Ch. 521..530

Chapter 521

Nevertheless, Alice didn't follow Tilly's entrustment to inquire about the reason behind the conflict between Dylan and Kendall. In her opinion, Kendall would take the initiative to confide in her if she was willing to tell her. Since Kendall didn't take the initiative to do so, this simply means that she doesn't feel like telling me. In that case, why should I bother asking her? Besides, everyone has their secrets. Every couple has issues that they don't wish to tell others.

For Alice, as long as Dylan reconciled with Kendall, she didn't want to care much about their affairs so as not to end up doing a thankless task.

"Okay. By the way, my pet cat is now being kept by Dylan at our place, not in Pet Palace."

Alice smiled and said, "That is one lucky cat." As expected, Kendall's pet indeed holds a different status in Dylan's heart, unlike mine. Although I'm his only younger sister, he always ended up killing my pets whenever they went to his place.

Even so, Alice wasn't jealous of Kendall at all. Instead, she thought it was a good thing that Dylan could do this for Kendall. The couple can keep their pets by their side and no longer have to travel so far to Pet Palace in the future once Dylan gets used to having furry animals at home.

"I like to look at them, but I dislike the idea of raising one."

In contrast to Kendall, Jane's character was a bit carefree. She didn't hate pets, but if asked to pet one, she figured she wouldn't have such patience either.

"Jane, you share the same temperament as Yoseph. He also likes to look at pets, but he never liked raising one," Alice said. She plastered a slightly teasing smile on her face as she looked at Jane.

Jane, who had already confessed to Yoseph, didn't mind Alice's teasing at all. In fact, she even replied with a hearty laugh, "It's precisely because we both share a similar personality that we fight a lot. Then again, that's also the reason why we're able to be together."

Her words amused both Alice and Kendall.

"Look at you, still being complacent even when getting teased."

Smiling, Kendall asked, "At which stage of the relationship are you and Yoseph now?"

Stretching out with her right arm, Jane spread out her palm and then closed it again before she answered, "With I, Jane Morris, personally confessing to him, it was certainly very easy for Yoseph to fall into my grasp. However, although we have confessed our feelings for each other, I feel like our past memories were full of quarrels and no happiness, so I asked Yoseph to court me enthusiastically. At the very least, he should let me experience what it feels like to be pursued."

"You are right, Jane! You must let Yoseph court you for another two or three years before you agree to marry him. Let him feel that it wasn't easy for him to let you be his. That way, he will cherish you more."

Since Jane was straightforward, she went ahead after hearing what Kendall said and commented, "But you were the one who took the initiative to flirt with Master Dylan, though. He has never courted you before, yet he cherishes you very much and even treats you like a precious gem. I'd say, even if a single strand of your hair fell from your scalp, he will probably hold it dearly in his hand and bellow his pain out."

Kendall went silent for a moment. Then, with a crimsoned face, she asked sheepishly, "Are you sure it's as exaggerated as you said?"

Jane and Alice nodded in unison upon hearing that.

Once again, Kendall spoke nothing. It seems that the usual public display of affection shown by Dylan and me have been entrenched in these people.

"By the way, my grandma and I will be going home in two days. I have stayed in your house for too long, so my grandpa is urging me to return home." Jane suddenly informed them about the news of her departure.

Feeling reluctant to let Jane leave, both Kendall and Alice persuaded, "Going back so soon? How about you let Mrs. Morris go back first, and you stay at our house for a while longer?"

"I'm afraid not. I accompanied my grandma not long after I came back from abroad. I have to head home and accompany my parents too."

After all, I am surely going to get married to Yoseph. In that case, the Coleman Family will be my family in the future. On the contrary, my days of spending time with my family are limited. Hence, I must especially cherish the freedom of being a single young lady and my days of being a precious princess who gets pampered by my parents. I know Grandma and Old Madam Coleman are old friends. I know Old Madam Coleman will treat me very well if I marry into the Coleman Family, but the freedom a married woman can have in her husband's family is incomparable to the freedom a young lady can have in their own home. As Yoseph's future wife, I still have to follow the rules set by the Coleman Family.

Jane even smiled and said, "After I return, Yoseph will get to taste the pain of lovesickness. And when he can't take it anymore, he will obediently take a flight and come to find me."

At that, Alice jokingly said, "If Yoseph knows that you're leaving, he will most likely pack his belongings and openly move into your house under the excuse of sending you and Mrs. Morris home."

Kendall nodded, agreeing with Alice's statement.

After all, separation was the most unbearable factor for a couple in love.

"If he ever follows me home, I will ask him to cook me something delicious," said Jane.

"Yeah, sure. Let him cook delicious food for you and make you grow sideways. When that happens, you probably won't even be able to fit into your wedding dress."

She became speechless for a moment before she continued, "I can do some exercises with him every day to burn calories and lose weight. Whatever it is, he can forget about losing weight if I do gain weight. He has to gain weight together with me."

With that, Kendall and Alice spoke nothing.

Regardless, it was a pleasant evening for the three of them.

Just like that, the weekend ended, and a new week began.

Kendall finally returned to work after she rested for more than ten days.

Kelly even purposely waited at the main entrance of the company. When she saw Kendall coming to work in Dylan's private car, the envy and jealousy in her eyes were fully exposed to the naked eyes by the dazzling sunlight.

Initially, Kendall wanted to get out of the car at the company's main entrance. However, when Dylan spotted Kelly, he ordered the driver to drive the vehicle directly into Parker Corporation. They only stopped until they arrived at the entrance of the office building.

The bodyguard came forth to help Kendall open the car door.

Kendall quickly gave Dylan a kiss when the bodyguards weren't paying attention. Then, in a soft voice, she said, "I'm off to work now, darling. I will miss you when I have the time."

After getting kissed by Kendall, Dylan felt incredibly satisfied and said, "Go now. I will always miss you anytime, anywhere."

"See you at noon." Kendall waved him goodbye.

After getting out of the car, Kendall stood still for a while before she finally turned around and walked into the office building under Dylan's gaze.

When the two receptionists saw Kendall, they wore their occupational smiles and greeted her in unison, "Miss Parker."

Kendall greeted them back with a smile.

"Vice President Parker."

Soon, Kendall heard the voice of someone greeting Kelly.

