Ch. 51..60
Chapter 51: Showing solicitude without cause, either deceitful or thievish.
“Although he has a good reputation and has never been involved in any scandals, people say he’s a very clean-living person. But rumors are rumors, who knows what he’s really like.” Peggy Lewis reminded, “Anyway, be careful and don’t let yourself be taken advantage of.”
Listening to her worried words, Cindy Clarke’s heart felt warm: “I know.”
Cindy Clarke felt fortunate for three things in her life now.
Having such a lovely child like Morgan Clarke.
Her hobby becoming her work.
And having a best friend like Peggy Lewis.
“By the way, I didn’t get a chance to ask you earlier. Are you not afraid of being exposed when you entered the Cooking Competition?” Peggy Lewis had never worried about Cindy failing to advance.
If Cindy could not advance, the level of competitors in the Cooking Competition would be too high.
“Well, I met Adrian Zhekova today, didn’t I? He… he promised me that I could wear a mask and not use my real name in the competition.” Cindy said, steeling herself.
Peggy Lewis: “…”
She would swear now that Adrian Zhekova definitely has something up his
“He’s so agreeable and enthusiastic for no reason, either crafty or dishonest.” Peggy Lewis concluded.
Even if Adrian Zhekova wasn’t related to Morgan Clarke, he must have been interested in Cindy!
Why hadn’t she thought of that before?
After all, it’s not surprising that Adrian Zhekova would be interested in someone as beautiful as Cindy!
Peggy Lewis just wanted to ask, but now that she knew, she decided not to say anything.
She went back to Facebook to defend Cindy once more.
It was getting late, and Cindy urged Morgan to go to bed.
They had taken the day off today, but they would still have to go to the nursery tomorrow.
Cindy believed that after today’s incident, the headmaster and Teacher Linda would no longer dare to neglect Morgan.
So Cindy sent him there with peace of mind.
After tucking Morgan into bed, Cindy went to wash up and returned to her bedroom.
At this time, her mobile phone’s Whatsapp notifications sounded.
Cindy picked up her phone, sat down on the bed, and saw that someone was trying to add her as a friend.
Looking at the application, she was astonished to see that it was Adrian Zhekova.
And the method of adding her was through her mobile phone number.
When did Adrian Zhekova get her number?
Cindy hurriedly accepted the request and greeted him: “Mr. Zhekova.”
Unexpectedly, Adrian Zhekova explained: “Yesterday, Morgan used my phone to call you, so I have your number in my call history.”
That made sense.
Then Adrian Zhekova continued: ‘You should have my number in your phone too, remember to save it.”
“Oh, alright.” Cindy hadn’t really thought of that.
So she hurriedly checked her call history.
According to yesterday’s call time, she found a number and copied it to Adrian
Zhekova: “Is this one?”
“Yes.” Adrian Zhekova replied.
Cindy quickly saved the number.
Just as she was about to write down the contact’s name, she heard Adrian
Zhekova ask: “How did you save my name in your contacts?”
Because Adrian Zhekova had been voice chatting with her, Cindy felt embarrassed to type.
Unless the environment didn’t allow for it, she would try to choose the same communication method as the other party to show respect.
Cindy put down the input for now and told Adrian Zhekova: “Just… Mr. Zhekova?”
Adrian Zhekova frowned, his voice deep: “Are we that distant?” Through the phone, Cindy could hear his dissatisfaction.
Cindy was puzzled for a moment. Were they that close?
“I’ve been to your house for dinner, cooked by you personally..” Adrian Zhekova said, “Would you let just anyone come to your house for a meal you’ve prepared?”
Chapter 52: How is this little girl so wellbehaved?
“Of course not.” Cindy immediately denied it.
Why would she invite someone she’s not familiar with to her home?
“Then isn’t that it?” Adrian Zhekova chuckled softly, “If we’re not unfamiliar, then we’re familiar. If we’re very familiar, then we’re friends.” Are they really that familiar?
Cindy blinked, somewhat distracted by his low chuckle.
“So… should I input your full name?” Cindy asked tentatively.
Adrian thought that would be better than being called the distant Mr. Zhekova.
He just didn’t like to hear such a distant title coming from her beautiful and soft lips.
“That’s fine too.” Adrian’s voice sounded a bit lazy.
Wearing bluetooth earphones, Adrian’s voice seemed to be whispered right into her ear.
Adrian’s voice itself was very pleasant, and he didn’t expect it to still sound so nice through the mobile phone.
