Chapter 28
Chapter 28
"Hansen, as you can see, this woman is a staff of our company, but she's having an affair with our biggest competitor. She obviously had an ulterior motive. We can't let her stay in the Richards Group, let alone appoint her as the manager of the design department!" Aria grabbed Jenna's arm and spoke confidently.
Hansen's face became livid, and his gloomy eyes were staring at Jenna.
"Hey, what's going on here?" A man in a suit and leather shoes came in, his hair was slicked with hair gel. On his handsome face was a charming smirk.
"Norton, why are you here?" As soon as Marissa saw this man, her face darkened in displeasure, but she still squeezed out a smile.
However, Norton Richards smiled carefreely. Without looking at anyone else, he walked straight towards Jenna, raised his hand, and patted Jenna on the shoulder, "Jenna, you're back, why didn't you tell me about it. Luckily, I unintentionally heard Auntie mention it. I came here as soon as I heard."
Norton spoke in a casual and soft tone as if he was Jenna's close friend, but there was a condescending feel in his tone that sounded as if he was trying to prove a point to Hansen.
Jenna moved to the side and dodged him. Norton tried to pat her on the shoulder again, but he missed as well. He was stunned and couldn't help but laugh, "Jenna, you're still the same as you were in University, cold and indifferent, keeping people away from you."
"Norton, anything I can do for you?" Jenna was very surprised when Norton arrived.
When she was still in university, she had a persistent admirer and that person was Norton. At that time, he was enamored with her and pestered her all day long. There were several times when he
was drunk and almost molested her, but she cleverly avoided him. Jenna did not have a good impression of Norton. She always felt that he was very calculative and always had ulterior motives. She liked people who were decisive and competent in their career but led a simple life, just like Hansen.
Norton was the son of Claude Richards of the Richards Group. At that time, Old Master Richards stipulated that all the descendants of the Richards family had to take on the path of politics or business. This meant that one of them would have to venture into politics and the other, into business. At that time, the Old Master took a fancy to Norton's scheming mind, so he wanted Claude's heir to get into politics. On the other hand, he liked Hansen's quick and decisive character, and he had a unique sense of commercialism, so the Old Master cultivated him to be in business.
Of course, as the ancestral wealth of the Richards family was distributed per person, he would not be biased toward anyone.
The Old Master thought that young people were not stable enough before they got married. Therefore, he made it clear that the family wealth would only be distributed to the descendants of the Richards family after they had a family of their own and a successful career.
It turned out that the Old Master was wise.
As expected, Norton excelled in politics and he became the head of the Ministry of Finance at such a young age. His goal was clear, he wanted to take over the position of the mayor of A city.
Meanwhile, Richards Group, which was led by Hansen, was also unparalleled in A city and it dominated the whole city.
If the late Old Master of the Richards family knew about it, he would certainly be happy with the decision he made.
"Norton, why are you not at work? What are you doing here?" Hansen's expression was even darker. He didn't like his cousin ever since they were little. He always felt that his mind was too calculative, he was temperamental and too cruel.
"It seems that you all care about me very much. I didn't expect to meet so many of you. I only wanted to come and see my ex-sister-in-law," Norton smiled at Hansen and emphasized the 'ex- sister-in-law' on purpose. "It seems that I have come across some fun."
Hansen's expression became even darker, and his eyes were piercing.
Norton was very secretive in other aspects, but his love for Jenna was clearly sensed by Hansen. He saw Norton thoroughly during their University days. Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.
The past flashed in his mind, and he became even more furious. The light in his eyes was cold, and he slightly squinted his eyes. His eyes were as deep and thoughtful.
His red lips twitched all of a sudden, "Jenna is a designer hired by our company. It's inconvenient for guests to meet her at work right now, and you, the head of the Ministry of Finance, are here to visit a female employee in our company during working hours. Do you think it'll be good news if this gets out? Don't forget what Grandpa told you back then."
Hansen gave him a strong warning, and he even mentioned his grandfather. At that time, the Old Master made it clear to Norton that family interest was his priority. So Norton must marry Sabrina Delia, the only daughter of General Delia from the army. It didn't matter who he loved; this was an order he had to obey. Moreover, he must be clean with his marriage, so as not to affect his political career.
