Ch. 251..260

Chapter 251 Want Me To Take Care Of It

Rayna’s face turned red as she watched the LED screen.

In truth, Curtis didn’t need to get Jasmine and hold a press conference together. If they did not clarify their fake marriage, both their families could benefit from the false union.

Yet, he had to do that.

“Ms. Garland.”

The moment Rayna entered Faymon Group, any staff who saw her greeted her with suggestive expressions. It was obvious they were gossiping about her, and that made Rayna feel very awkward.

Even the receptionist ran up to press the elevator for her and thoughtfully reminded her, “The press conference has just ended, so a lot of people will be coming down. You can take this particular elevator to see Mr. Faymon.”

Rayna nearly choked on her saliva. “Did I say I was going to see Mr. Faymon?”

“Ms. Garland, I see you holding a lunch box. Aren’t you delivering it to Mr. Faymon?”

“It’s for Mr. Tylinski.” Rayna coughed before saying nonchalantly, “In the past, Mr. Tylinski was very helpful to me in Faymon Group. He’s a very nice man, so I bought him lunch as a token of my appreciation.”

After saying that, she entered the elevator.

The receptionist looked shocked and quickly ran to spread the news after she regained her senses.

“Oh my god! Are all of you aware that Ms. Garland actually likes Mr. Tylinski!”

“Are you sure?”

“It’s true. I just heard it from Ms. Garland herself. She has come here to send lunch for Mr. Tylinski! That’s why she deliberately got close to Mr. Faymon. She’s afraid that others will find out about her feelings for Mr. Tylinski!”

“But… Mr. Tylinski isn’t as handsome and rich as Mr. Faymon.”

“You know nothing at all. Mr. Tylinski is a caring man who loves animals, and Ms. Garland loves his type!”

Everyone was dumbstruck.

However, Rayna had no idea that a few innocent words of hers were about to get her into a lot of trouble.

In the meantime, the press conference had ended upstairs. Both Curtis and Jasmine walked out of the conference room. It was apparent that Curtis was in a good mood because the reporters were very cooperative, and they would not be writing rubbish about him anymore.

When Jasmine saw that, she said with a smile, “Looks like our fake marriage has been bothering you for quite some time, Mr. Faymon. It’s my fault. One of these days, I must invite you and Ms. Garland for a meal.”

“We were just working together. That’s all,” said Curtis. “No matter what, I still want to thank you, Jasmine. No, I should address you as Ms. Sanders now. Congratulations on taking over Sanders Group.”

Jasmine glanced at him and said on purpose, “No matter how capable I am, I will never be as shrewd as you are, Mr. Faymon. In order to train your own people, you even acquired Hatchair Group in secret.

That’s very admirable.”

Curtis frowned. “Ms. Sanders, now that you own the company and have gotten married, isn’t your life perfect?”

“What you say makes sense, Mr. Faymon.” Jasmine stood there and stretched out her hand. On her middle finger was the ring that Theodore had put on for her personally. “Regardless, I owe you a favor.”

Curtis shook her hand very briefly.

He then said, “I know what Theodore is thinking. I’m helping you as a favor to him. Hopefully, you can resolve the problem between the two of you as soon as possible.”

His inky eyes darkened before he continued in a deep voice, “You’re aware of my ill temper. If I find out that you are doing anything that puts Theodore at a disadvantage, I will not hesitate to destroy Sanders Group.”

Jasmine said jokingly, “For all we know, we may become relatives. Aren’t you worried that I will take revenge on you if you say such horrible things to me now?”

Curtis sneered, “Since when am I afraid of anything?”

Jasmine shuddered.

They are truly brothers! This man has such a nasty temper!

As the two of them walked along the corridor, they saw some colleagues whispering in one corner and wondered what they were gossiping about.

Curtis could hear them mention Rayna’s name vaguely.

He went over to them and asked, “What are you ladies talking about? It sounds interesting.”

“M-Mr. Faymon! Ms. Sanders!” The few ladies jumped in fright and immediately bowed.

Curtis repeated his question patiently.

Those ladies exchanged glances. Finally, one of them plucked up the courage and answered him, “Nothing much. It’s just that Ms. Garland has brought lunch to Faymon Group.”

When Curtis heard that, he smiled, knowing that he would not be going without lunch.

Before he could savor his joy, the female staff looked at him with pitiful eyes and added, “No wonder Ms. Garland comes to Faymon Group. She has a thing for Mr. Tylinski.”

Curtis’ eyes darkened. Incidentally, there was a chill in the air.

“Who told you that she likes Gabriel?”

“M-Ms. Garland said so herself.” That female staff was so terrified that she started to stammer, “She said that Mr. Tylinski works very hard. That’s why she is bringing him his lunch.”

Another colleague of hers chimed in, “Mr. Faymon, please don’t be sad. Ms. Garland prefers men like Mr. Tylinski. He’s kind and loves animals. That’s why she made use of you to get close to Mr. Tylinski.”

Curtis was dumbfounded.

Jasmine lowered her head and let out a soft chuckle before she pretended to console Curtis, “Mr. Faymon, it’s fine. You have so much money. Why don’t you open a huge pet shop for a try?”

Just then, Gabriel arrived at that level. When he saw Curtis and Jasmine, he rushed over.

“Mr. Faymon, Ms. Sanders, I have already made the reservation at the restaurant.”

“No need,” Jasmine rejected his offer with a smile. “I still have something on and need to return to Sanders Group.” She then added, “Mr. Tylinski, I heard you like animals. Is that true?”

“Yes. I have a ragdoll cat and a German Shepherd.” Gabriel, who was unaware of what had happened, proudly showed Jasmine photos of his pets. On the other hand, Curtis became more upset.

“I heard men who own animals attract a lot of women. Mr. Tylinski, there must be a lot of women pursuing you, aren’t there?”

Gabriel grinned and looked embarrassed. “Yes, that’s true. But, I don’t really click with any of them.”

“How about Ms. Garland?”

“Ms. Garland is a very nice person. Not only is she pretty, but she is also very good at caring for animals!” praised Gabriel.

After he said that, he felt a chill.

When he turned around and saw the grim face of Curtis, he immediately shut his mouth and turned his attention to Jasmine. “Ms. Sanders, let me walk you downstairs.”

“Ms. Sanders has legs. She can go on her own,” remarked Curtis.

Gabriel was taken aback.

He then looked on helplessly as Jasmine walked into the elevator alone. The moment the door of the elevator closed, he went up to Curtis. “M-Mr. Faymon, is there anything else?”

Curtis questioned him, “So, do you find Rayna to be a very nice person?”

“I swear my praises for Ms. Garland are genuine, but we are just friends!” Gabriel, who was fighting for his life, raised his hand and swore, “Later on, I will delete Ms. Garland’s phone number and her WhatsApp messages!”

“I haven’t even said anything. Why are you so frightened?”

Deep in Gabriel’s heart, he was cursing. Yes, it’s true that you didn’t say anything. However, just look at the murderous way you are looking at me now. You are definitely targeting me!

“I’m not afraid. I only feel that it’s better for me to keep a distance from Ms. Garland.” Gabriel continued in all seriousness, “After all, Ms. Garland likes you. She’s spoken for!”

It was only then Curtis’ expression eased up.

Gabriel stole a look at him and finally let out a mental sigh of relief. He asked tentatively, “Mr. Faymon, are you hungry? Should I drive you to the restaurant?”

“No. Someone will be sending lunch for me.”

“Oh. Then I—”

“The branch in Norham is short of staff. You will go over and give them a hand.” Curtis cut him off and said slowly, “Stay there for a month or two. You are my most trusted assistant.”

“Mr. Faymon, I’m really not interested in Ms. Garland.” Gabriel was close to tears. “If I go to Norham for so long, what’s going to happen to my Elizabeth? It will be very lonely.”

“I’ll get someone to go to your house to look after your cat.”

“Mr. Faymon—”

Curtis narrowed his eyes and glared at him with murderous intent. “Oh? Are you expecting me to take care of your cat for you?”

“I-I think it’s better for you to get someone else to take care of my cat, Mr. Faymon.”

 

Chapter 252 No Way I Am Cooking For You

While taking the elevator to the CEO’s office, Rayna thought it would be too conspicuous of her to go up just like that and got off halfway. There, she bumped into an ex-colleague from the Department of Regulators and briefly chatted with the latter.

The department did not get disbanded after Faymon Group’s reshuffling. The company retained the department’s staff, and they continued going about their usual investigations.

However, since there was not much to do, they were usually quite free most of the time.

The ex-colleague even greeted Rayna as “manager” and asked, “When are you coming back? Our department has no leader at its helm, and we don’t have much work. We worry about when we’ll get fired every day!”

She chuckled and answered somewhat vaguely, “Indeed, I’m here because I have some business to attend to. However, where I’m to be assigned is up to Mr. Faymon. I’ll be heading up, then.”

After walking away, she took out her phone and sent Gabriel a text.

However, Curtis was the one using the WhatsApp account at that moment. In other words, that meant her text was sent to him.

Rayna: Are you busy, Mr. Tylinski? Could you help me take Mr. Faymon’s lunch up to him? There are too many people on the top floor, and they’ll gossip when they see me.

Curtis was displeased when he saw that message.

