Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

After leaving KFC, Richard took them to the mall, bought Abby a bunch of clothes and toys, and even let her pick out some comic books she liked.

After dropping them off, Richard finally headed home.

As he reached his doorstep, a familiar scent of perfume hit him, and the next moment, he was wrapped in a hug.

"Richard, I've been waiting for you forever. Why are you so late?" Ellin asked.

Richard, without any expression, pushed the clingy Ellin away, opened the door, and walked in.

Ellin stared at his indifferent back, unwillingly followed him inside, and closed the door behind her.

The next second, she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him.

But he didn't respond. Ellin pushed him onto the sofa. In the past, Richard wouldn't have minded going another round with her.

But today, he had no interest at all.

Even though she tried everything to get his attention, he still coldly pushed her away.

Ellin fell onto the carpet, her exposed back hitting the corner of the coffee table. Richard sat up from the sofa, irritably tugging at his collar. "Leave before I lose my temper."

But Ellin wasn't ready to give up. "Richard, please don't be like this. Don't treat me this way."

This time, Richard directly picked her up and dragged her outside, slamming the door shut.

Ellin pounded on the door, crying, "Richard, please don't do this. I love you!"

Although Richard was often moody, he had never treated her like this before. Ellin felt wronged and humiliated.

Richard leaned back on the sofa, lit a cigarette, and ignored her.

Love?

He knew very well that a woman like her wasn't with him because of love.

"Richard, what did I do wrong? Tell me. Is it because of that woman? What's so good about her?" After crying for a long time, her once exquisite makeup was ruined, and she still got no response.

Ellin finally stopped crying, wiping her tears messily, her face turning vicious.

Staring at the closed door, she eventually turned and walked away, her eyes filled with fierce determination, replacing all the sadness and grievance.

A few days later, during a meeting, it was announced that Skyline International Corporation would conduct a week-long outdoor training session at Cloud Lake Valley.

Hearing it would be a week, Sophie was troubled and quietly asked, "Director, can I not go?"

"No, you can't." The answer came not from the marketing director but from Richard. Amidst the voices calling "Mr. Windsor," he walked over, his gaze sweeping over everyone, and said calmly, "The outdoor training is an opportunity for you all to challenge and improve yourselves. I hope everyone takes it as seriously as your work. No one is allowed to be absent."

No one allowed to be absent? Then Sophie certainly couldn't be an exception.

After the meeting, Sophie went straight to the CEO's office to find Richard.

"You have to go. No one gets special treatment," Richard said before Sophie could speak.

Sophie thought for a moment and compromised, "Fine, I'll go, but I can't stay overnight. I can't leave Abby alone."

Richard didn't look up. After a while, he said, "We'll see when the time comes."

So, was he agreeing or not?

But Richard's attitude clearly showed he didn't want to discuss the topic further, so she couldn't say more.

Just as she was about to leave, Richard's voice sounded again. "Remember to wear the dress I bought you that day."

Mentioning that day brought back Sophie's awkward memories.

She didn't answer, blushing as she rushed out of the office.

After taking off that dress at home, she had already decided never to wear it again.

She didn't want to wear such an expensive dress and attract unnecessary attention.

On the day of departure, everyone took the company bus to Cloud Lake Valley Scenic Area, about an hour and a half drive from headquarters.

Cloud Lake Valley Scenic Area had beautiful surroundings, nestled between mountains and water, making it a great place.

After getting off the bus, Sophie was immediately captivated by the beautiful scenery. "This time, Mr. Windsor will be joining us."

"Yeah, Mr. Windsor is young, capable, and handsome. Most importantly, he's still single."

"If Mr. Windsor weren't coming, I would have faked period cramps to skip this stupid training."

"Quick, check if my makeup is smudged."

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The young and handsome Richard was naturally the dream of all the women in the company, and it was inevitable that groups of women would indulge in their girlish fantasies about him.

Seeing them all dressed up, Sophie felt a bit ashamed when she looked at herself.

