Chapter 29: Aliki Potter

Ruxley didn't notice Deja nearby as he left the restaurant and got into his car. Fafnian, his driver, promptly took him to Brightwood Academy. With the school's dismissal set for 4:30 pm and the clock already past 3, there wasn't much time left. While waiting patiently for Carmelia to finish school, Ruxley's phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen and saw a message from Theoleon—he had sent the results of the investigation on Noctis Group to Ruxley's email. Opening the report, Ruxley's eyes flickered with surprise. It turned out that the company causing trouble for Sherise recently was none other than Stellar Group, the same company that had just competed against Deja for the Kyushu Tower project. Even more shocking, Stellar Group was owned by the Potter family—Sherise's own relatives. "What's going on? Why would Sherise's own family target her?" Ruxley frowned, continuing to read. It all began to make sense as he read further. Though Sherise was the eldest daughter of the Potter family, her life in the family had been far from happy. Her father, Ryujin, the patriarch, had a notorious reputation as a philanderer. When Sherise was only three years old, Ryujin left her mother, Dona, for a mistress, whom he later married. Together, they had another daughter—Aliki. Unlike Sherise, who was gentle and kind, Aliki was spoiled and arrogant, and jealousy over Sherise's talents fueled a toxic rivalry between them. For years, Aliki had tried to take everything that belonged to Sherise. When Sherise started Noctis Group after Ruxley left, Aliki retaliated by creating Stellar Group, using the Potter family's resources to compete directly with her sister. Aliki had poached many of Noctis Group's senior executives and had recently been involved in numerous business conflicts, severely damaging Sherise's company. If it weren't for Ruxley's intervention that day, the Eden Estates project might have fallen into Aliki's hands. "This girl... she didn't even think to tell me about all this when she was being bullied!" Ruxley muttered, shaking his head. His gaze hardened as he looked at a photo of Aliki in the email. "If she thinks she can compete with Sherise, she'll soon learn that nothing she does can match even a fraction of her sister's abilities... because Sherise is my woman." Meanwhile, at the headquarters of Stellar Group, Aliki sat on a plush sofa in her luxurious office, her expression icy. She was Sherise's half-sister, and she had just received a report from Melusine, who stood nervously in front of her, recounting the events at Kyushu Tower. "So, you're saying Dracorix not only returned the original project to Sherise but also handed over the Eden Estates project?" Aliki asked, her voice dark with displeasure. "That's right!" Melusine replied, clearly still upset. "I had everything lined up with Orothor, but Dracorix stepped in, fired him, treated Deja with respect, and then had me thrown out! I was furious!" Aliki frowned. "I don't recall Sherise having any connection with Dracorix. Why would he suddenly help her?" "Who knows?" Melusine spat bitterly. "I bet Deja cozied up to him somehow. Otherwise, why would Dracorix hand over such a big project to them?" Aliki's brow furrowed deeper. There didn't seem to be any other plausible explanation. Dracorix held a prominent position within the Kyushu Chamber of Commerce, someone even her father, Ryujin, treated with respect. It was unthinkable that Sherise would have the pull to influence him. "Hmph, Sherise, I never thought you'd resort to this kind of tactic. Seems I underestimated you," Aliki muttered, her fingers tapping rhythmically on the arm of the sofa, a cold smile creeping onto her lips. Still bristling with anger, Melusine asked, "President Potter, if Sherise's team gets the Eden Estates project, they'll recover from their current troubles. Are we really just going to stand by and let this happen?" Stellar Group had invested heavily in their attempts to suppress Sherise's company. Failing now could mean losing their chance to crush Noctis Group entirely. Aliki's smile turned sinister. "Don't worry. I have plenty of ways to handle this." With that, she picked up her phone and made a call. "Hello, Lennart? I need you to take care of something for me. No need to ruin them, just send some people to make things difficult at Noctis Group. Cause a few disruptions—make sure they can't operate smoothly." "Three hundred thousand dollars? No problem. I'll transfer the funds immediately." After ending the call, Aliki's face remained cold. Even if Sherise secured the Eden Estates project, completing it would be an entirely different challenge. With her around, Sherise would never find success easily. At 4:30 pm, the bell rang at Brightwood Academy, and students spilled out of the school in a lively wave. Ruxley stood by the gate and soon spotted Carmelia, hand in hand with a friend, happily bouncing out of the classroom. "Carmelia!" Ruxley called, waving. "Brother!" Carmelia's face lit up when she saw Ruxley. She released her friend's hand and dashed toward him, full of energy. Ruxley crouched down, catching her in his arms with a warm smile. "How was school today? Did you have fun?" he asked. "Yeah!" Carmelia beamed. "I made lots of new friends. We sang songs and danced—it was so much fun!" Seeing her so animated and joyful, Ruxley's heart swelled with happiness. It seemed his decision to send her to school was a good one after all. Bidding goodbye to her friends, Ruxley took Carmelia home, listening to her chatter away about all the day's excitement. Back at the villa, to celebrate Carmelia's first day of school, Ruxley prepared a special dinner. Sherise and Deja, who had come home early after securing the Eden Estates project, joined in for the happy meal. However, throughout dinner, Ruxley noticed that Deja kept glancing at him, clearly distracted. He wondered if she wasn't feeling well, completely unaware that she was still trying to figure out his mysterious identity. She couldn't shake the memory of the senior executives from the Kyushu Chamber of Commerce treating Ruxley with such reverence. Who exactly is Ruxley? Could he have been the one secretly helping her today? The thought made Ruxley seem all the more enigmatic in Deja's mind. She wanted to ask him directly but held back. If Ruxley had kept his identity hidden, there was probably a reason for it. Besides, she wasn't entirely sure if he was behind it all. She didn't want to embarrass herself by making a false assumption!