Ch. 121..130

Chapter 121

Chapter 121 Three Women And A Show

Even though the woman walked with hurried steps and seemed fraught with worry, her elegant demeanor had not diminished in the slightest. Before long, she approached Jeremy and the others and nodded politely.

“Hello, nice to meet all of you. I’m Jasmine Sanders, Curtis’ fiancée,” she said, her voice genuinely sweet and comforting.

Rayna had only ever seen the woman in newspapers, so it was a pleasant surprise to find out how much prettier she was in person.

In return, Jeremy introduced himself, Wyatt, and Theodore.

All of a sudden, Jasmine twisted her ankle and almost lost her footing. Since it wasn’t appropriate for Jeremy to help her up, Rayna quickly stepped in and steadied her. “Are you okay, Ms. Sanders?”

“I-I’m okay.”

Rayna could feel Jasmine shaking like a leaf, as though she was trying to hold back her emotions. Thankfully, the latter was quick to recompose herself and pushed Rayna away.

Hmm… Is she worried about Uncle Curtis?

“How’s Curtis now?” Jasmine asked.

“His legs are injured, and he’s still in a coma,” Rayna replied before sharing everything that had happened.

Having only just realized the gravity of the situation, Jasmine was momentarily stunned in silence. “It’s okay. We can discuss the other matters once he’s awake. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

“Do you want to go in and see him?”

Jasmine shook her head. “No. He needs all the rest he can get now. I’ll wait outside.”

Since it was already the wee hours, Rayna knew it wouldn’t be right to keep everyone at the hospital. Her initial plan was to have Jeremy head back with the others while she stayed behind, but Jasmine promptly suggested that Rayna do the same.

Eventually, everyone was so worried about Curtis that they decided to stay.

Just then, a commotion broke out along the corridor. “Don’t you dare stop me! Let me in! Oh, come on! Are you guys blind? Don’t you recognize me?”

Of course, Rayna and Wyatt knew it was Kristie as soon as they heard the voice.

“Ah! Princess is here!” Wyatt exclaimed as he shouted a couple of orders in the direction of the corridor. Seconds later, a flurry of footsteps sounded, followed by Kristie marching toward the group in a gorgeous red sequined dress.

“You vixen! Is Curt all right?” she demanded while prodding and glaring at Rayna. “If anything were to happen to him, I’ll skin you alive!”

Despite the flicker of irritation, Rayna took a deep breath to calm herself down. Forget it. Now’s not the time to chastise her about her choice of words. ”Mr. Faymon is still in a coma, and his legs are injured.”

After hearing what Rayna had to say, Kristie became visibly upset. “What? Does Curt have to be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life? That’s ludicrous! By the way, I was told you were in the car with him.

How did you manage to walk away unscathed? Did you get mad at him after learning about his engagement? Is that why you tried to murder him?”

“Ms. Winton, don’t you think you’re overstepping the mark?” Jasmine gently chimed in. “You read about the accident from the news, didn’t you? It was just a tragic mishap. It has nothing to do with Ms. Garland.”

Upon recognizing who Jasmine was, Kristie rolled her eyes and raised a brow. “I can say whatever the hell I want. What’s it to you? Besides, Curt doesn’t need you to take care of him, so get lost! Do you honestly think he’d fall for someone with a background like yours? He merely pities you! Even this vixen is better than you!”

To everyone’s surprise, Jasmine remained unperturbed. “Curtis is my fiancé. It’s only right that I care for him.”

“Quit putting on an act!”

Realizing that the women might break into a fight at any moment, Jeremy hastily stepped in to defuse the situation. “It’s been a few months, Kristie. Have you forgotten about me and the rest?”

The sight of Jeremy quieted Kristie down immediately as she broke into a sweet smile. “Jeremy! Wyatt!”

“That’s my princess! Come, let me hug you!” Wyatt uttered, beaming from ear to ear. Alas, he had only just spread his arms when Kristie abruptly threw herself at Theodore unexpectedly.

Wyatt couldn’t help but suck in a breath.

Kristie was the youngest among their group and also a lady. They might not have any qualms about her hugging them, but Theodore was the sole exception.

Argh! That silly girl! Theodore has pushed her away time and time again, so why can’t she behave herself around him?

“It’s been a while, Theodore!” Kristie said while clinging onto the man and nuzzling her face against his shirt. “I’ve missed you so much.”

Theodore stiffened and was about to fling Kristie off when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. In the end, he stuck out his hand and ruffled her hair instead.

“Have you been good?”

Needless to say, Kristie was shocked. After all, it was the first time Theodore hadn’t pushed her away! With that, she hugged him even tighter and chuckled. “Of course! I’ve been following Curt obediently!”

“What the f*ck?” Wyatt muttered as his jaw dropped. He instantly turned to Jeremy for an explanation, only to have the latter roll his eyes in response.

Huh? What’s that reaction supposed to mean?

Having gotten used to Kristie’s antics, Rayna barely batted an eyelid. However, she was worried about Jasmine and couldn’t help but glance at the latter.

Hmm… Jasmine has been behaving rather oddly since she got here. She’s hiding her emotions pretty well, but I still caught her worried look and the occasional tremble in her fingers.

Seemingly having noticed Rayna’s gaze, Jasmine turned and smiled at her. “Ms. Garland, is there something I can help you with?”

“No. Everything’s fine,” Rayna hastily replied before looking away.

After a while, Theodore could no longer stand how clingy Kristie was and pulled her away by the neck, leaving the latter pouting and sulking.

By then, the people who had turned up at the hospital were Curtis’ fiancée, friends, and subordinates. Everyone cared about him equally, and it was impossible to reach a consensus on who should stay behind to look after him.

Thoughtful as always, Jasmine spoke up. “I’m sure everyone has had a rough night. Why don’t you guys head home to rest? With Mr. Xavier’s men guarding Curtis, I know I won’t have to worry about anything. Once again, thank you all so much for your help.”

True to his calm and indifferent self, Theodore took the lead and strode away in silence.

“Wait for me, Theodore! I know you have long legs, but must you walk that fast?” Kristie grumbled as she tried her best to keep up. “Are you and Jeremy hungry? I’ll buy you guys supper!”

“In that case, we shall take our leave first. Goodbye, Ms. Garland and Ms. Sanders,” Jeremy said smilingly before leaving with Wyatt in tow.

Rayna, too, knew that she shouldn’t stay any longer. After all, Curtis’ fiancée was around.

“Ms. Sanders, I—”

“I’ll take you to get the wound on your shoulder cleaned up,” Jasmine interrupted as she began pulling Rayna along. “I feel bad to have troubled you. You’ve been so busy looking after Curtis the entire night that you haven’t even tended to your wounds.”

With Jasmine being so kind and considerate, Rayna couldn’t bring herself to say no. Even when Jessica messaged to ask about her location, she merely instructed the former to wait for her at the emergency department.

On the other end, Theodore and Kristie had long left the hospital while Wyatt and Jeremy slowly walked out with their arms around each other.

“Hey, Jeremy, haven’t you noticed anything odd?”

“Like what?” Jeremy muttered, eyes glued to his phone.

“Like Theodore’s behavior!” Wyatt replied, still unable to shake off what he had witnessed earlier. “Doesn’t he hate women throwing themselves at him the most? He always shoves them away, including Kristie. Why didn’t he do the same when she hugged him just now?”

“Don’t you pride yourself on being a casanova? You can get any lady you want, can’t you?” Jeremy said with a smirk. “Why? Are you having difficulty reading the room?”

 

Chapter 122

Chapter 122 I Have Fallen For Her

“F*ck. That’s not the same!” Wyatt retorted. “You know what Kristie’s like! She clings to anyone who treats her well. Besides, there’s no way Theodore has romantic feelings for her. I’m willing to bet my life on that!”

Alas, it wasn’t long before his confidence deflated. “Do you think Theodore—”

“There are some things you’re better off not knowing. Otherwise, you’d only stir up trouble,” Jeremy explained, determined not to tell Wyatt the truth since he knew what the latter was like. “If you’re bored, you can always drop by the nearest church to pray for Curtis’ recovery.”

“Argh! How would I know anything if you refuse to tell me? Besides, you’re older than me. Shouldn’t you take the lead to pray for Curtis?”

Before Jeremy could reply, a lady walking hastily with her head down bumped into Wyatt’s arm and staggered several steps backward.

“Miss, must you be in such a rush? You’re already at the hospital, aren’t you?” Wyatt scolded as his gaze fell on the woman before him. Oh, wow, she’s short. I think she’s only a few inches over five feet…

Just as he was about to poke fun at her, the woman met his eyes, looking somewhat dazed as she rubbed her forehead.

Almost immediately, Wyatt gasped and felt his heart skip a beat.

“Oh, did I bump into you? I’m so sorry. I’m in a hurry to fetch someone,” Jessica replied while apologizing profusely. She rushed to the hospital as soon as she heard what happened to Rayna and had to admit she wasn’t paying much attention to her surroundings.

