DRAMA NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 411-420
Chapter 411
“Whoa, am I seeing this right? They actually agreed? This client must be loaded”
“I so wish I could land a billion–dollar project”
“Just what kind of job is worth a billion?”
Arabella opened the system sent by the client on her phone, and it was way more complex than she had anticipated. There was no way she could crack it in half an hour.
At that moment, Romeo walked in after a phone call. Seeing that she hadn’t touched her food and was still on her phone, he couldn’t help but ask, “Are you working or something?”
“Nope” Arabella put away her phone and looked at the dozen or so dishes in front of her. “Why did you order so much food?”
She hadn’t noticed earlier, but he’d ordered a ton of food in a flash..
“There are some new dishes. I thought you might want to try them. What do you think?”
Meanwhile
Carl was stunned when Alex logged off after receiving the money. Was Alex going to take off?
Everyone said Alex was amazing, with a 100% success rate on tasks, but they were all stories. This was their first time working with Alex!
If he really took off.
After some thought, Carl couldn’t help but call Romeo.
This was the fourth time Romeo had received a call from Carl that day, and he was getting a bit impatient. “You better have something important to say.” Carl had the audacity to interrupt his date.
“Mr. McMillan, Alex took the money and logged off! I’m worried he.”
Losing some money was one thing, but the system was something they’d worked hard to get.
If it got leaked, their losses would be immense!
“He wouldn’t dare.”
Romeo didn’t seem bothered. As long as Alex left his information on the website, finding him would be a piece of cake.
Carl was surprised that Mr. McMillan was more relaxed than he was, and his heart finally settled down.
Elsewhere.
Zachary entered the password to his villa, and the first thing he saw was a small garden.
“Zachary, look, so many roses!”
Yolanda hadn’t expected the seeds she’d casually sown to bloom into so many flowers, and she was overjoyed.
}
“The maid comes over to clean and water them every day.” Zachary led her into the garden, and seeing her happy face made him feel better.
“In the future, the girl who will admire these flowers with you will be someone else.” Yolanda touched the scene and pretended to be sentimental.
“Yoli.”
“I’m okay; as long as you’re happy, I’m satisfied!” Yolanda pretended to squat down to smell the roses.
She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, closed her eyes, and showed a calm face, deliberately showing her cleavage.
Under the sunlight, every movement she made was full of innocent beauty.
After a while, she stood up and said, “Zachary, could you get me a small jar? I want to dig up one.”
Zachary swallowed hard, his voice a bit heavy. “If you’d like, you can come over and see them anytime.”
“That won’t do; this will be the home of you and another girl in the future. It’s not appropriate for me to come.” Yolanda didn’t wait for his answer and continued, “Zachary, I’m a bit thirsty.”
“Come with me.” Zachary tried to lead her inside for water, but she hesitated and stopped.
“Zachary, I won’t go in. What if your other half finds out I’ve been here?” Yolanda looked a bit uneasy.
“You are my other half.” Zachary looked back at her and said it word for word, then pulled her into the living room.
Other than the maid who came to clean every day, no one else had been to the house, so there was only bottled water.
Zachary handed Yolanda one of the bottles of water and even helped her open it.
Yolanda noticed his small changes and was secretly delighted. She took a few sips, and while she was looking for an opportunity to drug his water, his phone rang.. While he went to answer the call, Yolanda quickly poured the prepared powder into his water and mixed it well, then pretended to sit nonchalantly on the couch, waiting for him to return.
After a while, Zachary came back from his call, took a few sips of water, and noticed nothing unusual.
Yolanda breathed a sigh of relief, then softly said, “Zachary, could you show me around here again?”
“Sure.” Zachary took her hand and showed her the living room, kitchen, and bedroom.
Looking at the large bed in the bedroom, Yolanda couldn’t help but say, “In the future, you’ll be here with another girl.”
She bit her lip, pretending to be heartbroken, and broke away from his hand to leave.
Zachary quickly grabbed her hand, saw the tears in her eyes, and his last bit of reason was about to disappear.
“Yoli.” Zachary cornered her against the wall and passionately kissed her.