Cindy realized that she was so weak in resisting men with nice voices.
Her heart was tickled by Adrian’s voice, as she reminded herself not to overthink as she added Adrian’s name to her contacts. She even took a screenshot and sent it to Adrian: “Have a look.”
Adrian chuckled softly again.
It was as if the laughter was hidden deep in his throat, carrying a magnetic charm, one after another, lightly tapping on her ear.
“And Whatsapp?” He heard Adrian ask again.
“It’s the same.” After Cindy answered, she sent another screenshot to show him.
Adrian found that this girl was so well-behaved.
What she said and what she showed were so true and sincere.
Adrian said, “Now that you have my mobile number and Whatsapp, you can contact me directly if you need anything.”
Cindy’s eyes widened in disbelief: “Mr. Zhekova…”
“You have my nickname in your contacts and Whatsapp, and yet you’re still calling me Mr. Zhekova?”
Cindy simply didn’t call him that and went straight to her question, “Why are you so nice to me?”
After she said that, Cindy nervously waited for Adrian’s answer.
Who would have thought, what she received was: “It’s late, get some sleep. Good night.”
Cindy: ‘
The next day, Cindy sent Morgan Clarke to the nursery.
As for the suspense left by Adrian, Cindy didn’t bother to think about it if she couldn’t figure it out.
Today, as expected, the Headmaster and Teacher Linda became really polite at the nursery.
Since the Headmaster couldn’t get anything out of Adrian, he asked Cindy again when he saw that only she was there, “Morgan’s mother, what is your relationship with Mr. Zhekova…?”
Cindy smiled slightly and said, “Friends.”
Cindy didn’t think she was lying.
The Headmaster felt that Cindy’s smile had some kind of implied meaning.
He thought Cindy wanted him to figure it out on his own.
And then, the Headmaster concluded that there must be an extraordinary relationship between Cindy and Adrian.
“So that’s how it is!” The Headmaster became increasingly polite, “Morgan’s mother, rest assured, Morgan will never be wronged in our nursery again. We should take responsibility for what happened before. It will never happen again. Thank you for giving us another chance.”
Cindy smiled faintly: “I don’t need Morgan to have any special treatment in the nursery, I just hope that he can be treated fairly and with justice. Morgan had been treated unfairly before, and similarly, I don’t want other children to experience the same unfairness due to Morgan. All children are equal, there is no hierarchy..”
Chapter 53: Impossible
“I understand, I understand.” The headmaster nodded immediately.
Seeing how polite the headmaster was, Cindy felt relieved.
Previously, she was a bit worried that because of this incident, both the headmaster and Teacher Linda would have opinions about Morgan Clarke, and she would feel uncomfortable studying here.
However, with Adrian Zhekova present, the headmaster obviously dared not.
“Morgan, go ahead. If there’s anything, just tell me when you get back.” Cindy said this in front of the headmaster and Teacher Linda.
Meaning, if she was bullied again, just tell her.
Once the headmaster thought of Adrian Zhekova, how could he have the slightest dissatisfaction toward Morgan Clarke?
“Morgan’s mom, don’t worry, with me and all the teachers around, there will be no problem.” The headmaster hurriedly said.
“Thank you.” Cindy smiled.
At this moment, Nelly Woods came out with Arthur Woods.
She had just completed the transfer procedures for Arthur Woods.
Unexpectedly, at the door, they ran into Cindy and Morgan Clarke. What a narrow road for enemies.
Seeing how the headmaster acted so sweetly toward Cindy, Nelly Woods was filled with anger.
She held Arthur Woods’s hand, glaring viciously at Cindy and Morgan Clarke: “We’ll see, don’t think this matter has passed!”
After that, she left with Arthur Woods.
The headmaster was embarrassed beyond measure, and Cindy told Morgan Clarke, “Go on in.
“Goodbye, Cindy.” Morgan waved to her and followed the headmaster and Teacher Linda away.
Cindy watched Morgan go in until she disappeared from view and then left.
Inside Adrian Zhekova’s office at Pingla Group.
Sheldon Rowland stood in front of Adrian Zhekova’s desk and said, “Master Adrian, I’ve found out everything. Cindy Clarke is from Nork City and was studying in her sophomore year at Nork University.
“There are only her parents and an older sister named Wendy Clarke in her family. Originally, they ran a small restaurant in Nork City, not much wealthy. But a year after Cindy left Nork City, her family suddenly had the money to transform the restaurant into a high-end restaurant.”