Unlike the politeness in everyone's demeanor when they greeted her, everyone was in awe when they saw Kelly. Their attitudes as well as their tone of voice were completely different.

This made Kendall understand why Adam still didn't drive Kelly away even if he was disappointed with her. That's because Kelly has gained a firm foothold in Parker Corporation. She has her group of supporters and has won the hearts of one part of the employees. It will be both a loss and a great impact on Parker Corporation if Kelly takes a group of the management team who supported her with her should we casually drive her away.

As she thought of that, Kendall reminded herself in her heart that she must hurry up in building up her reputation in the company and accumulate achievements before she could take Kelly's place.

Kendall then took the elevator to the top floor and returned to her office.

"I see you're back in the company, Kendall," Jessie said with a smile after she came back from the pantry with a glass of water and saw Kendall.

"Yes, Miss Holmes."

"I'm glad you're back."

After the two chatted for a while, Kendall began to contact several clients in Eastfort. She enthusiastically invited them to come and visit Parker Corporation first and assured them that collaborating with Parker Corporation would be a profitable deal.

Likewise, the contract needed to be signed in person.

In truth, these several clients already began to make changes to their schedules when Kendall left Eastfort. They were waiting for Kendall to return to Orapolis and get in touch with them.

After receiving Kendall's call, none of them declined her offer, and they set a date for a meetup.

If all went well, those few business deals were guaranteed in grasp.

 

Chapter 522

"Kendall, President Parker is looking for you in his office," Jessie said to Kendall after she received an internal call from Adam.

"Understood. Thank you, Miss Holmes."

Truthfully, even if Adam didn't look for her, Kendall would have to go meet him in his office.

"President Parker hasn't had his cup of coffee yet," Jessie reminded. She purposely left this opportunity for Kendall, for she believed that Adam would be very happy to drink a cup of coffee brewed by Kendall.

Kendall walked out of her office, came to Adam's office, and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Upon receiving Adam's reply, Kendall pushed the door open and went in. "I hear you're looking for me, President Parker?"

"Just call me Daddy when no one else is around," Adam said gently.

"Daddy, are you looking for me to discuss business or private affairs?"

"Both."

"If so, let me make you a cup of coffee first. Just say whatever you want to say. I can hear it from the pantry," Kendall said as she walked into the pantry.

Adam got up, walked around his desk, and came to the sofa in the reception area. After that, he took a seat and waited for Kendall to make him a cup of coffee.

"Tell me about your trip to Eastfort."

Adam originally wanted to ask Kendall about this when he and Charlotte got invited to the Coleman Residence for dinner on Valentine's Day. However, after considering that day was Dylan's birthday as well as Valentine's Day, Adam decided not to be a party pooper and chose not to ask Kendall about this matter on that day.

"We've negotiated a few business deals but have yet to sign the contracts. In fact, I have just contacted several of the executives to make sure they haven't changed their minds. They showed obvious signs of agreeing to collaborate with us, and they will come over in a few days for inspection purposes. If all is well, they will sign the contracts, and we can close the deals with them."

Adam was very satisfied after he heard Kendall's report. "Not bad." Even after something like that happened, and after Dylan sent her to Eastfort to get some fresh air, Kendall still didn't forget about her business affairs. I must say, this biological daughter of mine is behaving more like a businesswoman. She doesn't forget to grab a business opportunity wherever she goes.

"The amount of orders isn't very large, so there is no way to compare its profit with the Coleman Empire Holdings' subsidiary. However, as long as we can negotiate a good deal with them, I will still proceed and sign the contract. I am positive that we can still make profits even if the order amount maintains the same on a long-term basis. Besides, the quality of our product is good. Hence, I believe that after they have used our products, they will definitely continue to collaborate with us and even increase their number of orders."

"I'm very happy that you can think of things this way. For a moment, I was worried you might look down on small business deals. Of course, everyone wants to get their hand on business deals with huge profits. But we can never underestimate business deals with small companies too. Our company, too, started up as a small company and slowly expanded from there."

The first business deal that Kendall negotiated and signed was the cooperative deal between Parker Corporation and Prestige Electronics. The company was a mega subsidiary of Coleman Empire Holdings, and their demand for circuit boards was huge. Hence, they were deemed as the Parker Corporation's major client.

Initially, Adam was worried that Kendall would feel that it was easy to negotiate business deals since she had a high starting point. He was worried that Kendall would only want to get her hands on highly profitable business deals and would look down on the ones she deemed as trivial.

"I've visited their companies. They weren't small, but they weren't big either. Still, I think they are very promising. And if we can cooperate with them for a long time, we can surely earn a lot of profits."

Upon hearing that, Adam hummed in assent. "That's the spirit. We must have a long-term view when it comes to business. By the way, Kelly told me that she has too many projects that she needs to follow up on. And since she's too busy, she wants to hand over some of her clients to you and let you negotiate with them now that you have gained some experience."

Kendall suddenly fell silent. The rivalry between Kelly and me has gradually become fierce. It's gotten so intense that even our parents know that the two of us can no longer be the 'close sisters' that we used to be. Furthermore, what Kelly fears most is my achieving my goals. Because when that happens, the company's senior executives will have no objections if I take her place. In that case, why is Kelly

willing to assign her clients to me? And even ask me to negotiate with them? Are those clients fussy and extremely hard to deal with? Or is there a conspiracy behind this?

"Kendall, why aren't you saying anything?"

"Did Kelly say that?"

"Yeah." Taking into consideration that Adam himself was once a cunning businessman, he, too, had thought about conspiracy theories and was suspicious of Kelly's intention the moment she kindly suggested transferring some of her clients to Kendall. Even so, he still mentioned it to Kendall.

There are all kinds of people we will face in the business industry. Some can backstab us even if they show us kindness and respect when we meet. Some can even put up a smile on their face while openly scheming against us. What's more, underlying shady agendas are practically hiding within each item when it comes to signing a business deal. That is why I was so worried and specifically arranged for a secretary to accompany Kendall when she signed a contract with the client for the first time. After all, Kendall is still quite inexperienced in the business industry. However, even if Kelly sets a trap for Kendall, I'm still going to let Kendall take up this assignment. Worse comes to worst, if she falls into Kelly's trap, I will just take it as another loss for Parker Corporation and consider it as giving Kendall a realistic lesson in the business industry.