“Zachary, don’t.” Yolanda tilted her neck back, pretending to dissuade him: “We’ve broken off our engagement; this isn’t right.”
“Yoli, let’s not break off the engagement”
“What did you say?”
“I want to marry you and be with you! Zachary had lost his reason, and all he had left was a promise: “I will take responsibility for you!”
After a while, Yolanda looked at the boy sleeping next to her with a triumphant smile on her lips.
If Zachary’s mother knew about this, she’d be furious!
Thinking about the old woman’s angry face made Yolanda secretly pleased.
Hmph, the last one standing was still her, Yolanda!
That old woman dared to encourage her son to leave her, she’ll show her once she married into the Panter family!
Yolanda leaned against the headboard and told Olga Murphy about it. Olga was thrilled because it meant Zachary had to take responsibility for Yoli for the rest of his life.
This was great news!
“Mom, didn’t you say you were going to invite all our friends and family to my party? You–can start planning now; Zachary will be there too.” “Great, that’s awesome!”
It wasn’t until it got dark that Zachary opened his eyes. He heard some faint sobbing next to him. He turned his head and saw Yoli crying! Yolanda sat at the head of the bed, hugging a pillow, her eyes swollen from crying. She looked like a sad little bunny. “Zachary, I wanted to, I don’t blame you: Now that you’re awake, let’s just forget this ever happened. I need to go home.” She pretended to get up, but Zachary quickly grabbed her hand. He saw the red marks on her neck and arms. Zachary was completely stunned.
He didn’t know how he could have lost control like that!
Yoli was only eighteen.
“I’m sorry, Yoli, I lost control.” Zachary helplessly pulled her into his arms and said, “I once said, ‘I’ll take responsibility for you.”.
Chapter 412
“So our engagement.” Yolanda was on the verge of tears.
Zachary firmly stated, “We’re not calling it off!”
“And your parents.”
“I’ll tell them, the engagement party goes on as planned!”
“Zachary, you’re so good to me.” Yolanda buried her face in his chest, her eyes flashing with satisfaction.
Meanwhile.
After breakfast, Romeo took Arabella to Summerfield’s largest amusement park. It was Saturday, and the place was packed.
“Have you been here before?” Romeo asked softly, looking down at Arabella.
“No.”
When Arabella was young, Attlee and Olga were often not at home. They never took her out, let alone spent time with her.
Romeo took her hand and said, “I heard kids love this place.”
So he still saw her as a kid?
The ticket checker couldn’t take his eyes off the stunning couple, a perfect match. She was gorgeous, and he was so suave.
“Have a blast.” The employee said this after checking their tickets.
Arabella grabbed a map at the entrance. The park was much bigger than she expected, with a lot of attractions.
“What do you want to try first?” Romeo asked softly.
Arabella’s eyes fell on the carousel, the closest ride. But it seemed a bit childish.
Romeo noticed her glance towards the carousel and assumed she was interested. So he led her towards It.
He still thought she’s a kid interested in the merry–go–round.
“The sun’s pretty harsh today; put this on.” Romeo handed her a sun hat and a sunscreen spray and said, “Let me do it.”
“It’s not necessary.” Arabella was not used to sunscreen; she preferred her skin tanned.
“At least put on a bit; I don’t want you to get burned.” Romeo insisted and sprayed her legs, said, “Wait here, I’ll go line up.”
Arabella was touched by his thoughtfulness.
A woman nearby nudged her husband: “Look at that guy, so handsome and considerate. And then look at you!”
Her husband, a bald man with a big belly.
“What’s wrong with me?” He defended himself, saying, “Handsome guys can’t be trusted!”
“You’re the one who can’t be trusted!”
}
Romeo left Arabella under a tree and went to queue up.
Arabella noticed he was dressed casually today, with a crossbody bag on his back, looking youthful and energetic.
She never thought he would look so good without a suit, full of youthful vitality.
A few college girls standing behind him were obviously attracted by Romeo’s handsome face.
“Hey there, are you here alone?”
“Can we have your number?”
“We’re all single; no boyfriends.”
One girl blushed as she spoke, waiting anxiously for Romeo’s response.
