Ch. 431..440

Chapter 431

Rayna was in no mood to wonder what made him change so much, for she was more concerned about Jessica’s whereabouts. “I went to your house the other day and Mrs. Lopez says Jessie is on a business trip. Is that true?”

Wyatt merely hummed in response.

Rayna’s expression instantly darkened, and she raged, “You’re lying! I looked into it. Jessie resigned from Faymon Group long ago!”

“What does that have to do with me? We broke up long ago. Where she goes is none of my business, and I’m allowed to explain to my mother however I want.”

“You broke up with her?” Rayna stomped over and grabbed him by the tie. “Did you know she was pregnant when you broke up with her?”

Wyatt shrugged as if he did not care. “I do, but so what? She’s not the only woman in my life. Being pregnant doesn’t make her any special.”

Rayna’s hands trembled with fury. “Wyatt, she’s pregnant with your child!”

“Oh. If she’s willing to give birth to the baby, I’ll take care of it. If not, she can just abort it. Abortion is just a piece of—”

Rayna gave him a hard slap, which made her palm go numb.

Gabriel inhaled sharply upon seeing that.

Wyatt’s head tilted to one side from the impact. He remained in that position for quite some time, with one side of his cheek stinging.

As soon as he returned to his senses, he pinned a death glare on Rayna. “How dare you slap me?”

Seeing that Wyatt was about to hit her, Gabriel stepped in and pulled her to the back. At the same time, he flashed the former an apologetic smile. “Mr. Lopez, this is a misunderstanding! It’s just an accident. Ms. Garland didn’t mean it. Please carry on with your work. We shall take our leave and not disturb you anymore.”

Gabriel grabbed Rayna by the hand and fled the office.

Only after they left the office did Gabriel let out a sigh of relief. Shaking with fear, he said, “Ms. Garland, you were too—you can’t just slap him even if he broke up with Ms. Marsh.”

With a grim look, Rayna said, “Did you hear what he said just now? He said Jessie isn’t the only woman he has and that she can get an abortion if she doesn’t want to keep the child. Damn it!”

If not for Gabriel holding on to her, she would have barged into the office and given Wyatt a few more slaps.

Sighing, Gabriel admitted, “Mr. Lopez can be quite a jerk. Anyway, don’t pick a fight with him. His character has changed a lot, and he’ll lash out at anyone over a tiny matter. In fact, everyone in Lopez Group fears him.”

Rayna hissed, “I’d love to see him die of anger! Back then, I even told Jessie he’s turned over a new leaf and that she should value him. Damn it! I was the fool all along. A leopard never changes its spots!”

Gabriel could not help but warn her, “Please don’t talk about Mr. Lopez like that.”

To his horror, Rayna raised her voice. “Am I wrong? Back then, he shamelessly did everything to pursue Jessie. Now that he’s bored with her, he’s telling her to do whatever she wants with the child. Ugh! He’s worse than a dog! A guy like him who doesn’t take life seriously doesn’t deserve to have children. In fact, he deserves to be infertile!”

“Shh! Lower your voice, Ms. Garland! Mr. Lopez isn’t in a good mood. Things won’t go well if he hears you. You’d better not get into a fight with him.” Gabriel felt the urge to cover her mouth.

“I won’t! In fact, I’m willing to pay to get him on the news! I’m going to make him famous!”

Gabriel said truthfully, “News can be taken down as quickly as they’re published. Ms. Garland, don’t forget you’re currently working for Glory Corporation. Mr. Lopez can easily destroy your company. Besides, it’ll only make things difficult for Mr. Faymon if you pick a fight with Mr. Lopez. Mr. Faymon is treating you well because of your past relationship with him. You don’t want to make Mr. Faymon lose a friend, do you?”

His words managed to calm her down.

He’s right. I don’t need to pick a fight with Wyatt. It’ll only put Curtis in a difficult position.

Rayna stopped yelling and spoke calmly. “Mr. Tylinski, I know you’re a skillful person. Can you help me find out where Jessie went these past few months?”

Rayna was extremely worried about Jessica. She did not know why the latter had broken up with Wyatt and disappeared.

Gabriel nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ll let you know as soon as I find something.”

“Thank you,” said Rayna. Suddenly, a figure passed by in front of her before she could even react.

The stranger was in such a rush that she almost caused Rayna to trip.

Thankfully, Gabriel caught hold of her. “Are you okay, Ms. Garland?”

“I’m fine.” Rayna steadied herself and frowned as she stared at the woman.

The woman wore expensive clothes and had long, bright green hair. She looked like a daughter of a rich family.

Just then, Rayna recalled the woman she saw sitting in the passenger seat of Wyatt’s sports car. I think she had the same hair, too.

Rayna’s gaze darkened, and she hissed, “This jerk! He just broke up, and now he can’t wait to show off his girlfriend at the office. I won’t forgive him if anything happens to Jessie!”

Gabriel sighed inwardly.

He, too, thought Wyatt was a jerk.

Meanwhile, Scarlett Yancey stumbled into the CEO’s office without even knocking on the door.

The commotion made Wyatt lose his temper. He fumed, “Don’t you know how to knock on the door before entering?”

The moment he noticed Scarlett was the visitor, his expression changed drastically, and he put down his pen. “Why are you here?”

Scarlett threw herself in front of Wyatt, looking utterly pitiful. “Please let me off, Mr. Lopez. I didn’t do anything to offend you. Why are you doing this to me?”

Caressing her face, Wyatt said gently, “I love you. Isn’t it a good thing?”

“Then why did you drug me? Why did you get someone to do that to me and even take a video of it? My mom fainted with anger when she saw the pictures. She’s now in the hospital,” Scarlett wailed, devastated.

Wyatt raised his brow. “Your mom isn’t dead?”

Upon hearing that, Scarlett burst into tears.

Wyatt pinched her chin and pulled her toward him. “Don’t cry, don’t cry. You’re breaking my heart. Who knew you’re such a brave person despite your gentle and pitiful appearance? Your mother is so lucky to have a daughter like you who hides the truth about her husband cheating on her. You even cleaned up his mess. Gosh, you should be given an award.”

“M-Mr. Lopez, what are you talking about? I don’t get you.” Scarlett feigned a calm look, but tears continued streaming down her cheeks.

Wyatt let out a low chuckle and pinched her chin harder. “You were the one who forced Bianca to her death, weren’t you? You bribed someone to defame her and pressured her parents to their death, too. Never thought this day would come, huh?”

Scarlett’s eyes widened as she stared at him. “Y-You—”

“With connections and money, there’s nothing I can’t find. Wasn’t it the same for you? That’s how you managed to clean up your dad’s mess, no?” Wyatt asked with a smile.

“I have nothing to do with Bianca’s and her parents’ death! Someone killed her because they feared she’d expose them. I didn’t do it,” Scarlett blurted out.

Wyatt scoffed, “Are you sure it’s not you who feared she’d expose the secret of your dad’s company? You feared she would tell your mom about it and that your family’s company would fall. That’s why you

attacked their family, right?”

“I didn’t—”

Wyatt gripped her neck, making her tremble in pain and unable to speak.

“There’s no point in lying and pretending to be pitiful and weak in front of me. Killing you is easy, but I can make your life a living hell if I rid you of your wealth and power. You’ll be bullied for life,” Wyatt uttered coldly.

Although his tone was gentle, his expression was hostile. “Since you love cleaning up your dad’s mess and behaving so arrogantly, I’ll let you have a taste of what it’s like being powerless and forced to your death.”

 

Chapter 432

“Y-You monster! Is that why you’ve been treating me well all this while? So you could avenge Bianca?” Scarlett’s legs were shaking as the sudden realization dawned upon her.

“My, aren’t you a smart one, Ms. Yancey?” Wyatt walked up to her. “It’s too bad your father isn’t as lucky as you are. He didn’t even know how he died.”

Scarlett nearly let out a scream when she heard that. “You mean he didn’t die in a car accident? You were the one who killed him?” she asked in a trembling voice.

“Nonsense! I’m a law-abiding citizen! I would never do something illegal like that!”

“You’re a monster, Wyatt! Give me back my father!” Scarlett screamed at the top of her lungs while pounding against Wyatt’s chest, only to have Wyatt shove her to the floor.

Enraged, Scarlett scrambled to her feet and charged at Wyatt a second time.

Wyatt sent her flying backward with a swift kick to the stomach.

Scarlett screamed as she doubled over and trembled in pain.

Wyatt stared her down before making his way to his desk. He made a call using the telephone and said, “Send two security guards over to my office. There’s a piece of trash here that needs to be taken out.”

Three minutes later, two burly security guards arrived at the CEO’s office and dragged Scarlett out of there.

After that, Wyatt returned to his seat and carried on working as though nothing had happened.

He was busy going through his documents when his phone started ringing all of a sudden.

A glance at the caller ID revealed that it was a call from the housekeeper at Zenisan Villa.

“What is it?”