"Since she's willing to let me help her share the burden, I guess I will follow orders and take up her offer."

After staying silent for a moment, Kendall replied with an answer that didn't disappoint Adam. Even if I know Kelly is up to no good, I still have to go and check things out. Besides, if I can reverse the situation and win the hearts of those clients, I believe the company's senior executives will change their

perspective toward me. Everyone always felt that it was Dylan's instruction at that time when I signed the deal with Prestige Electronics. After all, I'm the Young Mistress of the Coleman Family, and they are very much aware of how much Dylan loves me.

"You can bring Miss Holmes when you sign the contract later. You can go to the Legal Department and bring a lawyer with you too. A contract is the easiest document to tamper with, including when we have cooperative projects with other companies in the future. They are all the same. You are still very much inexperienced in this industry. Who else will these cunning businessmen deceive if not you? Besides, our company didn't hire the staff in our Legal Department to chill out. Fully utilize their manpower when you have to."

Upon hearing that, Kendall smiled and said, "I know, Daddy."

"Should I assign a highly skilled and extremely experienced secretary for you?" Adam mumbled to himself, "Or you can send your request for a secretary to the Human Resources Department and ask them to recruit a secretary according to your request."

After making Adam a cup of coffee, Kendall came out of the pantry with the coffee, walked to his side, and put the cup of coffee in front of him. Then, she sat down across from him.

"Regarding this matter, I shall wait and see if I need a secretary. Dylan said he will assign his secretary for me, but I asked him to seek Miss Finley's permission first. I will let her come if she's willing to work under me. Otherwise, I will ask the Human Resources Department to recruit a secretary for me."

To be honest, Kendall didn't want to employ any of the existing secretaries in the company for fear that they would be bribed by Kelly. If that were the case, not only would they be of no help to her, but they would also drag her down.

On the other hand, Adam was speechless when he heard what Kendall said.

In a daze, he said, "Master Dylan wants to assign his current secretary to you? Miss Finley is quite famous in our circle. She is especially loyal. Not only that, but to prevent others from obtaining business secrets from her, she no longer befriended anyone and has been alone ever since she became Master Dylan's secretary." Miss Finley is a very professional secretary. I can't believe Master Dylan is willing to assign his usual secretary to Kendall.

At this rate, Adam couldn't help lamenting that Dylan pampered Kendall too much. With a son-in-law like Master Dylan as Kendall's backer, I won't have to be worried when I hand over Parker Corporation to Kendall in the future. But of course, I still hope that Kendall can establish her influence based on her strength.

"I'm just not sure if Emma is willing to come over."

It was Emma who accompanied Kendall to meet the clients when she was in Eastfort. For that reason, she had witnessed how shrewd and competent Emma was.

"You're right. Putting aside the fact that she's assigned to be your secretary, Miss Finley probably thinks it's condescension even if she's assigned to be my secretary," Adam said, understanding what Kendall meant. Miss Holmes is also shrewd and competent, but she is nowhere near the level of Miss Finley. To keep business secrets for the Coleman Empire Holdings and not let herself fall into others' schemes, Miss Finley chose not to befriend anyone.

 

Chapter 523

"That's all for now. You can get back to work. Kelly should be looking for you soon."

Adam was in an extremely good mood as he drank the coffee Kendall made for him. Though he would be in an even better mood if Kendall and Kelly could get along harmoniously. Although I'm now starting to train Kendall to succeed me, I have never thought of mistreating Kelly. However, as Charlotte says, Kelly won't be satisfied with the over 100 million worth of inheritance.

What Kelly truly wanted was the entire Parker Corporation. Adam did think of handing over Parker Corporation to Kelly before he discovered she wasn't his biological daughter. After all, she was his only daughter back then. But after he found out about the child-swapping incident and learned that Kendall had become sensible and was willing to learn, he began to have a change of heart. And his feelings only grew more intense after he found out more about the disappointing things Kelly did later.

Even so, he still planned to proceed with the initial plan of distributing over 100 million worth of inheritance to Kelly in the future. After all, they had been father and daughter for more than twenty years. No matter how disappointed he was with her, he still cared for her and regarded her as his own family.

"Understood. I'm heading out to do my task first." With that, Kendall turned around and left.

"By the way, you should treat Master Dylan a little nicer."

After hearing that, Kendall said, "Daddy, am I not treating Dylan nice enough? Other dads are usually afraid that their sons-in-law will mistreat their daughters, yet here you are, being the complete opposite. Why do you make it sound like I'm tormenting Dylan regularly?"

Adam chuckled. "I just think that Master Dylan put in a lot more effort than you into this relationship. Hence, you must be understanding of him and cherish this blessing that was bestowed upon you. Master Dylan loves you dearly. The happiest thing that happened in my life is none other than having such an outstanding son-in-law like Master Dylan."

"No, you should put it this way. It's because you have such an excellent daughter like me that you get to have an outstanding son-in-law like Dylan," Kendall said.

"How shameless!"

Feeling speechless, Kendall replied, "Like father, like daughter!"

Adam smiled and said, "Like father, like daughter indeed."

"I'm off to work." Kendall couldn't be bothered to bicker with Adam. Thus, she went out to carry out her tasks.

Meanwhile, Adam happily finished his coffee before he got up, returned to his desk, and started getting busy.

As soon as Kendall came out from Adam's office and returned to her own office, Jessie said to her, "Kendall, Vice President Parker's secretary called and said that there's something Vice President Parker wants to discuss with you. She asked you to meet her in her office."

"Okay, I understand. Thank you, Miss Holmes."

Without even having the chance to return to her seat, Kendall turned around and left the office once again. She went downstairs to meet Kelly.

After Cameron left, Kelly didn't select a secretary from the company anymore. Instead, she requested the Human Resources Department to hire a new secretary. The new secretary's name was Roxena Quincy.

As soon as Roxena was hired by Parker Corporation, she first dug deep into the situation in the company. After learning about Kelly and Kendall's relationship as well as what Cameron did that resulted in her forced resignation, Roxena did not give Kendall, who was still a small-time assistant, any attitude. She was respectful to Kendall, but she didn't particularly curry favor with Kendall either. After all, she was Kelly's secretary. And since work ethics could impact her future in the company, Roxena knew very well that a professional work ethic was a must for her if she wanted to continue working under Kelly to support herself.