Chapter 413
“I’ve got a girlfriend already.” Romeo announced, his gaze falling on a girl not too far away. His eyes softened instantly. The surrounding girls, hearing this and realizing that he’s taken and the girl’s beauty was miles above theirs, fell silent.
Arabella, seeing his conversation winding down, got up and walked towards him.
Romeo immediately pulled her into his arms and said, “Why don’t you take a break? It’s pretty hot here”
“We’re up next”
Romeo saw a hint of jealousy in the girl’s eyes and smiled warmly. Leaning close to her ear, he asked in a low voice, “Are you jealous?”
Was Arabella coming over to assert to the other girls that this man was hers?
“You’re overthinking: Arabella responded coolly, her face stunningly beautiful.
After a while, it was their turn. Arabella looked at the merry–go-round ahead of her. Although she wasn’t particularly interested, there were so many rides in the amusement park that she didn’t know what to pick, so she just got on it, moving gracefully.
Romeo sat on the horse next to her, holding her hand; his eyes were filled with her and only her.
With the music starting, the horses began to rise and fall. Romeo looked at Arabella, and Arabella looked back at him.
A few female college students behind them watched with envy. This girl’s boyfriend was so gentle and handsome!
A woman nearby then grabbed her husband’s ear and said, “Look at that! He doesn’t hesitate to ride the merry–go–round with his girlfriend, but you’re worried about losing face, thinking it’s childish!”
“Ouch! Let go; there are people around. Can’t you be gentle?” her husband winced, covering his ear. “We’re here for our grandson, not on a date! Besides, it’s summer; holding hands is too hot!”
“All you do is make excuses! You just don’t know how to be romantic!”
Arabella looked at Romeo; his eyes seemed like a burning galaxy, sparkling brightly.
“Don’t you think this is a bit childish?” she asked softly.
God knew what the higher–ups at his company would think if they saw their CEO on a merry–go–round.
“Bella,” Romeo said, holding her hand, “Every moment I spend with you, I feel so happy. No matter what we do, as long as you’re happy, I’m happy.”
Just then, a flash of light drew their attention. Arabella turned around and saw that the college students were sneakily taking pictures of them!
The college student was scared. She thought they looked so perfect that she couldn’t help but capture the moment.
Romeo’s expression cooled. “I’ll deal with this.”
But as he was about to get down, Arabella tightened her grip on his hand. “No need; it’s fine.”
The girl didn’t know who they were, so there was no threat.
Romeo felt Arabella’s grip on his hand tighten, and his heart warmed. He tightened his grip on her hand in return.
“Should we take some pictures too?”
“Huh?” Arabella was surprised he would suggest such a thing but responded with a simple, “Sure.”
Romeo took out his phone and took a few pictures, but felt that they were too far apart. So he got off his horse and joined Arabella on hers.
Regardless of whether the rules allowed for two people on one horse, the closeness made Arabella’s cheeks flush.
“This way we’ll look better in the pictures.” Romeo held her from behind, his handsome face gently resting on her shoulder.
The park staff turned a blind eye. She couldn’t bear to ask such a handsome man to get down.
“Couples usually take pictures like this, right?” As soon as Romeo finished speaking, he gave her a light peck on the cheek. Arabella looked slightly taken aback, and this moment was perfectly captured by Romeo’s phone.
“Romeo!”
“Bella, look at the camera.” Romeo held her with one arm, his eyes shining like stars.
He rarely smiled at work. People at the company mostly saw his cold exterior. But in front of Arabella, his smile was more frequent.
Chapter 414
Arabella and he snapped loads of pictures until the merry–go–round came to a halt and Romeo dismounted, leading her off by the hand. “What do you want to do next?”
Arabella found the amusement park games too basic and pulled out the map to look for something more exciting, like roller coasters.
“Are you afraid of heights?” Arabella asked the man in front of her.
“The only thing I’m scared of is you.” Romeo looked at her and said, word by word, “I’m scared you won’t like me, that you’ll leave me. I’m not scared of anything else.”
Arabella was a little taken aback by his confession and just walked ahead.
