“And I said no! I don't need your help!"

Ariana cut him off. She looked into his deep eyes.

“There's one thing I'd like to make clear now. I'm the one doing you a favor, not the other way around. You gave me this job because you wanted to defeat your half-brother. You should be the one begging me. I can pull the plug on this shit if you provoke me!"

“Is that a threat, Ariana?" Theodore's eyes narrowed to slits as his tone became very dangerous.

“Er... No, it's not a threat." Ariana's heart skipped a beat. She was scared, but she tried not to show it. She raised her chin and added, “It's just a reminder. We are partners. I will do my part while you do yours. I can handle it. You just wait and see! Open the door, Horace!"

Horace, who was still behind the wheel, flinched and quickly unlocked the door.

Ariana snorted and got out of the car with Alina in her arms.

“Boss... Do you want to get out?" Horace had his heart in his mouth now. Through the rearview mirror, he looked at Theodore, who was sitting in the back seat in silence. The air in the car warned him of the incoming storm. He couldn't help admiring Ariana for being so bold. He had never witnessed anyone speak to Theodore Like that.

The air in the car seemed to be stilled until Theodore finally spoke in a commanding tone.

"Get the wheelchair."

“Yes, boss!" Horace felt a huge surge of relief. He got out of the car to get the wheelchair from the trunk. He looked forward to going home after taking his boss into the house.

* Ariana tucked Alina in bed as soon as she got into her bedroom. She then called one of her friends, Sonia Yates, who happened to be a paparazzo.

A displeased female voice came from the other end of the line as soon as it was connected.

"You bad girl, so you finally remembered me tonight? I thought you forgot about me! Which hole did you vanish into? I haven't heard from you for weeks."

Ariana tried to calm her down.

“I'm sorry, Sonia. A lot of things have happened recently."

“Is that so? In that case, tell me what you have been up to. What made you vanish without a trace?" Sonia fumed.

Ariana briefly explained her recent situation. She then inquired about the scandal involving Sarah and Lynch.

"I knew it! I knew you didn't call to check up on me. You only called because you need my help, huh?" Sonia snorted and started spilling her guts.

"The reasonable pressmen know that Lynch set Sarah up. It's obvious that the sex tape was recorded by a hidden camera planted in the room. There's no way Sarah knew that she was being recorded. The main issue now is that her boyfriend put out a statement where he apologized to Lynch. He also said that Sarah cheated on her then-husband with him. His confession has made it impossible for Sarah to defend herself. It's a big setup. Clearing this up will be extremely hard."