Ch. 1301..1305
Chapter 1301
The moment Flint heard they were going somewhere with food and where he could play, he threw his hands in the air and exclaimed, “Okay!”
4 After lunch, Sylvia took a short nap with Flint before taking him to the small playground outside where they spent the noon.
Around the time when Isabel and Liam would be finished with school for the day, she took Flint to get his siblings. After that, the family went to the food court nearby.
Both Isabel and Flint were little gluttons.
Although Liam was not exactly fond of snacks, he was not one to pass up the chance to give them a taste. They walked around eating until it was close to midnight before Sylvia finally brought them back home. The madam was already resting by now.
Aunt Tonya and Sebastian were chatting in the yard. They both looked rather tired and were forcing themselves to stay up to wait for Sylvia and the children.
Sylvia told them to get some rest before taking the kids upstairs herself.
Liam and Isabel were grown enough to brush their teeth and prepare for bed on their own.
Sylvia only needed to help Flint settle in for the night.
The boy was very cooperative and it did not take long before Sylvia emerged from the bathroom with him. ILVL
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Isabel now had a room of her own while Flint shared a room with his brother Liam.
After setting Flint on the bed, Sylvia gently patted Liam’‘s head again and kissed the children goodnight before she went to Isabel's room. Seeing that she was already soundly asleep, she smiled and finally returned to the bedroom she shared with Odell. The bedroom was pitch—black and quiet.
After turning on the light, she still took special care to not make too much noise shuffling her feet around for fear of disturbing the household.
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She heaved a long sigh, worn out from the day, then she went to the bathroom. After she showered, she threw herself on the bed and shut her eyes as soon as she turned off the bed lamp.
After some time had passed. It was very late into the night when the door to the bedroom slowly creaked open. A steady rhythm of footsteps creaked across the floor.
She sighed, then she got out of bed and started preparing for the day.
Sylvia spent both days of the weekend with three of her children as usual.
On the next Monday, after Isabel and Liam went to school, Sylvia went to the art academy.
After sitting through two classes, she was just about to leave when she suddenly received a call from Christopher.
She was told that there would be a networking event for teachers at a hotel tonight and that many teachers and professors from prestigious colleges and universities in Westchester will be present as well. It was a wonderful chance for socializing and furthering connections. There would be just as many bachelors as there would be married folks.
Sylvia expressed that she needed to go home to be with her children, but Christopher immediately started persuading her.
He was very determined to change her mind. “Sylvia, you're the icon of our academy and most people are there to see you and get a chance to talk to you. If you don't go, what will happen to the image of our academy?”
Sylvia grimaced and asked reluctantly, “If you put it that way, what time does it start?”
It starts at half past six. Come over at six and we can go together,” Christopher added with a quick smile, “Make sure you dress up.” Sylvia smiled politely. “Got it.”
Chapter 1302 Sylvia went home and spent the better half of the afternoon with Flint.
As evening approached and it was nearing the time for her to go to the party, she took her phone and sent a message to Odell, “Are you coming home tonight?”
She figured that he was busy since there was no reply even after some time.
She put down her phone and went to get changed.
She chose a light purple dress that she deemed was perfect for the party because it was elegant while also not too flashy.
It was a beautiful off-shoulder dress that ran down to her ankles. Its design was simple and yet elegant.
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After she put on a light coat of makeup, she grabbed a leather bag and went outside.
She went to get her phone which she had set on the table just now.
She figured that Odell should have replied to her message by now since it had been some time since she sent the message. She picked up her phone only to see that she had only
received messages from Christopher and some other people. There was still no word from Odell.
She frowned and texted him again, “There‘s an event going on tonight involving the college faculty members and | told them that I'll be there. I'll probably get home pretty late tonight.”
With that, she threw the phone in her bag. Then she bid farewell to Madam Carter, Aunt Tonya, and Flint before getting into the car.
Meanwhile, inside Carter Tower. On the top floor, inside the president's office. There was the sound of running water coming from within the washroom inside the office.
There was Shermaine in a light purple dress she had just changed into. She stood attentively in front of Odell's desk with her hands placed guardedly in front of her.
From time to time, she would dart glances in the direction of the washroom. LLL LLLLLL
Ding!
Suddenly, a phone on the table rang.
She stole a peek at the display.
