Chapter 23
At the end of his rope with no light on the horizon, Tiffany’s arrival was a ray of hope for Caleb, akin to a lifeline for a drowning man.
He was so stunned he couldn’t get a word out. Finally, he blurted, “Just save my kid, and I’ll do whatever you ask, no questions.”
He was ready to face any consequence, even if it meant risking everything right then and there. There was no room for hesitation.
Tiffany’s lips curved into a smile. “Your servitude isn’t necessary. I’m interested in acquiring 70% of your company’s shares. You can still be the CEO, and I won’t interfere with operations. My role will be to provide capital, while your focus will be on expanding the business.”
This offer seemed like an unexpected blessing. His company had already gone bankrupt, and everyone else had written it off as a lost cause.
But this girl had come out of nowhere, offering him a lifeline and backing it up with real investment. It was like winning the lottery when he least expected it.
Caleb was floored. He thought he must be losing his mind or that this girl was playing some cruel joke. It was too good to be true – he had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.
Tiffany wasn’t one to waste time. Seeing Caleb’s disbelief, she grabbed him by the arm and marched him straight to the bank. Caleb’s jaw dropped when he saw the balance. This was real after all.
He composed himself, wiping his eyes. “Alright, I’m in,” he said, giving her a firm nod.
“Here – get your kid fixed up first, then we’ll talk business. Don’t sweat the small stuff, it’s all covered.” Tiffany slipped him the card and jotted down her number. “Look, I’ve got a full plate. Gotta go now!”
It was like a fleeting miracle! This girl had swooped in like some kind of superhero and vanished just as fast. The whole encounter couldn’t have lasted more than five minutes.
Caleb was left dumbfounded, holding nothing but a phone number. He realized he hadn’t even caught her name.
He broke down again, bawling his eyes out. This tough guy was now a blubbering mess.
He’d been begging all over town, but everyone had turned him away. Then this girl appeared unexpectedly. No tricks, no hidden agenda. She offered him a substantial amount of money. and threw him a lifeline when he was about to sink.
It took a while, but Caleb finally snapped out of it. The desperate and defeated look in his eyes faded away, replaced by a renewed determination. He was back in the game, ready to work hard and give it another try.
Tiffany had no clue, but her spur-of-the-moment good deed had totally knocked Caleb’s socks off. She’d won his unwavering loyalty.
This company that everyone had written off as dead in the water was about to bounce back. This business was gonna shoot up like a weed, planting its feet so firmly that nothing could knock it down.
It’d be a major player, making the competition green with envy. Tiffany would be in an advantageous position with an investment that kept on rewarding her.
But that was all in the future. Right now, Tiffany was elated. In her past life, Kenneth was supposed to recruit Caleb. But this time, she’d beaten him to it. She’d just significantly disrupted her enemy’s plans.
Tiffany’s deal with Caleb blew Kenneth’s old offer out of the water. Even if Kenneth tried to sweet-talk Caleb later, he’d be barking up the wrong tree. That ship had sailed.
Tiffany was in such high spirits, humming a tune as she strolled over to grab a bite with Richard.
Tiffany figured she’d beat Richard to the punch, but no dice. As she got closer, she spotted him standing straight as a flagpole. Looks like he’d been cooling his heels for a while.
Tiffany kicked it into high gear and hustled over “My bad for keeping you waiting,” she said, a little out of breath. “I hit a snag on the way here
Richard snuck a peek at his watch. His poker face didn’t crack. She was late by a whole five minutes.
In Lovell City, all the big shots and fat cats wouldn’t dare be even a hair late when Richard called. But with just one look at Tiffany’s puppy dog eyes, Richard’s annoyance went up in smoke.
“Come on, let’s head in,” he simply said.
Tiffany let out a breath. She’d been riding high on cloud nine and lost track of time. Thank her lucky stars she hadn’t ticked off Mr. Big Shot enough to make him bounce.
They strolled into the restaurant side by side, and Tiffany gave the place the once-over.
Velvet & Vine was a highly acclaimed restaurant in Lovell City. It boasted chefs from Michelin-starred establishments, known for their exceptional culinary skills. The food was said to be unforgettable, leaving a lasting impression on all who dined there.
The restaurant adhered to a strict policy of serving only 99 customers daily. Once this limit was reached, they would decline service to any additional patrons, regardless of their status or influence.
Many tried to cause trouble for Velvet & Vine, but the restaurant had an ace up its sleeve. Some big-time mystery player was pulling strings behind the scenes, helping them weather every storm like it was just a drizzle.
Tiffany looked around and saw the place was pretty much a ghost town, aside from the servers who stood at attention, ready for action. She didn’t make a big deal out of it, just followed Richard in.
Little did they know, Sandra was passing by and caught the whole show. Talk about being in the wrong place at the right time!
Sandra paused and grabbed Kenneth’s arm. She pointed at Velvet & Vine and said, “Hey Kenneth, I think I just saw Tiffany go in there with a guy. They looked pretty cozy.
The second Tiffany’s name dropped, Kenneth couldn’t help but frown. “You sure about that?”/ he asked.
“I think so, but she’s your fiancée. It’s weird she’d be so close with another guy. Maybe I saw it wrong, Sandra said, looking confused.
Good thing Tiffany didn’t catch that, otherwise she’d have called Sandra out for being such a two-faced fake. Talk about putting on an innocent act!
Kenneth looked pretty ticked off as he headed straight for Velvet & Vine. Sandra followed him, chirping away, “Hey, Kenneth, wait up! Don’t get mad.”
Tiffany had just walked into the restaurant when Kenneth approached, looking livid. He grabbed her wrist roughly, not caring if it hurt.
“You’ve got some nerve, you two-timing flake! Speaking around with other guys behind my back: Kenneth exploded.
Just my freaking luck! Tiffany thought, seething inside. She spun around, ready to let loose. “Kenneth, have you lost your marbles or something? What makes you think you can push me around?
In Tiffany’s eyes, Kenneth was a total hypocrite. He hung out with Sandra all the time without a second thought, but here he was acting all high and mighty, accusing her. Seriously?
Kenneth totally misread the situation, thinking Tiffany was jealous. He calmed down a bit but still sounded super bossy. “Let’s go. I’m not taking no for an answer.”
Tiffany went from disbelief to livid in a hot second. “Who the hell do you think you are? You’re a nobody, got it? You’ve got no right to come in here, yelling and demanding answers. You’re not the boss of me, so back off!”
This verbal smackdown left Kenneth’s head spinning. Then the guy next to Tiffany turned around. Kenneth had thought the man looked familiar from the side, but when he saw his face, it was like he’d seen a ghost.
Kenneth was totally thrown off. He started stuttering like crazy. “Un… Uncle…”
Richard was busy on a call, not really paying attention. But he had never expected that, in less than a minute, his nephew had the nerve to come in acting all tough right in front of him.
“You trying to start something?” Richard asked, giving Kenneth an ice-cold look. He was reading Kenneth like an open book.
Kenneth was shaking like a leaf. No way he’d dare mess with Richard.
Even though Richard was just a few years older, he’d always been the one person that scared the c**p out of Kenneth when they were kids. Richard might seem all chill and logical on the outside, but inside he was stone-cold. He could make someone disappear without leaving a trace.
Richard saw Kenneth back down right away and noticed Tiffany’s wrist looking a bit red. “If you’re not trying to start something, then hands off her. Now.”