“From the renovation of the restaurant to the subsequent operations, that amount of money is something the Clarke Family could not have afforded. I have checked, Wendy Clarke was missing in Nork City for a while, and then she came back, and they suddenly had money.”
Sheldon Rowland put another document on the table, “Master Adrian, this Mr. Lopez, is the same person who had a room card mix-up with us in the elevator five years ago.”
“At the same time, this Mr. Lopez was also a frequent customer at the restaurant where Wendy Clarke used to work. Wendy Clarke was originally the administrative manager of that restaurant, and she had a good relationship with Mr. Lopez. Coincidentally, when Wendy Clarke had disappeared in Nork City and then returned, Mr. Lopez, who had no children suddenly had a son shortly after her return.”
It’s likely that the child was born to Mr. Lopez by Wendy Clarke.
However, Mr. Lopez looked simply unbearable.
If Wendy really did give birth to the child, then Sheldon Rowland had to admire her. Wendy was quite talented.
“Do you think that five years ago, it might have been Wendy Clarke…”
“Impossible.” Adrian Zhekova said without thinking.
According to Sheldon Rowland’s idea, Wendy Clarke was Mr. Lopez’s lover, and it was very possible that after the room card swap five years ago, he went to Mr. Lopez’s room.
And the person in Mr. Lopez’s room at the time was Wendy Clarke.
In fact, Sheldon Rowland’s way of thinking was not flawed and it was reasonable.
Adrian Zhekova looked at Mr. Lopez’s information.
In the photo, the man was fat-faced and extremely greasy.
There was also a picture of Mr. Lopez’s son behind it.
He looked very much like Mr. Lopez..
Chapter 54: Appraisal
He inherited Mr. Lopez’s physique and facial features, small eyes, and small nose, but a large mouth.
Just one look and you’d know he is Mr. Lopez’s child.
However, Sheldon Rowland was unaware.
According to what Morgan Clarke said, Cindy Clarke was set up by family members.
If that person were truly Cindy Clarke, then it makes sense.
Wendy Clarke originally wasn’t planning to make her move personally, she negotiated with Mr. Lopez to drug Cindy Clarke and send her to Mr. Lopez’s room.
Who would have known that an issue with the room card switch would end up having her go to Mr. Lopez’s room instead.
Mr. Lopez definitely won’t be pleased if the planned scheme didn’t happen.
Fearing that staying there would only result in further harm to her by her family members, Cindy Clarke fled to Belfard.
Mr. Lopez naturally went to look for Wendy Clarke since he couldn’t find Cindy Clarke.
For some reason, Adrian Zhekova felt more and more that the person that night was Cindy Clarke.
There was absolutely no way it would be Wendy Clarke.
Of course, all of these suspicions are predicated on the fact that the person that night was indeed Cindy Clarke.
And that Mr. Lopez’s son was indeed born of Wendy Clarke.
Adrian Zhekova took out a transparent storage bag from his drawer. Inside was the strand of hair he had plucked off from Morgan Clarke’s collar the previous day.
“Perform a paternity test with this, along with my hair,” Adrian Zhekova said.
“Yes.” Sheldon Rowland carefully put these items away, “Master Adrian, is this Morgan’s hair?”
Seeing Adrian remaining silent, Sheldon dared to ask again, “Do you also feel that Morgan looks a lot like you?”
Adrian gave him a glance devoid of any facial expressions, Sheldon Rowland immediately fell silent and heard Adrian say, “Send it straight away. Leave these files here for me to read.”
“Alright.” Sheldon Rowland quickly left for the identification center.
Adrian Zhekova picked up Cindy Clarke’s file again.
Looking at the hard times Cindy Clarke had in Belfard initially, and how she had now risen to become a famous food blogger, tirelessly raising Morgan Clarke on her own.
At her most difficult times, she never thought of abandoning her child.
The house they are currently living in was bought on mortgage by Cindy Clarke, and her current income is more than able to cover it.
Being able to afford such a large house in Belfard is not something the average person can do.
Obviously, she doesn’t need to be a gold digger, or attach herself to anyone for money.
She is successful in her own right.
Looking at Cindy Clarke’s current accomplishments, Adrian Zhekova unwittingly curled his lips into a smile.
When Cindy Clarke returned home, she received an order for lunch.
The lunch menu she offered today included asparagus steak with an onion mushroom sauce.