It was a new message from a contact that was registered
A flash of jealousy appeared in Shermaine’s eyes upon reading the name of the sender. She quickly turned away after that and continued staring in the direction of the washroom.
After a few minutes, the sound of running water stopped at last.
Shermaine quickly composed herself and tried to look as natural as possible as she stared straight in front of her. After a while, Odell stepped into his office.
He was wearing a shirt without his coat, and several buttons on his shirt were left undone.
He was still buttoning his shirt as he stepped into his office.
When he saw Shermaine standing at his desk, he frowned and asked, “Why are you here?”
Shermaine blushed when she saw the tall and stout CEO appearing with a glimpse of his muscular chest exposed.
She quickly bowed her head and informed, “I'm here to bring you these reports . Assistant Bogard told me that — this was very urgent so he had me bring them to you.”
Odell quickly buttoned up and remarked curtly, “Put them on the table.”
“Yes.” Shermaine hurriedly set the sheet of documents
on the desk.
She started walking away but spun around when a thought suddenly occurred to her. “By the way, Master Carter, you got a
message on your phone while you were inside the bathroom. | accidentally saw the name of the sender. | believe it's your wife texting you.”
It seemed as if the sheer mention of Sylvia made Odell soften a little as he nodded briskly. “Alright.” Shermaine did not overstay her welcome and promptly exited the office. Odell picked up the phone.
After reading the two messages Sylvia sent to her, he promptly typed a reply, “There‘s an event | need to attend tonight as well so I'm going to be home late too.”
An idea suddenly came to him. He quickly followed up with another message, “Have fun, make sure you don't get too friendly with some of the male professors.”
After sending the messages, he sat down on the chair and went through the documents Shermaine had just brought him. — About half an hour later.
He took a look at the time and promptly set down the documents. He got up and went outside.
Shermaine was assigned to the desk right outside Odell's
office. As soon as she noticed Odell stepping out, she stood up immediately and greeted him with a smile,” Master Carter, are you leaving already?”.
“Yeah, get Cliff for me,” he ordered as he walked toward the elevator. “Okay,” Shermaine answered and quickly followed Odell while she dialed Cliffs number on her phone. Sylvia read Odell's replies when she was halfway to the hotel.
The pent-up frustration inside her immediately subsided when she read the messages. Still, she had to admit that she was irked that it took him so long to reply.
Chapter 1303 She did not reply to Odell and threw the phone back into her bag
Shortly after thaat, she arrived at the academy.
Christopher and some of the other lecturers joining them were already waiting for her.
After everyone exchanged short greetings, they carpooled to the Westchester Hotel where the event would take place. The event was conducted inside the grand ballroom on the ground floor of the hotel.
It was a gigantic ballroom.
By the time Sylvia got there with Christopher, a lot of people had already arrived.
The demographic of the attendees was rather diverse. There were as many young people as there were older members, and everyone was very polite. Christopher was rather well-known in the art and education circle in Westchester as well. As soon as he stepped into the ballroom, many people came up to him with a smile and greeted him, “President Dendro, you brought Ms. Sunflower with you as well?”
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“Wow! We're all dying to meet her.”
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Everyone turned to Sylvia with an enthusiastic look flashing in their eyes.
Christopher smiled and turned to Sylvia.
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Sylvia had assumed that Christopher was just exaggerating when he said that many people were eager to see her.
She greeted them with a pleasant smile and introduced herself politely, “Hello everyone, my name is Sylvia but most of you probably know me as Ms. Sunflower.”
Everyone was very intrigued by her presence.
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“My God, Ms. Sunflower sure is young!”
“And so pretty.”
Sylvia smiled. “You guys are being too generous with your praises.” “Haha! We're teachers, we won't praise you if we don't mean it.” LLLL
“Ms. Sunflower, I'm very fond of the painting you submitted in the most recent gallery. I'm very interested in the arts and | was wondering if | can bother you with a few questions.”
Sylvia answered courteously, “Of course.”
She walked and chatted with them.
They had a lovely conversation over food and drinks.
Meanwhile, a black car had just arrived and parked at the entrance of the hotel.
Cliff and Shermaine were the first ones out of the car. Cliff quickly went to open the door for Odell. Odell stepped out of the car.
Cliff quickly stepped to his side to let Odell take the lead. Shermaine quickly followed behind them. Before they entered the hotel, several people came to the entrance to greet them.