“Will you be coming home tonight, Mr. Lopez? Ms. Marsh’s morning sickness has worsened lately. She’s vomiting everything she eats. The doctor came over to examine her earlier. He said she needs to eat no matter what, or the baby—”

The look in Wyatt’s eyes grew cold as he shouted, “Then feed her again! What, am I not paying you all enough to prepare more meals?”

“It is enough, but Ms. Marsh vomits the food seconds after eating it. There’s not much we can do about that.”

“I’ll head over tonight!” Wyatt then hung up the phone.

The mere thought of how skinny Jessica had become irritated him to no end. As he glanced at his watch and saw that it was five in the evening, he decided to pack his stuff and leave the office.

On his way to the underground parking lot, Wyatt sent a text asking the other party to upload the pictures and videos all over the internet, including on school websites.

The sky was already dark by the time he arrived outside Zenisan Villa.

The look on his face turned gloomy when he entered the house and saw no sign of Jessica. “Did she not come downstairs today?” he asked the housekeeper.

“S-She did. Ms. Marsh spent some time in the garden in the afternoon when the weather was great. She went back upstairs at three and never came down after that,” the housekeeper replied.

Wyatt’s expression grew even colder after he heard that.

“Give me the food. I’ll bring it upstairs myself,” he said while handing the housekeeper his coat.

“Right away, Sir.”

The housekeepers quickly plated the food and handed it over to Wyatt.

All of them held their breaths anxiously as they watched him bring it upstairs.

Wyatt made his way up to the third floor and opened the bedroom door.

His gaze fell upon Jessica, who was sitting by the window, the moment he entered the room.

She had on a set of gray loungewear and was focused on reading a book. Her hands were so skinny that they looked as though they would snap from a gentle squeeze.

Wyatt placed the food down on the table, pulled up a chair, and sat down in front of her.

Jessica kept her head low and ignored him as she continued reading her book.

Feeling a little annoyed, Wyatt snatched her book away and tossed it onto the couch. He blew on a spoonful of soup before holding it up to her mouth.

Jessica showed no expression as she lowered her head and drank the soup.

She maintained that same blank look on her face as he continued feeding her.

Since she burned her drawing, Jessica rarely ever spoke.

She always remained on the third floor, even if he didn’t confine her to it. Most of the time, she would be either reading a book or staring blankly out the window. Even when sleeping together, Wyatt felt little

to no warmth from her, and that upset him deeply.

Wyatt had just finished feeding her the food when Jessica frowned all of a sudden. She held a hand over her mouth, ran toward the bathroom, and vomited everything up.

Jessica’s face was a little pale when she stepped out of the bathroom moments later. It pained Wyatt to see her suffering so much from her morning sickness.

As she sat down in front of him and continued reading the book, he asked, “I’ll take you overseas next week. Would you prefer to travel by sea or by plane? Are there any countries you would like to visit?”

Jessica did not respond.

Wyatt felt incredibly irritated when he saw her ignoring him again.

He snatched the book over, tossed it onto the carpet, and yelled, “I’ve already apologized to you and provided jobs to the family members of that housekeeper. What more do you f*cking want from me? Why are you being so cold to me?” He grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him. “Talk to me!”

“I don’t want to go anywhere. You want this child, so I’ll give birth to this child and leave you for good,” Jessica replied in an icy-cold tone.

“You think you can just walk away after everything you’ve done to me? You think I care about this child?” Wyatt asked with a vicious look on his face.

“Then go ahead and arrange for an abortion. There are plenty of women out there who can give you children.”

Wyatt slapped her hard across the face. He was so mad that he felt like killing her on the spot. “Why are you so heartless? An evil woman like you should never have existed!”

As the skin on Jessica’s face was rather thin, it turned red immediately after being slapped.

Even so, she simply pursed her lips and kept her head down without saying anything.

After a prolonged moment of silence, Wyatt brushed her off violently and left with the food tray.

Jessica picked up the book from the carpet and continued reading it on the couch. However, her fingers were trembling as she tried to turn the pages.

Wyatt took his anger out on the housekeepers after heading downstairs.

“Have her go for walks in the garden more often. Also, bring her a new dish every time she vomits! If I find out that she has gotten even skinnier the next time I see her, I will not spare all of you.”

The housekeepers were all shivering in fear when they heard that.

We chose to work here because of the high pay. Who would’ve thought Mr. Lopez would be such a hot- tempered and violent man?

Wyatt entered his study, where he worked till the wee hours of the morning. Upon making his way back to the third floor, he saw that the bedroom was dimly lit and figured Jessica was asleep.

Without switching on the lights, he entered the bathroom to take a shower and brush his teeth.

After that, he lifted a corner of the blanket and gently climbed into bed so as to not wake Jessica up.

She had her back facing him to put some distance between them. Naturally, Wyatt didn’t like that very much, so he reached over to pull her into his embrace. The feeling of her slender arms in his hands and her faint, fragrant scent set his heart at ease.

Right as he had gotten comfortable in bed, he heard the sound of his phone vibrating on the nightstand.

“What the f*ck is your problem? Why are you calling me at this hour?” he asked angrily upon answering the phone.

The person on the other line replied softly, “I’m sorry for disturbing you, Mr. Lopez. You told me to call immediately if anything happened, so…”

 

Chapter 433

Not wanting to wake Jessica up, Wyatt lowered his voice to a whisper. “Is this about Scarlett?”

“Yes, Mr. Lopez. She’s dead. Her mother saw the videos on the school website. She never made it out of the operating room after that. Unable to cope with the loss, Scarlett jumped off the top floor of her office building,” the person replied.

“Oh, I see. Anything else?” Wyatt asked placidly.

“News about Scarlett’s suicide is currently spreading like wildfire. Do you need me to take care of that?”

“What for? Her entire family is dead. She can’t possibly cause any further damage. Do you have anything else to report? If not, I’ll be hanging up now.”

Wyatt placed the phone back on the nightstand, pulled Jessica back into his arms, and tugged the blanket over their shoulders.

The room fell into silence once again.

Jessica waited until she heard him snoring an hour later before slowly opening her eyes.

She gently lifted Wyatt’s arm and waited a few minutes to see if he would wake up. After making sure that he was still asleep, she eased her way out of his embrace.

With her feet bare, she made her way over to the nightstand and picked up the phone.

She snuck into the bathroom, locked the door, and stood next to the window as she tried to unlock the phone.

It took her two tries to get the password right.

After checking the balance in his bank account and confirming that he hadn’t changed his password, she quickly logged out and dialed a number.

It took quite a while for the person to answer the phone. “Hello?”

“Hey, Uncle Oliver. It’s me.” Jessica tried her best to sound calm so Oliver wouldn’t notice anything off about her.

“Oh, Jessica? Where are you? I went to see you at the office, but they told me you had resigned. I saw the news about the death of Stargrasp’s owner. Was it you who—”

“Yes, they’re all dead. I’ve avenged Bianca and my parents,” Jessica replied.

“You haven’t answered my question. Where are you?”

“I’m busy with my work overseas. In fact, I forgot to bring my phone today because I was too busy. I’m calling you on my friend’s phone right now,” Jessica said in the calmest voice possible.

“You’re overseas? Then why is this phone number from Chanaea?” Oliver asked in confusion.

“My friend has a Chanaea phone number for calling home. International calls are expensive.” Not wanting to arouse his suspicion, she quickly tried to change the topic. “Anyway, I helped you and Aunt Danielle apply for Jetroina visas. I’ll transfer five hundred thousand into your bank account later, so you can pack your stuff and take Aunt Danielle on vacation. I’ll go visit you two when I get some time off work.”

“Why would you want us to go on vacation all of a sudden, Jessica? Are you sure you’re all right?” Oliver asked worriedly.

“I’m fine, Uncle Oliver. I just wanted you two to go enjoy yourselves now that everything has been taken care of. All right, make sure to take Aunt Danielle on vacation. I’ll give you a call if I’m able to visit you

two,” Jessica replied with a chuckle and hung up the phone before Oliver could even respond.

She also made sure to block his number to prevent him from calling back.

After that, she used Wyatt’s bank account to transfer five hundred thousand over to Oliver.

Upon receiving confirmation of the successful bank transfer, she quickly deleted the transaction information and switched the phone off.

After that, she returned to the bed and placed the phone back on the nightstand.

She had just climbed into bed when Wyatt pulled her into his arms.

Jessica quickly turned around in shock, only to breathe a sigh of relief when she saw that he had done it subconsciously in his sleep.

Wyatt is no longer the same man I used to know. Not only is he often moody and unpredictable, but he’s also capable of doing pretty much anything. I need to be more careful around him. There’s no telling if he’ll take his anger out on Uncle Oliver and Aunt Danielle. Well, they’ll be safe as long as they’re not in Norwal City…

As Scarlett’s father was the owner of Stargrasp, news of her suicide spread like wildfire all over Norwal City. It caused such a huge scene that even Rayna had heard about it.

