Chapter 58
Chapter 58
Jimmy’s brows furrowed tightly. “This time, Mr. Watson is completely determined. I’ve tried every trick, but nothing, worked.”
Rupert felt his vision darken for a moment. “Dad, I don’t have the money to pay him back. This mess is Doris‘ fault. She’s the one who offended Mr. Watson, so she should be the one to fix it. It’s got nothing to do with us.”
The mere thought of Doris secretly marrying some ordinary guy sent flames of fury surging through Jimmy’s chest.
When Peyton returned from taking out the trash, she immediately noticed something was off.
“Rupert, you’re home? Have you eaten yet?” she asked with concern.
“How dare you ask that?” Rupert snapped. “This is all your fault! You handed over the birth certificate to your precious daughter, giving her the chance to get a marriage license and upset Ryan.
“We haven’t even paid off the one million dollars yet, and now Rupert’s been fired from his company. Ryan is clearly targeting the Reed family on purpose.
“She didn’t just ruin Rupert’s career; she’s also buried us under a mountain of debt. All of this is because of her.
Jimmy seized the opportunity to vent all his pent–up anger on Peyton. “How are we supposed to pay it back? The whole family working together for a lifetime wouldn’t be enough!”
“I… I didn’t know Doris was going to use it to get married. If I’d known, I never would have given it to her,” Peyton stammered, stunned that Doris had deceived her.
“You’re still trying to argue? This is entirely your fault. You’re just as much a troublemaker as Doris!” Jimmy shouted.
Rupert, too fed up to continue the argument, grabbed his bag and stormed off to his room.
After taking a nap to clear his head, Rupert got into his car and drove straight to Ryan’s mansion.
He waited at the entrance until past 11 p.m., when Ryan’s car finally pulled in, its headlights cutting through the darkness.
Rupert stepped directly into its path, forcing the vehicle to come to a halt. “Hi, R–Ryan.”
Ryan sat behind the wheel, his sharp, cold gaze fixed on Rupert standing in front of the car. His handsome face was a mask of frost.
He scoffed lightly and drove into the yard, parking the car before stepping out.
Rupert followed after him. “Ryan…”
Ryan turned, his eyes flashing with an icy, ruthless edge. “Doris is already married.”
He had never expected Doris to pull such a stunt. All this time, he thought she’d wait for him like he planned. Yet after their breakup, Doris moved on without hesitation, marrying another guy.
Ryan even doubted if Doris had ever really loved him.
Now, whenever Ryan saw any member of the Reed family, the humiliation of that day came rushing back in vivid detail.
Rupert’s sudden appearance only added insult to injury, making Ryan feel like a complete joke.
Rupert, meanwhile, also burned with resentment toward Doris, fully convinced that her selfishness had ruined everything.
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Chapter 58
His tone shifted immediately, adopting a pleading edge. “M–Mr. Watson, please don’t fire me. I’ll work harder. I promise! I’ll do better from now on.”
Ryan’s demeanor remained cold. “Rupert, you were never qualified to work at Watson Group in the first place. Don’t you have the faintest idea how you got hired? Save yourself the trouble and start looking for another job. Don’t waste time here,”
“Mr. Watson, I can’t lose this job. I’ll do anything you ask if you just let me stay. Please, I’m begging you.” Rupert implored, desperation dripping from his words.
Watson Group was a prestigious company, offering excellent pay and benefits. Rupert knew full well that he wouldn’t find another job like this if he lost it.
Ryan arched an eyebrow, his tone carrying a hint of cruel amusement. “The root cause still lies with Doris. If you can get her to come and beg me herself, I might consider it.”
Ryan had bent the rules to hire Rupert back then, all for Doris‘ sake. But for something so trivial, Doris had turned her back on him without a second thought.
Bitterness and resentment festered in Ryan’s heart, and as soon as he returned from his business trip, the first thing he did was instruct HR to terminate Rupert.
Putting pressure on the Reed family was just the opening act of his revenge. They were going to pay for every ounce of humiliation Doris had caused him.