Romeo kept pace with her and took her hand. “Arabella, are you afraid of heights?”
If she was, they could switch to another game.
Arabella smiled, thinking, “Of course I’m not scared.”
“Please fasten your seatbelts,” the staff reminded everyone nearby. “Safety first!”
After he fastened Arabella’s seatbelt, Romeo showed no intention of fastening his own.
Arabella reached out and gently buckled his
“Are you worried something might happen to me?”
“Not really,” Arabella said nonchalantly. “I just don’t want to have to take care of you if you get hurt.”
Romeo laughed, saying, “If it means having you by my side, I wouldn’t mind.”
Arabella looked at him, thinking, How could he jinx himself like this?
“As a girl, taking care of me would be tough. So, I’ll take care of you,‘ Romeo said, hand in hand with her and smiling, “Don’t worry; for you, I’ll stay healthy and safe.” The roller coaster took off quickly, filling Romeo and Arabella’s ears with people’s screams,
It climbed slowly uphill, then seemed to plunge straight down. The roller coaster flipped and bumped, with screams rising and falling around them.
Roméo found that Arabella wasn’t scared at all. He hadn’t expected her to be so brave.
But it made sense. How could Arabella, who could handle shooting games and lead an entire team, possibly be scared?
Five minutes later, the roller coaster stopped, and a few people rushed off to vomit.
Riding the roller coaster together, Romeo held Arabella’s hand and asked, “Does this count as experiencing the ups and downs of life?“:
Like a five–minute lifetime.
It felt like they had gone through all sorts of dangers and trials together but never let go of each other’s hands..
“I find that every time I see you, my feelings are like a roller coaster ride.
His feelings fluctuated because of his affection for Arabella.
Arabella lifted her eyes and couldn’t help asking, “When did you start liking me?”
Romeo smiled gently. “The first time I saw you at the hospital saving my grandfather, I thought you were special.”
He didn’t realize then that he was falling for her.
Before he met her, he didn’t believe in love at first sight, even thought love was not important in his life.
But after meeting her, his ideas and views all changed.
For the first time in his life, he wanted to hold a girl’s hand, protect her, and have a shared future and a home of their own.
It was also his first time experiencing deep longing for someone.
His feelings were completely changed by a girl!
When Arabella didn’t reply to his messages, he felt a sense of loss.
When Arabella smiled at him, he felt happiness.
Chapter 415
“What do you really like about me?” Arabella asked, raising her eyes
Romeo gently caressed her face, saying softly. “I like everything about you, your eyes, your mouth, every expression, the way you look when you’re angry, jealous, happy I like your unique vibe and the sparkle in your eyes when you look at me”
Arabella shrugged off his words, “So, basically, you’re just a sucker for a pretty face Tonly have eyes for you.” Romeo quickly corrected, “Everything about you. I love it.” Arabella’s heart warmed at his words, quickly changing the subject, “So, where to next?” “You decide”
Arabella picked out some thrilling attractions and went on a rafting adventure together. In the narrow waterway, Romeo cradled her in his arms, both wearing faces full of joy.
Next stop the haunted house.
Romeo’s gaze landed on the haunted house not too far away. If Arabella got scared, he could protect her!
“Let’s do this one,” Arabella said casually, “Let’s check it out.”
She was curious to see whether the haunted house was scarier than the “triangular zone” she had experienced.
Romeo heard her casual tone, sounding more like she was going shopping rather than embarking on an adventure. She was braver than he had imagined. Before entering the haunted house, they had to pass through a narrow, dark passage.
Romeo held Arabella’s hand tightly, “Watch your step.”
There were switches all over the floor that they carefully avoided. Then they saw skull heads hung all over the walls and fake blood splatters everywhere. The blood looked so fake.
Arabella thought, how could anyone get scared by such poorly made props?
Meanwhile, a couple behind them were already screaming and running back.
Was it really that scary?
Arabella didn’t quite get it. There were staff members dressed as ghosts jumping out to scare them from time to time. However, far from being scared, Arabella’s calm demeanour even unnerved the staff.
The staff thought this couple’s aura was too strong!
