Coolest Girl in TownChapter 562 Tendency to Hold Grudges
At the same time, in Smith Co.’s President’s office, Johnny hung up the phone. Then, he calmly shifted his gaze toward the refined-looking man, who was resting on a reclining chair.
Feeling rather uneasy, Johnny pretended to cough to draw the man’s attention. “S-Sir…”
Upon hearing that, Kenneth turned his head around from his seat. A half-smirk was formed on the corners of his mouth. “What’s the matter? Is there something strange about my face? Why are you still not getting used to looking at me even after so long?”
Just as Johnny was about to answer, someone suddenly knocked on the office’s door twice. The door then opened and revealed that that someone was Melody. She walked in boldly with a pile of documents in her hand.
“All documents are here. This is the company’s development plan for the next five years, and this is a list of all the company’s loss-making projects in the past year,” Melody said. Next, she expressionlessly threw the document on the coffee table in front of Kenneth.
Since he was resting his feet on the coffee table, Kenneth almost got them slammed by those documents. Hence, he instinctively ducked and joked, “Seriously, Melody? Have you not learned how to treat your boss a little better?”
“Sure, on the precondition that you’re still aware you’re the boss.” Melody made fun of Kenneth with her precise words in an unperturbed manner. “Johnny and I have been handling most of the company’s business. Unlike someone right here, we work our a*ses off to reach our targeted KPI. Right now, that certain someone suddenly got carried away by a whim and requested us to cast aside the project that we have been working on for more than half a year. I’m pretty sure no person in their right mind would smile when being thrown into such a situation.”
“Uh…” Kenneth turned to look at Johnny for help.
Nope! There’s no way I’m participating in this fight! Count me out, bro! Johnny flung up his hands and leaned against the leather seat behind him.
Upon seeing that, Kenneth thought, How cruel!
“Alright… Alright…” Kenneth sat up and heaved a long sigh. Then, he looked at Melody, his gaze filled with sorrow. “Love is a spark from nowhere that extends to eternity. Once a person is in love, they do things out of impulse.”
“I fear that I’m not good enough. I did all these because I wanted Elise to try accepting all the different sides of me. Before this relationship fully blooms, I will spend all day and night in anxiety. You two are my right-hand men. Can’t I at least entrust my faith or rely on you two to help me?”
For a moment, Johnny and Melody could not bear to go against their consciences, considering it was rare for Kenneth to show his vulnerable side.
“Fine.” Melody placed both hands into the pockets of her high-waisted pants. “From the day I decided to work for you, I had expected there would be a day that I would go through hell or high water. Alright, we’ll continue helping you watch over Smith Co., so go ahead. Be your lover’s guardian.”
Just then, as if he was performing in a Sichuan Opera, Kenneth changed his facial expression. In an instant, he stood up excitedly and walked over to Melody. Then, he patted her shoulder solemnly. “Just as I thought! You’re the most soft-hearted person here. Oh, by the way, don’t forget to make the payment to Ellie’s show. I would like to inject monetary capital into the show’s production team!”
Once he was done speaking, Kenneth moved his feet and walked out.
Both Melody and Johnny exchanged glances, and they shook their heads silently. We must have owed him in our past lives!
…
Meanwhile, in the manor, Layla was still burping even after taking a long walk.
While burping, Layla ranted. “E-Elise… Burp! What’s she up to? She purposely made me stuff myself and suffer from burping!”
“Mom! Be reasonable, will you!? No one forced you to stuff yourself with so much food…” Joey was speechless after she heard Layla’s words.
Pausing, Layla halted in her tracks and refused to move a step further. “Joey, how could you side with an outsider? Can’t you tell that I’m actually drawing water to your mill?”
“Drawing water to my mill? What? Mom, what are you planning exactly?” Joey asked, looking puzzled.
“I don’t think the relationship between your dad and Elise is as simple as it looks. Who knows what would happen if I don’t keep an eye on her and make her suffer a little! For all I know, half of the Fassbender Family’s property could be going into her pocket in the future!” Layla said presumingly.
“W-What? Mom, that doesn’t make any sense!” Joey debunked Layla. “Those gossips have been clarified long ago. Plus, Elise has a talented, handsome, and rich fiancé. Why would Elise chase after dad? What does dad have? You actually think Elise would chase after an old guy with a wrinkled face like dad?”