Of course, she didn’t think much about it when she first saw it on television. After seeing the news of Scarlett’s father dying in a car accident a few months ago, however, Rayna connected the dots and realized there was more to it than met the eye.

Those who died that night were the ones who caused Bianca’s death… And now, Scarlett has committed suicide as well. Is this Jessie avenging her sister? But Jefferson is in Jetroina right now, so he couldn’t possibly have helped her out. Was it Wyatt who helped her? Given his attitude and what he

said the other day, it doesn’t seem very likely. Besides, he said he has already broken up with Jessie. There’s no way he’d lend her a hand!

As Jessica had helped Rayna out a lot when she went overseas with Jefferson, Rayna was very grateful to her.

She would do everything in her power to help Jessica out if she so much as asked.

However, she had no idea where Jessica had gone as she hadn’t heard from her in a really long time.

Fearing that something terrible had happened to Jessica, Rayna didn’t even hear her assistant knocking on the door.

It wasn’t until Ella called out to her twice that she snapped out of her daze and asked, “What is it?”

“There’s a boy in the lobby asking to see you. He says he’s your nephew,” Ella replied.

Rayna figured it was probably Carl when she heard that. Oh, that’s right! Jasmine told me to look after Carl while she visits Theodore overseas!

Rayna went downstairs to welcome Carl in person.

“Carl!” she called out to him when she saw him sipping on a glass of water on the couch.

Carl put the glass down and hopped off the couch when he saw her coming.

It wasn’t until he got closer that Rayna noticed he had gotten a lot taller. “Wow! You sure are growing up fast! You look like you’re eight or nine years old now!”

“I can’t help it. My parents have amazing genes. You’re lucky to have such a handsome future son-in- law!” Carl said with a smug grin on his face.

Amused by his level of shamelessness, Rayna teased him, “What if I give birth to a boy instead?”

“Then give birth to another child.”

“The doctor said I have a high chance of conceiving boys, though. What if the second child turns out to be a boy as well?”

Carl frowned as he gave it some thought. “No, I’m sure you’ll have a daughter! Once you get pregnant, I’ll start praying that you get a baby girl!”

“Why didn’t you ask me to have a third child instead?” Rayna asked with a chuckle.

“The age gap would be too big, then. Think about it, if you and Mr. Curtis get married this year and have a baby in the next, you’ll need some time to recover before you can get pregnant again. Your second child and I will be seven years apart. She’ll think I’m too old for her then!”

Rayna gave him a pinch on the nose before bringing him to the elevator. “Wow, you sure have everything mapped out, huh? I will have a baby girl, but I won’t be marrying Curtis.”

Carl looked up at her and asked curiously, “Did you and Mr. Curtis get into a fight?”

“No, Carl. We broke up.”

“Why? Mr. Curtis treats you really well, doesn’t he? My mom says he has never treated any other woman this well!”

Rayna shuddered when she heard that.

After taking a deep breath to suppress her feelings, she flashed him a smile and said, “We broke up because we no longer have feelings for each other.”

Chapter 434

“Do you think you two will get back together someday?” Carl asked.

Rayna’s eyes teared up a little as she said, “It’s unlikely. Curtis has already found someone that he loves even more.”

“Huh… But I think you two are the most suitable for each other.”

Rayna gave him another pinch on the nose. “All right, let’s stop talking about Curtis. I may not be dating him, but I’ll still treat you all the same. Don’t tell me you’re giving up on my daughter just because Curtis and I aren’t together?”

Carl shook his head and said confidently, “I stand firm on my decision! I will be your son-in-law no matter who you marry in the future!”

Rayna nodded with a satisfied grin. “That’s more like it.”

She brought Carl into her office and handed him a box of snacks that she bought online.

“Whoa! You’ve got so many snacks! And here I thought you’d count your calories like my mom always does! She’s really scared of getting fat! I don’t even eat this many snacks in half a year!” Carl exclaimed while rummaging through the box of snacks.

“I’m not afraid of being fat, so I can eat whatever I like.” Feeling a little hungry, Rayna grabbed a chocolate bar from the box and started munching away.

For some reason, she had been eating really well ever since she returned to Chanaea. Seeing her tummy slowly get bigger set her heart at ease.

She decided to go get an examination when she wasn’t so busy with work.

Since she still had some work to do, she handed Carl a tablet to keep him entertained as he waited.

Carl sat on the couch and snacked on some chips while watching an Anglandurn film on the tablet.

He was halfway through the film when his phone vibrated inside his pocket.

A glance at the screen revealed that it was a text from Curtis: Your mom went overseas this morning. Do you want to come to stay with me? Or would you prefer to remain at your house? I’ll have the housekeeper look after you if you choose to stay home.

Carl replied: I’m surprised you still care about me, Mr. Curtis!

Curtis: Who else would care about you if I don’t?

Carl: My future mother-in-law, of course!

Curtis: Do you even know what the word “mother-in-law” means?

Carl: I may be young, but I’ve inherited my mom’s IQ. I know more than you think.

He took a picture of Rayna working at her desk and sent it to Curtis with the caption: My future mother- in-law!

Curtis: …

About ten seconds later, Curtis sent another text: If you’re staying with her, then I have nothing to worry about.

Carl: Did you and Ms. Rayna get into a fight, Mr. Curtis?

As though Curtis didn’t see that last text from him, Carl never received a reply from him.

He shifted his gaze between Rayna, who was still busy working, and his text conversation with Curtis.

It seems that they really have broken up, but why would they break up? Ms. Rayna seemed really upset when I asked her if they would get back together. I feel she actually wants to break up with him. Now that I think about it, Ms. Rayna looks just like Mom whenever she’s upset. Mom would say she hates Dad and wants to get me a rich father, but her love for Dad was all I could see in her eyes. Did Mr. Curtis really break up with Ms. Rayna because he fell in love with another woman? But he and Ms. Rayna are perfect for each other…

Carl stared at the tablet while thinking long and hard about the situation. Eventually, he came up with an absolutely brilliant idea.

It was almost time to leave the office by the time Rayna was done with her work.

“Come on, I’ll take you out for dinner. After that, we’ll go to your house and pack your clothes,” Rayna said while putting on her coat. Upon noticing the bright smile on Carl’s face, however, she shuddered and asked, “What are you plotting?”

“Nothing! I’m just in a good mood after watching a comedy series!” Carl replied with a shrug.

Rayna couldn’t help but feel that he was up to mischief when she saw him grinning from ear to ear.

Carl said he wanted to have some hamburgers, so Rayna brought him to a fast-food restaurant. They ordered so much food that she was worried they wouldn’t be able to finish it.

However, Rayna’s appetite turned out to be much better than Carl’s. She finished half of the food all by herself.

Even Carl was shocked when he saw that. “You’re amazing, Ms. Rayna! I can’t believe you ate three hamburgers!” he exclaimed while giving her a thumbs-up.

Rayna blushed slightly and cleared her throat as she replied, “I just got a little hungry because I didn’t eat much for lunch today.”

After dinner, she brought Carl home to pack his clothes.

Jasmine had left the house long ago, but the housekeepers were still present at the time. Seeing as she was with Carl, they decided to ask her for further instructions.

Jasmine still needs to manage Sanders Group, so she shouldn’t be gone for too long. With that in mind, Rayna told the housekeepers to go on vacation and clean the house fortnightly until Jasmine returned.

Carl came downstairs with his clothes all packed in a suitcase about ten minutes later, and Rayna drove him back to her condominium.

“I don’t have a lot of snacks at home. What would you like to eat? We’ll drop by the supermarket to stock up on snacks and get you some toiletries.”

Carl shot her a glance and stammered, “M-Ms. Rayna, could I go stay with Mr. Curtis instead?”

“What?”

“I gave it some thought earlier. You seem to be really busy with work, so I don’t want to bother you. Besides, I’m a boy, so it’ll be a lot easier if I stay with Mr. Curtis,” Carl replied.

Rayna let out a chuckle and asked, “What, you don’t like living with me just because I’m a woman?”

Carl nodded. “Kind of. I just want you to have a comfortable environment. I might end up disturbing you a lot if I stayed with you. Things would be different if I stayed with Mr. Curtis, though. I could even go jogging with him every morning.”

I thought he was being considerate, but I was wrong. He’s clearly just trying to avoid me!

After giving it some thought, Rayna let out a helpless sigh and said, “Oh, all right. If you like staying with Curtis so much, then I won’t stop you. I don’t know where his house is, though. Let me call him and ask for his address.”

As she pulled out her phone and was about to give Curtis a call, she recalled wanting to distance herself from him.

Carl wanting to stay with him probably isn’t a good enough reason for me to call him. Besides, what if it’s Stella who answers the phone instead?

After conjuring up all sorts of possible outcomes in her head, Rayna decided to just text Curtis for his address.

When Rayna didn’t receive a reply after waiting for a few minutes, she grew impatient and texted Gabriel instead.