When Hansen warned him, Norton's face darkened. He looked at Jenna and said, "Of course, I came here for work pertaining to the Richards family."
The muscles on Hansen's face twitched and a mocking smile appeared on his face. Did he think I'm a fool? Did he think he could hide the fact that he liked Jenna? Suddenly, he smiled lightly and said to Aria, "Aria, it's time for work. You can go and inspect all the departments and punish anyone who breaks the rules."
His voice was not loud, but all the staff in the corridor suddenly dispersed. Very quickly, everyone was back at their desks.
"Mom, since you're here, you should come and sit in your son's office for a while,1' Hansen held Marissa's hand and smiled gently. Although it sounded like he was trying to persuade her, he did not allow her to reject his request.
Marissa was born into a wealthy family and had always experienced the complexity of the business world. She knew that if the incident today was leaked, it would not be good for the company. Moreover, even Norton came over. He had always been hostile towards his own family, and no one knew what he came here for. She decided to follow Hansen and left.
Soon, there was only Jenna in the office.
It was not until everything around her was terribly quiet that Jenna sat dejectedly on the soft chair in front of the desk, curled up and closed her eyes.
She didn't know why Hansen didn't drive her away immediately, and she didn't know what he was thinking. Was it because Norton came to help her? Maybe he would settle the score with her later?
After staying in the meeting room for more than half an hour, Norton and Hansen left.
As soon as he came in, Marissa started to persuade Hansen, "Hansen, just listen to me and fire that woman. Even if she has great capabilities, she won't prioritize the Richards Group, she won't really do anything for Richards Group. Stop grasping on hope! Think about it, Whalen Group is such a
good company, and Rayan is so good to her. Why didn't she just stay and work for the company? She loves money; the money from Whalen Group is definitely not less than ours. Think about it, you can figure it out." She added, "Moreover, she is such a troublemaker, she has so many men swirling around her, this wouldn't look good for the company.
Hansen's face was as dark. After a moment of silence, he nodded and said, "Mother, don't worry. I know what I'm doing. I'll make sure you are satisfied with the results."
Marissa nodded with satisfaction.
"Hansen, since I am here today, I would like to arrange the marriage between you and Aria. Mayor McAdams has been calling me for a few days. Although he didn't mention it, I know what he is hinting at it. He just wants you to marry Aria quickly. You are a man, Aria has been with you for so long, she is not young anymore. It's time to be responsible for her. What do you think?" Marissa sat on the sofa and put her hands on her knees, looking dignified.
Hansen frowned slightly and a trace of coldness flashed in his bright eyes. His expression was hard to read. He then said lightly, "Mom, can you just take it easy. I have my own plans for these things. By the way, Grandma's birthday is coming soon. It's her 90th birthday this year. Shouldn't we do something about it?"
Hansen answered perfunctorily and changed the subject. He didn't want to talk too much about his marriage. He never liked to be forced by others, especially in marriage. Just like how his grandmother forced him to marry Jenna in the past, it proved that they had never experienced happiness after their marriage.
He thought of marrying Aria before, and he was also preparing for it, but he didn't like to be forced. He would feel like his life was being controlled and it didn't sit well with him.
Mayor McAdams and Marissa talked on the phone; he suspected that they were trying to force this marriage. He didn't like the idea of this.
"You only look up to Grandma," Marissa was upset when she heard Hansen mention his grandmother. She was suddenly displeased and said with a flushed face, "She already said that she didn't want anything grand for her birthday. She is old now and she only wants peace. She doesn't want to be disturbed. She already said that on the day itself, we can just have a gathering for close relatives."
Speaking of this, she suddenly remembered something and asked in a serious tone, "What's the situation of the Camphor Tree Villa right now? It's quite a big project. You know that the luxury cars at Richards Group have not gained a firm foothold worldwide. Right now, the real source of money is in A City's real estate. This project is not a small one, it can't be taken lightly. Also, Mayor McAdams said that he will take care of anything that happens in this area."