The asparagus tips were trimmed for uniform length and fried until golden brown without oil in a skillet. They were then neatly arranged in the food container.
The steak was grilled to medium-well, then cut into strips and placed over the asparagus.
She diced the onion and made a paste out of the button mushrooms.
The onions were fried continuously in a skillet until the sugar content was released, which made the onion turn into a caramel-colored paste. The mushroom paste was then added and stir-fried together.
Today it wasn’t just the customers from Pingla Group; there were also a few from nearby. Thankfully, the locations happened to be on-route.
Interestingly, all of the customers were female.
All looking to lose weight.
Therefore, Cindy Clarke didn’t add butter or cream to the sauce.
Instead, she added a little red wine, poured in beef bone broth, fennel, bay leaf, radish, and apple puree, then slowly simmered over low heat until the sauce thickened a bit. She placed this in a separate disposable small box, allowing the customer to choose based on their own taste.
After that, she tossed a small portion of vegetable salad, with olive oil substituted for the salad dressing, and added some fruit in another separate compartment.
Finally, she sliced a boiled egg and placed it on top.
The sight of it alone was mouthwatering..
Chapter 55: You Didn ‘t Ask Me for It
Although it didn’t look like there was a main dish, the actual nutritional combination was enough and filling.
Cindy used the remaining ingredients to casually make herself a wrap.
Since she had to deliver food at noon, her meals were always simple.
This time, the wrap was made with dough mixed with strawberry juice, and she wanted to see how it tasted. If it was good, she could make it for her customers.
Visually, the pink wrap was very appealing and girlish at heart.
After packing everything, Cindy took some individually wrapped Snowflake Crisp with her.
She prepared these as gifts, for the customers to taste and provide feedback.
If it was well-received, she could stock them in the store.
Carrying all this, Cindy went and delivered the meals.
Finally, she arrived at Pingla Group.
After handing over the lunch to her customer, she said, “This is a new Snowflake Crisp I made. Please try it and let me know what you think. If there’s anything I can improve, please provide feedback.”
Eleanor Thompson, a regular customer of Cindy, immediately nodded with excitement, “An internet-famous snack! I’ve been wanting to buy this. Don’t worry, I’ll tell you after I eat it.”
Adrian Zhekova entered from outside and saw Cindy.
Behind him were Sheldon Rowland, several senior executives of the company, and some of their subordinates.
Except for Sheldon, the others saw that Adrian’s pace suddenly slowed down for a moment, then he quickened his steps and walked straight ahead.
Everyone was curious and was about to catch up.
Sheldon hurriedly stopped them, “Let’s not follow.”
“Why? Aren’t we supposed to have a meeting with the CEO?” Vice President Zeigler was confused. It was the CEO who had said that it was time for a lunch meeting.
“The CEO isn’t going to the conference room right now, so let’s go to the conference room and wait.” If it wasn’t for so many people being present, Sheldon would have loved to stay and gossip.
However, it was too dangerous for Sheldon to stay and gossip with so many people.
Sheldon figured he’d send these people to the conference room first.
He stayed behind secretly.
At this time, the crowd saw that Adrian had walked quickly to a female employee of the company.
They didn’t know which department she was from, but they saw her work ID hanging around her neck.
All the executives were shocked.
When did the CEO ever proactively approach a female employee?
What kind of relationship did he have with her?
Then, they saw Adrian stop behind the young girl across from the female employee.
Eleanor Thompson was chatting with Cindy and suddenly noticed that there was someone behind Cindy.
She looked up and saw their CEO.
“C-C-C-CEO!” Eleanor stammered, scared.
Cindy was also startled, suddenly turning around to find Adrian right behind her.
“A-Adrian Sir…” Cindy exclaimed.
What was Adrian doing behind her?
Cindy quickly stepped back to create some distance between them.
For now, Adrian didn’t argue with her about his title and glanced at the bag in Eleanor’s hand.
He asked Cindy, “Are you here to deliver food?”
Cindy nodded, “Yes.”
Seeing the situation, Eleanor hurriedly said, “Um… CEO, Cindy, I’m going back first.”
Without waiting for Adrian’s reaction, she turned and ran.
Sheldon and the others around him:
It seemed that the CEO was not there for the female employee, but for that young girl.
Adrian looked down at the bag in Cindy’s hand and asked, “Did you bring my lunch?”
Cindy’s eyes widened in surprise, “You didn’t ask me to..”
