Scott had one condition in mind: she had to be obedient and stop causing trouble. Landon paid no attention to Scott. He simply raised a hand, and the two security guards at the door stepped forward, ready to escort the uninvited guests out. "Chloe, I know you've never liked me as your stepmother. I don't hold that against you. But you can't just cut off your family because you didn't get the money you wanted. And now you've done something this shameful? Your father came here personally to help you. If you don't know how to be grateful, fine. But... you won't even recognize your own dad now?" Monique's voice was sharp and accusing. "Old lady!" Oralia, who had been quietly observing from the corner, finally spoke up, her face full of contempt. "What did you just call me?" Monique looked at the weirdly dressed figure. Was it a man or a woman? She snapped, obviously offended."Old lady, you're incredibly loud. I've seen people fake accidents and steal others' work, but faking a family relationship? Since when did my darling ever have parents as tacky as you?" "You..." Monique was stunned. She couldn't believe someone would be so blunt. For a moment, she was at a loss for words. "Dad, Mom, why are there so many strange people around Chloe? They seem aggressive," Carolyn said, peeking out timidly from behind Monique. That comment gave Monique an opening. She clung to Scott's arm and started complaining. "It seems we made this trip for nothing. We came here to help, to see what we could do, and this is the treatment we get." Monique shot a meaningful glance at Landon. She had looked into his background before coming—the acting CEO of Cosmos Group, a man who held significant influence over several key industries in Capaville. If this man had truly become Chloe's sugar daddy, the Lewis family could benefit greatly by getting on his good side. Then Landon wouldn't be able to easily refuse their requests. "Chloe, is hiding from the storm your way of handling public opinion?" Scott grumbled, his face dark. If she would just lower her head now and ask him for help, he might throw her a lifeline. "Mr. Voss, your Cosmos Group security is a complete joke. Any random person can just barge in. If a real criminal showed up, it would be total chaos," Oralia remarked, raising an eyebrow at Landon. Landon heard the comment and raised an eyebrow in return. She was clearly provoking him on purpose. "Security. You know what to do," Landon said with a dismissive wave. The guards moved to physically escort Scott and Monique out. "Don't you dare touch me! You'll regret this!" Monique shrieked as a guard reached for her. "If you're going to scam people, at least pick the right stage. This is the LOVE headquarters under Cosmos Group. You forced your way in. Why shouldn't we remove you? The fact that we haven't thrown you out is an act of mercy," one guard retorted, firmly gripping Monique's wrist. "Let go of me! How dare you touch me!" Monique screamed, furious that a mere security guard would dare lay hands on her. "Enough! Young man, do you have any idea who I am? How dare you treat me this way!" Scott yelled as well. "Chloe, is this how you treat your own father? He saw the accusations about you all over the news and came to help you. And this is how you repay him? You ungrateful brat!" Monique shouted, deliberately raising her voice so everyone could hear. "Enough talk. Get these noisy people out of here," Landon ordered, his patience gone. "Wait." Chloe's voice stopped the guards. They froze but didn't loosen their grip on Scott and Monique. Chloe turned and walked toward them. Oralia quickly moved to block her path, as if afraid that merely sharing the same air with Scott and Monique would taint her friend. Chloe gently patted Oralia's shoulder, then faced Scott and Monique. A faint, cold smile touched her lips. Her voice remained calm as she asked, "You said you came here to help me? I'm curious—exactly how do you plan to do that?" "This..." Scott stared at Chloe, his eyes darkening. The situation outside was explosive, and this girl could still smile? Was she clueless, or just stubborn to the core? Otherwise, how could she have ended up as her boss's... other woman? Before Scott could speak, Monique jumped in. "Chloe, you've done what you've done, and now the entire internet is after you. You shouldn't hide. You should go out there and apologize. Say you were young and impulsive, that you just wanted to see what working felt like, and find some excuse to withdraw. Your father will pull some strings and suppress the trending topics. Given time, the heat will die down," Monique said, forcing a smile. "She's right. The priority now is to cool the public anger quickly. If this spirals out of control, we'll all be in serious trouble," Scott echoed. The entire way there, Monique had been worrying that if Chloe's identity became firmly linked to the Lewis Group, the backlash could drag the entire company down with her.