Honestly, this woman chats happily with Gabriel every time and can talk to him about everything under the sun but hides from me as though I’m some disease. Is she still afraid of others finding out? Am I

that disgraceful?

He replied: It’ll be better for you to deliver it yourself, Ms. Garland. I’m swamped as I’m leaving this afternoon.

Rayna: In that case, could you ask one of the secretaries to come downstairs?

Curtis: Is Mr. Faymon someone you can’t be seen with? Besides, aren’t you returning to Faymon Group? Does this mean you’re not going to report to him about your work in the future?

Rayna: Argh! He really has a big mouth and is even more unreliable than a woman!

Curtis could not help thinking that it did not count if he was the one who said it.

After exchanging a few more texts with “Gabriel” without getting anywhere, Rayna finally closed the messaging app and slowly made her way to the top floor.

I didn’t expect there to be not many people in the secretarial department at this hour. Daily new chapters upload Only On Alaniniz(dot)com Even the corridor is relatively quiet.

She knocked on the door, then heard Curtis’ deep voice call out from inside the room, “Come in.”

When she walked into the office, she saw him busy working behind his desk. He was utterly focused, going through the documents very quickly. His fingers that held his pen were slender yet strong.

A man hard at work is so attractive.

She watched him for a while, then quietly placed the lunchbox on the table. Just as she was about to turn and leave, she heard his voice ring out behind her.

“Where are you off to in such a hurry?”

“I noticed you were still busy with work, so I thought I’d take a walk outside and come back later,” she answered. Seeing that she could not slip away, she retraced her steps and opened the lunchbox for him. As she took out the dishes, she could not help muttering, “You really are a cheapskate. Why don’t you get one of the secretaries to order food for you instead of insisting I buy it and deliver it to you?”

Needless to say, Curtis heard every word.

Arching his brows, he remarked slowly, “There’s a meeting with the upper management at five o’clock in the afternoon. I thought you’d like to join, Ms. Garland, but since you’re busy, you should get on with what you need to do.”

“I’m not busy at all! I’ve got time to attend the meeting in the afternoon,” she responded swiftly. Then, she pushed the food toward him in an ingratiating manner. “The food from this restaurant is absolutely delicious. You should try it.”

“I dare not spend your money, Ms. Garland.”

Although Rayna rolled her eyes at him inwardly, she kept a smile on her lips. “It doesn’t cost too much. If you like, I’ll buy it for you every day.”

Curtis clicked his tongue. “It’s okay to have takeout once or twice, but I don’t like to have it too often.”

“Not a problem. I can cook for you!” Her smile grew strained, and she took another deep breath. “I simply adore cooking, and it’d be an honor if you’re willing to eat what I make.”

“Since you love to cook that much, I’ll have to trouble you to prepare my daily meals.” He finally picked up his cutlery and was willing to try the takeout food.

She continued smiling.

Once I start working, there’s no way I’m cooking for you personally! You can have takeout whether you like it or not!

Curtis’ brows furrowed tightly as soon as he took a sip of the soup. He remarked disdainfully, “There’s too much MSG.”

“No way.” Reaching for a spoon, she took a sip and found that it was rather tasty. “It’s quite good. It must just be because you’re too picky, Mr. Faymon. This lunch is from Good Times Restaurant.”

“I’m probably too used to eating your cooking that takeout food doesn’t seem to taste quite right.”

Rayna was stunned, her cheeks burning from the sudden compliment. She hastily poured a glass of water and pushed it toward him. “Drink water, then.”

As he ate, he asked, “How’s your mother?”

“She’s recovering well and will be discharged from the hospital in a few days,” Rayna replied. Then, she told Curtis about how Sandy had come to look for her. “She asked me to withdraw the charges against Elijah. I didn’t agree to it.”

His gaze darkened. “Birds of a feather flock together. She’ll inevitably get angry at you, just like Elijah did, and plot something against you.”

He paused briefly before seizing the opportunity to ask, “Why don’t you move into my place? It’s safer.”

“I’m not going. I’m perfectly fine at my condominium,” she replied, rejecting his suggestion.

If I do move in with him, it’d be equivalent to me accepting him. That’s a bridge I still can’t cross.

Curtis’ lips twitched. He looked as though he wanted to say something, but Rayna beat him to it.

“It’s fine. I wear the ring James gave me everywhere. Besides, I don’t think Sandy’s a bad person.”

He snorted coldly in response, seemingly furious. “Would Sandy make her intentions known to you if she were really up to no good? Back then, didn’t you also think Elijah wouldn’t do anything? In the end, he still had someone kidnap you and take you to the hospital! Doesn’t your brother need to spend time with his girlfriend? How would he have so much time to help you in a pinch?”

“Why are you being so fierce toward me? I’m not stopping them from dating. Besides, I only meant I could contact him in an emergency if something happened,” she explained, baffled as to why he was inexplicably berating her.

“Can’t you find someone else?”

“He’s my brother. Having him help me is enough. Why should I find someone else?”

The rage within Curtis blazed even more intensely. He put down his cutlery and said to Rayna, “Come over here.”

She did not move an inch. “If you have something to say, just say it.”

As she spoke, she subconsciously fiddled with the ring on her finger.

That action angered him. He rose to his feet and stalked toward her, then placed one hand on the back of her head and kissed her forcefully.

Taking advantage of her confusion, he quietly slipped the ring from her finger.

“Mr. Faymon—”

Just then, Gabriel knocked on the door and entered a second later. He started saying something, but when he saw the scene before him, his jaw fell open, and he took several steps backward.

Curtis let go of Rayna and glared at Gabriel.

Gabriel was overwhelmed with indescribable distress, hating himself for not waiting outside the office for two seconds longer. He asked hesitantly, “Er, perhaps I should close the door and come in again?”

“No need for that now! Just come in!”

Scurrying in, Gabriel placed the documents on the desk and quickly reported what he had done. “Mr. Faymon, I’ve handed over everything to the secretarial department. In the future, Mr. Haeg will be in charge of handling your schedules. My flight to Norham is at eight o’clock tonight.”

Momentarily forgetting the forceful kiss earlier, Rayna turned to stare at Gabriel. “Why are you going to Norham?”

Despite feeling upset, Gabriel had to lie to keep up appearances. “The Norham branch is understaffed, so Mr. Faymon is sending me there for two months.”

“That long? What’ll happen to your cat?”

“My cat will—”

Gabriel had just started to answer when Curtis cut him off coldly. “I’ll get someone to take care of his cat and dog. As a boss, I can help with that much.”

“That’s right. You’re very awesome indeed, Mr. Faymon. The best boss ever,” Gabriel replied, feeling as though he was really about to burst into tears.

 

Chapter 253 Curtis Is Jealous

“I’ll bring the ragdoll kitten to visit its mother whenever I have time then. Since you’re going to Norham, you should give me your Instagram account. We can follow each other,” Rayna said as she pulled out her phone.

Curtis shot Gabriel a very meaningful look.

Gabriel understood immediately.

If he really were to let Rayna follow him on Instagram, he would essentially be banished to Norham for at least several years.

Left with no choice, he could only say, “I don’t have an account, Ms. Garland. Besides, there is a manpower shortage over at Norham, so I’ll be very busy when I get there and won’t get much free time. If you run into any issues, you may ask Mr. Faymon. He’s way more talented than I am.”

Rayna glanced at Curtis in disdain and replied, “I still think you’re better.”

“You flatter me, Ms. Garland. Mr. Faymon taught me everything I know.” Gabriel was sweating buckets. If he continued to stay, Curtis would hold another grudge against him. “I have to go sort out some things now.”

With that, he turned around and fled.

Rayna muttered to herself, “Look at how fast he ran away. Am I that unlikeable?”

The veins on Curtis’ forehead were bulging. “Ms. Garland, he has long gone.”

It’s so infuriating! This woman looks fondly at other men but saves all the disdain for me!

“I know. You don’t have to tell me.” When Rayna looked at him, her mind inadvertently went to the kiss they had shared. Feeling awkward, she instinctively went to stroke the ring but was surprised to find that it was no longer on her finger.

“Wait. Where’s my ring?”

Curtis secretly put the ring into the pen holder. “Did it slip off your finger somewhere?”

“How is that possible? The ring was made to my exact measurements.” Rayna looked at him suspiciously. “You… I think you touched my hand when you kissed me earlier. Did you—”

“I had one hand holding your head and one gripping the table. Both of them were busy. It must have been your imagination,” he replied with a straight face.

“But you did touch—”

“Shall we do it again? You’ll be able to confirm it then.” Right after saying that, Curtis leaned toward her.

“That’s not necessary!”

Fearing what he might do, Rayna frantically stood from her seat and started looking for her ring.

She searched every inch of the office, but it was nowhere to be found. “Even if it slipped from my finger, it’s not possible for it to have disappeared, right?” she muttered in confusion.

Curtis, who was enjoying his lunch leisurely, glanced at her. “If it’s gone, then forget about it. It’s just a ring with a GPS tracker. I can have someone make another one for you.”

“It’s fine. I’ll get my brother to do it.”

“Rayna. From the moment you joined Faymon Group, I became your boss. It’s only natural for me to care about your safety. You shouldn’t keep bothering your brother with such things,” Curtis said in a low voice.

