Andrew was lying on his bed, looking pale.

    Barton closed the door as Debra and Marion came up.

    "Mr. Andrew Potter''s condition has been fluctuating and never seems to improve. This time, it''s especially

    severe. He might not be able to get out of bed for a while," he said.

    The doctors were holding a meeting in the adjacent room.

    Debra nced over at Ivan, who was cleaning the second floor.

    "Can we see him now?"

    "Mr. Andrew Potter needs rest. Only one of you can go in."

    Barton''s gaze shifted to Marion, who asked, "Who does he want to see?"

    Barton cleared his throat and looked at Debra. "How about Mrs. Houston going in?"

    Debra was speechless. These people sure had convoluted ways of doing things, even their speech was like a

    puzzle to figure out.

    "Alright," she finally said.

    Barton pushed the door open, and Debra walked in.

    Outside, Marion leaned against the wall and lit a cigarette.

    Barton said, "Mr. Houston, here is a no-smoking zone."

    "Will he die because of it?" Marion retorted.

    Barton didn''t dare to utter another word.

    Inside the bedroom, Debra looked at Andrew. "I''m in. Open your eyes now."

    At those words, the weak man on the bed snapped open his eyes.

    "You''re quite observant," he said, getting up and sitting in the wheelchair.

    Debra sighed, "It isn''t the first time you''ve pulled this stunt. I was young and na?ve to get trickedst time.

    Won''t fall for it now."

    Earlier, the door had been left open, as if deliberately for Ivan to see what was going on inside.

    The Lowe Group had been taken

    over. Juan had regained control of

    the Nichols Group, and Caleb died in

    the shooting incident. Everything

    seemed to be going against them. If

    Andrew fell ill now, they would be in

    an even worse position.

    "Well, good that you''ve wised up,"

    Jordan replied. "For now, I''ll pretend

    to be seriously ill. With Caleb''s

    funeral and the Houston family''s

    affairs tying up Marion, you''ll have to

    handle all thepany matters

    alone."

    He handed her a seal and continued,

    "This is my private seal. I''m giving it

    to you now. From now on, you will

    oversee the Potter family affairs.

    With this seal and my shares in the

    over all decisions."

    Debra hesitated. "I''m not sure about this. Since Jordan has returned, he should take this seal."

    Jordan shook his head. "That''s another issue. Remember, don''t tell anyone I''ve given you the seal."

    "Not even Marion?"

    "Not even Marion. During this time, I''ll teach you some business knowledge. Of course, that should be kept a

    secret, too."

    "Business knowledge? I..."

    "I know you''ve studied business systematically, but what I''m going to teach you is something you''ve never

    learned before."