Chapter 29
Ignoring Michael's grumpy look, Joseph pushed, "What's up with you sending mangoes to Skyline Corporation?"
Michael shook his head. "I didn't send any mangoes to Skyline Corporation."
When Joseph filled him in on Emily's rant at Rachel over the mangoes, Michael's face got even darker. He wasted no time and called Four Seasons Orchard to get to the bottom of it.
The person in charge quickly explained, "Sorry, Mr. Smith. Our delivery guy didn't know about your divorce. He thought Miss Williams was still your wife, so he sent the mangoes to her company. We apologize."
With the call on speaker, Joseph heard it all. He leaned back and said, "Looks like Rachel got chewed out because of a misunderstanding. Again."
Michael rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling super annoyed. He hadn't expected someone to sneak a photo of him at Red Maple Lodge, nor did he think Emily would go to Skyline Corporation to hassle Rachel over a box of mangoes.
After the waiter served the dishes and left, Michael asked Joseph, "Has Rachel talked to the folks at Wonderworks Technologies?"
"Yeah, she'll tour their factory on Thursday," Joseph confirmed, with a hint of admiration. "You know, even if you hadn't set it up, with Rachel's skills, they probably would've agreed to help her with that batch of goods. She's new to the business world, but she's a quick learner and pretty impressive."
"Really?" Michael mused, realizing just how little he knew Rachel—or rather, how little attention he had paid to her during their marriage. For six years, he mostly remembered her as the one making sure his meals were ready and his suits were perfectly ironed. He hadn't realized Rachel was skilled beyond household chores.
Joseph said, "You should see for yourself next time. You'll realize your ex-wife is quite remarkable."
Joseph then asked pointedly, "But Michael, isn't Wisdom-Tech Group about to lock in a deal with Skyline Corporation? Why steer her toward Wonderworks Technologies too? You're basically giving them a power play and surely owe them a favor in return."
"This overseas order is crucial for Skyline Corporation," Michael responded calmly, eating his food. "Wisdom-Tech Group handles overseas orders well, but Wonderworks Technologies is top-tier and has a stellar reputation. If Skyline secures a long-term partnership with them, the company will attract partners automatically, bringing in significant revenue."
Joseph rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So basically, you're helping Rachel build powerful connections?"
Michael was silent for a moment and then responded calmly, "She didn't ask for anything in the divorce, not even the house. Consider this my compensation to her."
"That's a pretty stingy compensation. She stayed with your family for six years," Joseph laughed. "If I were Rachel, being bossed around by your mom every day for six years, even ten billion dollars wouldn't be enough compensation..."
Before Joseph could finish, Michael abruptly put down his fork and grabbed his suit jacket from the back of the chair. "I'm going back to the office," he said.
Joseph watched as he stormed out, shouting after him, "I'm just being honest, Michael! You don't like hearing it?"
The loud slam of the door was his only reply.
Joseph chuckled and called the waiter back to order more dishes, shaking his head. "Anyway, not my problem if the door gets broken."
Emily's outburst at Skyline Corporation was secretly recorded by an employee and spread online.
Everyone was pretty surprised. They hadn't expected that Michael, a decisive and elegant presence in the business world, had such an ill-mannered mother. Some people, after watching the maliciously edited second half of the video, thought Rachel was over the top and shouldn't have treated her former mother-in-law that way.
People were buzzing with rumors that Rachel had been seeing Robert from Harmony Entertainment for a while, had an affair during her marriage, and got caught by Michael, which led to their divorce.
Conspiracy theories were flying all over the business world.
Rachel didn't have time for the gossip. She was busy handling company affairs and headed to Unity Republic on Thursday. Wonderworks Technologies' factory was in the industrial base there, and it was huge.
After getting in touch with the owner of Wonderworks Technologies, Rachel toured the workshop with him, watched the workers make overseas goods, and checked out the products they were producing. They talked from lunchtime until the afternoon, and by two o'clock, they had signed the contract.
Holding the contract stamped by Wonderworks Technologies, Rachel felt a huge sense of relief. She warmly shook hands with the owner, saying, "Thanks for helping with this batch of goods. With the year-end coming up, I'll have my secretary send gifts to you and your workers."
"Just doing my job, Ms. Williams, but your kindness is appreciated," the owner replied politely.
Rachel politely declined the owner's dinner invitation, booked a 3 PM flight, and by 4:30 PM, she was back in Summit Ridge District.
As she exited the airport terminal, someone in a rush bumped into her, almost causing her to drop her phone.
"Sorry about that," the person said.
Rachel quickly picked up a scarf that had fallen and handed it back, recognizing the person looking back at her. "Mrs. Brown, small world."
Charlotte's expression soured as she snatched the scarf from Rachel's hand without so much as a thank you. She coldly declared, "Tonight, we're setting the engagement date for Michael and Mandy with his parents. Miss Williams, seeing you're divorced from Michael, it'd be best for you to keep your distance from him."
Rachel chuckled, undeterred. "I'm sorry. If I hadn't taken that 'Azure Heart' from Mr. Smith, they would've been engaged long ago."
"How dare you mention it!" Charlotte's face turned red with rage.
"Don't worry, Mrs. Brown. I never regret anything, and I won't regret this either. Mr. Smith and Miss Brown are a perfect match." With that, Rachel walked away gracefully.
Charlotte had intended to warn Rachel but ended up being infuriated by Rachel's few words. With a stern face, she pushed her luggage out of the airport and unintentionally saw Rachel talking to her secretary.
As Rachel got into the car, her profile flashed before Charlotte's eyes, giving her a strange sense of familiarity. She stared blankly at the car until it drove out of the airport.
"Honey." Ethan hurried over and took the luggage from Charlotte's hand. He explained, "There was traffic, so I was delayed for a few minutes."
Seeing her lost in thought, Ethan asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Charlotte withdrew her gaze and walked toward the car with Ethan, asking, "Where are we having dinner tonight?"
Ethan opened the car door and helped her in. He replied, "At the Grand Hyatt Hotel owned by the Smith Family. It's just a dress; you could have had someone send it to Summit Ridge District. Why did you go to Unity Republic to get it yourself? It's so tiring."
"It's Mandy's favorite, and she needs it tonight. I didn't want it damaged." Charlotte sighed. "It'd be a disaster if Mandy were embarrassed tonight in front of Michael's family."
"Alright, I know you care about Mandy. Let's get in the car." he said.
Charlotte got in the car and saw a large bouquet of baby's breath in the seat by the window. Her smile instantly faded, becoming somewhat complicated.
Ethan climbed in after her and saw the baby's breath in Charlotte's hands, his eyes dimmed a bit. "Today is the anniversary of Grace's death," he said.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