"You guys are dreaming. Don't you know Richard's woman is Ellin? Ellin is beautiful and has a great figure. How can you compare to her?" The woman who poured cold water on them wore a knee-length royal blue dress, with long curly hair and a pair of long earrings. Sophie recognized her as Hazel Morris from the finance department.

Hazel was usually very high-profile, everyone knew her even though they weren't in the same department.

It was said that many people pursued her, earning her the title of "most beautiful woman in the company."

Hearing Hazel's words, everyone immediately lost their enthusiasm.

Ellin had visited Skyline International Corporation a few times, and many people had seen her with Richard, so it wasn't a secret. If the media weren't afraid to write about it, Ellin's scandals would have been all over the place.

Of course, some were still unconvinced.noveldrama

"That's not necessarily true. If Richard really liked her, why hasn't he married her? Maybe he's just playing around."

"Exactly, celebrities aren't always that great. Haven't you heard that some rich people don't like women from the entertainment industry?"

Hazel didn't bother to argue with them. Her gaze fell on Sophie, who was walking past them.

She pushed aside the women surrounding her, pulled her suitcase, and blocked Sophie's path. "Are you with the service staff here? Help me carry my luggage over there."

She really had a bit of a queenly aura when ordering people around.

Her deliberately raised voice instantly attracted a lot of onlookers.

"Sophie." Roger saw from a distance that Sophie was in trouble and quickly ran over. "Hazel, this is our new colleague from the marketing department, Sophie."

Hazel first looked at Sophie in disbelief, then awkwardly smiled. "Oh, really? I'm sorry, I thought you were with the service staff."

Although she said she was sorry, she had no intention of apologizing. Her words and gaze were full of disdain.

Hearing Hazel's words, the women with her also snickered.

They probably wanted to please Hazel, so their words were even more cutting.

"Don't blame Hazel for mistaking you. Look at what you're wearing."

"Exactly, since you're part of Skyline International Corporation, you should at least pay attention to your image."

Sophie didn't wear the dress Richard had bought her. She didn't want to be ostentatious and thought she should wear something loose and comfortable for training. So she wore a light blue casual sports outfit.She wasn't dressed as nicely as they were, but she hadn't provoked them. She felt Hazel was deliberately trying to embarrass her.

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But she had never interacted with her, let alone offended her.

"Are you here for training or a fashion show?" A stern female voice interrupted them, and everyone instantly fell silent.

Sophie turned around to see Lacey walking over with an angry expression. She must have heard everything they said earlier.

Since returning to Skyline International Corporation, Lacey had taken over Richard's former position as general manager, so the women naturally feared her. Seeing Lacey also wearing loose sportswear, they all lowered their heads even more. Lacey scolded, "Remember, you're here for training. What's the point of dressing up?" They were all left speechless by her scolding.

Lacey ordered everyone to change their clothes, and they quickly scattered.

After everyone left, Lacey patted Sophie's shoulder. "Sophie, don't mind them. Just do your best."

Sophie took the opportunity to say to Lacey, "Lacey, can I not participate? I still have to take care of Abby. I can't stay here for a few days."

Lacey had always looked out for her, but this time she hesitated.

"Sophie, our company is a team. To be fair, we can't make exceptions." Since Lacey said

so, Sophie couldn't make things difficult for her.

Everyone had been looking forward to the whole day, but Richard never showed up. After lunch, the training began.

First, there was a warm-up activity where everyone had to complete tasks using the maps handed out.

Since the area had mountains and water, the geographical environment was quite complex, posing a challenge for everyone.

The department heads were distributing maps, and Hazel volunteered to help.

It seemed she had good relationships with all the departments.

When Hazel handed the map to Sophie, she smiled and said, "Sorry about earlier. Since we're all from the same company and see each other often, let's not hold grudges." Sophie, being kind and not one to argue, said it was fine since Hazel had apologized. The activity started, and everyone set off with their maps.

Sophie held her map, determined to complete the tasks early so she could go back to pick up Abby. Since she couldn't skip the training, she would just have to work harder and commute every day.

Watching Sophie walk towards the mountain, Hazel showed a smug smile.