Samantha and Cassey were close friends back during university but lost contact after graduating.Cassey smiled at Samantha’s remark and said, “Please. You’re doing much better than I am. Our friends have been telling me so much about how you’ve married a deadbeat!“By the way, how much did your deadbeat husband earn from pretending to be the legate at the city that never sleeps? Everyone is just dying to know!”Samantha was stunned at Cassey’s clearly hostile reply.It was true that she and Adrian had pretended to be big shots at Southrive.However, pride and ego are something that is automatically built into every person, so Samantha was left confused wondering how a legit business strategy could become another person’s laughingstock.Embarrassed, she said, “Why would you say something like that? I thought we were close in the past?”“Pfft!” Cassey stifled a laugh and was very straightforward with her words as she said, “That’s because you were doing much better than me in the
Mario laughed. “He really is enjoying his life. Not only is he a deadbeat, but he seems really proud of it too. Hah!“It’s a shame that Sam chose to marry such a loser despite her pretty looks.”Samantha remained speechless, not knowing what to say.Cassey then continued, “It’s decided then. Wait for my call, Sam. I’m expecting you to attend my wedding. No excuses!”The Mercedes Benz sped off, taking with it whatever good mood Samantha had earlier. She was so speechless that all she could think to say at that moment was, “What were you thinking, Adrian? It’s obvious she’s trying to humiliate me, so why would you agree to attend her wedding?”‘I know very well what Cassey and her friends are like,’ she added silently.“You have no idea what kind of criticisms they’re going to hurl at you if you don’t go. So, you have to come as well.”“And you think they won't if I do?”“Well, they’ll hurl it at your face if you do.”Samantha was confused. ‘What in the world is he thinking?’“
Adrian and Belle shortly arrived at the headquarters of Southrive’s Swallowston Jewelers.There, Belle brought out a necklace to show Adrian and said, “This necklace is called the Heart of the Sea. It’s made from Graff Pink diamond, also known to be the most precious gemstone in the world.“Its cut, color, and clarity make one feel like they’re looking at the ocean. Its heart-shaped design is how it got its name.“This necklace is the most precious piece of our collection. It was previously auctioned at Paolo Auctioneers with a starting price of twelve million dollars, but nobody was able to afford it.“After that, this necklace was crowned to be fit for a goddess and has been in numerous exhibitions both large and small. You could even say that it’s as popular as a celebrity, holding the love of countless people.”Adrian took a look at the necklace.‘She’s right, it does seem very outstanding. With how it’s able to exhibit a woman’s elegance, it’s specially made for women. I dou
Every woman dreamt of owning the Heart of the Sea.Samantha had already seen the news that morning and replied, “I know. There are many saying that it was the legate who bought it. I guess he’s the only one throughout Swallowston, Southrive even, worth selling the necklace to.“I also heard that Lucas asked Belle to sell it to him many times, but she rejected him time and time again.”At the mention of the legate and Lucas Jenner, Adaline was suddenly reminded of the events that took place the day before.She was silent for a moment before she said, “Sam, do you think Adrian is…”“What’s wrong with him?” Samantha shot Adaline a curious glance.But, with a sigh, Adaline decided not to finish her sentence.‘I can’t confirm that Adrian’s the legate yet, so it’ll only be hearsay if I tell her about it now.’Instead, she shook her head and smiled. “Nothing. What I meant to say was he’s been proving himself to be a pretty decent guy. So, when are you planning to forgive him?”“It’s
Samantha put on the Heart of the Sea, which was the only piece of jewelry she had received over the years.‘It doesn’t matter if it’s expensive or not. What matters is that Adrian’s the one who gave it to me.’The dining table remained silent for the rest of the morning.After that, Adrian and Samantha headed to Bailar together.The company was on the brink of extinction, which was why Samantha had been coming up with ways to bolster the company.As they arrived and Samantha sat down in her office, her assistant immediately walked in.The assistant’s name was Nina Williams. She had been working for Samantha since Bailar was founded and was in charge of its operations.Samantha had a bad feeling when she saw Nina walking in. In an exhausted tone, she said, “Go on. What is it?”Nina heaved a sigh and said, “The company’s been continuing to run at a loss, and many major banks are asking us to pay up on the loans. We have three days tops before they step in and take over the compan
Samantha knew that she was going to get hung up on, but she continued to contact other banks for the sake of her company.Alas, none of the banks were willing to give her another loan.‘The company will go belly up in a few days if I can’t find some money to pump into it.’Seeing how dejected she was, Adrian said, “Why don’t you relax and take a breather? Who knows? You might just be able to get through this.”Hearing this, Samantha shot Adrian a glance and said, “What do you know about running a company? Our cash flow is almost depleted. I won’t be able to pay my employees if I don’t get some money soon.”Samantha shook her head while Adrian smiled and replied, “I wouldn’t be too sure about that. Maybe a bank will come to you themselves with a loan offer.”Samantha instantly shot Adrian a glare. “You’re being too optimistic about this. As if any sane bank would do such a thing for me in this situation?”“Let’s just wait and see,” Adrian said.Samantha ignored Adrian and wrote
Adrian smiled upon hearing that. “In that case, let’s get prepared.”Samantha nodded. If Swallowston Bank took the liberty to call, it signified that Bailar’s funding issue could be easily solved.She felt rather excited. Without a moment’s hesitation, she quickly packed up and drove to Swallowston Bank’s headquarters with Adrian.***Half an hour later, Adrian and Samantha arrived at Swallowston Bank’s headquarters.As soon as they got out of the car, Samantha walked toward the bank in excitement. However, a voice rang out before she stepped into the building. “Isn’t that my cousin and his wife? What a coincidence, meeting you guys here.”Samantha was stunned.Adrian turned around to see who it was. He saw a young man dressed in a suit and a woman walking over to them from the bank’s entrance.Samantha furrowed her eyebrows at the sight of the young man. His name was Cedric Xander, and he was Adrian’s cousin. He was Harold’s grandson and Leonard’s son.“Let’s go, ignore him,”
Once Cedric finished speaking, Adrian’s arm shook as a burst of power radiated through it. Cedric was scared out of his wits and instantly backed away in shock.Cedric’s eyes widened in surprise. He felt a sense of threat for just a brief moment.However, he was a proud man. He instantly said in a fury, “Adrian, you have no appreciation for my kindness. In that case, I’m going to make a call to Swallowston Bank. You’re not stepping foot in there.”Adrian’s interest was piqued. He smiled and said, “Go ahead and try. I’d like to see if I’m capable of entering Swallowston Bank today.”Cedric furrowed his eyebrows. He came to the bank today to withdraw some money and did not expect to bump into Adrian.In truth, he had found out about Adrian’s return some time ago. He had not expected this deadbeat to disrespect him.“Very well. Just wait.” Cedric pointed at Adrian.As he spoke, Cedric began to dial a number on his phone.Samantha grew anxious when she saw Cedric making the call. S