Chapter 12 Mr. Harper Is Mysterious

Yvonne lost her balance and bumped into Elijah. He frowned and disdainfully pushed Yvonne aside.

Elijah walked toward the elevator, and Yvonne followed closely. "Mr. Harper, the interpretation just now was okay, right?"

"Barely passable," Elijah said against his conscience, "I don't know the going rate for simultaneous interpretation. You tell me your price, and I'll make the payment to you."

"It's just a small favor. There is no need for payment." Yvonne chuckled, "I'll go back to the office and revise the drawings immediately. Can you sign the contract for me?"

"Let's settle things as they should be," Elijah said as he initiated a transfer to Yvonne on WhatsApp, "If it's not enough, I'll make up for it later."

Yvonne saw that it was ten thousand US dollars.

Today was the day to pay the rent, and the landlord had already called twice. She was still four thousand dollars short when combining all her bank cards. If she accepted this money, her problem would be solved immediately.

But when she thought about the major renovations at the Harper mansion, Yvonne gritted her teeth and declined.

Elijah clenched his phone in his palm. "I offered the payment, but you refused."

"We will continue to cooperate in the future. Discussing money now would harm the relationship." Yvonne's voice was soft and alluring, with an extra hint of seductiveness.

"Relationship?" Elijah's face tightened. "You and I aren't even friends. What relationship can be harmed?"

Yvonne silently clenched her lips in anger!

Elijah, you don't need to act so high and mighty. One day, I will make you chase after me!

On the way back to the Brooks Group, Elijah kept flipping through the thick dossier. Yvonne tried to start a conversation several times, but he silenced her with his silence.

They arrived at the underground parking lot of the Brooks Group, and the driver personally opened the car door for Yvonne.

Yvonne was still thinking about the renovations at the Harper mansion. She leaned forward as she was about to get off the car and looked at Elijah with a smile. "Mr. Harper, I will send you the revised drawings in half an hour. If there's anything you're not satisfied with, please let me know immediately."

Elijah shifted sideways, creating some distance between himself and Yvonne. "I have appointments with two interior designers tonight. I'll decide once the drawings are ready. Don't get your hopes too high."

Yvonne restrained the desire to slap Elijah and maintained a composed smile. "Even if the hope is slim, we still need to have it. What if it comes true?"

"Miss Brooks, hurry up and get out of the car. I don't have time," Elijah coldly urged her.

Yvonne had no choice but to get out of the backseat. As soon as her feet touched the ground, the car sped away.

The smile disappeared from Yvonne's face immediately, and she gritted her teeth, cursing "bastard."

Turning around, Yvonne saw Grace standing on the path that led into the company, glaring at her with hatred.

Yvonne tossed her long hair and smiled. "A good dog doesn't stand in the way."

"Let's talk." Grace's voice sounded defeated.

Yvonne chuckled lightly. "Talk about what? Elijah? Don't worry, he hasn't found a woman to replace you yet."

"Did you sleep with him?" Grace's body trembled slightly as she asked, her eyes turning red.

"We did." Yvonne pulled out a cigarette and lit it, freeing up one hand to pat Grace. "What I'm about to tell you is a secret, but Elijah is not cold at all in bed!"

"Yvonne! You shameless bitch!" Grace shouted in frustration.

Yvonne entered the elevator and pushed open the door to the design department.

The design department was surprisingly quiet, and James kept signaling Yvonne with his eyes.

It turned out that Susan was sitting at Yvonne's desk. Susan frowned as if she had just come back from a crematorium. Yvonne suddenly realized that she had taken the afternoon off without Susan's approval.

"Susan, I just met with a client, and they were very satisfied with my designs." Yvonne tried to make amends.

Susan's face turned stern as she asked, "Has the client signed a contract with the marketing department?"

"Not yet," Yvonne shook her head and said, "but it should happen soon."

"Yvonne, you're a member of the design department now. Your main job is to produce good designs, not to go out and secure contracts!" Susan stood up. "Consider yourself absent from work this afternoon."

"But—" Yvonne was about to explain when Lily quietly tugged at her clothes.

"If the Swan House renderings don't come out, you'll be working all night for me!" Susan slammed the door after issuing her harsh words.

"We always deliver designs that are better than others, but without exception, they all get rejected. It's quite baffling," Thomas said with one leg crossed. "I bet even if the Swan House renderings are completed, they're doomed."

"True," Lily chimed in.

Yvonne sat down, her mind filled with thoughts on how to secure the renovation job for the Harper Mansion.

She quickly made the necessary revisions to the design, then sent them to Elijah on WhatsApp.

There was no response from Elijah's end.

The daylight was already short in late autumn, and as soon as it was time to leave work, colleagues from other departments left the company, leaving only Group C in the brightly lit office, working overtime.

Yvonne tried calling Elijah but got no answer. She sent him dozens of WhatsApp messages, but there was still no reply.

Just as she was becoming anxious, Ryan called.