Chapter 56: I Won’t Eat the Same as Everyone Else
Adrian Zhekova narrowed his displeased eyes: “Do I really need to ask for it myself? You deliver meals to our company, don’t you know to bring one for
Cindy Clarke was stunned.
She wasn’t planning to see him, right?
“You’re the busy CEO of Pingla Group. What if you’re not in the company? What if you’re out for socializing? Or what if…you’ve already ordered something?” Cindy explained.
Adrian Zhekova took out his mobile phone: “We added each other on Whatsapp, right?”
“Yes.” Cindy nodded obediently.
“Why didn’t you ask me first? Since you Imew you were coming, you could’ve asked if I had eaten already, and if not, bring one for me.” Adrian Zhekova said discontentedly.
“I’m sorry.” Cindy felt like she had indeed made a mistake and lowered her head to apologize.
However, she had intended to deliver the meals and leave without letting him know.
But unexpectedly, they ran into each other.
And even more unexpected, Adrian Zhekova actively came to find her.
“Is there any more?” Adrian Zhekova asked again.
“What?” Cindy didn’t quite catch it.
Adrian Zhekova tilted his chin toward her bag, “Lunch.”
“I made it according to the ordered quantity.” Cindy said guiltily, “But…l do have one for myself.”
“Is it the same as what they ordered? I don’t eat what everyone else does.” Adrian Zhekova said stubbornly.
“It’s different!” Cindy quickly said, “The ingredients are the same, but the cooking method is slightly different. And I tried something new, I don’t know if it’s good or not. So I planned to taste it myself first.”
Adrian Zhekova reached out: “Then give it to me. I’ll help you taste it.”
Cindy took out her cooked beef rolls from the bag, hesitated and said: “This is a bit too simple, it’s just for filling my own stomach and not exquisite.”
“You’re just making do with it for yourself?” Adrian Zhekova frowned and asked.
“Not exactly making do. It’s just not as nice-looking. When I eat it myself, I mainly want to taste the flavor. If it’s good, I can make it for customers next time, but I’ll be more careful with the presentation.” Cindy explained.
“Give it to me.” Adrian Zhekova said, “I have a lunch meeting later, and I originally planned to have a simple bento anyway.”
Cindy thought about it and felt that this wrap was quite suitable for eating while having a meeting, as it is more convenient.
So she had no choice but to hand over her own lunch to Adrian Zhekova and reminded him, “You just need to taste if the wrap is good or not. This time I
made the wrap with a new flavor, and I want to know if it matches the filling.”
“If the flavors don’t match, even if the wrap is delicious, it won’t work.” Cindy instructed.
With that, she really didn’t treat him like an outsider anymore.
Adrian Zhekova’s mouth twitched slightly: “Alright.”
“Was the snack you took home yesterday good?” Cindy asked.
“Delicious.” Adrian Zhekova nodded.
“Do you like sweet treats?” Cindy looked at him with bright eyes.
“It’s not that I don’t like them, it’s just that I have high requirements.” Adrian Zhekova said.
Actually, he didn’t really have a sweet tooth.
But in front of Cindy, he couldn’t say it definitively, right?
What if Cindy made some?
As expected, Cindy excitedly took out a small box: “This is a Snowflake Crisp I just made, give it a try and see if it tastes good. If there’s anything wrong with it, just let me know and I’ll improve it.”
Adrian Zhekova nodded and accepted.
Not far away, Sheldon Rowland and the executives saw Adrian Zhekova, with a box in his left hand and a box in his right hand, looking quite different from his normally sleek-suited appearance..
Chapter 57: Specifically to Sabotage
“What’s going on with the CEO?” Vice President Zeigler dared not even blink, let alone take his gaze off Adrian Zhekova. He looked anxiously at Sheldon Rowland beside him and asked.
“Don’t ask. If you ask, you will just get ‘I don’t know.”‘ Sheldon Rowland didn’t divert his gaze either, continued to watch Zhekova in conversation.
On the other end, Cindy Clarke said, “Then you’re busy, I won’t bother. I will take my leave first.”
Adrian Zhekova nodded, “Are you heading straight home?”
Cindy Clarke felt that Adrian Zhekova being so detailed with her was quite unexpected.
However, she still nodded. ‘Yeah.”
“If that’s the case, send me a message on Whatsapp when you reach home.” Adrian Zhekova added.
Cindy Clarke never thought she would need to initiate contact with Adrian Zhekova. However, based on Adrian Zhekova’s suggestion, it seemed like they were very close.
