Chapter 266: Good One, Jerry
Nolan jumped up, kissed me on the cheek, and said, "Hope, you're the best!"
Then he dashed to the elevator and into Neil's arms.
Neil, holding Nolan, walked over and handed me my phone, nodding politely. "I've explained everything to Sophia. We're heading out now."
Nolan blew me a kiss and said sweetly, "Hope! Goodbye! But don't worry, I'll be back before dark."
Wait, he was coming back?
I looked at Nolan in surprise, and Neil furrowed his brow but said nothing.
I patted Nolan's head. "Listen to your mom and dad, okay?"
"Okay!" Nolan nodded eagerly.
Neil said, "Ms. Royston, we'll be going now. Sorry to bother you."
I smiled. "No problem at all!"
For some reason, Neil felt like an elder to me. Not just because of his personality, but also due to an indescribable feeling.
Neil held Nolan as they walked into the elevator. He said calmly, "You're not staying home tonight?"
Nolan, hanging onto Neil's neck, blinked his big eyes. "Yes! Daddy, you have to bring me back."
Neil looked at Nolan. "Your grandparents miss you."
"Yeah, I miss them too." Nolan seemed a bit troubled, thought seriously for a moment, and then made a decision. "But I have important things to do!"
Neil looked at Nolan with amusement. "Important things?"
A kid, eating, drinking, and playing all day—what important things could there be?
Nolan noticed Neil's skepticism and said, "Yes! It's about whether I will have a younger playmate."
Nolan was bored being alone. If he didn't work hard to matchmake, when would Jerry and Hope have a child for him to play with?
Neil's face darkened. "A younger playmate? Is your mom dating someone again?"
Since the divorce, Sophia, who was already unconventional, seemed to have liberated her nature.
She had dated several men in a row, all young and handsome.
And she had posted pictures every single one online, as if trying to infuriate Neil.
"No..." Nolan instinctively wanted to explain, but then a bright idea struck him, and he nodded vigorously. "Yes, Daddy, Mom went abroad this time with her boyfriend!"
Of course, Neil knew that. Sophia could post countless times in a day.
Neil thought Sophia had some sense of propriety, at most just fooling around. Now she wanted to have a child? Growing older but not wiser.
Neil looked down. "Why didn't you go with her?"
"I..."
Of course, it was because Nolan was staying to help Jerry! Otherwise, how could Jerry have become Hope's boyfriend so quickly?
But Nolan looked at Neil with clear eyes, lying without blushing, "Mom said I would hinder her ability to give me a younger sibling."
Neil was about to grind his teeth to pieces.
Sophia was becoming more and more unrestrained, even daring to say such things to Nolan.
After getting in the car and strapping Nolan into the child seat, Neil called his assistant, "Book me a ticket to Barcelona."
The assistant asked, "Okay, when do you plan to go?"
"As soon as possible."
Nolan listened from the side, his pink lips slightly pursed, suppressing his excitement.
Neil was going to find Sophia!
As long as Neil tried hard enough, no one else could become his stepfather.
At the variety show recording site.
The production team had rented fields in advance, planting various crops like vegetables, wheat, and corn.
After lunch, the director handed out task cards: harvesting wheat.
Time was running out, and the task was demanding, requiring all the guests to participate.
Sarah was stunned and looked at Patricia, whispering, "Patricia, can I not go?"
The wheat field wasn't close to the living quarters, and Sarah was afraid someone might take the opportunity to enter her room.
Patricia, a veteran in the entertainment industry, was adept at handling people. With a simple comment, she could have Sarah stay behind legitimately.
Unexpectedly, Patricia just patted Sarah's shoulder. "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Should I ask the production team to arrange a car to take you to the hospital?"
Sarah refused immediately, "No need!"
That would take her even further away from her room, and she might end up being labeled as spoiled by netizens.
Nowadays, many people liked perfect personas. Even being physically weak could sometimes be a reason for criticism.
Just starting to gain popularity, Sarah didn't want to dig her own grave.
Facing Patricia's concerned gaze, Sarah couldn't say anything more and playfully stuck out her tongue, "I'm fine, just haven't harvested wheat before. I'm afraid I'll be too slow and hold everyone back."
Patricia smiled. "You're overthinking it. We might be slower than you. Don't worry! Let's go together!"