Roxena led Kendall to Kelly's office and knocked on the door for Kendall. After receiving a response, she pushed the door open, walked in, and informed Kelly, "Vice President Parker, Miss Parker is here."

"Got it. Let her come in by herself." Kelly didn't even raise her head.

Kendall entered and gestured for Roxena to go ahead with her tasks. After Roxena went out, Kendall walked over and sat down opposite Kelly.

Kelly had lost some weight. Today, she had worn heavy makeup that made her look in good spirits.

"It's better to put on less makeup when you're pregnant," Kendall said lightly. "Since you plan to keep the baby, you must treat him well. What if your habits now result in him having complications at birth

and bring him misery for the rest of his life? If you insist on carrying out your skincare routine, you can use skincare products that are specifically formulated for pregnant women. That way, it won't bring harm to the fetus."

At that, Kelly looked up. Like she wanted to see through Kendall, she looked straight at the latter with her beautiful eyes. "Considering you have never become a mother, the words you said sounded rather clear and logical. What's the matter? Did you learn about this knowledge before because you were preparing for your future pregnancy?"

Kendall smiled and explained, "There are so many married women in our company. You will know a thing or two if you listen to their conversation on normal days. With them around, do I still need to deliberately learn more about it?"

After a moment of silence, Kelly said, "Do you usually mingle with them?"

However, before Kendall could answer, she added sarcastically, "Come to think of it, how can you possibly have time to mingle with them? You always have so many things to do. You were either applying for leaves or attending social gatherings with Daddy. You should consider having a baby now that you and Master Dylan have gotten married for so long. Most of the women who marry into wealthy families rely on giving birth to a son to consolidate their status in the family."

Kendall retorted, "Do you think Mom needs to give birth to a son to consolidate her status in the family? It solely depends on whether the man she married is a responsible man or not. If you marry a good husband, he will bear the pressure on his shoulders and continue living life with you for eternity even if you don't give birth to a son. On the contrary, if you marry an irresponsible husband, he will still flirt around with other women outside even if you give birth to many sons. Oh, by the way, the Coleman Family isn't enthusiastic about having male heirs. I will only be well-loved if I give birth to a daughter, for

they are fonder of the idea of having heiresses. Hence, I'm not pressured to give birth to a son, but a daughter instead."

Kelly's heart was filled with jealousy when she heard Kendall's words. As expected, comparisons are odious! Kendall is right. The Coleman Family is very fond of female heirs since they've had plenty of male heirs and no heiresses for the last five generations. Unlike Mrs. Whittle, she constantly said she hoped that the baby in my belly would be a son whenever she talked to me about the baby. Through this, I can tell that Mrs. Whittle prefers a son more than a daughter.

Even though Kelly and Jackson were in love before, she eventually didn't marry into the Whittle Family. At the same time, she was also glad that Jackson chose to sacrifice their relationship for the good of the Whittle Family and married Krystal. Thanks to this, she didn't have to get along with Rosemi, a mother-in-law who would keep demanding a grandson and would force her daughter-in-law to keep conceiving until she was able to give birth to a son.

Speaking of which, I heard that Mrs. Whittle doesn't treat Krystal very well. Then again, Krystal can forget about staying innocent either when she handed the fire extinguisher to Jackson even though she knew that it could kill someone. Now, the Whittle Family and the Caddel Family quarrel with each other so much that they almost turn into enemies. The Whittles blame the Caddels and vice versa. If I must say, this is simply Jackson and the Whittle Family's karma.

Kelly completely disregarded her feelings for Jackson after she submitted herself to Brian. Although Jacqueline prohibited Kelly from getting together with Brian, the latter had deep affections for her. Therefore, the two of them still secretly kept in touch with each other behind Jacqueline's back. Kelly only kept the baby because she thought it was her flesh and blood. With my capability, I can give birth to my baby and raise him as a single mother. As for Brian's promise of taking good care of the baby, I don't believe him even in the slightest. Mrs. Zorn hates me so much. I might not have the chance to

marry Brian, let alone ask him to take care of the baby. We're just partners who each gain what we need from each other.

"Is there something you wish to discuss with me?" Kendall changed the topic and got back to business.

Many things changed because of her reincarnation. However, Kelly's pregnancy wasn't affected by her reincarnation. And even after going through so many incidents, Kelly still chose to keep the baby. It was like everything was destined, and they wouldn't change because of her reincarnation. Realizing this, Kendall thought, Since Kelly is pregnant now, will I be pregnant too?

Kelly took out a stack of business cards and documents. Then, she pushed those business cards and documents right up to Kendall.

"I have too many business deals that I need to follow up and negotiate with recently. These are some of our company's minor clients. I will let you deal with them. Take it as your training."

 

Chapter 524

Kelly even went so far as to take out a name card and handed the name card to Kendall. "I originally arranged for a meeting with this client at 10:0AM at the Mendelson Hotel today, but I'm currently tied up with work. Why don't you go in my stead? This client is quite easy-going."

Kendall glanced at the name card she received from Kelly. Then, she picked up the large stack of documents and briefly flipped through them before she said, "If you're busy, then I don't mind helping you."

Hugging the documents to her chest, she held up the name card and continued, "I'm going back to study the documents. Don't worry, I'll be at the Mendelson Hotel at 10:30AM sharp."

Kelly had probably arranged to meet her client at the Mendelson Hotel for Kendall's sake. After all, Frank couldn't spend every day at the Mendelson Hotel.

In any case, Kendall had the feeling that Frank would not harass her anymore.

"Feel free to call me if anything comes up."

"Okay."

"Go back and look through those documents carefully. Don't forget to meet Mr. Read of Good-Trust Electronics at 10:30AM at the Mendelson Hotel." Kelly did not forget to call out one last reminder as Kendall walked out.

After leaving Kelly's office, Kendall hurried back to her own office and began reading through the documents on Good-Trust Electronics.

She discovered that it had not been long since Good-Trust Electronics was established. Although it was a very new company, the information in the documents indicated that the company seemed to be quite large. Hence, there was a high probability that this company was established by somebody who came from old money.

