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Leif showed a look of disdain in his eyes and said, "Then our partnership is over," before calling Lars to escort the guests out.

Mrs Bach didn't expect to go in this direction. She stood up abruptly and said, "Are you serious? You are going to give up this opportunity for a criminal who broke into your house? And here I thought you were cleaning house and bringing Apex out of the shadows of its past," she said her eyes blood shot and throbbing veins bulging on her forehead.

Leif stopped Lars who was dragging her out and walked over to her his stride powerful and intimidating enough to leave tremors in her heart.

In his hand he had a folder with everything that happened that night. He didng know why but hearing Quinn being slandered like that made him very upset.

He shouldn't have cared about it as it was not his name being dragged in the mad but hearing someone such terrible things about Quinn irked him.

He placed the folder to her and said, "If you ever speak ill of her again I will cancel every othe contract we have with your office without hesitation," with each word out of his mouth cutting deep into her heart like she was being stabbed by a long sword. The colour in her face vanished as she looked at this man like she was looking at devil threatening her with her life.

How was she supposed to explain to the prime minister why Apex wasn't willing to supply them with military drones anymore? The reason was enough to have her fired and her pension cut in half.

She pressed her lips into a thin line shutting up instantly. Leif waved his hand and Lars dragged her out of the office before handing her over to the security personnel.

"Make sure Mrs Bach gets into her car safely," he said with a sly smile like that of a fox.

Mrs Bach shook their hands off her arms and angrily said, "I can walk by myself," before walking with her back straight toward the elevator.

As soon as the doors closed, Leif walked back to the his cousin's office and he asked, "You have already burnt that bridge because of her, won't the old lady trouble you."

Leif didn't respond as he stared into blank space with lost look in his eyes. He couldn't fathom why he was so quick to defend her, why those word that vicious woman said about Quinn made so livid that he did something he never did before. He defended her directly which he never did before. Even in high school when he heard those people gossip about he family and calling her mother names, he acted indifferent as it nothing to do with him.

Lars seemed to understand what was going on through Leif's mind. That's because he had been with Leif the longest and knew how his mind worked. Even when he was in trouble Leif never took a direct approach. He would operate in the shadows but never in the open. This was the first time he had stood up for someone directly which wasn't his style.

Fearing his cousin will overly focus on this and overthink like he always does, Lars interrupted his thought process by saying, "You are trying to prove that you two have a genuine relationship so it makes sense that you would speak up for her publicly. There is really nothing deep to it."

The entangled notes in his heart finally untangled and he finally relaxed. Lars was right. This was all part of the act just like how Quinn kissed him on the cheek last night. It was all a performance to convince the world that they were in love.

"You are very useful sometimes," said Leif commending his cousin that rare got a word of praise from him.

"Really, then can I have a raise," said Lars ready to milk it to the end.

Leif, "..."

"Do you have work to do?" he said while getting back to what he was working on before he got rudely interrupted.

"Stingy," muttered Lars before walking out of the office with his hand on his pocket.

The mother had been dealt with but the daughter however was still an issue. After parking her car skewered on the side of the road she walked around looking for Quinn but she couldn't catch sight of her no matter what. In fact she ended up attracting the attention of the bodyguard stationed around the apartment building.

A man dressed in black uniform and an cetus pin on the lapel on his suit jacket walked over and knocked at the window his expression like that of a smiling tiger.

"Miss Bach," he said and Alison who had been staring at the entrance with red eyes was so startled that her soul left her body for a moment.

Her heart didnt settle when she saw that smile. In fact she was even more frightened than before.

The man made a gesture for her to roll down the window and Alison was so nervous that she pressed the button once opening a gap that couldn't even be considered enough to talk to someone.

The man gestured with his finger for her to pull down the window some more. The window opened a third of the way and he leaned down before saying,

"Miss you can't be hear. Move right along or I will be forced to use force."

Alison might have the courage to smash things and hurt the maids but she was a cowarldly person. She only had the courage to bully the weak and fear the strong. Her eyes became teary as she nodded her head frantically and pressed the start button. The roar of the engine filled the streets and she drives off without hesitation.

She parked ten minutes away from the apartment building and rested her head on the steering wheel her body trembling with anger.

From the first time she saw him at her family banquet her heart that was frosted over in an iceberg melted instantly and she knew he was the one for her.