As they moved forward, they entered a chamber full of coffins. As soon as they stepped in, the door automatically shut behind them.
It looked like there was no way out. All they could hear were eerie noises and flickering lights.
“Don’t be scared.” Romeo’s voice was gentle.
Scared??
}
Arabella was a bit scared, scared that she might not be able to resist kicking the ghosts when they jumped out.
After all, she had instinctively reacted a few times already. If it weren’t for Romeo, she might have kicked the staff member playing the ghost into the corner in the next second.
Just then, a trap was triggered, and dozens of darts flew towards them.
“Watch out!” Romeo shielded Arabella in his arms and quickly dodged most of the darts.
Ghosts wielding knives suddenly appeared from the coffins and other corners, attacking the couple. Arabella pulled a curtain to block them, only to find the curtain slashed by the knives.
“We’ve got company!” Arabella wasn’t the only one who noticed. Romeo also realized that the people attacking them were not staff members. Their skills were clearly at an assassin’s level!
Who sent them? How dare they?
“Bella, be careful.” At that moment, Romeo shielded her behind him, kicked off one of the attackers, and quickly knocked down another rushing towards them.
These people were targeting him alone!
Was it his enemies wanting to kill him? Or was it someone else?
Anyone who scared Arabella deserved a beating!
Chapter 416
Arabella hid behind Romeo, looking at his handsome profile She suddenly felt a warmth in her heart.
One by one, the enemies fell under his fists Arabella was a bit puzzled. These guys were so weak. Who gave them the guts even to try and assassinate them?
These guys needed some serious training when they got back. They were so weak, and it’s laughable.
Before long, Romeo kicked the last enemy into the comer of the wall. The man screamed in pain, his head bleeding from the impact
Listening to the painful screams echoing throughout the room, Romeo softly told the girl behind him, “Bella, turn around and cover your ears.”
“Okay” Arabella knew what was about to happen and obediently followed his command.
Romeo’s eyes filled with a cold light. He stomped on one of the men’s hands, his voice icy, “Who sent you here?”
“Ah The man fainted from the pain of hearing his own bones breaking.
The others were terrified. They all tried to run toward the exit, trying to escape.
With barely any effort, Romeo sent the lid of a coffin flying towards them, causing another round of screams.
“If you guys manage to escape and I have to drag you back here, you’re going to wish all you got was a beating,” he warned them, his voice cold and ruthless.
Realizing they could not escape, they all fell to their knees, begging for mercy, their faces filled with fear.
“Mr. Romeo, please spare us! We were just blinded by greed, and we weren’t thinking.”
“We really don’t know who wants you dead.”
“The person who hired us is very mysterious.”
Before they could finish, Romeo stepped on the coffin lid, causing the men beneath it to scream in pain.
“Today, you messed with my girl.”
They were all shocked. Their eyes turned to the slender girl standing behind him. Was she important to Romeo? Were they on a date??
Did Romeo get this mad because they scared her?
So did that mean Romeo cared more about her than his own life??
Before they can even process this, Romeo increased the pressure on the coffin lid.
One of the assassins couldn’t take it anymore and spat out blood.
The weight of the coffin lid was too much, and it was unbearable.
“Still can’t remember? Huh?” Romeo’s voice seemed to echo from the depths of hell, sending chills down their spines.
One of them was so scared he was shaking all over. He quickly confessed, “It’s Ethan Barlow! He paid a billion to take your life!”
Ethan?
He was one of Romeo’s competitors. Recently, they fought over a piece of land with a total area of 400,000 square meters.
So it was Ethan who was behind all this?
Romeo’s gaze turned even colder, his contempt–filled voice, “Only a billion?”
“Huh?”
“So my life is worth that little to you?”
“No, that’s not it, Mr. Romeo. We’re just in need of money, it has nothing to do with you.”
“The next time something like this happens, even if you need money, you better have a minimum price.”
The man quickly caught on and nodded furiously, “I understand. If anyone makes an offer next time, if it’s not at least a hundred billion, we definitely won’t accept! No, if anyone tries to harm you next time, we’ll definitely inform you immediately.”