After hearing those words, Rayna finally understood what was going on.

Curtis is jealous! He must have hidden the ring because I always call for and rely on James in times of danger. He’s upset that I’ve ignored him.

Rayna’s mood instantly improved considerably.

She pursed her lips and grinned. “Well, I guess it can’t be helped. I’ll leave it to you then, Mr. Faymon,” she said, pretending to sigh in resignation.

Her words immediately made Curtis feel a lot better.

Not long after, there was yet another knock on the door.

“Can I come in, Mr. Faymon?” Gabriel asked nervously.

“Yes.”

He carefully opened the door and crept in. After making sure that nothing freaky was going on, he visibly relaxed and handed Rayna and Curtis a gold-colored invitation each.

“Sanders Group will be holding a cocktail reception at Intercontinental next Saturday, and they have invited both of you.”

“I’m invited too?” Rayna took the invitation from Gabriel and opened it. When she saw “Jasmine Sanders, Chairman of Sanders Group” written on the bottom, her mouth fell open in shock.

“Ms. Sanders already acquired Sanders Group?” she exclaimed, astonished.

With a casual expression on his face, Curtis replied, “She already owned twenty-six percent of the shares previously. After buying over the shares from several shareholders, she had a total of fifty-one percent. With half of the shareholders supporting her, it was easy to replace the chairperson during the shareholders’ meeting.”

“That’s amazing!”

Rayna was wholly impressed by Jasmine. She went from being an illegitimate child that no one approved of to the chairman of Sanders Group in the most magnificent way possible.

“I was able to achieve this much because I learned from the higher-ups in Faymon Group and had help from you guys. But Ms. Sanders took over Sanders Group all by herself,” she couldn’t help but praise.

With such a brilliant mother, it was no wonder Carl was as intelligent and mature as he was.

Curtis responded, “She just holds herself to a very high standard. You don’t have to follow in her footsteps. I hope that you will share your problems with me and ask me for help instead of taking it all on your own.”

Jasmine was an intelligent and calculative person. However, the reason she was able to smoothly join and eventually take over Sanders Group was that Theodore had paved the way for her. If he had not taken care of half of the shareholders in advance, it would take at least three years and a lot of hardship before Jasmine could successfully take over Sanders Group.

Gabriel silently retreated from the room.

Rayna was rendered speechless. Her heart was racing, and it took her a long time before she was able to speak again. “You should focus on running Faymon Group. I can handle my own trivial matters.”

Curtis wasn’t able to find an appropriate response to that and sighed inwardly.

It’s fine. We have a lot of time ahead of us, so there’s no need to rush.

He opened the drawer, took out a diamond pendant, and handed it to Rayna.

It was the same one he had gifted her previously.

“I wasn’t able to tell you this because you left in such a hurry back then, but this necklace is a gift for you. It has been lying in my drawer for a very long time, so I hope you won’t let it continue collecting dust,” he said.

When the memories flooded Rayna’s mind, she pressed her lips together. “Doesn’t this represent Faymon Group?”

The smile on Curtis’ face faded. “Of course not. I saw it in a jewelry brochure that Gabriel gave me. I bought it because I thought you’d like it. Same with the diamond castle.”

Oh, so it really is a gift for me.

Rayna smiled inwardly. “What if I don’t like it?” she couldn’t help but ask.

“But you seemed to really like it before.” Curtis cocked a brow at her. “I heard that women love sparkly things. Is this not sparkly enough? If so, I’ll contact the jewelry company and have them make one with more diamonds.”

“That would be too dramatic. People will make fun of me.” Rayna rolled her eyes at him. She picked up the necklace and stroked it before putting the chain around her neck.

The corners of Curtis’ lips curled into a small smile.

Although their relationship had not progressed much, he was satisfied enough with the gift finally returning to her hands.

When Gabriel entered the office for the third time, it was to hand Rayna an employment contract.

After signing it, she said to Curtis, “I think you should send someone else to the Norham branch if it’s understaffed. Mr. Tylinski seems pretty busy, so you shouldn’t make him go there.”

Gabriel agreed wholeheartedly in his mind.

He had been visiting Curtis’ office so often within a short period in hopes that Curtis would show mercy and not send him to Norham.

“He is the most capable assistant I have. There isn’t anyone else more suitable to send,” Curtis replied.

Rayna was going to frequent Faymon Group from now on. If he didn’t send Gabriel away to the Norham branch, he would have no choice but to watch Rayna and Gabriel chatting happily with each other every day.

Just the thought of it displeased him greatly!

 

Chapter 254 Insanely Rich

After signing the employment contract, Rayna could finally heave a sigh of relief. She did not want to stay any longer in the CEO’s office, so she asked, “Mr. Tylinski, since you have a lot on your plate, why don’t I help you send the contract instead?”

With that, Gabriel was left in the wind.

Taking in his employer’s grim expression, Gabriel stammered, “M-Mr. Faymon, you saw it too. Ms. Garland took the contract away from me—”

“Things are rather busy in the Norham branch. You should spend another couple of months there.”

“Mr. Faymon—”

“Half a year then.”

“What about my Elizabeth—”

“Eight months!”

Gabriel immediately stopped trying his luck. Instead, he forced a smile and said, “I’ll get off work and go home to pack my luggage right away!”

“Get out.”

Gabriel was rendered speechless but could only protest about it in his heart.

After sending the contract to the HR department, Rayna retrieved her nametag and the access card for the executives’ elevator again.

She was about to take the elevator up, but she bumped into Mathias.

Mathias’ gentle and composed expression tensed up when he saw her, and the look in his eyes darkened a little.

“Hi, Mr. Ziegler.” Rayna smiled.

After greeting him, Rayna calmly stepped into the elevator and pressed the close button. Then, the elevator slowly ascended.

The air inside the elevator felt a little stuffy.

Mathias glanced at Rayna and said, “Rayna, you’re indeed capable. After leaving Hatchair Group, here you are back in Faymon Group again. But then, you must remember one thing. You will never end well if you cross my line.”

“That’s exactly why I came back.” Rayna sneered. “Mr. Ziegler, do you think no one else knows the filthy things you did? Secrets are bound to be exposed!”

A cold glint flashed across Mathias’ eyes as his gaze darkened. “Do you not care about your mother’s life anymore?”

“I dare you to threaten me with my mom again,” Rayna retorted fearlessly. “My brother is not a pushover too. I came back to Faymon Group to gather evidence of your money laundering so that I can put you behind bars!”

Right then, the elevator arrived at her floor. Rayna stepped out, leaving Mathias behind as he fumed in anger.

How dare this woman provoke me like that!

Rayna did not head to the CEO’s office. Instead, she flipped through the documents she got from the secretarial department. Occasionally, she saw Gabriel walking past her. She wanted to talk to him, but he avoided her like the plague and quickly slipped away from her every time.

At five in the afternoon, Rayna attended the executive meeting.

Her appearance sparked many confused glances from the other executives in Faymon Group. However, since they were still at work, they did not bother whispering among themselves. Mathias’ expression turned dark, as though he was upset to see her.

Soon, Curtis arrived at the conference room.

He seemed a little tired from working the whole day, and he looked a little casual as he had not put on a necktie. Curtis took his seat without even looking at Rayna, who sat at the other end of the conference table.

Raising his hand, he said in a low voice, “Let’s start the meeting.”

An hour passed solemnly in the conference room, from the reporting of work by each department to some work discussions.

The meeting came to an end when the secretary turned off the projector.

Curtis closed the document file and said, “We will wrap up the meeting soon. Before that, I have an announcement to make. Faymon Group has hired Rayna as the manager of the Department of Regulators. Her contract will take effect from today onward.”

Hearing that, the others were startled for a moment before calming down again.

Even the new executives were aware of the Department of Regulators. Rayna used to be the manager of that department, so they were not too surprised that she was again appointed as the manager.

Among the executives, Mathias was the most upset with the announcement. His expression was gloomy all the while. Right after Curtis finished speaking, he was the first to voice out against it.

Mathias said, “Mr. Faymon, we understand your intention in establishing the Department of Regulators in the first place. However, it has successfully eliminated all the leeches in Faymon Group now. Therefore, I don’t think it’s necessary to keep it around any longer. If the Department of Regulators staff keeps visiting other departments and checking the employees’ computers as they wish, it will only upset the executives.”

Then, Mathias gave his followers a pointed look.

A senior executive immediately echoed his statement by saying, “I agree with what Mr. Ziegler said. Also, Ms. Garland has only joined Hatchair Group for a few months. Isn’t she still the vice CEO of Hatchair Group?”

“It’s unprofessional for Rayna to join Faymon Group right after leaving Hatchair Group. They have similar businesses to ours. If something happens to Faymon Group’s projects, it’s hard for us not to suspect Ms. Garland’s involvement.”

Another senior executive also chimed in, “Ms. Garland had an amazing performance as an interpreter for Faymon Group in the past. We, of course, welcome her back to Faymon Group. But then, the period between her employment in the two companies is too short. It’s a little…”

Curtis tapped his finger on the desk and showed no expression as he listened to their comments.

After the executives expressed their opinions one after another, Curtis looked at Rayna and asked, “Ms. Garland, is there anything you wish to address after hearing their concerns?”

