Chapter 351 – 400
Chapter 351 – 400
Chapter 351 “No way. Young Master Wilson is a grown man, and a man must always keep his word, no?” jackie spoke without sparing the other man’s shame, grinning.
“That’s right. Unless you admit that you’re not a man but a eunuch or a woman, we won’t let this slide!” The satisfied Tanya also chimed in, her arms folded across her chest when she heard their defiance.
“Young Master Wilson, you only made the bet with jackie because you thought that he was new at this, and therefore not well-versed with gambling rocks. Aren’t you ashamed now that you’ve lost to a rookie? Furthermore, you refuse to acknowledge your debt now that you’ve lost. It wouldn’t be very nice if word got out, right? Why are you such a sore loser?” This time, it was Yvonne who stepped forward and sneered at Wilson.
The bodyguards dared not make a single noise anymore. The Drake family was one of the most eminent aristocratic families; they were in no position to threaten or bully Tanya Drake. It was almost like signing their death certificates.
“Who said that I was a sore loser?” Young Master Wilson clenched his teeth. “I admit defeat!” he declared.
Shock rippled through the crowd. They never expected Young Master Wilson to give in so easily. However, it was still the natural course of action. The people who stood before him were not any ordinary folk, but were of the Drake family. He could not afford to stand against them.
Their bodyguard, on the other hand, was extremely bold to stand up and confront Young Master Wilson. Did the young man not fear that the young master would hold a grudge against him?
No one expected Young Master Wilson to smile. “Still, I’ve had some knee pain due to rheumatism these two days,” he said. “How about I get my bodyguard to do it for me?”
“No.” jackie did not even bother to give it a second thought. “Don’t tell me that you’re going to send your bodyguard as your substitute when you get married?” he teased, a grin on his face as he did.
“You…” Young Master Wilson was so furious that all the color was drained from his face. He hated jackie so much that he wanted to tell his own bodyguards to beat him until he turned black and blue.
It was only jackie’s luck that Tanya and Yvonne were next to him; he had no choice but to stay his hand. “You really got some nerve, punk,” he said. “You dare not spare my reputation?”
“You lose, you pay up—that’s the only logic I follow. Am I wrong? Let’s say that I’m the one who lost today and I told you that I was joking, I don’t think that you’d let me off the hook!” jackie was not intimidated in the slightest as he held the young master’s glare. He had a fiery aura not many possessed in them.
Yvonne was also stunned by the sight. This man had so much masculinity in him. Any other bodyguard from the Drake family would have submitted a long time ago. After all, as a mere bodyguard, one would always worry that others would slowly begin to take revenge on them. jackie refused to budge, and Yvonne and Tanya stood beside him. Young Master Wilson was backed into a corner.
He quickly formulated an escape plan. “What about this? I’ll give you 2 million dollars, and we’ll forget that this ever happened,” he offered.
“2 million?” jackie was stunned. “Young Master Wilson, aren’t you undervaluing yourself? I never knew that your reputation was worth so little!”
The corners of Young Master Wilson’s mouth twitched. This little punk was seriously overstepping his boundaries.
He thought about it again before he spoke again, “How about this then? The gem that I found is worth at least 7 or 8 million dollars. How about I give it to you?”
At this, Tanya and Yvonne could not help but look at jackie. If he let Young Master Wilson get away this time, then not only would he not earn a target on his back, but he would get 7 or 8 million dollars. It was a hefty sum of money.
They assumed that jackie would agree to this deal. Any other person would have snapped it up a long time ago.
“7 or 8 million is nothing to me. Give me a billion, and then we’ll talk!”
Chapter 352 “1 billion!”
Many from the crowd inhaled sharply when they heard this. This bodyguard was just pushing it at this point. Was he aware of how much money 1 billion was? He had guts to be asking for 1 billion!
Furthermore, Young Master Wilson had kindly offered the gemstone he had just bought, valued at around 7 or 8 million dollars; that was a pretty good deal on its own. How much could a mere bodyguard earn anyway? He spoke as though he had plenty of money.
“1 billion? Aren’t you just being obnoxious? Why don’t you go and steal it yourself?” Young Master Wilson stared at him as though he was a madman, a contemptuous smile slowly forming on his lips. “Oh, I know why you need so much money now,” he said. “You’ve been thinking about it till it drove you nuts, didn’t you? Your dearest Grandfather Taylor’s 70th birthday is fast approaching, and you’ll be chased out of the Taylors if you can’t fork out the 40 million you promised. Also, you’d have to break up with Selena Taylor, right?”
“No way. This guy is Selena Taylor’s husband?”
“Mmhmm. I heard that he’s a military vet—a war hero. I think he was the one who saved the day during the incident at the zoo!”
Murmurs began to circulate among the crowd.
“This guy is the definition of a true man, and he’s not too bad of a person either. He risked his life at the frontlines so that we can live peaceful lives. My son, on the other hand, never made it back…” Lamenting, an old man from the crowd sighed as he recalled his son who had perished at the frontlines.
jackie glanced toward the old man before looking at the gemstone right before Young Master Wilson. “Fine. I’ll let you have a bit of dignity today.” jackie took the gemstone from him. “I’ll take the gemstone so that you don’t have to kneel down and bark like a dog.”
“As if you’d dare do something like that!” Young Master Wilson’’s bodyguard immediately snarled, full of bravado.
Yvonne wanted so badly to see Young Master Wilson bark like a dog and thought that jackie would be firm in the idea, but she never expected that he would be convinced so easily. Needless to say, she was unsatisfied with the outcome.
She then looked at the icy lavender jadeite. “ jackie, you said that you’d give this to me after you’ve cut it open,” she told him. “You sure you won’t regret it?”
The crowd became hyperattentive when they heard this. This gem was worth around 20 to 30 million. Was jackie really going to give it to her? Of course, it would make jackie less trustworthy should he choose to eat his words, but most would understand him. Many of them would choose to do so, too. It was a matter of 20 to 30 million dollars, after all!
Yvonne merely wanted to see his response; she had no intention of claiming it as her own property. After all, she had only forked out 300 thousand, yet this gem was worth over a hundred times more than that. More importantly, she had advised jackie to not choose this rock. How could she have a say in anything now?
“I will never go back on my word,” he replied unhesitatingly, and it was an unexpected reply. “Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a man of my word.”
After he said that, he walked toward the old man. “Your son died on the battlefield?”
The old man nodded his head, a bitter smile on his face. “That’s right. I have a son and a daughter. My son had enlisted himself in the army, but who would’ve known that I’d never see him again. Now, it’s just me and my daughter, living our lives.” He released a tired sigh; red began to rim his eyes. “Still, my son was a hero because he died on the battlefield. How can we live in such peace without their sacrifices? I believe that those of you who were in the military would understand this!”
Unexpectedly, jackie thrust the gemstone toward the old man. “I can’t do much for you, but this gem is worth a few million. Take this as my offering of thanks.”
“What?” The crowd was stunned when they saw this, and hearts were touched at that moment. What a gift to give, from a former soldier to a martyr’s family.
“Young man, this…this is too precious. I can’t accept this!”
Chapter 353 The old man’s eyes reddened even further; warmth began to tingle in his chest.
“You have to accept this. This is a token of my appreciation—and it contains the hearts of all the soldiers of our country,” jackie insisted, earnest and solemn in his persuasion.
“A—Alright. Thank you very, very much!” The old man’s eyes turned glassy. He slowly took the gemstone from jackie’s hands.
“It contains the hearts of all the soldiers in our country? Hmph. You think too highly of yourself now. Even a general wouldn’t spew such flowery nonsense!” Michael, who stood by the side, smiled a cruel smile when he heard this. “Talking as though you were a god of war!” he scoffed to himself.
“Thank…thank you!” The old man wanted to get onto his knees, but jackie stopped him.
The old man quickly went to a nearby store to exchange the jadeite for money. So long as it was sold for a slightly cheaper price, plenty of brokers were willing to buy such gemstones.
“How generous of you, giving something worth 7 to 8 million away just like that. Why didn’t you keep it for yourself? If you gave it to Grandfather Taylor, the Taylors wouldn’t trouble you so much since its value is almost 10 million. Well, almost… But it’s better than not being able to fork out anything when his birthday comes along!” Michael smirked as he came face-to-face with jackie.
“You don’t have to sweat yourself over this matter. Nonetheless, I’m letting you off with a warning: Don’t even think about having my woman. You might regret everything otherwise—and it’d be too late then.” jackie stared at the other man. He did not even see Michael as a menace.
“Interesting. Are you threatening me?” Young Master Wilson burst into laughter. “That’s right—she’s your woman now. But if you can’t bring out the promised 40 million during the old man’s 70th birthday, you’ll be kicked out of the Taylor family.” Michael clicked his tongue. “You’ll be forced to divorce her, and if she’s divorced, then isn’t she free to do as she pleases? She won’t be your woman then.”
“Just wait and see!” jackie could not be bothered with the other man. He turned toward Tanya. “Miss Tanya, should we continue shopping or go back now?” he spoke, falling back into his bodyguard posture.
“Let’s go back. We can’t lug such a big gemstone around with us. Besides, someone is really eager to go back and properly inspect the stone at home!” Tanya smiled and glanced at Yvonne. Yvonne adored gambling rocks, and she loved jadeite even more.
“Let’s go back. jackie, carry this back to the car. It’s way too heavy for me!” Yvonne cast jackie a brilliant smile. This man had given her such a valuable item. She no longer cared about yesterday’s incident.
jackie easily hefted the gemstone, and the three walked towards the car.
It was only then when Yvonne looked as though something just came to mind when they were halfway to the car. “ jackie, are you really going to give such a precious object to me?” she said, expression unreadable. “Don’t tell me that you like me and want to be on my good side? I told you that I’m not the least bit interested in a married man such as yourself. Don’t get any ideas!”
Chapter 354 jackie felt slightly bashful. Yvonne was under the impression that she was every man’s object of desire. Now that he thought about it, his actions were rather questionable. Would anybody else just give away something worth 20 to 30 million? Furthermore, Yvonne was good-looking, and she had a nice figure. He had accidentally caught sight of that figure yesterday too, so she probably suspected he had some unsavory intentions towards her and wanted to get on her good side by giving her such a present. It was certainly a plausible theory.
jackie gave a wry smile. “Don’t worry, I’m not having any wild ideas about you,” he assured. “You paid for this, and I already said that I’d give this to you no matter what came out while you were paying. I don’t go back on my word as a man.” He paused for a while here before continuing, “Just take it as an apology for yesterday’s accident, if you’re genuinely that uncomfortable with taking it.”
In truth, he had not really done anything wrong yesterday. In fact, she did not close the door and walked straight out of the bathroom as she was. Nonetheless, she was a woman. jackie still felt slightly apologetic for that.
Yvonne’s cheeks immediately flamed when she heard his words. She did not know why the incident from yesterday suddenly crossed her mind. In addition, she felt like she was naked when jackie looked at her at this moment. It embarrassed her to no end.
She rolled her eyes at him. “What do you mean you don’t have any ideas about me? Am I that ugly?”
jackie quickly cleared his throat and decided to be blunt. “You are good-looking, but I have a wife, and I think she’s more beautiful than you are. I certainly won’t have any wild ideas!”
“You…” Yvonne was so angry that she stamped her foot. What did he mean, saying that she was good- looking yet was less beautiful than his wife? He really had a foot in his mouth. Could he not even attempt to sweet-talk a girl? Besides, she was far younger than Selena, and she had a voluptuous body. How could that woman ever compare to her?
“Hold on. Why is your face turning red, Yvonne? What did jackie do to you yesterday?” Tanya was quick to notice something, and she asked as soon as she detected something off.
“Oh, it’s nothing!” Yvonne suddenly panicked. She did not know to speak of something like this.
She often wore sexy clothing, and even her skirts were too revealing sometimes, yet she was a conservative girl in personality. She had never been in a relationship and had never even held a boy’s hand before.
“But I think there’s something going on between you too!” Tanya stared at them, suspicious.
Of course, jackie and Yvonne’s lips were sealed. She could not do anything but give up. Soon enough, they arrived back at the Drake family’s residence. In a car parked on the opposite side of the street, Luca and the other bodyguards noticed jackie had returned.
“He’s back. Brother Luca, it’s pretty late now. That punk will probably get off from work soon. Our opportunity comes the moment he leaves work!” a bodyguard spoke.
“That’s right. We must catch this b*stard!” Luca nodded his head. “Our young miss wouldn’t be in such a dire state now if he hadn’t fed her crotons!”
They never thought that after a short while, they would see jackie driving a car out all by himself.
“That b*stard actually drives a Porsche. It’s pretty early for him to leave work. It’s only 4:30 now, and he’s already out!” Seeing this, Luca immediately set the plan into motion. “Come on, let’s follow him,” he spoke. “We’ll think about catching him later once we stop his car.”
In an instance, the George family’s bodyguards—numbering over 10—went down at the same time, walking toward jackie.
Chapter 355 “I’m barred at the gates the moment I come out. Seems like you’ve waited for me for a long time!” jackie’s lips twisted into a mirthless smile as he got down from the car.
“Ahem. I hope you don’t mind, but you’re coming along with us today.” Luca chuckled, cutting straight to the chase.
“Really? Where to?” jackie asked.
“The George family’s residence. You fed our young miss crotons, so you have no choice but to come along with us. Not a single one of your family members will be spared if anything happens to the young miss!” Luca looked at jackie. He knew the punk was probably a skilled fighter; jackie would not have been recruited as a bodyguard for the Drake family otherwise.
However, they had numbers on their side, and they were the guards of the George family, thus they did not tremble before jackie.
“That’s a normal response,” came jackie’s reply, but his forehead creased soon after. “What do you mean? You’ve already taken my family?”
“Hmph. What do you think, punk?” One of the bodyguards chuckled. “We’re just missing you and your wife, but never mind your wife. She’s a manager in the Drake family’s company, after all. You’re more important!”
“You dare to take my family? How bold of you.” jackie’s expression darkened. A sudden chill swept over the area.
“Look, we don’t want to raise a hand against them either, punk. Just come along with us quietly.” The bodyguard thought that they were in complete control of the situation and grinned at jackie. It was clear he did not think anything of the other man.
“It’s in your best interest that my family be left unharmed. It won’t just be you who’ll accompany them to the grave otherwise—and even after I’m done with all the Georges, the bodies still won’t be enough!” jackie’s features hardened; his fingers curled into fists.
“Hmph. We talked nicely to you. You think you’re some sort of big shot now?”
“Seems like you’ll seriously look down on us bodyguards of the Georges if we don’t teach you a lesson.”
“Of course, the Drakes are more powerful than the Georges in terms of financial and material wealth, but no one said that the Georges’ bodyguards can’t rival the Drakes’ bodyguards!”
Two or three men circled jackie, prepared to pummel him. Alas, they had no chance to strike first when jackie lashed out. His fists flew, and in a flash, the three bodyguards were on the floor, spitting blood.
“Vermin like you don’t even deserve to put yourself on the same pedestal as me.” jackie icily glared at the men writhing on the floor and moaning in pain. He bore the indisputable aura of someone high above them.
Luca was completely stunned in his spot. jackie moved too fast; he did not manage to get a good look and his subordinates were already on the floor. Someone like this was way too terrifying. In a moment, all his confidence from earlier deserted him.
“I’ll go to George family’s residence, but you’re not going to hold me down!” jackie waved at Luca and the other bodyguards.
At this moment, Luca’s phone rang.
He quickly picked up the call. “Luca, have you and your guards done anything yet?” came Mr. George’s voice from the other end of the line. “ jackie is a miracle doctor. Our daughter is completely fine now, and she’s in good spirits. Plus, she genuinely lost 15 kilos. You have to invite jackie and his wife over nicely. They’re our esteemed guests!” he spoke.
“Oh, that’s right,” the patriarch added. “Our butler has already booked a hotel—the six-star Dynasty Hotel!”
The corners of Luca’s mouth began to twitch furiously when he heard all of this. Why could he not have called one or two minutes earlier? Now, jackie did not seem too happy.
Chapter 356 “Brother Luca, what do we do? Seems like the b*stard is super strong!” One of the George family’s bodyguards asked Luca right after he hung up. It was obvious that what jackie did just then had sparked fear in them.
Luca exhaled a heavy sigh and approached jackie. He bowed ever so slightly. “My apologies, Miracle Doctor White. It’s all a misunderstanding,” he apologized. “Our master just called us and said that the young miss is doing very well. In fact, she lost a total of 15 kilos today. He specially said that he’d be treating you and your family to dinner. We’ve already booked the hotel.”
The remaining bodyguards also started to bow when they heard this. “We apologize, Miracle Doctor White!” they cried toward jackie.
jackie was stunned; their attitudes changed entirely in the blink of an eye. More importantly, so many people were watching them. Being called ‘Miracle Doctor White’ attracted a little too much attention than what he would like.
He could do nothing but smile. “It’s fine so long as my family isn’t hurt. Don’t call me a miracle doctor— I’m not one in the first place. I just saw that your young miss was a little overweight and helped her to
lose it.”
The crowd was taken aback. This man spoke of it so easily. Help her lose weight? If Sharon George could lose weight that easily, the issue would not have dragged on to this day. She had seen so many doctors, so many dieticians. Every single one decided that her obesity was an incurable disease.
After he mulled over his thoughts, Luca asked, “Miracle Doctor White…no. Mr. White, will there be any complications if she loses that much weight in such a short time? Will it affect the young miss’s health?”
“Don’t worry; there won’t be any complications. Furthermore, she won’t go back to her initial weight, and her skin will be supple and healthy!” jackie spoke confidently.
“Oh. That’s great then!” Luca heaved an internal sigh of relief. “Before, we had invited so-called professionals to help our young miss lose weight. Unfortunately, not only was it difficult for her to lose two or three kilos, but she’d even gain over 10 kilos a few days after that.”
“Despite all that, you kidnapped my family. I can’t forgive you just because you’re treating us to dinner. Your master will have to apologize to my family and ask them for forgiveness!” jackie said earnestly after he thought about it.
