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Olivia had a good relationship with both Noland's cousin and Louis. During moments when Noland was in a good mood, she would even tease them about their relationship: "Actually, for Mr. Louis, Miss Harris would make a great partner. She could give him a stage to shine on, and also protect him from unwanted attention."

Noland nodded and released the strand of the maid's hair from his fingers. "But he thinks my cousin is too old."

Louis, the brilliant fashion designer who worked solely for Noland, was only twenty-five this year, but Noland's cousin was thirty-two. Louis, however, insisted that he preferred girls who were as young and beautiful as eighteen-year-old blossoms, claiming that only such youthful women could inspire him. If the other party didn’t understand that only adults were his hunting targets and didn’t realize the mutual consent involved, Noland would have had Louis tied up and sent to his cousin for a proper education long ago.

Noland looked at the maid, still standing in place, and began discussing some changes he wanted made to the design with Olivia. Olivia noted them down and would pass them along to Louis when Noland wasn’t around. She expected complaints from Louis, but it was normal for designers to have their drafts rejected or completely overhauled multiple times. Complaints aside, Louis would still do his work well.

After Noland had made his suggestions, he waved the maid away. A while later, Sherman entered the small meeting room. Having completed some work, he brought the matters that were beyond his control to Noland for consultation.

Olivia quietly exited the room. She managed Noland's personal affairs, but when it came to his business, she knew where to keep her distance.

She didn’t notice that Sherman had been watching her leave until she was out of sight. Noland, however, saw it all clearly.

Before Sherman had even withdrawn his gaze, Noland had already focused on the document that Sherman handed him. The issue at hand involved Noland's uncle, a man three years older than Noland, but one of the most troublesome individuals in his life.

"Sometimes I really envy the business models of other families. The elders in the Harris family have too much power," Noland muttered, rubbing his forehead in frustration.

His uncle was charming and competent in many ways, but also a bit of a racist. His discrimination often created problems for Noland. This time, for instance, he wanted to fire a very capable employee simply because the person was Black. Had his uncle’s brain been stuffed with straw?

It was baffling that such an idea—firing an excellent employee and handing them over to an enemy company—had even come up.

Sherman said nothing in response. He was loyal only to Noland, but criticizing any member of the Harris family was a risk he wasn’t willing to take, especially given the family's notorious tendencies for secrecy and retribution.

"Will we handle this the same way as before and transfer the employee to a different company?" Sherman asked, referring to the usual method of dealing with employees who displeased Noland’s uncle. They were often moved out of his sight, demoted or reassigned to new positions far from the uncle's influence.

"Yes," Noland replied.

He closed his eyes and leaned back into his armchair, feeling an unfamiliar sense of exhaustion. Honestly, for the first time, he felt weary of all the affairs involving the Harris family.

Why?

He gave himself an answer: perhaps it was because he had been too relaxed lately.