Ch. 2151..2155

Chapter 2151

"Sure." Roland smiled. "I'll tell you more about it when we get back." "Alright."

After they finished their meal, she went to the hotel with him.

After they took a shower, they huddled in bed together.

Isabel leaned over Roland's shoulder, using it as a pillow, then she threw her leg over him as well to make herself comfortable. With that, she prompted him, "You can start now.”

Roland gently stroked her hair and began, "Rockwell Corporation is going to face a crisis very soon. | plan to take advantage of that window and take over."

An upcoming crisis? Isabel was taken aback by this and asked, "How do you know that there will be an upcoming crisis?" Was he the one setting it up?

Roland remarked with a wry smile, "No, | have nothing to do with it. It's a consequence of some the malpractices conducted by their internal management over the past few years."

"Oh." Isabel continued probing, "How do you plan to make your move?"

Roland suddenly grew silent, and the gaze in his eyes darkened. After a moment, he smiled mysteriously. "You'll know when the time comes."

Isabel punched him playfully. He was still trying to be mysterious about it!

Nevertheless, it was very reassuring to know that he had something planned. She had faith in him, knowing that he had things under control.

Now that her tension was relieved, she felt a wave of sleepiness set in. She closed her eyes and began to drift off to sleep.

Roland seemed to not have noticed that she was falling asleep. At some point during the lull, he turned to her. "Are you going back to Westchester?"

Isabel did not answer, and he could only hear her steady breathing. He took another look at her and noticed that she was already peacefully asleep.

The serene look she had when she was sleeping made him smile tenderly.

The next morning, a ray of sunlight seeped into the room in between the cracks of the curtains.

After Isabel woke up, she stretched and sat up on the bed.

Roland was already gone, so she was the only one in the room.

She noticed a container filled with food set on the table. She smiled faintly, then she got out of bed and sat down at the table.

In addition to the still-warm breakfast, there was also the same fresh bouquet of roses he brought for her when he visited last night. Furthermore, there was a small sack that contained jewelry inside.

She wondered what kind of jewelry he had gotten for her.

She was very curious and quickly opened the sack which contained a tiny, intricate box. She opened the box and found a sparkling diamond necklace inside.

The necklace was made with exceptional craftsmanship. The surface of the diamond was reflective and glittered underneath the light. It was the same necklace that caught her eye at the exhibition, but she had not bought it.

It was one of the highlight pieces at the exhibition.

The reason she did not buy it was not because she could not afford it, but because there had been too many people present at the time. If people noticed her paying out of her pocket to buy the necklace, it would certainly drive controversy since people would gossip about her being able to afford such an expensive piece.

After all, a celebrity of her level being able to afford something well worth hundreds of millions of dollars was unheard of.

Unexpectedly, Roland had gone and bought it for her.

She recalled that he was present at the exhibition as well. Could he have been stalking her the entire time and noticed her interest in this particular necklace?

The sheer idea of it brought a smile to her lips. However, the thought of the cost of this piece made her frown again.

This was easily the most expensive piece of jewelry at the exhibition. It was close to two hundred million dollars. Was he so sure about spending this much on her?

Besides, did he have that much money?

Even if he had some money saved up during his tenure at Carter Corporation, he had only started working at Rockwell Corporation for two months. She doubted that he would have that much money at his disposal.

He did not take money out of his savings to buy this, did he?

She took a picture of the necklace and promptly sent it to the man himself while asking him, "Where did you buy this? How much did it cost?"

Ding!

Roland replied, "It was a gift from the jewelry house."

 

Chapter 2152

Isabel was taken aback.

Agift from the jewelry house?

Such generosity was unheard of. It was a ludicrously expensive piece!

She did not conceal her surprise at hearing this. "Are you close with them?"

Roland treated it as if it was something mundane. "Yeah."

Isabel heaved a long sigh and sent a cute sticker of a figure giving a giant thumbs-up.

They had gifted Roland a diamond necklace worth two hundred million dollars. It was certainly a gesture that said a lot about his status.

Ding!

Roland sent her another text. "Do you like it?"

She smiled at the display of her phone and replied, "I love it, thank you."

She loved everything that he gifted her.

"| have to get back to work. See you tonight."

"Alright."

With that, she put away her phone, then she carefully handled the necklace and took another good look at it. She inspected it from every angle, it looked fantastic no matter which angle she observed it from.

She strapped the necklace around her neck, then she started eating her late breakfast.

Just as she was about to finish her meal, she received a call from Carla. She was asking if she wanted to return to Westchester today.

She told Carla quite straightforwardly, "There's a lot to see in Southboro, so I'm going to hang out here for a while longer. Why don't you go back with Amanda first?"

