Chapter 30
Chapter 30
“Your son?” Artemis found himself scoffing. “Since when has Max taken you as his mother? Have you ever heard him call you 'Mommy' all these years? Don't you think you should carefully think about it and reflect on yourself when you are such a pathetic failure of a mother?”
“Your son?” Artemis found himself scoffing. “Since when has Max taken you as his mother? Have you ever heard him call you 'Mommy' all these years? Don't you think you should carefully think about it and reflect on yourself when you are such a pathetic failure of a mother?”
Rhonda stumbled backward at the harsh words from Artemis, and she was on the verge of breaking down.
“But I'm still his mother no matter how much of a failure I am, so you can't take him away from me. Never!”
Artemis, however, responded to her words with a cold glance. He stated, “It's not that I'm deliberately trying to take him away from you, but that he absolutely refuses to leave. He'd rather sleep in a tiny house that's no better than a dog house instead of a residence worth three billion.”
Rhonda was left speechless.
“Now get out of here before I decide to send you back to the Jefferson residence. Scram!”
Rhonda stumbled once more before running away defeatedly under Artemis' cold gaze.
The next day, in the CEO's office of Luther Group, Dwayne entered with the test result in his hand.
“Mr. Luther, the report is out. It says that the boy and Mr. Larson are not biologically related in any way.”
The hand Artemis was using to hold his pen stiffened for a second.
They're not father and son? So the rumor that she sold herself for money and delivered a stillborn is untrue?
But if his biological father is not Mr. Larson, then who is? Edmund?
“Mr. Luther, do you need me to change the name in the report to your name and announce that you and the little one are not biological father and son?”
“There's no need for that for now,” Artemis replied.
Surprised by Artemis' sudden change of mind, Dwayne raised his brows immediately.
Is he going to cave in to public opinion? Will he be taking that brat in and accepting that woman as his second wife? Hah! If that happens, things are going to be interesting for sure. Sisters sharing the same husband... The Luther family is in for a chaotic mess!
“Is Bailey here?” Artemis asked.
The smile on Dwayne's face intensified further when he heard that. He knew then that Artemis had set his sights on Bailey.
“Yes. She's now in Stephen's office. According to the rules, she must challenge Luther Group's headquarters' chief designer. The winner will then have the qualification to take on the task.”
With that said, Dwayne suddenly leaned toward Artemis. There was a carefree smile on his face when he continued, “Mr. Luther, to be honest, why don't you just use your status to let her win? I mean, you have the power to do that, don't you? This is the perfect opportunity, so you shouldn't miss the chance to win the lady's heart.”
“You're trying to please Victoria, aren't you?” Artemis replied with a smile that did not look like a happy smile for sure. “Why don't I pass you the CEO's seat so you can do as you see fit?”
“No, no, no.” Dwayne laughed awkwardly in reply while his handsome face twitched.
The leader of Luther Group? Who on earth with a sane mind would be happy to accept this position? I'm still young, and I'm more than just handsome. Most importantly, I'm a virgin that has yet to lay with any woman, so there's no way I'm going to spend my prime years bound to work and eventually die because of the heavy workload.
“Caridee will be returning this afternoon. Go and pick her up at the airport on my behalf and send her back to the Luther residence after that.”
Dwayne's mouth twitched again.
D*mn it! I'm a graduate of one of the most prestigious universities in the world, but I ended up being just an errand boy for a tyrant!
After seeing how Dwyane was still lingering around and his expression, Artemis smirked and said, “Any objections? Do you want to take over my position—”
“No! This is not something a sane man would do! We're as close as brothers, so please don't try to set me up. I'm the only child in the family, so I can't die young.”
“Get lost.”
In the design department, there stood a man and two women in the office.
Stephen looked toward Bailey, and with his charming and gentle voice, he said, “Ms. Jefferson, this is the chief designer at Luther Group's headquarters, Jessica Tanner.”
Then, he shifted his attention to the fashionably dressed young woman opposite him. “Jessica, this is the lead designer from the Archulean branch, Bailey Jefferson.”
Bailey's gaze landed on Jessica's face for a second. She then extended her hand for a handshake and calmly said, “Ms. Tanner, I've heard of your name. Nice to meet you. They say you're the last student that received the skills and knowledge of the famous designer, Eve Lussohn. It is an honor to be able to compete with you today.”
Opposite her, Jessica smiled a little. From how she looked at Bailey, one could tell that Jessica did not take Bailey seriously, for there was disdain and even a slight hint of mockery in her eyes.
She's but an unknown tailor that popped up out of nowhere! How dare she call herself a designer after learning tailoring for only a few years? If that is how it works, then I, the student of Eve, can address myself as a god now. This is a joke!
Jessica did not shake Bailey's hand. Instead, she mocked, “If I'm not wrong, you must be the oldest daughter of the Jefferson family. You're the one that sold yourself to an older man for five million seven years ago, right? As a result, you got pregnant, and the Jefferson family exiled you. After delivering a dead baby, you ran away from Hallsbay in humiliation as there was no place for you in this city anymore. So tell me. What brought you crawling back today?”
“Jessica!” Stephen berated, “Ms. Jefferson's personal life is not something you're entitled to comment on. Since Xavier is the one that recommended her, that means that she qualifies for what she is doing. You'd better watch your mouth.”
With that said, Stephen, who had been put in a tough spot, said, “Ms. Jefferson, Jessica doesn't know you or what you've been through, so she might have some misunderstandings. Please don't take her words seriously.”
Bailey returned her arm to her side before an alluring smile blossomed on her face. “Did Ms. Tanner talk just now? Why didn't I hear anything? Mr. Chandler, might you have misheard earlier? I only heard a mad dog barking, and it was a female one too.”
Stephen was rendered speechless at her words.
As for Jessica, her beautiful face was visibly contorting in rage.
This b*tch! What did she just say? A mad dog? And a female one?
“Hey, watch your mouth! Who are you referring to as a mad dog!”
Bailey shrugged. “I'm scolding a dog, so whoever takes it seriously is the dog I'm scolding.”
“Y-You—”
Bailey then glanced at her and smiled. “I have to admit, contesting with a shameless woman like me can be quite humiliating and will only lower your worth, so may I suggest you drop the contest, Ms. Tanner? Why don't you surrender this chance to become famous internationally to me?” Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.
“In your dreams!” Jessica shouted back.
To be able to design the dress for the coming-of-age ceremony of Caridee, the youngest daughter of the Luther family and their princess, was a major opportunity.
If she succeeded and received acknowledgment from Caridee, the most famous women in the world would want to order custom-made clothes from her.
When that happened, she would be the most influential and well-known person in the fashion industry.
Hence, there was no way Jessica would hand this chance to someone else.
“Oh?” Bailey raised a brow and mocked, “If you're willing to stand on the same stage with an infamous person like me, it means that you're no better than me, aren't you? Shame. To think that the honorable chief designer of Luther Group is someone like that.”
“You—”
Stephen let out a cough to interrupt them before saying, “Jessica, if you want to participate in the contest, you'd better stop judging others. Keep in mind that this is a task personally assigned by Mr. Luther. You don't need me to remind you of the consequences of screwing it up, do you?”
“But—”
“That's all. Please leave us right now. I've something to discuss with Ms. Jefferson. Thank you.”
Hearing this, Jessica stomped on the ground angrily before she left. On her way out, she also shot Bailey a furious stare. “I'll show you who's boss one day! Mark my words!”