Gabriel was in Faymon Group’s file archive searching for a document that Stella needed.

Upon receiving Rayna’s text, he told Stella to carry on searching. “It should be in the second drawer. I’ll be back after I reply to this text.”

He ran up to a corner and pulled up Rayna’s message.

He nearly lost his temper when he saw that she was asking where Curtis was. I know that you two are no longer dating, but you could have just called him directly!

Even so, he still went to ask Tilly about Curtis’ schedule for the day. After confirming that Curtis had no important plans that night, he replied: Mr. Faymon has probably returned to the Faymon residence or his own house.

Meanwhile, Stella was still searching through the files for the document she needed.

Suddenly, she noticed one with the letter “R” written on it. Since Gabriel was still texting in the corner, she pulled out the file and opened it.

 

Chapter 435

Stella was greeted by the words “Aoba Project” the moment she opened the file.

Her eyes went wide with shock, and she tightened her grip on the file as she read through the top- secret information.

Oh my goodness! I can’t believe Faymon Group managed to secure this project!

After going through the file, Stella quickly put it back where she found it.

She thought her job would be a simple one when she first came here. It wasn’t until Curtis saw right through her intentions that she realized things were a lot more complicated than she had expected.

Stella’s lips curled into a faint smile as she stared at the letter “R” on the folder.

Heh… This may be a difficult task, but I enjoy a good challenge! The harder it is to conquer a man, the more I feel like accomplishing it!

“Did you manage to find it, Stella?” Gabriel asked while making his way back.

“No, there are too many files here,” Stella said with a helpless sigh.

After going through a few more stacks of files, she finally found it on the top part of the shelf. “I see it! It’s on the top! Could you get it for me?”

“Where is it?” Gabriel asked while leaning in. He glanced in the direction of her finger and retrieved the file she was pointing at.

He was handing her the file when Stella wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss on the lips.

Gabriel panicked so much that he didn’t even know where to place his hands.

A few seconds later, he slowly rested them on her waist and pulled her in closer.

They kissed for a really long time before letting go of each other.

Stella let out a giggle and said, “You haven’t changed a bit! You’re still spacing out all the time as you did in school!”

Gabriel blushed slightly in embarrassment. “N-Now that we’ve found the file, let’s get out of here.”

“Okay! How about we go for some Jetroinian food?” On their way out, Stella added, “Thank goodness you were here to help me find this file. Had it been someone else, they’d have asked me to get this file registered before letting me view it. They would have also limited my time in the file archive and kicked me out when the time is up!”

“There’s a reason why the people working in the file archive do that. There’s a risk of people viewing top-secret documents in there, so they need to keep a close eye on those entering. Just let me know if you ever need any files in the future.”

Stella nodded. “It’s been a long time since I’ve tasted your mother’s cooking. I kind of miss it.”

Gabriel seized the opportunity and asked, “How about coming over to my place for dinner this weekend?”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to trouble your mother.”

“Don’t worry about it! I’m sure my mom would be happy to have you over!”

Stella pursed her lips and flashed him a faint smile. “All right, then. I’ll drop by this weekend.”

As the Faymon residence was quite far away, Rayna brought Carl over to Curtis’ house instead. She was expecting to have to wait for him outside his door, as he probably wouldn’t be home just yet.

Upon arriving outside the house, however, she saw that the lights were on.

She brought Carl up to the front door and rang the doorbell.

Curtis answered the door shortly after.

He was still wearing a white dress shirt, which suggested that he had just gotten home not long ago. He froze in surprise when he saw Rayna standing at the door. “What are you doing here? Is it—”

“Hi, Mr. Curtis!” Carl cut him off before he could finish.

It wasn’t until Curtis lowered his gaze that he saw Carl standing next to her.

Carl was grinning from ear to ear as he waved at him.

Rayna placed a hand on Carl’s shoulder and said helplessly, “Jasmine went overseas. She told me to look after Carl while she’s away, but he told me that he prefers to stay with you instead.”

Curtis shot Carl a speechless glance in response.

I asked this brat if he’d like to come to stay with me, and he told me that he preferred to stay with Rayna… Why did he change his mind so quickly?

As he didn’t respond, Rayna assumed Curtis didn’t like having Carl over.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to do this, Mr. Faymon.”

“I’m living by myself, so it’s no problem at all.” Curtis took Carl’s suitcase over. “I just need to place an additional order whenever I order takeout, that’s all. He can stay with me.”

And here I thought Rayna came over because she was craving cheese buns again…

“You…” Rayna was about to tell him to not order takeout so often but held her tongue as she figured it wasn’t her place to say so. After giving it some thought, she handed Carl over to him. “I’ll be leaving him in your care, then. Sorry to trouble you like this.”

“It’s no trouble at all,” Curtis replied.

Rayna nodded, and the two of them went quiet after that.

Noticing an awkward tension between them, Carl decided to remain silent as well.

Eventually, Rayna was the first to speak up. “I’ll be on my way now.”

Curtis nodded. “Okay.”

It’s not raining heavily tonight, nor is she making any attempt to stay over, so I can’t really keep her from leaving…

“Have you finished your oranges?” he asked after a brief pause.

“No. I still have quite a lot left.”

“Let me know when you run out of oranges. I’ll have someone send them over to your condominium.”

As Rayna had decided to cut ties with him, she didn’t want to accept his offers if possible. “Thanks, but that won’t be necessary. I’ve kind of gotten sick of oranges by now. I’ll go for some other fruits instead.”

Curtis felt a little uncomfortable with how cold she was being.

Rayna gave Carl a pat on the head and said, “Be a good boy and listen to Mr. Curtis, okay? Don’t cause him any trouble while you’re here.”

Carl nodded and waved her goodbye. “Drive safely, Ms. Rayna!”

“I will!”

Still feeling uncomfortable and irritated, Curtis simply stood there and watched as Rayna got into her car.

It wasn’t until her car had vanished from sight that he grabbed Carl’s suitcase and brought him into the house. “There are plenty of empty rooms upstairs, so you can pick the one you want to stay in.” After recalling something, he added, “Except for the guest room in front of my bedroom.”

“Why is that, Mr. Curtis? What if I insist on staying in that one?” Carl asked curiously.

Curtis shot him a glance and pointed at the doghouse in the corner. “Then I will have you sleep with Lucky.”

“How could you be so mean to me, Mr. Curtis?” Carl protested with a pout.

Curtis let out a defiant snort and made his way to the kitchen. “Anyway, have you had dinner? I made some cheese buns.”

Couch hopped on the couch and reached for the television remote as he replied, “I had some burgers with Ms. Rayna earlier, but I don’t mind having two cheese buns for dessert.”

Curtis frowned. “Hamburgers are bad for your health. You shouldn’t eat them too often.”

“You should tell Ms. Rayna that, Mr. Curtis! She bought too many hamburgers and ended up eating three all by herself! I’m not talking about ordinary burgers either. Those were huge double

cheeseburgers!” Carl said with an exaggerated expression.

“How does she eat that much without feeling bloated?” Curtis asked in surprise.

Chapter 436

Curtis was bustling around in the kitchen with his back to Carl and didn’t reply to him.

Carl went straight into the kitchen. Standing beside the man, he lifted his head and inquired, “Why didn’t you reply to the message I sent you this afternoon, Mr. Curtis? Have you really broken up with Ms. Rayna?”

Receiving no response, he called out, “Mr. Curtis?”

A while later, he pressed on, “Why aren’t you saying anything, Mr. Curtis?” His voice was booming, blasting toward Curtis at full force.

Some time passed before Curtis finally answered in the affirmative.

“Why? Ms. Rayna is so nice. Does the person you love more surpass her in looks?” Carl asked.

At that question, Curtis glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. “There’s no one I love more.”

Frowning, Carl muttered, “But Ms. Rayna said you’ve got someone you love more and broke up with her because of that.”

“No,” Curtis denied once more. Deftly taking out the piping hot buns from the steamer, he added, “She was the one who asked for a breakup, and I merely respected her decision.”

That had Carl wholly confounded. “Huh? Then why did she ask for a breakup?”

Without bothering to answer that, Curtis grabbed his back collar with one hand while holding the buns in the other. Walking into the living room, he tossed Carl onto the couch as though hurling a cushion. “Don’t ask any more questions. Eat some buns.”

“But—”

Carl was utterly curious to know why the couple broke up, but he ended up intimidated by Curtis’ sharp gaze. Lowering his head, he took a bun from the plate.

Seeing the bun’s appearance, he couldn’t help grumbling inwardly. The bun he made is really unsightly. The mere sight of them is unappetizing!

Curtis likewise took a bun from the plate before querying casually, “Did your father contact you and your mother often after going abroad?”

“During the first two months, Daddy had video calls with us every day, but later, he didn’t even call us. He said he’s exceedingly busy, and I’m worried that I’ll disrupt him if I call him,” Carl admitted in a muffled voice, having taken a bite of the bun.