Besides, she did not have any gigs lined up these days. If she went back to Westchester, she was only going to laze at home anyway, and she could do the same thing here at Southboro.

Carla asked skeptically, "Are you sure you're staying because you want to sightsee?"

Isabel answered without the slightest bit of shift in her tone, "Yeah, do you want to stay as well?"

Carla turned down the offer, "No, no, I’d better go back to Westchester with Amanda."

After his brief conversation with Isabel, Roland went to a conference room in Rockwell Corporation.

Seated at the conference table were all the top executives from Rockwell Corporation with Decker seated at the head of the table.

As soon as he entered, everyone's eyes fell on him.

Save for several aged executives who regarded Roland with friendliness, the rest of them looked at him with the same look of sheathed contempt just as Decker did. The smiles they hung on their lips were as false as they could be.

Roland went straight to the front of the table and took the first seat to Decker's left.

Decker threw a glance at him, then he motioned, "Alright, continue."

The meeting started ten minutes ago. They displayed no intention of waiting for Roland.

The conversation continued. They were discussing the current affairs of the departments across the corporation over the last month.

Roland sat and listened dispassionately.

After the executives finished relaying their reports, Decker suddenly turned to Roland and asked with a wry smile," Roland, do you have any thoughts you’d like to share with us?"

Roland glanced at him, then he said in a low voice, "| would suggest postponing the projects proposed by Jimmy, Charles, and Lester."

Decker's response was mild.

The few executives quoted by Roland, however, did not take to this suggestion kindly. One of them sneered and asked in an offended voice, "Mr. Roland, the projects we mentioned are all key projects that will contribute to our revenue over the next quarter. What makes you say that we should postpone them?"

"The others have proposed several projects as well. Why do you want to postpone our projects specifically?" "That's right. Is it because we interrupted you and your girlfriend's date last night? Is this why you chose to target us?"

The temperature in the room suddenly dropped to a freezing point. Most of the executives were on Decker's side and had no qualms about ganging up against Roland.

Several executives seemed puzzled by what was happening. They wondered if Roland was truly targeting them specifically, and they also questioned the gossip about him having a girlfriend. Decker's expression had changed too, and he was looking at Roland with a hostile squint.

Roland remained in the same position with a blank, disinterested look on his face.

Chapter 2153

Roland informed plainly, "These few projects | mentioned need a very large amount of upfront investment." “Of course, we know that. We don't need you to tell us that."

“What kind of project doesn't need a large sum of upfront investment anyway?"

"The funds for these projects have been pre-allocated since the start of the year. You don't have to come up with a measly excuse to justify your intentionally picking on us!"

All three of Jimmy, Charles, and Lester glared at Roland discontentedly.

The others joined in and threw snide remarks at Roland, "Mr. Roland, you’re only worried because you don't want us to spend all the company funds that you hoped would go into your pockets instead, aren't you?”

"The funds allocated to our projects are all in the public account. They won't go into his pockets no matter what."

Roland frowned. He decided there was no need for him to explain himself. He promptly shut his notebook and tucked away the pen, then he got up and walked out of the conference room.

After he left, a dull silence fell upon the conference room.

The three executives Jimmy, Charles, and Lester were all fuming. They jabbed their fingers at the door, where Roland had just walked out of, and began spewing insults at him," What kind of attitude was that? Who does he think he is? Even if he doesn't respect us, he should at least have the decency to tell President Decker that he's leaving!"

“Hmph, he thinks he's the rightful master of the Rockwells. What audacity."

Decker listened to them hurling blatant insults at Roland and smirked smugly. He motioned at them and tried to get them to calm down while remarking, "He’s always had something against me. You guys don't have to worry about him. Just let him be."

This seemed to appease them, even if just slightly. Executive Lester promptly asked, "President Decker, when should we commence the projects we just mentioned?" Decker assured him, "We can launch them once we have finalized the funds needed."

Decker was a part of the reason that Rockwell Corporation was able to attract clientele to work on these major projects and developments. Once these projects were completed, they would bring a respectable amount of revenue to the corporation.

This was especially crucial because, in the short two months since Roland's return to the corporation, he had contributed significantly by closing several major deals. There was now an urgency for Decker to prove himself before he got upstaged by Roland.

Lester was pleased to hear this. "Alright, we'll be leaving for now. I'll make sure to bring you the good news once we have further developments."

Decker nodded and was about to send them off when he suddenly thought of something. He motioned after them," Wait. Lester, Charles, Jimmy, | need to talk to the three of you."

