Chapter 458 Are You Angry?
Andrew stood there, quietly eyeing the doorway.
He had a pretty good idea who was on the other side and let out a cold snort. "Wrong room, buddy!"
Wesley and his girlfriend were a mismatched pair.
Wesley held up a photo, glancing between it and Andrew, scratching his nearly bald head. "No way, you look just like the guy in the picture!"
While Wesley hesitated, his girlfriend had already figured it out.
Nina Watson, a junior in college, had a charming look and some decent acting chops.
But making it big in the industry was tough. Without someone backing her, she'd be struggling for another 20 years. Sticking with Wesley was just a temporary gig.
When she saw Andrew, her eyes lit up, and she perked right up.
The guy in front of her was refined and handsome.
He had this scholarly vibe with a touch of nobility that women found irresistible.
Nina walked over gracefully, poured Andrew a glass of water, and handed it to him with a sweet smile. "You must be Mr. Devereux. Eli's mentioned you a lot. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
Andrew noticed her delicate white hand lightly touching his. Clearly, she did it behind Wesley's back.
Andrew gave a faint smile. He'd been through plenty of romantic escapades in his youth. This was nothing new.
He pulled his hand back, didn't touch the water, and set it on the bedside table. "So, what do you need from me?"
Nina was about to speak, but Wesley, not being a complete idiot, shot her a glare.
He came over, trembling a bit. "Mr. Devereux, I didn't get to meet you before, and that was rude of me. After Nathan's reminding, I realized my mistake! Please forgive me!"
Andrew glanced at Nina.
He smiled faintly. "A middle schooler has grown this tall?"
Both Wesley and Nina felt a bit awkward.
Andrew, on the other hand, was totally at ease and in a great mood.
After a long pause, Wesley finally caught his breath and looked at Nina: beautiful and smart. He really didn't want to let her go, but sometimes you gotta make sacrifices to get what you want.
He'd heard Andrew was quite the ladies' man. To get on his good side, he had to play to his tastes.
Wesley leaned in close to Andrew. "Mr. Devereux, I see your VIP room is really nice, but it's a bit empty. With such a setup, you need someone meticulous to take care of you. How about I let Nina stay here? She's really good at taking care of people."
Nina bit her lip slightly. Wesley was being direct, but it was exactly what she wanted.
Andrew's gaze swept over her. He smiled lightly. "Wesley, are you here to ask for my help or to mess things up for me? Keeping her here would be a serious breach of principles, and besides, I have a wife. It's really not appropriate."
Wesley's face stiffened. He hadn't expected Andrew to turn him down.
In his mind, what man isn't a bit of a philanderer? Any guy would be tempted by a beauty like Nina.
He'd spent millions on her.
It would've taken Andrew just a few words to take her.
But he wasn't willing?
Wesley's mouth was still hanging open when Chloe showed up with Gavin and Natalie to see Andrew.
The door swung open, revealing a chubby guy and a young woman. Chloe recognized her right away; it was Nina, the latest rising star. The guy must be her backer.
Even though Chloe wasn't exactly killing it in the industry, she was the eldest daughter of the Hawkins Family and wouldn't stoop to mingling with just anyone.
She shoot Andrew a fierce glare.
Andrew, who had been lounging against the headboard, got up when he saw them.
He picked up Natalie and patted Gavin's little head. "Your grandma just sent over some snacks. Come and try them."
Natalie's teeth were still coming in. She grabbed a small round biscuit and started gnawing on it, drooling all over.
Andrew patiently wiped her mouth, then soaked the cookie in milk to soften it and fed it to her. Natalie loved it.
Gavin was different. He bit into the cookie hard, staring at Nina, making her feel uneasy.
Andrew patted Gavin. "I told you, I have a family. Wesley, please leave."
The family of four was enjoying their time together.
If Wesley stayed any longer, it would be awkward. He decided to go and ask Nathan for help.
Nina was still in a daze, pulled away by Wesley.
In the hallway, with the door closed behind them, Nina shook off Wesley's hand.
Wesley sneered, "You despise me now after seeing him?"
Nina didn't say a word.
Wesley sneered again, "Do you know who that woman was just now? That's the eldest daughter of the Hawkins Family in Syeattel, and Andrew's ex-wife. I offended her because of you! Let me tell you, don't mess with her. If things get messy, we won't end up well!"
Nina turned her face away, still a bit angry. "Then why did you send me to Mr. Devereux?"
Wesley laughed, "He didn't accept you, did he?"
"If his ex-wife hadn't shown up, he would've accepted me. He smiled at me just now."
Wesley glared at her and snarled, "Don't cause me any trouble! Go report to Eli and take the role of the third female lead. Not only do you have to act, but you also have to act with enthusiasm. Work well with Chloe and don't upset her."
Nina was still unconvinced. Angry, Wesley slapped her, cursed, and left.
Nina's eyes reddened. She turned and stared at the door, feeling the unfairness of fate.
Inside the room, the kids had finished eating.
Gavin started doing his homework, and Natalie enjoyed her father's attention. She really liked Andrew a lot.
She especially loved lying in Andrew's arms, chatting with him.
Her teeth weren't fully grown, so she spoke with a lisp, but when she smiled, she had two deep dimples, super cute.
Her golden curls were also sparse.
Andrew played with her while glancing at Chloe.
She was quietly reading a script.
She hadn't asked about what happened earlier, but Andrew couldn't help himself and asked softly, "Aren't you curious?"
Chloe glanced at him and continued reading the script.
With the kids around, she didn't want to talk about those messy things.
Andrew smiled.
