Chapter 81: Expressing Gratitude

Chapter 81: Expressing Gratitude

After Remy thought of this possibility, he instantly lost his mind.

"Maya, if you dare not give me the money, I'll make your life a living hell."

She didn't doubt what Remy said at all. Remy was a complete gambler, surrounded by a bunch of people who weren't afraid of anything. For a bit of money, they'd do anything. Otherwise, they wouldn't have taken on the job of trashing the store for just a few thousand dollars. If the police caught them, they'd go to jail. But then again, thinking about it, which of Remy's shady friends hadn't been to jail a few times?

"I really don't have any money. Threatening me here won't help."

Remy didn't believe her.

"Don't think I don't know - your store was doing so well that day, selling things at such high prices. How could you not be making money? I think you've just made it big and want to leave me behind."

"That's not just my store. I need to invest in it and pay people's salaries. Most importantly, the money I make isn't mine."

Although she managed this physical store completely, it still belonged to the Jackson Group. She needed Peter's permission to take any money from it.

"I don't understand all this business stuff. Anyway, you made money. If you don't give it to me, I'll go to your house right now and find you. I'll let Peter see what kind of person your adoptive father is, and see if he still dares to keep you as his daughter."

Remy was now all alone. Maya knew he meant what he said, so she decided to redirect the trouble.

"I did make money that day, but because you didn't cover your tracks of trashing the store, Donna caught me and used it against me. I had to pay a million dollars because of you guys. If you want money, go ask her for it. She's just a spoiled rich girl who's never seen any real danger. Instead of wasting time threatening me here, you'd be better off putting some effort into getting it from her."

Without waiting for a response, Maya hung up the phone. Remy would definitely go after Donna - that was a million dollars. Just thinking about it made her heart ache, let alone Remy, who'd never seen that kind of money in his life.

……

Donna was in the store again today. This was already the third time she'd looked up.

Carol was helping her with the accounts nearby. Seeing her like this, she quickly asked, "Ms. Jackson, what's wrong? Is there someone you know at the door?"

The store was clearly short-staffed, so Donna decided the two of them would come help out. She'd already put hiring people on the agenda and had just interviewed two people, asking them to come work at the store tomorrow.

The store wasn't big - having three people working was usually enough.

Donna kept staring at the door, then pursed her lips.

"Maybe it's just my imagination, but I keep feeling like someone's watching me."

Donna had a bad feeling when she left for work, but she never believed in such things.

"It's probably just random people passing by. This mall really has great foot traffic. Today's sales, although not as good as opening day, are still much better than Maya's store."

Carol knew Maya was competing against them, so she always liked to compare the two stores.

"By the way, Ms. Jackson, Ivan said he wants to take you to dinner after his event ends, to thank you for choosing him."

Donna was a bit surprised.

"Signing a contract is something both parties agree to. We already discussed all the terms clearly. There's no need to specially thank me. I'm not some big philanthropist. He doesn't need to feel burdened - I'm working with him because he's worth it."

Carol praised Donna again in her heart. Actually, when she recommended Ivan to Donna, she had her own reasons. She couldn't stand seeing such a hardworking person buried in the crowd, so she kept saying good things about Ivan in front of Donna.

"He probably just wants to simply thank you. After all, this deal with us is the biggest contract he's gotten so far. He also said that to avoid making you feel burdened, he chose a very ordinary restaurant."

Donna was silent for a moment, then agreed. It was just a casual meal anyway. She'd seen Ivan's anxiety all along, and this could be a good chance to put Ivan at ease so he could focus on his work. If he really became successful in the future, Donna could say she was an angel investor.

"Okay, then you handle coordinating the dinner with him."

Hearing Donna agree, Carol immediately went happily to reply to Ivan's message.

Donna was still smiling, but suddenly clutched her stomach and frowned in pain.

It seemed to be because she hadn't eaten breakfast this morning. Her stomach hurt a little now. What's worse, she'd finished the medicine in her bag. It looked like she'd need to go to the hospital to get more.

……

At the hospital entrance, Leo carefully helped Maya out of the car.

"Why were you in such a rush? If you hurt the baby in your belly, wouldn't you feel bad?"

Leo spoke with complaint. Maya was already pregnant, yet still so reckless.

Maya bit her lip, her voice very small.

"That bitch went too far. She was so shamelessly throwing herself at you. Slapping her once was letting her off easy."

Not long ago, after dealing with Remy, Maya wanted to improve her relationship with Leo. But as soon as she got to Leo's office, she saw a woman in business attire with her buttons undone, half-leaning on Leo's desk.

Maya had seduced Leo herself before, so of course, she knew what the woman was thinking. Without a word, she went up and slapped the woman. Who knew her movement was too big, and she twisted her back instead.

It wasn't really a big deal, but the woman was about to complain, so Maya quickly clutched her belly and cried out. Sure enough, when he heard the baby in her belly might be in danger, Leo immediately pushed away the woman on the floor and rushed Maya to the hospital.

"She's my secretary, reporting work to me. The way you acted today was really rude. You should visit the company less in the future."

Leo didn't know why, but this time he didn't protect her unconditionally. Instead, he found Maya's behavior annoying.

Whatever happened in bed was fine, but in front of outsiders, especially in his office, Maya was so thoughtless that it made him feel embarrassed. He hadn't done anything - why did Maya hit his secretary?

Maya froze, sensing his anger. She quickly clutched her belly again and cried out in pain. Leo's expression changed back to normal, and he hurried to take Maya into the hospital.