Chapter 576 Surprisingly Unable to Refute
Jesse had seen Elara coming out of the City Hall looking pretty upset and also had caught Willie having a heated "discussion" with her.
Jesse's hands tightened on the steering wheel, but he didn't do anything.
For the next week, Jesse didn't show up at work, which was super out of character for him.
To keep HorizonTech Group running smoothly, Jesse made sure everything was in order and took a two-week leave from Daphne.
When Daphne heard he was taking time off, she said, "If you need to handle something, go ahead. I've got some free time, so don't worry about the company."
"Okay," Jesse replied in his usual cool tone.
Daphne nodded and didn't press further, but she had a hunch it was about Elara.
After their call, Daphne sent a message to Elara about it: [Jesse took a two-week leave.]
Elara paused. Why would he take time off?
She couldn't figure it out, so she just told Daphne to keep her posted on any news about Jesse.
Even though Elara had cut off all contact with him, she still wanted to know what he was up to.
Daphne agreed.
A week flew by since Elara's fake marriage to Willie.
During that week, Elara stayed at her place. Willie would drop by to chat sometimes, but mostly, she was bored out of her mind.
One day, Elara couldn't take it anymore. "I need to get out of here."
"If you go out, this past week would be for nothing," Willie reminded her, "I've noticed someone tailing me every time I go out. It's probably Jesse."
Elara, fiddling with her phone, said, "He wouldn't have that much free time."
Then she remembered Daphne telling her about Jesse taking time off.
Elara froze for a moment. Could it really be him?
"You should stay here," Willie decided to switch tactics. "In a few days, I'll have someone leak info to him, making him think that after marrying me, you're stuck at home as a full-time housewife."
"What if he beats you up?" Elara asked after thinking for a moment.
She added, "He's pretty skilled. Even if you have bodyguards, they probably won't be much help."
"Would it be different if I take you out?" Willie paused, looking a bit scared.
"Aren't you not letting me go out?" Elara doubted his plan, thinking it was unreliable. "If I go out with you, the act won't be convincing."
"Our script is flexible. We can play it however we want," Willie said, trying to be thorough. "If I take you out, your role is my drinking buddy."
Elara's eyes narrowed.
Willie got nervous. "It's just acting!"
"I can't do that," Elara said bluntly.
If she had to be a drinking buddy, she might end up causing a scene.
Willie asked, "Don't you want Jesse to feel sorry for you and regret not keeping you?"
"I'll help you with your startup problems. You figure out a way to keep the act going without me," Elara mainly feared she wouldn't act well and mess things up. "As long as it doesn't affect my parents and the company, you can do whatever."
"Doesn't matter if it messes up your reputation?" Willie asked, testing the waters.
"Just don't go overboard," Elara replied, knowing he wouldn't push it too far. "You handle the rest."
"This is quite the challenge," Willie said, playing it up.
"I'll make your startup profitable," Elara saw right through his act. "Deal?"
"Here's the company key," Willie handed her a key and added, "The company seal is in the safe, and the password is in the book on my desk."
"Got it," Elara took the key, confident she could manage the company.
"My company's in your hands," Willie said, clearly worried about his startup. "If anything goes wrong, you'll never win Jesse back."
Elara ignored him, took the key, and got ready to leave.
Willie stepped in her way.
"What are you doing?" Elara asked, confused.
"In Jesse's eyes, this is our marital home. You're under my control and can't leave," Willie explained. "To keep up appearances, you can only sneak out over the wall at night."
Elara frowned.
Willie added, "Didn't you notice an extra car outside the villa?"
"You think Jesse sent someone to check on me?" Elara followed his logic.
"Exactly," Willie confirmed.
"If he really did, then sneaking out at night or leaving now doesn't make a difference," Elara said, showing her smarts. "With my personality, it's more believable if I have a falling out with you and leave."
Willie couldn't argue with that.
"I'll stay at my uncle's for a few days," Elara told him, so he wouldn't lose track of her. "If you need to act, come find me there. If you need a reason to control me, pretend you have something on me."
"Alright," Willie agreed.
Elara grabbed her computer and suitcase and left.
Jesse's informant quickly reported the situation.
As soon as Elara left, the informant called Jesse, "Mr. Thornfield, Ms. Gonzalez left alone with a suitcase. Willie came back and seemed to have had a fight with her, but I didn't catch the details."
"Did she go home?" Jesse asked.
"Doesn't look like it," the informant replied, watching the direction Elara went. "She took a car heading away from her home."
Jesse's usually cool eyes showed a flicker of emotion.
He quickly guessed that Elara was unhappy at Willie's place but didn't want to worry her parents, so she didn't go home.
"Send a few people to protect her secretly," Jesse wanted to go himself but remembered what she said before leaving and feared she'd notice him. "Contact me immediately if anything happens."
"Okay," the informant hung up.
Jesse sat in his study for a long time.
After much thought, he changed his clothes, grabbed his car keys, and headed out.
Following her secretly shouldn't lead to an encounter.
Elara didn't want Jesse to know where she was going, so she instructed the driver not to take her directly to her destination. Instead, she got off at a subway station, bought a ticket to Richard's place with cash, and took the subway there.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