Everyone else in the conference room took the hint and cleared the room without needing to be asked to, leaving behind the trio that looked at Decker expectantly.

"President Decker, is there anything else you need from us?" Decker asked furtively, "| heard you guys mention something about seeing Roland with his girlfriend yesterday. Is that true?" “Of course, it's true. We saw it with our own eyes.”

"Yeah, we were heading down for dinner when we saw him with a woman with the best figure I've ever seen. We tried to get a closer look to see what his girlfriend looked like, but he wouldn't let us."

‘Yeah, he got upset and began to threaten us, saying that we had a minute to disappear from his sight. If it wasn't for the fact that he was your nephew, we would have done something to put him in his place."

Decker patiently listened to them narrate their accounts. After they were finished, something shifted in his eyes, he asked warily, "So, you guys didn't see his girlfriend, did you?"

"No, none of us managed to get a proper look at her face."

Decker asked cautiously, "Do you at least have a faint impression of what she looked like?"

“| remember her long hair draped down her back and how fair her skin was. She had an hourglass figure too and wore a simple dress over it. | can tell just by her entire aura that she must be a beauty."

"President Roland wouldn't even let us steal a peek at her, but I'm sure she's a beauty alright.”

‘Yeah, it's a pity we couldn't see her face."

They had an entirely perverted attitude about it and seemed to regret not getting a chance to see Roland's partner. Decker’s expression darkened briefly before he waved them off. "Alright, you guys can get back to it now."

With that, they promptly left the conference room.

Decker's expression was grave. He remembered that Isabel had come to see him yesterday morning, but it was Roland who ended up taking her away.

The woman they were describing had to be Isabel! Why would she dine with Roland in the middle of the night? Did they get back together already?

Wasn't it her who insisted that they would never get back together?

 

Chapter 2154

Golden rays of sunlight washed over the surface of the earth while endless waves rolled into the direction of the beach, accompanied by gentle gusts of sea breeze.

Isabel stood on the sand glimmering with gold and stared at the mansion that stood in the center of the several acres of large plots of land, her thoughts drifting.

Around noon today, Roland sent her a message and told her that he had dispatched a driver to pick her up at the hotel. She was driven here after that.

She had expected to be driven to a classy apartment in the middle of town, so a mansion next to the beach was the last thing she expected.

She asked the bodyguard who was helping her with her luggage, "Are you sure you've got the correct address?" The bodyguard assured her, "Don't worry, this is the place Young Master Roland instructed us to bring you to." Isabel was still in disbelief. "Is this his mansion?"

This was the only building within a radius often miles. It had this private, spectacular view of the ocean reserved all for itself. How did Roland afford this sort of place?

The bodyguard made a wry expression and said, "I'm not sure either. It was Young Master Roland who instructed us to bring us here. He did not tell us any more than that. Don't worry and make yourself comfortable here. He will join you after he’s finished with his work."

Isabel nodded and walked into the mansion.

There was a security guard posted by the gate who promptly greeted her when she walked up, "Good to see you, Miss Isabel." Isabel smiled at him. ‘Hello."

Shortly after she stepped into the mansion's courtyard, a rather plump middle-aged lady wearing a neat dress approached her. The lady introduced herself with a warm smile, "Good to see you, Miss Isabel. | am the caretaker of the house. My name is Rox.” Isabel greeted her politely, "Nice to meet you, Aunt Rox."

"Oh, don't be so formal! Come, your room has been prepared for you. Please follow me."

Isabel followed her into the rather modern mansion.

They passed through the living room and went up a magnificent spiral staircase. They had to walk some distance before they finally arrived at a large and brightly lit bedroom. It was very well-furnished and had a giant poster of her hung on the wall.

She was taken aback by the entire presentation of the bedroom. This bedroom was comparable, if not even more luxurious than her bedroom at home.

She could tell at first glance that this was the master bedroom of the mansion. It must have taken a lot of effort to put together this room.

"Miss Isabel, let me get your luggage for you.” Rox retrieved her suitcase from the accompanying bodyguard and brought it into the dresser.

Isabel followed her into the dresser. Every single wardrobe was filled with all sorts of clothes, coats, jackets, and whatnot.

Rox could sense her confusion and promptly explained, "It was Young Master Roland who bought all of these for you. He gave us a large catalog of outfits that he thinks you'd like. We're not sure if they're up to your taste, but we bought what we thought was appropriate for you."

She was completely astounded and thanked Rox politely," Sorry for the trouble.” "No trouble at all. This is our job."

Isabel walked into the dresser and looked at the vast array of clothes hung inside. They were all her favorite brands, and all of them were the perfect size for her and of the style that complemented her best.