The person in charge of Good-Trust Electronics was known as John Read. All she knew about him was his name and contact number; everything else was a mystery. There was no detailed information on him in the documents given to her by Kelly.

Is there an affluent young man by the name of John Read in Orapolis?

As far as she could remember, there was nobody by that name among the wealthy.

In any case, it did not matter whether John came from old money. Seeing as she had accepted the task given to her by Kelly, she had to succeed in the negotiations even if he turned out to be insufferable.

Kendall arrived at the Mendelson Hotel at 10:30AM sharp.

All the employees at the hotel could recognize her at a glance. After all, the president of the hotel had previously confessed his feelings to her in a grand manner. That incident caused a huge commotion throughout the entire city.

Nobody could have imagined that Frank would fall in love with a married woman, much less the beloved wife of his greatest rival.

Naturally, many were jealous of Kendall. They did not expect the young lady of the Parker Family, who grew up in the countryside, to have such great allure as to charm both Dylan and Frank to the point where they were willing to bend over backward for her.

Kelly had booked a private room for the meeting in advance. After Kendall inquired about the room at the reception desk, she then headed toward the private room.

John arrived one minute earlier than her.

He had just stepped into the private room when she entered behind him.

Both of them were slightly taken aback when they abruptly came face-to-face with each other.

Kendall did not expect John to be so young. He looked younger than thirty. In fact, he looked to be twenty-seven or twenty-eight at most. Not only was he young, but he was also very handsome. His looks were almost comparable to Dylan's.

He was dressed in a suit, leather shoes, and a sky-blue tie, which made him look dashing.

Likewise, John was surprised by her sudden appearance.

He had seen her detailed information and her picture. Nevertheless, he discovered that she was prettier and more charming than what her pictures suggested when he saw her in person.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Read. My name is Kendall Parker, and I am in charge of discussing the terms of cooperation between our companies. I look forward to working with you." She amicably introduced herself and stretched out her right hand toward him for a handshake.

Shaking her hand, John asked, "Wasn't I supposed to meet with Vice President Parker? I believe I made an appointment to meet with Vice President Parker."

"I apologize, Mr. Read. Vice President Parker couldn't make it to the meeting due to an emergency and instructed me to attend this meeting on her behalf. I appreciate your understanding."

He answered good-naturedly, "You are President Parker's daughter, Miss Parker. Not to mention, you're working independently even though it hasn't been long since you entered the workforce. I must say that I have wanted to meet you for some time, Miss Parker."

She smiled and gestured for him to take a seat. Thus, they sat down at the table.

Kendall did not have a secretary of her own, and Jessie was too busy to come with her, so she came alone.

In any case, it was just a preliminary discussion. They had yet to reach an agreement, much less reach the stage of signing a contract with each other. Hence, there was no need for her to bring the lawyers from the legal department with her.

Similarly, John was alone.

At this moment, they were the only people inside the spacious private room. A handsome man and a beautiful woman alone together would easily cause others to misunderstand the situation.

Kendall called for the waiter and took the menu. Handing the menu to John, she smiled and said, "Mr. Read, please order what you'd like. We can talk over lunch."

John did not take the menu from her. Instead, he chivalrously replied, "Ladies first. Why don't you order for us, Miss Parker? I'm not picky with my food, so I'll eat whatever you order for me."

Since he had already said as much, she did not refuse his offer.

She had never eaten at Mendelson Hotel before, so she was unfamiliar with the menu. In any case, it was a five-star hotel that Frank often stayed at. The food could not be that bad.

"Miss Parker, since there's only the two of us, there's no need to order too many dishes. Four dishes and a soup would be more than enough. It'll be a waste if we order too much and have leftovers."

His words caused her to look at him in surprise.

Seeing her astonished gaze, he unabashedly answered her unasked question, "I came from the countryside, so I can't stand wasteful behavior."

She smiled. "You're the most honest and successful person I've ever met, Mr. Read."

She thought he came from a wealthy family, but it would seem that he was just the manager of this business.

Even if he was just the manager of this business, the fact that he could take charge of a new company of such scale at a young age showed that he was skillful indeed. He had won the trust of the employer backing him.

Surprisingly, he had not been influenced by the bad habits of the affluent.

Therefore, she ordered four dishes and a soup as he had requested.

"Do you drink, Mr. Read?"

"Are you going to drink with me?"

She smiled. "I will gladly be your drinking companion if you wish to drink, Mr. Read."

Back then, she had drunk Leonel under the table.

He broke out into another smile but refused her offer. "I'd rather not. Normal drinks will be enough. I drove here on my own, so I won't be able to drive if I drink. Besides, you're a woman, Miss Parker. I generally don't ask my female clients to drink. Women should avoid drinking when meeting with clients unless they're accompanied by a trusted individual who can protect them. Otherwise, things could easily go wrong for you."

"You're a very considerate man, Mr. Read."

He laughed. "I heard you came from the countryside too, Miss Parker. The whole city knows about you and Master Dylan. I wasn't trying to pry into your private affairs."

"It's fine. As you've said, this is something the entire city knows. I also grew up in the countryside. Like you, I also dislike unnecessary extravagance and waste."

Ever since she returned to the side of her biological parents, she had been having a hard time getting accustomed to the wealthy circles. There were simply too many lifestyle habits that she was unfamiliar

with.

After marrying into the Coleman Family, she discovered that the quality of life in the Coleman Residence was even more luxurious. It was just that Dylan was a considerate man. Whenever the two of them ate together, he would order many of the dishes she liked. Moreover, he would not order too much and generally made sure that the amount of food was within the limits that they could finish as a couple.

It was to prevent her from feeling distressed about the wastage of food, even though she had never expressed her distress at the wastage.

Having studied etiquette for some time and experiencing so many hardships in her life, she no longer showed her thoughts on her face. She had adopted a slight semblance of the prestige worthy of being the Young Mistress of the Coleman Family.

 

Chapter 525

Kendall and John ate lunch together, sharing a pleasant conversation during their meal. However, he would change the subject whenever the topic of their cooperation was brought up.

In that way, she learned that this man was arduous to deal with even though he seemed rather easygoing.