“Don’t worry, don’t worry. Our master will surely apologize. We’re reasonable people,” Luca assured him. Besides, he did this because he was worried about the young miss’s health—if any complications will occur. Only then did he temporarily kidnap your relatives. I assure you we didn’t lay a finger on them. We just let them rest in the Georges’ residence!”
He noticed that jackie was definitely not a run-of-the-mill bodyguard. He was too quick on his feet. He probably would not last more than three seconds if he had fought the man instead. Besides, so many dieticians and doctors could not cure the young miss, yet jackie had helped Sharon lose 15 kilos just like that. If he was not a miracle doctor, what was he? This man was so skilled at both fighting and medicine. He was anything but normal.
It was then when Luca made a mental note: He would tell the master privately that jackie White could never be crossed once they returned. In fact, it would be best if they could establish a good relationship with him.
“All right, I’ll let you guys off the hook this once and go over to have dinner. I want to have a good look and see if you’ve bullied my family.” jackie agreed after he gave it some thought.
“No way! Of course not!” Luca nearly collapsed in relief. Not one scratch was inflicted on Fiona or the rest of them before he came to the Drake family’s residence. He hoped that the master and the rest of the guards did not raise a finger against them during his absence.
jackie was just a bodyguard, but with his level of skill in his fists, the Georges would incur a bitter victory if they fought… That was assuming they could win.
Chapter 357 Carefully planning, Luca then commanded the other two bodyguards, “You two! Go pick up Miss Selena from her company. You must be respectful and treat her well, do you understand?”
At this moment, jackie thought of his precious daughter. “Oh, right. You didn’t take away my daughter, Kylie, right?” he spoke. “If she’s terrified because of you, you’d land yourself in serious trouble.”
After all, Kylie was only a little over four years old; he did not want her to be frightened and traumatized at such an innocent age.
“Well, when we went to your house, we didn’t see any little girl, so we didn’t…” Luca wiped the cold sweat on his forehead once more. Thankfully, they did not take the daughter away as she went to school. Otherwise, this unassailable yet mysterious man before him would be infuriated.
Although the George family was puissant, it was certainly not a good idea to give jackie the hump.
“Alright, I’ll pick up my daughter first before going to the George family’s residence,” jackie decided before going back into his car.
Without further ado, Luca quickly commanded his subordinates to make way for jackie. “Hurry up and move the car. Make way for Mr. White!”
Meanwhile, in the George family’s residence, Sharon no longer had an upset stomach, and she did not want to visit the toilet again. It seemed that the efficacy of the pill had completely worn off, and Sharon was lively once more. The greatest outcome from everything that had happened was that Sharon had lost more than 15 kilograms, and she weighed only around 90 kilograms at this moment. If they had not seen it for themselves, Mr. and Mrs. George would hardly believe it.
The girl before them turned into an alluring and comely young lady. This was their daughter!
The clothes on Sharon were obviously bigger and looser now as she drastically lost so much weight. She took a shower and found herself some old skirt that she used to wear when she was slimmer back then to change into.
“Wow. Now that Miss Sharon has lost so much weight, her features are delicate and sharp. She looks very charming. If this continues tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, Miss Sharon would be stunningly beautiful!” Fiona’s praises for Sharon gushed right out of her mouth as she looked at her. Internally, however, she sighed in relief.
The head of George, on the other hand, felt apologetic toward Fiona and the others. “I’m truly sorry, everyone. I especially didn’t expect that jackie, a veteran, could be so skilled in the medical area.” He paused and then continued, “I hope you can forgive me for what I did today.”
“Oh, it’s all forgiven. You’ve already invited us to a six-star hotel for a luxurious dinner. How can we be so unforgiving?” Xena responded with a smile. This was the George family, a first-class aristocrat family! She would be set for life if she could get connected with a member or two of the family.
“Dinner is a must.” Master George relented with a bitter smile. He then spoke again in a worried tone, “I’m concerned about jackie; that he’ll be unhappy about it. After all, he didn’t ask for a penny from my daughter, and yet he gave her such a magical pill to help my daughter lose weight.”
“It’s nothing at all. Don’t be preoccupied. He listens to me, and he wouldn’t be angry if I asked him not to. Besides, is there any parent on this earth who doesn’t care about their children? Mr. and Mrs. George are only afraid of bad things happening to Miss Sharon.” The smile on Fiona’s face was only a facade; she was deathly afraid initially.
“Hmmm. We’ll be going out to dinner in a while, and it might not be convenient for you to travel here and there, given that you don’t have a car. We have lots of cars in our garage, and some of them are just staying in the garage for nothing. How about you pick two of them?” Master George placated after mulling over his thoughts.
“These two cars represent my sincere apologies. What do you think?”
“Um… Uh. Mr. George, you’re too polite and benevolent to us! It happened that my son and his girlfriend, Xena, both have driving licenses but don’t have a car! Thank you so much!“ Fiona gushed with excitement, her eyes brightened in an instant.
Chapter 358 In a blink of an eye, Fiona and the others standing before one of the George family’s garages.
When the heavy metal door was lifted, they found themselves face-to-face with opulent and sumptuous branded cars: Bentley, Porsche, Ferrari, and even Rolls-Royce. Besides, some of them were rare and of limited edition. Each of them bore an imperial and illustrious aura like a prideful ruler.
“Ma, can… Can I pick one as well? Is it mine after I pick it?” Xena was a little agitated; she never anticipated that her blessings would come so soon. She suddenly found herself touched with her decision of dating Ben. Him as a back-up was indeed her best decision ever.
Nevertheless, Fiona countered, “How could you think like that? A moment ago, you were saying you’re just Ben’s girlfriend, and not a Taylor yet. For the time being, this car doesn’t belong to you, but you can drive it since you’re Ben’s girlfriend.”
“ jackie and sister Selena both have their own cars. Only Ben and I have driving licenses without cars. Ma, can’t you just give it to me?”
The bitter feeling of remorse hung over her head at that moment. After all, she was desperately cutting ties with the Taylors to save herself a while ago. How would she even know jackie could truly help Sharon lose weight? She bet Fiona would not want to give her the car anymore because of what happened.
As expected, Fiona flashed a small smile and said, “You can use the car, but the car is mine, and the other one belongs to Ben. You can drive my car now for the time being as I wait for the moment I’d get my driving license, and I’ll use it then. By that time, you could use Ben’s. It’s more than enough for you to share one with him.”
Xena swallowed down her tears of bitter disappointment. She could only smile bitterly at this moment. “Alright then. We’re a family anyway, so it doesn’t matter who owns the cars.”
“It’s good that you understand it.” Fiona chuckled. “Pick a car.”
“Master George, can we pick this…this Rolls-Royce?” Ben had been staring at a raven black Rolls- Royce for the longest time, and he felt giddy.
“Absolutely!” Master George smiled. “This is my apologies for inviting you to my place forcibly. As long as you’re willing to forgive me for my rudeness and don’t speak ill of me in front of jackie. You can pick whichever you desire!”
“Wonderful! Master George, you truly deserve to be patriarch of the George family. How generous, how benevolent!” Ben could barely conceal his soaring excitement. He immediately pointed at one car. “This is it! I pick this!”
“For the other one, we’ll pick Rolls-Royce as well!” Xena exclaimed, an obvious tremble in her voice. If she got to drive a Rolls-Royce, it would immediately increase her social status. Just the thought of it sent shivers of excitement throughout her being.
Master George guffawed. “Not a problem! Let me get you the keys right now.” He soon got the keys to both cars and handed them over.
“This is amazing. We can now drive such good cars, too! This is fancier and much more expensive than your sister and brother-in-law’s car!” Xena gushed uncontrollably.
“Master George, don’t you worry. My son-in-law is nothing but skillful in treating people. He treated my husband’s leg, and he’s now fully recovered!” Fiona chuckled while praising jackie in front of Master George.
Fiona’s words shocked the George family. A short while ago, when they threatened to kill Fiona and the others, Fiona tried her very best to shove all the blames and responsibilities onto jackie. Not only did she not acknowledge jackie as her son-in-law, but she insisted jackie was an outsider.
Now that Fiona saw opportunities and benefits, she changed her attitude, calling jackie her dear son-in- law unabashedly.
Chapter 359 “Really? I’d like to meet this son-in-law of yours then!” Master George flashed a small smile before he continued, “Both of you, drive the cars out of the garage and park them at the main gate. You can drive to the Dynasty Hotel for dinner in a while.”
“Alright, we’ll do that!” Ben and Xena—whose every cell in their body was screaming excitedly not long ago—could not wait any longer to test out the cars. They drove the cars and parked them at the main gate.
After a short while, Luca returned to the George family’s residence with a few wounded men. Upon their return, Luca made his injured men get medical treatment before presenting himself before Master George.
Luca called Master George to come aside and whispered to him, “Sir, you didn’t harm Fiona and the others after we left the residence, did you? jackie has threatened us, saying that if we touched a single strand of hair of his family, he won’t go easy on us!”
“Hmph. This young man is rather adamant and braze. How dare he not put the George family in his eyes!” After hearing what Luca had reported, Master George began to sneer.
“If it’s not because he managed to treat my daughter’s strange obesity, I’ll make him know that no one can cross the George family!” Master George subsequently scoffed. “Us being a first-class aristocratic family isn’t a joke!”
How dare this punk threaten the George family. Was he not a little too bold? Was the George family that easy to be threatened?
However, the last thing he expected was Luca, the head bodyguard, tried to persuade him, “Sir, jackie White is no ordinary man. He can heal young miss’s condition, which shows that he possessed good medical skills. Moreover, his combat ability is superior that no bodyguards hired by the Drake family can compare to him!”
“What do you mean? Is he that strong?” Master George’s feature turned solemn in an instant after hearing Luca’s exaggerated claims on jackie.
“Yes, Sir! He’s so strong that even three or four of our men wouldn’t be able to defeat him. It’ll only take him a second to knock them down and not a single chance for them to counterattack. Frankly speaking, even I can’t do it at such a speed, Sir. I believe he’s stronger than I am!” Luca’s face hardened as he spoke. There were not many people who acquired better combat skill than he did in this Eastfield.
“What a strong man! It looks like the Drakes have recruited another skilled bodyguard!” After hearing it, Master George quickly thought of something that made his heart skip a beat. “Wait, what? Did you say that you and your men have already fought jackie?” Master George questioned. “I’m afraid that he’ll be very upset since you’ve done it. After all, to Sharon, jackie is her savior that helped her lose weight and to start anew. It was a really bad move for us to go against jackie!”
“Sir, the main reason is that your phone call came a little too late. If you’ve called one minute later, I’d be lying on the ground as well!” Luca showed a bitter smile and continued, “Nonetheless, jackie White isn’t an unforgiving person. He has the domineering and generous aura that a soldier should have. I can completely concur with this. He said as long as we didn’t do anything to harm his family, apologize to his family, and they’re willing to forgive us, then it’s fine for him. Otherwise…” Luca paused for a second and then carried on, with a worried tone. “Otherwise, he’ll dig our graves.”
“What?” The uneasiness washed over Master George; he stood frozen upon hearing it. “Isn’t this punk being too arrogant? How strong is he that he could say such words!” Master George was rendered speechless for a good while before his lips could eventually part again. He thanked his lucky stars that he did not harm Fiona and the others; he even made an effort to apologize for it! At the same time, he doubted jackie’s ability to defeat the George family on his own.
Chapter 360 At the same time the conversation between Master George and Luca ended, Selena arrived at George’s mansion in her car. She parked the car in the yard and got out of the car right after.
Selena still had her professional attire since she had just gotten off of work. Her aura made her look capable and responsible.
“Is this jackie’s wife? jackie is lucky to have her as his wife! Can you see how outstanding she is?”
Some from the George family exclaimed when Selena came into view.
“Pa, Ma, are you alright?” Selena came to Fiona and Andrew and took a good look at them. She then asked, “What happened? Why did the George family invite us to dinner out of a sudden?”
“Hey, it’s okay. Nothing happened!”
Fiona answered with a smile. “Didn’t jackie help Miss Sharon to lose weight? Now that Miss Sharon has successfully lost around 15 kilograms, Master George is so delighted that he invited us to dinner! It’s his way of expressing his gratitude to us. Not only that, but he also showed us his garage and had us pick two of his cars as gifts!”
Fiona pulled Selena to the two Rolls-Royce as she spoke, “What do you think about these two cars, Selena? Look, these are so new. All their cars look very new; I guess they barely use them. It’s a waste to see those cars parked in the garage and not using them. He asked us to pick, so of course we’d have to pick the most lavish ones!”
Selena was dumbfounded at her words. These were Rolls-Royce, for God’s sake!” She smiled wryly and sighed. “Ma, you really know how to help yourself and choose whatever you like.”
“Of course! They’re all luxury cars, and they asked me to choose two of them. Why shouldn’t I? Besides, we didn’t get them by stealing or snatching. This a gift from the George family. Why shouldn’t we take it? We’re not fools.” Fiona’s face looked as though it was beaming. “Your brother and Xena will use these cars, and after I get my driving license, I’ll be driving it!” Fiona said to Selena.
“Xena?” She immediately turned her head and looked to the other side upon hearing her mother’s words. Only then did she realize that Xena jackieson—this liar—was strolling with her brother in the garden on the other side.
Selena’s face darkened in an instant. “Why is she here? Ma, didn’t you tell Ben what had happened that day? Why didn’t he break up with her?”
“Selena, you know how much Ben loves Xena. Do you think it’s possible for him to ask for a breakup? Moreover, Xena already explained that it was only a misunderstanding. Both times that she planned the robberies were for her vanity. She showed off in front of her drinking-buddies and was eavesdropped by the other party over a drinking session. In fact, she didn’t initiate the collaboration with the other party!” Fiona replied in an awkward tone.
Selena was rendered speechless for a moment. “Ma, how could you believe in what she said?” she spoke once she found her voice. “Didn’t jackie already explain that Xena was given a portion after the robberies? Her ultimate intention is the money; the Taylors’ money!”
Alas, these words made Fiona upset. She shot Selena a fiery glare and rebuked, “If she was really after our money, why was she still with us when we’re not wealthy and have nothing at all? Hasn’t she been loyal to your brother all the while? Besides, jackie didn’t like Xena in the first place! We can’t completely believe in what he had told us, can we?”
“Still, the Motorbike Robbers told us the same!” Selena was unconvinced of her mother’s opinion. She always felt that there was more to Xena than what she let on; that she was not a good woman. Eventually, something bad would happen if Ben continued being with her.
“That was to frame her!” Stubbornly, Fiona was still taking Xena’s side. “Just let it pass! Perhaps Xena has some difficulties that we don’t know. We can’t completely trust jackie’s one-sided words, after all. We weren’t there when it all went down, right? Since your brother likes her so much, let everything that
happened in the past be buried. Let’s just pretend that nothing happened. If you’re still unhappy about it, we’ll all take extra precautions in the future and observe her closely to see what kind of person she is.”
Selena could not find herself to say anything after that. Twice. They were robbed twice, yet they still let the matter go. However, given that her mother took Xena’s side and her unbelievable younger brother’s love for Xena, Selena could only concede.
Chapter 361 jackie and Kylie soon arrived at the George family’s residence main gate. He got out of the car and glanced over his surroundings. His face sunk.
“My Miracle Doctor White! It’s so great to finally see you here!” Master George’s smile emerged in an instant and came over to welcome jackie. He stretched out his hand to show his sincerity.
jackie placed Kylie at her feet before taking Master George’s hand. “Don’t have to call me a genius doctor or what-so-ever. I’m not a miracle doctor. In this world, there’s only one person that is worth being called a miracle doctor. This person is Ethan Hays!” jackie bore a small smile as he spoke. “ jackie will do,” he added.
“Alright then. jackie, your medical skills are really excellent!” Master George commented after a brief moment of thinking. “I’ve never met a doctor like you!”
jackie noticed that there was no sign of anger on his family’s faces. “It looks like my mother-in-law isn’t upset at all,” jackie concluded.
Master George’s face flushed. He was embarrassed. “I was indeed reckless previously, and I have apologized to them.”
“Yes, he’s right! It’s only a misunderstanding. After all, your medical skills are so good that we as your family aren’t aware of it, let alone Master George!” Fiona approached jackie and interrupted their
conversation with a smile on her face. “Master George is very kind and generous! He even gifted us two of his luxury cars! I’ve never met someone as benevolent as he is!”
jackie was speechless once more. It seemed like the two Rolls-Royce next to Fiona were compensation from the George family. Therefore, it was no surprise that his mother-in-law’s mood was too good to be true.
At this point in time, Ben and Xena came over to the crowd. When Xena noticed jackie’s piercing stares toward her, she instantly remembered jackie slaughtering the Motorbike Robbers. She was so frightened that she lowered her head, afraid of meeting his gaze.
“Xena, what’s the matter? Feeling uneasy due to my presence here?” jackie smiled coldly. He spared her life, but he never expected this liar would be this bold to stay by Ben’s side. This woman was a daredevil!
“Brother-in-law, what are you talking about? We’re a family. If you have anything else to say, let’s talk about it later at home! Besides, Xena had come clean to Pa and Ma. It was just a misunderstanding!” Ben stepped forward and defended Xena once he noticed the tense atmosphere between jackie and Xena.
“A misunderstanding?” jackie sneered. Were they saying that what he saw with his pair of eyes was only a misunderstanding?
“Yeah! She was drunk and trying to show off in front of her drink-buddies that she found a rich boyfriend, and…” Ben shrugged and glanced at Master George. “My dear brother-in-law, we’re at Master George’s place. There’s a crowd here; it wouldn’t be nice to talk over this thing here.”
“Fine. I’ll give you face since you’re calling me brother-in-law today.” jackie nodded, showing a light small. “But, I hope that you won’t regret your decision in the future.”
jackie knew it very well that when Ben called him brother-in-law, Ben was hoping jackie would not probe further on the topic. Moreover, Fiona and Andrew had forgiven Xena. It would be oversensitive of him, aiming at Xena on purpose.
Chapter 362 Xena heaved in relief when she knew jackie could not do anything to her, even if he was upset.