Rayna stood up in response. She pursed her lips for a moment before saying calmly, “I appreciate all of your concerns. However, I wish to clarify that I signed a non-disclosure agreement before joining the

company. According to the agreement, if there’s a leak of commercial secrets about Faymon Group’s projects in the future, and if I am proven to be the culprit, I will have to compensate a billion to Faymon Group. It’s an astronomical figure that I can never afford to pay.”

“Ms. Garland, you should know that some of our projects can earn more than a billion for the company,” said Mathias. “Can you promise the money will not tempt you then?”

Rayna replied to his question with another question, “What do you suggest, Mr. Ziegler?”

“Ms. Garland, I suggest you stay at home for the next six months. Faymon Group will pay you during those six months, and you can report back to work after that period. It’s the best arrangement for you and Faymon Group.”

“Mr. Ziegler, that is a great suggestion, but it’s not suitable for my situation.” Rayna smiled. “I was the acting CEO for Faymon Group before this. If I’m that easily tempted by money, I could have run away after taking several billion from the company when I was in power.”

Then, she supported her arms on the desk and gazed sharply at Mathias before continuing, “Mr. Ziegler, are you worried about me being tempted by money because you’re surrounded by that sort of greedy people? If that’s the case, you should be careful, especially around your subordinates. Who knows? Your hard-earned reputation might be ruined if you let your guard down.”

Mathias’ lips twitched at that, and his expression darkened even more.

On the contrary, Rayna felt at ease. She faced the audience again and said in a polite and warm manner, “Everyone, you’re sitting here today because you’ve contributed and are still contributing to Faymon Group. The same applies to the Department of Regulators. We will never abuse our power by invading your privacy. But, of course, I hope that all of you can cooperate when our department carries out our tasks.”

Her words had successfully shut everyone else up.

The Department of Regulators was founded by Curtis, the chairman and CEO of the company. It was his right to decide who would manage the department. Since they were all Faymon Group’s employees, they were in no place to interfere with Curtis’ decisions.

The senior executive from earlier received another glare from Mathias, so he mustered up his courage and said, “We support Mr. Faymon’s decisions and are willing to cooperate with the Department of Regulators. However, we can agree to appoint anyone else as its manager except for you, Ms. Garland. The time frame between you quitting Hatchair Group and joining Faymon Group is way too short. It’s easy to—”

Curtis finally broke his silence and interrupted the senior executive by saying, “I have been too busy recently that I forgot to tell all of you something.”

Then, he gestured at his secretary to turn on the projector again.

Not long after, a gigantic and colorful pie chart was shown on the screen. The pie chart contained countless code names, which referred to all the companies listed under Faymon Group.

Someone among the executives spotted Hatchair Group on the list and gasped. “I-It’s Hatchair Group!”

After a few seconds of silence, an uproar erupted in the conference room.

Rayna was dumbfounded too.

They could not believe Faymon Group had secretly acquired a company with such a high market value.

Curtis glanced at Rayna as a mischievous glint flashed across his eyes. Then, he said calmly, “Hatchair Group belongs to Faymon Group, so there’s no such thing as leaking commercial secrets between the two.”

 

Chapter 255 The Phone Call

Although Mathias was in a rage, he could only hold himself back under current circumstances.

Knowing that Rayna had worked for different companies in such a short period, Mathias had wanted to use the opportunity to oppress her and stop her from working in Faymon Group. He knew that if Curtis were to cover for Rayna, the other shareholders would surely find out, and they would be displeased.

However, Mathias had not expected Curtis to acquire Hatchair Group secretly. Now that Hatchair Group had become Faymon Group’s property, it would be the snap of a finger for Rayna to be back in Faymon Group, and no one was in a position to say anything.

Mathias shot Curtis a grim look with a hint of wariness in his gaze.

It was then he realized that he had taken Curtis too lightly.

Curtis’ unexpected act had caught everyone off guard, and no one commented further.

After the meeting ended, all of them left the conference room one after another.

As soon as the crowd dispersed, Rayna stormed toward Curtis and questioned furiously, “Did you already acquire Hatchair Group since long ago? Were you the one who pulled strings for me to get accepted into Hatchair Group so easily previously?”

“Mr. Chambers begged me to acquire the company.”

“Bull—” Rayna swallowed the vulgarities before they slipped out of her mouth. Gritting her teeth, she glared at him. “Hatchair Group is quite valuable in the market. Mr. Chambers must have lost his mind to sell it!”

Hearing that, Curtis replied calmly, “Even though Faymon Group owns the shares of Hatchair Group, Hatchair Group is allowed to operate independently. Hence, Hatchair Group still belongs to Mr. Chambers, so he didn’t exactly sell it.”

“Y-You!” Rayna was so infuriated that she did not know what to say, yet she felt warm inside at the same time. “If you’re always asking others to help me, how am I supposed to learn anything?”

“I was merely getting rid of the unnecessary issues for you, but you dealt with the rest of them yourself.” Curtis then continued, “If you’re incapable, you would have had a hard time in Hatchair Group. Think about it. Mr. Chambers and the people from Hatchair Group only respect you because of your remarkable capability. Am I right?”

Rayna thought his words actually made sense.

It was true that I was accepted into Hatchair Group easily, but I didn’t slack the slightest bit because of that. In fact, I handled most of the tasks myself and solved the issues on my own.

“What about the tender for the high-speed railway station project?” Rayna placed both her hands on the chair the man was sitting on as she scrutinized him. “Many companies tendered for the project, but why did Hatchair Group get it?”

Come to think about it, everything seems odd!

Curtis chuckled in a low voice. “Weren’t you wondering why I agreed to help Jasmine?”

Rayna was stunned for a second, and everything finally clicked into place in her mind. “Did Jasmine tell you that she could let Hatchair Group win the tender, but she needed you to have a fake marriage with her so that she could get the Sanders Group shares?”

“You’re getting smarter!”

“Curtis Faymon, you’re…” Not knowing what to say, Rayna chided him instead, “Do you have nothing better to do? Because of your fake marriage with Jasmine, Mr. Xavier…”

Curtis hummed in response and looked at her suspiciously. “What’s wrong with Theodore?”

“N-Nothing!”

Of course, she could not tell Curtis the truth about how she had also misunderstood him and signed that kind of contract. It was too embarrassing for her to say, so she could only resort to changing the topic. “I thought I was going to get to see you two fight each other!”

“What goes on in your mind, really?” Curtis pinched her cheeks and said unhappily, “Have you ever seen Jasmine and I hold hands?”

He was never interested in Jasmine. If not for their collaboration, he would have stayed away from Jasmine after learning about her relationship with Theodore.

“Don’t pinch me!” Rayna slapped his hand, but he grabbed her, reducing the distance between them.

Curtis then said, “Rayna, the help I’ve given you was no big deal. You achieved all these on your own. You’re well respected by people around you only because you’re outstanding. As for the train project, Jasmine only agreed that Sanders Group would back out from the tender. Hatchair Group was awarded the project because of you and your team’s effort. It had nothing to do with me.”

“My team members are from Faymon Group, so you’re still the one helping me!” Rayna muttered.

“Why do you always have to be this stubborn?” Curtis smiled helplessly. “Would things even work out if you’re incapable even if I lent you my people from Faymon Group? You lack confidence in yourself.”

“Because I’m new in this…”

“It doesn’t matter when you joined. Besides, you’re truly talented in this field. Rayna, just do whatever you wish to do. You have nothing to fear.”

As the man convinced her, his dark eyes were filled with his confidence and support for her.

His gaze was deep yet mesmerizing.

Staring at his eyes, Rayna was almost drawn into them. Right then, the phone rang, and she hurriedly pushed him away.

Curtis took a look at his empty hands and sighed.

This d*mn phone call!

After the meeting, one of the more busybody managers revealed what had happened during the meeting, and the news spread around. Soon, everyone in Faymon Group knew that the Department of Regulators had a new manager.

To be more accurate, their previous manager had returned.

The people from the Department of Regulators had been free for too long, so as soon as they heard about Rayna’s comeback, they were all excited and waiting to greet her with a warm welcome when she returned for work the following day.

Rayna flashed a smile. “This is too much.”

“Not at all!” Touched, Jordan held Rayna’s hands and said, “Ms. Garland, we were this close to being fired by Faymon Group if you still failed to return to us!”

“All right. Let’s work!”

Rayna spent around fifteen minutes having a meeting with everyone and assigning the tasks accordingly.

Even though they could carry out investigations in every department freely, a major upheaval in Faymon Group had gotten rid of the bad apples, so everyone had been acting in line. There was nothing much for them to investigate.

Rayna told them to look into other departments, especially the finance department. Meanwhile, she would be investigating Mathias.

After returning to Faymon Group this time, she was determined to bring down Mathias.

Rayna was immersed in handling that matter, and she did not have much time to chat with others. She could not be bothered to reply even when she saw Curtis’ messages on WhatsApp. At the same time, Jessica kept sending food over, and Wyatt tagged along too.

Just when Rayna was focusing on her research, the shameless couple was busy feeding one another. In the end, Rayna could no longer put up with their acts, so she stopped them from coming into the office again.

After returning home that night, Jessica wailed, “Mr. Faymon is too much! I only went to look for you after finishing my work. He actually said I was loafing around and deducted my bonus for two quarters!”

