Chapter 19: Don’t Call Me That

The next morning:

Before returning The Hunter’s Book to Michael’s assistant, Jennifer deliberately took a photo of it.

She took this photo for Emily. Just an hour earlier, Emily had gone to Scott Davis to admit her mistake.

Jennifer was there, too, and witnessed Emily’s confession firsthand.

The school took this matter very seriously and gave Emily a severe punishment.

True to her word, Jennifer intended to clear up Maria’s misunderstanding about Emily. After all, Emily had little to do with this matter.

She would settle her own grudges personally.

After taking the photo, Jennifer was about to anonymously message Maria when Sarah, who was lying on the bed across from Jennifer and scrolling through her phone, suddenly cursed.

“Damn it, Maria again!”

“What about her now?”

Sarah immediately showed Jennifer a series of chat logs.

It was unclear who had initially leaked these messages. Jennifer clicked to view them and found several gruesome photos that made her feel sick.

“What the hell is this?!” Jennifer demanded.

Sarah replied grimly, “It’s Maria’s doing. She fired her assistant yesterday. That guy had elderly parents and young kids to support. His wife depended on expensive imported medicine to stay alive. He was drowning in a massive mortgage, and he suffered from severe anxiety. Maria just let him go. Isn’t that pushing someone to their death?”

“Then, this morning, he jumped off the roof of the company headquarters and killed himself. Maria is utterly despicable—this is a life!”

Jennifer sat at her desk, brushing her hair. Her eyes were cold in the mirror.

Years ago, her father fell to his death on a construction site because Maria insisted on cutting corners to save costs.

Thinking of her father and the assistant’s fate, Jennifer brushed her hair in silence perhaps a hundred times before sending Maria several messages from an anonymous number.

Miss Rossi, I hear you’ve driven another person to their death.

I’m not Emily at all. You screwed over your own cousin, only to realize you’re taking revenge on the wrong person. Must be infuriating, huh?

How many more innocent people do you need to destroy before you find me?

And how many more Amandas do you have to take the fall for you? Maria, the older you get, the less clever you seem compared to your younger self.

After sending this message, Jennifer attached a photo of the Hunter’s Book with Michael’s name written on it as proof.

Her texts stung Maria’s most vulnerable spots.

Sure enough, Maria nearly exploded with rage upon reading the messages.

She never imagined this insignificant pawn she’d dismissed would dare to provoke her so brazenly.

What troubled her more was that the assistant had jumped to his death just as he’d threatened, throwing the company into chaos.

First, she could only order a news blackout, then privately investigate who else had attended Sarah’s birthday party that night.

That evening, Maria had a rare date with Michael.

Unable to contain herself, she showed Michael each of the taunting messages on her phone.

“Michael, is this your book? She won’t stop provoking me. Who is she?”

Michael knew Maria’s tactics with women. He merely glanced at the messages indifferently.

“A partner’s daughter. Young and inexperienced.”

“Which partner’s daughter is so inexperienced? Do I know her?”

Michael gave her a cool look, and Maria immediately fell silent.

She knew she had upset him again.

The atmosphere at the table turned icy. Maria didn’t want to ruin this rare date, so she quickly changed the subject.

“I met her once. She just didn’t seem like the daughter of a wealthy family. I mean, the clothes she was wearing…”

“They weren’t just ordinary—they were downright cheap and shoddy.”

Though irritated, Maria reminded herself that Michael had proposed last night. At this critical moment, she needed to stay calm.

“Forget it. I think we should just ignore her.”

“Such an ordinary girl—what trouble could she possibly cause? Don’t you agree?”

Michael took a sip of red wine and kept silent.

Maria flashed him a seductive smile and ordered another bottle of champagne from the waiter.

When the waiter brought the champagne, Maria noticed how handsome he was. She couldn’t help but remark, “A guy this good-looking doesn’t look like a waiter at all. Walking down the street, people might mistake him for a rich guy.”

Without looking up, Michael replied, “Judging by appearances is your biggest weakness, Maria.”

Maria had already had a few drinks, and her mind was starting to feel foggy.

“Is that so?” She didn’t catch the hidden meaning in Michael’s words.

In this candlelit, romantic setting, the atmosphere was growing intimate.

Maria gazed at Michael’s handsome profile and unique aura, completely captivated.

She smiled, her tone tinged with playfulness. “I admit it, Michael. I judge by looks. I’ve had a great impression of you since the first time I saw you.”

But Michael remained as cool as ever.

Setting down his glass, he said flatly, “Maria, judging by appearances really is your biggest problem.”

He repeated it as if deliberately addressing her perception of his “self-restraint.”

It wasn’t that he lacked desire; his standards were simply too high.

Up until now, only one person had met them.

Lost in the haze of wine and romance, Maria completely missed the deeper meaning behind his words.

Just then, Michael’s phone vibrated with an email notification.

He casually opened the message titled “New Season Collection.”

A series of photos of young women wearing camisoles in dormitory bathrooms popped up on the screen.

Jennifer’s hair was half-wet in the photos. Sometimes she crossed her arms over her chest; sometimes she leaned against the showerhead; sometimes she sucked on candy. But in every shot, she stared straight into the camera, utterly seductive.

Michael had only glanced at the photos for a few seconds when he received a message from Jennifer.

Jennifer wrote, “Sarah helped me take all these tonight. What do you think, Mr. Kowalski? Do they look good?”

Michael suspected that Jennifer had timed the arrival of the photos to coincide with his date with Maria.

Across the table, Maria remained focused on slicing the foie gras, never looking up.

Michael replied, Not for you.

After sending the message, he tucked his phone away.

He assumed that anyone receiving such blunt feedback would be embarrassed and drop the subject.

But almost instantly, his phone buzzed again.

She had sent another new photo.

“Is this one suitable?”

Michael didn’t even open the full image; the thumbnail showed a mirror selfie.

This time, she was naked.

Though her private parts were covered by her arm, it was still hard to stomach.

Michael’s face darkened considerably, and he immediately deleted the photo.

Only then did Maria notice that he had been staring at his phone. “Michael, is something going on at the company?”

Michael didn’t answer directly, only saying flatly, “Some news.”

“Then reply to it first.”

Maria figured it was normal for a capable entrepreneur like Michael to be busy.

As long as he secured the Kowalski family project, she could tolerate his usual aloofness.

She quietly resumed her meal.

Meanwhile, Jennifer’s increasingly bold actions had fully ignited Michael.

He replied: If you’re sending photos like this, why all the hiding?

Like a seasoned player, he methodically challenged her pride, waiting for her to back down.

Sure enough, this time the girl did not post any more photos.

She only sent a text message: The more exciting stuff is saved for you to discover in person, Michael…

Michael frowned deeply.

Don’t call me that.

Jennifer replied: I’m not calling you that. If I were, I’d save it to whisper in your ear.

Michael…

Ah…