Ben and Fiona took her side and defended her. This left jackie no choice but to give up even if he wanted to murder her. jackie was calculative, though; he did not poke her bubble of lies right then and there. It seemed that this guy would be extremely difficult to deal with. Xena thought to herself that she had to be careful in front of him in the future. Otherwise, she would be giving the game away.
“Let’s move. It’s getting late, and we’ve already made reservations at the hotel diner,” Master George chortled and announced.
Right as Master George spoke, Sharon walked out of the house.
“ jackie, I just can’t thank you enough! The pill was so effective!” Sharon rushed to jackie when she spotted him.
“Oh my goodness! She…” Selena clasped a hand over her mouth as she found it hard to believe her eyes. “Miss Sharon has lost a lot of weight! You’re only around 80 to 85 kilograms now, right? You look fitter now! If you lose another 15 kilograms tomorrow, you’ll look even better. Not only that, but judging by your features, you’d be a very stunning lady after you lose weight!”
“Thank you for the compliment, Sis!” Sharon blushed. “If only I was half as good-looking as you after I lost some weight.”
“You’ll look good, no doubt about it!” Selena managed to squeeze an awkward smile, even though she had an internal battle when Sharon called her ‘Sis’. Last night when Sharon proposed to jackie, she
announced that if she ever got married to jackie, she would treat Selena like her dear sister. Of course, Selena was older than Sharon by a few years. She was not sure if she was oversensitive about this situation.
“The result is pretty good. Today’s just the first day, and the result is most obvious and effective on its first day! The outcome will be a little less effective tomorrow, weaker on the day after that, and so on.” jackie examined Sharon for a good while before adding, “However, after three days of treatment, you should have an ordinary body type that a normal girl should be having. The extra flesh and fats on your body are mostly accumulated toxins. Those fats shouldn’t be in your body.”
“B—but I only left one pill now. My dad stomped the other pill.” Sharon’s brows furrowed in an instant as she grumpily stared at her father.
Master George’s pallor was unsightly; he was embarrassed. How would he even know that the insignificant tiny black sh*t would be a magical pill?
“Ahem! This is, in fact, my mistake. That tiny thing looks black and has a bad odor. It really looked like a black sh*t! Furthermore, how could I possibly know that you, a veteran who just returned from the military, know about diet and losing weight…” Master George let out another dry cough to cover up his awkwardness. “ jackie, you still have this pill, right? Since the whole treatment required three pills, can you give my daughter one more?”
jackie was still slightly annoyed that the George family kidnapped Fiona and the others away. If it was not because they did not take Selena and Kylie away, jackie would have burst and been hostile from the start.
Now when he saw the other man asking for the pill with a bright smile on his face, jackie sneered, “Of course I have the pill. However, as I’ve told Miss Sharon before, this medicine of mine is very costly, and I gave her the first three pills as a gift! If you want another one, I won’t give it for free. You’ll have to buy it.”
“What? This man is too much! How could he ask money for one tiny pill when our Master George has invited them to a six-star hotel and even gave them two almost brand-new Rolls Royces!”
“I agree! He’s too much! How could he not give face to our Master George?”
Some of the Georges whispered among them, discussing and commenting over jackie’s behavior. Based on their experience with others, jackie should be smiling and offering the pill to Master George to please him, like the others! Never did they expect that this punk would ask Master George to pay for the medicine.
“ jackie, what nonsense are you talking about?” Fiona quickly interjected when she overheard the heated discussion among the George family. She was afraid of offending them. Why was jackie unafraid of displeasing them? The George family was a first-class aristocratic family, after all.
Chapter 363 Fiona stepped forward and glared at jackie. “It’s just a pill, jackie. Why did you ask for money? Master George treated us well! He gave us two Rolls-Royces, too. What else do you want?”
“She’s right! jackie, aren’t you being too greedy and ignorant? Can’t you just give it to Master George since he only needs one?” Xena snarled as she followed after Fiona.
This was the perfect opportunity and time to please the George family! Was he an idiot? How could he ask for money and not consider the other party?
jackie did not budge in the slightest at their friendly reminder as though he was as deaf as a post.
He flashed an indifferent smile after a while and replied, “Those two Rolls-Royces are the compensation from Master George for kidnapping you guys, while the money I asked for is for the pill. Two different things. Besides, my medicine is expensive! If it’s not for the kind-hearted Miss Sharon, I wouldn’t sell it even if you kneel and beg!”
This was the first time Master George met a person like jackie. Embarrassment washed over him in an instant. Nonetheless, the George family was loaded. It would not be an issue as long as it could be solved with money.
“It should be this way,” he replied with a small smile. “ jackie is right. I should pay for the medicine!” Pausing for a moment, he then asked, “Tell me, how much is it?”
“It’s not a lot. 20 million will do. Great value for a great product.”
“20 million? Why don’t you steal or rob? It’s just a pill, and you asked for 20 million?” A woman from the George family exclaimed angrily. She could not bear it anymore. This was blackmail in plain sight, not a regular business!
“ jackie…” Even Selena showed slight annoyance at jackie’s answer. 20 million was too expensive for a pill. Was jackie not afraid of upsetting them?
“Honey, you have to believe me! I’m not speaking nonsense!” jackie explained, showing a bitter smile.
“It doesn’t matter. 20 million it is, then!” Master George did not show any hint of hesitation. He then called for his butler. “Butler, apply for a card and deposit 20 million in it. Sent it to the hotel once done. We’ll make a move to the hotel for dinner first.”
“Yes, Sir!” The butler nodded and left the compartment along with a few bodyguards.
“W—what? Master George really paid for it?” Fiona swallowed hard. She initially thought that Master George would be infuriated, but he did not. He even paid for the 20-million medicine. It was 20 million!
jackie took out a black pill and handed it to Sharon. “Miss Sharon, keep it well. Don’t let it stomped into powder again this time!”
“Alright, don’t worry. I’ll keep it safe!” Sharon chuckled.
Not long after, they all arrived at the main door of the six-star Dynasty Hotel.
“F*ck! Isn’t that the George family? Should we go and say something nice to please them?” On the other side, Ken Clark, who had just got off the car, whispered to Ivan Taylor who was next to him.
Ivan took a closer look, and his eyes widened into spheres as large as saucers that they almost fell out. “Am I seeing things? T—That person looks like jackie White, the veteran, and that one looks like Selena Taylor. Huh? What? The whole family is here! And why are they with the George family?”
Chapter 364 The George family, a first-class aristocratic family in Eastfield. Even a second-class aristocratic family like the Clarks could not wait to please them! Of course, those like the Taylor family were even more eager to make friends with them! Such an opportunity would not come easily.
Yet, there they were. Ken and Ivan saw jackie and his family walking together with the George family toward the six-star hotel!
“This is weird. Under normal circumstances, many people would want to invite the George family over to dinner so badly just to please them. These people might not even show up even if you sincerely invited them!”
“Hmmm. Could it be that today jackie invited them to dinner?” Ken murmured as he stared at them from behind.
“Impossible! This is a six-star hotel, and it’s very costly to consume here. Does that punk have the money to spend in such a place? Moreover, it’d be a shame for the George family to dine at the regular table, so he should at least get a private room and order fine liquor to please them, no? The cost will be at least one or two million, don’t you think so?” Ken’s forehead creased.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up as if he had thought of something. “By the way, I heard that Selena Taylor is the procurement manager in Drake Dynasty Real Estate which belongs to the Drake family.”
“Yes…but how is it related to the dinner?” Ivan asked.
“I heard that the George family wants to be involved in the construction material business recently. They’ve already acquired a construction material factory that was about to shut down and are preparing to spearhead a big project,” Ken explained. “Hmm… Do you think it’s possible that the George family wanted to collaborate with the Drake family in the South Hill Real Estate project?”
Ken thought for a while and carried on, “After all, this South Hill Real Estate project is a piece of juicy meat. This project could rake up a profit of 7 or 8 billion, no sweat.”
Ivan’s face distorted when he heard Ken’s words. “No, don’t say it. You’re wrong… Fck, you’re right. It’s possible!” Ivan swore. “Selena is cunning. She said she’d consider collaborating with me the last time I met her, making me feel like there’s still hope to sign a contract, but I never expected her to be such a fake btch and invite the George family to dinner so she could get a favor or two.”
Ken slapped his own forehead. “Now I remember!” he exclaimed. “Young Master Taylor, your family is directly involved in the construction material business, right? How did Selena not think of the Taylor family first? She’s one of the Taylors. Shouldn’t she take care of her own family first?”
Ivan’s feature was even more distorted than before. “Hmph! Who knows how this woman’s brain works. She behaves well and filially in front of Grandpa Taylor and would always say she’ll make the Taylors greater than before. Now, however, I see that’s all changed.” Ivan paused for a while before he added, “I think it’s all because I’m now the family’s general manager, thus helping our family would ultimately be helping me. She wants to be the heir, so if she gives this project to the Taylor family, my position as the heir would be rubber-stamped!”
“I see,” Ken nodded. “It seems like Selena isn’t as innocent and kind as we see her. Something seems odd about her being the procurement manager with such a high salary in the Drake family’s company, and jackie being their bodyguard with an even ridiculously higher salary.”
“Son of a b*tch.” Flabbergasted, Ivan could only sigh. “Young Master Clark, you knocked some sense into me. You made me open my eyes.”
“Huh? What do you mean?” Ken was puzzled.
Chapter 365 “That’s why Miss Tanya treats Selena and jackie all too kindly. This is the truth. I knew it!”
Ivan looked as though he could see the light at the end of the tunnel. “Think about it this way. jackie’s a punk who has only served as a soldier. Though he’s skilled, the Drake family is so wealthy. It’s so easy for them to recruit a good bodyguard! Why do they pay him 20 million a month?”
Ivan allowed his words to sink in before he added, “Selena’s salary is quite high as well, but she’s a procurement manager, so it’s reasonable to be this high. Only jackie’s salary makes no sense; it’s too much! The pay he’s getting only makes sense if it’s Selena’s. It’ll be obvious that they’re doing something under the table if they pay Selena 20 million a month!”
Ken seemed to have thought of something. “Are you saying that the Drake family wanted to pay Selena 20 million a month but are afraid of raising suspicion? And that’s why they pay jackie 20 million instead?” Ken hypothesized.
“Bingo!” Ivan patted Ken on his shoulder and began, “Now, I’m pretty sure that there’s something fishy going on between either Selena and Young Master Drake or Selena and Master Drake! The 20-million salary only makes sense if we put it that way. What Miss Tanya said about Selena and jackie—that she’s a capable manager and he’s a skilled veteran—are all bullsh*t to me. I have a hunch that Miss Tanya only uses this as an excuse!” he continued.
Ken stayed astonished. “So that’s the truth! Damn! Selena is such a shameless whre, selling her soul and body in order to get the life she desired! I thought the Drake family really appreciated their capability for a moment! Now that after Young Master Taylor has analyzed the situation thoroughly, I finally realized Selena is a lying btch!”
Resentment grew inside Ken like a tumor as he spoke. He was good-looking—at least better than Michael Wilson—and filthy rich! If Selena wanted money, she could marry him. Instead, she went to find someone from the Drake family—perhaps the old master Drake—in secret and rejected him. When he thought of this, his edge of irritation had returned. What was bad about him? Was he worse than an old man?
]
“How cunning. If the Drake family pays Selena 20 million dollars a month, everyone will suspect that she’s being taken care of by a sugar-daddy. But, if this 20 million is given to jackie, they’ll never focus on Selena, let alone doubt her. Of course, it might puzzle them as to why jackie’s salary is ridiculously high!” Ken clenched his fists as he trembled with rage.
“I, too, didn’t expect this dear cousin of mine will be this manipulative and crafty! Looks like I have to take precautions against her in the future. Otherwise, the Taylor family’s property will one day fall into her hands!” Ivan flashed a wry smile.
At this moment, another car came into the scene. Neil Hugo, Young Master of the Hugo family, got out of the car. “Both of you arrived so early; much earlier than me!” he spoke. “What are you two talking about?”
“Talking about a b*tch!” Ken’s fists were still tightly clenched, hot with anger.
“Who is it? Come, let’s discuss it together,” Neil spoke with great interest in his voice.
“Selena Taylor!” Ivan sneered. “Who else do you think it could be?”
“No way. I think she’s a pretty good woman!” Neil furrowed, unable to digest their thoughts. Selena looked kind and gentle; why did they compare her to a b*tch?
After a short while, Ivan and Ken shared all their assumptions and analysis with Neil.
Neil, too, clenched his fist after hearing it. “Hmph! It’s true that there are no good women in this world! Most of them are gold-diggers and love money to death… Selena Taylor is no different!”
Chapter 366 “Young Master Hugo, Selena Taylor is a lot more powerful than we thought. We just saw her family dining at the hotel with the George family…” Ken forced a smile as he told Neil about Selena potentially collaborating with the George family on a construction project.
Having said that, he then added, “Just think about it. If she didn’t give the George family any benefits, why would they treat them to a meal?”
Ivan glanced at the sports cars by the side, then blurted, “These people from the George family are truly generous. To think that they would chauffeur people around with Rolls-Royces. D*mn it. I’ve never sat in a Rolls-Royce before!”
“Nevermind. It’s not like we can prevent this now, can we?” Neil made a strained laugh before speaking to Ivan. “Young Master Taylor, you mentioned about asking us out for a drink. What is the matter?”
“let’s go. There’s a decent bar there. Let’s go drink as we discuss!” Ivan laughed out loudly, then led the two of them to a small bar.
After arriving at the bar, they ordered some drinks and took a seat. Only then did Ivan speak up. “To be frank, I’ve heard that you both fancy my cousin sister! Is that so?”
Neil took a sip of the drink in his hand, then laughed coldly. “That’s indeed the case, but what can we do? Selena just won’t give me any chance. Especially now that her husband is back and she loves that daughter of hers. it’s just too difficult to get my hands on her! Previously, I’ve even come up with a plan with Young Master Clark, but it failed!”
Young Master Clark felt dejected as he recalled how Fiona almost accepted the 100 million dollars from him. He then downed the drink in his hand in one gulp.
He smiled dryly, then said, “I’m the most unfortunate one. I’ve already been friends with Selena for a few years. If not for jackie coming back all of a sudden, I believe I’d be dating her now!”
Having said that, he then shot another look at Neil. “Back then, Young Master Hugo hadn’t even seen her. You’ve only seen her much later!”
“the reason I ask for both of you to come is to think of a solution! jackie had assaulted me previously, and Selena is a competitor in inheriting the Taylor family assets. Although she’s currently kicked out of the family, I can’t let my guard down! After all, my grandfather said that as long as jackie could fulfill his promise when the time comes, then all the things in the past would be water under the bridge. Their entire family will once again be taken back to the Taylor family!” This is property © NôvelDrama.Org.
At this point, Ivan laughed as he told them his reason for asking them out.
“Young Master Taylor, you’ve taken the right move to look for us. After all, you’re enemies with them, and we want to have jackie killed. Our end goal is more or less the same!” Ken laughed, then added, “Oh yeah, what did jackie promise?!”
“Oh, there were three conditions…” Ivan immediately told both of them what happened previously. “If jackie fails to fulfill his promise when the time comes, he has to get out of the Taylor family and divorce Selena. He would have to roll out of the house, not walk!”
Unexpectedly, Ken and Neil were making a pained smile when they heard it.
Neil stated bluntly, “ jackie is currently working for the Drake family with a monthly salary of 20 million dollars. Although it’s only a short time before Old Master Taylor’s birthday, jackie could ask for an advance payment of two months without an issue. Moreover, if we’re not mistaken, Selena might be having an affair with Young Master Drake, or even James Drake. If that’s the case, wouldn’t money be a simple matter to them?”
Hearing that, Ivan’s expression immediately darkened. “If that’s the case, all the more reason for us to not wait around!”
Chapter 367 “Young Master Taylor, do you have any ideas? We’ve tried our best but have yet to formulate a good plan. The last time we planned to have Fiona poison jackie, but we never expected her to be so cowardly despite her love for money!” Ken said after looking at Ivan.
Ivan then replied, “I think it’s unlikely to have jackie divorce Selena. They’re quite close. Meanwhile, it’s very difficult to have him killed as he’s good at fighting. I’m afraid none of your bodyguards are his match!” Having said that, Ivan made a faint smile before continuing, “However, I have another idea! We’ll hire a hitman!”
“hitman? Some hitmen might be worse off than our family’s regular bodyguard!” Neil burst into laughter instantly, “Young Master Taylor, here I thought you might have some ingenious plan for calling us over. In the end, that’s all you can come up with?”
However, Ivan smirked before replying, “Young Master Hugo, do you think that I’ll be hiring a regular hitman? I’m talking about the elites, those at the top of the list among hitmen!”
Seeing Young Master Hugo and Ken being intrigued, Ivan finally added, “Most importantly, I’ve found someone to contact this hitman. It’s a woman, a seductress. It’s easiest for a man to let his guard down around women. Moreover, if she used her charms, the chances of success would naturally be much higher!”
“If you put it that way, we can give it a try! If this can get jackie killed, then Selena wouldn’t choose to be a widow for life, right? Once jackie’s dead, our chance will come!” Ken’s eyes brightened as he saw a glimmer of hope.
Indeed, they could not afford to drag this on. If they did, it would be too passive. Moreover, if Selena and jackie’s feelings for each other developed over time, that would be even more troublesome. They need to
take this chance where jackie had just come back. Five years of separation meant that their feelings for each other were not as strong. jackie’s death would be the key.
“However, it’s going to be very costly to hire a hitman just like that. This woman is ranked fifth on the hitman leaderboard. She would only accept big contracts!”
“I’ve inquired. Her price is 150 million dollars for her to take the hit!” Ivan forced a smile, then looked at the two.
“I understand your intention. You’re thinking of having us pay part of it, right?” Neil chuckled, then took out the atm card he prepared for Fiona earlier. “Here’s 100 million dollars. You can’t have us pay for everything, right? You’ll pay for the 50 million dollars yourself.”
