Chapter 1161

Robert’s predatory gaze locked onto her face. Why should he agree to her terms? Marry a viper and let her bear his children? He’d rather stay single for the rest of his

life.

Robert didn’t say a word. He stood up in silence and stumbled away. He would absolutely get his revenge. Even if the Warner family went bankrupt, they still had assets. They could claw their way back to the top step by step.

Taking down Joanna then wouldn’t be too late.

Joanna breathed a sigh of relief. She knew Robert’s personality all too well. Right now, he just needed an outlet for his anger before finding a way to stabilize his company’s situation.

Jenna moved fast; her efficiency rivaled Nora’s. Joanna smiled, pleased.

Turning around, she cast a deliberately eerie glance at Marshall.

Marshall froze slightly. That chilling look felt like a warning that one day, he would share Robert’s fate.

Joanna stared deeply at Marshall. In her dreams, no one was more loyal than him.

He was capable, wealthy, and powerful. But right now, he didn’t belong to her, which meant he had to be destroyed.

“Let’s go,” Joanna murmured.

Only then did Maxwell push her wheelchair away.

Natalie hadn’t missed Joanna’s look earlier. She glanced at Marshall, who was still trapped in a state of terror.

It was a fear dragged straight from his nightmares, a visceral, conditioned reflex.

Natalie turned to Luna beside her and whispered, “Luna, tail Robert. Tyler will take Queena and me back. Go see who Robert is meeting.”

“On it, Natalie,” Luna said.

Marshall snapped back to reality. Uncomfortable letting the girl go alone, he quickly said, “Natalie, I’ll go with Luna.”

Natalie looked surprised and laughed. “You aren’t scared?”

Marshall paused, a faint smile touching his handsome features. “Natalie, when did I ever say I was scared?”

A man who had never tested his own courage could never know just how brave he truly was.

Once he truly found himself, all the glamour of the world would just fade into the background.

Marshall felt that with every day he survived, his understanding of life deepened.

Natalie’s eyes crinkled with a smile. “If you’re not scared, then go with her.”

Marshall was resolute. “I have to.”

Natalie smiled and called Tyler over.

Luna and Marshall left to trail Robert.

Joanna and Maxwell, meanwhile, were completely clueless about Natalie’s plans.

Queena pushed Natalie toward the parking lot.

Hidden around the corner near the elevators, Sean pushed Sebastian’s wheelchair, the two of them having watched the entire scene unfold.

Sean couldn’t understand it. “Boss, what is so great about Joanna? Why do all these men follow her around like lovesick puppies, only to get played until they lose everything?”

Sebastian didn’t get it either. Even he had found himself instinctively wanting to treat Joanna well!

It wasn’t just a fleeting thought; it had happened countless times.

Maybe it was to make his act believable, or maybe he really had been fooled by her innocent, fragile facade.

But he never lost sight of his ultimate goal.

Watching Natalie’s retreating figure, Sebastian felt a sharp pang in his chest.

Natalie had risked her life, betting all her happiness on him, but in the end, he had made her lose everything.

A lifetime was a long time. One day, he would learn how to love her.

“Joanna is a master manipulator,” Sebastian explained quietly “Before she approaches anyone she digs up everything about them. Theirikes, their needs—she figures it all out.”

“She offers a lifeline to people at their absolute lowest, all so she can exploit their genuine gratitude to build her empire.”