Like a gentleman, Wyatt quickly cleared his throat and smiled. “It’s okay. I—”

“I don’t have any cash right now, so please accept this milkshake as my apology. Bye!” Jessica added before pulling out a cup of milkshake from her bag and putting it in Wyatt’s hand. With that, she hurriedly walked away and entered the hospital.

Unfortunately, everything happened so fast that Wyatt didn’t even get a chance to ask Jessica for her WhatsApp.

As he watched her retreating figure, all he could think of was how she had looked at him earlier. Ah… This milkshake may be cold, but it sure warms the cockles of my heart.

The next second, Wyatt turned to Jeremy in dead earnest. “To tell you the truth, I think I’ve fallen for her.”

“I figured as much. It’d be odd if you didn’t find a new lady to drool over every other week,” Jeremy scoffed before striding off. “You can stay here and continue daydreaming if you like.”

Chuckling, Wyatt clutched his milkshake and ran after Jeremy. “Since we’ll be stationed at Norwal City, I’m sure there will be plenty of chances to bump into her again. Besides, Kristie’s buying us supper. There’s no reason to turn down a free meal!”

Back in the hospital, Rayna was finally getting her injury checked out by the doctor. She had gashes on her right shoulder from shards of glass, and having been drenched in the rain didn’t help either since it turned the wounds even paler and gnarlier. After cleaning the wounds and applying some ointment, the doctor prescribed Rayna a couple of boxes of oral medication.

With that, Jasmine accompanied the latter to collect her prescription.

“Please don’t blame yourself, Ms. Garland. I’m sure Curtis wouldn’t want to see you like this,” Jasmine comforted when she saw how distraught and dejected Rayna was.

“I know. It’s just…” Rayna mumbled before her voice trailed off. Every time she recalled the sight of a bloodied Curtis, she got so choked up that words failed her.

If Curtis hadn’t shielded me with his body, his legs wouldn’t have gotten crushed…

“I know Faymon Group has set up a new department, and Curtis transferred you there to be the new manager,” Jasmine said smilingly. “That shows how much he trusts you. By the way, don’t you find it odd that news of the accident was immediately reported after it occurred?”

Rayna narrowed her eyes at the thought of that.

Of course, I found it odd. I already felt something was off when the Faymon family rushed to the hospital. After all, the road we were on didn’t have much traffic, and not everyone knew who Curtis was. Even with Curtis being sent to the hospital and the police surveying the accident scene, news of the crash should only be out in the morning at the earliest. Alas, we had barely stepped into the hospital when we learned the accident had already been reported on television. I’m sure someone must have orchestrated the accident, or they’re planning something even more sinister in secret…

Jasmine gently patted Rayna’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Ms. Garland. Now that Curtis has me to take care of him, I shall leave Faymon Group in your hands. Please don’t let him down.”

Despite feeling a wave of emotions inside her, Rayna nodded. “All right.”

Most of the Faymon family members have already found out about Curtis’ condition, and I’m sure the news will make the morning headlines. I need to make the necessary preparations as soon as possible.

All of a sudden, Jasmine’s phone rang.

After glancing at the caller ID, she pursed her lips and excused herself to a corner to take the call.

“No, I can’t go back these few days. I have matters to take care of.”

“Okay. I’ll leave it to you.”

Since the two ladies weren’t very far apart, it wasn’t hard for Rayna to overhear Jasmine’s words. What was surprising, though, was how Jasmine seemed to have intentionally spoken in a cold, unfeeling tone. Her expression, however, remained mellow as always.

Before Rayna’s mind could wander any further, Jessica suddenly appeared and ran up to her. “Nana! Are you okay?”

The latter looked her friend up and down and finally breathed a sigh of relief when she realized Rayna only had bandages on her shoulder. “I was so worried about you when I heard from the news that the car was totaled. It nearly scared me to death!”

Rayna chuckled. “Didn’t I tell you to stay in the waiting hall? Why have you come here?”

“Can you blame me for fretting over you? I asked the nurse where you were and rushed over immediately,” Jessica replied as she glanced at Jasmine, who was still on the phone. “Hmm. She looks familiar, doesn’t she?”

“That’s Mr. Faymon’s fiancée.”

Upon hearing that, Jessica slapped her forehead. “Oh, right! She’s the precious daughter of the Sanders family. I’ve read about her in the papers! What’s she doing here, though? By the way, how’s Mr. Faymon? Is he okay?”

Rayna’s gaze instantly darkened, but despite the overwhelming pain, she decided to tell Jessica everything. Like her, the latter was so shocked that she was at a loss for words. However, just as she was about to say something, Jasmine rejoined them.

“Ms. Sanders, I’d like to introduce you to my colleague, Jessica Marsh,” Rayna piped up.

Jasmine and Jessica quickly exchanged polite nods before the former added, “I was still worried about letting you leave alone and wanted to send you home. But now that your friend is here to accompany you, I can finally put my mind at ease.”

“In that case, I’ll leave Mr. Faymon to you.”

“No problem.”

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Jasmine returned to Curtis’ ward while Rayna and Jessica left the hospital.

On their way home, Jessica finally blurted out what she had wanted to say earlier. “Don’t you think this whole incident is odd? Mr. Faymon is the backbone of the Faymon Group, and news of his accident would undoubtedly affect the company’s share prices. Shouldn’t the Faymon family have stopped the report from getting published as soon as they learned about it? How did the accident still make it to the news?”

“Well… Who do you think would benefit from the news getting leaked?”

Jessica frowned as she fiddled with her glasses. Within seconds, the realization dawned on her, and she stared wide-eyed at Rayna.

Rayna merely nodded in acknowledgment.

“I’ve always thought something fishy was going on inside Faymon Group, but who knew…” Jessica muttered. “Why don’t you take this chance to recuperate at home and avoid their family’s internal conflict? You’ve already divorced Julian, so technically, their family matters are out of your hand. Moreover, you aren’t a company shareholder. Why work yourself to death for them?”

“How can I not when Mr. Saunders, Mr. Grant, Ms. Sienna, and Brooklyn are all eyeing to take over the company? Faymon Group will be done for if I don’t lend a helping hand.”

 

Chapter 123

Chapter 123 Me Or Faymon Group

Besides, whether the accident had been orchestrated or not, nothing could change the fact that Curtis had protected Rayna. She was the reason he had lost the use of his legs, so the least she could do was help him in return.

Upon seeing Rayna’s steely-eyed determination, Jessica knew it’d be impossible to change her friend’s mind. “If I can help you in any way, feel free to let me know! Even though I’m only a planner, I’m still pretty smart.”

Rayna couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “Sure!”

Jessica’s right. She’s indeed very clever. The map she drew for us previously helped the Faymon Group a lot.

By the time the two women returned to the condominium, it was already five in the morning, and daybreak was approaching. Jessica was so tired that she went off to take a two-hour nap. Rayna, however, couldn’t sleep at all.

Whenever she closed her eyes, she’d think back to her conversation with Curtis, the car that suddenly veered into their lane, and the moment Curtis pounced on her to shield her from the impact.

“I know how clever you are, Rayna. I have faith in you. If anything untoward should happen to me, I’ll leave Faymon Group in your hands.”

No matter how hard she tried, Rayna couldn’t get Curtis’ words and expression out of her mind. As dread continued to gnaw at her insides, Rayna suddenly remembered how composed Curtis had been when the accident occurred.

Not only was there no panic in his eyes, but even his words to her were eerily calm. It was as though he was fully confident that Rayna would handle everything well for him.

A scary thought suddenly popped into her mind, only to have her shrug it off the next moment.

Uncle Curtis has always been calm, even in the face of danger. Argh! I’m the one who’s overreacting.

With that, Rayna lay in bed and stared at the diamond castle, wondering about the news headlines in the morning and the impending changes within Faymon Group.

Once the sun had fully risen, Rayna crawled out of bed and washed herself up. After changing her wound dressing and putting on a suit, she promptly left the room for the kitchen.

By the time breakfast was all prepared, Jessica had also woken up.

Needless to say, the latter was shocked to find Rayna dressed so spiffily. “Wow! Have you already recuperated?”

“Eat up. There’s a lot to do today.”

It was only when Rayna arrived at Faymon Group that she realized the full gravity of the situation. Flocks of journalists had gathered at the exits of the company building, and some were even reporting live.

Rayna quickly parked her car at the underground garage while Jessica trawled through Twitter and several major news sites to update her on the state of affairs.

Sure enough, every headline was about Curtis’ car accident.

“Oh, gosh. This is terrible. Faymon Group’s shares have been dropping since last night, and now, it’s only priced at eight per share,” Jessica exclaimed as she showed Rayna the information. “Nana, are

you sure you can handle this?”

“I have to. There’s no other way,” Rayna replied flatly while adjusting her tie in the elevator mirror.

She had always found suits too stifling for her liking, but now that she was wearing one, she realized it did help to make her feel more empowered.