“No problem. Rest assured, this hitman is really good. Not only is she good at disguising herself, but she can even completely change her appearance! I’ve heard that quite a few experts died in her hands! She will stick to her mission. Once accepted, she will go through all means to get rid of the target! Moreover, it’s a guaranteed success within five days!” Ivan stated confidently.
“nice working with you!”
The three of them toasted in laughter.
Chapter 368 Meanwhile, while jackie and the others were halfway through their meal, the George family’s butler came and passed an atm card to jackie, along with the password written on a note.
Seeing jackie getting that much money, Selena, Fiona, and the others were all in a rather good mood. With that, everyone had a happy meal. After enjoying their meal, they finally left the hotel.
Meanwhile, Master George was also very courteous, asking for jackie’s family to visit them at their place to hang out if they were free. After Master George and the others have departed, jackie finally approached Fiona and passed her the atm card along with the note.
“Mother, here’s the 20 million dollars I’ve promised you previously as Selena’s betrothal gift. Since I have the money now, I’ll pass it to you in advance!” jackie stated sincerely with a smile.
“W-w-what a surprise!” Fiona’s heart was delighted beyond measure.
For the past two days, she was regretting her rejection of that 100 million dollars. Who would have known that jackie would pass her 20 million dollars right now? With the 20 million dollars, Fiona’s mood immediately improved greatly. After all, she had gotten that money in her hands without doing anything that would burden her conscience.
“Take it. This is what I’ve promised you previously. I always keep my promises!” jackie placed the atm card in her hand.
“Wonderful. My daughter made the right choice! I really didn’t expect you to know medicine! It seems like the past few years of suffering that we went through was worth it!” Holding onto the card with 20 million dollars, Fiona was stuck with a smile on her face.
Meanwhile, Selena felt speechless. With the 20 million dollars in hand, her mother’s attitude made a complete change.
“So, would you acknowledge me as your son-in-law now? Are we a family?” jackie asked with a pained smile.
“Of course. Why won’t I acknowledge you? You’ve kept your promise, which shows that you’re responsible. Moreover, your current salary is considered quite good. If we worked a little harder, then we’ll be getting richer in the future, right?” Fiona laughed while speaking. Needless to say, she was on cloud nine.
However, Andrew instead was frowning. “You’ve settled 20 million dollars, but you’re still short of another 20 million dollars. Although you can have the Drake family advance your salary for a month, there’s still
the gift that’s worth 10 million dollars. A gift like that is not easy to find. Have you planned that out yet? Furthermore, this is the old master’s 70th birthday. The gift should be meaningful!”
jackie grinned mysteriously. “Father-in-law, don’t you worry about that. I’ll settle it! I know that some people in the Taylor family are waiting to watch me embarrass myself, right? I’m afraid they’ll have to be disappointed when the time comes.”
“Alright, since you’re confident, I’ll leave it to you!” Andrew nodded. He was confident that jackie would not lie to him.
The whole group then happily returned home. The next morning, jackie went to work early. Meanwhile, with the cash in hand, Fiona went out with her rich auntie friends for a shopping trip.
Of course, the reason she went shopping was to show off, to let others know that she was no longer broke. She was once again like them, a rich person who could afford to buy an expensive handbag if she so wanted to.
Chapter 369 Inside a private room of a hotel, a woman with excellent physique quickly opened the door, allowing Ivan, Ken, and Neil to enter. The three looked at the woman before them and was slightly taken aback. The woman’s body was gorgeous. At the same time, she also gave off a prideful charm that was irresistible for men.
“You’re Shadow?” After taking his seat, Ivan took out an atm card. “Here’s 150 million. The password is 000000.”
The woman took a look at the card, her face expressionless. It was as though part of a routine. She took a whiff of the cigarette in her hand, speaking slowly, “Give me the details of that kid, including his picture and his family situation. I want to know everything!”
Ivan placed the atm card aside, then took out a document folder and passed it to her.
She started studying it carefully. After a while, she finally asked skeptically, “Is this guy just a bodyguard? He’s been a soldier for five years? He was recently discharged from service? How can you fail to take care of someone like this? It can’t be. You guys are somewhat influential people in Eastfield, are you not?”
“Ma’am, that’s not all. This kid is quite strong. Our Clark family’s top fighter was advising me not to offend this kid as he was no match for him! From that, you can tell that this kid’s combat power is very strong!” Ken immediately explained.
“I think it’s not that he’s strong, but your men are too weak!” The woman chuckled, her gaze carrying a hint of disgust.
“I heard that you’ve taken several dozen missions and completed all of them. Is that true?” Neil asked after some thoughts, taking a step forward.
However, Shadow gave him a terrifying glare immediately, causing him to take a step back from fear with her terrifying killing intent.
“You dare question my ability? I’m ranked fifth in the southwestern hitman leaderboard! Watch your words. I might not be confident when it comes to those King of War or God of War, but all those other generals, assistant commanders, or head commanders are just easy pickings! In fact, when I take on a different appearance, the targets won’t even know what hit them. Perhaps a King of War might fall to my assassination too! Of course, I’ve never met a King of War in person. However, I’m sure it’s merely a title, nothing much!” The woman before them grinned, then said, “You think this person you see is the real me? within Daxia, I’m afraid there are less than 10 people that have seen my actual appearance!”
The trio gasped. At first, they thought the beautiful woman was her real identity, but they never expected her appearance to be a disguise.
“Alright, you three, wait here for a moment!” The woman’s mouth quickly curled upward, then she headed to the restroom.
In less than two minutes, the restroom door opened and Selena walked out from it, looking gentle and caring as she looked at them. However, she was still wearing the sexy black mini skirt that the woman wore earlier.
She appeared shocked, then asked in surprise, “Ivan, what are you guys doing here?”
“Selena!” Ken was surprised. How did Selena get here? Did she overhear what they said earlier?
“She’s not Selena! That voice is not right!” Ivan frowned, then said, “Shadow, you may look exactly the same as the picture, but what are you going to do about the voice? Wouldn’t you be exposed unless you refrain from speaking?”
Chapter 370 “the voice is different!” Right then, the Selena before them burst out laughing. Meanwhile, her sound had changed to be like Ivan, exactly the same.
“Hh-how did you use my voice?” Ivan took a deep breath. ‘Is this the capabilities of an expert hitman that ranked fifth in the southwestern hitman leaderboard?’ That was too terrifying. His voice was mimicked just like that. Moreover, it was exactly the same.
“tell me. If I transfigured into your appearance and used your voice, would the others still be able to identify me?” the Selena before them spoke once more in Ivan’s voice.
“Amazing, simply amazing!” Ken exclaimed in astonishment. Everything felt too surreal.
If the woman before her was not a hitman, he would have asked her how much it would cost to spend a night with him. After all, after she transfigured into Selena, that appearance was just too similar.
“Is that so?” Unexpectedly, the Selena before them smiled at Ken, her voice changing once again to mimic his.
“Oh my god, this is unbelievable. I’m sure you can trick him. No matter how good jackie is, as long as he can’t tell you apart, you can ambush him with a fatal blow. He’ll be dead for sure!” Neil said confidently, overjoyed.
“Is that so? it seems this man is quite the lecher. It should be an easy job!” The Selena before them smiled seductively, her voice quickly turned into Neil’s voice. “As of now, I’ve not met this woman nor heard her voice. That’s why I can’t mimic it. However, I’ll appear near her as a stranger to learn her voice and secretly observe to learn her movements and expressions. Very soon, I’ll be able to fool everyone!”
“We’ll put the voice aside for now. If not for us witnessing it with our own eyes, we would have mistaken you as Selena!” Ivan laughed, then added, “To be honest, while on our way here, we’re quite worried if this 150 million dollars was worth it. It seems it’s worth every penny!”
“rest assured. Give me five days. In five days, this kid will be dead for sure! If he still lives after five days, I’ll refund 50 million dollars to you. I guarantee that he will die within 10 days!” the woman before them stated, chuckling.
“We believe you. Seeing you today is an eye-opener!”
Although they each paid 50 million dollars, Ivan felt the greater pressure. However, if that would get jackie killed, he was more than happy to pay it. Apart from still feeling bitter over jackie hitting him, jackie’s death would mean that Selena would probably be married to a rich family like Neil’s. If she was married, then she would no longer be part of the family and have no stake in the Taylor family’s assets.
“Alright, you should leave. I’ve just flown over and am still exhausted from my trip. I’ll rest up and start tomorrow. Tomorrow will be the first day!” Shadow looked at the trio and told them to leave.
Very quickly the trio left the hotel.
Chapter 371 “That woman’s body is stunning. I think her butt is even perkier than Selena’s” After arriving at the plaza outside the hotel, Neil could not resist swallowing his saliva. “Too bad she’s a hitman. If only she was an escort. I’d be willing to pay high prices for this woman!”
“That’s right. Such a beautiful flower, yet it had to be a rose with thorns!” Ken joined in amusement. “Next we can just sit back, relax, and wait for the good news from her!”
Neil nodded, then said to Ivan, “Young Master Taylor, if the hitman contacts you about jackie’s death, you must notify us right away. Us brothers shall have a good celebration!”
Hearing that, Ivan’s heart was overjoyed. Although the Taylor family was just a third-class aristocratic family, Young Master Hugo and Young Master Clark belonged to second-class aristocratic families. For them to address him as a brother, it was apparent that he was not seen as an outsider. If he could establish a good connection with them, then it would definitely be beneficial for the future growth of the Taylor family’s business.
“Sure. When the time comes, we must make a grand celebration!” Ivan nodded with a smile as they continued forward.
However, after a moment of their departure, Ivan seemed to recall something. He asked, “Oh, you told me that you failed to have Fiona poison jackie, right?”
“Yeah. That Fiona loves money so much, yet she ended up saying she didn’t want to kill someone. Isn’t that just annoying?!” Ken felt his frustration grow the more he thought about it.
“Where’s the poison? Pass it to me. I’ve just thought of someone that might be able to help us. We should keep the poison for now. If the hitman fails to kill him, I’ll think of something with the poison. I’ll make sure jackie drinks this!” Ivan’s gaze gave off an evil feeling.
“That works too. There’s not much use for us to keep it anyway. It might be more useful for you as you’re from the Taylor family. You’ll have more opportunity to use it than us!” Ken nodded, then took out the poison and passed it to Ivan. “Do note that this poison is slow acting. It’s colorless and odorless when mixed in water. After drinking it, one would appear normal. However, in a month, the body will slowly deteriorate and eventually, the person will die.”
“Is that so? That’s even better. When the time comes, who would think of what happened a month ago, or even what they have eaten or drank? This poison is perfect for killing!” Ivan received the poison happily.
…
Meanwhile, within Selena’s office…
Sonia came before Selena and passed some documents and files to her. “Manager Taylor, here are some materials from the construction material supplier and the company intro. I’ve taken a look and they seem to be decent, especially this Marvel Construction Material Company. I think the materials from this company are quite good, and the pricing is reasonable!”
Having said that, Sonia paused for a moment before continuing, “Of course, the final decision is yours to make. This is just my suggestion.”
Hearing those words, Selena frowned. Marvel Construction Material Company was the biggest subsidiary company of the Taylor family,
In the past two days, she was still hesitating on this matter. She wanted to help Ivan, yet she was worried that it would generate gossip behind her back, claiming that she was misusing her power. However, if she rejected Ivan and refused to work with the Taylor family, her grandfather might not be happy. After all, their ability to rise to a second-class aristocratic family was very important to the Taylor family. Her grandfather waited forever for such a day.
“You can just leave it here. I’ll check through it carefully and let you know the results later!”
Chapter 372 After Sonia went out, Selena sat behind her desk frowning, still feeling hesitant. She had carefully read through those materials. It was obvious that among the suppliers, the Taylor family was the most prominent construction material supplier. Meanwhile, the other suppliers were no match for the Taylor family. Most importantly, they would not be able to handle such a big project. However, Selena knew full well that Sonia was hiding something. With them running such a big project, it was a tempting opportunity. It was impossible for the other companies that could rival the Taylor family to not compete. Hence, there must be some documents that Sonia has kept hidden from her.
Nevertheless, that was actually a good thing for her. She had originally planned to help the Taylor family, and the quality of their construction materials were honestly good. Of course, she naturally wished for the Taylor family to grow stronger as well. That way, Old Master Taylor would be able to fulfill his lifelong dream, promoting the Taylor family from a third-class aristocratic family to a second-class aristocratic family. That was an opportunity of a lifetime. If she missed this chance, it would be very difficult for her to find such an opportunity again.
This time, she could just leave things like it is and play dumb. She only needed to feign ignorance. After all, Sonia was the one doing the manipulation instead of her, pre-signing her name on it. That meant that if anything were to happen, it would be Sonia’s fault.
“Things should be fine. Although Ivan can be terrible at times, this is a good opportunity for him. There was no way he would ruin such a good opportunity. Moreover, the Taylor family’s quality is comparable to other high-end construction material suppliers!” Selena could not resist muttering after some considerations.
However, she quickly added, “But this is such a big project. I can’t give them everything. If everything is allocated to the Taylor family, that would attract gossip. Why not I allocate eighty percent to the Taylor
family and I’ll find another suitable supplier for the remaining twenty percent!” After finally coming to a decision, Selena finally gave her grandfather a call.
“Selena? Why are you calling this old man all of a sudden?” Old Master Taylor was slightly surprised when receiving Selena’s call.
Selena chuckled, then asked, “Grandfather, how’s your health? It’s your seventieth birthday in sixteen days. Is there anything you like? I’ll see if I can get it for you by then!”
“I’m old. My body is getting weaker each day. I’m almost seventy years old, how healthy can I be?!” The old master chuckled before answering, “As for the gift, there’s really nothing much that can pique my interest now. To me, all those gold necklaces and jade pendants can be described in one word, pretentious!”
Having said that, before Selena could say anything, the old man could not resist questioning, “That’s right, Selena, you know that this old man loves his reputation. Moreover, I’ve cared for you greatly when you were young. I just can’t bear to have you married to a delivery boy. That’s why to avoid being the laughing stock of others, I had no choice but to chase you out of the family!”
Chapter 373 Having said that, OId Master Taylor paused for a moment before asking, “Are you still angry at Grandpa for that?”
Selena forced a smile. “I know Grandpa’s attitude quite well. Back then I was stubborn too. It was out of spite that I was pregnant with my daughter. However, I find that jackie is a decent guy and my daughter is very cute as well. There’s nothing much for me to regret. As for other people gossiping, that’s their business. I have to live for myself!”
The old master sighed, then said, “It seems that despite my old age, I’ve not lived my life as fully as you had! Oh right, I heard that you’re in charge of the South Hill Real Estate’s construction materials
procurement? Have you found a suitable collaborator for the project? I know that it’s a little difficult for you at this position, as others would gossip.”
Selena kept quiet. At first, she thought that her grandfather would persuade her to sign a deal with the Taylor family. She did not expect him to be considerate of her position and say such things.
The old master then said, “If it’s too difficult for you, you can give this a try. After all, our Taylor family didn’t do too well these past few years. You just need to give us a share, even if just thirty percent of the project. That way, even if we can’t rise to a second-rate aristocratic family, we would still be able to get a breather and help boost our company performance for the past years!”
From his tone of voice, Selena could tell that he felt helpless. There was even a hint of begging.
The old master had always placed great importance on his reputation. It was almost impossible for him to be humble, and even then it would be forced. It was also on the grounds of the Taylor family’s future that he would say such words. Selena felt touched by his actions.
At that moment, the kind-hearted Selena could not help but smile warmly. “Grandpa, the main reason I called you was to talk about this matter. The supervisor had just passed me all the information of several potential construction material suppliers. After taking a look, within the few companies, our Taylor family is very competitive and our quality is decent!”
Hearing that, the old master was delighted, asking immediately, “Y-y-you mean that we have hope? How much of a share would we get on the project?”
Hearing her grandfather’s excited voice on the phone reminded her of his affection back when she was young. Selena laughed, then changed her plans. “I’ve decided to give the Taylor family eighty-five percent of the project, while the others will be shared among other competitors.”
“Eighty-five percent!?” The old master breathed in deeply. That was beyond his expectations. It showed that Selena was intentionally favoring the Taylor family.
The old master’s eyes turned slightly red. “Selena, I’m very touched that you can let bygones be bygones. I’ve also thought it through. There’s no point in those gifts. All that’s important is that jackie is sincere. Even if he can’t produce a gift worth 10 million dollars, I’ll still acknowledge him as my grandson- in-law and take all of you back!” Having said that, the old master warned her, “However, don’t you tell him about this. We need to give him some pressure. If you tell him in advance, this kid might not work hard!”
Hearing that, Selena could not help resist a chuckle. “Alright, I’ll keep it a secret from him. Grandpa, looking at how confident he is, I believe he should be able to come up with the money. Also, please keep today’s matter a secret. I’ll ask Ivan to come over and sign the contract. As for the price, just follow the market price!”
“Yes, of course!” The old master nodded, feeling satisfied. Eighty-five percent! They might be able to make a profit of 5 to 6 hundred million dollars! That was more than enough to bring them into the ranks of a second-class aristocratic family.
Chapter 374 After the call, Old Master Taylor remained seated on the sofa and sighed. “Sigh, Selena is still the best. Even after being chased out of the family and picked on by Ivan, she would still think of the bigger picture at a critical time like this. Instead, Ivan is just useless!”
After Selena put down her phone, she had Rosa summon Sonia over.
“Manager Taylor, are you looking for me?” Sonia had a plastic smile on her face. It could not be helped. For money and her future, she could only keep it all in when working in front of Selena while keeping a smile on.
It seemed that she was not keeping a grudge from their past. Of course, until now, she still could not understand how Selena’s husband, a mere bodyguard, dared to slap her in front of her uncle. In the end,
not only did jackie not get reprimanded by the Drake family, but they instead sided with him. It made her suspect if the rumor she spread about Selena to ruin her reputation, where she had an affair with Young Master Drake, was true. Only then would it make sense for the Drake family to help Selena and her husband so much.
“I’ve had a look and this company does look good. However, our project is too big so we can’t leave it all to them. I’m afraid it might affect their quality when they rush their deadlines.” Selena stated calmly with a faint smile.