Cindy Clarke was unsure of how to respond and under Adrian Zhekova’s gaze, all she could muster up was a slow, “Alright.”
In reality, her head was entirely blank, and she had no idea why she had agreed to that.
At that moment, a notification rang out loud from her phone- a Whatsapp message.
Instead of checking it immediately, Cindy Clarke decided to say her goodbyes to Adrian Zhekova first, “Then, I will take my leave.” Adrian Zhekova nodded.
Cindy Clarke stepped aside and checked her phone.
It was Peggy Lewis who sent a message on Whatsapp.
As Cindy Clarke opened and was about to put the phone to her ear, the sound of the voice message filled the air before she had a chance to listen to it privately, “Cindy Clarke, you need to check Facebook. Arthur Woods’s family has posted a complaint online accusing you of collaborating with the nursery and driving Arthur away, and treating them unfairly.”
Whatever Peggy Lewis said after that, Adrian Zhekova didn’t catch as Cindy had lifted the mobile phone closer to her ear.
As Cindy finished listening to the message and was about to leave, she noticed
Sheldon Rowland too and quickly greeted him, “Mr. Sheldon.”
“Cindy, are you here to deliver food?” Sheldon replied, not waiting for her to answer, he had already seen her. “How did you come here? Want me to arrange a ride to take you back?”
Just as Sheldon finished his sentence, he could feel an icy stare darting his way, giving him chills.
When Sheldon looked back, he saw Adrian Zhekova staring back at him coldly.
“…” Sheldon instantly backed down. “I won’t go with you then, goodbye.”
Cindy Clarke:
Adrian Zhekova walked over to Cindy, lamenting at his earlier oversight of not arranging a car to send Cindy back.
Is Sheldon just here to make him look bad?
Sheldon is emphasizing what he should’ve done as the boss.
Stopping in front of Cindy, Adrian Zhekova shot Sheldon a contemptuous glance and told Cindy, “My driver will take you back.” Vice President Zeigler and the rest were all stunned.
Since when did our CEO start behaving like a gentleman?
Their CEO is the kind of guy who would probably watch a woman tall into the mud rather than help her out, thinking that she could climb out on her own.
And now, this tough-guy has learned to drive a girl home?
Sheldon didn’t dare to say another word now.
“I came here on my electric bicycle,” Cindy said.
Adrian Zhekova furrowed his brows, “Why on earth do you ride an electric bicycle in such hot weather?”
According to her profile, Cindy earns enough to afford a car and cope with the daily expenses, even considering her mortgage repayments.
“In order to deliver the meals on time, riding a bicycle is a bit faster, especially during traffic,” explained Cindy.
If she took her car to deliver meals, the gas money alone would cost more than she would earn from one meal delivery, making it a losing proposition. Even though currently, she can afford her expenses without making deliveries.
She still wants to save as much as possible..
Chapter 58: Others are Quite Enthusiastic
By working a little harder and saving money, she could provide a better life for Morgan.
However, buying a car should indeed be planned.
Though not needed during meal deliveries, it would come in handy when taking Morgan out.
Adrian Zhekova told Sheldon Rowland, “Let Cleave Roland drive Cindy Clarke home.”
“Yes.” Sheldon Rowland quickly contacted Adrian’s driver, Cleave Roland.
Then he said to Cindy Clarke, “Cleave will be here soon, just wait for two more minutes.”
“That’s too much trouble.” Cindy Clarke said embarrassingly.
She came to deliver a meal and ended up being driven back home by a driver.
No one could’ve seen that coming.
“It’s fine.” Adrian Zhekova turned his head and saw Vice President Zeigler and others looking at him with gossiping eyes, shining brightly.
“I’m going to the meeting now.” Adrian Zhekova averted his gaze and said to Cindy Clarke.
“Oh, okay.” Cindy Clarke hurriedly said, “You go ahead.” Just in time, Cleave Roland hurried over.
Sheldon Rowland introduced Cindy Clarke to Cleave Roland.
For a task personally assigned by Adrian Zhekova, Cleave Roland took it very seriously and made sure to cater to Cindy Clarke.
After Cindy Clarke left, Adrian Zhekova said to Vice President Zeigler and others, “Do I need to have someone bring you chairs, and some sunflower seeds?”
“No, no!”
Everyone hurriedly shook their heads.
“What are you still waiting for? Go to the meeting!” Adrian Zhekova reluctantly turned around and walked in front of them.
