Cherry Miller smiled.
Looks like this isn't something money can fix.
If money can't solve it, then I'll use other means.
Cherry Miller sighed and said, "To be honest, I broke up with Ethan Yin several months ago."
"Really?" Casey looked at Cherry suspiciously. "I don't believe you."
Such a great guy—how could Cherry Miller just give up so easily?
If it were her, she'd never let go, no matter what.
Cherry Miller pretended to be troubled and said, "You know, I wasn't born into privilege. The Yin Family adopted me when I was young, and someone like me could never truly fit as the Yin Family's young mistress. That's why I chose to break up..."
Seeing Cherry hesitate, Casey couldn't help but ask, "Did Ethan agree?"
"Don't even mention it." Cherry looked as if she had a secret she couldn't share, her expression making Casey's curiosity burn even brighter.
"So what happened?" Casey pressed eagerly. "As long as you leave Ethan, as long as you keep your word, I'll give you the stuff right away!"
Cherry deliberately put on a distrustful look. "How do I know if you really have it, or if you're just bluffing?"
"Of course it's real! Why would I lie to you?" Casey got flustered, rummaged through her bag, and placed a USB drive on the table.
Cherry's gaze landed on the USB drive, and the tension in her heart eased a little.
Sure enough, Casey hadn't even opened the USB drive—she didn't know what was inside.
This USB drive was made by the Mo Consortium, with triple encryption. It's usually used for transmitting important information or files.
So whether it's been opened or not makes a huge difference.
It's one of the ways to prevent information leaks.
Cherry herself uses this brand of USB drive, so she could tell at a glance that Casey hadn't actually opened it.
Since Casey doesn't know what's inside, that's even better.
"If you just ask around, you'll know I'm not lying. A few months ago, I was still Chief Special Assistant to Miss Yin, working right by her side. It was only after I broke up with Ethan Yin that I got transferred to Sunset Manor as the estate manager," Cherry explained. "Think about it—if it wasn't because of the breakup, why would my position drop so drastically?"
Casey believed her.
But she was still a little uneasy and asked, "What about Ethan? Did he agree?"
Cherry gave a vague answer: "Love is always about mutual consent."
Casey nodded smugly and was about to hand the USB drive to Cherry when Howard, standing nearby, suddenly spoke up: "Wait. Isn't this just Cherry's side of the story? Let's wait until Ethan confirms the breakup before giving her the stuff."
Casey quickly pulled back her hand.
Cherry was annoyed.
It was all that guy's fault!
If it weren't for him, she could've gotten the USB drive today.
Casey was spoiled and headstrong, but she was also pretty naïve—easy to fool.
But this guy...
Cherry narrowed her eyes, looking just like Ethan Yin when he's deep in thought.
"Alright then, since Miss Casey doesn't trust me, let's make it a fair competition." Cherry shrugged. "No matter what I say, you might not believe me, right? Seeing is believing. When Ethan comes back, I won't stop you from meeting him. If Ethan is willing to accept Miss Casey, I'll give you both my blessing."
Cherry smiled, "Besides, Miss Casey is much prettier than me. You should be confident, right? With someone as skinny as me as a comparison, Ethan will make his decision in no time."
Cherry turned to Howard, her smile meaningful. "What do you think, sir?"
Howard looked at Cherry with a complicated expression. After a long pause, he said, "Let's do as you suggest."
Cherry stood up and said, "In that case, I'll take my leave. From now on, it's every person for themselves—may the best one win."
Casey, fired up by the challenge, said smugly, "I'll definitely beat you!"
"I'll be looking forward to your victory, Miss Casey." Cherry nodded to Casey and Howard. "See you!"
Leaving the hotel, Cherry paused and dialed Yina Yin's number. "Yina, I need to borrow someone from you for a bit."
"Sure." Yina Yin sounded exhausted on the phone. "Use whoever you want, you don't have to check with me. Ugh, I'm dying! I'm a person, not a workhorse!"
Listening to Yina's grumbling, Cherry's lips curled up. The gloom in her heart finally eased a bit.
That evening, while Cherry was tidying up in her room, someone knocked on the door. "Assistant Miller, you asked for me."
"Come in," Cherry said, setting down what she was holding and turning toward the door. "It's not locked."