Hearing that, Sonia was overjoyed. It seems the Taylor family would be getting it, but as to how big a portion of the project, that was unclear. Ivan had promised her that if the contract was signed, even if they were only allocated with forty-five percent of the project, she would still be getting 20 million dollars of commission. With 20 million dollars, she would be able to afford luxury handbags and not have to worry.
With that thought, she quickly suppressed her excitement and asked carefully, “Manager Taylor, I think this Marvel Construction Material Company is quite promising, or I wouldn’t be recommending them to you. Their reputation is really good! I believe you know that already! So, how much of the project are you allocating to them?”
Selena smiled, then stated, “Eighty-five percent. I’ll pick others for the remainder!”
“Wow, that’s quite a lot!” Sonia grinned, feeling elated. She never thought that she would really get her hands on the 20 million dollars.
Selena looked at her, then frowned, “Why do you seem so happy? You seem to care a lot about this company, don’t you?”
“N-n-no! I’m just hoping that it could be settled earlier after working on this for so long. If we can’t decide on one, I’ll have to start looking for other construction material suppliers again!” Feeling spooked, Sonia
quickly explained.
“Mm, what about this. You bring Ivan over tomorrow to sign the deal. I know that the company belongs to the Taylor family, but they really earned this project by showing their capability!” Selena’s expression remained calm all the while.
“Alright, I’ll call him right now to contact them!” Sonia nodded, then quickly thought of something, asking, “Manager, what about the price? Do we follow the stated price?”
Selena forced a smile, then said, “Tell them that they have to lower the price by five percent. Their price is just a little too much!”
“Yes, manager!” Sonia then happily left the room.
Ivan, who was drinking at a bar, quickly received a call from Sonia.
“Hello, Supervisor Neal, how are things going? Any progress?” Ivan asked casually after accepting the call.
He knew that Selena was stubborn. Even if they were to be given the project, it would not be that quick as she would make him wait for a while.
Chapter 375 As for not giving them any part of the project, he did not think that was possible. After all, he had already told her previously that it was their grandfather’s idea. Selena was kind and filial. For their grandfather, she would at least give them some part of the project.
“Come sign the contract tomorrow. Selena finally agreed, quite fast too! However, she wants to lower the price by five percent!” On the other end of the phone, Sonia laughed. “Congratulations Young Master Ivan for acquiring such a big project!”
“What?!” Ivan immediately stood up, feeling excited. “Go sign the contract tomorrow? Lowering it by five percent is no issue. The haggling is common practice. Moreover, the demand is not much, just a symbolic price reduction!” Having said that, he immediately questioned further, “Oh, did you ask how much of this project is she allocating to us? It shouldn’t be the entire project, right?”
“Although it’s not the whole project, it’s still quite a surprise. Eighty-five percent! What do you think? Enough? I’ve put in quite a lot of good words for you!” Sonia quickly credited herself.
“Eighty-five? That’s wonderful. Relax, after signing the contract tomorrow, I’ll treat you and your boyfriend to a meal and settle your promised benefits!” Ivan almost jumped at the news.
With such a big project and the Taylor family getting eighty-five percent of it, that would be a sizable profit. Most importantly, with that, he believed that his grandfather would look at him in a new light. When the time comes, who else would he name as the heir of the Taylor family’s assets? The old master was already seventy years old. By the looks of it, he would not last much longer and would have to soon pass on his authority.
“Thank you, Young Master Taylor. I wish you good luck with your contract signing tomorrow. I’ll leave you to your business for now!” Sonia quickly ended the call.
“Wonderful, wonderful!” Ivan burst out into laughter, then called out at the waiter by the door, “Get me a few more girls in here. I need a good round of celebration!”
At five-thirty in the afternoon, with nothing much going on, Selena clocked out of work.
She never expected to see a woman right at the door, waiting with some documents in hand.
“Please leave. Our company’s door is not meant for just anyone. There are plenty of people looking for our company for projects. You can submit your documents and let the supervisor decide. She will then hand pass it on. That’s the procedure!” A guard was blocking the woman outside, persuading her,
“You’ve been waiting for a few hours. Why don’t you go back? The sun is so strong. Aren’t you afraid of passing out from the heat?”
“It’s fine. I’ll just wait a little longer. Although our company is small, our quality and other aspects are all exceptional. We really hope to be able to work with South Hill Real Estate.” The woman seemed to be in her twenties. She was drenched in sweat from the scorching heat, but she still kept looking inside.
She quickly saw Selena and her eyes brightened. “Manager Taylor, can we have a talk?”
“Don’t run inside!” Seeing the woman running inward, the guard immediately held her back. “You’re sweating all over, how can you just run into the company like that?”
Selena looked at her, then approached and said, “There’s a cafe next door. We can have a seat there and talk about this!”
“S-s-sure. Thank you Manager Taylor for giving me this opportunity!” The woman nodded frantically, feeling overjoyed.
Selena smiled calmly. From here, she could see her old self when she started working for the Taylor family. Back then, she was just as headstrong.
Chapter 376 “Manager Taylor, l-l-let me introduce myself. I’m Janet. Our family…how do I put it? Please don’t laugh at me, but we’re just a regular company. We’re not even considered a third-class aristocratic family! However, Jacob’s Construction Materials is really quite good. Our quality is decent. Oh yeah, I have some of our documents here. There are also some reviews from our clients after working with us!” Janet seemed to be nervous, but still courageously introduced herself to Selena.
Standing before her, Selena was already a successful female professional with a high position.
She heard that the Drake family was paying her a monthly salary of 1 million dollars. With that kind of pay, she was comparable to some directors.
“You even have reviews?” Selena was surprised and intrigued. After taking a careful look, she finally told Janet, “Your company does look good. I’ve heard of it before. Your reputation is decent!” Having said that, she paused for a moment before continuing, “I would like to hear you out.”
“Jacob’s Construction Materials prides ourselves in our quality. However, our company is not big, nor as well known as others. Therefore I don’t expect to be allocated that much work in this big project! Our main hope is that Manager Taylor would be able to allocate a small portion to us!” Having said her piece, Janet took a sip of her coffee, then asked carefully, “I wonder if we’ll have a chance of working with you?”
Seeing her sincerity, Selena finally smiled. “I’m about to sign the contract tomorrow. Eighty-five percent of this project has already been allocated! Although the remaining fifteen percent is not much, if you do it well, it should be no problem for you to earn 1 to 2 hundred million dollars. Therefore, our requirements for business partners are also quite stringent!”
Hearing that, Janet sighed in her heart. From Selena’s tone, she most likely had no chance.
However, she quickly cheered up and smiled at Selena. “It’s okay, I understand that the chances of working with you are very slim. Many from my family were even laughing at me, claiming that it’s impossible to reach a deal. In fact, that’s also within my expectations!”
Although Selena had already made up her mind, she still asked intentionally, “Since that’s within your expectation, why did you come? Moreover, it’s scorching hot outside. Why did you wait for so long?”
“Thing is, sometimes we have to try. If we never try, we’ll never know. What if I got lucky?”
Having said that, Janet sat for a moment, then felt awkward and stood up to pay the bill. She then laughed and said, “Manager Taylor, it’s a pity that we can’t work together this time. However, I hope that we will have opportunities to work together in the future. This is my business card. I’ll prove to you in the future that we’re a good business partner!” Finishing her statement, she turned around and got ready to leave.
However, Selena laughed unexpectedly. She saw her old self on this young woman. Back when she was the general manager of the Taylor family’s company, it was not given to her like Ivan. She had earned her place through her own hard work. Moreover, when she left the company, many employees cried because they loved her as a general manager.
“Wait a moment. I don’t think I’ve said that we can’t work together, right?” Selena laughed, then called out to Janet.
“Manager Taylor, y-y-you mean that…” When Janet heard that, she turned around with a look of astonishment on her face.
“What I meant to say was the remaining fifteen percent will all be given to you. I hope you don’t let me down. You must make sure of the quality. As for the price, we’ll follow the one you proposed. Come find me at my office tomorrow at nine-thirty in the morning to sign the contract!” Selena took a sip of her coffee and crossed her leg, yet somehow appearing graceful.
“That’s wonderful! Yes, yes! I’ll definitely reach on time tomorrow! I’ll go back immediately and draft out a proper contract!” Janet was elated, quickly taking her leave.
Chapter 377 “This girl!” Selena laughed before standing up and taking her leave as well.
However, she did not expect a sexy and seductive lady in shades seated nearby had been observing them for a long time. Only after Selena had left did the woman stood up and settle her bill before going out.
“What I meant to say was the remaining fifteen percent will all be given to you…” The corner of her lips curled up creepily. The voice she made was the exact copy of Selena’s voice.
That lady was none other than the hitman that ranked fifth in the southwestern hitman leaderboard, Shadow!
…
At the same time, Ivan had also happily returned home. Reaching home, he immediately called Cecilia and the other relatives over.
“Master Ivan, what’s the matter? You seem happy. Did something good happen?” A young man of the Taylor family asked, giggling.
“Excellent! Truly wonderful news!” Ivan’s body still reeked of alcohol. He looked at Theodore and Zeus, proclaiming, “Dad, Grandpa, we’ve finally gotten our hands on the project by South Hill Real Estate!”
“That’s wonderful. Master Ivan is truly amazing!”
“That’s right. You managed to obtain such a big project.”
Quite a number of the Taylor family members immediately started praising Ivan. Most of them were working at the Taylor family’s company, carrying out all sorts of positions. Ivan was the general manager, and now that he managed to secure such a big project, the authority within the Taylor family would eventually be in his grasp. That was why they had to get on his good side or risk having a rough future.
However, a number of them knew in their hearts that Selena had compromised for them to secure the project. If Selena was petty and held her grudge, it would be helpless even if Ivan begged on his knees.
“guess how much of this big project were we allocated with?” Ivan laughed out loud excitedly, then said, “At first, Selena was unagreeable and only planned to give us thirty percent. However, thanks to my quick thinking and persuasiveness, she finally made multiple compromises. In the end, we nailed it at eighty-five percent of the project!” Ivan intentionally placed a strong emphasis on the number eighty-five when he spoke, hoping to make the number stand out. His face filled with smugness.
“Master Ivan is truly awesome. You managed to negotiate for eighty-five percent!”
“That’s right. Selena is so petty to just provide us with thirty percent. That’s just too little. We’re all from the Taylor family after all. She has the blood of our Taylor family running within her!”
“That’s right. I think she’s being petty too. If it were me, even if I had to save my reputation, I would have at least set aside sixty percent of the project!”
The Taylor family members were all busy debating.
However, Zeus Taylor, the old master had a gloomy expression on his face. Selena had given him a call long ago and told him about the eighty-five percent allotment. She had even discussed it with him. Ivan probably did nothing, yet he dared to come back showing off and claiming credit. If not for trying to save Ivan’s reputation, Zeus would have exposed him right then and there.
Chapter 378 “Son, you’ve done well this time!” Theodore grinned as he gave Ivan, a big thumbs up. He was not a business-minded person and would spend his free time enjoying tea or fishing.
However, he had hope for his son to be successful. This time, Ivan had finally made him proud.
“dad, it can’t be helped. It’s all for our Taylor family. It’s so that we can rise into the ranks of a second- class aristocratic family. This is something I’m willing to do even if I have to endure torturous hardships!”Ivan, being drunk, thumped his chest smugly. The arrogance he showed went without saying.
Zeus, on the other hand, could bear with it no longer. He steeled his face and asked, “Why not give your life as well?” Having said that, he gave a wave. “It’s getting late. Go get rested. Ivan, you should rest up too. Go sign the contract early in the morning. It’s only official after you sign the contract. Don’t be an embarrassment like the last time!”
“Don’t you worry, everything will be fine. I’ll guarantee to sign this contract tomorrow morning, or I’ll live stream myself eating sh*t for all of you to watch!” Ivan thumped his chest as he promised. This time, he
had full confidence. After all, Selena had always kept her word. Since she had agreed to it, she would not go back on her words.
Moreover, the failed contract with the Wilson family previously was an accident. Since the old master sent them off, they quickly went away. Meanwhile, the old master should have gone back to sleep. Very soon, only Ivan and Theodore were left in the huge living room.
“Dad, it’s weird. Shouldn’t Grandpa be elated about this matter? Why do I feel that he seemed unhappy?” Ivan frowned, finally noticing something was off. He felt confused.
Theodore considered for a moment before saying, “I think it might be too late and he’s sleepy. Moreover, you reek of alcohol and behaved so insolently. Can your grandpa be happy? The last time you thoroughly embarrassed yourself and vomited all over the floor in the hotel really upset your grandpa!”
Having said that, Theodore paused for a moment before advising, “You should cut back on the alcohol. Being drunk can get you in trouble. Don’t you know that?”
“Alright dad, I understand. You should go rest up! I’m going to bed!” Ivan replied impatiently before going off.
The next day, Selena went to work early in the morning.
However, just as she parked and got out of her car outside her office, she felt a knock on her head. Her vision blurred and then passed out. The woman before her smiled dryly, then placed Selena in the co- driver seat before driving away. They quickly left the town and arrived at a dilapidated house atop a mountain not far from the city.
After a while, Selena finally regained consciousness. She opened her eyes and felt her head spin. She took a careful look at the woman in front of her and could not help shaking her head. That was because she saw herself.
“What’s going on? I-I-I can’t be dead, right? Is this my soul?” Selena was flabbergasted. She saw herself looking at her, smiling with her hands crossed before her chest. The smile seemed rather evil.
However, she soon realized that she was tied to a wooden pillar.
“That’s not it. I’m not dead. Who are you?” Selena’s heart skipped a beat. The pain of being tightly bound by ropes on her arm was too real. She was not dreaming, nor did she die. That must be the case.
Chapter 379 The woman replied, “Well… You’re pretty and kind. But it doesn’t change the fact that I have been hired to kill and I must complete my mission.”
“Hire? You’re a hitman! Where is this place?” Selena was shocked and scared at the same time. This run-down house they were in looked really old. That aside, she ran into a hitman. Who on earth hired a hitman and wanted her dead?”
“Ivan?” She quickly thought of him as Ivan was a revengeful man, and jackie broke his bone. This alone would make him a highly possible candidate.
Selena then dismissed the idea as quickly as she thought. ‘Impossible. Ivan has been longing to secure the contract. Even if he really wanted me dead, he would do it after the contract, not before.’
“Don’t worry, you’re not my instructed target,” the woman spoke.
“I’m not your target, so why did you capture me?” Selena suddenly understood. “Now I know, you’re disguised as me… Your target is my husband, jackie!”
Selena gasped as it might very well be true. If she wanted Selena dead, she would have done so much earlier. The fact that she captured Selena was to attract her actual target who was none other than jackie. Selena thought of the possibility of someone revenging on jackie would be much higher as he had caused trouble to a lot of people out there.
jackie did not only get in the way of Ivan but people like Ken, Neil and Michael as well. All these were no ordinary people. If they wanted jackie dead, it would just be a piece of cake.
“Smart!” The woman nodded. “So, your husband will be dead today. You can’t blame me but you can blame my employer.”
“Who’s your employer?” Selena tried to interrogate.
“this is funny. Do you think a professional hitman like myself, being the top five in the southwest region, will reveal this information to you? I, on the other hand, was wondering how easy it is to lure your husband here using your face.”
“Shameless!” Selena scolded, “My husband is a veteran and has served the military for five years. He can fight a dozen alone! I’m warning you, you better let me go and abort this mission, you may lose your life to this mission!”
“I see you’re trying to threaten me here. Five years of the military? He’s a piece of cake to me, even if I don’t disguise myself as you. Let me tell you, even marshals won’t be my match.”
“A marshal will not be your match…?” Selena’s mouth twitched at her abilities. She initially wanted to scare the hitman but did not think that the hitman was actually that skillful. She started to actually worry about jackie now.
Chapter 380 Although she was a hitman, Selena was reassured that jackie was pretty skilled himself too. So, she was somewhat confident in jackie. jackie might be the person who kills the hitman instead of the other way round. However, Shadow’s words had concerned her. She was very skillful if she could beat a marshal. If that was the case, jackie would be in big trouble. On top of that, the hitman had disguised herself as Selena. What if jackie fell for that? Big trouble… It was easy to kill jackie if he was not alert enough. As though a fight between one who had normal vision and a blind person, the blind would naturally be at disadvantage.
“Are you scared now? Are you worried now?” Shadow toyed a dagger and tapped it on Selena’s face. “Do you know why I love disguising as my target’s partner? I like to see the look on their face when they die, that look of disbelief!”
With that, Shadow turned around and laughed. “Until the moment they die, they would still think that it was their partner who killed them. I’ll never explain myself and I’ll never tell them why. They shall die confused.”
“You’re mad! Karma will get to you!” Selena’s eyes reddened as she stared at Shadow with hatred.
“to reassure you, I’ll leave you here as you watch me finish your man outside. Yell with all your might but you won’t be able to. You’ll live in misery forever after he dies. I’d love to see that! Personally, I think killing is a ritual to practice. And all these are part of the ritual!” Malice filled Shadow’s eyes, life was as unimportant as an ant.
“I dare you to not disguise as me to fight my husband! For you to disguise as me is just a dirty trick because you’re no match for him!” Selena growled.
She was truly worried for jackie. What would happen to her and Kylie if he dies? They had only recently reunited and were living a better life. To watch jackie die in front of her was the last thing she would ever wish for.
“You’re trying to provoke me, aren’t you? Will he stand a better chance like that? Just very slightly, I guess. Heh, you’re not just an empty vase, after all, you’ve got brains!” Shadow smirked then continued, “Speaking of which, I really like your face. It’s perfect. It looks kind and approachable. I love it! How about this, I’ll use your face for my missions next time. Let’s see how many people can take it when this ‘face’ kills. Any family members who witnessed the murder would recognize you as the murderer. Will they come after you? I wonder…”
“You…” Selena almost fainted out of anger, but she still tried. “I dare you to not make up! You’re an ugly fag, aren’t you? You’re so ugly you wouldn’t go out without a mask!”
