Chapter 109
Bella patted her back and reassured her, "Don't worry, I won't let Dad divorce you. I'll talk to him."
"Thank you, dear."
"Mom, I won't let this family fall apart."
With that, Bella went straight to the Redstone Group to find Julian, who was already in a bad mood due to the shareholders' attitude toward the project. Seeing Bella, he couldn't help but frown. "Bella, what are you doing here?"
"Dad, I'm here to talk to you. I hope you won't divorce Mom."
Julian frowned, his voice tinged with anger. "This is a thing between your mother and me. Stay out of it."
"It's not just between you two. I'm part of this family and don't agree with the divorce!"
Julian snorted. "The Clinton Group's project was ruined because of your mother. I've been taking the blame from the shareholders these days. If we don't get the project back, I'll divorce her, or she has to make Felix give the project back to the Redstone Group!"
"You know very well that the relationship between Mom and Sister Gianna has reached a point of no return. You're just making things difficult for her. And these days, she has tried to reconcile with Sister Gianna several times, but she is unwilling to forgive her!"
Julian's eyes were cold. "That's not my problem. If she can't get the project back, I'll have to divorce her!"
Bella took a deep breath and said slowly, "It's impossible to get the project back, but if you don't divorce Mom, I can get more cooperation for the Redstone Group."
Julian's eyes flashed with surprise, and he said, "If we can't get the Clinton Group's project back, we won't be able to cooperate with other companies."
The Redstone Group had been on a downhill trend for years, so that project was not just about making money. As long as they can cooperate with the Clinton Group, even if it won't make money, Julian will bite the bullet and cooperate. By holding onto the Clinton Group, it will be much easier to negotiate with other companies.
"If I can get cooperation from other companies and ensure that we don't make less money than we would with the Clinton Group, would you consider not divorcing Mom?"
Julian was silent for a few seconds before he said, "Okay, as long as you can do what you say."
"It's a deal!"
After Bella left, Julian made a phone call. "We might have to put the divorce on hold. Something unexpected came up."
An angry voice came from the other end. "Julian, how could you go back on your word? Our son is already eight years old. Do you want him to grow up under the scrutiny of others? I know that you're unable to give up Lauren and Bella."
Julian quickly said, "Don't worry, you and our son are my top priority. I'm working hard to run the Redstone Group for you."
"Is it really for us or your current family? You know it well! You even wanted to hand over the Redstone Group to Bella. I know that early!"
Julian frowned and said, "Wasn't that before we had a son? Now that we have a son, of course, the Redstone Group should be handed over to him!"
"You better do what you say!"
The call was abruptly ended. Julian couldn't help but shake his head, sending her a text message.
[I'll come over and see you and our son tonight.]
In the evening, as it was getting close to the end of the workday, Gianna received a message from Naomi.
[Gianna, I'd like to invite you for dinner tonight. Are you free?]
Gianna thought for a few seconds and replied with a yes.
After work, Gianna drove Naomi directly to a Mexican restaurant. Naomi silently breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the menu prices, which she could afford. After ordering their food, Naomi looked at Gianna with a serious expression. "Gianna, I really appreciate what you've done. If it weren't for you, I might have had to work as a tool for a long time."
"No need to thank me. I didn't help you for nothing. After all, you have to repay the money I lent you."
Naomi pursed her lips and said slowly, "I know that the salary you offered me is three times the market price, so I'm really grateful to you, and I will definitely not disappoint you!"
Seeing the sincerity in her eyes, Gianna smiled. "I believe in you. I'm sure you'll be able to earn much more in the future, but the premise is that you have to stay true to yourself and continue on this path."
Naomi nodded. "I will, and I hope I can be as amazing as you one day!"
"Keep it up!"
After finishing their meal, Gianna dropped Naomi off at the hospital before leaving. When she arrived at the villa's entrance, she noticed it was pitch black inside, which surprised her. After getting out of the car, she called Laura while walking toward the villa.
"Laura, are you out?"
"No, the agency arranged an event for me, and I'm on my way back now."
After confirming that Laura was safe, Gianna returned to the villa. Just as she finished showering, she received a message from Felix.
[You mentioned treating me to a meal before. When are you planning to do that?]
Gianna opened Eugene's chat box and asked him when he was available.
[I'm free these days, but since you want me to pretend to be your boyfriend, it feels too formal to keep calling me Mr. Walton. Let's use our real names. You can call me Eugene, and I'll call you Gianna; how about that?]
[Sure.]
Just as Gianna was about to confirm Eugene's availability and reply to Felix, she received a call from Felix. The moment she answered, Felix's voice came through. "Gianna, about the meal you promised me, you're not thinking of backing out, are you?"
"Of course not. If you're free tomorrow night, I'll treat you to dinner. How does that sound?"
There was a pause on the other end of the line, and Felix whispered, "That's fine. Just book the restaurant and send me the location."
After ending the call, Felix called Sophia Mars. "Cancel the dinner with Chelsea for tomorrow night."
"Felix, Chelsea is leaving for her home country the day after tomorrow. If you don't meet her tomorrow night, you won't have a chance to collaborate with her."
Felix said indifferently, "Book a flight ticket for the same flight as Chelsea's the day after tomorrow, and I'll talk to her on the plane."
Sophia Mars was somewhat surprised. "Do you have something important to do tomorrow night?"
"Yes."
After informing Sophia Mars, Felix hung up the phone. On the other side, after confirming the time with Eugene, Gianna picked up a towel and started drying her hair. She heard the sound of a car engine outside the villa and walked to the window, where she saw Laura getting out of a red Bugatti. Soon, the person in the driver's seat also got out.
When she saw that it was Mitchell, Gianna was surprised. 'Laura and Mitchell were so close?' she pondered. Previously, Laura would never let a male colleague or male celebrity drive her home, even if she worked late, for fear of paparazzi, but she made an exception for Mitchell. As Gianna went downstairs, Laura happened to open the door.
"Gianna, you're still up?"
Gianna nodded. "Yes, how come Mitchell is driving you home?"
Laura's face showed an expression of speechlessness. "Don't mention it. I had a flat tire on my way back, and he happened to pass by, so I asked him to drive me home."
Thinking about owing Mitchell a favor and having to treat him to a meal in a few days, Laura felt a bit annoyed. Gianna couldn't help but laugh. "You look so annoyed. Why are you still unhappy?"
Laura sighed. "I was planning to treat him to a meal in a few days, but I don't want to go alone."
As she spoke, her eyes suddenly lit up. "Gianna, why don't you accompany me!" This way, she could repay Mitchell's favor and let him know that she had no interest in him. Seeing the anticipation in Laura's eyes, Gianna nodded and said, "Okay."
Before she could finish her sentence, Laura hugged her tightly. "Gianna! I love you!"
"Let go of me first. If you strangle me, you won't have anyone to go to dinner with."
Laura quickly let go of her. "I was just too excited."
"All right, go take a shower and rest. I'm going to sleep too."
"Okay."
Back in the bedroom, just as Gianna was about to go to bed, she received a call from Faith.