They definitely won’t accept any jobs related to Romeo ever again.
“Do you think I need you to inform me?” There was nothing but disdain in Romeo’s eyes.
“Me, I mean we’re out of this business from now on, never to be involved in this sort of thing again!” The guy was so terrified that tears streamed down his face. Panicked, he forgot his dignity and knelt down to beg, “Please, have mercy and let us go!”
Romeo sneered, “You should be grateful she’s here.”
Everyone shivered in fear. Did Romeo mean that if it weren’t for the girl’s presence, he would have killed them all to avoid scaring her?
Who was this girl? Some rich family’s darling daughter?
If they had known, they would have kidnapped her instead! Romeo was too hard to deal with! A girl would have been an easier target. This was what the assassins were thinking.
Romeo stood up, pulled out his phone and called Carl, “Need you to come over and handle something.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed someone trying to sneak away.
“Who said you could move?”
The guy was so scared he nearly lost his soul. He quickly lay back down, shivering uncontrollably.
Only then did Romeo walk over to Arabella and hold her hand, gently saying, “Don’t be scared. I’m here.”
He looked her over, “Are you hurt?”
Arabella shook her head.
Once he was sure she wasn’t injured, Romeo scooped her up in his arms, his gaze falling on the people on the ground, “Stay down, all of you.”
If he found anyone missing later, everyone else could forget about living!
The assassins had no words. They wanted to escape but couldn’t move. Romeo had been too forceful earlier, and several of them had broken ribs, and many parts of their bodies were injured.
Every little movement was agonizing. How could they run away?
Arabella was carried out of the secret room by Romeo. She whispered, “Put me down. I can walk.”
“It’s dark here. If you fall, I’ll be devastated.”
“I’ll be careful.” She wasn’t blind. She could walk this little distance even with her eyes closed!
Romeo was treating her like a child.
“What if there’s more danger?” Romeo carried her step by step. Just behave. Once we’re out, I’ll put you down.”
Arabella looked up at his chiselled jaw, “You weren’t hurt, were you?”
“Are you worried about me?” Romeo grinned, “I wish I got hurt a bit. That way, you’d have to care for my wounds and worry about me.”
Arabella denied it, “I couldn’t care less about you.”.
“Even if hurt, I can’t earn your concern?” Romeo rubbed his face against hers, “You naughty girl.”
Why was it so hard to earn her attention?
Romeo carried her out of the haunted house. Carl followed closely and brought people over.
“Mr. McMillian, are you and Ms. Bella okay?”
“We’re fine.”
“That’s good.” Carl breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, there was no major incident!
He quickly took his people inside to clean up.”
Meanwhile, the amusement park manager, the head of security in the area, and other senior executives hurried over and kept bowing and apologizing.
“Mr. Romeo, I failed to notice people posing as a staff trying to attack you. I’m truly sorry, and this is completely my fault.”
“I’m so glad you’re okay! If anything had happened to you here, I wouldn’t be able to apologize even if I died!”
“Mr. Romeo, I admit my negligence. I must take responsibility for the security issues here!”
Romeo glanced at them coldly, saying indifferently, “I know.”
Those two executives and the people following them were scared. They kept their heads down, afraid of Romeo’s anger.
What should they do? Mr. Romeo and his girlfriend were nearly in danger, and their apologies seemed to do no good!
Chapter 418
They were sweating bullets, their forehead moist with beads of perspiration.
“Mr. Romeo, give us another shot! We’re really sorry!”
“We’ll beef up the security, swear to God, this won’t happen again!”
“We’d stake our lives on it!”
Romeo just tossed them a “Figure it out yourselves” and sauntered off with Arabella.
“Thought you were going to put me down?”
“I’ll hold you a bit longer.” Romeo had a date planned with her on Saturday, which got royally screwed up by Ethan. Messing with his business was one thing, but messing with his date was a different ballpark.
He wasn’t going to let this slide!
“I’ll take you somewhere else next time,” Romeo said, his voice soft.
They’d been on enough rides at the amusement park.
“What do you usually do on weekends?” Arabella asked, looking up at him.
“Before I met you, I worked.”
