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He'd even contacted my rivals to suppress me together.
The director asked if I wanted to stop him.
I waved it off,instructing him to let Henry do whatever he wanted.
After he left,Julian quietly massaged my shoulders.
"Ever heard about this?"I walked to the floor-to-ceiling window,overlooking the city."The higher you climb,the harder you fall."
Henry's business went smoothly,deluded into thinking he was gifted,smugly rallying others against me.
Bennett Enterprises was a titan.Giants ignored Henry;he courted small firms,hoping to nibble me to death.
He had little hope,but when a few Bennett managers defected with funds,we hit a temporary financial deficit.
Growing bold,he launched a smear campaign.
The Carters'specialty:inflicting wars by controling media.
He spread lies about my private life,claiming my wealth was tied to smuggling,that I drove my parents to death,and abused my adopted sister.
Lily,teary,twisted our meeting,distorting all those years of truth.
Carter Industries soared.
After giving birth to the twin\s,Lily's maternal glow and charm made her a star overnight.
Even the twins'father reached out to her.
She gleefully met him,ditching Henry.
Late at night,he called,drunk,slurring:"Why?Why are you so stubborn?"
"If you'd apologized,we wouldn't be here."
I replied coldly:"Then I wouldn't be Sophia."
"Yeah,Sophia.I remember seeing you for the first time after five years."
"You stood in that grand ballroom in that stunning gown,breathtakingly beautiful."
"You're like a rose blooming in winter,a single vivid red in an ocean of white,unforgettable."
His compliments were poetic,so I listened.
But the man beside me,in bed,wasn't pleased.
Julian,jealous,kissed me,voice husky:"Ms.Bennett,if you like compliments,I'll talk all night."
Henry became sober instantly,furious:"Sophia!Who's with you?Tell him to get lost!"
Julian,playing coy,whined:"Ms.Bennett,he's so mean,telling me to go!"
I laughed so hard in his arms.
Realizing Henry hadn't hung up,I said carelessly:"Henry,is this all you've got?I'm starting my counterattack then."
I hung up.
Julian's strong arms held me.I pushed his chest,easily breaking free.
In this relationship,I held the reins.
"I'm fighting back."
He understood what I meant,nuzzling my neck.
"I'm your sharpest blade,your most loyal dog."
Henry,enraged,smashed his phone onto the ground,which only hit the soft carpet.
To him,Bennett Enterprises was already teetering on the edge of collapse.
He couldn't think of where I got the courage to talk like that.
Furious,he swept his desk clear,summoning Carter Industries'top director.
The director,deferential,came at midnight.
They planned until dawn,plotting a final blow for Bennett Enterprises.