It just so happened that she did not have a deep understanding of Good-Trust Electronics. Hence, she felt that it would not be too late to discuss the cooperation once they had gotten to know each other better.

After the meal, Kendall walked John out of the hotel.

"Have a safe trip, Mr. Read."

John turned around and gave her a deep look before he broke out into a smile. "If we get the chance, let's…"

"Sure."

"Bye."

He got into his car and quickly drove away.

When Kendall could no longer see John's car, she finally called Henry and asked him to come and pick her up.

Henry happened to be nearby, so it only took him a few minutes to arrive by car.

"Young Mistress Kendall." He held the car door open for her.

After she entered the car, she quickly instructed, "No need to go back to the company. Please head straight to the Coleman Empire Holdings."

It was almost time to get off work, and she was too lazy to return to the company. Therefore, she decided to head over and pick her husband up from work instead.

The only catch was that she had already eaten. At this rate, she would no longer be able to eat dinner with her husband later.

"Alright," he answered respectfully.

Kendall soon arrived at Coleman Empire Holdings. When the car approached the company entrance, she immediately noticed a familiar figure. It was her brother, Roger Woods.

Roger was holding a large bouquet of flowers and standing there peering inside.

She quickly asked Henry to stop the car.

Roger turned around to look at the car driving toward him upon hearing the sound of a car engine behind him. When he saw that it was his younger sister, he smiled in embarrassment and greeted her. "Hey, Kendall."

"Roger." Kendall glanced at the bouquet of flowers in his arms and grinned from ear to ear. "Not bad. Looks like you're a man of action."

He blushed furiously and declared wholeheartedly, "Since I already have a goal in mind, it's only right that I take the first step in the right direction. I wonder what time Miss Finley gets off work."

"How long have you been waiting, Roger?"

"Not that long. I arrived at 10:30AM."

She looked up at the scorching sun in the sky, then glanced at her sweat-drenched brother and criticized him. "Why didn't you bring an umbrella? It's too hot out here. Emma usually leaves the office at noon. Sometimes, she might even be out on a business errand. She's not always at the company. Didn't you give her a call before you came?"

He shook his head. "I didn't want to disturb her at work, so I didn't call her. However, I did check with the security guard. She is currently working inside the company and did not go out."

Glancing at the time, he continued, "There are only ten minutes left before she gets off work. I'll wait a little longer. Kendall, are you here to wait for Master Dylan so that you can go home together?"

"Yeah. I just finished meeting with a client. Seeing as it's almost time to clock out, I decided against going back to the company and came straight here to pick Dylan up from work. Roger, it's so hot and sunny outside. Why don't you wait inside with me?"

He refused her offer. "I don't want to disturb Miss Finley while she's at work. Kendall, I'm not scared of the sun and the heat. You should hurry up and go inside. There's no need to worry about me."

Though she couldn't possibly leave her brother outside and go inside alone.

"You don't need to follow me upstairs, Roger. You can wait for Emma in the VIP room on the first floor. I will let Emma know."

He knew that his sister would stubbornly insist on waiting with him if he continued to stand here. Although he was not afraid of the heat, he couldn't bear to let his younger sister stand under the blazing sun. He hesitated for a moment before he asked, "Is it okay for me to go inside?"

"It's fine. Visitors generally wait on the first floor after they register themselves at the reception desk."

Only then did he feel a little more relieved.

He was here to court his love interest. Hence, he did not want to disrupt the operations of Coleman Empire Holdings by his identity as Dylan's brother-in-law.

With the wife of the president leading him, he easily walked into Coleman Empire Holdings.

Nevertheless, he couldn't help feeling rather nervous. It was his first time walking into such a large company in his life.

Considering that Emma was not only working at such a large company but also serving as the secretary of the president, he suddenly felt proud about his eye for people. The woman he loved was such an outstanding person.

"Roger, are you sure you won't go upstairs with me?" Kendall asked while walking.

Roger chuckled in amusement. "Kendall, I have no interest in being the third wheel."

Feeling a little speechless, she made a snippy retort. "You've gotten better at jokes, Roger."

"Master Dylan has a strong desire to monopolize you. Even if we're your brothers, he doesn't like us hanging around you all the time. What's more, we're siblings who are not related by blood. That's why he's so guarded against Nell and me."

Roger was an honest and sincere man, but he was not a fool. The truth was that he simply kept quiet despite what he knew.

She could not refute his words.

Her husband was indeed a jealous man.

He honestly wished that he could become the only man in her eyes. In fact, he would become extremely unhappy if any other men, including her father, even talked to her or looked her way.

"Kendall, please don't tell the others that I am your brother."

"Why?"

"I don't want to place pressure on Miss Finley just because I am the brother-in-law of Master Dylan."

She considered her brother's request for a moment and agreed easily.

"Mrs. Coleman." When the two receptionists saw Kendall coming through the doors, they hurriedly stood up and greeted her respectfully.

Kendall smiled in return, then she spoke to the two receptionists. "This man is here to visit Miss Finley. Please let him rest in the VIP room and inform Miss Finley of his presence when she comes down."

Roger was not willing to reveal the fact that they were siblings, so she naturally did not expose this fact to the others.

When the receptionists took in the flower bouquet in his hands and heard he was here to meet Emma, they immediately realized the purpose of his visit—to court Emma.

There was a time when Emma kept receiving flowers delivered to her by the florist. However, they had never seen the person courting her before. It was not until today that they finally saw the actual person in the flesh.

Although Roger was not as handsome as Toddy, he had decent looks and a bashful air around him. He seemed to be an honest man.

No wonder the person who gifted flowers to Emma for so long did not dare to show himself until now. It turned out that he was a shy man.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Coleman. We will make sure to inform Miss Finley when she comes down."

One of the receptionists politely invited Roger into the VIP room so that he could wait for Emma there.

Kendall finally went upstairs by herself once she saw that her brother was in good hands. It didn't take

long for her to arrive at the top floor.

And it happened to be just after working hours.

"You're here, Kendall."

As soon as Emma walked out from the president's office with an armload of documents, she saw Kendall and smiled in greeting. "No wonder President Coleman seemed so restless just now. It turns out that you're here."

"Stop teasing me. I came over without telling him, so he doesn't know yet."