Upon reaching the planning department, Jessica reminded Rayna to be on her guard before bidding farewell. With that, the elevator continued its ascent until it stopped at Rayna’s floor.

“Good morning, Ms. Garland,” Naomi greeted before following Rayna to her office. “Mr. Faymon has said that the Department of Regulators will handle all of Faymon Group’s affairs. Now that he’s not around, you’ll be the second in command.”

Rayna merely hummed in acknowledgment and kept walking.

There were only a few employees in the Department of Regulators, and some of them had yet to return from their vacation. Everyone, however, had long heard about Curtis’ accident and quickly stood up when Rayna entered the room, seemingly wanting to ask if she had an action plan in mind.

To their dismay, Rayna waved them off and strode into the manager’s office with Naomi in tow.

“Ms. Garland, these are the documents and items recovered from the car,” Naomi said calmly as she placed the gift box and document folders on the table. “The papers are a little crumpled, but thankfully, they didn’t get drenched by the rain. On top of that, the police obtained the surveillance footage and managed to arrest the errant driver. He’s being charged with drunk driving and fleeing the scene. As of now, he’s locked in the detention center and awaiting trial.”

After complimenting Naomi for her efficiency, Rayna reached for the gift box and slowly opened the lid.

Hmm, “newborn” in Ferropenean. I wonder if it’s referring to me or Faymon Group…

Rayna caressed the diamond pendant before taking it out and wearing it around her neck.

Instead of diving into the documents, she turned to Naomi. “This is no longer a hit-and-run accident. The driver will be charged for his attempted murder of Faymon Group’s CEO. I want you to privately get in touch with a few news agencies and have them expose the matter online. Then, contact our legal team and instruct them to follow the trial process.”

“Understood. I’ll contact them in a while,” Naomi replied before leaning in. “By the way, I received news this morning that one of the food companies under Faymon Group has been suspected of using expired ingredients. To make matters worse, they have mass-produced the food items and shipped them out. The factories involved have been shut down, but many journalists have already learned about it. I doubt we’d be able to suppress the news.”

Rayna scoffed inwardly upon hearing that. Of all the times the news could have gone public, why now? Hahaha… That’s too many news leaks for it to be a coincidence!

“Leave the food company matter aside for the time being and deal with the accident first,” she ordered.

After Naomi left, Rayna held a meeting and instructed her staff to pore over every department’s documents. Since they needed all hands on deck, she had no choice but to recall the others from their vacation leave.

Unsurprisingly, everyone in Faymon Group was in a state of panic after hearing about their CEO’s accident.

As it turned out, Rayna’s department wasn’t the only one swamped with work. The Public Relations Department was also busy conducting a press conference, assuring news outlets that Curtis’ accident wasn’t anything serious and he’d be back in a few days.

Alas, some journalists were determined to stir the pot. “Is that so? I was told by someone in the hospital that Curtis Faymon is currently in a coma, and he might have even lost the use of his legs. Why is Faymon Group’s Public Relations Department lying to us?”

No matter how experienced the Public Relations Department was, they still found themselves caught off guard by the journalists’ onslaught of pointed questions. Naturally, articles about the press conference were soon published on every news website.

In the span of one afternoon, Faymon Group’s share prices plummeted so much that they lost a whopping three billion.

Not long after, Sienna arrived at Faymon Group.

Since Sienna wasn’t a shareholder of Faymon Group, it wasn’t hard to guess why she had shown up at the company. Regardless, Rayna set her work aside to welcome her guest, only to see the latter already engaged in a conversation with Brooklyn.

Well, well, well… When Brooklyn was first appointed as the planning department’s manager, she always kept a low profile despite her arrogance. Now, she’s not hiding it anymore. It has become painfully clear just how ambitious she is.

“Hello, Ms. Sienna,” Rayna greeted.

As amicable as Sienna was, she didn’t seem to notice Rayna as she continued chatting with her niece and stepping into the elevator.

Just then, Naomi texted Rayna: Half of Faymon Group’s shareholders have arrived and are holding a shareholders’ meeting. They have also allowed everyone in upper management to sit in.

Without further ado, Rayna got into another elevator and made a beeline for the conference room.

Most of Faymon Group’s shareholders were only interested in collecting their annual dividends, so there was no reason for them to call a meeting with upper management other than to appoint a new CEO.

After all, the chairman of Faymon Group was still staying in the hospital, so the shareholders had the right to make any business decisions.

By the time Rayna swiped her access card to enter the conference room, it was already swarming with people. Aside from the shareholders she had never met before, there were also the familiar faces of Jack and Dexter.

 

Chapter 124

Chapter 124 Alfred Is Here

Sienna was seated at Curtis’ usual seat, and Brooklyn was seated next to her. Their intention was obvious.

When Rayna walked into the conference room, Brooklyn frowned and said, “Rayna, your department has been set up by the ex-CEO, Mr. Faymon alone, and he did not inform anyone else. You shouldn’t be here even though you are the manager.”

Brooklyn’s words were different from what Edith had told her when she first went there, but they both meant the same thing.

And she refers to Curtis as ex-CEO. It looks like they can’t wait to kick Curtis out of the company.

Rayna gave a faint smile before saying, “Yes, you’re right. But, the establishment of my department is also supervised by the senior management. Ms. Faymon, I’m not sure what you mean when you said that no one else has been informed. Are you referring to the shareholders or the rest of the vice CEO? Unless there is a change in the position of the CEO, the shareholders will not interfere with any changes done in the upper management. As for the duties of the vice CEO, they are to assist the CEO in the management of the company and respect his decisions.”

Brooklyn’s expression changed drastically when Rayna refuted her. She smiled coldly and said, “You think you’re clever, don’t you?”

“Enough. Don’t hold it against someone younger than you,” said Sienna softly.

After that, Brooklyn stopped talking.

As far as the shareholders were concerned, Rayna meant nothing to them even though she was Curtis’ aide. Other than Brooklyn, no one else even bothered to cast a glance in her direction.

Very soon, the meeting began. Just as Rayna had guessed, the meeting was regarding Curtis’ accident.

Sienna said, “Curtis is my nephew, and I’m well aware of what he has done for the company. I certainly didn’t expect him to get into such a serious accident. His legs are badly injured, and he’s still unconscious.”

Jack also added, “Curtis can take his time to recuperate in the hospital, but Faymon Group cannot wait for him indefinitely. Just today alone, Faymon Group has lost three billion. Faymon Group needs a leader immediately.”

The shareholders did not want to see such a thing happening.

The drop in the share prices had affected all of them badly. Within a short period of time, Curtis would not be able to manage Faymon Group. Hence, they would need to get someone to run the company on his behalf and control the fall of the share prices.

Outwardly, Sienna appeared gentle and calm. However, the position in which she was seated had made her intention very clear.

Both Jack and Dexter had been coveting that position for a long time. Thus, there was no way they would agree to it.

Jack even said, “Ms. Sienna, we know that you want to help out in Faymon Group. But Old Mr. Faymon has said before that there can only be a maximum of two members of the Faymon family in the Faymon Group.”

“I will abide by my brother’s rule,” said Sienna. “My nephew is still lying in the hospital, and we have no idea where he will come around. As of now, only Brooklyn is in Faymon Group.”

Rayna was seated at the end of the table and enjoying the show.

It was only then she realized that some people were far worse than she had imagined when their personal interests took center stage.

Privately, a few of the shareholders had contacted Sienna. Both parties had come to an agreement. Therefore, they would naturally take Sienna’s side and support her.

Half of the shareholders were abroad and did not attend the meeting. Obviously, Jack and Dexter were no match for Sienna.

It was almost certain that Sienna would be in control of Faymon Group.

Rayna knew that she would make a lot of enemies if she spoke up right now. However, she had no other choice. “Ms. Sienna, there are already three of you in Faymon Group including Ms. Faymon and Mr. Faymon who is in the hospital.”

Sienna did not expect Rayna to find fault with her at a crucial moment. She was somewhat displeased but still maintained her composure. “Didn’t I mention just now that Curtis is still unconscious? He’s not in the condition to manage Faymon Group at the moment.”

“Mr. Faymon may not be in the condition right now, but he hasn’t been dismissed by Faymon Group yet,” said Rayna calmly. “If you take over this position, you will break the rule of Faymon Group and sully the reputation of the Faymon family.”

“Rayna!” Brooklyn nearly slammed on the table as she shouted in anger. “Everyone here is either a shareholder or a vice CEO. You’re only a manager. What makes you think you have the right to speak?”

Rayna was not angry at all. Instead, she asked the shareholders, “All of you have asked for the higher management to attend this meeting. Yet, we aren’t allowed to talk? Then, what’s the point of asking us to be here?”

“Ms. Garland is right. Even though Mr. Faymon is still unconscious, he’s still a part of the Faymon Group.” Jack seized the opportunity and said, “If Ms. Sienna continues to interfere, she will be going against Old Mr. Faymon’s rules.”