Hansen became more and more agitated with what Marissa was saying. Originally, Camphor Tree Villa was a long term investment of Richards Group, located in the green hills. Several years ago, Hansen had a unique vision and handpicked some real estates, so he bought them. In the past two years, the municipal construction of A city was ongoing and was about to construct the subway. Land prices were rising all the way, it seemed like he was going to make a lot of money soon, but something bad had happened. In the past few years, the local residents of the Green Mountain Town visited the higher area and they wanted to move the nearby garbage disposal incinerator to somewhere closer to Green Mountain. It was a nightmare for Camphor Tree Villa.
One could only imagine the consequences of having a garbage disposal incinerator so close to a high-end villa area!
If this suggestion was approved by the City A government, it meant that these high- end villas would be unpleasantly close to a garbage disposal incinerator. That way, before they could worry about
selling the villas, the prices alone would decrease significantly.
The Camphor Tree Villa was located next to the Green Mountain Lake. With clear water and green mountains, it was a good area. More importantly, it was not far away from town. It was definitely the highest- end villa area in City A. There would be thousands of villas surrounding the Green Mountain Lake and it would be a great feat in history.
That would be the gathering place for the elite people of City A.
It was originally a good idea. The first phase of development was already ongoing, and the sales were doing great, but due to the sudden arrival of the garbage disposal incinerator, everything was delayed.
This had already given Hansen a huge headache. Norton was here today about this matter too.
With the protection from Aria's father, perhaps the location of the garbage disposal incinerator would be moved, but... As Hansen was deep in thought, Aria suddenly walked in with her hourglass figure.
When she saw Hansen, her cheeks immediately turned pink and her almond eyes looked delicate. She wanted to get close to Hansen, but because Marissa was there, she had to walk toward Marissa first. She put her arms around Marissa's shoulders and said coyly, "Mother, my Dad said he is planning for a meal together with both our families this weekend. What do you think about this?"
"Alright, okay," Marissa, who was in Aria's arms, immediately smiled and answered, "I'll leave this matter to Hansen. He is a man, he should arrange this."
Aria tilted her head and looked at Hansen. He was sitting in front of the office and looking at the computer. His face was calm and there was no objection. She felt happy inside.
"Alright, you all need to get to work too. I have to go. Madam Parker has invited me to go for a facial with her," Marissa said as she stood up and walked outside.
"Mother, I'll send you," Hansen stood up.
"No need, you continue your work. I have a butler," Marissa refused flatly. Before, she used to work hard in the company, day and night. Of course she knew what hard work felt like. She took the initiative to leave. If it weren't for Jenna, she wouldn't have bothered them here.
"Hansen," As soon as Marissa left, Aria ran to Hansen like a gust of wind. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him on the face, "Hansen, my Dad said that we'll have dinner together this Saturday and we'll settle our marriage. Hansen, I'm so happy. We'll never be separated for the rest of our lives."
Aria looked at Hansen with teary eyes, and then leaned her head on his chest. She was very happy inside. She could not wait any longer. She had to hurry up and make Hansen marry her. This was the only way she could feel at ease.
The man in front of her pulled her away calmly and replied blandly, "I see."
Hearing how Hansen agreed to it, Aria blushed. As long as he said yes, she would not care about his attitude. Men were always like this. They liked to pretend to be cool. Moreover, for a noble man like Hansen, he wouldn't be too excited about marriage.
"Aria, I've said it many times. You should behave your self at work," Hansen said again, his handsome face was covered with gloom.
"Hansen, we will soon be husband and wife, we are not just ordinary friends. Besides, there are no outsiders here. Why do we have to be so restricted?" Aria pouted. In her heart, she complained, "Hansen, would you die if you flirt for a bit?" But she was soon stunned.
Hansen's eyebrows were tightly knitted and his face was tense.
"Aria, let me ask you. It was you who told my mother about Jenna working in Richards Group, wasn't it? You showed the newspaper to my mother today too, didn't you?" Hansen's voice was not loud, but every word was cold. He was dissatisfied. In fact, he was not questioning, he was blaming her with certainty.
Marissa never had the habit of reading newspapers in the morning. When she woke up in the morning, she would take a walk in the garden, have breakfast afterwards, and then proceeded to apply her makeup. Reading the newspaper was something she did in the afternoon.
At that moment, Aria's face turned pale and her heart tightened. She paused for a moment and threw herself into Hansen's arms with tears in her eyes.