“Tsk! How can you say that about your dad!?” Layla raised her meaty hand and hit Joey on the arm.
“Mom… I was just joking…” Joey pursed her lips, feeling frustrated.
“As the old saying goes, ‘a daughter is the father’s sweetheart’. From what I see, you’re probably not sweet enough. Next time, don’t come up with such jokes. It’s not funny. You know how much your dad cares about his looks. He would be devastated if he found out that his own daughter said he is old and ugly.” Upon mentioning Quentin, Layla’s voice turned soft.
With her gaze fixating on Layla, Joey felt slightly surprised. Then, she teased her. “Mom… I didn’t know you were so in love with dad.”
“Hey!” Layla gave Joey a scolding. After that, she took Joey’s arm and returned to the manor by the way which they came. “Come on. Let’s go! I can’t leave your dad for too long with Elise!”
Dumbstruck, Joey really felt that Layla was overreacting. Yeah, I don’t know Elise very well. But during the time spent with her, my judgment toward her was that she was not of an evil heart. Not to mention that she’s a friend of H’s. It’s highly unlikely for H to have misjudged Elise. I trust whoever H sees fit.
“HAHAHA! If so, then they are really stupid! You’re still so amazing, Elise!”
As soon as the mother-daughter duo arrived at the doorstep, they heard Quentin’s hearty laughter.
Enraged, Layla immediately paced into the house. Then, she deliberately showed up in front of them and snorted. After that, she went upstairs furiously.
Taking a glance at the direction Layla stormed into, Quentin immediately restrained his laughter. “I’ll go take a look. Elise, you must be exhausted from what happened today. Why don’t you hit the hay early tonight?” Then, he got up and trailed after Layla.
“Okay, Papa,” Elise said with a smile.
In truth, she could sense Layla’s ill-feeling toward her. However, it got resolved thanks to Quentin.
Quentin treats me with great care. So, I must return the favor to his family.
Elise believed that sincerity must be returned with equal sincerity. Layla is someone who Quentin loves. I’m sure the tense atmosphere between us will be resolved as long as I spend time nurturing my relationship with her.
Joey waited by the door for a while. After Quentin went upstairs, she walked in and tried to be the mediator for Layla. “I’m sorry. Mom usually doesn’t act that way. She’s like this probably because she’s approaching menopause. I hope you’re not hurt by her rude behavior.”
Joey was very strong-minded, so Elise knew that she had received great recognition from Joey, judging from the light tone in her voice when she said those words.
“It’s okay. Mama is simply straightforward in character. I like getting along with people like her. I don’t have to constantly feel as if I’m playing mind games since she wears her heart on her sleeve,” Elise said.
“Yeah, you’re right.” Joey acknowledged Elise’s words.
“Oh, and by the way…” Elise spoke. “You’ve been learning computer programming with my friends during this time. How are things going for you?”
“Nothing much.” Joey shrugged her shoulders. “It’s not as difficult as I’d imagined.”
In all honesty, she did face difficulties occasionally. However, Joey did not say anything about it because she subconsciously did not want to look weak in front of Elise.
“That’s good.” Elise squinted her eyes, and she smiled like a Cheshire cat. “You possess the talent in this field. And in time, you will definitely achieve remarkable results! I will ask Papa to lift the restrictions he had set upon you before.”
Joey was inexplicably moved by Elise’s words, and she was clueless about how to react for a moment. She merely bit her lip and silently brushed her foot against the floor.
“It’s getting late. Let’s go upstairs and get some rest. Pick a room that you like. And don’t worry. We have cleaners to clean the room every day. The sheets and quilts are very clean.” Elise naturally changed the topic.
“Oh, okay…” Joey responded vaguely. Then, she grabbed the sling bag on the sofa, hung it around her neck, and ran upstairs.
Halfway up the stairs, Joey suddenly stopped with her back facing downstairs. Feeling awkward yet sounding sincere, Joey said in a low voice, “Thanks, sis.”
Seconds after Joey finished saying that, Elise could hear the sound of shoe soles rapidly colliding with the wooden floor. And by the time she came around, Joey’s figure had disappeared from the entrance of the stairs.
This was not the first time Joey had called her ‘sis’, but it was the first time she acknowledged Elise’s status as her sister.
Feeling delighted, Elise thought, Today’s such a happy day! As for Austin, I’m just going to pretend like he never existed.
