Chapter 1 – A Fearless Lady
In Country C, Shang Capital
Seated inside the first-class cabin of a renowned international airplane, Stephanie Ruan looked at the city through the window, with deep emotions in her eyes.
Up until today, her family's car accident which had happened 8 years ago remained vivid in her mind.
Just like the members of the public, she too wanted to believe that the tragic incident which had killed her parents and sibling was unintentional.
However, she remembered very clearly the words of a young man who seemed to be reporting to someone over the phone that day. "I've confirmed it, the Ruan family members are all dead."
The cold voice sent shivers down her spine. Though Stephanie Ruan did not dare to open her eyes back then, that particular voice would be etched on her memory forever.
The young man deliberately threw the phone towards her, which had accurately landed a few centimetres away from her face, just like how he had expected it to be.
He then walked towards the phone and immediately crushed it beneath his shoe, while staring at the uninjured girl who is stubbornly trying to keep her eyes shut.
Feeling the young man's face getting closer to hers, Stephanie Ruan could not help but become more nervous. "Oh no... Has he found out that I am still alive??!"
"..."
But what the young man subsequently said to her had shocked her the most! "Leave this country and don't ever come back!"
"!!..."
"So he knew... Back then he knew that I was alive!" Stephanie Ruan sat on her seat and subconsciously clasped her hands together.
Just then, a hand suddenly came over and tapped on her arm. She reflexively turned to the side and looked at the person with widened eyes.
Seeing her personal assistant's shocked expression, Stephanie Ruan calmed down a little and gave her a light smile. "I'm sorry, Mia. You were going to tell me something?"
Mia Xue did not know what had gotten into her boss. She noticed that Stephanie Ruan had not been herself ever since she had boarded the plane.
Nonetheless, she went on and reported to her respectfully. "Director Ruan, the plane has landed. We can alight now."
Stephanie Ruan nodded and elegantly put on her black sunglasses. "Okay, let's go."
The sound of her high heels had filled the entire corridor and attracted the attention of many passengers who had just alighted.
Her graceful and dignified demeanour, coupled with her beautiful facial features and figure had caused the people around her to be unable to shift their eyes away.
"Unbelievable!! Could anyone be prettier than her?!" The crowd started to break into their conversations while being mesmerised by her beauty.
Mia Xue, who is walking beside Stephanie Ruan, is already very used to this scene. Such an outstanding woman, it is no wonder that her boss would gain so much attention.
She really could not understand why Stephanie Ruan would not accept any of the suitors who have been actively pursuing her. To be honest, each of them is not lacking a single bit at all!
Mia Xue could not help but sigh silently in her heart. She really did not dare to imagine how great Stephanie Ruan's future husband would be...
As they exited the arrival hall, Mia Xue wasted no time and immediately reported their schedule for today.
"Director Ruan, you have a virtual internal department meeting at 11 am... Lunch would be at 1 pm and after which, you would prepare to head for an interview with a local media company... There would be an external stakeholders' meeting at 4 pm..."
In the past 6 years, Stephanie Ruan has single-handedly established a company of her own. At the young age of 26, she now owns Helix Publishing - a successful international publishing firm. They are known to always be the first to release the latest business news in the industry!
But of course, she wouldn't be where she is today without her best friend, Daniel Yan.
When Stephanie Ruan had fled from Country C, she was fortunate enough to have met Daniel Yan in Country A. His family is also very welcoming and has treated her as their own.
Though Daniel Yan comes from a very wealthy family, he hasn't been able to invest in her publishing firm as she refused to take a single cent from him. As such, he could only stay by her side and offer her the emotional support that she needed.
Stephanie Ruan's phone rang as soon as she entered the car. She instantly accepted the video call but before she could even say a word, a cheerful voice interrupted her.
"Miss Ruan! You have already reached the country and you didn't even give me a call! Have you forgotten about your best friend so quickly?"
She immediately rolled her eyes at Daniel Yan and teased him as well. "Mr Yan, if I knew earlier that I wouldn't even get a breather after my flight, I'd definitely choose to forget about this best friend of mine..."
"Wait wait... Hold up!! Why does it sound like it's my fault again??"
Looking at his wronged look, Stephanie Ruan could not help but let out a soft chuckle. "Alright alright... It's my fault, okay??"
"..."
Seeing that he is just staring quietly at her, she lifted her hand to touch her face. "What's wrong?? Is there something on my face?"
Daniel Yan shook his head and simply gave her a doting smile, "Take care of yourself alright? If you need anything, just call me. I'll even fly over to meet you if you want me to."
His words made her break into a smile, "Stop being ridiculous! You're way busier than I am, so just focus on your work!"
Though Stephanie Ruan is one of the most highly sought-after women, she is also known to have mercilessly rejected and stayed away from every single man who had confessed their heart to her.
She is simply not interested to be in a relationship at the moment and no one could change her strong mindset.
In fact, the only guy who could successfully stay by her side is none other than Daniel Yan.
Yes, he loves her. But he also loves her differently from the other men. If she is not ready to be in a relationship yet, then he would wait patiently for her to be ready.
He has already decided to wait for her no matter how much time it would take. To him, it would all be worth it!
...
Their light-hearted conversation quickly ended and soon, the car arrived in front of the grand hotel.
"Director Ruan, we are here." Mia Xue turned to face the back seat and succinctly reported.
"Mmm okay." Stephanie Ruan casually took the designer bag that is seated beside her and alighted from the car.
As soon as they had settled into their presidential suite, Mia Xue received an important phone call.
"Got it... Send the file to me. I'll let Director Ruan know."
Hearing her name, Stephanie Ruan who is busy reading through a document, looked up at Mia. "What's the matter?"
Mia Xue quickly opened the newly received file on her tablet and brought it over to her boss.
"The investigator said that these are all the information he has and he is unable to help you investigate any further. His cover has already been blown."
Stephanie Ruan read through the file and a cold glint flashed past her eyes. "Zhong Family?"
After so many years of investigation, she has finally managed to obtain some information about the people who were behind her family's car accident.
It is truly a pity that the investigation had to stop here. She still has not gotten hold of any concrete evidence to take legal actions against them.
And she is definitely not going to give up just like that!
She scrolled down towards the end of the file and saw a familiar face.
As the boss of a renowned publishing firm that is constantly producing the latest business updates, she definitely could recognise this man with just one glance!
Javier Zhong - the only grandchild of the prestigious Zhong Family. His family is so powerful in the country that even the government officials could not afford to offend them.
He has officially taken over his family's business - Zhong Holdings, which is actively involved in most of the industries around the world. Though he is just 2 years older than her, he has already accomplished ten times what she has done thus far.
Just within a year of him taking over, Zhong Holdings has grown to become the top three companies in the world and their profits are still steadily increasing every single month.
It is said that 'anything that he touches would become gold'. Indeed, he holds an unshakable position in the business field and is feared by many!
Furthermore, he is already listed as the richest billionaire in the country.
Would anyone refuse to bow down to him?
Well, perhaps, there could only be one person who dares to plot against him.
"Mia, ask the investigator to do me one last favour. Give me the current location of Javier Zhong."