“Is that so?” Curtis’ brows knitted together.

He knew that Theodore’s father was injured in Xyperia, so Theodore had gone over to help.

But there’s nothing serious over there, no? Why did he stay there for a few months?

Carl happened to bite into the filling in the bun, and his face contorted at once.

Since Curtis was there, he could only swallow the bun with much difficulty. Picking up the glass of fruit juice, he downed more than half its content. “Where did you buy this bun, Mr. Curtis?”

Curtis took a bite as well. “I made it. Isn’t it pretty—”

When he ate the filling, spiciness and saltiness pervaded his entire mouth. Verily, it tasted horrible.

In a flash, his expression froze.

“It’s okay, Mr. Curtis. This makes it evident that you’ve got no talent for cooking. Nevertheless, you’re an expert in making money,” Carl comforted, patting the man on the shoulder as though he was older than his age.

Curtis forced himself to swallow the filling as he eyed the bun in his hand. Oh God, this is downright awful!

That night, Rayna had polished off the entire plate of cheese buns, so he had thought they were incredibly delicious. It wasn’t until after he sampled them that he realized they tasted atrocious.

Yet, Rayna ate them all.

As he recalled how she had sung praises of the buns while eating them, his emotions became a jumbled mess.

It’s obviously horrible, but she finished the entire plate of cheese buns just for the sake of preserving my dignity. Judging from my cooking skills, the spaghetti bolognese I made in the morning must have been rather unpalatable as well. Yet, she also polished it off.

He heaved a faint sigh. “This woman is just…”

Truly, she makes it impossible for me to hate her.

“Who? Are you referring to Ms. Rayna, Mr. Curtis?” Carl inquired, intrigue brimming in his eyes.

“No.”

“Who were you talking about, then, Mr. Curtis?”

Finding him too talkative, Curtis outright ignored him and stood up to head upstairs.

Locking his phone, Carl followed behind the man. “It’s okay even if you don’t end up with Ms. Rayna, Mr. Curtis. Anyway, she’s still my future mother-in-law.”

Words eluded Curtis.

“People say daughters resemble their mothers, so Ms. Rayna’s future daughter will definitely take after her in the looks department. She’ll undoubtedly be beautiful!”

That comment struck Curtis dumb.

At long last, he snapped and stopped walking. Jerking his head back, he glowered at Carl. “If you continue yakking, I’ll throw you and your luggage out and leave you to sleep on the streets.”

Shrinking into himself, Carl groused, “I didn’t speak ill of you, Mr. Curtis.”

Curtis lifted his hand threateningly.

“I’m going to pick a bedroom for myself, Mr. Curtis! Bye!” Carl quickly fled after saying that, realizing that the man wasn’t joking.

With his voice gone, Curtis found it much more peaceful.

He stayed in the study for two hours before returning to his room to shower after finishing his work.

When he came out of the bathroom in a robe, he was greeted by the sight of Lucky sprawled on the carpet beside the bed. It had entered the room at some point in time.

He wondered why Happy was missing this time when the dog and cat were usually together at all times. It took a while before he remembered that it had long since been taken away by Rayna.

At the sight of him, the dog started wagging its initially limp tail. It was as though it wanted him to play with it.

Alas, Curtis purposefully stared straight ahead.

He sat down on the edge of the bed. Something seemingly occurred to him, for he opened the side drawer. However, he found that the silk scarf inside was missing. He opened the second drawer for a look, but still, it wasn’t there.

Did Gabriel come into the bedroom and touch my things?

Immediately, Curtis gave Gabriel a call.

As soon as the call was connected, Gabriel reported before he could even say anything, “I’ve already settled the matter regarding Mr. Reed! Also, I’ve sent all the documents you wanted to your email!”

“Why are you so nervous?”

“I’m afraid that you’d be in a bad mood and send me to Yeringham again,” Gabriel admitted pitifully.

Back then, he inexplicably said he wanted to send me to Yeringham to work for some time. But when I was about to board the plane with my luggage, he gave me a call and said I didn’t need to go anymore. I’m a bit scared, what with him changing his mind so often now. I plan to bring Stella home for a meal this weekend, so I don’t want to be sent to Yeringham at this juncture!

Paying his words no mind, Curtis demanded, “Did you touch my things when you came to pick Rayna up previously?”

“No. I waited for Ms. Garland to pack her things before driving her away. Did you lose something, Mr. Faymon?”

After more than ten seconds of silence, Curtis divulged, “I lost a silk scarf.”

“A silk scarf?”

Chagrined by Gabriel’s exaggerated surprise, Curtis threatened coldly, “You really want to go to Yeringham, do you?”

Gabriel hastily denied, “No, not at all! I want to remain by your side, Mr. Faymon! What kind of silk scarf is it, Mr. Faymon? Could you have put it someplace and forgotten about it?”

“I’ve always kept it in the drawer of the right bedside table, so that isn’t plausible. You’ve seen it once. It’s a dark blue Hermès silk scarf.” Curtis sounded a touch awkward.

“I remember now! When I came over to pick Ms. Garland up that day, Lucky sprinted downstairs with a silk scarf in its mouth. I thought it belonged to Ms. Garland!”

Indeed, it belongs to Rayna. But…

Curtis looked down with a baleful expression on his face, planning to settle the score with the dog, only to find that the carpet was empty, as it had taken off ages ago. Such rage flooded him that his blood boiled.

I’ve been feeding it top-notch food and water, yet it keeps going against me!

“Mr. Faymon? How about I seek Ms. Garland out early tomorrow morning and ask her for the silk scarf?” Gabriel couldn’t help venturing when he received no response from the man even after a long while had passed.

“No, it’s okay. All right, that’s all,” Curtis uttered placidly before ending the call.

That silk scarf is the only thing she left me. Since she took it back, so be it. Asking her for it out of the blue will only lower my status, making it seem as though I miss her desperately.

 

Chapter 437

After Rayna sent Carl back to Curtis’ place, she devoted herself fully to work.

She had Ella vacate an office for the team Faymon Group had sent over before selecting two outstanding planners from Glory’s planning department to prepare for the promotion of the new perfume posthaste.

As there was a bet-on agreement with another company this time, she wasn’t idle but monitored the entire process.

After the team members from Faymon Group took a whiff of the new perfume, they immediately proposed hiring the most popular female celebrity at present to shoot a short commercial. With the celebrity’s popularity and her fans’ purchasing power, the perfume would undoubtedly fly off the shelves.

However, the planners from Glory disagreed, saying that the idea was no different from the existing promotional strategies in the market. On top of that, they even furtively hinted that those from Faymon Group merely had mediocre capabilities.

Naturally, those from Faymon Group wouldn’t take it lying down. They instantly retorted that Glory wouldn’t have had to borrow people from Faymon Group if they were all that capable.

Both parties had a row every time they had a meeting, the ruckus giving Rayna a pounding headache.

It was a critical juncture presently, so she couldn’t rebuke either party. All she could do was mediate the conflict. “Everyone’s opinions are great. Regretfully, Glory has a limited budget to hire an ambassador and shoot a commercial. The rate for the most popular female celebrity to shoot a one-minute

commercial is at least ten million, and it’s also a bit bland to have a single theme to promote the perfume.”

“How about having a few more themes, then? But the duration of the commercial will have to be lengthened accordingly,” someone from Faymon Group suggested.

On the heels of that, someone from Glory countered, “Perfume commercials of luxury brands range from three to six minutes, but the celebrities they hire are A-list superstars. Although the commercials are lengthy, their fans have no complaints. We can’t afford to hire any A-list stars. If the commercial is lengthy, everyone will probably stop watching after seeing the length and obscure celebrity.”

Those from Faymon Group nodded in agreement before surmising, “Ms. Garland, you previously said that the budget for a commercial is limited. If we want a few themes, the cost will definitely double. I think it’s better to stick to a single theme.”

“A single theme is too boring. Besides, an obscure celebrity doesn’t have many fans and won’t be able to generate sales,” someone from Glory said.

“If you’re so smart, you give an idea instead!”

“No, no, you people from Faymon Group are far smarter, so you guys make the call.”

Dissenting opinions rang out, one after another.

Upon seeing that they had started arguing again just minutes into the discussion, Rayna massaged her temples.

She flipped through the huge stack of photos of prominent female celebrities on the table.

When she reached the picture of a sweetly smiling woman in a pink and blue dress holding a round fan in hand with a sense of shyness and timidity in her eyes as though the person holding the camera was

a man she admired, her cloudy mind gradually gained clarity.

In a flash, an idea popped into her mind.

At once, she ordered Ella, “Spray the new perfume onto three fragrance tester strips, one for a minute, the other for half a minute, and freshly for the final one. Go and do it right away!”

“Understood.” Ella promptly rushed out.

The team from Faymon Group and the planners from Glory at the conference table were entirely bewildered by Rayna’s actions.