The door opened and Sherry Yuan quietly entered the room.
Cherry sensed that Sherry Yuan seemed colder and more withdrawn than before.
The little girl who used to be afraid of the world seemed to be gone.
Now, the person living in this world was a killer named Sherry Yuan.
"I need your help with something," Cherry said with a smile to Sherry Yuan. "I can't let anyone from the Yin Family do this. You rarely show up in public, and no one knows you, so I'm hoping you can take care of it. You understand, if you fail, I won't admit I sent you."
"I get it," Sherry Yuan nodded.
"The woman is named Casey. She came from abroad chasing after Ethan. She has something I need." Cherry handed Casey's photo to Sherry Yuan.
Sherry Yuan glanced at the photo and instantly memorized her face.
This chapter isn't over yet ^.^, please click next page to continue reading!
"There's a man with her named Howard. He grew up with her, and they're very close. I just got his file—he's a non-professional boxer, fights in underground rings in France, pretty successful, and really strong." Cherry handed Sherry Yuan a second photo. "He came back just for Casey and is sticking by her side. It's obvious he's here to protect her. From my brief encounter, Howard's got serious muscle, but he's not reckless."
As Cherry spoke, she remembered noticing Howard's unusually strong right arm earlier that day. "If I'm not mistaken, his dominant hand is his right. Pay extra attention to it."
Sherry Yuan nodded. "Okay."
"Normally, I'd send someone else for a job like this, not you." Cherry smiled. "But only you can move without the Yin Family noticing."
"Understood," Sherry Yuan nodded.
Cherry didn't want the Yin Family to know about this operation.
Although Sherry Yuan didn't understand why Cherry wanted to avoid the Yin Family.
But now Sherry Yuan was Yina Yin's bodyguard, and Cherry Miller was Yina's Chief Special Assistant, so it made sense for her to follow Cherry's orders.
"Be careful." Cherry didn't waste words and saw Sherry Yuan out.
Meanwhile, in a room at the Champs-Élysées Hotel...
Casey looked at Howard, confused. "Why did you stop me today? Did Cherry Miller trick me?"
Howard looked at the woman he liked—she was always so innocent and headstrong, and it gave him a headache.
But what could he do? He liked her.
"That woman is smart—no, very smart. From the moment she walked in, she already saw through you," Howard explained. "And everything she said cleverly dodged your questions. It sounded like she answered, but she really said nothing. You can't trust a woman like that."
Casey was furious. "Ugh, she really tricked me?"
"It's not exactly trickery—she's just too cunning," Howard explained. "Don't worry, Casey. I'll help you."
Casey, moved, grabbed Howard's hand. "Howard, I'm so lucky to have you! Otherwise, that sly woman would've fooled me!"
Howard hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping himself.
During their meeting earlier, Cherry Miller had looked him over—there was no way he hadn't noticed.
But how much did she really know?
Did she already figure out everything about him?
Howard felt a little unsure.
Howard was an orphan, adopted by the Kofi Family.
But that country was always unstable, so even after being adopted by the Kofi Family, Howard couldn't live like a normal person.
Just having food to eat from the Kofi Family was already a huge blessing.
But he always had a big appetite, and that bit of food was barely enough for him.
When he was starving and dizzy, seven-year-old Casey appeared like an angel from heaven, giving him half a piece of leftover cake.
It was the most delicious thing he'd ever tasted—a moment of happiness he'd remember for life.
To others, Casey was just the high-and-mighty little princess, tossing a half-eaten cake to a poor kid like it was trash.
But to Howard, Casey was his savior.
So Howard secretly vowed to himself that he'd protect Casey no matter what, and never let anyone hurt her.
Later, to get more food, Howard secretly left his hometown and started fighting for money.
Years of fighting made him incredibly strong, and earned him a reputation in the underground boxing world.
No longer worried about going hungry, Howard became a small celebrity to others, but in front of Casey, he was always that humble poor kid.
So when he learned Casey was leaving home to chase after Ethan Yin, Howard didn't hesitate to go with her and protect her.
If Howard hadn't been by her side, Casey would never have left home so easily.
The family patriarch wasn't stupid.
He knew that with Howard around, no one could hurt Casey.