Hearing that, Rayna merely uttered nonchalantly, “That’s what you get for loafing around with Wyatt.”

Jessica thought Wyatt was the reason why her bonus got deducted, so she called Wyatt and gave him a good scolding. She even forbade him from texting her during work, and she would block him if he did so.

The next day at work, Rayna opened her email and realized that Wyatt was denounced for harassing a female employee. The company would deduct his salary for half a year, and he would not receive any dividend. Curtis’ signature was at the end of the email.

Rayna burst into laughter in an instant.

This is crazy!

After Rayna was done with her work, she took the time to text Curtis: Did Wyatt seek you out?

Curtis replied: He’s too embarrassed to do so.

Rayna: He’s your best friend. Not only did you deduct his salary, but you’re not giving him the dividend too. Aren’t you being too cruel to him?

Curtis: He’s rich, so this insignificant amount of money makes no difference to him.

Rayna: You’re right, Mr. Faymon! Great move! I was so annoyed by his public displays of affection!

Curtis: Ms. Garland, I wish my salary could be deducted too.

Reading the message, Rayna felt her cheeks burning.

She tapped on the phone screen, not knowing what to reply. In the end, she just tossed her phone on the table. Just as she was about to get up and head out, Curtis appeared right at the door unexpectedly.

 

Chapter 256 Never Thought I Would Like You This Much 1

“Why are you here?” Rayna was taken aback and yanked him inside when she remembered they were still in the office, turning on the frosted glass panels to shield themselves from prying eyes.

“Ms. Garland, we’re at Faymon Group,” Curtis reminded her brusquely. “It’s well within my rights to visit any department I want. You’re behaving… like a criminal now.”

I’m not someone to be ashamed of!

She huffed, “It’s fine if you go to other departments, but now people are starting to talk about us. What will they think when you show up here?”

“So you’re avoiding me, but not Gabriel?”

“Why would I have to avoid him?” Rayna was bewildered. “He’s an assistant, so even if he shadows me frequently, people will assume we’re doing our jobs and wouldn’t think twice.”

She quickly made the connection and shot Curtis a wary look. “Mr. Tylinski was suddenly transferred to the Norham branch…”

“There’s a manpower shortage; I have nothing against him,” he replied evenly as if he hadn’t driven Gabriel out of the office two days ago from sheer jealousy. “I can bring you to Norham if you don’t believe me.”

“It’s too cold. I’m not interested,” Rayna declined before asking again, “Is there anything else, Mr. Faymon?”

Curtis waved his phone at her, his gaze darkening. “You read my WhatsApp messages, but why didn’t you respond?”

“I’m a little busy at the moment.”

“It only takes a few seconds.” He took a step closer to her.

She retreated until her back pressed against the wall, and she had nowhere to go. At that point, both of them were standing very close together.

Hunching her shoulders, she tried to pull away from him.

“Mr. Faymon, if you have something to say, then say it, but keep a proper distance between us.”

The more nervous she was, trying to avoid arousing suspicion, the more Curtis wanted to tease her. He propped his arm on the wall, chuckling as he leaned forward to look into her eyes. “There have been far more intimate moments than this.”

“Curtis Faymon!” Rayna’s face flushed all the way to the tips of her ears. She whacked him with her fist and glared at him. “Act your age, and stop behaving like a rascal!”

“Am I wrong—”

She shoved two sour candies into his mouth the moment he spoke. His expression changed, and his brows furrowed at the tartness.

Rayna snickered, and before she knew it, Curtis had sealed his mouth over hers, and the sour candies rolled into her mouth, startling her with their acerbity.

He chuckled with a deep rumbling sound after pulling away. “Thank you, Ms. Garland. That was delicious.”

Scoundrel!

“Ms. Garland, I’m here to apply for leave!”

Right as the atmosphere in the room began to heat up, the glass door was flung open, and someone barged in.

Rayna snatched a file from the table and put some distance between her and Curtis. She was already standing by the flower pot when the colleague entered.

“Mr. Faymon!” Jordan greeted when she noticed Curtis, who merely gave a gruff sound of acknowledgment.

“Weren’t you going to request leave?” Rayna drew Jordan’s attention away, worried she would overanalyze the situation. “Hand me the application form.”

“Oh, right!” Jordan gave her the form and explained sheepishly, “My parents rarely leave the house, Ms. Garland, so I’d like to take them away for a week. Is that okay?”

“Sure, the office isn’t too busy now.”

Rayna signed the form and asked Jordan how she planned to return, to which she replied that her boyfriend had also applied for leave to accompany her. His car, however, was rear-ended two days ago and was taken to the workshop for repairs. Daily new chapters upload Only On Alaniniz(dot)com Thus, they would take the high-speed rail home.

“Your boyfriend is quite thoughtful to request leave to take you home.”

“Yeah, he treats me so well.” Jordan gave a sunny smile. “He agrees with me in everything and came to the city to be with me. He even has plans to buy a marital home for us here.”

The candies in Rayna’s mouth soured even more as she listened to the sweet story.

She suddenly remembered something and called out to Jordan, who was about to leave with the form. Fishing out her car keys from the drawer, she suggested, “Take my car. It will be easier to travel with

your parents this way.”

“I can’t do that, Ms. Garland.”

“My license was suspended anyway, and I can’t drive the car.” Rayna smiled and placed the keys in her hand. “It’s a good thing you can take the car out for a spin; otherwise the engine could rust from inactivity.”

Jordan asked in curiosity. “You’re a responsible driver, Ms. Garland. How did your license get suspended?”

“An impulsive mistake.”

Jordan gave an “oh” and left with the form without any further questions.

Rayna turned back and noticed Curtis standing there leisurely, and she bristled with anger. “Please leave if there’s nothing else, Mr. Faymon. I still have a ton of work to do.”

“There’s something else—I want a leave application form.”

“Inform the secretarial department, then. Why do you need a form?” she muttered. When he stood obstinately in front of her and refused to move unless he got what he wanted, she grudgingly took out a form from her drawer.

Curtis scribbled something on the form and gave it to her after signing it. “You have worked hard lately, Ms. Garland, so I’m giving you a day off to rest.”

“I’m not tired. I don’t need rest.” She reached out to take the form. “Quit fooling around.”

He had always towered over her, so when he lifted his hand, Rayna couldn’t even reach the form. She glowered at him, but Curtis merely arched a brow at her, seemingly in a good mood.

“Give me the form, Curtis.”

“You need to take a break.”

“I don’t want to take a break!” she snarled. “Can’t I want to earn more money?”

He shook his head, his voice low. “No, because tomorrow I’m taking a day off with you.”

He took her silence as her relenting. “I’ll take the form downstairs. You can continue your work.”

As he was leaving, Rayna returned to her senses and tamped down her annoyance, asking him, “What are we doing?”

“Canoodling.”

The corners of Rayna’s lips quirked upward at the answer.

Is he starting to behave brazenly because he’s been spending too much time with Wyatt?

She paid no heed to his words and decided to rest at home since Curtis wanted to give her a day off and had filled in the application form, but she had overlooked the extent of his shamelessness.

Jessica knocked on her bedroom door in the early hours of the morning and mumbled around a toothbrush jutting out of her mouth, “Nana, I think Mr. Faymon is downstairs right now. Is he here for you?”

“No way.”

Rayna slid her feet into a pair of slippers and padded to the balcony, where she looked down to see a tall figure leaning against a Maybach parked at the condominium entrance.

Curtis was wearing light-colored casual clothes rather than his usual suit. His legs crossed at the ankles as he stood lazily was a refreshing sight. He looked dashing, like a gentleman who had just gotten out of the house.

Rayna grabbed Jessica’s hand and instructed gravely, “Go downstairs in a minute and tell him my mom’s sick, and I have gone to the hospital to take care of her, so have him leave!”

Jessica raised her brow. “Mr. Faymon clearly wants to go on a date with you. Why are you turning him down?”

“He has plenty of choices for a date,” Rayna muttered. Of course she knew, which was why she was feeling torn because she wasn’t ready for it.

“But Mr. Faymon wants to go on a date with you!”

“Stop talking and head down later to get rid of him!”

“You’re a coward, Nana.”

“Are you looking for an ass-whooping?”

While Rayna was racking her brain for a way to get rid of Curtis, Wyatt drove over with breakfast and was in a good mood.

 

Chapter 257 Never Thought I Would Like You This Much 2

Wyatt shot Curtis a glance and asked with a mischievous grin, “Hey, Curtis! What’s with that outfit? Are you planning to go on a date with Ms. Garland today?”

Curtis shot him an icy-cold glare. “F*ck off!”

“Sure thing!”

Wyatt was about to leave when Curtis called out to him, “Wait!” He then shifted his gaze toward the bag of breakfast in Wyatt’s hand as he asked, “Why did you bring breakfast over?”

“My girlfriend lives here. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with me bringing my girlfriend breakfast, is there? Well, I doubt someone like you would understand, though.”

“I’ll go upstairs with you,” Curtis said while locking his car doors.

“A-Are you going to steal my girlfriend, Curtis?” Wyatt asked with a terrified look on his face.

“Don’t worry. Unlike you, my taste isn’t that strange.”