Shadow was impatient at this point. “Quit it, I didn’t, do you understand? How can make up do such a job? This is Transfiguration. Do you know Transfiguration? Uncultured b*tch!”
Chapter 381 Selena was helpless. She tried to persuade further but Shadow had stuffed a towel in her mouth. “Look, see that slit? I’ll leave it open just very slightly, enough for you to see the table outside from here. I’ll bring your husband to that table and kill him there. You just watch.”
“Ughh!” Selena could not be more nervous. She shook her head hard and tried to say something—she could not.
“stop it. You just wait here and watch the show.” Shadow smirked as she retrieved Selena’s phone to call jackie.
Selena had a sudden realization—even if Shadow looked like her, Shadow could never sound like her. jackie was not stupid, he would have seen through the deception sooner than later! What proceeded had caught Selena in shock. The moment the call went through, Shadow’s voice changed. She sounded just like Selena! Even Selena thought so. It was impossible for jackie to tell them apart, impossible… What made it worse was that Shadow was wearing her clothes. It seemed like Shadow had her eyes on Selena a long time prior to this. She even planned and bought the same clothes as Selena. The amount of planning poured into this was scary.
“Hi, honey. I’m waiting for you outside the city, can you come over? I want to bring you somewhere fun and we’ll have a chat there. What do you say?” Her voice was so slutty it gave Selena goosebumps.
“Sure! Is this a date? Wait for me, honey. I’m driving to you!” Shadow put the call on speaker to let Selena hear.
“Alright, see you!” Shadow hung up the call and smirked at Selena. “Bye, my pretty lady. I’m going to get your husband. You just wait here and should be able to see me holding his hands in ten minutes. Worry not, I’ll play with him for a little before making my move. That’s because…men have their guard up the least when they kiss!”
Finally, Shadow left Selena, leaving just enough gap for her to see the table outside the room.
Selena could only growl in her heart. She was hoping jackie could tell that something was wrong from the call and not come at all. Who would have known jackie just agreed to the meet up without a single hesitation, he even sounded a little excited.
‘Dumb jackie… Too lovesick, are you? Don’t you know I’m a workaholic, why on earth would I ask you out during work?’ She could only vocalize this in her mind.
Chapter 382 The hilltop was not far away from the city. Soon, Shadow arrived at the suburb area in Selena’s car. She pulled over, leaned on the car while waiting for jackie to arrive. As expected, jackie arrived in his car within the next five minutes.
“What’s up, honey? You have the time to sneak out of the office today?” jackie pulled over and smiled at the woman.
“I just thought we could have some fun! Although it’s a little run-down, that place is serene and has a good view.” Shadow smiled and entered her car. “Stay in your car and follow me.”
“Alright!” jackie did as told.
There was an uneasy feeling. jackie had been suspicious if this ‘Selena’ was the Selena he knew. It was something about her slutty eyes that gave it away. The real Selena did not have these eyes. These were sultry and seductive eyes.
“That’s funny, why would she bring me out today?” jackie questioned as he drove.
The drive did not seem long before they arrived at the hilltop, and proceeded to park their car on an empty piece of land.
“How’s this place, not bad aye? Look, you can see the whole of Eastfield from here. There’s even a breeze, isn’t it amazing?!” Her figure was clearly accented when she stretched her back. jackie, on the other hand, was dazed. She was beautiful!
“Honey, look! There’s a house, let’s check it out,” she suggested.
“Sure!” jackie nodded.
At this point, ‘Selena’ walked toward jackie and unexpectedly held his hand. jackie looked at her, feeling a little shy.
“What’s the matter, honey? You look weird. We’re a couple, it’s only normal for us to hold hands.” ‘Selena’ was suddenly very romantic. She even cheekily rolled her eyes at jackie.
“No, nothing!” jackie was quite certain something was wrong, yet he just smiled and followed.
“Looks like it’s been some time since anyone stayed here. There’s a lot of spider web!” Shadow smiled and tucked jackie’s hands. She directed jackie to the table and pretended to look out of the window.
jackie then noticed a door. “Hey, there’s a door there. Let’s check it out.”
The real Selena who was tied up in the room was worried sick. She tried to shout, hoping to get jackie’s attention, and even struggled to free herself. However, she was tied up too tightly with a cloth stuffed in her mouth. Her effort to warn jackie was to no avail. Hence, she was delighted the moment she heard that jackie noticed the door. Well, Shadow would not have let the rescue happen, of course.
Chapter 383 Shadow quickly pulled jackie to her and bit her sexy red lips. “Honey, about that… It’s been so long since you started serving the military… And, there’s no one else here…” she said as she tapped
her fingers on jackie’s chest, trying to seduce him.
“Selena… Let’s not…under broad daylight?” jackie frowned and looked outside.
“I’ve closed the door after we enter. Besides, this is in the middle of nowhere, no one would come here! I think we can be a little more open here… It sets the mood well.” She tipped her toes and kissed jackie on his neck as she proceeded.
Looking at the ‘Selena’ in front of him, there was more reason for him to suspect.
He quick-wittedly hugged her. “Look at you… Who knew that you like to set the mood like this. What dominatrix you are!”
“Quit mocking me, I just want to have some fun.” Shadow was secretly joyous at the fact that men were such simple-minded animals. Any trivial sexual advancement could send them to trap.
“Alright!”
On the other hand, the real Selena in the room was worried sick looking at how jackie had hugged the woman. Again, she tried to vocalize her warning, and again, she failed. It was only natural that she was this worried. That woman looked exactly like herself, jackie had no reason to have his guard up against her. Furthermore, her seduction skills… jackie, a young lad in his early twenties, would have already lost his mind by then. How could he possibly resist?
What proceeded was that Shadow locked jackie’s lip with hers, and they started their business. jackie hugged her real tight. Selena saw Shadow reaching for something under her dress. Soon after, Shadow retrieved a dagger from her stockings at her thigh. Staring at the dagger, Selena’s heart dropped. Just as she was about to stab jackie, he swiftly turned around and got out of Selena’s sight. It was a blind spot for Selena and she could not see much from the door slit.
Shadow frowned. She struggled to stab jackie with the dagger as her hand was clamped by another strong hand. She gasped and prepared for another strike. Unfortunately, jackie was too fast, and had already grabbed hold of the dagger with his other hand and stabbed it in Shadow’s chest.
“Ahhhhh…” Shadow looked at her chest, eyes filled with disbelief. She underestimated the speed and strength of her opponent. Furthermore, the dagger stabbed right at her heart, she had no chance of retaliation.
Shadow’s scream sent chills down Selena’s spine. Her heart was heavy. What had the woman done to jackie? Would jackie really fall into her trap?
“Wh…why…?” Shadow was weak. At her last breath, she still did not understand what gave her identity away. “Don’t all men like their wife seductive?”
jackie grabbed her face and pulled her mask down, revealing her true face. He proceeded by whispering in her ears, “Shadow, learned Transfiguration, twenty-five this year, is a hitman since twenty.”
“Who… Who are you?” That was Shadow’s last breath. She died with eyes filled with shock. Her identity had always been well-kept, how could this man know so much about her?
Chapter 384 Selena struggled. She tried to warn jackie but her effort was in vain. Soon after, she realized that no more noise was coming from outside. It was pin-drop silence. ‘Is jackie…dead?’ she started to worry. Suddenly, she was frightened by the sight of a hand appearing at the door that swiftly pushed the door open.
Selena’s eye reddened and teared from joy seeing that it was jackie who entered. She just realized how much she cared for him at that moment of life and death. Not just that she realized how much she loved him, she was also dreaded by the thought of his death that would leave her child without a father. Seeing that jackie entered the room safely, she breathed a sigh of relief.
“I knew that woman was not you!” Panic-stricken, he made his way to Selena and removed the cloth stuffed in her mouth. He quickly held her in his embrace and asked, “Honey, how’re you? Did she beat you? Did she torture you?”
“No, I’m fine. You’re the target, not me. Where is she? She is a hitman. Top five in the southwest region, she said… She’s dangerous! Even marshals are no match for her,” Selena explained hurriedly.
Before she could finish speaking, jackie looked at her, cupped her cheeks in his hands, and pecked hard on her lips. Selena, who was still tied to the pillar, did not see that coming. Embarrassed, she found herself palpitating with her pupils widely dilated.
After that peck, jackie continued, “I was worried for you when I found out that she was a hitman! I didn’t want anything to happen to you!”
Only after this, he started to untie Selena.
“You… Cheeky! How dare you kiss me?” Selena blushed as she rolled her eyes at jackie. “Pervert! You kissed me before you even untie me!”
“Can’t help it, I was too indulged in the mood! I was worried for you, okay? So, honey. I got the sequence wrong… Does that mean that I should kiss you after I untie you?” jackie awkwardly smiled.
“You… Don’t kiss me without my permission next time!” Selena stuttered.
She left her words at that and ran out to find the hitman lying on the floor in a pool of blood.
Seeing how the hitman was as dead as a doornail, she finally sighed with relief, “She’s a skilled hitman, not even a marshal is a match for her! How did you kill her…without defense?”
jackie snickered and explained, “I’ve had my suspicions. First of all, it was your office hour. Before you left for work you told me you’ll be going on field to sign a contract. Why would you ask me to hang out
here? Second of all, I noticed the tire trails on this hill road. This is a road less traveled and there is little traffic around. So the tire trails meant that someone had driven up before me.”
jackie paused for a while before he continued, “Well, third of all… That woman had slutty eyes. My wife won’t ask me out. She doesn’t have slutty eyes, and most of all she won’t seduce me!”
“I was worried sick in there, worried that you’ll fall into her trap and get killed. Who knew you were observant enough to see that through, you should go and be a detective!” Selena was dumbfounded. It seemed she was worried for nothing. jackie had caught on to the suspicious clues.
Chapter 385 Only then jackie confessed, “Even with those considered, I was hesitant to make the move to kill. What if I was wrong? I could only make the move when she was exposed.”
“What exposed her?” Selena frowned and doubted as she thought the hitman’s disguise was perfect.
“And that is, the fact that my wife won’t take the lead to kiss me. More importantly, I smelled cigarettes. That meant she smokes. My wife never smokes! That was when I confirmed my judgment, that the woman was a hitman and not you.”
“Pretty smart, aren’t you?” Then she thought about how that woman had kissed jackie. Irritated, she mocked, “So, what now? Were you excited that she made the move to kiss you? She has a nice body, I must say. Happy now?”
jackie was ashamed. So, Selena was jealous after all.
Bitterly, he smiled. “Honey, that was a hitman I was dealing with. Do you think I had the time to even think of those? It was dragged out a little because I was worried that I misjudged her. So I delayed my move to kill her and only did so after I’m certain of it.”
“Wait a second, she was a skilled hitman! How did you settle her so fast? I saw that she had a dagger!” Selena found herself confused. If jackie was a lot more skilled than that woman, that would mean that he
was a king of war!
jackie awkwardly smiled and replied, “Maybe because her guard wasn’t up. She wouldn’t have thought that I’d see through her deception so she was more lax. With that, it was easy to kill her.”
“Right, right! That’s what she said. It’s a piece of cake to kill someone with no guard up. Bet she didn’t think you outsmarted her!”
“Selena, did you tear when you see me just now? You were worried about me?” jackie finally laughed.
Selena’s face reddened again after trying so hard to recollect herself. She rolled her eyes and said, “In your dreams! I wasn’t worried about you. I was worried about myself. What if she kills me? I was worried about Kylie and I teared because of Kylie, okay?”
She knew she was lying. Immediately, she shifted the attention to the dead body on the floor and diverted the topic. “So how do we settle this? We can’t just leave her here.”
“Such a run-down house… Let’s burn this whole place!” jackie replied after giving it some thought.
What followed was that they both made a fire outside the house.
Watching as the fire burns, Selena suddenly thought of this. “Sh*t, we would’ve searched her body in case she has a phone. From there we could see her contacts, and find out who was behind this!”
“don’t worry about that. There are more people who want me dead!” He shifted his gaze to Selena and gave her a very serious look. “Looks like I’ll need to get you a bodyguard. I’m not worried about myself. What if they target you to get to me? I can’t watch you all day, I have work at Drake’s.”
“It can’t be Ivan… I’m about to sign a contract with them…” Selena seemed to be still distracted by the fact that she did not retrieve the hitman’s phone. She looked at the time and exclaimed, “Sh*t! It’s past eleven!”
Chapter 386 “it’s fine as there’s no hurry. Let them come over tomorrow!” jackie smiled and looked beside him where Selena was, “Honey, since you’re also here, let’s go to the city and have lunch to steady our nerves. What do you think?”
“Sounds good.” Selena nodded and they soon drove down from the hill.
At this moment, Ivan Taylor and Janet were still waiting inside of Selena’s office.
“What’s going on? This is…” Ivan started to get impatient. He had already made at least ten calls to Selena previously but none of them were picked up by her.
He looked at Janet and said, “Do you think that we’ve been played? This woman must be making fun of us. If that’s the case, she’s too much!”
Janet on the other hand, smiled. “Impossible, I trust Manager Taylor. Since she promised us, she would be here. She must have been delayed by an emergency matter!”
“that’s so funny. What’s more important than signing a contract with us?” Ivan laughed and said out of anger.
After that, he frowned and took in a breath. After all, the assassin told them to settle the issue within five days. Today was considered the second day. Was it possible that they have already made a move? The most important part was, this Shadow had her own special hobby when she carried out her mission. Such as, she not only liked to pretend as the target’s closest person, she also liked to let the closest person look on as she killed that target.
“Was it possible…” Ivan thought about it. It was already so late and Selena had not appeared yet. She might have been kidnapped by the Shadow and he was speechless inwardly.
“I…” He stood up in a sudden and held his hands into fists. He felt angry and regretful inwardly.
He was too careless. He did not care much about Selena’s life and it did not matter if she really died. However, he had not signed the contract yet. After all, this contract could bring around five to six billion for the Taylor family. This was only a conservative estimation, if their operations were better, it would be more than this.
If the Shadow had already taken action and killed Selena, they would have suffered a big loss. If this position was taken over by another person, would the signing of the contract they have not signed continue? That may not be the case. After all, they successfully got this opportunity because of their relationship with Selena.
“What’s going on? Young Master Taylor, why are you startled?” Janet frowned as she looked at Ivan, who stood up.
“It’s nothing. I think that we’re out of hope today as it’s already so late. Let’s go back first and come again tomorrow morning!” Ivan walked out with a darkened face.
“Okay, let’s come and have a look tomorrow morning!” Janet also felt that it was a waste of time. She sighed, took the prepared contract and left.
Ivan walked out the entrance and to his car. He thought about it before calling the Shadow. Unfortunately, none of his two calls could get through.
Chapter 387 ”Sht, sht. There’s a possibility that Selena had been kidnapped. I have no idea if the assassin would kill her!” Ivan was so angry that he held his hands into fists. “I’m really careless. I haven’t signed the contract yet, I should’ve asked her to wait for a few days before doing anything. This…”
Ivan had no idea that asking this person to kill jackie would cause his contract signing matter to fail. As he sat in the car, his mind was filled with thoughts about visiting the place where Selena and the others stayed that night. However, he thought about it and dismissed this thinking. If jackie and Selena were
fine and the assassin had not started her action, his proactive action of visiting them cannot be justified. After all, he had shown his disgust previously and had never visited them. If the assassin failed, jackie might be doubtful that he was the one who employed the assassin? Although, the possibility of the assassin failing was very small.
He thought about it, looked at the time and was prepared to drive back. Coincidentally, when he passed by a cafe, he looked inside and actually saw Xena jackieson.
“Isn’t that Ben Taylor’s girlfriend?” Ivan was slightly stunned. He parked the car by the road, got down and entered the cafe.
At this moment, Xena was having a chat with two of her best friends and seemed to be in a very good mood.
“Miss jackieson, I had no idea that I would run into you here!” Ivan said with a smile and walked over.
“Young Master Taylor!” Xena was stunned and said with a smile, “That’s a real coincidence. These are my best friends, we are having a cup of coffee because we’re tired from shopping!”
“Really?” Ivan purposely took a look at the time before sitting down by the side and said with a smile, “It just so happens that I have something to speak with Miss jackieson. Do I have the opportunity to invite you to lunch?! If your best friends are in the mood, they can join us too!”
Those girls glanced at each other with a mutual understanding and stood up, “Young Master Taylor, we’ll get out of your hair. Enjoy your talk and allow us to make a move first!”
“Okay, let me treat you guys in the future when there’s an opportunity!” Ivan stood up and spoke politely, like a gentleman.
“Does Young Master Taylor want a cup of coffee? Let me pay for that. Since you treat me to lunch, I’ll treat you to coffee!” Xena smiled indifferently and said.
“There’s no need for that. Let’s sit here while you finish your cup of coffee. Later, let’s find a hotel, get a private room and I’ll treat you to dinner!” Ivan replied with an indifferent smile. According to his experience with many girls, Xena was definitely a gold digger.
Apart from that, he previously saw Xena hug a young guy who looked like a second generation of a rich family by accident. He was just too lazy to tell Ben about this. However, when he passed by from outside, he suddenly had an idea.
“Really? Just the two of us? We’ll go to a hotel and get a private room for food? Wouldn’t that be a waste? Let’s just eat some simple food!” Xena was surprised. Seating in front of her was the young master of the Taylor family, Ivan Taylor. This man had the highest possibility of inheriting the Taylor family in the future so he could be considered as a real rich family’s next generation. At least, when compared to Ben, Ivan was at least 100 times better than him.
During the previous hotel gathering, Ben took her with him. In the midst of it, she really wanted to have a drink with Ivan and get a name card after that. It was a pity when he ignored her and left her in an embarrassing situation. She had no idea that Ivan would proactively ask her out for a meal and she wondered what was his hidden agenda.
Chapter 388 Ivan looked at her and smiled indifferently. “How would it be a waste to have lunch with such a pretty lady? It should be my honor!”
Xena smiled when she heard this. “Young Master Taylor, I’m sure you’ve seen a lot of pretty ladies. I shouldn’t be considered as a pretty lady in your opinion!”
“you’re being very modest!” Ivan stood up and gestured after you to Xena, “Let’s go!”