“What are you doing, Ms. Garland?”

In response, Rayna gestured for them to wait quietly. “I’ll tell you about it in a minute.”

A minute later, Ella pushed open the door and hurried in with three fragrance tester strips and a sample of the new perfume in hand.

She sprayed the perfume on the outermost fragrance tester strips before handing all three of them to Rayna. “They’re a minute, half a minute, and freshly sprayed, from left to right.”

Taking the three fragrance tester strips, Rayna brought them to her nose and took a sniff. Every time she did so, she closed her eyes and pondered for about ten seconds. Everyone at the conference table observed her actions with curiosity.

After she took in the smell of three fragrance tester strips of the same perfume yet of different durations, she opened her eyes and declared, “Let’s have three themes for this perfume, spanning from the ancient and medieval to modern times.”

Surprise inundated everyone present. “Three themes? Won’t that exceed the budget too much?”

“You’ve yet to explain your idea, Ms. Garland. We don’t quite understand when you just mentioned three themes.”

“Is three minutes enough for three themes?”

“We’ll go with three themes. As for the plot, I’ll discuss it with Faymon Group’s copywriter, and you’ll all know about it during the meeting next week,” Rayna concluded, very much confident in her plan. While saying that, she got to her feet. “This is all for the meeting this time. Thank you, everyone.”

Thereafter, she left with Ella. Striding out, she handed the photo earlier to the latter. “Contact this artist’s manager from Excellent Entertainment Company and ask whether she’s willing to sign a three- minute commercial for three million.”

Ella took the photo and glanced at it. A frown marred her countenance, and she cautioned, “This artist, Kelly, has just won the Best New Artist Award, and her popularity is booming. She’ll never agree to it.”

Unfazed, Rayna merely chuckled. “If she doesn’t agree, just choose some C or D-list celebrity or even hold a campus audition. Trust me, the person doing this three-minute commercial is going to shoot to stardom.”

Truth be told, Ella was surprised.

She’s so confident in her plan?

Because of Rayna’s firm resolution, the team from Faymon Group grew dissatisfied. They felt she might be an expert in attracting investment and doing business since she was the vice CEO, but she couldn’t possibly be their match in copywriting and publicity.

Some even took to the internal channel and griped about the difficulties of being sent to another company to help, complaining about how the employer insisted on having her way when she knew

nothing.

That complaint attracted much attention. Everyone speculated what company it could be, and the members of the team from Faymon Group that was sent to Glory deliberately spilled the beans.

When they all saw it was Glory and remembered that the company’s new vice CEO was Rayna, the entire channel was abuzz.

Gabriel liked to scroll through the internal channel when he had nothing to do and happened across that post. Coincidentally, when he went to Excellent Entertainment Company to retrieve a document, he also heard a manager mocking Glory’s assistant about the latter’s delusion to have an artist under her shoot a commercial for three million.

Truthfully speaking, he had no idea whether Curtis still had any contact with Rayna after their breakup. However, the things the man instructed him to do made him feel that he was concerned about her.

Stella advised him against interfering in the couple’s matters to avoid bringing trouble upon himself, but he really didn’t want Curtis to seek him out again when the latter saw some negative news about Rayna.

“Mr. Faymon, Glory seems like a hot topic recently. Would you like to know about it?” he cryptically asked when he returned to Faymon Group to send a document to Curtis.

Curtis kept his head lowered, his voice low and cold. “If you’re too free, stay at the office to work overtime tonight.”

“No, no, I’m very busy! I’ve still got a ton of work to do. I just find Glory all too amusing for offering three million for an artist under our film and television company to shoot a commercial.”

“Glory signed a bet-on agreement with Daystar, so whatever they do is constricted by a limited budget. If they exceed it, Glory won’t compensate them, so they’re trying to be as frugal as possible,” Curtis explained placidly.

“Daystar…” Gabriel found that name very much familiar. After a few seconds of puzzlement, a light bulb suddenly went off in his head. “I-Isn’t that a company under Faymon Group? Glory signed a bet-on agreement with us?”

“Yeah.”

Hearing that mild affirmation, Gabriel was entirely blindsided.

Daystar and Glory have a bet-on agreement, yet Faymon Group loaned its elites from the planning department to Glory. Whoa! If the higher-ups from Daystar were to learn about it, they’d probably burst a blood vessel. They went to great lengths to profit off Glory, but he’s providing the enemy with talents!

As he was wordlessly analyzing Curtis’ series of actions, the latter’s voice drifted into his ears. “Contact that artist’s manager and have her sign the contract with Glory for three million.”

Gabriel was wholly floored.

Without giving him any time to digest things, Curtis continued, “Then check the market rate and compensate that artist accordingly. That aside, give her two movies with huge investments and three international luxury brand endorsements.”

Huh?

Gabriel was stupefied, his expression blank.

 

Chapter 438

Curtis looked up to see Gabriel rooted to his spot in a daze. He frowned and demanded, “Don’t you understand my order?”

Gabriel stared at Curtis in disbelief. “You’ve already given her three international endorsement contracts. Are you really going to give the part in this highly anticipated movie to Kelly even though she’s just a rookie celebrity? That’s an incredible opportunity especially since A-list celebrities don’t even have the chance to star in it!” He made a bold assumption. “Are you offering to support Glory financially because they have limited resources? You’re trying to help Ms. Garland, aren’t you? Are you still in a relationship with Ms. Garland or not?”

“Just do as I say.” Curtis narrowed his eyes, his tone indicating dissatisfaction. “I don’t have to explain my actions to you.”

Gabriel reminded him, “Mr. Faymon, Daystar’s higher-ups will find out about this soon.”

“So what?”

Gabriel was speechless.

Fine! Mr. Faymon is choosing to support Ms. Garland and overlooking the benefits of his own company in the process. What else can I say?

Gabriel took a deep breath and scurried off to do as instructed.

He contacted a manager at Excellent Entertainment Company to inform him about Curtis’ order first, then contacted Kelly’s manager.

Kelly’s manager was thrilled to hear that Faymon Group would be covering the additional costs for the three-minute video contract. Besides, Kelly would also secure a role in a movie and endorsement deals with luxury brands. He broke into a wide smile at the unexpected windfall.

Afraid that if he provided Kelly with these resources, it would make the company’s other celebrities wonder if Kelly had something to do with Curtis, Gabriel made an effort to spread rumors to divert their attention. He worked so hard that he nearly collapsed from exhaustion.

Ah, I went that far just for Mr. Faymon’s sake!

After getting all the work done, Gabriel entered his office to rest for a bit. A while later, Stella came in with a stack of files in her arms.

She was dressed in a white shirt and a pair of white slacks that highlighted her figure, making her look both beautiful and professional.

“Here, these are from the previous season. I’ve verified the data.” Stella placed the files on the desk. As Gabriel seemed exhausted, she asked, “Are you busy? I didn’t see you at work these few days.”

“Yes.” Gabriel took a sip of his coffee. “Glory has decided on their advertising campaign for their new perfume. They have chosen a rookie celebrity from Excellent Entertainment Company, Kelly as the spokesperson.”

Stella grew curious. “Then Excellent Entertainment Company should be the one discussing the contract with Glory. Why are you in charge?”

Gabriel hesitated for a moment. It wasn’t a secret, and Stella was an employee of Faymon Group, so he gave her the file. “Glory has a tight budget and is only willing to pay three million to hire Kelly.”

“Really?” Stella flipped through the file and perused it briefly. “I heard that Daystar, Faymon Group’s subsidiary, signed a bet-on agreement. That is a violation of the contract. Will Daystar’s higher-ups agree with Faymon Group’s decision?”

Gabriel shrugged helplessly. “Even if they disagree, there’s nothing they can do. It’s Mr. Faymon’s decision. I’m actually curious about how Mr. Faymon feels about Ms. Garland.”

Stella’s expression turned dark. She quickly regained control of her emotions and smiled. “I think he wants to make amends to her. After all, it was Ms. Garland who held the fort when the Faymons had a conflict. She was a true star, and Faymon Group owes her one.” Her voice was gentle. “If Glory’s new perfume doesn’t perform well and the bet-on agreement fails, Ms. Garland will most likely be fired. Mr. Faymon doesn’t want to see her fail, so he’s kind enough to offer some assistance for old times’ sake.”

Her words made sense to Gabriel. Mr. Faymon has broken up with Ms. Garland, so he’s only helping her for old times’ sake. However, he has done that too many times after their breakup.

“Wait.” Something occurred to Gabriel, and he gazed at Stella curiously. “I didn’t tell you about Ms. Garland working at Faymon Group. How do you know about that?”

Stella pointed at the ground. “Word gets around. If you’re a woman, you will hear tons of gossip in the restroom or the pantry.”

“Wow, women gossip a lot, huh?” Gabriel chuckled and shook his head. He stopped pondering over the matter.

Carl might be staying with Curtis, but he didn’t forget to contact Rayna on WhatsApp every day.

