Chapter 580

Chapter 580

After spending the whole afternoon talking with Mr. Barnes, Harper finally got what she wanted.

Not only had she patched things up with Mr. Barnes, but she'd also gotten his personal promise that Dominic wouldn't be riding high for much longer.

Things had turned around completely for Harper. The trip was definitely worth it.

She politely turned down Mr. Barnes's invitation to stay for dinner and said, "I won't keep you and your wife from your dinner. I'll be waiting for your good news, and I hope we'll have a great partnership going forward."

"Well then, I'll take that as a good omen."

Harper smiled as she walked back to her car.

Her mood now was completely different from earlier, when she'd had to rush back to the car in pain just to grab her medication.

She was just about to call Caden to share the good news.

Then she noticed a car pulling up behind her. It was Mason's car.

Harper felt a headache coming on.

He had left Mr. Barnes's house before her, but apparently hadn't gone far at all — he'd just been waiting outside for her.

Fed up with his persistence, she stopped and asked Mason, "What exactly do you want?"

"Harper, did Mr. Barnes agree to work with you? Congratulations! I knew he'd trust you — you're just that capable."

Harper didn't respond to his flattery.

Instead, she cut him off and said bluntly, "I've already told you — my husband and I have absolutely no plans to divorce."

"If that's the reason you're approaching me, then I think you're being very disrespectful to my marriage and my happiness."

And it was making her want nothing to do with Mason as a person.

Mason clearly hadn't expected Harper to shut him down so harshly, without leaving him any dignity at all.

But that was exactly Harper's intention.

She just wanted Mason to face reality and stop bothering her.

He tried to keep wriggling out of it, stumbling over his words: "I'm not wishing for you and Caden to divorce. Everything I've done, I just wanted to make it up to you."

"Mr. Cruz, you've helped me a lot this time, but whatever your family owed me has been fully repaid. There's no need for anything extra," Harper said. Before he could push back, she continued, "I also know your father has been setting you up on dates and wants to find you a fiancée soon. What you're doing right now is just as disrespectful to her. Don't let a moment of impulse ruin both our reputations."

Harper's words hit hard.

Mason had nothing left to say.

All he could manage was a weak defense: "I don't want a fiancée. If it bothers you, I'll have my dad call it off right now."

"Mr. Cruz, you're still missing my point," Harper said. She sighed and added, "What I mean is — I respect you and wish you well, but beyond that, I don't want any further connection between us. Please move on."

"Why should I?" Mason frowned, genuinely confused. "Dennis has feelings for you too, and he still gets to stay by your side. Why can't I?"

Harper was caught off guard.

She hadn't expected Mason to know about that.

And she felt a flash of irritation — clearly, Mason had been quietly digging into her personal life.

She let out a cold laugh and stopped holding back: "Then let me ask you, Mr. Cruz — in your eyes, what's the difference between you and Dennis?"

Mason's first instinct was to say that the Cruz family had far more power than the Taylor family.

But Harper seemed to read his mind.

She said directly, "You're wrong. The Taylor family may not be as powerful as the Cruz family, but Dennis holds real power within it. They shape the direction of this country. And my company with Caden also benefits the Taylor family — it's a two-way partnership."

With Mason, that wasn't the case.

She turned the question back on him: "So tell me — who actually runs the Cruz family right now? And what decisions can you really influence, Mr. Cruz?"

Mason understood what she meant.

She was saying... he had nothing to offer her.

Harper knew this might sting.

But she wanted Mason to give up as quickly as possible, so she kept going: "Even without Dennis, we already have deep ties with the Taylor family. It's a relationship that was built long ago."

"But Mr. Cruz, you're based in Harbor City. Our two families barely have any dealings. Neither you nor your father would wade into our mess. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Mason understood, but he refused to accept it. He started to grasp at straws: "Then once I take over from my dad, I'll be able to help you even more. You won't have any reason to turn me down then."

"Mr. Cruz, I don't want this to turn into a pointless argument," Harper said, growing more and more disappointed in him. She sighed. "That's not what I mean, and you know it."

She had zero interest in who ran the Cruz family.

And she had even less interest in pushing Mason into that position.

So she gave him a cold, firm warning: "I also don't want any ridiculous rumor going around in the future claiming you chose to take over the family business because of me. If that ever happens, I'll be the first one to publicly deny it."

That move completely killed any idea Mason had of using his inheritance as leverage.

It also made one thing crystal clear to him.

In Harper's eyes, he had absolutely nothing to offer — in any way.

The color drained from Mason's face.

This was the first time Harper had openly told him she didn't want him around.

Before, when she'd turned him down more gently, he could still convince himself to keep trying.

But now, every door had been shut.

"I think I've said everything that needs to be said, Mr. Cruz. You can go now."

Harper got in her car first, then rolled down the window and said, "I'll thank your father personally. You should head back too — I'll work out the next steps directly with him."

Mason clenched his jaw and stubbornly said, "I'll drive you home."

Harper rolled up the window without a word.

But just as the car was about to start, a familiar vehicle came from the other direction — and Harper couldn't help but look twice.

That looked like... Kyle's car?

She looked again, and sure enough, it was Kyle himself. She was genuinely surprised.

She had no choice but to stop and greet him.

She glanced at Mason, who looked dazed, then at Kyle, whose expression was dark and clearly unhappy — and suddenly she understood why Kyle had come in person.

He didn't trust his own son to handle himself.

She felt a quiet appreciation for how much Kyle cared about Mason, and walked over with a smile to meet him.

"Ms. Orsini." Kyle gave a small nod and said, "I heard Mr. Barnes was very pleased with the meeting. You really are something else."

Harper said a few modest words in return.

Then she stepped aside to give Kyle and Mason their space.

Kyle turned to Mason with a look of displeasure. "Didn't you finish up a long time ago? You still have things to handle at the company — what are you still doing hanging around out here?"