“I think you’ve left me with no choice but to accept deferentially!” Although Xena was still curious about why Ivan wanted to invite her for dinner alone, she felt that he must have something important to talk
about. Hence, she did not think much and just followed him.
The two of them drove and soon arrived at a high-end hotel. They got a private room and ordered quite some dishes.
“Young Master Taylor, is there anything important that you need to seek me out privately?” Xena seemed a little nervous as this was her first time sitting face to face with a real rich person. Apart from that, it was so grand as they even got red wine and she was unprepared for it. After all, Ivan had on a suit that exudes the feeling of a successful person.
“Come, let’s first drink!” Ivan poured a glass of wine for her and clanked the glasses together.
“Sure!” Xena had no idea what Ivan had in mind but she still drank all the red wine in a gulp.
“I like girls that are pretty and straight-forward like you!” Ivan laughed. He then casually placed a hand on Xena’s thigh as if it was an accident after he spoke.
“Young Master Taylor, what are you…” Xena blushed and immediately removed his hand.
“Oh!” Ivan realized what happened and said with a smile, “Miss Xena, you’re too pretty and I can’t help myself!”
Ivan paused here before continuing, “It’s just a waste that you’re with an untalented man. You’re really making it easy for Ben. What can that guy do? He doesn’t have a job and only plays video games. How is he worthy of a beauty like you?”
Xena was secretly happy when she heard this. She was so lucky, was it possible that Ivan had really set his eyes on her? If that was the case, it was very good if she got to be with Young Master Taylor and was able to marry him.
The current Taylor family was close to being a second-class aristocratic family. She heard that Selena’s company was about to sign a contract with the Taylor family. It was a huge project and once they succeed, the Taylor family would definitely make it into the range of second-class aristocratic families within one or two years. Wouldn’t she be changing her status to a higher one if she was married to a second-class aristocratic family’s future master? Apart from that, although Ivan constantly visited bars and there were bad rumors about him, but, which rich man was not a womanizer?
Chapter 389 ”Oh, Young Master Taylor, what you’ve said is too much. I’m not that pretty!” Xena pretended to be modest and picked up some food before putting it on Ivan’s plate. “Come, let’s eat!”
“sure!” Ivan laughed and they started eating.
After a while, Ivan said again, “Miss Xena, I’ve fallen in love with you at first sight. I’ve been thinking about you for the past few days and I’m so lucky to have bumped into you today. I had to muster my courage to invite you for dinner!”
“How’s that possible?” Xena frowned and looked at Ivan before saying, “Young Master Taylor, are you being serious?”
“Don’t you worry, I am!” Taylor placed one of his hands on Xena’s thigh again before saying with a smile, “From today onwards, I’ll give you whatever you want. You would also give me everything I want, right? I believe that you don’t really like Ben, right?”
“Young Master Taylor, you’re right. I’ve fallen out of love for Ben since long ago. If he wasn’t so nice to me, I really want to break up with him!”
Xena was afraid that she would miss this opportunity. She stopped pushing Ivan’s hand away, pretending as if nothing happened.
Ivan had a cold smile inwardly when he heard this. However, he directly held her hand, “Xena, be my woman. I have no idea if it’s because of the wine today. I haven’t had much but I feel drunk. I want you. How about this, why don’t you accompany me to rest in a room upstairs and later, I’ll bring you out to buy some branded handbags and clothes. You can choose whatever you have your eyes on. What do you say?”
Xena immediately pretended to be reserved and said, “This-this doesn’t sound like a good idea, Young Master Taylor. Although I don’t like Ben, we haven’t broken up. Apart from that, who knows but you might be lying to me. I’ve just known you for a while and although I have some feelings for you, but, it doesn’t sound so good to go into a hotel room, right?”
“Hey, what’s so bad about it? You must have misunderstood me?” Ivan immediately said with a smile, “It’s best that you have feelings for me. I’m asking you to follow me because I would like for you to accompany me while I rest and have a chat with me. I’m not asking you to do anything, right? Don’t you worry, I’m not that kind of person!”
“I guess it would be fine if it’s only sitting down and resting!” Xena blushed and was shy. She clearly knew that if she really followed him upstairs, it wouldn’t be as simple as taking a rest.
After they finished eating, they quickly got a room and walked into the room.
“Xena, I really want to be with you, but, you cannot break up with Ben yet. You have to remain with him so that we can get information about Selena and jackie! Don’t you worry. As long as you help me with this and tell me what I want to know, you will surely benefit from it!” Ivan said to Xena, who was in front of him, after he closed the door.
“I thought that you really liked me. In the end, you are only taking advantage of me. You want to stabilize your position in the Taylor family and get rid of your threat, Selena, right?” Xena laughed and she finally realized that Ivan wanted to use her for something.
“How can you call this taking advantage of you? From today onwards, you will be my girlfriend, my woman. Isn’t it normal for my woman to do something for me?” Ivan smiled and actually pulled Xena over to him before pouncing on her as they landed on the bed.
“Let go of me!” Xena was startled and started struggling.
Chapter 390 ”Young Master Taylor, no! We can’t….” Xena was really startled and she fought back.
“Xena, you’ll be my woman. You’ll be following me on a journey to enjoy life from today onwards. Apart from that, I can buy everything you like!”
Ivan had some wine. That and the fact that Xena was pretty with a great body, he seemed unable to control himself, turning crazy under the drive of alcohol.
“No-no…We can’t! We’ve just met not long ago.”
“Relationships happen because of feelings for each other and have nothing to do with the amount of time we’ve met…”
“Young master Taylor, no! I’m not prepared for this!”
“…” Xena was secretly happy about this and she gave in to him after refusing half-heartedly.
Around half an hour later, Ivan looked at the woman on the bed in satisfaction. He put on his clothes, “Honey, you’re really good. Let’s go on a shopping trip together and I’ll buy you a car. How about that?”
“Buy a car?” Xena was dazed before she asked, “Young master Taylor, you’re really good at telling jokes. Didn’t I come over driving a Rolls-Royce Phantom?”
“That’s not a rental?” Ivan was stunned. Xena was a vain woman and in his opinion, she must have rented that Rolls-Royce Phantom to support her vanity and to show-off in front of her best friends.
Different from what he imagined, Xena said with a smile, “Young Master Taylor, you must be joking. Why would I rent such a nice car? I guess that this car can be considered as mine!”
“Can be considered as yours? What does that mean?” Ivan wondered.
“Oh, I’m sure that you don’t know this yet. jackie knows how to practice medicine and he was able to help Miss George lose weight with the medicinal knowledge he acquired from some unknown place! It all started when Sharon George fell for jackie and under the encouragement of her friends, she came over to confess to him…” Xena soon told everything that happened yesterday to Ivan.
She continued with, “Fiona doesn’t know how to drive yet, so I can drive this car whenever I want. Even if she gets her license later, I can still drive Ben’s car, right? After all, everything that’s his, is mine, right? Aren’t we considered as a family?”
Ivan pulled Xena over, signed her waist and said with a cold expression, “What’s this nonsense about you being in the same family as them? You’re my woman now, not his family. If not, I’ll get jealous!”
Although Xena knew what Ivan said might be lies, she still felt warm inwardly.
She could not help but rolled her eyes at Ivan, “Alright, Young Master Taylor, I get it, okay? Until today, I haven’t let that stupid guy, Ben, touch me yet. He’s just a spare tire to me! How can he compare with a strong and handsome man like Young Master Taylor?”
“Hey girl, stop calling me Young Master Taylor. You can address me as Ivan when there’s only us, but do remember to address me as Young Master Taylor when there are outsiders, alright?” Ivan thought about it and immediately continued, “Apart from that, you have to tell me on time about everything that happens in Ben’s family. As an example, the matter of jackie treating Sharon George is not a small one.”
“Okay!” Xena thought about it and said after she remembered something, “Oh yes, Master George originally thought that the medication that jackie gave was fake so he stepped on it. In the end, they
lacked one of the pills and jackie asked for twenty million. The George family had enough money that they directly paid him to buy that one pill!”
“What?!”
Chapter 391 The corners of Ivan’s mouth twitched when he heard this. If jackie really had money, it would be difficult for him to make a joke out of jackie on the old man’s birthday and throw him out of the house.
“However, he gave the twenty million to Fiona as the betrothal gift for Selena, fulfilling his previous promise to Fiona!” Xena continued.
“Alright. If jackie manages to get any money in the future, even if it’s something normal like the Drake family paid his wages earlier than scheduled, you have to immediately inform me about it. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know anything, but if you do, you must inform me!” Ivan thought about it and reminded Xena.
“Alright. Young Master Taylor, I get it!” Xena rolled her eyes at him impatiently. She was slightly unhappy as after their entire encounter, she had become a spy and was in charge of uncovering information?
“I have already told you to not address me as Young Master Taylor, call me Ivan!” Ivan smiled and wrapped his hand around her shoulder, “Let’s go shopping, I’ll buy you expensive bags and watches. How about that?”
“Okay, but we have to go to the north side of the city. If we stay here, we might bump into Ben and won’t we be discovered?” Xena thought about it and said.
“Yes, darling. You’re the smart one! It seems that I cannot hug you in public too!” Ivan smiled. He believed that with the help of Xena, who was by jackie and the others’ sides, he would get information about everything in their lives from that day onwards.
After shopping for two to three hours, Ivan drove back to the Taylor Mansion alone. He was stunned when he entered the living hall because the old master and some of the Taylor family’s members were waiting for him here.
“How was it? Ivan, did you sign the contract?” Theodore Taylor immediately asked.
Obviously, everybody was waiting for him here with this thought in their mind. They were waiting for him to come back and give him some good news, but he only returned at this moment.
Only now did Ivan remember the matter that made him angry that morning. He could only smile embarrassingly, “Sigh, don’t mention it! We didn’t manage to sign the contract. I had no idea what happened but Selena didn’t come to work this morning so I left. She didn’t pick up my calls and I plan to go over again tomorrow!”
“who was the one that promised us he would definitely get the contract signed today? If not, didn’t he say that he’ll go live on social media to show himself eating shit?” A forty-year-old man couldn’t help but laugh with a taunt on his face.
The corners of Ivan’s mouth immediately twitched. This was his elder and used to work hard under Selena’s management. He was very hard working and was very supportive of Selena. However, after he became the general manager, these people were disobedient towards him. If they weren’t his elders, he would have found a reason to fire them.
“How’s that possible? Young Master Ivan actually said that he’ll go live and show himself eating shit?”
“Do you want to try it? You might be able to go viral!” Cecilia Taylor stood beside them and was laughing. She was not here yesterday and only knew about Ivan’s promise at that moment.
Chapter 392 Ivan was pissed. He would not have thought that Cecilia would tease him without any respect given.
What a brat!
“Can’t you take a joke?” He glared at her.
“Is it? You’re the young Master of the Taylor family. Such a prestigious identity… How could you joke about such a thing? I humbly advise you to not make such a joke next time,” Cecilia mocked.
She was dating a young master from a second-class aristocratic family. Soon, she could marry him and be a rich madam. By then, Ivan would be a piece of cake, and she would not have to work under him anymore. She was euphoric at the thought of this. Ivan, on the other hand, wanted to punch Cecilia!
Suddenly, Old Master spoke, “I say, you guys watch your mouth before we secure the contract.” He paused for a bit before continuing, “Selena is someone who’ll honor her words. She won’t just chicken out. There must be a valid reason why she didn’t make it.”
Speaking of the devil, Ivan’s phone rang. It was Selena.
“Selena Taylor, what is the meaning of this? I’ve waited for you the whole afternoon. Where were you? You didn’t answer a single phone call!”
Ivan knew exactly what happened, all this rage was just for show. He had turned on the speaker so everyone could hear Selena explain. He was betting if Selena was calling him to interrogate if he hired the hitman to kill jackie. Even better, perhaps jackie was already dead. Could Shadow have only killed her target, jackie, and not Selena?
‘So, Selena, are you going to ask me if I’ve hired a hitman or what?’ Ivan thought.
What proceeded was… “I ran into a hitman this morning. She kidnapped me so I wasn’t able to answer nor return your calls…”
“Oh my god, kidnapped?!”
“No way… Who is that?! We’re considerably respectable being a third-class aristocratic family, I bet no ordinary people would do such a thing to us.”
“Hitman? How could she still be alive after being kidnapped? Are you sure they’re not asking for money?”
Those in Taylor’s mansion gasped and were shocked by the news.
Old Master Taylor waited no more before he snatched the phone. “How are you, Selena? Are you hurt?”
On the other end of the call, Selena felt warm as she could feel the concern from the tone of Old Master’s voice. “I’m fine, Grandpa, don’t worry. That hitman’s target is jackie. She knows Transfiguration and she had disguised herself as me! But jackie could see it through, he didn’t fall for her tricks and even killed her! I was surprised!” Selena summarized her experience and explained.
“That’s good, that’s good!” The old master broke out in cold sweat. The fact that she was a hitman was bad enough, what was worse was that she knew Transfiguration! Well, who would have suspected the person they least suspected to be?
Chapter 393 “Alright now, Grandpa, I’m hanging up. Get Ivan to come sign the contract tomorrow morning.”
“ jackie is pretty smart, isn’t he? He saw through her deception, played along, and then retaliated!” Cecilia could not help but compliment.
“Thank goodness they are both fine. If jackie was dead, Kylie would be without a father!” Eugene Taylor, who was in his forties, lamented.
“So what if he dies, he’s just an outsider. He’s just a bodyguard, a rough man! My cousin Selena is such an excellent woman, she will get another man,” Ivan, on the other hand, dissed. He was still salty about
the money spent—fifty million—on hiring such an elite hitman like Shadow, but got killed by jackie instead!
The mission was not completed, and on top of that, there would be no refund because the hitman was dead! That fifty million was burned overnight, just like that. They paid fifty million…just to see the enemy still alive.
“Ivan, watch your mouth. A stepdad will never treat his stepdaughter as well as one’s own father would. Besides, jackie has got a stable job with Drake’s now. Who’s to say he won’t succeed in the future? jackie, this young lad, I think he’s got potential. He’s smart, has a high income, and he can fight well! He’s the perfect match for Selena!” Eugene defended jackie.
Eugene hoped that Selena could come back to Taylor’s and work for them. He also hoped jackie could be acknowledged by the family so that the whole family could live peacefully under one roof.
“he’s just a soldier, a bodyguard. He’s no match to all the young masters out there!” Ivan was still obviously salty and continued to pick fights.
“Alright there, your uncle, Eugene, has a point. jackie is a bodyguard but he isn’t just any ordinary bodyguard. He’s a bodyguard at Drake’s. He has the potential to grow there.” Zeus could not take it anymore and interjected Ivan, “Ivan, you can’t penalize him just because of that conflict that happened. Besides, he has promised to compensate you with ten million on my birthday. If he kept his words, you should let this go. Understood?”
“Yes, Grandpa, I understand.” Ivan was still upset, and only said this to pacify his grandfather.
He quickly followed up with, “But if he can’t fulfill his promise, and didn’t get you an expensive gift, he’ll have to divorce Selena and leave the Taylor family according to the contract. Right?”
“Naturally. He suggested this condition, and he shall be a man to his words.” The old man nodded. Honesty was a virtue he upheld, jackie was no good for his grandaughter if he could not keep his words.
…
“What? What have I heard? You said you were kidnapped?” Selena, who was answering a call in her yard, was interjected by Fiona who was eavesdropping behind her. She got a bad feeling about this…
Chapter 394 Selena did not tell Fiona about what happened that day—the kidnap and the hitman—to save Fiona some worries. Hence, she secretly took her call out to her yard after dinner. Unexpectedly, Fiona had actually followed her out to the yard and heard everything she said on the call.
“Mum, it’s nothing. Aren’t we home safe and sound now?” Selena awkwardly smiled. She did not look well, though.
Filled with anger, Fiona reprimanded, “Back? Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? That damn jackie… If it wasn’t for him causing troubles, would anyone hire a hitman to kill him?” She then turned toward the house and yelled, “ jackie, you bastard! Get out here this instance!”
“Mum, what’s the matter?” jackie asked with a smile as he paced toward them.
“What’s the matter? Heh… I heard you ran into a hitman today, she even kidnapped and disguised as my daughter? You have no idea what you got yourself into? That’s a killer you were dealing with, what if she killed my daughter? This is all your fault. You’ve been going around causing troubles! My daughter wouldn’t have to deal with this if it wasn’t for you!”
Fiona blasted at the sight of jackie. She continued, “Hmph, don’t think that twenty million you gave me can buy your way out of this. I’m warning you, don’t let this happen again. Even though I take you as my son-in-law now, I’ll make my daughter divorce you if it ever happens again!”
Embarrassed, jackie smiled bitterly as he replied, “Mum, no one could have seen that coming. I wouldn’t know the hitman would disguise herself and get Selena involved, this is my bad. I have to say, I didn’t cause trouble. But if someone had come to pick a fight, I couldn’t let it slide either.
“If… I’m just giving an example here. If a mad person had come to you with a knife and wanted to kill you… Now, you didn’t provoke this man, would you retaliate?”
“You…” Fiona was speechless as jackie’s words made sense. However, she insisted, “I don’t care. Whatever it is, stop going around provoking people, even if it means you have to give in to them. Whoever hired the hitman could always hire another one after this failed attempt. I don’t care if you die… But what about my daughter?”
jackie thought she had a good point. “How about this, I’ll hire a bodyguard for Selena’s safety’s sake.”
“Bodyguard? Sure, you pay!” Fiona was a little stunt.
“Mm, don’t you worry about the money, I’ll pay!” jackie nodded.
Just as they were headed back home, an Audi stopped in front of their house. A man then walked toward them.
“Hey, is this not, Marshal Dennis?” Fiona recognized and gasped. Dennis had come with Ken to cause trouble here. However, jackie, as a veteran, had talked sense into them and made them leave. So, why was he there again?
“Gee… Not another hitman now, aye?” Fiona was scared sh*tless as she gulped. She ran toward Selena to signal her to get out of there.