After meeting her, he spent his days daydreaming about her, hoping for more time to spend with her.
Just then, someone spotted Romeo carrying Arabella towards the exit. Bathed in sunlight, they looked stunning together, their heights, their aura, they were like a match made in heaven.
“Look at her, and she’s so lucky. Being carried by her boyfriend.”
“So sweet. I wish I had a boyfriend who’d carry me like that.”
“Get real, and you don’t even have a boyfriend!”
“I have a boyfriend, but he wouldn’t carry me in front of so many people. He’d feel embarrassed.”
“Good boyfriends are always other people’s. So envious!”
“Doesn’t that guy look familiar? I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere.”
“Now that you mention it, he does ring a bell, but where have I seen him.”
Romeo placed Arabella in the passenger seat, fastened her seatbelt, and handed her a water bottle.
“Drink this for now, and I’ll take you to get something else later.”
Arabella looked at the expensive water sourced from thousands of feet below the Hawaiian sea, desalinated, beneficial for both health and skin. And he was calling it ‘for now‘?
Meanwhile.
}
Zachary dropped Yolanda at home at the Murphy family, then went to his parents to spill the beans.
“Yoli and I have slept together, so we must go through with the engagement party. I need to take responsibility!”
Upon hearing the news, Zachary’s mother hit the roof, “How could I give birth to such a fool! Can’t you see? That girl is using you, and she’s leading you by the nose!”
Zachary cut her off impatiently, “Mom! Your prejudice against Yoli is deep–rooted! You have no idea how kind she is! She offered to break off the engagement to save me from a pickle. Every word in the breakup letter was to protect our dignity! She left me, not wanting a house, money, any compensation, just a rose symbolizing the past!”
What a kind, pure–hearted person would demand.
Chapter 419
“You, you’re the epitome of stupidity!” Zachary’s mom slammed the table angrily, her headache becoming unbearable and her heart starting to hurt.
“Look at what you’ve done to your poor mom!” Mr. Panter quickly comforted his wife, then said, “Next Monday is the wedding date we originally agreed on. I’m only going to ask you once, are you sure you want to get engaged to her?”
“I’m sure!” Zachary’s responded firm as if he had already decided to give everything for love.
“Alright, I respect your decision!”
“Honey!” Mrs. Panter wanted to say something, but Mr. Panter signaled her to calm down. It’s just an engagement party. Let’s let the Murphy family lower their guard first. If they did something to disappoint Zachary, he can always call off the wedding.
“But we’re old now, so you’ll have to handle all the arrangements for the engagement party and the guests yourself.” Mr. Panter clearly didn’t think much of the Murphy family’s daughter or care about the wedding party.
But for Zachary, he preferred to handle it himself. He would consult Yoli and make sure the engagement party was to her liking.
Once Zachary left satisfied, Mrs. Panter couldn’t hold her anger any longer. “You didn’t stop him, and you even encouraged his nonsense? That girl from the Murphy family isn’t easy to deal with. She’s cunning! Zachary marrying her would be worse than marrying Arabella!”
“Arabella is a piano master. Would she even look at your son? Don’t worry. The Murphy family won’t last long, their financial problems worsen, and bankruptcy is imminent. We, the Panter family, always honour our commitments. Holding the engagement party as planned will give us a good reputation.”
“But.”
“It’s just an engagement. Let the Murphy family think the wedding is a done deal. Once they can’t keep their cool and do something to disappoint our son, calling off the wedding will be inevitable.”
“What if they don’t do anything that disappoints Zachary?”
“Did you forget? A janitor raised that girl from the Murphy family. I found out that the Murphy family didn’t treat the janitor well. After the engagement, if we really don’t want to proceed, we can expose this scandal. If she can’t even respect the woman who raised her for 18 years, how could she respect us after marriage?” “That makes sense.”
“Don’t worry, we need to help our son let go of her step by step.”
Meanwhile.
Romeo took Arabella out for lunch, and then brought her back to Moon Bay.
“Take a nap at my place today.” Romeo patted her head, “I need to get some work done in the study. You rest first. I’ll take you somewhere in the afternoon.”