"You don't need to tell him. You and President Coleman are spiritually connected." Emma teased Kendall lightly. "You should go in. President Coleman is waiting for you."

"Let's have a meal together someday."

"That'll be during the weekend, I guess. I'm not free during the week," she replied. Mulling over something for a moment, she called out to Kendall again and continued, "President Coleman asked me something this morning."

"What is it?"

"He asked if I'm willing to go over and help you."

Kendall turned around and looked at Emma. She said, "Emma, I'm more than happy to have you if

you're willing. But, if you're not willing, then please turn him down. He won't blame you for your decision."

 

Chapter 526

Emma smiled. "I will think about it and get back to you and President Coleman in two days."

"Okay."

Kendall smiled back. "No matter what you decide, we will still be friends."

"Thanks."

"Well, I'll go look for Dylan now."

Emma hummed in acknowledgment and watched as Kendall walked to the president's office.

"Young Mistress Coleman," Ronnie greeted respectfully as he had been standing guard by the door.

"You may wait downstairs, Ronnie," she replied. "I'll be down with Dylan soon."

"Okay."

Ronnie waited until Kendall entered the office, after which he left his station.

When she was around, they were not needed to help take care of Dylan.

"Honey, your smile is as warm as summer winds. Do you have good news to share with me?" Dylan had sharp ears. Hence, he heard what Kendall said to Emma.

When he saw his beloved wife walk into the room with a bright smile on her face, he couldn't help but

smile as well.

"Thank goodness you don't smile often," she exclaimed with a sigh upon seeing his smile. "Who knows how many women you would have enthralled otherwise?"

"I only smile at you."

He reached out with his hand and waited for her to walk closer. He then wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her onto his lap before stealing a kiss from her.

"Is today a good day? You're here so early."

"I only had a meeting with a client, and I came right after they left. Hubby, I just ate with my client, so I can only sit beside you later. I can't eat another bite."

Dylan deliberately feigned dissatisfaction. "Who is this client that he's more important than your husband? Why didn't you save some stomach space so that you could dine with me?"

"It's a client Kelly introduced, and we got along well. Somehow, I just kept eating until I was full."

"Say, do you know who John Read is?" she continued. "He should be a manager of some sort, around twenty-seven years old. He's as handsome as a celebrity. Honestly speaking, his looks are comparable with yours."

As soon as she said that, Dylan sprang to his feet and twirled them around to make it look like she was sitting in the chair instead. Then, he clamped his hands down on the arms of the chair, trapping her

between him and the chair. He looked down with a fiery gaze trained on her face.

There was a dangerous lilt in his voice as he said, "A pretty boy could compete with me on looks? Around twenty-seven years old? He's even younger than me."

"Hubby."

Kendall's sweet voice interrupted him. "I'm being serious right now. Stop getting jealous over nothing."

Dylan grabbed her chin. Of course, he was gentle since he did not want to hurt her.

He lowered his scorching lips to press against her red lips. "You remained unmoved in the face of someone as handsome as Frank, yet you're praising some random man right now. How could I not be jealous? Remember, Kendall," he continued. "You're my wife!"

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck to kiss him once more.

After a bout of passionate kissing, they returned to their previous position with him on the chair and her on his lap.

"I will only ever love Dylan Coleman," she declared.

"Still, you called another man handsome."

"Truthfully speaking, he is handsome. Stop getting jealous, hubby. I was merely admiring him like one would admire the beautiful scenery. My body and heart are yours. They won't belong to anyone else. I only wanted your help in looking up John Read."

It was especially so when Kelly didn't give her much information on the man.

"He's a slippery man. No matter how well we got along, he would always change the topic whenever I tried to talk business. I feel like he has some ulterior motive."

Any client Kelly gave her would be a difficult one to deal with.

Kendall had attended the meeting with that in mind.

After meeting John, she began to suspect Kelly had intentionally given her a dashing client so that she would have to talk to a handsome man every single day.

Dylan was a man who easily became jealous and possessive.

If she had to talk to John every day, it was highly probable Dylan would get jealous. Perhaps that might lead to a fight between the couple.

It was a classic honey trap on Kelly's part.

"You said he's a client Kelly introduced, right? Would she ever be so kind?" commented Dylan.

"Of course, she would never be that kind. It's a trap."

"Yet, you still fell for it."

"I wouldn't know what she's planning if I didn't fall for it."

He tweaked her nose. "You're getting bolder. Alright, I'll have someone investigate John Read."

"Thanks, hubby."

"Just saying thanks isn't enough. I much prefer a more realistic show of gratitude."

She stared at him, speechless.

As the couple continued to flirt in the office, Emma got ready to clock out while she tidied up her desk and grabbed her bag.

Just as she walked out of her office, she found Toddy waiting for her by the elevator.

She faltered before continuing to walk toward him as though nothing had happened. "Mr. Heller," she greeted.

"We're not on the clock anymore, Emma," he said. "There's no need to call me Mr. Heller. Call me Toddy."

"I'm used to calling you Mr. Heller," she replied calmly. "Are you here to speak with President Coleman? Unfortunately, Mrs. Coleman is here. Please don't intrude on their time."

Emma pressed the button to call the elevator as she spoke. Once the elevator doors opened, she swiftly stepped in.

Toddy followed right behind her. "Am I someone who's that bad at reading the room? Emma, I'm here to invite you to a meal."

"Thank you for the kind offer, Mr. Heller, but I'll be eating in the cafeteria today," she responded in rejection

"I'll be eating in the cafeteria too. Shall we go together?" he asked immediately as he changed his mind.

She glanced at him and kept quiet.

"Emma."

When he saw her respond to his call with a glance before ignoring him, he hesitated. Still, he asked, "Is President Coleman going to transfer you away?"

"No."

Emma immediately denied it. She didn't want him to know that Dylan wanted to transfer her over to Kendall so that she could help Kendall.

After all, she was still thinking about her decision and would never tell anyone what was going on before she had made up her mind.

Toddy heaved a sigh of relief.

As the elevator would occasionally open to welcome newcomers, the two did not say a word after that.

Mainly, she was giving him the cold shoulder. Whenever he tried to speak to her, she would ignore him.

Soon, the two arrived at the first floor.

Once the doors opened, Emma swiftly strode out of the elevator, hoping to get rid of her follower.