“Hey! Jessie is cute, okay?” Wyatt snapped back at him angrily, only to shrink in fear when Curtis shot him a cold glare.

Jessica came running toward the door when she heard the doorbell. She had just opened the door when Wyatt gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Hey, Jessie! Did you miss me?”

“No! Why would I miss someone who just ruined my makeup?” Jessica replied with a pout and smacked his head aside. That was when she saw Curtis standing behind Wyatt. “Oh, Mr. Faymon!

You’re here too?”

Curtis nodded and said calmly, “Yes, I came to see Ms. Garland.”

“Ah, you came at the wrong time, Mr. Faymon. Nana isn’t in at the moment.” Jessica deliberately raised her voice as she added, “She went to keep her mother company at the hospital yesterday night.”

“Is that so?” Curtis’ penetrating gaze sent shivers down her spine.

Jessica nuzzled against Wyatt’s chest. “Y-Yeah! You should go look for her at the hospital, Mr. Faymon. We’re about to have breakfast now.”

“You’re scaring my girlfriend, Curtis. Ms. Garland isn’t here, so you should seek her out at General Hospital. It’s only a few minutes away!” Wyatt complained with a displeased look on his face.

Curtis was about to turn around and leave when one of the bedroom doors opened. Rayna then stepped out in her pajamas with her hair in a total mess.

Unaware of Curtis and Wyatt standing at the door, she said, “Could you help take out the trash, Jessie? Oh, by the way, just give him the name of a random hospital if he asks. I don’t want him looking for me there—”

It wasn’t until she turned and saw the people at the door that she froze in shock.

“Good morning, Ms. Garland,” Curtis greeted her with an eyebrow arched.

Rayna paused for a few seconds before running back into the room and shutting the door.

“Babe, I thought you said Rayna went to the hospital last night?” Wyatt asked in surprise.

“Yeah, she did. Maybe she came back in the middle of the night!” Jessica replied with an awkward chuckle.

Oh, Rayna! You wanted me to help cover up for you, and yet, you’re the one who exposed yourself to him!

Noticing the look on Curtis’ face, Wyatt knew it would be a bad idea for them to stick around. He quickly placed the food down on the dining table and grabbed Jessica’s coat and handbag.

“You haven’t had breakfast, right, Curtis? I’ll leave this food here for you and Rayna. Jessica and I will have our breakfast outside instead,” he said while dragging Jessica out the front door.

Jessica was still shivering in fear when they got inside the elevator. “Do you think Nana will be okay?”

Wyatt clicked his tongue. “It’s hard to say. You saw the look on Curtis’ face.”

Curtis sat down in the living room and waited patiently. After what seemed like forever, he glanced at his watch and frowned impatiently.

That woman has been in there for an hour!

He then walked up to the room and knocked on the door. “Ms. Garland, I’ll kick the door open if you don’t come out in ten minutes,” he said before returning to the couch.

Curtis arched an eyebrow when he saw that the door remained shut ten minutes later. He was about to kick at the door when it opened from the inside.

“What is it, Mr. Faymon?” Rayna asked with a displeased look on her face.

Curtis handed her a tote bag. “I got this as a gift while shopping for clothes. Go ahead and get changed. We’re going on vacation.”

“I’ll be visiting my mom at the hospital later.”

“Okay, I’ll send you there.”

“She doesn’t want to see you.”

“That’s fine. I’ll wait for you outside the ward.”

Rayna gave up on trying to come up with excuses after he countered them all. “Fine, I’ll go out with you. I have my own set of clothes, though.”

“If you choose to wear your own clothes, then you won’t be allowed to wear a face mask,” Curtis replied nonchalantly.

“Okay, I’ll get changed!” Rayna shouted through clenched teeth as she snatched the tote bag from his hands. Right as she was about to shut the room door, her Ragdoll kitten came running out and bumped into Curtis’ leg.

Curtis tensed up instantly, and his expression turned gloomy when he lowered his gaze and saw the furry creature nuzzling against him.

He then looked up at Rayna and said, “Get your cat away from me.”

“This is my place, so it can go wherever it likes.” Rayna flashed him a mischievous grin as she continued, “I’ll go get changed now. You’d better not bully my cat!”

The corner of Curtis’ lips twitched as he stared at the white cat fur on his pants. He tried moving his leg away, only to have the kitten meow as it rolled over and lay on his foot.

As if having a dog at home wasn’t bad enough, now I have to deal with a cat as well! The dog wasn’t all that furry, but this cat is practically a huge ball of fur! I don’t understand what Rayna likes about it!

“Do you mind getting off me? Get off me, I said! I have a bad temper, you know? I’ll kick you if you don’t get off my foot! Hey, don’t look at me like that! Roll over right this instant!”

Just like that, Curtis stood there in the living room and threatened the kitten for about three minutes straight.

Eventually, it rolled over to the side. Seizing the opportunity, Curtis pulled his leg free and ran toward the couch.

However, the small creature was faster and charged at his leg before he could even sit down.

Curtis let out an amused chuckle when he saw how clingy the cat was. He didn’t dare touch the cat’s fur, so he could only stare at the animal and let out a helpless sigh. “If only your owner would cling to me like you do.”

Hmm… Then again, Rayna wouldn’t be herself without that temper of hers. I like her because of how feisty she can be.

Rayna vaguely heard Curtis say something as she was coming out of her room. She asked, “What did you say?”

“I said the cat is really cute,” Curtis replied as he looked up and saw her wearing a casual outfit that matched his. She had on a pleated skirt that exposed her slender legs for the world to see.

Her appearance was lovely, but Curtis was displeased.

“You have sweatpants, don’t you? Why would you wear a short skirt?” he asked with an unhappy frown.

“I’m not going for a run, so why would I wear sweatpants? They’re so ugly! This skirt, on the other hand, goes well with my top. Also, it has shorts underneath, so no one’s going to see anything.”

“Aren’t you worried your legs would feel cold?”

Rayna looked out the window. “It’s not cold outside. Look, the sun is shining brightly in the sky!”

“Go get changed!”

Rayna lost her temper when she heard that. “I’m not changing! You’re the one who asked me to go out with you, so why are you making so many ridiculous demands? Listen, you can either go out with me looking like this or get out of my house!”

Realizing that she was genuinely angry at him, Curtis took a step back and said, “Fine, you can wear a skirt, but it has to be long enough to cover your ankles.”

Rayna was close to punching him in the face at that point. “I’d rather wear sweatpants than go out in a skirt that long!”

“Then go put on your sweatpants.”

Rayna glared furiously at him for a few seconds before storming back into her room.

 

Chapter 258 Never Thought I Would Like You This Much 3

Eventually, Rayna chose to go with a long skirt instead.

Noticing that Curtis disliked her cat, she deliberately hugged and kissed it before leaving the house with him.

Curtis’ face clouded over when he saw that.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Faymon. I just love my cat way too much!” Rayna said with a gleeful smile.

“You did that on purpose.”

Rayna let out a defiant snort in response.

Ha! That’s what you get for flirting with me and kissing me in the office all the time! Let’s see you kiss me now!

“Do you want to go visit your mother at the hospital?” Curtis asked.

“James and Kristie have gone to visit her,” Rayna replied. Curtis nodded and drove her straight to the amusement park.

After getting their tickets checked and going through the gates, Rayna glanced about and said, “I’ve known you for so long, and yet, I had no idea you liked amusement parks.”

Curtis looked her in the eyes as he replied, “I don’t, but I figured you would. That’s why I brought you here.”

Rayna’s heart raced when she heard that.

“That’s why I wanted you to put on sweatpants instead of a skirt, but you insisted on wearing one no matter what. That skirt is going to fly up and get in your face every time you go on a ride,” Curtis continued before she even had time to blush.

“You’re worse than my brother, Curtis!” Rayna exclaimed in frustration while hitting him with her handbag.

I’ve never seen such a dense guy before!

Rayna wanted to wander about aimlessly and get on whatever rides she liked along the way, but Curtis preferred to stick to the designated path to avoid wasting time and energy. After Rayna rolled her eyes at him, however, he decided to follow her lead instead.

“What’s Twin Super Drop?”

Curtis glanced at the drop tower ride in the distance and replied calmly, “It looks like fun. Do you want to try it out?”

“Let’s go for it!”

About ten minutes later, the two of them were seated on the gondola and safely strapped in.

“Curtis, you meanie!” Rayna screamed at the top of her lungs as they soared close to a hundred meters into the air before dropping down abruptly.

“Stop screaming. It’s not that tall of a ride!” Curtis was clearly enjoying the pain of her squeezing his arm tightly.

“Shut up!”

The ride lasted three minutes before coming to a complete halt. Rayna’s legs were still shaking as she hit Curtis with her handbag. “You said it was fun! How could you lie to me like that?”

Curtis shrugged nonchalantly. “I thought it was all right. In fact, it’s not tall enough for me.”

Rayna kicked him twice on the shin in response.

With the exception of the carousel and the pirate ship ride, Rayna was scared out of her wits by every other ride that Curtis made her try. That was especially the case with the roller coaster.

The track had countless twists, turns, and loops that caused its riders to scream like crazy. As if that wasn’t enough, it even blasted cheerful music throughout the entire ride to taunt the riders.