After grabbing their tools, the group of celebrities, wearing straw hats, headed to the wheat field under the blazing sun.
No one knew that as soon as they left, the power went out.
As soon as Neil and Nolan left, I grabbed the insulated lunch box and headed out with Elissa.
When Neil arrived, Elissa had been in the bedroom putting on makeup and changing clothes.
On the way, after I told Elissa what had just happened, she asked curiously, "Neil and Madison both have the last name Ortiz. Could they be related?"
"I don't think so." I thought for a moment. "Jerry never mentioned it."
Logically, Sophia had been married into the Ortiz family for several years, and now Neil was the head of the Ortiz family.
Sophia should know everyone in the Ortiz family without exception.
Moreover, if Madison were really part of the Ortiz family, it wouldn't make sense that she didn't even have a house in Maple Valley before.
Elissa nodded. "That's true. If Madison were part of the Ortiz family, she wouldn't have struggled so much when she started out."
With the Ortiz family's resources and connections, Madison's career should be smooth sailing.
However, these prestigious families seemed to have an unwritten rule that their children couldn't enter the entertainment industry. They inherently looked down on it.
Madison was impressive for making it big and becoming a capital player, able to stand on equal footing with them. Most others, no matter how glamorous they appeared, were just entertainers in the eyes of these prestigious families.
After passing two traffic lights, Elissa pointed ahead. "Drop me off here. I have an appointment with the renovation company."
Elissa teased me, "After you deliver your love lunch, come over quickly."
I nodded. "Got it."
After she got out, I drove to Apex Technologies. It was close, just a few minutes away.
After getting off the elevator, I walked to the front desk. "Hi, I'm here to see Mr. Hammer."
"Do you have an appointment?""No." I smiled, not wanting to make things difficult for her, and said, "Hold on, I'll give him a call."
As I turned to take out my phone to call Jerry, a woman spoke up, "What's going on?"
The receptionist said, "Heather, she wants to see Mr. Hammer but doesn't have an appointment."
"Looking for Mr. Hammer?" Heather looked slightly puzzled. When I turned to look at her, a fleeting emotion crossed her eyes, too quick to catch. "Who are you? I know everyone Mr. Hammer is close to, and I've never seen you before."
Heather's words made me uncomfortable.
So, my tone turned cold. "I'm Hope. Does your boss need to introduce everyone he's close to to you?"
"No, you misunderstood me. It's just that Jerry never mentioned you."
Heather was dressed conservatively and spoke formally, but her tone became more intimate when referring to Jerry. "As one of Jerry's most trusted people, I'm just curious. I hope you don't mind."
I smiled indifferently. "Really? Maybe he's just very professional and doesn't introduce his girlfriend to his subordinates."
Heather's eyebrows twitched, and she asked in surprise, "Girlfriend?"
I smiled. "Yes, girlfriend."
She composed herself. "Jerry isn't in the office right now."
"Not here?" I was taken aback.
I had messaged Jerry before leaving, and he said he was at the office, just finishing a meeting.
Heather nodded. "Yes, he's not here. Didn't he tell you?"
I clenched my fist slightly and smiled. "My bad, I wanted to surprise him and didn't expect him not to be here. I'll leave now."
With that, I left without looking back. Good one, Jerry!
I got in the car and immediately called Jerry. He answered quickly, "Miss me?"
I said calmly, "Where are you?"
Jerry sounded puzzled. "At the office. Didn't you just ask?"
I smirked and sent a random photo of the outside. "Check Facebook."
There was a brief silence on his end, then he said, "You're outside Apex Technologies?"
"Where else?"
"I'm not at Apex Technologies."
Jerry, sensing my displeasure, explained clearly, "Hope, I didn't lie to you. I'm at the office, but I'm at the Hammer Group."
My heart tightened. "You went to the Hammer Group?"
Carlos was also at the Hammer Group, who was almost like a ticking time bomb in my mind.
Jerry replied, "Yes. Didn't anyone tell you at Apex Technologies?"
I sneered, "Who would tell me? I was questioned after I introduced myself. Your most trusted person said they've never heard of me and that I'm not among the people you're close to."
After saying this, I realized my tone was a bit off. Initially feeling guilty, I then felt justified.
Jerry immediately denied, "Impossible. Who said that?"
I recalled. "I think her name was Heather."
Jerry's voice deepened. "Heather?"
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