He had some urgent matters that needed to be dealt with on his computer.
“Okay.”
After Romeo left, Arabella cracked the combat system on her phone.
The system was complex, showing the high level of the team that developed it. But under her operations, the system was gradually cracked.
Later, she sent the cracked system over, and an additional gift, all in thirty–two minutes.
After finishing her task, she went to the balcony to admire the beautiful flowers. Under the sunlight, the flowers were blooming in the wind, and the beautiful lake was sparkling.
In her spare time, she played on her phone while lying on the bed, sending the money she earned to her subordinates, and checking the task list to see if there were any simple and high–paying tasks.
Meanwhile.
Carl excitedly called Romeo. “Mr. McMillian, that Alex is unbelievable! She cracked the system in less than half a day and even gave us an extra gift.”
“What extra gift?” Romeo asked in a serious tone.
“He figured we’d develop a new system after cracking the old one, so he provided us with a preliminary model of a new system. I didn’t expect he to be so talented in this area! Mr. McMillian, should we bring him onto our team?”
Chapter 420
“Do you think someone comfortable taking on high–paying tasks would be willing to work for others?” Romeo shot back.
True, folks took on tasks online because they can choose their own hours, not chained to a fixed work schedule.
“Plus, he cracked the existing system and set up a new one in less than half a day. With his skills and capabilities, why would he be content working with the rest of the team, stuck in a lab all day?”
He can create a new system by himself. What did he need others for? Would they just get in his way?
Carl admitted this made sense, but letting go of such an expert was a shame!
This guy was definitely beyond their research team!
If they could recruit such talent, it would be a huge boost for the future development of their group.
“How about we give him a cut of the profits? As for working hours, he can come and go as he pleases! As long as he can help us build a more powerful system or invest in other research?”
“Instead, why not just give him another hundred million to set up a whole new system.”
“Sure.”
“This new system is crucial for us, and it’s better if our people research it.”
No matter how powerful the other party was, if they had ulterior motives in the future, they’ll be the ones to suffer.
“I get it.” Carl reluctantly let go of this impractical thought.
After ending the cali, Romeo worked on his computer before heading to his bedroom half an hour later.
“Bella, are you asleep yet?”
He knocked on the door, but there was no response.
He wasn’t sure if the girl had covered herself with the blanket since it’s summer and the air conditioning might give her a cold if it’s too cool.
With that in mind, he opened the door to find the room quiet, the breeze lifting the curtains, and the girl lying on the bed like a beautiful painting.
Roméo suddenly wished time could stand still as the peaceful scene in front of him was how life should be.
The white sheets made Arabella seem like she was in a snowfield. She looked beautiful and petite on the large bed.
Walking over gently, Romeo covered her with the blanket when suddenly her phone fell out from under it.
Just as he picked it up, he noticed the page was still open. Clearly, the little girl had fallen asleep while playing on her phone.
The user name on the profile page of her phone read: Alex.
Arabella was Alex?
The task bar on the page showed a task worth a hundred million was completed an hour ago. And the specific completion time? She only took thirty–two minutes. And she did it after a date, in her spare time!
Carl was initially amazed, thinking she took half a day because their team took months and still couldn’t crack it.
But it turned out Arabella didn’t take half a day, but thirty–two minutes!
In just thirty–two minutes, Arabella solved a problem troubling their team for months!
If Carl knew, he’d probably be in shock, even questioning his life.
Romeo’s gaze fell on Arabella’s fresh and flawless face. So, this was another identity of Arabella’s. Carl suggested recruiting this hacker into their team, and having her work for them.
A slight smile curled on Romeo’s lips. How many more identities did this little girl have that he didn’t know about?
Each of her identities was unexpected and surprising to him.
Gently covering her with the blanket, Romeo bent down and kissed her soft lips..
“Rest well.”
Romeo’s gaze lingered on her repeatedly as if he couldn’t get enough. After a while, he locked the phone, put it on the bedside table, and quietly left.
Waking up after who knew how long, Arabella found the clock pointing to half past four in the afternoon. She had slept very soundly and comfortably by Romeo’s side.