The crowd arrived at the Conference Room.
The lunches for the rest of them hadn’t arrived yet, so they started the meeting early.
Under everyone’s gaze, Adrian Zhekova took out the lunch he got from Cindy Clarke.
Adrian couldn’t help but feel a sense of superiority as everyone stared at him with envy.
“What are you looking at? Continue.” Adrian Zhekova said to the Marketing Manager who was speaking.
“Recently, the head chef of our Michelin Three Star Restaurant ‘Quire’ has been developing new dishes, and we…” the Marketing Manager was saying.
Adrian Zhekova tore open the tin foil wrapped around the cooked beef rolls, revealing the pink pancakes inside.
Adrian Zhekova: .
Is this the new product Cindy Clarke is testing?
So girly?
Everyone: .
Seeing their CEO holding a pink cooked beef roll with a serious look on his face, they really wanted to take a picture of it. What should they do?
Sitting in the car, Cindy Clarke was unaware of all this, so she replied to Peggy Lewis’ message on Whatsapp first.
Then, she received a message from Eleanor Thompson: “Cindy, I’m sorry for leaving just now without greeting you.”
“It’s okay.” Cindy thought of Eleanor running away twice when she saw Adrian Zhekova, and wondered if he was really that scary. Then Eleanor asked her, “Cindy, are you very close to our CEO?” “Not that close.” Cindy said, “But he has helped me a lot.”
“I didn’t expect our CEO to help people.” Eleanor was surprised. “Your CEO is quite nice and helpful.” Cindy sincerely said.
Eleanor Thompson: “…”
You must not be referring to our CEO.
Cindy wanted to find out what was going on at Arthur Woods’ home, so she ended her conversation with Eleanor and checked Facebook.
She didn’t find Nelly Woods’ post yet, but she saw that Zoe Silverstone had also signed up for the Cooking Competition.
Regarding Cindy’s response to Zoe Silverstone, who revealed her registration screenshot and directly taunted Zoe last night,
Zoe Silverstone also posted her own registration screenshot, saying, “What’s so scary about enrolling in a Cooking Competition? Someone just thinks they’re better because they’re more famous, and they’re trying to suppress the younger generation.. Let’s see who’s better at the major competition!”
Chapter 59: Distorting Black and White
“Zoe is so domineering! Does Cindy dare to sign up? We’ll sign up for Zoe as well. At that time, the judges will decide. There will be no excuse for losing! ”
“Go Zoe! We support you! We can’t stand those who suppress others just because they are more famous. Do you think you can suppress others for a lifetime?”
“Yesterday, they even called names. They really have no tolerance.”
Cindy’s fans couldn’t stand it any longer.
Knight Melanie Ice: “Please make it clear, it was you who started the trouble.
“The one who flirts first is the cheap one, don’t you understand?”
Violet Davis: “You only allow Zoe to step on others, but not Cindy to fight back?”
Speechless Me: “Don’t act like you’re so innocent, Zoe. Saying Cindy suppresses you? Why don’t you mention that you disrespected her first?”
Crazy-Fisherman: “Whatever cooking videos Cindy makes, Zoe rushes to learn. Cindy signs up for the Cooking Competition, Zoe follows suit. Zoe, is there anything you won’t learn from Cindy?”
Summer: “Of course, stepping on others is not something she learned from Cindy. Cindy has always been low-key, making her own videos and never stepping on others.”
Autumn Lover: “Hahaha, that makes so much sense!”
Zoe was furious but couldn’t personally step in; she had to maintain her own image.
However, Zoe’s fans didn’t have the same concerns and started tearing each other apart in the comment sections of both her and Cindy’s posts.
Cindy couldn’t care about these matters now, as she still didn’t know the account of Nelly Woods.
However, she went looking for the topic on the Hot Searches.
Surprisingly, it was really on the Hot Searches.
It even ranked as high as 9th.
Usually, only significant events could make it to the front of the Hot Searches, as most of the top spots would be occupied by the entertainment industry.
It seemed that the Woods Family even spent money to buy a spot on the Hot Searches.
Cindy clicked in and saw Nelly Woods saying, “Adventure International Kindergarten bullies the weak and fears the strong. Just because my son had a quarrel with another child, Ye Mou, they expelled my son without even thinking about it because Ye Mou has a stronger background. Expulsion, everyone knows how hurtful it is to a child. I need an explanation from the kindergarten, and I need that child’s parent to apologize to me!”