His texts mainly consisted of complaints. For instance, he said Curtis was a clean freak who would hire a cleaner to clean the house even if it was only slightly dirty. Carl also complained that he was tired of eating takeout food three times a day. Curtis attempted to cook but was bad at it. He even took pictures

of the unsuccessful meals Curtis prepared and sent them to Rayna. Carl said that Curtis was fortunate that he was rich and could afford takeout food. Otherwise, Curtis would have starved to death if he had to survive on his cooking alone.

Feeling sorry for Carl, Rayna replied: I’ll cook yummy food and have someone deliver them to you tomorrow.

Carl’s answer arrived mere seconds later: Ms. Rayna, you’re the best! Mr. Curtis leaves me to my own devices. He gives me money to dismiss me. I don’t want him to cook anymore. I’m afraid of his cooking.

Rayna: I told you to move in with me but you refused.

Carl: No. I need to stay with Mr. Curtis and keep an eye on him to see who his new girlfriend is. I’ve been living with him for a while now, but he comes home every night on time and doesn’t smell of women’s perfume.

Rayna: So… you moved in with him to keep an eye on him?

Carl: Yeah. Ms. Rayna, has Mr. Curtis’ sexual orientation changed? Is that why he doesn’t have a girlfriend now?

Rayna was amused to read Carl’s text. I wonder what books he has been reading recently to fill his head with all those nonsensical ideas.

Right then, Jefferson called. She didn’t reply to Carl and answered the call.

Jefferson asked, “Are you doing well in Norwal City?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Rayna glanced at the time and chuckled. “You should be busy right now. Why did you call me at this hour? Aren’t you busy?”

“No, I miss you, so I decided to call you.” His voice was gentle and seductive.

Rayna pretended not to hear that and asked, “When are you coming back?”

“Not anytime soon,” Jefferson admitted with a sigh. He sounded helpless and uneasy.

Curtis was in Norwal City. Jefferson desperately wanted to go there to be with Rayna to prevent them from any interactions with each other. However, he was busy here and had yet to find a subordinate he could trust.

Rayna furrowed her brows in curiosity. “Is the company busy planning a huge project? Is that why you’re so busy?”

“Yes. It’s a large-scale project.” Jefferson paused and asked softly, “Do you know about Aoba Project?”

“No. What is that?”

“The emergence of the internet has brought about a revolution in communication and data sharing, with more and more devices connecting to it. Last December, the number of mobile broadband users worldwide reached an astonishing ten billion. However, as mobile data traffic continues to surge, it leads to slower data processing, increased latency in downloads, and instability in voice calls across the globe.”

“So Aoba Project focuses on researching the latest mobile communication technology?” Rayna quickly understood his words and inhaled sharply. “This project is definitely large-scale, and it cannot be completed in just a few years. Don’t tell me you built a lab and hired experts to research mobile communication technology.”

“I had that idea for some time, but it didn’t occur to me that someone would be faster than me. Jetroina has already started on Aoba Project. The team leader is Mr. Tezuka, who came from IK Company.” He paused for a moment before continuing, “But the person behind Aoba Project isn’t from Jetroina. I heard he’s an investor from Chanaea. He’s provided Mr. Tezuka’s team with an unlimited amount of funding to conduct their research.”

 

Chapter 439

“This is a large project that could greatly impact their country’s GDP. Why didn’t their government provide them with funding?” Rayna was more curious about the investor. “There are many wealthy individuals in Chanaea, so it won’t be easy to find out who it is.”

“That’s true,” Jefferson said with a grin. “Capitalists will always prioritize profit. If the country won’t give them the money they need, they’ll just find another wealthy partner who will. As long as they get to make money, they don’t really care who gets the technology.”

“I understand.” Rayna pursed her lips. “Call me sentimental, but if that’s my country, I won’t let others get the technology.”

She knew that one day she would pass away, leaving behind the money she had worked so hard to acquire. Yet, she found a greater pride in seeing her country develop and flourish before her time on earth came to an end.

Rayna inquired, “What is the reason for your extended stay in Jetroina if you are not in charge of Aoba Project? Did you locate the person in charge and invest in the project?”

“Arnaud knows about Aoba Project, too. His minion is working in Mr. Tezuka’s team,” Jefferson said solemnly. “He’s doing his best to contact the big boss to invest in the project.”

Rayna fell silent for a while, then said through gritted teeth, “He may be a b*stard, but he’s smart. He certainly has a lot of experts at his disposal. Look, his minion managed to get into such a project.”

She wished she could kill Arnaud every time she remembered what happened to Kristie.

Rayna never forgot why she offered to come back to Norwal City to help Jefferson valiantly. She longed for the day three years later when the bet-on agreement between Boniel and the two brothers came to

an end so that she could witness Arnaud’s downfall with her own eyes. She couldn’t wait to see the look of dismay on his face when he was stripped of his power, wealth, and social status.

The game had just started, but Arnaud already had a clear advantage. Rayna felt this was unfair.

She took a deep breath and said calmly, “We can’t wait for three years for Aoba Project to succeed. If Arnaud can contact the investor, we’ll lose right away. Don’t rush back here. You should take care of the company in Jetroina and keep an eye on Arnaud. I’ll stay here in Norwal City and look around for that investor. If I come across any high-end cocktail parties, I’ll attend them and ask around. I’ll keep you posted if I find any updates.”

“Okay.” Jefferson felt sorry for her. “Don’t work too much and get more rest.”

“I’m fine. The babies are behaving well.” Rayna caressed her belly. Her baby bump was showing, so she had to wear loose clothing to hide it. “In fact, they are growing too well.” She sighed helplessly. “I think I won’t be able to hide my belly when I’m five or six months along. I’m thinking of settling work at the company before that happens.”

That way, she wouldn’t have to worry too much when she was working remotely.

Jefferson chuckled aloud. “Do they kick you often? Are they naughty?”

“Yes, they do kick me. I always get woken up rudely by their kicks,” she grumbled. “Now that their limbs have formed, they even started fighting in my womb. Sometimes, I can’t help but grow annoyed at all the kicking.”

“I think they are vying to be the firstborn.”

Rayna didn’t know how to respond. “Why would they fight over that? It’s tiring being the firstborn.”

She was talking to Jefferson over the phone when someone knocked on the door. At once, she lowered her voice and said, “I need to get back to work.”

After the call ended, she told the person to come in.

Ella came into the office and gave her the file with a surprised look. “Ms. Garland, Kelly from Excellent Entertainment Company signed the contract with us and for three million too! She didn’t even try to bargain for more.”

“Really?” Rayna asked, her eyes widening in surprise. She took the file and flipped through it, her brow furrowing in concentration. “Well, it’s because we have a tight budget. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have offered such a low price. After Kelly caught my attention, I realized she was a popular rookie from Excellent Entertainment Company. I was thinking of sending you to some universities to pick someone else if she refuses to sign with us.”

Ella grinned and chimed in, “To everyone’s surprise, she decided to go with it despite being offered such a low price, right?”

Rayna hummed in agreement as she examined the contract. However, something tugged at the back of her mind. “I heard that Kelly’s manager was known for being difficult to negotiate with. Did they make any other demands before signing the contract?”

“No. On the contrary, they seemed delighted to sign the contract,” came Ella’s answer. “The manager couldn’t stop grinning as though he had landed a great deal.”

Rayna’s frown deepened. “Kelly gets paid way more than three million for either of her endorsement contracts. Why is she delighted to get paid a mere three million to shoot a three-minute video?”

“I heard that Kelly is riding on Mr. Faymon’s coattails.” Ella thought about it and asked hesitantly, “Ms. Garland, did we get lucky because Kelly was in a good mood?”

Rayna’s heart skipped a beat. In a daze, she asked, “What did you say?”

Kelly is riding on Curtis’ coattails?

She hastily found a photo of Kelly and scrutinized it carefully. She was certain Kelly wasn’t his type, yet she couldn’t help but ponder if she knew his preferences well.

Curtis has grown older. It’s likely that his preferences have changed. He may have grown to appreciate young women who act coy and depend on him, as is often the case with older men.

Rayna’s thoughts were in disarray, leaving her unable to stop herself from ruminating on the issue.

Rayna’s head was bowed as if she was engrossed in studying the file. Unaware of her reaction, Ella continued, “Recently, Kelly got roles in two movies that Faymon Group invested heavily in and a few international brands’ endorsement deals. She may be popular, but she’s not an A-list celebrity. It must have been Mr. Faymon who gave her these resources. Look how well he treated Kristie before. She got everything she wanted. Now, Kelly is his new favorite.”

Ella paused before asking curiously, “Speaking of which, I haven’t seen Kristie in public recently. Did she get blacklisted for offending the higher-ups of Excellent Entertainment Company? Have you heard anything about her?”

Rayna regained her composure at Ella’s question. “Excellent Entertainment Company won’t blacklist someone as talented as her. Perhaps she got bored with acting and went studying overseas.”

