Chapter 17
When Oliver sneaked a peek at Roxanne, his eyes were filled with an underhanded lust. It was the kind of look a man gave when he desired a woman but can’t have her, a gaze filled with petty spite and malice. Though it was only a fleeting glance, brief enough that anyone else wouldn’t have noticed. However, Harrison with his keen gaze could clearly discern Oliver’s lustful look directed at Roxanne. Standing atop the pinnacle of power, he had seen all sorts of people. There was no way Oliver’s sleazy thoughts could escape his notice. And yet, Roxanne couldn’t understand how he had such incredible insight.
She waited for his answer on the other end of the phone. Instead, Harrison responded with something unrelated, “Roxanne, you shouldn’t be doing business with such a lowlife. The last thing you want in a business partner is poor moral character.
Roxanne held her phone, somewhat helplessly replying, “I get what you’re saying, but what’s done is done. For survival’s sake, I can’t just cut ties with him immediately. I have to take it step by step.”
After some thought, Harrison abruptly changed the subject:
“So on the day you married me, you said you were only doing it to resolve some current issues. Was Oliver one of those issues?” Roxanne silently agreed over the phone.
Harrison then asked, “Even if it was just for marriage, you could’ve picked a guy you liked. Why’d you choose a complete stranger?” Truth be told, Harrison had no interest in these questions, but he couldn’t help but ask. He didn’t even realize that he was looking forward to her response, eager to dig deeper into her emotional state, so he waited quietly for her answer
The call suddenly went silent.
Roxanne’s breathing was drawn out, suggesting she was reluctant to answer the question. Without a response from Roxanne, Harrison was a bit on edge, gripping his phone, but he calmly said, “That’s alright. If you don’t want to answer, just pretend I never asked.” Roxanne let out a deep sigh, then said, “If I told you that there’s nobody I like, would you believe me?”
On the other end of the line, Harrison chuckled lightly, his grip on the phone loosening. Perhaps this was the answer he wanted to hear. But he hadn’t even noticed.
Instead, it was Alexander, who had walked out of the meeting room to find Harrison, who saw the smile on his face while he was on the phone with his wife.
Seeing Alexander, Harrison realized that the executives in the meeting room were still waiting for him. “Roxanne, I have to get back to work. I’ve taken care of the Oliver issue, but what happened to Chloe needs to be resolved from its root. I don’t have time to discuss it in detail right now. Well talk when I get home.”
Seeing him end the call, Alexander approached and respectfully said, “Mr. Harrison, I saw that you looked quite happy just now. Did something good happen? Care to share?”
“Did I?” He asked as he walked.
“Yes, it was quite clear that you were in a good mood.” Alexander followed behind him.
Harrison stopped at the entrance of the meeting room, furrowing his brow in thought. Was his smile really that obvious just now? How come he didn’t notice?
“You must have been mistaken.” His expression hardened, then he pushed open the door, “Let’s go in and continue the meeting.”
After hanging up, Roxanne went to find Chloe, who was nursing the baby while typing on her laptop. Perhaps the nursing position was uncomfortable for the baby, as he suddenly began to cry. She had to stop and comfort the baby.
Roxanne walked over and gently patted her on the shoulder. “Just hang in there for one more day. Things will get better tomorrow. Harrison has already arranged for the people at the detention center to release him. Once Oliver is back, hopefully your mother-in-law can help you take care of the baby.”
Chloe, still nursing the baby, replied, “Just a phone call and they’re releasing him already?”
“Pretty quick, huh?”
‘Does Hamson have some sort of background?”
“The guy who came to rescue us at the detention center that day is a well-known lawyer from Seraphim Haven, a very influential person. Harrison had helped him out once before.”
“The man at the detention center who was so respectful towards Harrison, was a famous lawyer?”
“Mhm.”
Chloe, holding the baby with one hand, pulled up a photo on her phone with the other.
“Look, the lawyer from that day, is this him? I didn’t remember wrong, did 17”
“That’s him, no mistake.” Roxanne looked down, “That day, he personally came to the detention center to handle Harrison’s release procedures, and he was very respectful.”
“It wasn’t just respect, he was practically reverent, like he was serving an elder
Recalling the scene that day, Roxanne agreed with Chloe.
Chloe continued, “I just saw a news article about him and remembered. Look, the news says he’s an influential figure in Seraphim Haven, the legal director of the Rodriguez Group, and his president pays him an eight-figure salary. Wait, the Rodriguez Group. Harrison’s last name is also Rodriguez… could he be Mr. Johnson’s president?”
Roxanne pondered for a moment and thought Chloe’s theory made sense, but it couldn’t be. Harrison was broke, homeless, forced to share a run-down rental with her. Plus, Harrison’s dad was still back in the country, farming and raising chicken, ducks, and cows. How could he possibly be Mr. Johnson’s boss?
“You’re overthinking.” Roxanne dismissed her doubts, “Harrison’s just an average guy.”
“But why was Mr. Johnson so respectful towards Harrison?”
“He was probably just grateful. It wasn’t reverence, more like respect and gratitude.”
“Roxanne, I really owe you one. If it wasn’t for you getting Harrison to get Oliver off my back, my mother-in-law would still be making my life miserable. I hope she can actually help me with the kids tomorrow.
At this point, Chloe finished nursing and burped her baby. Roxanne kept on, “You can’t totally depend on your mother-in-law to watch your kiddo. You better find a reliable nanny, then you can focus on your job.”
Chloe gave a bitter smile, “Hire a nanny? I’m only making a grand and a half a month. Here in Seraphim Haven, good nannies probably cost more than that.”
Roxanne shot back, “Even if you spent your whole salary on a nanny, you wouldn’t be losing out. You’ve still got room to grow and make more dough later. Only when you’ve got the money can you call the shots and provide better life for yourself and your kid.”
Chloe admitted, “Sounds like a solid plan, but easier said than done.”
Roxanne replied, “What can we do? You’ve got someone like Oliver on your case, you just gotta deal with it. But I’m here for you. If you’re short on cash for the nanny, I can help out.”
Chloe responded, “Anne, you just bought a house and have a mortgage to pay. How could I take your money? I already feel bad enough about Oliver hassling you.”
Roxanne brushed it off, “Let’s not talk about Oliver. We’re besties, no need for formalities. I help you look for a nanny”
Later that night, Chloe came home with Austin.
Inside, Oliver’s mom Charlotte and Sophia were having a chat, and she could hear everything from outside.
“Mom, we ate all the ribs. Are we seriously not gonna leave any for Chloe? She’s nursing right now. We don’t have to be this harsh.” “Ribs aren’t cheap, why should we leave any for her? She doesn’t care about us, I still haven’t settled the score with her, and we’re leaving her ribs?”
“Aren’t you afraid she’ll divorce Oliver? I heard their last fight was about splitting up.”
“Divorce?”
Charlotte’s cold laughter came from inside.
“Divorce, who’d be the one on the losing end?” Charlotte said to herself, “Definitely Chloe. We didn’t spend a dime when she married into the family. In fact, she gave Oliver a hefty sum as startup cash, and gave your dad and me lavish gifts. A daughter-in-law like that? We’d be making a profit if they divorced. Now that Oliver’s got money, finding a young girl would be a piece of cake. What’s there to worry about?”
Chloe outside the door was left speechless with anger. So in her mother-in-law Charlotte’s eyes, her kindness and consideration were just a losing investment.
She was sp-mad she wanted to give Charlotte a piece of her mind, her hand on the doorknob, and with a shove…