Selena, on the other hand, was not worried. If it was not for jackie at that fighting ring, Dennis would be a long-dead man.
Chapter 395 So, Selena was certain that Dennis was not there for killing business. She was, however, perplexed by how he recovered so quickly so soon. He had serious injuries that day. She had estimated that Dennis would need to be bedridden for at least a fortnight. But look at him, he looked like a healthy young lad!
“What are you doing here?” Feeling scared, Fiona asked, “If you’re here for jackie, go ahead, it has nothing to do with us. Be clear with your target, he’s responsible for what he did, let him face the consequences, not us. Alright?”
jackie was dumbfounded by his mother-in-law’s actions.
“ jackie, I’m here to thank you for that day!” Dennis intended to kneel before jackie but thought it was better for him not to as it might expose jackie’s true identity. So, he could only bow with his hands clasped.
jackie thought even that was unnecessary. Annoyed, he said, “Alright, what’s passed is past, there’s nothing to thank me for. Besides, it was such a dangerous situation. I’ll be ashamed of myself if I didn’t rescue you.”
“You’re right…” Dennis smiled as he presented a box to Selena. “Sis, jackie is my brother now, it’s only natural that I call you ‘sis’. Here’s a little gift for you, I hope you like it.”
“This…” Selena was shy. She looked at jackie, not knowing whether to accept the gift. At the same time, she was more shocked that Dennis, being a marshal himself, had addressed jackie as his ‘brother’. That was a lot of respect paid.
Then she thought jackie had saved Dennis’ life. So, it was no big deal for him to call jackie ‘brother’… Speaking of that, jackie was a lucky man indeed. O’Neal was already injured when jackie stepped into the ring and hit him one more time. Otherwise, jackie would be no match to O’Neal. O’Neal could have killed him, even!
“What are you waiting for? Thank the marshal now! It’s disrespectful to refuse the gift, you know?” Fiona nudged, her face filled with joy.
A marshal had just addressed jackie as ‘brother’, that was great news despite not knowing why Dennis did so. It seemed Dennis had owed jackie a favor. Most importantly, any gift from a marshal would be expensive. It was dumb if jackie declined it.
“Go ahead, take it! He came all the way to thank me and present you a gift, why not?” jackie advised.
“Thank you, Marshal Dennis!” Selena accepted the gift and smiled politely.
“you’re welcome. jackie had prescribed me medicine, and that saved my life. He is my brother now, I owe him my life. I’ll do as he says,” Dennis declared seriously.
“For real?” jackie was stunned.
Which to Dennis replied, “For real. I’m a man of my words!” jackie did not only save his life, jackie is the Supreme Warrior. Anyone would give their life up to a Superior Warrior.
“Very well. From today onward, you’ll be my wife’s bodyguard. You’ll keep her safe,” jackie requested.
Chapter 396 “What?” When Fiona heard that, she was caught by surprise and took a deep breath.
She immediately stepped forward and glared at jackie angrily, “ jackie, have you gone mad? I told you to find a bodyguard to protect my daughter, but you just found one casually? Do you even know who he is? He’s an officer, and a marshal at that, and you’re asking him to become a bodyguard?”
Having said that, she pulled jackie to stand in front of Dennis, “Hurry up and apologize to Marshal Dennis. Even if you’re fortunate enough to save his life by giving him some medicine, he’s already expressed his gratitude for that. What right do you have to ask him to be your bodyguard?”
Fiona was almost scared to death by jackie. This guy could actually spout such nonsense. Was he not aware of how powerful a marshal was? An officer, a marshal at that, countless people wanted to get into their good books.
However, Fiona did not expect Dennis to smile indifferently, “That’s not a problem, I’ll protect sister-in-law secretly. Of course, if you’re around, then I won’t be needed. I’ll most definitely try my best to protect her when she’s alone to and from work, or when she’s out alone.”
“Agreed, he agreed?” Fiona’s jaw dropped, wondering if she heard wrongly. jackie asked a marshal to protect her daughter, and the other party actually agreed to it. It was a miracle.
“Mother, I wasn’t looking for someone casually. You said to find a bodyguard for Selena. If I’m going to find one, I’ve to find a good one, right? Otherwise, what if the hitman hired by the other side happens to be very skillful? That’s why I thought Marshal Dennis is very suitable!” At this time, jackie grinned at Fiona, as if he was talking about something very trivial.
“Auntie, don’t worry. From now on, I’m going to treat jackie as my brother. And as my brother, my life is his!” Dennis looked at jackie as he said this, his expression serious.
Fiona was overjoyed, but she still asked tentatively, “That’s all fine, but you’re a marshal after all, I’m afraid jackie can’t afford your fees. How much monthly salary are you asking for?”
“you’re too kind. Between us, there’s no need to talk about salary. We’re comrades after all!” Dennis laughed. He was very satisfied to be able to do something for jackie. Moreover, jackie had saved his life before, so he regarded this as repaying his gratitude.
jackie coughed awkwardly. Dennis was being too careless. If he refused to take any salary, would that not be too obvious?
“Oh, I’m not asking for much. Ten or twenty thousand will do!” Dennis quickly caught on and said.
“So little? Isn’t that a disadvantage for you? You’re a marshal!” Fiona was a little embarrassed. Ten to twenty thousand a month for a marshal to be a bodyguard to protect her daughter, and to protect herself and others by the way, it would be too cost-effective.
“I’m idle anyway. Since I don’t have anything else to do, I’ll just treat it as something to pass my time with!” Dennis chuckled.
“Let’s agree on twenty thousand a month then. I’ll transfer the money to you every month!”
After brief consideration, jackie spoke to Dennis and Fiona again, “By the way, since it’s secret protection, it’s best not to discuss this matter openly. If this information leaks out, and if there’s really a hitman, the other party will be prepared for it or have a backup plan. It would be troublesome if the opponent engages any attack or defense strategies against us!”
In fact, jackie mainly said this to Fiona, in case she went out and bragged about the fact a marshal was employed as their bodyguard.
“Sure, sure, I won’t say anything!” Fiona nodded immediately.
“Except for the few of us here, don’t even tell Clifford or the other about this!” Selena looked around and said.
“Don’t worry. I understand. I won’t say anything!”
Chapter 397 Fiona smiled and said, “Oh yes, Dennis, please have a seat inside. Do you want to have a few drinks too?”
“that won’t be necessary. It’s too late, I should go!” Dennis chuckled and soon drove away.
“Selena, let me see what that is?” Fiona was looking at the box in Selena’s hand. She was nearly dying from curiosity.
Selena opened the box and looked inside, “A jade bracelet. I think the material looks pretty good. I’m afraid it’s worth at least a few hundred thousand.”
“No way, so expensive!” Fiona drew in a cold breath, “Dennis is too generous!” Having said that, she turned her attention towards jackie, “ jackie, you lucky boy, saving the life of Dennis. It seems to me that your medical skills are really good. Besides, he has even referred to you as his brother. It must be a blessing from your ancestors!”
“I’m just lucky!” jackie chuckled before entering the house.
Looking at jackie’s retreating back, Fiona shrugged and helped Selena put on the bracelet, “This bracelet looks really good on you! It’s a pity I can’t tell anyone that a marshal is our bodyguard. It’s really suffocating. I can’t even brag about it to my friends.”
“Ah, just keep a low profile. What’s there to brag about?” Selena sighed, at a loss on how to respond.
…
At this time, Ivan called Ken and Neil out.
“Young Master Taylor, how come you’re so free to invite us for drinks?” Neil smiled before he continued, “The hitman said that jackie will be killed within five days. Two days have passed, I wonder if she has taken any action?”
“Yeah, I really look forward to the day for jackie to be killed!” Ken started laughing.
Ivan’s expression was ominous, “The other party has already taken action!”
“Really? How was it? It must be a success, right? She’s very skillful and good at transfiguration. I didn’t expect that she could do it so soon,” Neil was overjoyed and looked at Ivan expectantly.
“She’s quick to take action and quick to die too!” Ivan picked up the glass of red wine in front of him and downed it in one gulp.
“What? jackie died that quickly? That’s too good for him. D*mmit, he should be tortured before being killed!”
When Ivan heard that, he could not help but sneer, “Yeah, we forgot to instruct the hitman to torture that guy first. It’s best to take a video of him kneeling and begging for his life so that we could watch it!”
Ken was also a little resentful, thinking that jackie had gotten off too easily.
“what the hell were you thinking about? D*mmit, I was talking about the hitman. She died too quickly!” Ivan smiled bitterly as he spoke, but in his heart, he was at a loss on how to react, “It’s still fine for her to die, but the point is, she kidnapped Selena this morning, and my contract ended up not being signed. When I returned home, the other family members actually made fun of me.”
“What!” Ken and Neil exclaimed in unison, wondering if their ears were playing tricks on them.
Chapter 398 “No, that can’t be. Isn’t she ranked the fifth on the hitman leaderboard in the southwest district? Didn’t she claim she could face a marshal head-on?” After a long while, with his mouth twitching slightly, Neil turned to Ivan and said, “Young Master Taylor, you can’t be kidding, right? If he can’t be killed like this, you’ll have your work cut out for you. It’s more difficult to kill him than reaching the heavens!”
“That’s right, Young Master Taylor. You must be joking. She can even transfigure herself. Under such circumstances, isn’t it a piece of cake to get rid of jackie?” Ken was still baffled.
“maybe if she didn’t transfigure herself or engage in any elaborate killing rituals, she might succeed in killing jackie! Who’d expect that woman to transfigure herself as Selena and kidnap her? Based on her past killing patterns, she must be planning to kill jackie in front of Selena. But something happened in the process. That woman gave the game away and jackie found out about it. As a result, not only did jackie not expose her, but he went along with it and killed her when she was caught unawares. So you tell me, if a hitman was unprepared, isn’t that the same as losing her life?” Ivan sneered and gulped down another glass of red wine that was just filled up. “What rotten luck. F*ck!”
“I…” Neil was at a loss for words. “What kind of hitman is this? She’s too careless to get spotted by jackie. I guess jackie must have launched a sneak attack on her after he found out. Otherwise, he’s not a match for her in a fair fight!”
“That’s right. jackie is simply too lucky. This hitman likes playing tricks and ended up killing herself. If they went head-on against each other, jackie is most definitely not an opponent!” Ken smiled bitterly too. “Take the last time when jackie fought at the arena as an example of his lucky streak. Dennis had beaten O’Neal within an inch of his life when jackie just finished him with one kick. and Here I was thinking that jackie was a tough opponent and strong in combat. He only kicked that person’s neck, but it ended up with the chest and other areas exploding from the impact, and those were the areas hit by Dennis in the first place! Obviously, the opponent’s death was not caused by jackie!” Neil explained helplessly. Although he was unwilling to concede, he did not have a choice. jackie always had good luck.
“Sigh, let’s talk about our next steps!” Ivan sighed, but something occurred to him and he stood up quickly with a slap on his forehead, “Oh yes, I almost forgot, didn’t you give me that drug? let’s figure out a way to let jackie drink it, and our problem will be solved!”
“That’s a bit difficult, right? When we used one hundred million to engage Fiona the last time, it ended up a failure too!” Ken frowned in dejection.
“of course the plan would fail if you got her to do it. Not only is she greedy, but she’s also a coward. Do you understand? There’s one person who can definitely do the job. Furthermore, she’s now my girlfriend!” Ivan chuckled, took out his phone, called Xena, and told her to come over.
After the call, he turned back to the other two, “Most importantly, the two of you must keep this matter a secret. Her identity must not be revealed!”
“Who’s that?” Neil looked confused.
“You’ll find out when she gets here. she’s a beauty too. Tsk, tsk, and she tastes amazing!” Ivan smirked and could not help licking his lips.
After a while, Xena, wearing a sexy dress, came into the private room.
“Here, let me introduce you. This is Young Master Ken Clark, and this is Young Master Neil Hugo!” Ivan stood up and introduced them with all smiles. “And this is my girlfriend, Xena jackieson!”
Chapter 399 “It’s a pleasure to meet the two young masters. Here, let me give you a toast!” Xena smiled and poured herself a glass of red wine.
Of course, she was ecstatic. These two were the young masters of a second-class aristocratic family. By following Ivan, she could get in touch with people of a higher status, certainly much better than with Ben. She, Xena jackieson, had finally entered the upper-class social circle.
“Xena jackieson, why do I find this name familiar?” Ken frowned as he sipped his red wine. Very quickly, his eyes lit up. “Now I remember. Aren’t you Ben Taylor’s girlfriend?”
“yeah, she used to be, but not anymore!” Ivan laughed. “She’s my woman now, but for the time being, she has to stay with that useless Ben to collect some information for us. Besides, for some of the things that Fiona can’t do for us, Xena can definitely do it!”
Xena rolled her eyes seductively at Ivan. “You’re so mean. What else do I have to do? I thought you asked me out to have fun, but it turns out that you want me to do something for you!”
“of course we’re here to enjoy ourselves!” Ivan laughed and pressed a kiss on Xena’s cheek, before taking out a small packet, “This is a type of drug, but don’t worry, the person won’t die immediately after taking it. It’s colorless and odorless. After consuming it, that person will take about a month to die. Before that, the person will become thinner and weaker, feeling weak in the limbs as if they were ill. Even the doctors won’t be able to trace it!”
“My goodness, there’s such a powerful drug?” Xena took a deep breath and frowned. “Let me guess, who are you going to give this drug to? Well, it should be jackie, right? After all, Young Master Clark and Young Master Hugo seem to like Selena, so it can’t be her. It must be jackie that you want to get rid of, right?”
“Babe, you’re so smart. I’ve not even said anything yet, and you’ve guessed it all! I must reward you properly tonight!” Ivan was very pleased. He hugged Xena around her waist and kissed her cheek again.
“It’s a promise!” Xena blushed and said bashfully.
“Of course. We’ll find a hotel later and have a good rest. Tomorrow morning, I’ll transfer one million for you to pamper yourself! After you’ve given this drug to jackie successfully, I’ll buy you a villa of your choice. How about that?” Ivan smiled.
“A villa? Really? I want a better one, not the ones out in the suburbs!” Xena’s eyes lit up immediately. A better villa would not be worth one or two million, but rather, seven or eight million. At least, it would be considered pretty good in a place like Eastfield, and ordinary people would not be able to afford a place like that in their lifetime.
“That goes without saying. For you, everything must be the best!” Ivan felt a bit excited as he saw Xena keeping the packet of drug.
If jackie could be dealt with by using such a small amount of money, it would definitely be worth it. After all, one hundred and fifty million did not achieve that result. Ken and Neil exchanged a gleeful look. They had to admit that Ivan’s idea was pretty good.
Chapter 400 “Oh yes, Young Master Taylor, I think it’s best for Miss jackieson not to take any action recently!”
After thinking for a while, Neil continued, “They just met the hitman after all, so we have already disturbed the hornet’s nest. jackie must be on his guard already. If we act now, I’m afraid we’d get into trouble if anything goes wrong!”
Xena also nodded repeatedly. “I agree, especially since I’m on bad terms with jackie, he might be wary of me. Another point is that jackie is a smart guy and not easy to deal with. So, we should wait for a while until they relax their vigilance!”
Ivan thought for a moment before he said, “Let’s wait until Grandpa Taylor’s seventieth birthday is over. By that time, if jackie can’t pay me ten million in compensation or can’t come up with a gift worth ten million, he will be forced to divorce Selena and get kicked out of the Taylor family anyway!” Speaking of this, Ivan smiled. “In that case, then there’s no need to administer the drug to him. But if he can do it by then, after the birthday party, you’ll think of a way to give him the drug. After one month, he’ll slowly die.”
“Oh no, if he’s going to divorce Selena and get kicked out of the Taylor family, I don’t have to give him the drug. Then, Young Master Taylor won’t buy me a villa?” That occurred to Xena very quickly and she was a little unhappy.
“that won’t do. Of course, I’ll still buy it for you. You’re my girlfriend, my woman! If jackie was kicked out after the birthday party, I’ll buy you a villa as a celebration! If he’s not kicked out, then we’ll wait until you give him the drug before I buy one for you as a reward. How about that?” Ivan said with a smile. Xena was not stupid. If she was being used without giving her any benefit, what would he do if she exposed such things in the future?
Therefore, Ivan would not pinch on the hush money that was meant for her. Besides, this woman looked great. Putting aside the possibility of getting married to her in the future, it was still good to have fun with her now. He was even looking forward to seeing Ben’s reaction when he found out he was cuckolded.
“let’s have a drink at the bar. It won’t be long before the Old Master’s birthday party. At that time, I’ll come and have a look too!” Neil laughed before he continued, “Recently, I’ve sent people to watch jackie in secret too, to see if he went into any luxury stores or bought any gifts worth tens of millions. However, except for going to and from work, it seems like that guy didn’t go into any expensive jade shop or gold shops!”
“Yeah, a gift worth ten million isn’t that easy to purchase, right? Unless it’s an antique!” Ken also laughed heartily.
With that plan in mind, they were not so worried anymore.
The next day, Selena went to work early in the morning. Dennis drove secretly and escorted her to the company before leaving. Ivan and Janet soon appeared in Selena’s office. This time, they finally met Selena and the signing of the contract went smoothly.
At noon, jackie received a call from Dennis asking him out.
“What’s up? Are you looking for me?” After arriving at a coffee shop and sitting down, jackie asked Dennis.
“How do I put it? It’s not a big deal, but I think I should tell you about it and let you decide if you are interested to go!” Dennis smiled before he continued, “Tomorrow, one of the Kings of War, Magnus Sutherland, will be holding a congregation at the Carefree Manor as a meeting of the comrades to strengthen our network and friendship. He’ll be responsible for all the expenses and just hope that some of the comrades can participate. I know that many assistant commanders, head commanders, and marshals will be going, and a few kings of war will be joining too!”
“Sure, it’s a good gathering for all the brothers who fought in arms. Having a few drinks together is a great thing!” jackie nodded with satisfaction at that information.
“Well, I heard that he has invited the Goddess of War too, so I wonder if Goddess Lana will turn up! As for you, they didn’t know that such a great person like you is in Eastfield, so they didn’t invite you!”
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