Natalie held his face and planted several kisses on him.
Andrew looked at her, his expression softening. "Chloe, Natalie is going to be a real beauty when she grows up."
Chloe replied casually, "No matter how beautiful she gets, she can't compare to the one who came today."
Andrew glanced up at her. Chloe was sitting on the single sofa by the bed, her head lowered, with her long hair loosely tied up.
From the side, her nose was perfectly straight.
He couldn't help but feel a pang of admiration, smiling faintly. "Natalie couldn't possibly be compared to someone like that."
Andrew then held Natalie, sitting her on his lap. He pinched her cheek. Natalie was just as much a treasure to the Devereux Family as Chloe was.
Chloe hummed in acknowledgment, but Andrew, unwilling to drop the matter, pressed on, "Are you mad?"
Chloe threw his words back at him, "I'm not angry. If you like her, keep her by your side. She'll make you happy every day."
Andrew chuckled lightly.
Chloe, a bit annoyed, closed her script. "Alright, I should take Gavin and Natalie back for dinner."
Andrew protested, "There's food here too!"
Chloe replied, "Frederick recently learned a few new dishes, and they taste great. We promised to go back and try them."
Andrew could hardly believe it and questioned, "Today is Tuesday. Is Frederick cooking at home instead of going to the office?"
Chloe packed Gavin's little backpack and said, "Frederick took a week off specifically to take care of the kids!"
Quickly, she took the kids and left.
After she left, Andrew lay on the bed, closing his eyes.
The biggest obstacle in his love life was Frederick! Frederick was a jerk!
All because a project share wasn't negotiated well with him, he did this. In Chloe's eyes, it was incredibly touching that he took a week off to help with the kids!
Andrew hugged a pillow, rolling around several times.
Now he understood why Charlotte always ended up with Frederick.
Andrew pulled out his phone and called Nathan, "Nathan, go check the contract with Vertex Innovations Group immediately. I suspect it didn't satisfy Frederick. Consider offering him an additional 2% profit margin as a goodwill gesture!"
After saying this, he angrily threw his phone.
Chloe drove to Frederick and Charlotte's villa.
As soon as she opened the car door, she heard piano music.
It was Lola playing the piano.
Gavin jumped out of the car, and Johnny was waiting for him at the door. The two boys had similar interests.
Chloe carried Natalie out of the car. She held Natalie's hand and walked into the hall. Lola was playing the piano, and Charlotte was sitting beside her, guiding her.
Lola caught a glimpse of Natalie out of the corner of her eye. She really wanted to play with her. Natalie was more fun than Sienna! But Frederick was sitting on the sofa, working on a laptop.
Kingsley was playing with blocks with Sienna.
The blocks they had painstakingly built were crushed when Natalie plopped down on them.
Kingsley didn't get angry. He moved Natalie's chubby bottom to the side and started building the blocks again.
Sienna began braiding Natalie's hair.
Chloe looked at this zoo-like home and felt a headache coming on. But Frederick and Charlotte seemed to enjoy it.
Even with so many kids at home, Frederick still maintained his impeccable appearance. As he put it, he wanted to always remain attractive to Charlotte, not letting her think he was getting old.
Chloe came over, and he lazily said a few words.
Just as he was about to cook, Nathan called.
Frederick had been waiting for this call. He took the phone and walked outside to answer it. "Nathan! What's up?"
He smiled broadly, "After careful consideration, I find the contract we discussed last time problematic!"
Frederick stood in the garden, the twilight reflecting on his handsome face. He smiled, "What's the problem?"
Nathan said, "One of our financial officers added an extra zero to an expense. This makes the previous report highly problematic! Rest assured, I've already fired that financial officer. Such unprofessionalism is a waste of our time! I found a reliable person to recalculate, and it turns out we can give your company an extra 2% of the profit. This way, everyone makes money."
Frederick remained silent, smiling.
Nathan sighed softly, "A financial officer caused us so much trouble, it's truly infuriating! Frederick, how about I come to Vertex Innovations Group tomorrow, and we sign the preliminary agreement?"
Frederick finally spoke. "I'll come to your company! I have to thank Andrew for bringing business to our company. With so many kids at home, the tutoring fees alone are substantial!"
Nathan wanted to curse! A 2% share of the profits amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars. Yet he equated this amount with tutoring fees?!
But Nathan remained calm, speaking gently, "Yes, raising kids is not easy. Andrew understands that well, which is why he made this call."
Frederick said cheerfully, "Send my regards to Andrew!"
Nathan replied, "No problem."
He hung up and thought, 'Frederick is finally going to the company tomorrow! Charlotte and Chloe together couldn't outsmart him!'
Frederick hung up the phone, feeling quite pleased. He didn't go back inside immediately but leaned against the flower bed, lighting a cigarette. In the twilight, he lit the cigarette, squinting at the distant sunset.
He only smoked one cigarette before heading to the kitchen. He had promised Chloe and the kids to cook tonight.
In the kitchen, he was cutting fish. A pair of soft hands gently wrapped around his waist from behind, followed by Charlotte's soft body pressing against his back.
Frederick turned his head, "Not afraid of the fishy smell?"
Charlotte didn't answer. She asked back, "Did you take a seven-day leave just to deal with Andrew?"
Frederick didn't deny it. He always knew Charlotte was smart, especially when she managed Vertex Innovations Group well as its president. It wasn't surprising she figured it out.
He didn't deny it and asked back, "Are you angry?"
"No!" Charlotte's hands moved up and down his abdomen, her voice particularly soft, "I just want to know the reason, Mr. Hawkins. Are you willing to tell me?"
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
