Chapter 14
"Pleasure doing business."
Daniel let go of her hand, turned around, and left with his people, his steps light and quick—clearly very satisfied with the terms they'd just negotiated.
Ophelia withdrew her hand, quietly rubbing her fingertips against her side. Her palm was a bit sweaty.
She'd finally landed this project. Those three all-nighters revising the proposal hadn't been for nothing.
"Let's go." William stood beside her and naturally bent down to pick up her coat from the chair back, handing it to her. "I'll drive you back."
Ophelia took the coat and put it on, pulling the zipper halfway up as she casually agreed.
They walked out of the café side by side. The afternoon sunlight was a bit harsh, and Ophelia instinctively raised her hand to shield her eyes.
William walked on her left, taking smaller steps, deliberately matching her pace.
"What do you think about that supplementary clause Mr. Wilson brought up at the end?" William suddenly asked.
"A bit risky, but still within manageable limits." Ophelia turned to look at him. "As long as the quality inspection on the first batch goes smoothly, everything after that should fall into place."
William nodded slightly and said nothing more, just opened the passenger door for her.
Ophelia got in the car and let out a breath, her body sinking into the soft seat.
She'd been on edge all morning, and now that she could relax, she realized her back was a bit stiff.
The car smoothly merged into traffic. Ophelia leaned back in her seat with her eyes closed, her mind still running through the follow-up coordination process.
Her phone lay quietly in her bag. She didn't think to check it.
She had no idea that at this very moment, the internet was exploding because of her.
Freya sat in Jeffrey Technologies' office, staring intently at her computer screen, a twisted smile curling at the corners of her mouth.
She watched the trending topic numbers climb, feeling absolutely delighted.
The hashtag #the Brown Group CEO's woman# had blown up.
The comments section was basically a massive rumor mill, with the paid trolls she'd hired frantically stirring things up.
"Who is this woman? From the back, she looks pretty slutty. Mr. Brown has terrible taste."
"I heard this woman's been married before! Isn't she the ex-wife of Jeffrey Technologies' CEO?"
"Really? So she hooked up with Mr. Brown right after her divorce? That was fast!"
"Is this what they call a seamless transition? No wonder Mr. Adams divorced her."
"You can tell she's no good. Mr. Brown must have been tricked by her."
Freya looked at these nasty comments, finally releasing some of the anger in her heart.
Ophelia, aren't you so capable? Didn't you want to make a comeback after your divorce?
Well, now, the whole world knows you're a shameless slut. Let's see if William still wants you!
She smugly picked up her phone and sent Jeffrey a message: "Did you see? Ophelia's really famous now."
Jeffrey quickly replied with a smiley face: "Well done."
Freya laughed even harder, as if she could already see Ophelia completely ruined and with nowhere to turn.
The car stopped in front of the villa where Ophelia lived. She had just unbuckled her seatbelt when her phone suddenly rang.
It was Luca calling.
Ophelia's heart jumped. Why would Luca be calling her at this time?
She answered the phone, her tone still relaxed: "Hello, Luca."
"Ms. Blake, where are you right now?" Luca's voice sounded somewhat serious.
"Just got home," Ophelia answered honestly.
"Mrs. Smith wants you to come back to the Smith Mansion right away." Luca paused, then added, "She says it's urgent."
Ophelia frowned, feeling a bit puzzled.
Mireille rarely called for her this urgently. What was going on today?
"Got it, I'll head over now." She hung up and turned to look at William.
"What's wrong?" William saw her expression change and asked.
"Something's come up with the Smith family. Mireille wants me to go back." Ophelia pushed open the car door. "I won't trouble you to see me in. You should head back."
"I'll drive you there." William also started to unbuckle his seatbelt.
"No need." Ophelia waved her hand, refusing quite firmly.
Are you kidding? She was being summoned back by Mireille for a lecture. If William went with her, who knows what kind of misunderstanding that would cause.
Besides, she knew perfectly well that Mireille had previously brought up the idea of an arranged marriage between her and William, which she had politely declined.
Now, even though she and William had been spending more time together because of work, it was all uncertain with no stability whatsoever.
If William showed up at the Smith Mansion at this time, it would change the whole nature of things.
"Really, no need. I can just take a cab." Ophelia emphasized again, her tone leaving no room for argument.
Seeing her firm attitude, William didn't insist further, just nodded: "Call me if anything comes up."
"Okay, thanks." Ophelia closed the car door and watched William's car drive away before turning toward the garage to get her own car.
As she drove toward the Smith Mansion, she puzzled over the situation.
Could Mireille be calling her back about the arranged marriage?
Or had Mireille found out about her meeting with William today?
The more Ophelia thought about it, the more something felt off, and she pressed a bit harder on the gas pedal.
The Smith Mansion.
Mireille sat in the main seat in the living room, her face extremely grim.
Luca stood beside her, also looking very cautious.
Seeing Ophelia enter, Mireille snorted coldly without even lifting her eyelids.
"Grandmother." Ophelia walked up to her and called out properly.
"So you still know how to come back?" Mireille finally looked up, her sharp gaze fixed on her. "Didn't I tell you to seriously consider the arranged marriage? And what do you do? You say you're unwilling, but behind my back you move pretty fast."
Ophelia froze for a moment, then realized what Mireille was referring to.
So Mireille knew about her meeting with William.
"Grandmother, you've misunderstood. I met with William today purely for work." Ophelia explained, her tone neither humble nor arrogant.
"Work?" Mireille clearly didn't believe her, letting out a cold laugh. "A man and a woman alone, hiding in a café to talk about work? Do you think I'm senile?"
"It really was work. We were discussing a collaboration project with the Moore Group." Ophelia patiently explained. "And Mr. Wilson was there today, too. It wasn't just William and me."
Mireille looked at her suspiciously, as if trying to determine whether she was lying.
After a long while, she finally spoke slowly: "It was really just work?"
"Absolutely true." Ophelia nodded.
Mireille fell silent for a moment. Her expression softened slightly, but her tone remained stern: "I don't care if you were talking about work or what. Either way, you need to watch how things look."
"I understand," Ophelia responded.
"And about the arranged marriage." Mireille changed the subject, returning to this topic. "I know you have concerns and think it's too rushed. But I'm doing this for your own good, for the Smith family's good."
Ophelia said nothing, waiting for Mireille to continue.