Chapter 283: Indulging in Pleasure Brings Misfortune
"Alright, I'm on it." The assistant saw Sarah getting more pissed and bolted outta there.
The phone buzzed, and Sarah glanced at the caller ID, speaking all cool, "Hey, Mr. Lewis, what's up?"
Lately, Madison hadn't made any moves, so it seemed like she dropped her suspicions.
With all those magazine shoots, everyone was kissing up to her, and she got a bit full of herself, even blowing off Cecil.
Cecil, holding some photos his guy just handed him, spoke coldly, "Anyone been in your room lately?"
"Nope." Sarah replied honestly, "Got surveillance set up, and my phone hasn't pinged any weird alerts."
Cecil asked, "You sure about that?"
"Totally sure!" Sarah felt a bit exasperated. "Mr. Lewis, chill out. If something went down, would I still be here recording the show?"
So many days had passed without a hitch, she figured Madison had already dropped her suspicions.
Cecil sneered, "Madison went to see Hope this afternoon."
He was holding photos of Madison getting in and out of a car in the underground garage of Tranquil Haven Estates.
Sarah was stunned for a sec and quickly asked, "And then? Did Hope go back to Serenity Manor with her?"
Cecil denied, "Nope."
Because of this, Cecil was also unsure.
Sarah breathed a sigh of relief and got confident. "That's cool. If Hope is really her daughter, why didn't she go back with her? Madison probably just went to get a custom dress."
"You sure about that?"
Sarah frowned. "You think they know the truth?"
Cecil shot back, "Shouldn't I?"
Cecil said coldly, "You better head back to Maple Valley for tomorrow's celebration party and find out what Madison was doing at Tranquil Haven Estates."
Sarah refused, "You're overreacting. I just called her this morning, and she seemed normal. I don't wanna go back to Maple Valley right now."
Lately, Sarah had been getting all the praise and attention. If Madison knew the truth, would she still let her use her resources?
Compared to checking out Cecil's random suspicions, getting more screen time on the variety show was way more important to her right now.
Cecil's face was dark, his eyes narrowed, and he laughed, "Alright then."
Cecil yanked out the old photo from the diary, rubbed it gently, and warned coldly, "Listen up. From today on, don't contact me again. You never knew me, got it? Or else, you know what's coming."
Before Sarah could even respond, Cecil hung up. He thought, 'Sarah, you idiot.'
At this point, whether Madison had figured out Hope's identity or not, Sarah was no longer of much use to Cecil. Keeping her around would only get him exposed sooner or later.
Cecil grabbed the remote to close the curtains, hiding himself in the shadows, and dialed an unfamiliar number. "Desmond Lawson's flight lands tonight, right?"
"Yes, Mr. Lewis." The voice on the other end was super respectful. "Desmond boarded the plane this morning. I took him to the airport."
"Got it." Cecil responded coolly, a determined and dangerous look in his eyes, and asked, "How's the task I gave you?"
"Don't worry, everyone will know tomorrow."
The next day, I woke up before my alarm. As soon as I stepped out of the room, the doorbell rang. It was Elissa.
I felt a bit exasperated. "Your fingerprint is recorded. Why not just come in directly?"
"Well..." Elissa glanced meaningfully towards the master bedroom. "I didn't want to disturb you and Jerry."
"Disturb what? He's not here." I explained and then asked, "Why are you here so early?"
Last night, Jerry didn't come back to Tranquil Haven Estates. He just sent me a message saying there was an emergency at the Hammer Group that needed handling. He didn't give me the details.
Elissa then remembered why she came and hurriedly asked, "Is the message you sent me true?"
Elissa continued, "I had a bit too much to drink last night, and when I groggily woke up this morning and checked my phone, it startled me awake! On my way here, I kept staring at that message, worried I was hallucinating. Is Ms. Ortiz really your biological mother?"
Elissa's words were rapid-fire. Seeing her incredibly shocked expression, I nodded and pointed to the necklace on my neck. "Yeah, look, my necklace is back. My mom gave it to me yesterday."
I pulled Elissa to the sofa and leaned back. "Oh my God, I still feel like I'm dreaming."
Coming back to the country, everything had been unbelievably smooth, like a rebirth. Now, I was living a life that was the total opposite of my past - so blissful. I had a loving partner, great friends, a successful career, and a mom who was a superstar.