Ella nodded in agreement. “Yes, many celebrities would head overseas to study when they got bored with acting.”

“If that is all, you can go now. I need to get back to work.”

“Okay. I’ll take my leave now, Ms. Garland.” Ella left quickly, as she didn’t want to disturb Rayna at work.

Rayna flipped through the document in her hands, but her focus was elsewhere. Ella’s words kept echoing in her mind, and jealousy stirred within her. She couldn’t help but chide herself for her own feelings.

I made up my mind to end my relationship with Curtis, but I can’t help feeling a pang of sorrow when I hear about his scandal with another woman. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.

Rayna’s thoughts went wild for a moment. She pulled out her phone to text Gabriel: Mr. Tylinski, did Mr. Faymon have a change of taste again?

Meanwhile, Curtis was attending a meeting in Faymon Group.

It wasn’t an ordinary meeting, for the higher-ups of Daystar had learned that Excellent Entertainment Company’s celebrity had signed an endorsement contract with Glory. They had sent a few people over to demand an explanation, claiming that Curtis had caused them a loss.

Curtis was annoyed after listening to them harping about their profits and the bet-on agreement for over thirty minutes.

Right then, his phone lit up with a text from Rayna on the shared account. After logging in and reading the text from Rayna, he stiffened.

A change of taste? What is that about?

 

Chapter 440

Curtis replied: Ms. Garland, I’ve been ordering lunch for Mr. Faymon every day. His taste hasn’t changed.

Rayna: I couldn’t care less about what he eats.

Curtis: In that case, I don’t understand what you mean.

Rayna responded to the message after a short while: Something’s wrong with Mr. Faymon. He should consider his age before learning youngsters nowadays to pick up girls. Does he think he’s capable of doing that?

Pick up girls? Curtis knitted his brows.

Before he could answer, Rayna sent him another text on WhatsApp: He’s not the sole owner of Excellent Entertainment Company. Does he think he can simply allocate resources available only for A- list celebrities to a rookie like Kelly because he’s the major shareholder? Isn’t he afraid of getting criticized by others for acting so assertively?

Curtis fell into a daze after reading the messages. Then he couldn’t help but laugh. He could imagine the righteous indignation flitting across her face as she typed those words. Would I have acted so assertively if she hadn’t been firm on selecting Kelly as the spokesperson? Moreover, I’m even suffering a significant loss this time.

Curtis contemplated briefly before replying: Really? Why am I not aware of that? The information I received was that the director felt Kelly was great and was determined to select her.

Rayna: Are you saying the director was adamant about choosing her as the female lead for such a heavily invested film? I’ll never believe something like that even if you do! Kelly’s manager even said

Kelly managed to secure positions as the spokesperson for three luxurious brands. In my opinion, Mr. Faymon is using the director as a front when, in fact, he’s the one funding Kelly. Unexpectedly, the gossip spread like wildfire. Even everyone at Glory knows about this.

Curtis slightly narrowed his eyes as he read Rayna’s message.

He had ordered Gabriel to handle those matters and didn’t follow up with him afterward because he knew Gabriel could do a splendid job.

However, he didn’t anticipate there was a spy around him who leaked out some of the information.

Curtis: Ms. Garland, I’m sure those are fake news. From my understanding of Mr. Faymon, he will never be interested in a girl like that.

Rayna: Since you understand him so well, how come you don’t know he was interested in your schoolmate previously?

Curtis stopped typing for a few seconds before he continued: Ms. Garland, it seems that you pay a lot of attention to these rumors. Are you jealous to see Mr. Faymon hanging out with another woman?

Rayna responded almost instantaneously: Why should I be jealous? I couldn’t care less about an old guy like him after we broke up. I pay so much attention to this gossip because I don’t want Kelly’s relationship with Mr. Faymon to turn sour after she signs a contract with Glory. If that happens, she’ll be crestfallen and cause our products’ sales to deteriorate. We’ll talk again sometime. I still have a lot of things to do. Bye!

Curtis couldn’t help but chuckle after reading her messages. If she doesn’t care about me, why did she cry and wail about wanting to eat oranges? She even brought those two baskets full of oranges back.

He sighed. We’re only five years apart in terms of age. Why does she always call me an old man as if I’m really that old?

Daystar’s higher-ups were still condemning Curtis. When they noticed him sitting with his legs crossed, ignoring them and focusing on his phone as if he weren’t listening to a word they said, those higher-ups grew even more furious.

“Mr. Faymon, are you listening?” One of Daystar’s higher-ups raised his voice in an attempt to attract Curtis’ attention.

“You don’t have to speak so loudly. I heard everything you’ve said.” Curtis turned off the phone and placed it on one side. He looked up and uttered nonchalantly, “I was the one who agreed to lend Glory a group of people from Faymon Group’s planning department.”

Those higher-ups were dissatisfied. “Mr. Faymon, we told you in advance about the bet between Daystar and Glory. Not only did you allow Glory to sign the popular rookie celebrity, Kelly, from Excellent Entertainment Company, but you also lent them employees from Faymon Group. What is your intention for doing that?”

Another one of the higher-ups chimed in, “That’s right, Mr. Faymon. Daystar is also your company. The situation will not be beneficial if we lose the bet. You should come up with an excuse to recall the team of Faymon Group’s employees at Glory.”

Curtis tapped his fingers lightly on the tabletop and sneered. “Do you think those people from Glory are fools? Do you think they will use their company’s shares as stakes to bet with you simply because of your few words?”

Those higher-ups’ facial expressions changed a little.

Curtis added, “Glory’s branch company did perform poorly last year, but they’ve used a high price to purchase a perfume recipe from a perfumer this year. In addition, there is also a change in the leadership of Glory’s branch company’s management. Since they dared to make this bet with you, that means they have weighed the risk. Glory borrowed Faymon Group’s employees by offering us lucrative pay and will even split their profit for their new products with Faymon Group. Why shouldn’t I accept a great deal like this?”

One of Daystar’s higher-ups answered, “Regardless of how capable Glory’s management may be, as long as they fail to achieve the target in the given time frame, it’ll be their loss. By then, we can secretly hire someone to interfere in their business.”

Curtis shook his head in disdain to mock the other person’s stupidity. “You can scheme as you like, but they can also devise countermeasures. If this is your menial way of earning money, then I have no comments.”

Daystar’s higher-ups couldn’t stand Curtis’ mockery any further. “Mr. Faymon, this is also your company.”

“Don’t you all pay attention to the changes in the board of directors?” Curtis glanced at them. “Star Culture is now the major shareholder of Daystar. I am only in possession of a small portion of Daystar’s shares.”

Daystar’s higher-ups were dumbfounded as they thought their ears were playing tricks on them.

Curtis, who had been listening to their chatter for over an hour, had grown frustrated. He pushed his chair back and got to his feet. “Since Faymon Group is no longer Daystar’s major shareholder, Daystar is not qualified to interfere in whatever business Faymon Group has with Glory. If you wish to raise any questions, you should visit Star Culture’s management board in the future.”

With that, he strode away.

At that moment, Gabriel arrived to send some documents. Upon noticing Curtis’ return, he asked, “Mr. Faymon, are you done with the meeting?”

“Yes.” Then, seemingly having thought of something, he turned around to glance at Gabriel with an unfathomable look in his eyes. “Did you tell anyone else about what I asked you to do?”

Gabriel shook his head firmly. “Nope. I won’t do so unless with your permission. What’s the matter, Mr. Faymon?”

“It’s nothing,” Curtis replied half-heartedly.

Gabriel had been serving him for many years, so he knew his character well.

At the thought of the content of Rayna’s messages, Curtis figured the informant must be someone close to him since they knew that confidential information.

He was intrigued to find out the identity of that person.

Recently, Rayna realized her baby bump was getting more apparent when she took her showers. She wondered if her babies were becoming more obedient because they were not kicking as much to the extent of causing her to lose sleep.

Afraid the clothes she wore would expose her pregnancy, she bought a few more loose garments.

Fortunately, since she started working in Glory, she didn’t have to wear suits that often. Most of the time, she was dressed in casual wear and flats, so she wouldn’t raise others’ suspicions.

Rayna woke up early that day and prepared some cooking ingredients. She made a pot of soup and some grilled pork and packed them into a lunch box. She planned to bring the food to her office and ask Carl to visit her company later in the afternoon.

When she arrived at the company and stepped out of the elevator, Ella approached her and asked hastily, “Ms. Garland, did you see the news?”

“I haven’t. What’s the news that made you so nervous?”

“Earlier in the morning, Kelly was caught abusing drugs and taken away by the police. This news is still the trending headline for most websites,” Ella elaborated in an undertone while walking beside Rayna.

“What?” Rayna turned to look at Ella in shock. “Is that the Kelly we signed a contract with?”

Ella nodded. “That’s her.”

Rayna was at a loss for words.