Chapter 13
Ophelia's POV
The next morning, I arranged to meet Bobby from Stellar Industries Group at a very private café.
Bobby was nearly fifty, a man who'd spent half his life fighting his way through the business world. Behind his glasses, his eyes gleamed with shrewd caution.
"Ms. White, I've heard so much about you." He spoke politely, though he didn't hide the probing look in his eyes. "I wonder what advice you have for me today, since you've invited me out."
I pushed a cup of coffee toward him, the steam obscuring the coldness in my eyes.
"I wouldn't dare presume to advise you." I got straight to the point. "I just heard that you have been very interested in that new energy project lately. As it happens, I have a proposal for a new energy venture that promises profits at least thirty percent higher than that project. I wonder if you'd be willing to take a look?"
Bobby's expression didn't change. "Ms. White, let's be frank. Everyone in the industry knows about your relationship with Michael. Now you're coming to me—his sworn enemy—with a project. I'm having trouble understanding this play."
"The past is the past, the present is now." I met his scrutinizing gaze, my tone calm and steady. "I think you know better than I do what kind of person Michael is. If he can betray people for profit, why can't I?"
I pushed an elegantly packaged proposal toward him. "Of course, I won't ask Mr. Owens to take a risk for nothing. This proposal is just a foot in the door. If Mr. Owens is interested in working together, I'll give you a big gift—one that will ensure Michael and his Johnson Group never recover."
Bobby's gaze finally left my face and fell on the proposal.
He was silent for a long time before slowly reaching out to open it.
He read very carefully, his expression shifting from initial indifference to gravity, and finally to barely concealed shock and greed.
I'd stayed up all night working on this proposal, combining my memories with some internal materials Benjamin had given me. Every part was interconnected, with projected returns for each phase calculated with stunning precision.
For any businessman, this was an irresistible temptation.
"I need to see your sincerity." After a long while, Bobby closed the proposal, his voice tinged with suppressed excitement.
"My sincerity is that I came to you and only you with this project." I smiled slightly and stood up. "The Johnson Group is just an empty shell now. He's mortgaged most of his shares for the new energy project. If you spread the word that you're going to compete in the new energy market, he'll definitely panic and raise funds at any cost to compete with this project. When his cash flow breaks, Mr. Owens, what you do after that is your own business."
I didn't mention Benjamin, but someone as sharp as Bobby could naturally guess I had backing.
A woman who could produce such a perfect proposal and easily mobilize connections couldn't possibly be fighting alone.
What he needed was profit, and I could give him exactly that.
"A pleasure doing business." Bobby stood up and extended his hand to me.
"A pleasure doing business." I shook his hand, my heart ice-cold.
Michael, your days are numbered.
After leaving the café and getting into the car Chase was driving, the taut string in my heart finally loosened slightly.
The reason things went so smoothly this time was largely thanks to Benjamin pulling strings behind the scenes.
He not only helped me investigate Bobby's background but also used his connections to make Bobby feel some wariness and trust toward me, the abandoned daughter of the White family.
Benjamin and I had a partnership, and partnerships require give and take.
"Go to Maple Leaf Plaza." I leaned back in my seat and gave the order casually.
Since we were partners, some necessary gestures were in order.
Maple Leaf Plaza was the city's top luxury shopping center. I headed straight for the men's section.
For someone like Benjamin, ordinary things wouldn't catch his eye. A high-quality tie would show thoughtfulness without being overly intimate—just right.
I stopped at a top men's luxury brand counter, my eyes scanning the various ties in the display case.
As I picked up a dark blue tie with subtle patterns to examine it closely, a sharp, bitter voice rang out behind me.
"Well, well, who do we have here, shopping so leisurely? What's this—did Michael kick you out, and now you're buying things to win him back so you can go home?"
I turned around to see Winter arm-in-arm with Freya, both looking at me with contempt.
Freya's face still bore a sickly pallor, but the look she gave me was full of venom and resentment.
I couldn't be bothered with them and put down the tie, preparing to leave.
But Freya stepped forward, blocking my path. Seeing the tie near my hand, her face showed a flash of jealous understanding, and she spoke in a mocking tone, "You have such good taste. Michael would definitely love this tie. But do you even have money to buy something this expensive? You're not still using the supplementary card Michael gave you, are you?"
"Already separated and still using Michael's card—you really have no shame."
I ignored her and turned to the respectfully standing sales clerk, pointing to another tie displayed separately in the glass case. This tie was hand-sewn with platinum thread and studded with tiny black diamonds—the store's treasure piece.
"Let me see that one." My tone was flat.
The clerk paused, then put on white gloves and carefully took out the tie.
"Ms. White, this is a limited edition from our brand. There are only ten in the world, priced at one hundred thousand dollars."
Hearing the price, Winter and Freya gasped, looking at me like I was crazy.
"Ophelia, have you lost your mind? You're spending that much on a tie?" Winter shrieked.
Freya's tone was mocking. "If you can't afford it, don't pretend."
She thought I couldn't afford it and was deliberately saying these things to humiliate me.
I picked up the tie, admiring its understated luxurious sheen under the lights, and spoke casually, "Did you forget that everything Michael has, I gave him?"
I looked up, my gaze falling on Freya's face, twisted with jealousy, and curved my lips into a malicious smile. "Though you've reminded me—from now on, I should take back everything that belongs to me from the Johnson family."
"You!" Freya trembled with rage. She stared at the tie in my hand as if provoked, then suddenly said to the clerk, "I want this tie too! I'll buy it for Michael!"
She probably thought that if she could buy this tie, it would prove Michael's importance to her and put her above me.
Utterly foolish.
The clerk looked troubled. "I'm sorry, Ms. Johnson, we only have one of these ties in the store, and Ms. White saw it first."
"I'll pay more!" Freya screamed recklessly. "I'll pay one hundred and ten thousand dollars!"
Winter caught on and chimed in, "You heard her? We're offering one hundred and ten thousand dollars! Hurry up and wrap it for us! A woman who's been kicked out—where would she get that kind of money? Stop putting on airs!"
I watched their ugly display like watching two jumping monkeys.
I said calmly to the clerk, "Ignore them. Wrap it up, I'm buying it."
As I spoke, I took out a black bank card from my bag and handed it over.
It was the supplementary card Benjamin had given me, with no spending limit.
Seeing this, Freya completely lost it. She rushed forward, trying to snatch the packaging box from the clerk's hands. "I said I'm buying it! Why are you selling it to her!"