Elissa took a while to finally wrap her head around it. "Man, talk about going through hell to get to heaven. You had it rough before, but now it’s like the universe is making it up to you."
"Hope you're right!" I sighed lightly, "Mr. Quill's assistant also messaged me. Claire is recovering faster than expected and should be ready to be discharged in a few days."
Elissa asked, "Isn't that a good thing? Why do you seem bummed?"
"Precisely because it's a good thing; there are too many good things." I smiled wryly, "It makes me worry that indulging in happiness might bring misfortune."
Maybe I'd never been an optimist. Growing up, I was used to not getting what I wanted. Once I started getting things, I began to have unnecessary worries.
However, Elissa has a much better mindset than I do. She poked my forehead. "Don't sweat stuff that hasn't even happened."
"You're right." I nodded, feeling that I should adjust my mindset, but the unease in my heart didn't go away.
Luckily, Juniper came to pick me up soon, successfully distracting me.
Elissa was about to help me with my makeup, but Juniper smiled. "It's still too early now, no need to trouble your friend. Your mom has arranged for a stylist to come to Serenity Manor this afternoon to do your makeup and hair."
I was surprised. "Isn't that too much trouble?"
"It's necessary." Juniper chuckled, "Besides, it's not troublesome at all. This is how your mom's daily life is. So, you don't need to feel any burden because of this."
I agreed, "Alright, thank you, Juniper."
Before leaving, Juniper knew Elissa was my best friend and wanted to invite her to Serenity Manor to join the party.
Elissa shook her head and quickly declined, "I won't go."
I looked at her, thinking she was being shy. "Why not? Elissa, come with me."
"I won't miss my best friend's most important moment." Elissa smiled mysteriously. "But I have other plans."
I suddenly had an idea and guessed, "You want to go with Mr. Peterson, right?"
The Peterson family was also a prominent family in Maple Valley, and Francis would certainly receive an invitation.
Elissa avoided answering, quickly pushing me out the door. "Stop dawdling, go see Ms. Ortiz!"
On the way to Serenity Manor, I noticed that Jerry hadn't messaged me today, so I couldn't resist sending him a message. [Did you have breakfast? How's everything going?]
No reply. I was really worried and was about to call him when a news alert popped up.
The Hammer Group's M398 chip, which was launched two months ago, was sued for patent infringement by the patent-holding company. They demanded an immediate halt to the infringement. But this chip was a new product that the Hammer Group had spent a lot of manpower and financial resources developing last year. If it stops, it means a total loss, and the cash flow is likely to break.
Ongoing projects would also be directly paralyzed. The stock had been plummeting since the market opened today, and shareholders were in a panic, lamenting.
The chip had been on the market for two months, and the other party only sued now, coinciding with Jerry's critical return to the Hammer Group. The other side's purpose was obvious.
I felt a bit anxious. Seeing that Jerry still hadn't replied to me, I refrained from calling him.
At this time, I shouldn't disturb him and let him handle everything in peace.
When I arrived at Serenity Manor, Madison noticed my distraction. "Hope, what's wrong? Did you see the news about the Hammer Group?"
"Yeah." I clenched my palm. "Mom, I'm a bit worried about him."
Jerry hadn't yet reestablished himself at the Hammer Group. With such a big issue, I was worried something might happen to him.
Madison pointed to my phone. "Did you call him?"
"No." I lightly bit my lip. "I'm afraid of disturbing him."
With such a big issue, I thought he was busy in endless meetings.
Madison smiled gently. "You should call him first to find out, right? If he's really busy, he probably won't answer your call, so how would it be a disturbance? If he has a moment to answer, hearing his voice will reassure you, won't it? It's better than worrying here."
I suddenly felt at ease. "Then I'll give him a call."
"Yes, go ahead." Madison smiled knowingly and patted my head. "I'll get you some milk, it's almost ready."
"Okay, thanks, Mom!" I dialed Jerry's number, and just when I thought he probably wouldn't have time to answer, he picked up.
On the other end, Jerry's slightly hoarse and tired voice came through. "Hope, are you missing me?"
Madison hadn't gone far, and although she couldn't hear, my cheeks still blushed. I got straight to the point. "Did you see my message? Are you okay?"
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