After ending the call with Evelyn, Jason dialed Tyler’s number.

“Find a professional firm to draft a divestment agreement immediately. I want to withdraw half of my investment in Serenity Pavilion,” he instructed.

Tyler’s voice turned urgent. “If it weren’t for your investment, Serenity Pavilion’s cash flow would have collapsed long ago. It’s Ms. White’s business, and withdrawing funds will definitely affect your relationship with her and her mother.”

“Just do it. I need the funds back within three days, but the divestment agreement must be communicated to the legal entity within the hour,” Jason replied, his eyes dark and calculating as he glanced at his watch, timing Grace’s return call.

Tyler didn’t dare to question him further; he simply complied.

Less than half an hour later, Grace’s call came through.

Jason ignored the first two rings. On the third, he leisurely answered.

“Is it because I pressured Evelyn to divorce that you’re withdrawing from Serenity Pavilion?” Grace asked, her voice laced with anger.

“I’ve told you repeatedly not to interfere in my marriage. It’s you who keeps testing my limits,” Jason replied, one hand gripping the phone while the other rested on the table, his tone lazy.

“What’s so great about Evelyn? If you divorce her, you can completely sever ties with Victor. Have you developed feelings for her after three years?”

“Do you really think he can influence me?” Jason asked, chuckling softly.

“If he can’t, then why haven’t you divorced yet?”

Jason’s smile widened. “Guess.”

“Are you really in love with that fox, Evelyn?” Grace's voice suddenly grew tense. “If that’s the case, Jason, I advise you to snap out of it.”

“Withdrawing from Serenity Pavilion isn’t a rash decision. I’ve reviewed the financial statements from the past two years; it has been consistently losing money. I never engage in losing ventures.”

Jason skillfully sidestepped her question.

“I’m your mother!” Grace exclaimed, her voice laced with fury. “I was ridiculed when I became pregnant before marriage and gave birth to you!”

“You are my mother, and I have been your meal ticket for years. Before I returned to the Stark family, how much did you rake in each year under my name from my grandfather? No need for me to spell it out.”

“Every penny Sebastian gave me was deserved. I was only five years older than his eldest son. I followed him at nineteen and had you at twenty. He treated love and marriage like a joke. After I missed out on the title of Mrs. Stark, I could only scheme for his money!”

Grace’s emotions flared. “Jason, I’ve done all of this for you. You’re the closest person to me in this world—”

“Too many lies haven’t moved anyone; they’ve only fooled yourself,” Jason interrupted. “I’ve checked your bank transactions for nearly a decade. Your money has been funneled into an account belonging to someone named Shawn Lewis.”

“That’s nonsense! I don’t know any Shawn!” Grace retorted, her voice rising but lacking conviction.

“If you don’t know him, then this Shawn must be involved in fraud. I can help you report it and get your money back.”

“How dare you!” Grace’s tone grew frantic.

“This matter doesn’t even require my intervention. Believe me, if I show Father your bank statements—” Jason paused for dramatic effect, letting the silence linger, “If you don’t want to escalate this, let’s keep our distance from now on. You have your life, and I have mine. Let’s not interfere with each other.”

Grace abruptly hung up.

As the phone screen dimmed, shadows crept across Jason’s face, mingling with the smoke curling from his fingers, extinguishing all his emotions in the burning cigarette.

After finishing lunch in the cafeteria, Evelyn noticed a notification in WhatsApp about a retracted message from William. She waited for over ten minutes, but he didn’t follow up with anything. Feeling that he might have sent it by mistake, she mustered the courage to call him.

According to her principles, she never pursued difficult things proactively. In the past three years, she had worked diligently, often putting in overtime, and breaking through her current bottleneck felt nearly impossible. In the media industry, it was well known that securing an interview with the Leighton father-son duo was notoriously challenging. If she could manage to land an exclusive interview with William, it would undoubtedly enhance her standing in the hosting world.

“Miss Joy is trying to arrange another interview,” William said, his voice light and cheerful, giving her the sensation of a refreshing spring breeze.

She couldn’t help but smile before she spoke, “If Mr. Leighton doesn’t agree, I’ll have to keep trying.”

“Sorry to disappoint you again,” he replied, then shifted his tone. “When are you free next week? I can arrange something for my niece with Miss Joy.”

Evelyn thought for a moment. “I’ll be busy Monday to Friday, but Saturday or Sunday afternoon works for me.”

“How about Sunday afternoon? You can set the specific time, and just let me know in advance,” William said gently. “Of course, I’ll pay Miss Joy at the highest tutoring rate.”

“If Mr. Leighton wants to put a price on things, then I’d rather find someone else,” she pretended to be upset.

For the past two years, she had been teaching at an arts examination institution and had privately coached several students in broadcasting and hosting. It wasn’t out of passion; it was all about the money. Although she lived in the upscale 9 Bliss Garden as Mrs. Stark, she had always been financially independent. Her monthly salary from the broadcasting station was meager, barely enough to cover her car loan, living expenses, and she had to carefully plan even for decent clothing.

It was undeniable that the aura of a front-line television anchor added considerable value to her profile. The hourly rate she charged for private work was more than double that of an average instructor. Now, she was racking her brain to secure an interview with William, knowing that he would never charge for tutoring his niece!

“While talking about money between friends may seem cold-hearted, I can’t bear the thought of undercompensating Miss Joy. After thinking it over, I’d like to invite you to dinner as a way to express my guilt,” William suggested, his tone warm yet tentative.

Evelyn smiled and returned to the point, “No need for dinner. If Mr. Leighton truly feels guilty, why not just accept our interview?”

“Caught in your words again,” William chuckled. “Miss Joy insists on professional integrity, and so do I.”

“I’ll try again tomorrow, and I won’t disturb Mr. Leighton today,” Evelyn decided to ease off, preparing to end the call.

“I’ll wait for your call tomorrow, Miss Joy. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye, Mr. Leighton.”

As Evelyn hung up, she noticed there were no signs from William that he was ready to end the conversation. They had crossed paths several times, and it reassured her that William lacked the arrogance and self-importance typical of second-generation business elites. A refined gentleman like him surely had a soft side.

Evelyn firmly believed that securing his interview was merely a matter of time.

Just an hour ago, Director Logan had informed her that another host would replace her for the corporate annual meeting tomorrow afternoon. She wouldn’t be participating in the revival competition for hosts and had already formulated her plan. After work, she didn’t rush to leave; instead, she focused on getting her tasks for the next morning done in advance.

Suddenly, a loud knocking disrupted her thoughts. Before she could respond, a well-dressed, short, plump middle-aged man barged into her office.