The shareholders were so stressed and dared not utter a word of support for Sienna.

Although Alfred had appointed Curtis to the position, he still held a portion of the shares of Faymon Group. The total shares that Alfred and Curtis owned were larger than all of the shareholders combined.

Furthermore, Alfred was a man of his word who was firm and decisive. If they really broke his rules, Alfred would not hesitate to kick them out of the company.

Faymon Group was a lucrative business. Only a fool would throw it away.

Sienna stared coldly at Rayna. Since the first time she met her at the hospital, she had not gotten a proper look at the young woman. Now was the first time she took Rayna seriously.

She knew that both Jack and Dexter had their people in the secretarial department. In fact, they had a number of subordinates in Faymon Group. Curtis, on the other hand, did not have many.

Therefore, Sienna did not expect Curtis to have someone as aggressive as Rayna by his side. How dare a mere manager defy me and embarrass me in front of so many people!

“Ms. Garland, you’re right,” said Sienna with a smile. “Curtis is still part of Faymon Group, so naturally, I cannot be the CEO. Otherwise, I’ll be breaking the rules of Faymon Group.”

The elderly woman then stood up and said sternly, “But, as a subordinate, you have gone against your superiors and interfered with the shareholders’ decision. As such, I’m going to fire you!”

Rayna had expected Sienna to fly into a rage, but she did not expect her to say such a thing. With a calm demeanor, Rayna retorted, “Ms. Sienna, you don’t work for Faymon Group. Therefore, you have no right to dismiss me.”

Sienna turned her attention to Jack and asked, “Mr. Saunders, are you sure you want to keep someone unruly like her?”

Rayna looked grim.

Her department might have been established by Curtis himself, but he was in the hospital right now. If Sienna was out of the picture, then only Jack and Dexter would be qualified enough to be the next CEO.

Any one of the men would have the authority to fire her.

Jack would certainly not let that opportunity slip out of his hands. Instead, he looked as if he was being put in a difficult position. “Ms. Garland is very adept in her work. But, it’s indeed taboo to defy your superiors.”

There was a hint of despise in the gentle way Sienna eyed Rayna. It was as if she was reminding Rayna that she was a nobody who did not have the right to go against her.

Rayna began to panic, so she clenched her fists hard to calm herself down and started to think of a solution.

After more than ten seconds, she was sweating profusely.

Just as Rayna exhaled and was about to say something, the door of the conference room opened. In came Jasmine with an elderly man holding onto her arm.

“What meeting is this? There’re so many people here.”

Rayna turned around when she heard the familiar voice. She then realized that it was the same Mister who had helped her out when the store assistant made things difficult for her. He was also the same man who accompanied her for a stew!

All the shareholders stood up and greeted the elderly man, “Old Mr. Faymon.”

Even Sienna went over and helped Alfred to his seat after dismissing Jasmine. “Alfred, you have yet to recover. What are you doing here?”

“The doctor told me to get some exercise. Otherwise, my body will become stiff.” Alfred placed his cane on one side before continuing, “I heard that the shares of Faymon Group have been dropping so drastically. That’s why I have come over to take a look.”

 

Chapter 125

Chapter 125 Alfred Backing Her Up 1

As Alfred’s sharp gaze swept across the conference table, he spotted Rayna. He froze for a moment, then nodded at her.

Rayna quickly bowed to him while she still felt perplexed.

I really didn’t know he was Old Mr. Faymon until now. I visited the Faymon residence a few times after I got married to Julian, but I never saw Old Mr. Faymon because he was recuperating overseas.

What a coincidence.

Dexter stated, “Old Mr. Faymon, the company needs someone to be in charge, with Mr. Faymon being hospitalized. Hence, we want to choose someone to oversee matters at this meeting. The shareholders won’t be able to take it any longer if Faymon Group’s shares plummet a few times with Mr. Faymon’s absence.”

Jack nodded and added, “Old Mr. Faymon, you set the rules that Faymon Group should have at most two executives from the Faymon family. Even though Mr. Faymon is recuperating in the hospital, he’s still the CEO. Moreover, there’s Ms. Faymon in the planning department. Hence, we think Ms. Sienna shouldn’t enter Faymon Group or she’ll break the rules.”

Alfred turned to look at Sienna and asked sternly, “Why didn’t you tell me about your plan to enter Faymon Group?”

Sienna’s lip twitched, and she smiled gently. “Alfred, I was worried about Faymon Group. The company stock has greatly plummeted lately, and Curtis hasn’t woken up yet…”

“So you wanted to break the rules while exercising your influence as a member of the Faymon family?”

“That’s not what I meant, Alfred.”

Alfred barked, “You would have consulted me before taking any action if you really respected me as your elder brother. Although I gave Curtis the authority to manage Faymon Group, the company belongs to everyone! Do you know why some businesses fail so quickly? It’s because they’re a family business, and the family members impeded the development of those corporations. Nobody will work sincerely for you if everyone uses their connections to become executives and exploits the talented staff as stepping stones. People aren’t stupid. They are out to make money!”

Sienna’s smile froze from Alfred’s barrage of remarks.

Everyone in the conference room held their breaths.

Those in Faymon Group were aware of Alfred’s quick decision-making style. He was more difficult to talk to than Curtis, and he would even harshly chastise his family members whenever he was provoked.

The conference room opened once again when Alfred was lecturing Sienna. A few people walked in, and the middle-aged man standing in the front said, “Alfred.”

His full head of black hair contained a few white strands, and he did not seem young. He wore a three- piece suit and exuded a powerful aura like a man of power.

Rayna knew he was Chester Faymon, Alfred’s younger brother.

There were two men following behind Chester. The scrawny and sluggish one was Jason, his second son, while the other was Julian.

Jason is the general manager of the branch company at Yeringham, so it’s not strange for him to be here, but why did Julian follow them?

Alfred saw Chester and questioned, “Aren’t you in Saintnam on a business trip? Why are you back?”

Chester explained, “Jason called to inform me that Curtis got into a terrible car accident. I returned after I finished making arrangements for work. Curtis’ car accident caused Faymon Group’s stocks to continue declining. There are speculations that Curtis is on the verge of death and Faymon Group will fail. Are Curtis’ legs gravely injured?”

Alfred sneered coldly and muttered in mockery, “Why are you asking me so many questions when I’m the only one with a lot to ask you all? There are so many of you here in this country. You didn’t help your nephew or your cousin out when he got into a car accident and let the media take advantage of the situation! Is the over two billion in loss my fault when I am an old man recuperating in the hospital?”

Sienna understood the intention behind his words, and she stated, “As Brooklyn’s aunt, I wanted to help her plan a good wedding since she is getting married and you weren’t there. I didn’t expect Curtis to get into a car accident.”

Brooklyn defended Sienna. “Aunt Sienna frequently stays up until three or four in the morning managing the branch office in Jipsdale while also organizing my wedding. I contacted the media after knowing that Curtis got into a car accident, but I didn’t expect the news to have been widely spread. It just couldn’t be suppressed.”

Chester added, “That’s right, Alfred. Sienna has it hard. You should blame me instead of her. I didn’t fulfill my duty as her elder brother as I have been dealing with some matters in Saintnam.”

Alfred waved his hands and did not want to continue hearing their hypocritical statements. “Enough. We’re all family, and we’ll be a laughing stock if we continue airing out our family laundry. The most crucial thing right now is to wait for Faymon Group’s stock to stabilize.”

A shareholder asked, “Old Mr. Faymon, since you’re here, do you have any suggestions on how to deal with this situation? Faymon Group’s rules can’t be broken, and we still need someone to take charge.”

Alfred looked at Rayna and asked, “Young lady, why are you still standing? Which department are you from?”

Rayna had been watching the show since Alfred arrived. She was analyzing why Chester returned and she forgot to sit back. Rayna did not expect Alfred to ask her a question suddenly.

After a brief pause, Rayna spoke quietly, “Ms. Sienna wants to help Faymon Group because she fears the company’s shares will continue to fall if there’s no one to take the helm. I stood up to speak out of respect as a junior employee. Since there are already two executives from the Faymon family, I’m concerned that Ms. Sienna will be violating the rules of Faymon Group. I’m Rayna Garland, the manager of the Department of Regulators, which Mr. Faymon newly established.”

Alfred could not help but chuckle when he heard that.

She spoke about her company’s matters while we were having stew previously, with a sorrowful expression. She said her boss set up a new department for her to be a scapegoat. I didn’t expect the company she talked about to be Faymon Group.

Alfred knew Curtis very well. He must have handed things over to her because he trusts her.

“There’s no need to find someone to be in charge. Ms. Garland will serve as the acting CEO until Curtis recovers.” When Alfred announced that in a light voice, the conference room became silent.

Alfred looked at Rayna, who was taken aback and gently stated, “Ms. Garland, it’s going to be hard for you for a while. You can mobilize the employees of several branches from the other states if it is necessary besides those in Faymon Group.”