“Fine, I’ll make sure Doris comes to you and begs for your forgiveness. Mr. Watson, you have to keep your word,” Rupert said with confidence.
“Of course, I’ll keep my word,” Ryan replied with a cold smirk. “But will her husband agree to it?”
Rupert smiled confidently. “Mr. Watson, don’t worry about that. My parents don’t acknowledge Doris‘ husband at all. To this day, he hasn’t even been granted the honor of meeting them.
“My dad told me they invited my parents to dinner to meet his family, but my parents didn’t bother to show up.
“In their eyes, you are the only one worthy of Doris. You know how much my parents admire you.”
He added, “The three of us agree that Doris must have lost her mind to give up someone as outstanding as you.
“That ordinary guy is only with her because she’s beautiful. It’s just infatuation. Once the novelty wears off, and with my parents openly disapproving of him, he’s bound to hold resentment.”
“I’d bet they’ll end up divorcing sooner rather than later. When that happens, Doris will definitely regret not staying with you, Mr. Watson.” Rupert’s tone was obsequious as he carefully tried to flatter Ryan.
Ryan’s lips curled into a faint smile, pleased by the reminder of how irreplaceable he was in Jimmy and Peyton’s eyes.
“I’ll be waiting for your good news,” Ryan said.
After Rupert left, Ryan stepped into the house and made his way upstairs. Pushing open the bedroom door, he began removing his clothes and headed straight into the bathroom.
When he emerged, fresh from a shower with a towel wrapped loosely around his waist, he rubbed his damp hair with another towel.
Ryan froze in his tracks the moment he noticed Leia standing by the bed.
She was wearing a red, sheer chiffon nightgown that clung delicately to her curves, its semi–transparency teasingly revealing her figure.
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“What are you doing here? Ryan’s face immediately darkened. ‘Get out”
* 75%@
Leia, however, acted as though she hadn’t heard him. She smiled softly and stepped barefoot across the plush carpet, moving toward him with deliberate grace. “Ryan, we’ve been living together for a month now.
Ever since their engagement, their families had insisted they move in together under the pretense of fostering their relationship.
Ryan had known Leia since they were children, but he had never felt any romantic affection for her.
Jake, his elder brother, however, had always harbored deep feelings for Leia.
On Leia’s 22nd birthday, she had hoped Ryan would take her hand, but instead, Jake had confessed his love to her in front of
everyone.
Feeling slighted by Ryan’s indifference, Leia impulsively agreed to become Jake’s girlfriend on the spot. ‘If I couldn’t be Ryan’s girlfriend, I’d settle for being his sister–in–law. That way, he’d have no choice but to notice me, she wondered back then.
Their two families had business ties, and a formal engagement between Leia and Jake had been arranged. However, before the engagement could take place, Jake was involved in a devastating car accident that left him severely injured and in a
coma.
After much deliberation, the Watson and Martin families decided to have Ryan take Jake’s place and get engaged to Leia.
Ryan had vehemently objected to the arrangement, but his parents had set a trap, leading to a night where he ended up sleeping with Leia.
Ryan’s fury knew no bounds, but his parents had reasoned that under the circumstances, he had no other choice. For the sake of the Watson family’s reputation and their business alliance, Ryan had been forced to relent.
He agreed to the engagement on the condition that it would be dissolved as soon as the project between the families was completed.
Ryan didn’t love Leia, and he knew she was Jake’s beloved one.
What he hadn’t anticipated was his parents secretly hosting the engagement party at the Hampstone Hotel and inviting Doris, who was working at the time, to serve at the event. Doris witnessed his betrayal firsthand.
They even called Jiang Wan, who was working at the time, to serve them, so that she could see his betrayal with her own
eyes.
In the end, Ryan lost Doris and gained a woman he had no feelings for.
“So what?” Ryan said flatly as he slipped on a robe.
“Ryan, I want to be by your side, always,” Leia murmured, wrapping her arms around him from behind.
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