Chapter 35
Darian's face twitched.
Declan gripped Darian's hand with a sly smile, "Mr. Darian, we should nurture his interests. We can't be crushing his confidence now."
Darian took a deep breath, closing his eyes and forcing out the words with great effort, "Keep... practicing."
Inside, Griffin heaved a sigh of relief. Had he just dodged a bullet?
Griffin nodded obediently, "Daddy, I'll practice hard."
The piano teacher next to him looked on in disbelief, "But... he was playing so well last time... How did it turn out like this..."
Griffin blinked, offered the teacher an apologetic smile, and quickly scampered off.
...
Star Rise Group
Cecily walked with authority to the reception desk with her hands in her trench coat pockets. The receptionist eyed Cecily and asked, "Ma'am, whom are you here to see?"
"I need to speak with Miss Aurelie. Last name, Watson."
"Oh, Miss Watson. Please come in. Miss Aurelie is in a meeting, but you can go straight to her office and wait for her."
Cecily nodded and proceeded inside.
The receptionist beside her blinked in awe, "Who is she? She carries such a presence."
"I'm not sure, but Miss Aurelie said she doesn't need an appointment and can walk in anytime. Basically, she's someone we can't afford to offend."
Cecily entered the company, saw Aurelie in a meeting, and decided to take a look around the office on her own.
A hive of activity buzzed through the expansive office space. Everything from basic product sourcing to the research and development process, to production, packaging, advertising, and scheduling meetings with partners, right up to the product launch.
Each department functioned in meticulous order.
"Miss Cecily, are you pleased with what you've seen?"
Cecily turned around to see Aurelie, arms crossed, leaning against the wall with a cheerful grin.
Cecily raised an eyebrow, a gentle smile in her eyes, "Quite impressive."
Aurelie linked her arm with Cecily's, "So, was it worth it to hire me?"
Cecily subtly nodded, "I made a very wise decision indeed."
With a happy tug, Aurelie led Cecily to her office, "Come on, let's talk more in my office."
Flores Group
Ophelia slammed the latest perfume formula down onto Elysia, "This is your so-called latest creation?"
Elysia shuddered; Ophelia's temper was especially foul today, and at that moment, she hardly dared to breathe.
"Ophelia..."
"Don't call me that, Elysia. You think you can fob me off with this? I'm starting to wonder who actually copied who between you and Cecily back in the day."
Elysia bit her lip so hard it nearly bled.
Ophelia threw a stack of papers at Elysia, "Take a good look. Star Rise Group's perfume, even if it launched three years ago, still holds top spot on the bestseller list. Now look at yours!"
Elysia clenched her teeth so hard that she almost crushed them; her eyes were brimming with intense frustration and agitation.
Ophelia scowled, finding Elysia's useless demeanor incredibly irritating.
Ever since Cecily returned, she felt like nothing was going her way.
At home, there was a troublemaker constantly challenging her.
In daily life, she always had to watch her back because of Cecily.
At the office, her staff was useless.
Ophelia inhaled deeply, unable to quell the rage inside her. Just then, her phone rang and she picked up irritably, "What's up?"
"Ophelia, are you busy?" It was Sandra Thompson, Darian's mother.
Ophelia's attitude shifted immediately, "Aunt Sandra, I'm sorry; I didn't realize it was you."
"It's okay. I heard you had a disagreement with Darian last night? Over that child?"
When last night’s events were mentioned, Ophelia's voice softened with a hint of self-blame, "Aunt Sandra, I didn't handle things well..."
"It's alright; the house staff filled me in. It's not your fault. And really, Darian should know better. You guys are practically engaged, so you should understand each other’s boundaries. I've asked him to accompany me shopping this afternoon; you should join us. You two are so close—any misunderstandings should be cleared up."
Ophelia nearly cried with relief, "Thank you, Aunt Sandra."
"You are my future daughter-in-law; of course, I'll support you. As for that child... Even though he has been around Darian all these years, he still seems to be so unruly, just like his mother."
Ophelia couldn't help but smirk, "Aunt Sandra, about Rowan..."
"That's enough. You don't need to defend him. I have the measure of the boy. If you can't handle him, I will."
Sandra’s stern voice could send a chill down anybody’s spine.
After hanging up, Ophelia’s mood brightened up considerably, even Elysia somehow seemed more tolerable.
Cecily and Aurelie left the office, picked up Rowan, and headed out for a midday meal together. After lunch, they took him shopping for stationery.
As they chatted and walked towards the mall, a Rolls-Royce, oozing with elegance, slowly came to a stop at the curb by the entrance.
Darian stepped out of the car while Ophelia pushed Sandra's wheelchair to his side. "Darian..." Ophelia began.
There was a lack of emotion on Darian's handsome face. Ophelia glanced at Sandra in the wheelchair, almost imploringly.
Sandra gently pushed Ophelia closer to Darian and scolded him, "Darian, what are you doing? Alienating your fiancée over a bastard with no blood relation to you, is it worth it?"
Darian's brow furrowed slightly. "Mom, do you not hear how harsh it is to keep calling him a bastard?"
Sandra scoffed.
She couldn't fathom why her son was so kind to a child who wasn't even related to them by blood.
The memory of that woman—the one who had indirectly caused the death of her own grandchild—still haunted her.
Ophelia pursed her lips and hurriedly stepped forward. "Aunt Sandra, Darian, please don't fight over me. I know I haven't done well enough..."
Seeing Ophelia's distressed look, Sandra couldn't help but feel sympathy. "Ophelia, you don't have to take the blame for everything; this isn't your fault."
Ophelia lowered her head, looking pitiful.
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