Begging For A Reconciliation

Chapter 451 The Rise Of Leah’s Business
The gloomy clouds rolled in, and soon enough, it began to drizzle, causing the temperature to plummet.
As Leah felt the cold raindrops hit her, she snuggled closer to Han, trying to feel his warmth. “Stop moving,” Han growled. Once
Leah noticed the reaction she had accidentally elicited, she immediately went completely still. Once they got into the car, Leah
hurriedly freed herself from his embrace and muttered nervously, “You don’t have to pick me up everyday.”
Simple blissful moments such as this made Leah feel like she was dreaming. Yet, she shuddered at the agony and
disappointment that she would suffer if all of these were to end one day.
“Ms. White, do you mind asking Ms. Coleman to stop avoiding me?” Ben suddenly asked which popped Leah’s thought bubble.
Flustered, Hannah stammered, “Uh... Well, are you pursuing her out of interest, or do you have genuine feelings for her?”
“I don’t really know either. Since that night, all I can think of is her. Every single moment, I am consumed by the thought of her,”
Ben said with a melancholy expression. “After my confession to her, she had been avoiding me. Feels like we can't even be
friends anymore...”
Leah sympathized with Ben’s earnest confession. She once loved a man very much like Ben did, but was deeply hurt by his
apathy and ignorance. Even if the man had expressed his regrets, things could not go back to the way they were.
“Alright, I’ll help you out with Serena.” Leah smiled after taking a brief walk down memory lane. Han, transfixed by Leah's smile,
whispered to Ben, "The road ahead is still long," as if he were speaking to himself as much as to Ben. Ben glanced back at Han,
sensing that they were on the same boat. Ben also felt a little comforted upon remembering that even his intimidating and
handsome boss, Han, had been turned down by Leah.
“I’ll always support you, Mr. Howard!”
When Han noticed Ben’s sympathetic gaze, he hardened his expression and whispered back, “Mind your own business.”
The next day, the International Design Contest's officials announced the participating companies and people and provided a brief
overview of the competition's regulations.
“Am I reading it wrong? Why is Dream Designs here? Wasn’t the company launched recently this year?”

“It’s not only that! The studio’s director is none other than Sarah White, Shawn Ford’s wife. Her spouse, an international fugitive,
is happily living in his home country. What a disgrace!”
“Yeah, I remember that! He absolutely loved his wife, but she seemed unconcerned by his downfall and even found time to
launch a business and compete!”
Amongst the many participating companies, the humble Dream Designs instantly became the talk of the town, which came as a
surprise to Leah while browsing through the online discussion. It was clear to Leah that the media’s interest was still on her after
seeing that her small startup was instantly recognized by the public.
Leah then called upon her assistant. “Let the PR team handle the negative comments.”
The Public Relations (PR) department was just established yesterday and within the next day, they received their first task.
Before Leah’s assistant left, Leah added, “Give me a list of the companies that have looked into us!”
Leah was already well on her way to establishing her company’s reputation. She would no longer sit around hoping that Han or
Donald would come to her rescue. It was her turn to take the initiative this time. The report was delivered to her promptly by her
assistant. “Ms. White, according to the report, most of the companies that have investigated our company are design agencies or
competitors within the same industry.”
“Did Frey Corporation not look into us?” Leah was somewhat confused after realizing that Frey Corporation was not listed in the
report. As she had been with Han for a long time, Leah had somewhat developed an instinct. That was why she had guessed
that Frey Corporation would already start scheming behind her back, but the report suggested otherwise.
No, it’s impossible. Frey Corporation was the leading agency in the city’s design business and with the rise of Leah’s Dream
Designs Studio, Frey Corporation should be the first to be impacted. Leah would not believe that they would sit still and watch.
Despite her assistant's numerous double-checks, the report still came back unchanged. “Ms. White, although it is true that Frey
Corporation didn’t look into our business, it is possible that they had removed any evidence of them doing so. Besides that, there
was an invitation sent today. It’s from the CEO of Frey Corporation, Bernard Carter. He wants to meet with you for coffee later at
3 o'clock because he wants to discuss working together with you. Are you planning on going?”
“Nope,” Leah immediately refused. She had to be wary because she understood that even a minor slip-up in such a cutthroat
field could bring disastrous results.Worst of all, the Dream Designs Studio that she had worked so hard to build might fail
because of that.

In the meantime, Bernard’s assistant reached out to Bernard immediately upon receiving Leah’s refusal of his invitation.
“Didn’t you say she’s just some brainless woman? Why didn’t she accept my invitation? Did she find out something?” Bernard
roared angrily.
“It’s impossible. Everything has been executed to perfection. All traces had been removed, so she'd never find anything out of
the ordinary!” Bernard’s assistant shook his head confidently. “Since Shawn’s downfall, she’s now relying on Mr. Howard. She's a
spoiled woman; what can you expect from her?”
Upon hearing that, Bernard agreed along. “I suppose she’s busy then, seeing that the international contest is approaching.”
Bernard sighed. “Fine. I was hoping to at least see her, but I suppose we can't deal with her till the competition is over...”
On the other hand, Leah's PR team was savvy and competent enough to cope with the online controversies in a short amount of
time despite being recently hired. To divert the public’s attention, they even spread rumors that were beneficial to Leah. As a
result, Leah single-handedly saved her and her studio’s reputation.
“Mr. and Mrs. Ford - A Fake Couple”
“Mr. Ford Taking Advantage Of Sarah White. They Were Never Married!”
With these two hot topics released to the public, it quickly became a viral search on the Internet. Leah's public relations team
issued stories with a timetable and specifics of the events as they happened. The articles presented the fact that Shawn used
Sarah as a means to gain more attention by acting like a couple, which attracted a great number of discussions on the Internet.
“I was supporting them as a couple, but apparently they’re not anymore! I can’t believe Mr. Ford was such a manipulator!”
“That’s what I was saying! If they were in some sort of relationship, the cops would’ve arrested Sarah along with Mr. Ford! Since
she’s doing fine now, that means she’s innocent!”