did it. Karen has long been colluding with Suzy. Although Sarah and Suzy were the masterminds of the events back then, Karen definitely couldn't be unrelated."
When Samantha suddenly disappeared years ago, Yurika anxiously searched everywhere. However, the stepmother and stepsister, who claimed to care for Samantha, showed no signs of distress.
Even her close friend, Karen, reacted calmly, making her disbelief. Only by chance did she overhear the conversation between Sarah and her daughter, revealing that Samantha's loss of innocence and the unplanned pregnancy were orchestrated by them.
She had initially planned to inform Karen about this incident and work together to seek justice for Samantha. However, she discovered that Karen and Suzy had suddenly become good friends. Gradually, she realized that this matter was not simple, and her attempts to find evidence to bring justice to Samantha were in vain.
Her relationship with Karen started to deteriorate from that moment. If Samantha had not returned suddenly, she might have cut ties with Karen for the rest of her life.
Samantha couldn't listen anymore; her emotions were too intense and almost out of control. "I won't believe you anymore. At this point, you still want to sow discord between me and Karen."
Yurika looked at her in disbelief.
"Samantha, our friendship of more than twenty years, and you actually don't trust me, suspecting me?"
Samantha said expressionlessly, "Karen and I also have a friendship of more than twenty years!"
The implication was clear: they both have friendships of more than twenty years, so why should she trust Yurika and suspect Karen?
Hearing her words, Yurika's heart instantly sank. She took two steps back slowly, disappointed, and said, "Samantha, I never expected that you would doubt me! I have poured my heart and soul into our friendship for so many years, even breaking ties with Karen for you. Yet, you don't believe me! If that's the case, then our friendship of so many years ends here. From now on, we go our separate ways, and we'll never see each other again."
After saying this, she turned to leave. Suddenly, she remembered something, turned around, and warned, "Before I go, I want to remind you sincerely: Karen is not a good person. Even if you don't believe me, never trust her."
After speaking, she left without looking back. At the moment of leaving the room, tears flowed uncontrollably from her eyes.
Samantha watched her leave, devastated. She knelt to the ground, holding her head, crying bitterly. "Why? Why would my best friend betray me? Why? I believed in you so much, cared about you so much, why would you betray me...?"
Her voice was piercing, filled with anguish, as if it carried a tinge of blood.
All of this was transmitted to Karen's phone through surveillance. Watching Samantha collapse on the ground and cry, Karen finally satisfiedly exited the surveillance. With Yurika no longer an obstacle, she could finally sleep soundly. Seeing the person she disliked every day was indeed annoying. With Yurika gone, she could more recklessly deal with Samantha.
...
In the afternoon, just after finishing a tender meeting, Ethan returned to the office. He told Jade, "Inform everyone that an emergency high-level meeting will be held in one hour in the office number three."
Jade complied and left.
Ethan loosened his tie, opened his laptop, and began preparing for the upcoming meeting. Suddenly, his phone on the desk rang.
It's a private phone.
He picked up the phone and glanced at it.
Accompanied by the phone's music, two words joyfully danced on the screen: 'Samantha Miller’
Ethan's eyes slightly darkened. Without hesitation, he reversed the phone and placed it on the desk, redirecting his gaze to the computer screen.
However, the phone's ringtone penetrated his eardrums, seeping into his body, stimulating every nerve, making it impossible for him to focus on work.
Feeling annoyed, he picked up the phone again, intending to end the call.
However, his finger lingered on the red button, hesitating without descending.
After some internal struggle, he ultimately answered the call, opened the speaker, and impatiently saying, “What's the matter?”
“I... I want to ask you for a favor.”
Samantha's voice was hoarse, accompanied by a sobbing tone.
As if she had just cried.
Ethan's heart inexplicably clenched in pain. He sternly asked, “Are you crying?”
Samantha didn't respond to his question, humbling herself and asking again, “I have something I'd like to ask for your help with. Can you help me?”
“What is it?”
Samantha said, “I want to meet Miss Ellena. Can you arrange a meeting for me?”
Ethan was puzzled. “Ellena?”
Samantha explained, “I want to clarify the plagiarism issue, but Miss Ellena has a misunderstanding about me. She refuses to meet me. You are her brother, and you are the only one I can ask for help.”
Ethan sarcastically remarked, “Why should I help you? What are you to me? We only slept together once.”
His words were, as always, sharp.
Each word was like a needle, mercilessly piercing Samantha's heart, causing her unbearable pain.
Noticing her silence, Ethan sneered, "Samantha, what do you take me for? Your servant who comes and goes at your beck and call?"
These days, he had been waiting for her call every day. But she didn't even send a message. Now, with no way out, she remembered him? Did she really think he couldn't do without her? Letting her command him as she pleased?
Samantha suppressed the pain in her heart and struggled to speak, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize my position..."
After saying that, she prepared to end the call. Sensing her intention, Ethan immediately spoke, "It's not impossible for me to help you."
Upon hearing this, Samantha didn't show happiness on her face but asked calmly, "What do you want in return?"
She didn't believe that Ethan would help her so willingly.
Ethan said, "Go back to Chelsea Creek and continue being the chef. These days, Noah hasn't been eating properly. If this continues, I'm afraid his health won't hold up."
In fact, Noah was just a pretext. What he really needed was her. During the days she was absent, he craved the food she made.
This condition posed no difficulty for Samantha, and she agreed without hesitation, saying, "As long as you let me meet Miss Ellena, I'll return to Chelsea Creek and resume work tomorrow."
A long-lost smile finally appeared on Ethan's face.
"One hour later, at the second-floor of Old Coffee across from Emperor Group. I won't wait if you're late."
After saying that, he hung up the phone.
When Jade entered, he saw Ethan tilting his head, staring at the phone screen, smiling foolishly.
The cold aura that had been enveloping him seemed to melt away at a visible speed, as if encountering the spring sun.
Jade could hardly believe what he saw with his own eyes. He had only sent out a notification. Why did President Steele suddenly seem like a completely different person?
"Cough, cough..." He half-closed his fist, coughed lightly while covering his lips, and brought Ethan's wandering sanity back, "President, the notification has already been sent out!"
However, Ethan suddenly stood up, picked up his hanging clothes, and left the office without turning back.
"The meeting is postponed; the time will be notified later!"
"..."
Jade was stunned, unable to regain his senses for a while.
***