Something about all of this felt like a fever dream to her.

After a long silence, she turned to Rox. "Aunt Rox, this Young Master Roland you kept referring to is Roland Rockwell, yes?"

Rox seemed perplexed by the strange question. 'Yes, what’s wrong?" "Like, Roland Rockwell? One of the Rockwells?”

‘Yes, certainly." Rox assured her, "Why, is there something on your mind?" “Oh, nothing."

She was just a little appalled by this unexpected development.

Where did this guy get all this money from?

After a while, when Rox finished unpacking her luggage for her, she turned to address Isabel, "Miss Isabel, let me head to the kitchen to see if lunch is ready. Why don't you rest for a while? If the layout of the room is not to your taste and you'd like to make some adjustments, please don’t hesitate to let me know."

Isabel thanked her politely. With that, Rox left. Isabel paced around the gigantic room and took in the lavish decorations.

Soon, the sun set across the horizon. While Isabel was sitting on the beach enjoying the panoramic view of the sunset and the fine weather, Roland returned.

His vehicle of choice was a low-profile but luxury car painted in black. It stopped right in front of Isabel.

Chapter 2155

The bodyguard and the driver promptly stepped out of the car and went to open the door for Roland.

A pair of long and slender legs wearing polished leather boots stepped out from the dark interior of the car. The first thing Roland did was to remove his blazer, revealing a bleached white shirt underneath.

The gentle sea breeze parted his hair. Like a curtain drawn apart, his handsome and chiseled features were brought into full view, and the setting sun cast a scarlet glow over his face.

Even though Isabel had seen this man countless times, she was still mesmerized by his unfair beauty. Roland handed the blazer to his bodyguard before striding upto Isabel. Isabel sat on the beach the entire time and looked up at him.

For some reason she could not quite put her finger on, she felt a strange sort of unfamiliarity with this man standing before her. It was as if this was her first time meeting this handsome man.

"Isabel," Roland called out her name.

The familiar bass in his voice and histone brought her back to her senses. She did not adjust her posture and continued staring at him.

Roland got on his knees next to her and looked into her eyes, his voice gentle. "Why aren't you inside the house? Don’t you like it?”

She told him, "No, | just want to come out here to see the sea and the sunset." After a brief pause, she met his gaze head-on and asked," Roland, is this your mansion?" Roland smiled faintly. "Yeah."

Isabel was known for being very blunt. She did not skirt around the question she had long wanted to ask. "It must have cost a fortune. Where did you even get the money to buy it?"

Roland seemed to shift away from her gaze for just a brief instant before he remarked, "I didn't buy it. It was a gift from a client." Isabel was flabbergasted. Agift? From a client?

She blurted out without thinking about it, "What sort of client could be so generous? Would you mind introducing me to this client?"

Roland smiled. "He's traveling right now. If you want to see him, I'll bring you with me to see him some time later.” Could there truly be such a generous client? Isabel was still rather skeptical.

She recalled the diamond necklace worth hundreds of millions that Roland claimed was also a gift from the jewelry house. With this in mind, she leaned in closer to him and asked while staring at him intently, "Roland, are you hiding from me? Do you have some kind of insane fortune that | don’t know of?"

Even if these clients and whatnot were multimillionaires or even billionaires, they would not splurge such a generous amount on a mere business partner. Roland must have given them something of equal or even greater value.

Her sharp, effeminate gaze tempted Roland, and he could not resist the urge to wrap his arms tightly around her waist. Thump.

He pulled her into his arms effortlessly.

Isabel immediately felt her cheek reddening. She looked at him shyly. "What are you thinking?”

Roland grinned handsomely. "Isabel, you're beautiful."

Isabel's cheeks reddened by another shade, and she found herself grinning like a fool.

With the final remnant of reason left in her, she pinched his arm and asked again, "Don't change the subject. Answer my question."

Roland's ears were deep red at this point as he said with a genuine look in his eyes, "I want to kiss you right now. I'll tell you after you let me kiss you."

Isabel looked at him.

If it was any other man who said this to her, she would be swinging her fist at his face by now. There was something about this man that was so different, so adorable.

She held back a smile and drew herself closer to him.

Their rich, luscious lips touched.

Roland breathed her in.

After a deep, passionate kiss, he placed his hand on the back of her head and held her tighter.

They kissed for what seemed like forever. When he released her at last, there was a burning, lustful look in his eyes." Isabel, | want to..."

His voice was raspy. Isabel could tell what was on his mind. She blushed and jabbed a fist at his shoulder playfully. "No, take care of it yourself."

She was just about to get up when Roland lifted her off her feet.