Rift in the perfect picture

Chapter 0419

I hadn’t been feeling well lately, so I had been resting at home for the past two days.

It wasn’t until Douglas called me that I found out that Frances was oblivious to the fact that I wasn’t in town and had been visiting the office for the past two days, seemingly looking distressed.

To settle everything as soon as possible, I chose a bright and sunny afternoon to head over to the office. I was rarely at Jones Corporation, yet my office on the top floor had been kept neat and tidy.

The second I opened the door, the faint smell of tea leaves immediately waffled toward me.

Douglas seemed satisfied as he said, “Ms. Jones, I had a feeling you would like this scent, so I had someone change it for you. What do you think? Do you like it?”

I took a deep breath and pulled my chair out. The smell made it difficult for me to breathe.

Douglas froze, and his expression was filled with shock as if he was not expecting me to say such a thing. I guessed he had assumed so because he had often noticed that scent on me.

He did not say anything else and called Frances, who was waiting in the visitor’s lounge, over to my office.

When Frances saw me, her attitude was much more respectful than before. Despite accompanying Daniel frequently to important events, most people would greet her as ‘Mrs. Hawk“. But now, people would greet her as “Ms. White” out of respect for her.

I took out a document file from my drawer and pushed it toward Frances. Meeting her greedy eyes, I asked, “I heard from Douglas that you’ve just attended a conference. Did you gain anything from the conference?”

Frances didn’t even stop to pause as she picked up the file and answered perfunctorily. “It was quite interesting. It was filled with young people sharing about their business growth and future plans.

“I’ve also heard that you’re planning to cooperate with the Shelman family in the future. Is that true? A few luxury brands were present, so I did learn a few things.

I was slightly taken aback by how greedy she was. Apparently, the projects in her reach weren’t enough to fill her appetite, and she was beginning to keep an eye out for other opportunities.

With a small smile, I asked kindly, “Is that right? According to my knowledge, the conferences you attend happen every year. They would collaborate with the same companies and rotate the speakers every year.

“You might even be able to find the whole speech online. Didn’t I bring you along to attend a project meeting? What’s wrong with that project? Aren’t you interested?”

“Wait! How can that be?” Frances was at a loss for words as she was filled with embarrassment. “It’s all Lily’s-

Her words came to a stop as she had successfully opened the document file. A check flew out and slowly fell to the ground.

“Ari, w–what is this f–five million dollars for? Are you giving this to me?” She held the check up in disbelief.

My face felt stiff from all the smiling as I nodded lightly. “I don’t want to waste your time as time is precious for us both, so I’ll get straight to the point.

+25 BONUS

Chapter 0419

“Douglas told me that you’ve been wanting to meet me recently. After thinking it through, I cannot think of any other reason you’d want to meet me other than to ask for

money.

“I’ll give you five million, and the money is coming from my personal bank account. You can use the money to pay for your living expenses, or you can tell Lily that you want to become an investor for fun. That way, you’ll definitely be able to earn a fair share next month.”

Frances gave me an embarrassing smile and said “Ari, how can you say that? I see you as one of my own, and I just missed you.”

Although she had said that, her hands had moved quickly and the check quickly disappeared from my sight.

I scoffed and said, “Nicholas and I are about to get a divorce. There’s no need for you to go around addressing yourself as my mother. My mother is dead, and I don’t think you’d want to attract such bad luck, would you?”