Nicole dialed Jarrod's number again. But this time, all she got was a busy tone. It seemed he had blocked her.

She stood in the cold wind for almost two hours, wrapping her coat tightly around her body. Her assistant called again, informing her that one of their partners, who wasn't dissatisfied with their products, had called and asked about their products being returned.

This was not a good sign. It seemed this partner was thinking about terminating their cooperation.

Nicole clenched her fists tightly. She walked forward, pulled out some cash from her wallet, and stuffed the money into the bodyguards' hands, attempting to bribe them to let her in.

But the bodyguards shook their heads and waved their hands, refusing her money.

She understood what they were worried about. So, she hastened to explain, "Please, take it. I won't make things difficult for you.

Just do me a favor. Tell Jamie that Nicole is here and wants to talk to her. If she doesn't want to see me, I'll immediately leave. I won't cause you any trouble."

Nicole was betting on whether Jamie's hatred toward her was enough to let her in. Once she got in, she would stand a chance of seeing Jarrod. In that case, she could manage to talk with him, thus saving her company from going bankrupt. She must see Jarrod tonight, no matter what.

These bodyguards were surely high-paid, so it was useless for Nicole to bribe them into letting her on board. But they could relay her message to Jamie.

Sure enough, one of the bodyguards took the money and went up to ask.

After a few minutes, the bodyguard returned with good news.

"Miss Powell is willing to let you on board."

Nicole knew she had won. She clenched her fists tightly and stepped onto the yacht.

When Nicole reached the deck, she saw how grand Jamie's birthday party was.

The entire yacht was adorned with exquisite flowers. Sparkling crystal lanterns hung everywhere. The floor was covered with expensive Persian carpets. In front of the captain's room, a five- star chef was preparing an unlimited buffet of meticulously prepared and mouthwatering dishes that made Nicole's stomach ache even more.

A waiter approached Nicole and guided her through the crowd. She soon found Jamie, who was surrounded by many celebrities. Beside Jamie stood Jarrod, who looked dashingly handsome in his tailored suit.

Jamie, in her cherry red dress and luxurious jewelry from head to toe, exuded the air of an heiress.

But, of course, everyone knew that the Powell family had long since fallen from grace. Jamie had a reckless older brother who single- handedly bankrupted their company, leaving them with debts worth hundreds of millions.

If it weren't for Jarrod, the Powell family would no longer have a place in Ardlens.

Jarrod had lavishly spent money just for Jamie to maintain her status as a famous socialite.