After ten seconds of silence, a heated discussion began in the conference room.

Sienna reluctantly commented with a sullen expression, “Alfred, I know you don’t want to break Faymon Group’s rules. The acting CEO should be chosen from either Mr. Saunders or Mr. Grant. She’s merely a manager. “

Chester added, “That’s right, Alfred. You can’t joke about this. How can a manager be the acting CEO? That’s against the rules. I heard she doesn’t major in finance.”

The shareholders became concerned after they heard his words.

Managing a company was not child’s play. Having someone who did not major in finance serve as the acting CEO for a huge corporation like Faymon Group was equivalent to self-destruction.

“Old Mr. Faymon, we strongly object this!”

“What does she knows as a manager with little experience?”

“That’s right. Ms. Garland appears too gentle. She won’t be able to handle her subordinates. People won’t listen to her.”

The conference room, which was tense a moment earlier, had become rowdy like a supermarket. Everyone was in disagreement over Alfred’s suggestion and did not want Rayna to be their acting CEO.

 

Chapter 126

Chapter 126 Alfred Backing Her Up 2

Alfred frowned upon hearing those objections and he tapped his fingers on the table. The whole meeting room went quiet before he opened his mouth. “What’s wrong with a manager? It’s all right for me as long as you are capable. I will not break the rules of Faymon Group. No one from the Faymon family should be the acting CEO. As for Mr. Saunders and Mr. Grant, I’m sure you already have a lot to deal with. I will not burden you more with this matter.”

Jack and Dexter merely forced a smile on their faces and dared not refute.

Actually, they would be more than glad to have this burden fall on their shoulders.

“Alfred, you are risking the entire Faymon Group!” Sienna was taken aback by Alfred’s perseverance. Her voice trembled as she spoke, “What if Faymon Group collapses?”

Right then, Naomi came in with a pile of documents.

“Hi, everyone, I’m Naomi from the secretarial department and I’m also Mr. Faymon’s secretary.” Naomi bowed to everyone and then said politely, “I would like to show you the documents left by Mr. Faymon.”

Naomi asked Alfred, “Mr. Faymon, can you please spare us a few minutes?”

Alfred waved his hand in approval.

Naomi showed the document to Alfred. After he finished reading it, she then passed it over to Sienna while explaining, “This document was signed by Mr. Faymon when he established the Department of Regulators. Can you please read Article 14? This one is specifically added by Mr. Faymon. Whenever Mr. Faymon is on an emergency business trip or indisposed, the Department of Regulators will take full responsibility for Mr. Faymon. Since Mr. Faymon is recuperating in the hospital and will not be back for the time being, Ms. Garland should take the role of acting CEO for Faymon Group.”

“Nonsense! Faymon Group is not only his alone. There are other shareholders as well,” Sienna snarled angrily. “How can everyone put their bets on a manager? Besides, the document was only signed by Mr. Faymon. He is only the CEO. Any matter related to major problems of the company should be decided by the board of directors!”

Alfred didn’t say a word. After another shareholder finished reading the document, Alfred asked Naomi to bring it over to him. Then, he removed the pen cap and signed his name on the document.

Alfred asked Sienna, “I am the Chairman of Faymon Group. I have signed this document. Is everything all right?”

Caught off guard by Alfred’s action, Sienna was stunned for a moment before her face turned sullen. She didn’t know how to respond to that. Rayna also turned her face away, trying hard to suppress the urge to laugh.

She didn’t expect Alfred to be this cheeky and not show any mercy to his own sister.

“Uncle Alfred, you can’t choose this woman. She has shady morale! She even framed Julian so that she could divorce him!” Brooklyn pointed at Rayna and said.

Hearing this, Alfred immediately turned around to look at Rayna and said in surprise, “Is what she said true? Were you married to Julian?”

Rayna nodded in response, feeling slightly embarrassed.

After knowing Alfred’s identity, Rayna found out that the son he mentioned earlier was in fact, Curtis. Her mind went back to her one-year marriage with Julian before she was suddenly reminded of the fact that Julian and Curtis were cousins. The whole situation just couldn’t be more embarrassing for her.

“You guys…” Alfred pointed at Rayna before he jiggled his finger at Julian and wondered, “Rayna is a pretty good girl. She is beautiful and talented. Julian, why did you divorce her?”

“Uncle Alfred, you got the point wrong!” Brooklyn almost stomped her feet out of frustration. Her face flushed as she exclaimed, “The point is that she spread the ambiguous video of Julian and Meredith, the former manager of the planning department, in Faymon Group. Faymon Group’s stock fluctuated a lot in those few days because of this scandal. Owing to that, they transferred Julian to the Horington branch. Due to her own private affairs, she made a fool out of Faymon Group, embarrassing us in front of the public. If she really makes it to the position of acting CEO, I worry that she will take revenge on Faymon Group and ruin us?”

“I understand what you mean.” Alfred nodded. He scrapped a lot of information from Brooklyn’s outraged words. “Rayna was actually retaliating against Julian for cheating on her in marriage. Am I right?”

“Yes, that’s correct, Uncle Alfred. But that’s because…”

“That means the fault is all on Julian, and Rayna is merely the victim here,” Alfred interrupted her and looked at Julian. “Julian, speak for yourself. Is it wrong for Rayna to retaliate against you?”

Ever since Julian followed Chester and his son into the conference room, he had been standing by the side, listening to the whole conversation without saying a word. Now that Brooklyn turned the topic to him and Alfred directed the question to him, he was forced to speak out.

Julian looked away from Rayna and said after a moment of silence, “She did nothing wrong. I was a fool at that time. I had been married to Rayna for more than a year, and I know her well. Although she majors only in translation, she is a quick learner in other subjects too and is very efficient. Otherwise, Mr. Faymon would not set up the Department of Regulators and promote her as a manager.”

As soon as Julian said that, Chester’s face darkened, and he shot Julian a gloomy look. Even Sienna gave him a displeased look.

“Julian, is there something wrong with you? She hurt you so badly last time. How come you are still defending her?” Brooklyn raised her voice. “Are you being bewitched by her again? Is that why you said that? I heard that you two got married not long after you met each other. As a member of the Faymon family, you don’t seem to lack anything. Was she the one who proposed the marriage in the first place?”

Julian frowned. “We agreed to marriage together. Aunt Sienna, there is no need to carve a conspiracy theory out of our relationship.”

“Well, it’s hard for one not to overthink, considering what your ex-wife has done.”

“That’s enough! We’re not standing in a market now! Stop the argy-bargy!” Alfred reproached with an unhappy face. “Since you are so against my decision, why don’t we take a vote? We have Mr. Saunders, Mr. Grant, and Ms. Garland here. One of them will be the acting CEO. Everyone in the conference room can cast their vote.”

Hearing that, the others stopped arguing.

Everyone wrote down the name of the candidate whom they supported on the sticky notes before rolling them up and handing them to Naomi. Within just a few minutes, she received everyone’s votes and began to announce the results.

“One for Mr. Grant.”

“One for Mr. Saunders.”

“One for Ms. Garland.”

“Four for Ms. Garland.”

“Ten for Ms. Garland.”

Except for the first few votes which were cast for Dexter and Jack, the rest of the votes were all supporting Rayna. When Naomi finally finished counting the votes, Rayna managed to secure a whopping forty-three votes.

Sienna and Chester were furious beyond words.

Half of the shareholders were present at the conference room today. There were more than sixty senior executives in total including Sienna and her gang. Rayna successfully gained more than half the votes and pulled off a landslide victory over Dexter and Jack.

Alfred glanced around and said, “I believe we have gotten a general consensus. Ms. Garland manages to secure a majority of votes. I would like her to be the acting CEO. Do you guys have any objections?”

“No.”

Sienna could only nod despite the ugly expression on her face. “I respect the results of the vote.”

Rayna wanted to say something. “Old Mr. Faymon…”

“What’s wrong?” Alfred looked at Rayna with a smile on his face. “This is not just my decision. It was voted on by everyone. Are you confident to take on the task to be the acting CEO?”

The old man’s trenchant gaze was warm and full of trust. It was as if Alfred was telling her to go for it and he would always back her up. Instantly, Rayna’s heart was filled with warm feelings.

 

Chapter 127

Chapter 127 I Regret My Actions

No one apart from Curtis and Alfred had ever trusted her this much.

Not wanting to hesitate any further, Rayna nodded and said with a confident look in her eyes, “Please rest assured that I will do my job well as acting CEO and help Faymon Group survive this crisis!”

Satisfied with her response, Alfred had Naomi fetch the appointment letter. He then signed his name on it and sent the digital version to all employees of Faymon Group.

Since Rayna had the official appointment letter signed by the chairman, no one dared say another word about it.

Just minutes ago, they were all arguing about it in the conference room. With the candidate being chosen, all the higher-ups left the conference room as they no longer had any reason to stick around. Alfred wasn’t feeling well, so he left the conference room as well.

