One’s eyes and tone would never lie. During my video call with Ashton, the exhaustion he felt from dealing with Thora and the enthusiasm in his voice when he spoke with me was enough for me to ascertain his stance. If I was unable to trust him at this stage, I really didn’t deserve his love at all.
“John, you and Ashton are actually the same, thinking that getting on someone’s nerves will always work. Do you think women are that easily cheated?” Suddenly, Emma interrupted with a strange tone in her voice.
Having heard her comment, John’s expression changed at once. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he quickly walked away into the crowd.
“What happened?” Given how rare it was for John to be cowed, I found it both strange and hilarious.
“I don’t know what got into him. The last time he came over to my company to discuss your law firm’s logo, he brought a girl with him. He should have at least chosen one with a clean reputation. Instead, the girl he brought had appeared in the tabloids before with countless other men. It was obvious that he was lowering his own self-worth just by doing that.” Emma glared angrily at John’s silhouette.
As I followed where her gaze leads, I couldn’t help but smile. John oh John, you may be adept at dealing with someone else’s problems. But when it comes to your own, you’re not mindful at all.
“So, what did you do after that?” I asked curiously.
“I went downstairs and bought him ten packs of condoms. Then, I told him to use a couple more every single time and to visit the hospital whenever he was free. He shouldn’t put his life at risk just for the sake of having a sex life. I finally realize that it’s not my fault that he doesn’t like me. Instead, he has really strange tastes!”
“Pfft…”
I couldn’t help but burst into laughter and applaud Emma in my heart. “Emma, I gotta say, your reaction was really harsh.” Furrowing her eyebrows, Emma was both upset and curious as to why I was laughing at her.
Nevertheless, I still couldn’t contain my laughter. Even if Emma didn’t say it out loud, I could still imagine the stunned look on John’s face. This time, he had finally met his match. He assumed that he could do the same to Emma as he did to Hannah. But contrary to his expectations, his plan backfired horribly.
“Ms. Stovall.”
Suddenly, a cordial voice rang out in my ear, causing the smile on my face to freeze. It wasn’t until it faded away that I finally turned around.
Just as expected, Thora had finally come to meet me.
The moment we exchanged glances, we maintained a cordial smile at each other as if we were old friends. There was no way one could tell that we were in fact love rivals who had fallen for the same man.
As the host, Thora brought with her everyone’s attention the moment she arrived.
“Ms. Ziegler, congratulations.” I raised my champagne glass at her.
“Thank you.” Thora smiled slightly without a hint of animosity. “I heard you have started your own law firm. Coincidentally, my company is involved in some complex legal situations. So, I was wondering if you’re willing to help?”
It appeared that there was no escape for me. Despite successfully avoiding the reporters’ questions, I couldn’t hide from the nosy gazes of high society.
If I accepted her offer, it would mean that I was less successful than her. That after leaving Ashton, I had to rely on his new partner for business. However, if I declined, it would indicate that I was being petty. Trapped between a rock and a hard place, it was evident that Thora wasn’t someone to be trifled with.
Just as John had said before, one needed to know where to strike. Since she had come to challenge me, there was no need for me to show any mercy.
After giving it some thought, I pursed my lips and replied with a smile, “Ms. Ziegler, you flatter me indeed. Let’s not go as far as to talk about whether I can help. After all, I have never been capable of much. From the time my grandma took care of me to the time my husband protected me, I hardly knew anything about running a business. Even now, I have to rely on the support the Stovall family provides. But since you have requested this of me, I will certainly try my best.”
Pausing a moment, I scanned around to find Brooklyn. “Mr. Newman.”
Acknowledging me from within the crowd, Brooklyn approached and stood behind me. “Ms. Stovall, I am at your service.”
“Ms. Ziegler is having a little trouble. Can you take a look or simply appoint someone in the company to help her? We can’t very well let her be bogged down by trivial matters now, can we?”
I raised my voice on purpose to emphasize the word “simply” so that everyone else could hear it clearly.
