His emotions were jumbled and difficult to decipher. Despite having married the woman he desired, he felt only frustration and anger. He understood the reason. Nicole's heart was elsewhere.

Caught in a relentless struggle, he found himself unable to harden his heart or to let go, ensnared in a mesh of contradictions. He realized that he could no longer afford to indulge in false hopes.

That night, Jarrod returned home. He stood silently by the bed, watching Nicole with a chilling detachment.

Nicole, pretending to sleep, remained tense, fearful of his intentions.

Eventually, Jarrod climbed into bed, the faint scent of mint from his shower lingering around him. He stayed on his side, making no further movements, apparently there just to sleep.

Nicole, though still wary, eventually let down her guard and drifted off to sleep.

By morning, Jarrod had departed, leaving Nicole to awaken in an empty room. Feeling momentarily disoriented, she realized everything was as it had been. Her investigation into her father's case stalled with no updates from Ethel. She pondered Roscoe's fate, wondering if he had managed to evade the clutches of the Watts family.

In the car, Jarrod issued instructions to his assistant. “The bodyguard who let go of Roscoe at the critical moment breached protocol. Handle it."

"Understood!" the assistant responded, acknowledging Jarrod's command.

That bodyguard had neglected his duty by leaving the target vulnerable during a critical moment, a grave error unmistakable The Schultz Group couldn't tolerate that within its precise organization.

The assistant then reported, saying, “Mr. Schultz, Mr. Hampton has begun spreading rumors, accusing you of betrayal and negligence, claiming that Miss Lawrence's jealousy prompted her to frame his daughter."

Jarrod had foreseen this. He was well-acquainted with Wayne's cunning, akin to an old, dangerous fox.

But he was ready.

"Contact the manager who oversees our joint venture with the Hampton family. Make sure their operations suffer severe losses. It's time they learn that idle rumors come with consequences," Jarrod directed.

Trust had never been established between Jarrod and the Hampton family. Both parties had embedded spies within each other's operations. Jarrod had long identified Hampton's spy, relegating the latter to a harmless role without doing anything further yet.

Meanwhile, Jarrod's own spies within the Hampton ranks were strategically positioned, awaiting their moment.

Despite Wayne's guile, his descendants lacked his shrewdness. The younger Hamptons, either through foolishness or malice, were ill-equipped for serious responsibilities. The disruptions caused by Vicki and Lowe were already troubling enough.

By the following day, Jarrod's instructions had been executed efficiently. The Hampton family's project encountered significant obstacles, exposing critical safety violations that led to a plummet in their stock and widespread public concern.

Wayne, overwhelmed by fury and stress, was hospitalized, needing days of recovery.

Vicki, after spending fifteen days in detention, was released on bail, while Lowe faced grimmer prospects with potential imprisonment Looming.