“Master Carter, good evening, this way please.”
“Everyone's already here, we're all looking forward to seeing you.”
4
— Their reception was warm and cordial.
LILIT
Odell nodded and entered with them.
After they passed through a corridor, they arrived at the ballroom, a very grand and respectable venue.
As soon as they entered, a large group of people flocked toward them.
Cliff was no stranger to this scene. He quickly stepped up and made sure that people did not get too close to Odell.
Odell strode through the crowd, completely unbothered by the mass attention. With every step he took, the sea of people parted to make way for him.
His tall figure was especially eye-catching among the crowd.
Following him from behind, Shermaine quietly gazed at his dashing figure, the man who was basked in fame and glory but seemingly unimpressed by the attention. She could feel her heartbeat accelerating while her eyes were filled with respect and awe.
Cliff suddenly turned back to look at her. “Shermaine, what are you daydreaming about?” This quickly brought Shermaine back to her senses. “I'm sorry, my mind was somewhere else. My bad.” “It's alright. Do you remember the people who came to greet us at the entrance?” Cliff asked. * Shermaine nodded. “I do.” “Go find them and hand each of them a copy of the documents we prepared earlier.” “Alright, I'm on it.” Shermaine straightened herself and
made herself stop staring at Odell. She walked away with a briefcase in hand.
chapter 1304 A never-ending stream of people came up to greet Odell. As soon as one group left, another would come to take their place.
It took some time before Odell was finally done exchanging pleasantries with them and had time for himself.
He sat down on a couch and picked up a glass of wine to cool himself down.
After that, he took a phone out of his pocket.
It had been over an hour since he sent the last two messages to Sylvia and there was still no response from her. He was not sure if she simply had not read them yet or if she did not want to reply to his messages.
An irritated look flashed across his face. He tapped rapidly against the display and compiled yet another message, “What are you doing?”
Meanwhile, inside a separate ballroom on the other side of the hotel.
Sylvia was surrounded by a flock of teachers, all of whom were eager to hear about her insights on her paintings. They were currently discussing several particular pieces
of art. The atmosphere was lively and everyone was scrambling to express their thoughts and opinions on the pieces.
Although Sylvia carried her bag next to her, she barely felt the vibration of the phone inside her bag. She could hardly hear the notification ringing at all.
The atmosphere in the ballroom on Odell's end was rather lively as well.
After Shermaine had taken care of what Cliff had instructed her to do, she went to a quiet corner to stand by herself. Soon enough, she caught herself staring at the man sitting by himself on the couch again.
He seemed to be waiting for something. With every few sips of wine, he would glance at his phone as if waiting for a message. Shortly after that, a few people came up to him to chat with him.
Shermaine knew who they were. They were the big shots in the industry.
They had an air of arrogance about them everywhere they went but the moment they presented themselves in front of Odell, it was as if they had shrunk to half their original size.
Meanwhile, Odell sat proudly on the couch as he spoke to them. He wore the same indifferent expression he always had and looked handsome as ever. Shermaine found herself slowly falling for his dashing appearances. She was fangirling over Odell.
She quickly composed herself and adjusted herself back to reality.
Even though she had the chance to interact with Odell with some increased frequency ever since she became his secretary, the man himself would only spare her several glances now and then. On the whole, his attitude toward her was still the same as before. She had hardly gotten to know him.
She did not want to gaze at him from a distance. She wanted to find a way to get closer to him! Then, she suddenly noticed a pair of eyes fixed intently on her. She quickly turned around to steal a look. Standing by the corridor next to the entrance was a young, chubby-looking man staring at her.
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Upon exchanging eye contact with Shermaine, the young man immediately smiled warmly at her with a friendly look in his eyes. Shermaine’s eyes glowed with disgust as she smiled almost lazily at the young man.
Then, she walked toward him.
The young man‘s eyes glowed up immediately.
Meanwhile, Odell was still sitting on the same couch.
The few men who had come to speak to him previously had already left. With that, Odell got to enjoy a few moments of relative peace and quiet again.
He picked up the phone on the table.
The latest messages shown on the display were still the texts he had sent to Sylvia. There was still no word from
her.
He frowned deeply, slowly becoming upset.
What was she up to? How could she be so busy chatting with other people that she could not even spare a few seconds to look at her phone?
