After returning to her own office, Celine let down her guard and leaned back on the chair in exhaustion. She then closed her eyes to take a light nap.
She did not know how much time had passed when she was awoken by the sound of the door opening. She sat up straight in record time and recomposed herself to once again display the stance of a strong and capable woman in the workforce.
Celine sighed in relief when she noticed that it was her new secretary entering the room. “Is there anything urgent, Merrie?” She asked.
As Celine’s new secretary, Merrie Jones admired this powerful woman whom she idolized from the bottom of her heart. “Miss Maynard, the investigation team has left today. I just wanted to ask about our work schedule tomorrow,” she said courteously.
“Cancel everything,” Celine said with a wave of her hand. “I’m returning to New York soon. My current priority is to get Sena listed successfully. Besides, I have to get reviewed by headquarters in New York,” she added.
Merrie nodded. After a while, she mustered up her courage and said, “Miss Maynard, is it worth doing this? I heard that…I heard…”
“What did you hear? Did you hear that there’s something going on between Jasper Laine and me? Am I his lover, or did Jasper Laine offer me tons of benefits so that I would help him out?” Celine asked in amusement.
A tense look of nervousness appeared on Merrie’s face. “No, I don’t believe the rumors circulating in the company. However, you have way too much on the line, Miss Maynard,” she said anxiously.
Celine chuckled and said, “Alright, this is none of your concern. You can head home now.”
Merrie turned around to leave after nodding in response.
Celine sat alone in her dark office room and stared at the colorful lights of the city below. She was overcome by an inexplicable sense of loneliness.
She took out her phone and called Jasper.
The moment the call went through, and a radiant smile formed on her lips, washing away all her fatigue and loneliness.
“Hey, it’s been a few days but you didn’t even bother to call. Didn’t you say that you’d miss me?”
Thousands of miles away, Jasper was having a meeting with Jack Tanner and the other executives of Sena. He gestured for them to continue with the meeting and walked out of the meeting room. “I’m busy. Besides, you should have been busy these past few days as well. Anyways, we’ll see each other very soon,” he said with a chuckle.
“Once a scumbag gets what he wants, they usually use work as an excuse not to call,” Celine said playfully.
Although they were talking through the phone, Jasper could picture the enchanting and charming expression on Celine’s face right now. He could imagine the way that she would smile at him teasingly while fixing a provocative gaze upon him as she spoke.
Jasper emptied his mind of these thoughts at once and replied in a muffled voice, “After getting what I want? Others will think that there’s something going on between us if they hear you say that.”
“Alright, enough with the nonsense. In three days, we’ll be heading to New York,” Celine said.
“Has it been confirmed?” Jasper asked. His heart lurched. Although he had been preparing for it for some time, he was still inevitably excited when the moment finally arrived.
“It’s confirmed,” Celine said as she chuckled softly. “I have a feeling that you will shine brighter from the moment Sena gets listed. Everyone will look up to you in all of your dazzling glory,” she said in a complicated tone.
“…Were you previously involved in multi-level marketing?”
Jasper’s words caused Celine to hang up the call in a fit of rage.
Celine stared at the night view with a completely different mood as compared to a few minutes ago. She suddenly burst out in laughter after hanging up the call.
Her smile was the epitome of uncontended beauty. Her fatal, alluring smile could move the heart of anyone.
However, nobody had the chance to appreciate the view of her smile.
After returning to the meeting room in satisfaction, Jasper knocked on the table and gestured for Jack to stop the discussion. He looked at the executives of Sena, who were staring at him with sparkling gazes and looks of anticipation. Suddenly, he laughed out loud and said, “In three days, all the executives will get on a chartered flight to New York. The company will pay for everything!”
“Yay!”
“Long live Sena!”
Everyone in the office celebrated with a burst of excitement. The executives, who had been through countless struggles and were currently in their forties, were as exhilarated as children right now.
It was an extremely important and glorious moment in the life of a domestic corporate practitioner to be able to represent companies from Somerland on the Nasdaq listing in the year 2001.
They were standing right in front of the top 99.9999% of people in Somerland at this point in time.
…
Three days later.
Sena had booked a charter flight from Somerland Air. Jack had even driven Jasper out of the first-class business cockpit.
Henry had no choice but to take a seat in the economy class area with a somber look on his face while he watched Jasper chat with two women through video call at the same time using two different laptops.
He muttered the words “Make a mistake! Make a mistake! Make a mistake and let them find out the truth!” repeatedly under his breath.
Wendy Schuler was on the left while Anna Law was on the right.
An overwhelming tension underlined Jasper’s usual calm expression.
Both women were oblivious to the situation. They did not know about each other’s existence.
“Jasp, I’ve checked the weather. The weather in New York is quite cold right now. Remember to bring more clothes,” Wendy said in a gentle voice.
“You aren’t allowed to fool around with other people!” Anna reminded him in a tone that was laced with threatening undertones.
From the way that they spoke, one could tell that both of these women had vastly different personalities.
Celine Maynard?
The thought of another woman surfaced in Jasper’s mind.
He pushed her image out of his mind immediately. It was already a battlefield with just the two of them. He only had two legs and two knees. If he added another laptop, where could he put it? Would he have to sprout another leg?
“Don’t worry, I know what to do,” Jasper replied to both of their contrasting questions with his immaculate speaking abilities. He then proceeded to smile at both of them.
“Sigh, I really want to go to New York as well… I’ve never been to Fifth Avenue or Wall Street before,” Wendy let out a sigh. The project at Southface River was coming to an end soon and she had to manage the project’s operation. If it were not for the project, she would have followed Jasper to New York.
“New York is a vanity fair for capital. It’s good to make more friends over there. It’ll benefit you,” Anna reminded him on a serious note.
“Yes, I’ll come back as soon as I can. I’ll bring presents for you,” Jasper said with a smile on his face.
“Alright, alright. The plane is about to take off, right? I’ll hang up now. Remember to call me after you arrive,” Wendy said with a small smile on her face.
“I’ll keep the present in mind. Let’s see if you manage to bring me something that I like,” Anna chuckled. “Alright, I’ll hang up now. Remember to call me when you arrive,” she added.
“The plane hasn’t taken off yet. Shall we continue chatting for a bit?”
When Henry heard what Jasper said, the renowned wealthy man from the second generation of Harbor City stared at Jasper with widened eyes. It was hard to believe that such a terrifying man existed in real life.
He advanced through the battlefield by opting to retreat. It was the perfect move.
