Chapter 11 Agree to His Conditions
After receiving Aiden's contract, Wesley had gone into hiding, avoiding Scarlett. Now that she knew where he was, she wasn't about to miss this opportunity.
Scarlett put away her phone and headed to the hotel's customer service desk to get Wesley's room number, but the receptionist refused to provide it. As she stood there contemplating her next move, the service attendant who had escorted her earlier approached, leaning in to whisper.
"Ms. Mellon, Mr. Ross's room number is..."
Scarlett turned to look at him and nodded appreciatively. "Thank you!"
She then walked toward the elevators, rode up, and arrived at room 709.
Standing outside the door, she took a deep breath before pressing the doorbell. Moments later, the door opened, revealing Wesley who had been avoiding her for days.
He wore a white button-down shirt—the one she had bought him—with a lipstick mark on the collar. In the past, this sight would have broken her heart, but now she felt nothing, her emotions as still as a frozen lake.
"We need to talk," she said coolly.
Wesley looked surprised to see her, then narrowed his eyes in anger. "Are you stalking me?"
Before Scarlett could respond, a flirtatious female voice called from inside.
"Honey, who is it?"
"Just an employee from the company with documents to sign. Keep enjoying your meal, I'll be right back." Wesley lied without missing a beat. He stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind him before turning to Scarlett.
"Stalking me won't accomplish anything. Just leave."
This was her chance, and she wasn't about to walk away. "I know who's in there. You wouldn't want her to know about us, would you?"
Wesley heard the threat in her voice. Hands on his hips, he glared at her menacingly. "If you dare say anything to her, I guarantee you'll never see your daughter again."
At the threat against Yara, Scarlett abandoned all pretense of civility. Rage consumed her as she slapped him hard across the face, the sharp sound echoing through the hotel corridor.
"If you touch Yara, I'll drag you down with me even if it kills me." The cold, ruthless look in Scarlett's eyes was chilling. Wesley froze momentarily.
The sting on his face quickly brought Wesley back to his senses. He glared at her through gritted teeth.
"You protect that illegitimate child like she's precious, but you wish me dead. Is this what you call love, Scarlett?"
Hearing Yara being called illegitimate again sent icy daggers through Scarlett's eyes. "Do you even deserve it? A scumbag like you who expected me to raise your love child while pushing me to entertain other men? You manipulated me from the beginning—do you deserve my love?"
Wesley burned with rage at her words, but her accusations made him uncomfortable. He cleverly picked his response. "If you could have a bastard child, why couldn't I have one outside our marriage?"
Scarlett was rendered speechless. She knew this was an impasse they would never overcome.
"We'll never reconcile. Let's just get divorced." She pulled divorce papers from her bag and handed them to him.
Wesley eyed the documents suspiciously, remaining silent for a moment. Continuing this conflict would only interfere with his alliance with the Powell family. "I'll give you five hundred thousand dollars if you sign these divorce papers."
Scarlett laughed as if she'd heard the joke of the century. "I brought in all the major projects for the Ross Group, and you think that's only worth five hundred thousand?"
"Scarlett, you claimed to love me, but in the end, it's all about money for you."
She had been foolish before, easily deceived. Now that she understood his schemes, she wouldn't be weak enough to walk away heartbroken. She intended to reclaim what she had worked so hard to build.
"I don't love you anymore, which means I won't be stupid enough to give you everything like I did before."
"So this is revenge," Wesley snarled, nodding with barely contained fury.
Scarlett regarded him with cool detachment, like a stranger. She wanted to wound him with the dullest knife possible.
"I'm taking back what's rightfully mine."
Wesley's eyes bulged with hatred, his finger pointing accusingly. "Five hundred thousand is already too generous. Take it or leave it. If you want to fight, let's see who goes down first."
With that, he turned away from Scarlett, opened the door, and went back inside.
Staring at the closed door, Scarlett clenched her fists tightly at her sides.
After leaving the hotel, Scarlett stopped at a nearby bistro and ordered a plate of linguine with clam sauce. She ate distractedly, her mind elsewhere.
Reflecting on Wesley's attitude, she was certain he intended to stall her.
Ambrose had only given her a month, and she couldn't afford to drag things out. More importantly, she refused to remain under Wesley's thumb.
After careful consideration, she called Ambrose. When he answered, his deep voice came through the line.
"Have you decided?"
"Yes, I'll take your project," she said, keeping her voice low.
"Good. I'll handle the contract issue."
"If you have any other requests, feel free to mention them," Ambrose offered.
She hesitated for a moment, clutching her phone before decisively saying, "Nothing for now."
Ambrose remained silent for a few seconds, then hung up without further comment.
As Scarlett put away her phone, she clearly understood she couldn't take advantage of Ambrose. This experience had taught her she couldn't use him to facilitate her divorce.
Regarding the divorce, she would find another way. After finishing her meal, she left the bistro and returned to Scenic Lake Community.
Back at Scenic Lake Community, after some thought, Scarlett called Aiden. On the phone, Aiden was extremely polite to Scarlett, without any of his previous flirtatiousness.
After exchanging pleasantries, Scarlett stated her purpose. Aiden fell silent for a few seconds before asking a question.
"Is Mr. Boleyn asking you to terminate our collaboration?"
Scarlett answered honestly, "This has nothing to do with him. It's entirely my decision."
"Are you dissatisfied with the contract, Ms. Mellon? Or do you have concerns about me?"
"Please don't misunderstand, Mr. Smith. I'm not dissatisfied, nor do I have any issues with you. This is purely for personal reasons."
"Ms. Mellon, to be frank, once a contract is signed, there's no justification for cancellation. If you insist on canceling, the Ross Group will have to pay a penalty fee."
Aiden was clearly unwilling to agree.
Scarlett paused briefly. "Then let the Ross Group pay it."
Aiden, unable to comprehend her reasoning, asked, "You worked so hard to secure this contract, and now you're willing to let the Ross Group pay penalties to terminate it. There must be a reason—you should tell me."
After a moment of silence, Scarlett admitted, "Mr. Smith, I'll likely be leaving the Ross Group soon."
Aiden fell silent, unwilling to make a hasty decision. "I'll think about it."
After hanging up, Aiden considered the situation briefly before calling Ambrose, using the number Scarlett had provided earlier. He saw this as an opportunity to establish a direct relationship with Ambrose.
The call was answered quickly.
"Mr. Boleyn, this is Aiden." Aiden was excited—it was Ambrose himself!
After a brief silence, Ambrose asked directly, "What is it?"
"Ms. Mellon just called me wanting to cancel our contract, citing personal reasons. I wasn't sure whether to agree, so I thought I should consult you."
Ambrose remained silent for a few seconds before suddenly saying, "Don't cancel it. Pursue the penalty payment directly from the Ross Group."
Aiden was confused. "I don't understand."
"I'm going to blacklist Scarlett. Go ahead and claim the breach of contract penalties from the Ross Group," Ambrose stated.