After personally seeing the shareholders out the door, Rayna returned to the conference room and saw Julian, who was on his way out. She remained in the elevator and waited for him to enter before hitting the button for the first floor.

The elevator hummed softly as it made its rapid descent.

“Why did you defend me during the meeting earlier?” Rayna asked calmly without looking at him.

She noticed something different about Julian the moment he entered the conference room earlier. Not only did he look a lot wearier than the last time she saw him at the hospital, but he was also a lot less confident when he spoke. That, combined with his act of defending her, made him seem like a completely different person.

“I wasn’t defending you. I was simply stating the facts. It was all my fault,” Julian replied.

Although he turned his head the other way to avoid looking at Rayna, his gaze still fell upon her. The look in his eyes was a combination of guilt and regret.

Rayna pursed her lips and kept quiet for the rest of the elevator ride.

Upon arriving at the first floor, she turned to face Julian and extended her hand as she said, “Regardless, I would still like to thank you for what you did. From now on, we’re even.”

Julian hesitated for a bit before reaching out to shake her hand. It wasn’t until he felt her touch that he realized they hardly held hands throughout their marriage. As if that wasn’t bad enough, they even slept in separate beds.

Rayna’s hand felt soft and warm to the touch, and her body exuded a faint fragrant scent. For a second there, Julian found himself reluctant to let go of her hand.

Upon shifting his gaze toward her face, he saw that she was looking at him with her lips still pursed. “Rayna, would you believe me if I told you that I regret my actions?”

“I would.” Rayna could tell what he was feeling from the look in his eyes, but she maintained her calm expression as she pulled her hand back. “But it doesn’t matter anymore.”

Whatever feelings she had toward him had already faded over time.

As the doors of the elevator opened, Rayna stepped aside to make way for him.

Julian had wanted to say something, but couldn’t seem to find the right words. “Goodbye,” he said after a long pause and stepped out of the elevator in defeat.

I was the one who let go of her, so I have only myself to blame.

Sienna and Chester happened to step out of an adjacent elevator at the same time. The look on Sienna’s face turned gloomy the moment she saw Rayna. She then let out an angry snort before leaving the office building with Chester.

After getting into the car, Sienna exclaimed furiously, “What the heck was Alfred thinking? Why would he leave the hospital and come all the way here just to screw things up?”

“Looks like he has more spies in Faymon Group than we expected,” Chester replied.

“It’s not just Faymon Group! He even has spies around us! Not only does he not trust us, but he doesn’t trust Jason and Jared either! We’re all family, for goodness’ sake! I can’t believe he’d hand over a company with a market value of hundreds of billions to an adopted son!”

“And whose fault is that, huh?” Chester shot her a fierce glare as he continued angrily, “This happened because you insisted on investing in your lover’s company using Faymon Group as collateral! Now, look what happened! You failed to set up that company, and you still owe those foreign banks over a billion! Faymon Group’s reputation overseas plummeted as a result, and the company’s stocks almost fell to zero! Alfred wouldn’t have been so defensive toward me if it weren’t for that!”

Sienna’s face went pale for a moment before she snapped back at him, “You’re no better yourself, Chester! As greedy as I may be, I never went as far as trading Faymon Group’s secrets with others and partnering up with them to set up a company! You weren’t the one in charge of Woodtree Group at the time, but your mistress was the manager in charge of researching and developing cosmeceuticals. When the cosmeceuticals series was fully developed, you sold the company’s top secrets to a foreign company and made billions in the process. However, Faymon Group nearly got sued for infringement as a result. The only reason it didn’t suffer any losses was that Woodtree Group’s products had yet to hit the shelves!”

`

Chester waved at her as he said, “That’s enough! Insulting each other won’t do us any good! I had to come up with other ways to make more money! The profits from Faymon Group weren’t enough for me! Not only does Alfred keep us out of Faymon Group’s senior management level, but he also gave his adoptive son half of the company’s shares! We only received two percent each, which barely even makes us shareholders!”

“Exactly! Alfred would rather have a manager become acting CEO instead of us! It’s clear as day now. Sweet-talking the shareholders won’t do us any good because Alfred was the one who brought them into the company. They’ll always do as he says no matter what!” Sienna exclaimed.

“Are you seriously okay with letting that woman run Faymon Group?”

“So what if I’m not okay with it? Alfred is determined to back her up, so any objections from us will only make him unhappy!”

Chester then leaned in close and whispered something in Sienna’s ear.

Shocked by what he said, Sienna exclaimed, “Half of those shareholders are on Alfred’s side. This is way too risky!”

“That old fox Mr. Ziegler has long since been coveting Faymon Group. The only thing holding him back is his fear of Alfred. If we work with him, we can let him have the company while we take the shares and the money. That way, he’ll be the one to bear all the risks. You don’t want to spend most of the year overseas with no money and no power, do you? We worked so hard to strengthen Faymon Group, and yet, Alfred chose his adopted son over us! It’s about time you learn to stand up for yourself, Sienna. At least do it for Jared,” Chester said.

Sienna kept her head low and went into deep thought.

Curtis is the reason my son couldn’t get promoted. If this plan works, Jared will be able to rise up the ranks effortlessly!

A few minutes later, she flashed him a smile and replied, “You’re right, Chester. We can’t achieve victory without taking risks. Alfred will never appreciate our contributions to the Faymon family anyway. Curtis is still unconscious in the hospital with his legs disabled, so the future of Faymon Group remains uncertain. It’s better to save ourselves than to wait for an unknown outcome.”

“It’s only his legs that are disabled, so he’ll regain consciousness sooner or later. He can still come to work even if he’s wheelchair-bound. Also, he might be able to make a full recovery if Alfred gets him treated overseas. We’ll have to do something about that,” Chester reminded her.

Sienna shot him a warning glare. “Don’t do anything rash, Chester. He is still Alfred’s adoptive son, and his friend had a bunch of men surround the ward. If you get caught trying to do anything to him, we will lose everything we have, and this whole plan will fail!”

“What friend?”

“I’m not sure. He seems to be from the Norham branch. They’re worried about Curtis, but they don’t seem to care about Faymon Group’s affairs.”

Chester let out a disdainful snort. “I doubt Alfred would allow them to get involved anyway. Once we take care of Faymon Group, we’ll go after the Norham branch as well.”

 

Chapter 128

Chapter 128 Curtis Pranks His Friends

“Hey, don’t forget to share it with me!” Sienna said with a chuckle.

“Haha! As if I’d forget about you, my dear sister!”

Meanwhile, the employees of Faymon Group were losing their minds after receiving the official notice of Rayna’s appointment as acting CEO.

After all, Rayna did go from being a mere manager to the acting CEO of Faymon Group. That was bound to draw a lot of attention to herself. Some of the employees even uploaded the documents online to cause yet another drop in Faymon Group’s shares.

Little did they know, their response was exactly what Rayna wanted.

Rather than having the shareholders and the public focus on Curtis’ condition, she preferred to have everyone’s attention on her as it would make things a lot easier.

Faymon Group’s legal team was able to divert some of the public’s attention from Curtis’ car accident by exploiting some loopholes. Rayna then held a press conference and announced to the press that she would temporarily be in charge of Faymon Group. She then left the rest to the company’s Public Relations Department while she focused on the previous issue with the food products.

In order to resolve Faymon Group’s issues, Rayna had to do a lot of traveling around and barely got any sleep. Jessica, on the other hand, often stayed in the office to help her go through tons of documents.

She had just made her fourth cup of coffee for the night when she suddenly received a text message. After reading through its contents, she hurried over to Rayna’s office to show it to her. “Nana! I’ve got it!

Mr. Wilde has gotten himself into big trouble this time. It’s bound to draw lots of attention if word gets out about it!”

“Let me see…” Rayna took the phone over and scrolled through the message as she continued, “Whoa… His entire family changed their nationality after he embezzled three billion from ZF Corporation’s funds?”

Rayna was so shocked by the news that she fell silent for a few minutes.

After taking a moment to recompose herself, she turned toward Jessica and asked, “This is top secret stuff. How did you get this information?”

“Your brother sent it to me, of course! You weren’t answering his calls, so he called me and asked if you were busy. He also said he saw you all over the news. I told him that Faymon Group is in a lot of trouble and needs something to divert the public’s attention. He said he would try to figure something out. Man, your brother sure is amazing! I can’t wait to see him in person!” Jessica replied with a giggle.

Rayna smiled and nodded. “Yeah, he is indeed amazing.”

She truly felt proud of having such a capable brother.

Rayna then contacted a few trustworthy journalists and had them publish the news. Since the money embezzled was from a powerful organization, the authorities were sure to come down hard on those involved. With both the authorities and Faymon Group supporting the journalists, they could write and publish the articles without fear.

Rayna also contacted James to compliment him on a job well done and to remind him to always cover his tracks when conducting investigations.

It was about three in the morning by the time she was done with work.