“Children’s quarrels are common. Many principles may not be understood by children. If there is a quarrel, we parents should teach our children properly. If there’s anything wrong, we should talk it out, instead of expelling the other’s child directly!”
“This morning, I took my son to complete the transfer formalities. My son cried all the time, saying he was ashamed to face his classmates. It’s all because the other parent blamed everything on my son, distorting facts, and the kindergarten bullied us together.”
“My child is only five years old. He shouldn’t have to bear all this! And the other child Morgan Zhekova is only four years old. Are you teaching them how to bully others at such a young age?”
Then, Nelly Woods even posted a picture!
It was a scene where the headmaster and Teacher Linda were leading Morgan into the kindergarten, one on the left and one on the right.
Cindy figured it must have been when they encountered Arthur Woods and his mother at the entrance.
At the time, Nelly Woods said they would see what happened next.
It turns out it wasn’t just a threat.
Nelly Woods had planned to do this all along..
Chapter 60: Not So Kind-Hearted
“The photo was taken then.
However, the only consolation is that Nelly Woods didn’t capture Morgan
Clarke’s face.
She only captured her silhouette.
Yet, even this could be hazardous, as anyone determined could recognize it.
Moreover, Cindy Clarke was sure that if Nelly Woods had managed to capture
Morgan Clarke’s face, she wouldn’t have hesitated to release that photo as well.
Perhaps Nelly Woods received a warning from her husband, she didn’t dare to directly mention Cindy Clarke or Morgan Clarke by name.
As behind Cindy and Morgan Clarke stood Adrian Zhekova.
They were still oblivious to the extent of the relationship between Cindy Clarke and Adrian Zhekova.
As a result, they didn’t dare to rashly expose Cindy and Morgan Clarke.
Yet Nelly Woods was heartwrenchingly unwilling to let Cindy Clarke off easy.
So, she indirectly referred to Cindy Clarke.
If an attentive netizen decided to investigate, there weren’t many Clairkes at the Nursery. So, Morgan Clarke could be quickly singled out. Nelly Woods’ intentions couldn’t be any more malicious.
Cindy Clarke’s expression instantly hardened.
If Nelly Woods directly confronted her, it wouldn’t matter.
But she should not have targeted Morgan Clarke!
On top of that, she was twisting the narrative, even asking her to apologize.
Soon enough, there were netizens commenting, “Whose child is this, so arrogant?”
“That should be easy to investigate, just find out which children in the nursery have the surname Clarke.”
“If anyone knows any insider, not necessarily a teacher, even a doorkeeper, cleaner, housekeeper. Since this issue is so blown up, they must know, and we will immediately find out whose child it is.”
“Is the nursery this realistic now? Suppressing the underprivileged and favoring the superior, just like a miniature society.”
“Ha, let’s see who the child is, so high and mighty, so bullying. I really can’t stand such bullying.”
As things fermented, the issue grew bigger.
Eventually, the nursery had to step forward and say, “Regarding the incident mentioned by this parent, our decision was made ongrounds of fairness and impartiality. There is no biased treatment due to one party’s background.”
“Moreover, the other party’s child has no background,” said the nursery’s official statement.
These words were spoken under the headmaster’s instructions.
Because the headmaster was betting that the Woods family wouldn’t dare to involve Adrian Zhekova.
Nelly Woods’ words proved that they had these concerns.
For the sake of Adrian Zhekova, they dared not speak Morgan Clarke’s full name.
Otherwise, the Woods family wouldn’t hold such high moral standards. Would they worry about causing trouble for the child and help to hide her real name?
The Woods family isn’t that kind-hearted.
Evident from them avoiding the disclosure of the name, yet repeatedly referring to the name ‘Clarke’, intending to provoke an investigation.
This malice proves that although the Woods family fears Adrian Zhekova, they are still unwilling to let go. They want Cindy and Morgan Clarke to suffer a huge loss!
If Morgan Clarke is discovered at a later stage, they could blame the netizens.
It has nothing to do with the Woods family, it wasn’t them who asked for the investigation.
Even if Adrian Zhekova seeks confrontation, he can’t connect it to the Woods family.
But the Woods family temper their actions at this stage.
They dare not say or do anything more.
The headmaster was betting on this point.
Hoping that the relationship between Adrian Zhekova and Cindy Clarke is really strong.
The nursery’s official also said, “If we really played favorites, we should be protecting the Woods family.”
At this time, Cindy Clarke received a call from Peggy Lewis..