Suddenly, Cliff approached him and informed, “Sir, Shermaine gave them the documents we talked about and | just had a quick chat with them. It looks like they are all very eager to be a part of our company’s new project.”
Odell tried to suppress the frustrated tone in his voice. “I see, go ahead and notify our relevant departments and tell them to start getting in touch with the new partners.”
Cliff answered dutifully, “Alright.”
Just as he was about to walk away, a piercing scream tore through the ballroom. It came from the corridor outside. “Ah... Help!” a woman shrieked.
Cliff's expression dropped. “That sounds like Shermaine.” Odell frowned. “Go take a look.“
Chapter 1305 Cliff quickly made his way to where the scream was heard. Many people were sprinting in the same direction as well.
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Seeing that there was still no new notification on his phone, Odell grumpily stuffed the phone in his pocket and briskly walked toward the commotion as well.
The people crowded by the corridor wisely made way for him when they saw him approaching.
When he strode into the corridor, he saw Cliff grabbing a plump young man whose skin was grimy and pale. Shermaine was hiding behind Cliff. Her hair was ruffled and she was on the verge of tears. She seemed traumatized by something that had happened.
Upon seeing him, she cried out, “Master Carter!” She quickly bolted to Odell and ducked behind him as if seeking cover from something threatening.
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Odell looked at Cliff and the man he had apprehended. He asked sharply, “What's going on?”
Cliff informed, “I saw him forcefully pulling Shermaine when | came out. It seems like he's trying to do something vile to her.”
The man who was now pinned to the ground cried out,”
That's not true! She was the one who flirted with me first and threw herself on top of me. | barely touched her at all when she began screaming about me being a creep when | haven't done anything at all!”
Shermaine accused him, “Don't you dare twist the truth of what happened! Why would | flirt with you of all people? | have better taste than that!”
The people gathered around seemed to agree with this sentiment and nodded their heads.
“She‘s Master Carter's secretary. She wouldn't approach this man of all people.”
“Yeah. Look at this guy. He doesn't seem like anything particularly remarkable at all. He's as dull as they come.” Odell stood tall over the accused man, his expression carried no trace of emotions whatsoever.
Shermaine hid behind him and began to sob softly. She was sneakily observing what he would do.
Cliff turned to Odell as well. “Sir, what should | do with him?”
Odell shot a look at the man. “Call the police.”
Meanwhile, in the other ballroom.
Sylvia was in the middle of a conversation with several teachers when suddenly a member from the art academy frantically paced into the ballroom and cried out for Christopher, “President, this is bad, it's Mr. Charles!”
Christopher immediately snapped to attention. “What about him?‘
“It's easier if you come with me! He's in the corridor right now!”
Christopher immediately followed him out.
Curious about what happened, Sylvia immediately followed Christopher and went to the corridor as well.
Charles Present was one of her colleagues. He was a rather chubby young man but despite his appearance, he was very popular with the students because of his unique approach to teaching. He was just as highly regarded among the teachers and close with Sylvia as well.
Upon hearing about the commotion , she felt she had to go and see what happened to him.
What she saw was beyond her wildest imagination. She was greeted by the sight of Charles pinned to the ground — like a disgraced criminal.
Furthermore, the person pinning him to the ground was none other than Cliff!
Sylvia‘s eyes widened, and she exclaimed, “Cliff?”
Cliff turned to see who was calling his name. His eyes widened when he met Sylvia‘s eyes. “Mrs. Sylvia?” A wave of silence washed over the corridor.
Sylvia, keenly aware of the drastic change in the atmosphere, glanced down the other end of the corridor. She saw the familiar silhouette of her husband.
He was standing roughly five meters away from her but she could feel the penetrating strength of his gaze on her even from this distance.
She was taken aback by this and cried out, “Odell?”
Why was he here? Was he not supposed to be at an event?
Before she could figure out what was going on, she recognized a tiny figure hiding behind him in a light purple dress. re
The color of the dress was nearly identical to the one she was wearing. This person had the same hairstyle as her as well and was trembling behind Odell as if she was a maiden being protected by a fearless knight.
Upon feeling Sylvia's gaze on her, this person stuck her head out from behind Odell.
She was visibly stunted when she saw Sylvia as she quickly ducked back behind Odell. Sylvia frowned, and a sharp look surfaced in her eyes.