Yvonne felt relieved and hurriedly held onto her phone while walking out of the office, happily saying, "Mr. Winston!"

"Yvonne, I need your help urgently!" Ryan's speech was fast and sounded very urgent. "I'll send you a location, come right away."

Yvonne thought that maybe his unreliable conscience had finally kicked in and he remembered the villa renovation.

"If it's urgent, I can help." Yvonne expressed her willingness. "Your villa renovation—"

"As long as you help me today, I'll let you be the interior designer for my villa!" Ryan eagerly interrupted her. "If you don't trust me, bring the contract, and I'll sign it and pay the deposit immediately."

"OK!" Yvonne excitedly snapped her fingers.

After facing disappointments with Elijah, Yvonne had started doubting her life, but she hadn't expected Ryan to bring good news at this moment.

She quickly returned to the office, eager to get started.

Yvonne drove to CC Bar.

It was just getting dark, and there were a few customers in the bar.

Ryan was arguing fiercely with a seductive woman.

"In the past, you did whatever you wanted when we were just playing around, but now that I'm pregnant, you have to take responsibility! Ryan, listen carefully. I don't want your money, and I won't have an abortion! I know you don't have a girlfriend and you're planning to marry!"

The woman's angry voice sent shivers down Yvonne's spine.

So Ryan had brought her here to cause trouble!

Ryan noticed Yvonne and quickly walked toward her, taking her arm. "Who said I don't have a girlfriend? Here she is!"

Money and principles kept battling it out in Yvonne's mind, and quickly, she made up her mind to hold back.

She approached Ryan and deliberately scrutinized the woman in front of her with a critical glance. "Ryan, those women you find outside can't compare to this beautiful and charming lady standing right here."

Ryan covered his mouth and made a sound of agreement.

The woman didn't expect Ryan's "girlfriend" to know so much about his affairs and still be so magnanimous.

"You can have your fun with Ryan, just don't be too greedy," Yvonne spoke with an imposing manner befitting of a queen. "Every year, I have to get rid of a few women like you for Ryan. They all claim to be pregnant and demand that Ryan take responsibility. The marriage between Ryan and me was arranged by our parents long ago. If Ryan were to take responsibility for all of you, what am I supposed to do? What about the dignity of the Winston family?"

Ryan didn't expect Yvonne to be such a good actress. He had to lower his head to control his laughter.

"I don't want money, I just want justice!" The woman had a stubborn expression.

Yvonne had no choice but to stay in character as the villain and sternly exclaimed, "Quickly take the money and leave. The Winston family and I will never allow any other woman to have his child. If you continue to be unwise, get ready to lose everything- even your money and yourself!"

The woman's gaze wandered aimlessly. "The cost of abortion, lost wages, and the damages to my mental health..."

"I'm not getting involved in these trivial matters anymore," Yvonne interrupted her before she could finish, shrugging off Ryan's arm.

Ryan hastily led the woman away. He found a quiet seat and spoke softly about the conditions.

Having helped Ryan so much, the villa renovation should almost be assured.

Thankfully, Yvonne was dressed in branded clothing from GS Plaza; otherwise, she wouldn't have matched the atmosphere properly.

After speaking so much, Yvonne's mouth felt dry, and she was about to call a waiter to order a drink when she met Elijah's gaze.

Elijah sat in a corner, seemingly for quite some time. He had witnessed that scene just now.

"Mr. Harper." Yvonne took the initiative to greet him.

Elijah rested his head with one hand. Yvonne sat down opposite him. "Have you seen the design drawings I sent you? If you have any opinions, feel free to speak up. I can make changes until you're satisfied."

"Miss Brooks and Mr. Winston's relationship has progressed quickly. Within two days, their parents have already arranged the marriage." Elijah evaded her topic, his gaze full of mockery.

Yvonne felt that something was off about his expression, but she went straight to the topic again. "Mr. Harper, I've already made the changes to those areas according to your request. Can you take a look first?"

"Let's talk about it tomorrow." Elijah picked up a can of beer and took a sip slowly.

Yvonne immediately made a decision to "save her performance" and opened a can of beer. "Drinking alone is boring. Let's drink together."

Elijah forced himself to look away, but soon, his eyes involuntarily fell back on Yvonne.

Yvonne smiled and raised her beer, gently knocking it against his beer can. "Tonight, let's only talk about emotions and not work."

The dim yellow light reflected on Elijah, making his deep and bottomless eyes look even more mysterious.

Yvonne's brain cells had turned a hundred and eighty degrees, thinking about how to convince Elijah for the renovation of the Harper Mansion.

"Is Miss Brooks thinking about how to smoothly marry Mr. Winston?" Elijah suddenly came up with this remark.

Yvonne frowned, "Mr. Winston isn't my type."

"In that case, what kind of man does Miss Brooks like?" Elijah took a sip of beer.

Yvonne sensed some hidden meaning and laughed even more boldly. "I like a man like Mr. Harper, mature and steady."