Chapter 473
“Give me some more time,” he whispered as he hugged her tightly.
For a while, Laney was dumbfounded and unsure of what he meant.
“This is not a big deal,” she reassured him, “so don’t fight your family, or do anything stupid.”
It was true that it had been difficult for her to live in the Harding home with her in-laws, but Garrett had also been under a lot of pressure.
Laney believed it was just fair for her to give up some freedom for them to be together. She felt a lump in her throat, but she held back her tears.
Laney knew that if she broke down in tears in front of him, Garrett’s conflict with his mother would only get worse.
Garrett said, “Don’t worry. I can handle it well. Just act as if you don’t know anything in front of my mother.”
Laney felt better with Garrett’s reassurance. She buried her face in his arms.
Then Garrett got up. He placed an arm on Laney”s shoulders as they headed upstairs. He had made up his mind.
They would move out to their own place once everything was settled.
On the following day, Garrett called his assistant as soon as he arrived at the office.
“Hire some people to clean my villa near the company. My wife will be moving into that house. The Harding family didn’t know that Garrett owned a villa near his company. He used to live in that villa by himself and he would just make do with things. If Laney was to move in with him, he would have to ensure that the place was cozy enough for his pregnant wife.
Garrett handed a file containing information about the villa to his male assistant.
“Got it, Mr. Harding,” the assistant checked the file with an uneasy look.
“But if your mother finds out about this, she will be furious.”
“That’s why you have to do it discreetly without letting my family know.”
Garrett’s decision was final.
Once the villa was ready, he would move in with Laney immediately. He wouldn’t ask for anyone’s permission, let alone have them change his mind.
What he didn’t know was that someone had overheard his plan.
Kelly was about to drop by Garrett’s office with some files, and she was shocked to hear his instruction to the assistant.
What villa? Garrett and Laney were planning to move out? She wouldn’t allow it! If Garrett moved in with Laney, her last glimmer of hope would be shattered. lt must be Laney who convinced Garrett to do this.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t decide to move out with her so suddenly.
When the male assistant came out of the office, Kelly quickly turned around and hid behind the door.
She decided to follow him for the file in his hand. lt would serve as an evidence she could show to Vera in order to stop Garrett from moving out.
Kelly caught up with the male assistant and gently patted him on the back.
“Do you have a moment, Willie? I wonder if you’d like to get a cup of coffee with me.”
The moment Willie saw Kelly behind him, his face lit up.
Kelly was known in the office as one of the most beautiful female employees.
Willie had never imagined having coffee with her, so he didn’t want to waste his chance.
“Of course, Kelly. But can you wait for a moment? I just have to put this file away.”
With a smile, Kelly replied, “Oh, but I have a meeting with Mr. Harding in fifteen minutes. We don’t have a lot of time.”
“Well…”
Gripping the file in his hand, Willie hesitated.
Kelly playfully bumped his shoulder with hers and said, “Why are you so nervous? We both work for Mr. Harding. You don’t think I would try and steal your file, do you?”
What she said successfully convinced Willie, so he went to the Starbucks downstairs with Kelly, still carrying the file.
After placing their order, the two of them settled up at a nearby table and started chatting.
Kelly flipped her hair gracefully and said with a grin, “You seem to have been working for Mr. Harding for a long time. You have a great future as his assistant.”
“You joined the company earlier than me.”
The barista called Willie’s name, interrupting their conversation.
“Wait, the coffee is ready. I’II go get it.”
With that, Willie walked over to the counter.
Kelly seized the chance and opened the file on the table. She quickly took a photo of its content.
Not long after, Willie came back holding two cups of coffee. He looked at Kelly with a flushed face and asked, “Kelly, would you like to have dinner with me tonight?”
Since her mission was complete, Kelly had no reason to be with him anymore. She picked up her coffee and looked at her watch.
“Maybe some other time. The meeting is about to start. I’m going back.”
However, she didn’t go back to the office.
Instead, she called Vera.
Seeing Kelly’s name on the caller ID, Vera didn’t feel like answering it. But the phone wouldn’t stop ringing, so she picked it up impatiently.
“What’s the matter?”
“Madam, I’m glad you picked up. This is important. l heard that Mr. Harding is planning to move out and live with Laney soon.”
Kelly was definitely good at making a mountain out of a molehill. She said in an agitated tone, “I think they want to completely break off with the Harding family.”
It took Vera a lot of time and effort to get Garrett back to take over the family business. So when she heard Kelly’s report, she flew into a rage.
“How dare he?”
Vera then thought it over and managed to suppress her anger. She knew her son well.
Although Garrett had always had a rebellious streak, once he made up his mind about something, nothing could put him off. Her son had promised that he would come back to take over the family business, and Vera believed him.
Vera hadn’t forgotten about Kelly deliberately starving Laney. lt was possible that Kelly was once again exaggerating things now.
This girl was probably up to no good, telling tales all the time.
“Kelly, is this what you’re doing all day at the office: gossip?” she asked calmly.
“How am I supposed to trust you?”
Vera kept her tone conversational.
Kelly sensed Vera’s suspicion.
“I know you won’t believe it without proof, so I’ve sent a photo to your phone,” she said.
“Please look at it first, before questioning me.”
She sounded confident. lt was not until Vera saw the photo that she realized Kelly wasn’t lying this time.
The photo was of a villa Garrett had bought himself. He really did want to move out for Laney’s sake! Vera closed her eyes.
She was so angry that it made her head swim, and she almost lost her balance. She caught the chair beside her to steady herself.
Disappointed and angry, she said, “I will call Garrett right now.”
“Please, ma’am, calm down,” Kelly said.
“I found something else, too.”
Kelly paused before adding, “I learned that Mr. Harding had recently been in touch with the family doctor a lot. l found this confusing, since Mrs. Harding has always been in good health. Now I understand; I guess Mr. Harding is asking her to pretend to be sick.”
Kelly’s words struck Vera like a cracking whip.
Suddenly, she felt as though everything she’d done so far had become a joke. She had accepted Laney, an unqualified daughter-in-law, for Garrett’s sake.
And what did she get in return? Why did they choose to lie to her?