Rayna was so terrified by it that she could barely walk after getting off the roller coaster.

Upon looking at the pictures taken during the ride, Rayna realized that she had her eyes closed and her arms wrapped tightly around Curtis’. Curtis, on the other hand, looked perfectly calm and only had his hair messed up by the wind.

“I want this picture printed out,” Curtis said while handing the staff some money.

“No, don’t print it! It’s too embarrassing!” Rayna protested and tried to drag him away.

“Aren’t you overreacting a little too much, Ms. Garland? I just wanted a picture as a memento because I rarely visit amusement parks,” Curtis said with a small smile.

Rayna shot him a furious glare and stormed off without saying anything further.

Curtis simply let out a mischievous chuckle in response.

As the two of them continued on, they passed by a balloon-shooting stall. Since Rayna was pretty good at it, she decided to try and humiliate Curtis with her skills. To her surprise, however, Curtis was able to

shoot out all the balloons on the wall and win the special prize.

The next stall they passed by required players to stand behind a red line and toss rings at eight metal rods in front of them.

Those who got rings on all eight metal rods could choose any prize they wanted.

Rayna got a little lucky with this one and managed to get rings on four of the metal rods. She was about to show off her achievement, only to see Curtis effortlessly hit all eight of the metal rods.

“You sure are amazing, mister! I can’t believe you got them all from this far!” exclaimed the staff.

“I was just lucky,” Curtis replied with a smile. He then turned toward Rayna and said, “Go on, choose your prize.”

“You’re doing this to humiliate me, aren’t you, Mr. Faymon?” Rayna muttered through clenched teeth.

“I’m not.”

Rayna stamped her feet in frustration before picking an adorable frog plushy from the shelf.

“If you make a left turn ahead, you’ll see a racing event. Just so you know, the prize is a Tom Ford lipstick! I suggest you two give it a try!” the staff said while handing her the prize.

“Really?”

“That’s right! Tom Ford is one of our sponsors, and they’re having an event here. You could stand a chance to win limited edition lipsticks!”

Rayna grew excited when she heard that and dragged Curtis toward the event venue.

The place was crowded when they got there.

The event that Tom Ford organized was a thousand-meter dash. It was for females only and allowed twenty participants per round. The first to reach the finish line would be allowed to pick any one of the lipsticks available.

Rayna wasted no time registering herself as a participant.

Curtis couldn’t help but chuckle in amusement when he saw how eager she looked. “It’s just a lipstick. You can buy it at the store.”

Rayna rolled her eyes at him in annoyance. “What do you know? The ones in the glass cabinet are limited-edition lipsticks from last year! Once they’re sold out, they’re gone for good! I couldn’t get the one I wanted because I overslept last year. It was sold out by the time I logged on to their official website. Now that I have another chance at getting the lipstick I missed out on, I’m going to give it my best shot!”

“It’s good to see that you’ve got the spirit to compete for it, but…” Curtis shifted his gaze toward her skirt as he continued, “You will be competing against nineteen other people. Are you sure you can outrun them in that skirt of yours?”

Rayna smacked herself on the forehead in frustration. “Oh, right! By wearing a skirt, I’d lost the competition before it even started! I should’ve worn sweatpants instead!”

“I told you to get changed, but you insisted on wearing a skirt,” Curtis said with an eyebrow arched.

“Stop mocking me and help me figure something out!”

“I’ll have someone deliver the clothes to you.”

“The lipstick I want would probably be gone by then!” Rayna protested anxiously while glaring at her skirt.

Ugh! Why did I have to wear a skirt today? I regret it so much!

Curtis put his phone away. “Then there’s nothing we can do about it.” He furrowed his brows when he noticed Rayna staring at him. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Rayna flashed him a smile and asked in the sweetest tone possible, “Will you help me out, Mr. Faymon?”

“Men aren’t allowed to participate in the event.”

“Oh, I’m not asking you to participate. I just need you to lend me your pants!”

After about five minutes of shameless begging and pleading, Rayna finally managed to drag Curtis to the restroom.

Curtis turned around when he saw the logo of the female restroom. “I think I’ll buy you a pair of pants instead!”

“Too late!” Rayna shoved him into the restroom and placed the cleaning sign outside the door. “My skirt has an elastic waistband, so you’ll have no issues wearing it!”

She became increasingly anxious when she saw Curtis just standing there. “Well? Hurry up and take your pants off! It’ll be my turn soon!”

“No way! This is way too humiliating!” Curtis protested.

Rayna wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss on the lips.

After that, she crouched down and began taking his pants off. “All right, let’s not waste any more time! We need to get a move on!”

Chapter 259 Kiss Me After Kissing The Cat

The look on Curtis’ face turned gloomy as he asked, “Did you just kiss me after kissing a cat?”

“Hurry up! We’re running out of time!” Rayna shouted as she tugged his pants off and put them on. “That’s a Louis Vuitton skirt, so make sure you don’t tighten it too much! I don’t want you ruining it, you hear?” she warned him before leaving in a hurry.

Curtis took some time to recompose himself before putting the skirt on and leaving the female restroom. Despite having a face mask on, his tall and slender figure still drew a lot of attention to himself.

A mother happened to be passing by with her kid at the time.

The kid glanced at Curtis and asked his mother in an adorable voice, “This lady is so tall, Mommy! She looks like a giant! Why are you so short?”

The mother gave him a light smack on the head. “That’s not a lady, silly! That’s a guy!”

“Why is he wearing a skirt, then?”

As though she was afraid of hurting Curtis’ feelings, the mother whispered, “Because he likes wearing skirts.”

Curtis kept quiet and tugged at his cap to cover his face as he returned to the event venue.

The match was just about to start, and Rayna was warming up with the other nineteen participants.

The gray sweatpants looked really baggy on her, but she was so excited that she didn’t mind it at all.

“Ready, get set, go!”

As the referee blew the whistle, all twenty women charged forward as though their lives depended on it.

Rayna was on the outermost lane, and yet, she easily took the lead in just a matter of seconds.

Curtis chuckled and shook his head when he saw how much effort she was putting into that competition. It felt as if he was witnessing another dazzling side of her that he liked.

I understand that it’s limited edition, but it’s still just a lipstick. We could make a trip to Tom Ford and easily get a hundred of those, and yet, she insists on winning it in a competition…

Rayna’s sweatpants began sliding down a little halfway through the competition. She nearly tripped and fell when she stepped on the pant cuffs. As she bent over to roll them up, the other participants overtook her. Curtis got a little anxious as well when he saw that.

After rolling the pant cuffs back up, Rayna continued sprinting forward at full speed. Fortunately for her, she managed to get back in first place before crossing the finish line.

Despite being drenched in sweat, Rayna was smiling happily like a child as she waved at Curtis from afar. Curtis smiled back at her in response.

Women never fail to intrigue me!

As Curtis pulled out his phone to capture her victorious moment on camera, Rayna’s phone rang inside her handbag.

Since she was busy picking out her lipstick at the counter, he retrieved her phone and answered the call.

“Hello, Ms. Garland. It’s me, Sandy.” The person on the other line sounded gentle and meek.

Curtis found her voice oddly familiar and felt incredibly uncomfortable.

Because he had remained silent, Sandy became somewhat anxious as she continued, “Are you free? I want to meet up with you for a chat. It’s not about Elijah. This is about something else.”

“She’s not available right now. You have no business with my girlfriend, so stop calling her from now on,” Curtis replied.

“I have something very important to tell Ms. Garland. Could you please let her know that I want to meet her? I just need a few minutes with her—” Sandy was cut off mid-sentence when someone called out to her.

She stopped talking immediately and hung up the phone a minute later.

Curtis went into deep thought while staring at the phone.

Sandy? I don’t think I know that woman, so why does her voice make me feel uncomfortable?

He was snapped out of his train of thought when Rayna came running over with the lipstick she won. “I got it! See? I won first place in that race! Am I amazing or what?” she yelled excitedly while waving it in the air.

Curtis burst out laughing when he saw the sweat trickling down her forehead. “Yes, Ms. Garland. You are very amazing.”

The two of them then went back into the restroom to get changed. Curtis noticed some dirt on the pant legs, but he didn’t say a word about it. After stepping out of the restroom, he told Rayna about the phone call earlier.

“Why would she want to see me if it isn’t about Elijah? She got so worked up that she fainted when she saw my jewelry a while back. Could it be that she wants to buy my jewelry?”

“What jewelry do you have in your collection?” Curtis asked.

“Oh, it’s nothing of value, really! It’s actually a fake, but the expert craftsmanship made her believe it’s the real deal. Anyway, I’m hungry. Let’s go have lunch!” Rayna replied in an attempt to change the topic.

“Are you trying to change the topic, Ms. Garland?”

“No, I’m not!”

“Do I look that gullible to you?”

Sick and tired of his persistent questioning, Rayna quickly applied her lipstick and kissed him hard.

She burst out laughing when she stepped back and saw his lips all red.

Curtis’ veins were bulging from the sides of his head as he yelled, “Rayna! You can’t just kiss me after kissing your cat! I feel like my entire body reeks of it now!”

Rayna rolled her eyes at him. “I bathe it often, so it’s very clean! Look, are you joining me for lunch or not?”

Curtis could only let out a helpless sigh in response.