As Rayna hadn’t been to the hospital in a while, she decided to go pay Curtis a visit. After sending Jessica back to her condominium, she headed straight for the hospital. Theodore and a few others were in Curtis’ ward at the time.

There was a black cloth covering the glass window of the door and soundproofing rubber taped over the doorframe, which did a great job of muffling the sounds from inside.

Jeremy was giving Curtis an examination while Theodore and Wyatt watched anxiously from the side.

“How is he?” Wyatt asked the moment he saw Jeremy put his stethoscope away.

“Curtis is disabled.”

“F*ck! You promised that Curtis would be fine!” Wyatt leaped to his feet, grabbed Jeremy by the collar, and threw a punch at his face.

Jeremy stood there calmly and watched as the punch came flying toward him.

Wyatt’s fist was about to make contact with Jeremy’s face when Theodore stopped it.

Theodore then gave Wyatt’s fist a hard squeeze, causing the latter to scream in pain before tossing him aside. He then shifted his gaze back toward Jeremy and said coldly, “Go on.”

“As expected of Theodore, always the calm and rational one. Unlike Wyatt over here.” Jeremy shot Wyatt a disdainful glare as he continued, “You guys may be better when it comes to politics, but I’m the expert in medicine here. After conducting twenty experiments, Curtis and I managed to calculate the perfect formula for the crash. We took into account the weight and momentum of the cars as well as the number of rotations that would result from the crash. Did you really think I’d let Curtis get into any real danger? I said his legs are disabled because I predicted that it would take one to two months more

for him to make a full recovery. It was also to prevent the hospital from having medical experts examine him as they might notice something.”

Wyatt breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed his aching wrist as he exclaimed, “Why didn’t you say so sooner?”

“I would have if you didn’t cut me off so quickly.”

Realizing that he was the one at fault, Wyatt quickly tried to change the topic. “Then why isn’t Curtis awake yet?”

“I told Curtis to take four of those pills, but he ended up taking fourteen of them. I didn’t know he’d do that, so I didn’t bring any medication to help counter the effects of those pills,” Jeremy replied with a helpless shrug.

Wyatt’s expression turned gloomy as he exploded with anger, “What the f*ck? I can’t believe Curtis would pull such a mean prank on us! I’ve been so worried about him that I haven’t been able to eat or sleep well! He has no idea how depressed I’ve been!”

“For someone who hasn’t been eating or sleeping well, you sure have been active with women at the club! If I recall, you even had your Patek Philippe watch stolen. That watch cost ten million, so I’d be depressed too if I were you,” Jeremy replied with a faint smile.

Theodore’s icy-cold gaze fell upon Wyatt as he asked, “You went to a club?”

“I-It was an accident! My friends asked me to go drinking with them when they heard about my return, so… I got the watch back, though! Look, it’s right here!” Wyatt stammered while pointing at the watch on his wrist.

“Wyatt, you’d better behave yourself until this whole thing is over. If anything happens to Curtis, I’ll break your arms and legs!” Theodore threatened with an emotionless look on his face.

“I’ll be sure to sedate you so you won’t feel any pain during the procedure!” Jeremy added with a smile.

“Come on, now. We’re close friends, aren’t we? Isn’t that a bit too harsh? I promise to behave myself from now on, okay? I won’t go drinking with anyone anymore!” Wyatt protested with a pout.

Fearing that Theodore would target him again, he quickly changed the subject of the conversation. “By the way, are you sure it’s okay to have Rayna take on such a huge task all by herself? Shouldn’t we try to help her out or something?”

“Curtis wouldn’t have chosen her if she wasn’t capable. You can rest assured that she’ll get the job done,” Jeremy replied.

“You’re right. She’s got big boobs and a pretty face.” Wyatt then wrapped an arm around Jeremy’s shoulder as he continued, “Did you see how drunk Curtis was the other day? It’s possible that they had sex after that! Oh, wait, no… Curtis is engaged and will get married in a few months, so Rayna doesn’t stand a chance anymore. By the way, I looked up Jasmine’s background a while back. She doesn’t look pretty, and her background isn’t that impressive either. Why do you think Curtis chose her? Could it be true love? Hehe… How about you go after Rayna instead? Better one of us than some other random guy, right?”

 

 

Chapter 129

Chapter 129 Leaning In For A Kiss

Wyatt kept on blabbering, and the annoyed Jeremy was about to say something when he noticed Theodore frowning with his teeth tightly clenched.

As they had spent a few years together in Norham, Jeremy knew Theodore all too well.

Theodore wouldn’t even flinch even if he had a gun pointed at his head, and yet, he reacted rather strongly when we visited Curtis a week ago. It only lasted a few seconds, but I know I saw it! Is he reacting like this because of a certain someone?

After considering Theodore’s response to Wyatt’s words and how he treated Kristie that night, Jeremy was able to piece the puzzle together and came up with a theory.

“I prefer a knowledgeable and mild-mannered woman like Ms. Sanders,” he replied with a smile on his face.

Wyatt gave him a smack on the shoulder and said, “That’s a dangerous way of thinking, Jeremy! Ms. Sanders is Curtis’ fiancée! Are you seriously planning on stealing his woman?”

“Of course not! She just happens to be my type, that’s all.” Jeremy said while stealing a glance at Theodore. Sure enough, Theodore pursed his lips and had an extremely gloomy look on his face.

Ha! I knew it!

Wyatt clicked his tongue. “You’ve never had a girlfriend, right? This is the first time I’ve heard you express an interest in women. Maybe you should tell Curtis about it when he wakes up. Who knows? He might just give you two his blessings!”

“Sure, we could do that.”

Theodore’s frown deepened as the two of them chatted on, and the aura he exuded grew colder with each passing second. Eventually, he grabbed Wyatt by the arm and dragged him aside. “You two can head back now. I’ll stay here and watch over Curtis.”

Jeremy quickly grabbed Theodore’s wrist and pointed at his ring finger as he exclaimed in shock, “Theodore, what’s with that tattoo on the inside of your finger? It’s written in Anglandurn, right?”

“Where is it? Show me!” Wyatt chimed in as well.

“Oh, so this is why you wear a ring all the time! It’s to hide this tattoo on your finger! What does it say? Artheamyst? Isn’t that the name of the Greganian goddess of the hunt?”

“I didn’t know you were into Greganian mythology, Theodore! What an interesting taste!” Jeremy said teasingly.

Wyatt shook his head. “No, I don’t think that’s the case. There must be a woman that reminds Theodore of that goddess. He probably tattooed the goddess’ name to remind himself of her! Say, Theodore, I didn’t know you had a girlfriend! Tell us more about her! I’m curious as to what she’s like!”

Theodore’s placid expression changed slightly as he shot Wyatt an icy-cold glare in response, prompting the latter to let go of his hand while smiling sheepishly.

Their little conversation was interrupted by a sudden knock on the door.

“Ms. Garland? Ms. Sanders? What brings you two here this late at night?” Jeremy exclaimed in shock when he opened the door and saw Rayna and Jasmine standing outside.

“I’ve been too busy to come and visit Mr. Faymon lately. I figured I’d drop by since I have some free time tonight. Ms. Sanders and I bumped into each other on the way here. Since we’re both here to see Mr. Faymon, we decided to come together,” Rayna replied.

Jasmine nodded at Jeremy and said in a gentle voice, “I’m sorry for all the trouble you’ve been through.”

“Please don’t say that! You’re Curtis’ fiancée, so you must’ve been through a lot more trouble than all of us here!” Jeremy said with a smile. He then turned toward Wyatt and called out to him, “Hey, Wyatt! Let’s go! Theodore will be watching over Curtis tonight!”

“But Ms. Garland and Ms. Sanders have just got here! Why are we leaving so soon? Shouldn’t we stay and chat for a bit?” Wyatt protested.

Jeremy maintained a smile on his face as he dropped a subtle warning, “Wyatt, are you sure you don’t want to leave? Hospital beds aren’t very comfortable, you know?”

Wyatt felt a chill travel down his spine when he heard that.

What the… I’m pretty sure I didn’t do anything to make Jeremy mad, so why is he threatening me like this? Whatever. My gut is telling me that I should do as he says if I want to live…

With that in mind, Wyatt followed Jeremy out of the ward, leaving Theodore alone with Jasmine and Rayna.

Rayna wasn’t close to Theodore, so she found him distant and cold. The fact that he didn’t even greet them made him seem all the more gloomy. “Hello, Mr. Xavier,” she greeted him with a smile.

However, Theodore simply grabbed his coat from the chair and walked out of the ward without even looking at her.

Wow, how cold… At least Uncle Curtis would respond whenever I greeted him.

Jasmine glanced at the door and whispered into Rayna’s ear, “Since you’re rarely here, you should spend more time talking to Curtis. I’ll step outside to give you two some privacy.”

“No, you don’t have to do that. I’m just—” Rayna was about to say that she wouldn’t be here for long, but Jasmine had already stepped outside and closed the door behind her.