Oblivious to her lipstick prank, he went straight into the restaurant with her. It wasn’t until he saw a few of the customers laughing at him that he realized something was amiss.

He quickly pulled out his phone to have a look, and the first thing he saw was his rosy lips.

Rayna tossed her head back as she laughed uncontrollably. “I think this color suits you well, Mr. Faymon! How about I give you this lipstick instead?”

It was already two in the afternoon by the time they left the amusement park and returned to the city.

Curtis then brought her to a movie theater. “What would you like to watch?” he asked while scrolling through the list of movies on the ticket vending machine.

“I don’t think there are any interesting movies this month, though…” Rayna mumbled while looking at the list. “Wait, they have ‘A Beautiful Life’? Let’s watch this one!”

“Okay.”

Curtis quickly bought the tickets and selected their seats while Rayna queued up for popcorn and drinks.

She then came back a few minutes later with a huge bucket of popcorn in hand. She handed Curtis the drinks, but he simply lowered his gaze and knelt in front of her as he said, “Your shoelaces have come loose. Did you not realize that?”

“Huh? Really?” Rayna looked down in surprise.

She found herself blushing a little when she saw him tying her shoelaces.

The fact that he was always looking out for her filled her heart with warmth.

While waiting for the movie’s showtime, Rayna couldn’t help but ask, “Mr. Faymon, don’t you think your behavior has been rather unusual lately?”

“Hmm?”

“You’re usually married to your work and barely have time for anyone, so why did you bring me to the amusement park and the movies all of a sudden?”

He had also been flirting with her a lot while they were at work.

“I told you, I’ve developed feelings for you, Ms. Garland. It’s only natural that I act upon those feelings to prove my sincerity in winning your heart over. It’s true that I am usually very busy with work, but I do have time to scroll through my Twitter feed every now and then. I hear couples love going to amusement parks and movie theaters, so I decided to give it a shot.”

He then added after a brief pause, “I hear bungee jumping is also a great way to bring two people closer together. Would you like to give that a try as well?”

“Absolutely not!” Rayna shook her head profusely.

She was still traumatized by the memories of Jefferson forcing her to go parachuting in Hallsbay.

Chapter 260 A Gift From Your Father

Rayna told Curtis solemnly, “I would rather die than go bungee-jumping!”

Curtis couldn’t help but chuckle.

After half an hour of waiting, the movie hall was finally ready. There were a few other audiences during this session. Rayna followed Curtis and went through the ticket checker gate. Then, they walked through the corridor and entered the movie hall.

It was dark inside the movie hall as the lights had already been switched off.

Worried that Rayna couldn’t see the path clearly, Curtis wanted to hold her hand and guide the way for her. However, she didn’t let him do so because she felt embarrassed as there was someone else behind them. Just when they arrived at their seats, she tripped and fell into his arms.

Curtis wrapped his arm around her waist to support her while letting out a burst of deep laughter. “Why are you in such a hurry, Ms. Garland?”

“I tripped on something,” Rayna mumbled as she pulled herself away from him frantically. Yet, she accidentally fell back into his arms again. She propped herself up by pushing one hand against his chest, feeling his body heat through his clothes.

“Did you trip this time as well?” Curtis asked.

Rayna was speechless. Fortunately, the lights in the movie hall were all turned off, so her reddened face and ears couldn’t be seen. She let out an awkward cough before getting up to walk to her seat, then began stuffing popcorn in her mouth.

“A Beautiful Life” was a story about the hardships of a father-son duo. The father used his imagination to protect his son from harm. At last, his father still died a gruesome death.

When Rayna was studying abroad a few years ago, she watched this movie with Jefferson when they were in a relationship. At that time, she bawled her eyes out and used up a pack of tissue papers. Jefferson even laughed at her for being such a crybaby.

Now that she was rewatching the same movie after a few years, she still couldn’t get over the scene of the father smiling at his son in the film.

When the lights in the movie hall were switched on again, tears still filled Rayna’s cheeks.

“Movies are manmade. Although it’s deep, you don’t have to cry like a baby,” Curtis couldn’t help but tease her while handing her a napkin. “I wonder if I can fill up a bucket with your tears.”

Rayna lifted her head up abruptly to look at him. She remembered what Jefferson had told her the last time when the movie was over. “These stories are all written by humans. Real wars and racism are way more terrifying than this film. I should’ve brought a bucket to fill it up with your tears.”

Suddenly, the lights above her head flickered.

Rayna caressed Curtis’ face, her vision becoming blurry. It was as if two people’s faces were overlapping in her mind.

This is such a joke. This can’t be. James didn’t give me an answer yet as well.

Seeing that tears began flowing down Rayna’s cheeks again as if she was feeling sad about something, Curtis held her hand and said helplessly, “I shouldn’t have insinuated that you’re melodramatic. Just let it out. I have enough napkins for you, anyway.”

Rayna used his sleeves to wipe her tears and said while sobbing, “Curtis, I’m craving some stew.”

Glancing at the dirty sleeves, Curtis merely sighed and replied, “All right. Let’s go now.”

As soon as they arrived at the restaurant and took a seat, Rayna received a text from Theodore. He was asking for her whereabouts. After telling him her location, he told her that he would contact her again upon arrival. Also, he requested for his visit to be kept a secret from Curtis.

Rayna was at a loss for words. I’m not close to Theodore at all. Why is he always looking for me?

Five minutes later, Theodore texted her via WhatsApp again, informing her that he would be waiting for her at the first-floor emergency exit. Seeing that, Rayna had no choice but to walk away from the table hurriedly after informing Curtis.

Shortly after, she arrived at the emergency exit and saw Theodore. She couldn’t resist but ask, “Mr. Xavier, there is a coffee shop next door. Can’t we just meet there? Why do we have to be so secretive?”

“It’s too crowded,” Theodore replied in a simple and cold manner before handing her a gift.

“No, I can’t accept it!” Rayna took a few steps backward frantically as though the gift was a bomb. “If you’re giving me this gift as a token of apology for what you did back then, you don’t have to do so.”

“No.”

“Huh? What is it for, then?” Rayna was stunned momentarily. Then, her expression stiffened. “M-Mr. Xavier, do you have a crush on me? Is that why you’re giving me this gift?”

Hearing that, Theodore felt speechless. His face fell as he responded icily, “You’re overthinking, Ms. Garland. This gift is for your friend’s child. I think Curtis is the only man who would fall for you and your personality.”

“At least he likes me. That means I’m capable of making him fall for me,” Rayna sneered and retorted. “Unlike you, Mr. Xavier. You can’t make a man fall for you.”

She paused for a split second before continuing, “I heard that ever since Ms. Sanders had successfully obtained Sanders Group, she was constantly being invited to go out on dates by people from prominent families. I wonder who she likes. Oh, if I were her, I’d date a different man every day and choose a future husband properly.”

“Curtis was right. You’re really full of wit.” Theodore stared at her coldly.

Rayna smiled faintly. “I’ll take that as a compliment. Are you going to hand me the gift or not? I’m hungry, and I’m in a hurry to have my meal.”

Hearing that, Theodore passed her the gift. “I saw this at a shop, and I hope he’ll like it. Please let me know if there is anything else he likes.”

“My friend’s son isn’t close with you at all. Why are you being so friendly to him?”

“He’s adorable and skilled,” Theodore recalled. Although he had only met Carl twice, the latter made him feel at ease and warm.

Rayna sighed emotionally. They are indeed father and son! Theodore treats me so coldly even after we’ve known each other for so long. Yet, he’s already giving gifts to Carl after merely meeting the latter twice!

After bidding Theodore goodbye, Rayna brought the gift back to the restaurant.

“Did you rush out there just to get me a gift?” Curtis asked while reaching out to take the gift box from her.

“Stop fooling around. This isn’t for you,” Rayna huffed and slapped the back of his hand. “A bad- tempered man entrusted me to send this gift to his friend.”

Curtis’ expression darkened. “Who’s that man?”

“Stop being jealous so randomly!” Rayna stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth. “Stop talking and start eating.”

Curtis had no choice but to stay quiet.

Sometime later, Rayna sent Carl a message to ask him out. Unexpectedly, he fractured his leg during a fighting practice. Hence, Jasmine ordered him to stay home and rest.

Rayna asked for Carl’s address and planned to visit him.

Meanwhile, Curtis seemed to be bothered by the “bad-tempered man” that Rayna mentioned previously. He followed her closely, making her speechless.

More importantly, she couldn’t explain the details to him.

Rayna let Curtis send her back to the residential area. She observed him in secret and left the residential area using another exit after he drove away.

Upon arriving at the high-class residential area where Carl lived, she followed the unit number and found his house.

Shortly after she rang the doorbell, the door was opened.

Carl came to open the door for her while supporting himself with a crutch. As soon as he saw her, a cheerful smile appeared on his face. “Ms. Rayna!”

Rayna chuckled after seeing him.

She handed the gift to Carl right after entering his house and said smilingly, “This isn’t a gift from me. It’s from your daddy.”

“Really?” Carl exclaimed in surprise and asked, “How do you get to know my father, Ms. Rayna?”

“I know your mother. Of course, I know your father as well.” She patted his head gently. “Your daddy asked someone to send it to me so that I can hand it to you. Go on and open it.”