Being the only person left in the ward with Curtis, Rayna let out a resigned sigh and made her way toward his bed. This was the first time she had seen him ever since the car accident.

Curtis looked a lot better than the last time she saw him. His complexion improved, and he was breathing steadily, appearing to be sleeping soundly.

Rayna breathed a sigh of relief when she saw how well he was doing. After sitting down beside the bed, she held his hand that was outside of the blanket and said softly, “Did you know? Everyone has been fighting over the position of acting CEO ever since you got into that car accident. Even Ms. Sienna headed over to Faymon Group just to compete for it. Eventually, Old Mr. Faymon showed up and voted for me to become acting CEO. He trusts me just as much as you do.”

As Curtis’ slender fingers felt somewhat cold to the touch, Rayna placed his hand on her cheek to warm them up.

“I’ve been managing the task you entrusted me with very well, Uncle Curtis. Faymon Group is okay now, so you need to get well soon.”

She really wished he would wake up and recover from his injuries soon as it was making her feel extremely guilty.

Rayna mostly talked about work-related matters while holding his hand. Her voice and his steady breathing were the only sounds in the silent ward.

After she was done talking, Rayna reached her other hand out and gently caressed his cheek. Suddenly, memories of their time in Tyrandas flooded her mind. She recalled the moment he filled a jar

with fireflies just to make her smile.

“As long as it’s something you like and wish to own, Sweetheart, I’ll do everything in my power to get it for you. If you want the stars in the sky, I’ll have someone build an observatory. If you want penguins, I’ll have someone buy two and rear them at home…”

She brought him to an amusement park on his thirtieth birthday, and he ran all over the place to buy her lots of food. He also carried her onto a carousel and snapped at a boy in displeasure.

“To me, my sweetheart will always be eighteen years old. She’s like a child who won’t grow old, and I’m willing to hold her in my arms for the rest of my life.”

Rayna couldn’t help but smile when she reminisced about those beautiful moments. As she looked at Curtis’ face, she found herself slowly being drawn in and edged closer toward him.

Their faces were so close to each other that she could feel his breath on her cheeks.

The smell of disinfectant was mixed in with Curtis’ scent. Right when Rayna’s lips were about to make contact with his, she came back to her senses and sat bolt upright. Her heart was racing, and her face was burning bright red.

Chapter 130

Chapter 130 Here Is Ten Million

Oh, my goodness! What were you doing, Rayna? Have you lost your mind?

Rayna nearly lost her mind when she realized what she was about to do. She then leaped to her feet and bolted out of the ward as quickly as her legs could carry.

The air-conditioning in the corridor was on full blast, so the cold air helped Rayna cool off a little and regain her composure.

Apart from a few bodyguards at the entrance, the entire inpatient department was empty at the time. Rayna was about to go and wash her face in the restroom when she heard a faint conversation behind a corner.

Out of curiosity, Rayna peeked around the corner and saw Jasmine and Theodore standing next to a water dispenser. Their interaction looked rather awkward as there was quite a bit of distance between them.

Although Rayna could only see Theodore from where she stood, she could almost picture the conflicted look on Jasmine’s face. Huh… Jasmine and Theodore know each other?

The two were clearly distracted as neither of them noticed Rayna’s head sticking out of the corner.

Theodore seemed really unapproachable due to the gloomy aura he exuded. The look on his face was as cold and harsh as it was four years ago.

As though the words were stuck in her throat, Jasmine stared cautiously at Theodore in silence for quite a while before saying, “I didn’t know you two were friends.”

“It’s normal for you to not know that, Ms. Sanders. After all, Curtis never told you, and I don’t know you either.” Theodore’s tone was calm, yet cold as ice.

Jasmine went pale with shock when she heard that. Daily New chapters upload Only on Alaniniz(dot)com Those words hit her so hard that she accidentally crushed the paper cup in her hand and scalded herself with the hot water.

As though he didn’t see that, Theodore simply turned around and began walking away.

After taking a few seconds to snap out of her daze, Jasmine ran up to him and grabbed his arm. “T- Theodore, c-could you say that again?” she asked in a trembling voice.

I can’t believe it! He said he didn’t know me!

She then took a few deep breaths to calm herself down before continuing, “Please drop that attitude of yours so we can have a proper conversation—”

“I don’t want to be acquainted with you, Ms. Sanders!” Theodore cut her off mid-sentence and brushed her arm off impatiently, exerting much force in the process.

As Jasmine was wearing high heels, she lost her balance and fell backward. Theodore felt his heart ache a little when he heard her groaning in pain, but he walked off without looking back anyway.

The icy-cold look on his face was so intimidating that it sent shivers down Rayna’s spine when he bumped into her at the corner.

“I-I-I was just going to wash my face at the restroom. I didn’t know you two were having a conversation here…” she stammered nervously.

The whole conversation happened so quickly that she didn’t even have time to leave the scene.

Rayna wanted to explain that she didn’t intend to listen in on their conversation, but Theodore wouldn’t even give her a chance to. He simply ignored her and strode right past her, sending yet another shiver down her spine.

Noticing that Jasmine was still sitting on the floor, Rayna quickly ran over and helped her up. “Are you okay?”

“I’m okay,” Jasmine replied with a smile as she dusted herself off, her movements as graceful as a swan. It was as though nothing had happened earlier.

Even though it was clear as day what happened between Jasmine and Theodore, Rayna knew better than to stick her nose in their affair. Since Jasmine didn’t seem like she wanted to talk about it, Rayna excused herself to the restroom after making some small talk.

Upon leaving the hospital, Rayna ran into Kristie, who was stepping out of a minivan.

Huh… I didn’t think Kristie would be coming over to the hospital at this hour… Well, I’ve still got lots of work left to do, so I don’t have time to talk to her right now.

With that in mind, Rayna decided to mind her own business. She had just gotten to the bottom of the stairs when Kristie grabbed her by the arm and asked angrily, “Hey! Why are you acting like you didn’t see me, you vixen? Also, what are you doing here coming to the hospital at this hour? Were you trying to do something bad to Curt?”

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with me visiting my boss at the hospital, Ms. Winton.” Rayna simply couldn’t be bothered to explain herself. What kind of wild thoughts is going on in this crazy woman’s mind?

“Hmph! Don’t think I don’t know what your intentions are! You’d better manage Faymon Group well before Curt awakes, or I’ll be sure to come after you!” Kristie threatened.

Infuriated, Rayna was about to give Kristie the finger when the latter whipped out a check, scribbled on it, and waved it in her face condescendingly.

“Here’s ten million. Now, break up with your boyfriend!”

Rayna froze for a few seconds before looking at her in disbelief. “Are you crazy?”

“What, not enough for you?” Thinking she wanted more, Kristie wrote another check and handed it to her. “Here’s twenty million, then! It’s quite a lot of money. Don’t get too greedy!”

Rayna simply stared at her with a confused look on her face.

What is she talking about? Since when did I have a boyfriend? How come I don’t know about this?

“I knew you were up to no good the moment I saw you on set! I thought you were just a gold digger at first, but it turns out you’re a shameless two-timer as well! I won’t let you seduce Curt, you vixen! If you take this check and break up with your boyfriend, I won’t tell him about it!” Kristie continued.

“As I said, Mr. Faymon and I aren’t dating, so how am I a two-timer? Also, do you really think you can make me break up with someone by paying me twenty million? Who the heck do you think you are?” Rayna snapped back at her with a frown.

She then snatched the check from Kristie and tore it to pieces in front of her.

Kristie clenched her teeth in anger when she saw that. “How dare you tear up my check? I was trying to end this peacefully! Why must you insist on doing this the hard way, Rayna?”

“You’re the one who started it, Ms. Winton. So what if I choose to do this the hard way? Even if I did have a boyfriend, I wouldn’t break up with him simply because you paid me to!”

Kristie stomped her feet and glared furiously at Rayna.

F*ck! I don’t understand this! What does Gray Wolf see in this scheming b*tch? Why won’t they break up?

“You will pay dearly for going against me, Rayna!” Kristie threatened. Having become Gray Wolf’s employer, she felt a need to protect him from being hurt by Rayna.

On top of that, she didn’t want her lackey dating her enemy.

Rayna was on the verge of losing her temper. I’ve just about had it with this crazy woman! I’m doing everything I can to help Uncle Curtis save Faymon Group, and Kristie is still trying to get at me? What the heck is wrong with her?

Upon glancing at her phone, Rayna saw that it was very late and decided not to waste any more time arguing with Kristie. She then stepped forward and shot Kristie a vicious glare, frightening the latter. “Ms. Winton, I have never said anything about going against you. You are free to do as you wish. However, if you mess with Faymon Group, then I will not hesitate to take action against you. As you know, I am now the acting CEO of Faymon Group. If your actions tarnish the company’s reputation, then I will proceed to have you blacklisted.”

“Y-You wouldn’t dare…”

“Why wouldn’t I? You would be wise to not mess with me, Ms. Winton. If anything happens to Faymon Group, you will be the first to go down.”