Toddy remained persistently behind her, though.

Everyone in the office was great at reading the room.

They knew the tables had turned just from the way he was walking after her.

Everyone had watched her chasing Toddy for years. In their eyes, it was about time they got together.

"Miss Finley." The receptionist had been waiting for Emma to appear.

When they spotted Emma, they hurriedly called out to her and pointed to a VIP meeting room. "Miss Finley, a man named Mr. Woods is waiting for you in there."

Emma turned to look in the direction the receptionist pointed to.

Roger shot to his feet as soon as he saw Emma. He hurried out of the VIP room with a huge bouquet of red roses before coming toward Emma. "Miss Finley," he greeted with an awkward smile.

"Why are you here, Roger?"

She was shocked to see him here.

"I bought some flowers for you," he answered nervously as he held out the bouquet.

 

Chapter 527

Emma stared at Roger in shock.

She had only ever met Roger once, back at Dylan's birthday party. Since then, they had not spoken a word to each other.

Even so, he had bought her flowers.

This was...

Toddy was seething with anger.

When Emma called out Roger's name, he knew that the awkwardly smiling man who looked at her with hearts in his eyes was Kendall's foster brother.

Specifically, he was her second foster brother, not the oldest brother.

Kendall had been serious in wanting to introduce Emma to her brother. Since Nelson was still hospitalized, she sent Roger. No matter who married Emma, she would end up as Kendall's sister-in- law.

"Mr. Woods."

Toddy reached out to pull Roger aside to speak to him privately, but Emma was faster. She took the bouquet of roses from Roger and smiled at him in thanks.

Roger was ecstatic to see her accept the flowers.

"Miss Finley, can I ask you out to share a meal with me today?" he asked with the same nervous smile as before.

"Emma."

Before she could reply, Toddy softly called out to her.

Still, she ignored him and the curious gazes of everyone around them. "Okay," she replied to Roger. "I just clocked out and was planning to get some food. If you don't mind, let's go together."

"I don't mind at all," he hurriedly said. "It is my honor."

It was his first time asking a girl out on a date, so he had been panicking a little. Still, he had mustered the courage to take the first step.

"Emma, didn't you say you were going to eat in the cafeteria?"

Toddy posed the question as a reminder.

"When you asked me to dine with you, I had planned on going to the cafeteria. Now that the invitation is coming from Roger, I have to make allowances for him."

She didn't even glance at Toddy when she said that.

Instead, she continued holding onto that bouquet of eye-catching roses. "Let's go, Roger."

"Sure."

Roger hurried after her. However, after only taking a few steps, he turned around to wave at Toddy and smiled. "Goodbye, Mr. Heller."

Toddy was speechless at that.

Goodbye? He would rather never see Roger again for the rest of his life.

Never could he have dreamed that Roger would pursue Emma. Even if he was Kendall's foster brother and came from a rather well-to-do family, he was still a man whose entire career centered around farms and orchards. He was no match for her.

Just who gave him the nerve to steal Emma away from Toddy?

Still, no matter how angry it made Toddy, Roger had certainly publicized his intent to date Emma even though he seemed like a crude man of few ambitions or words.

When the crowd watching noticed his face clouding over, they all fled, too afraid to continue lingering.

It was nice to witness drama first-hand, but no one had the guts to continue watching when Toddy got angry. For all they knew, they might end up getting caught in the crossfire.

"From now on, keep Roger Woods out of the company. Do not let him enter the building."

Toddy used his authority to command the two receptionists from letting Roger in.

"But Mrs. Coleman brought Mr. Woods in with her," one of the receptionists answered.

None of them dared to refuse entry to anyone Kendall brought in.

After all, she was the apple of the president's eye.

Toddy froze.

"Well, in that case, if he ever comes to the company, notify me."

He wanted to nip this sudden rivalry for Emma's affections in the bud.

"Yes, sir."

After that, he immediately strode out of the building.

There was no way he would allow Emma to be alone with Roger.

After he left, the two receptionists began to whisper to each other. "Mr. Heller is jealous, isn't he?"

"He must be."

"Why do I feel so happy to see him getting jealous? It serves him right."

Emma had been pursuing Toddy for years, but the way he had treated her back then was atrocious.

Now that she was being pursued by someone else, he began to panic and worry. What was he doing before this?

"While Mr. Woods looked rather awkward, his eyes blazed with passion when he gazed at Miss Finley. If I were her and the subject of that passionate gaze, my heart would be melting. He's not as great of a catch as Mr. Heller, but he seems to be an honest man. I think the two of them would be good for each other."

"If Miss Finley dates Mr. Woods, Mr. Heller would be regretting his actions for the rest of his life. I'm now looking forward to seeing Miss Finley get together with Mr. Woods."

The two women continued to whisper as they walked out of the building.

After all, working hours were over.

The receptionists were not the only ones who thought that way either.

Many in the office felt that Emma should make Toddy suffer a little. They thought it was best if Toddy was left regretting his actions while being helpless to make up for them.

It was clear just how much Toddy's callous treatment of Emma had angered the masses.

Up in the president's office, Kendall stood at the window and watched the street with a pair of binoculars. She watched as two familiar silhouettes walked out of the office doors before getting into the same car. Soon, the car sped away. It was only then that she put away the binoculars.

"Are you not going to see if Toddy will go after them?"

As Dylan softly asked her that, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back so that she was leaning against his front.

"Oh, yes. I still have to see how Toddy reacts."

She quickly brought the binoculars up to keep an eye on the street.

Only a few minutes had passed before she saw Toddy swiftly walk out of the office and over to the parking lot. He disappeared into his car and soon drove away toward the direction that the first car with Emma and Roger in it had gone.

"I see him. He's going after them."

She put down her pair of binoculars once more and turned around to smile at Dylan. "Toddy must be beside himself with fury."

"Serves him right."

Dylan took the pair of binoculars from her. After letting go of her, he stuffed them into a drawer in his desk.

"I do so admire Roger's approach in this," she commented.

"Since he likes her, he acts immediately and makes his intent well-known," he said.

"I'm honestly surprised by his actions."

She tried to support him back to the wheelchair, but he stopped her. Instead, the two of them walked out of the office hand in hand.

"Don't you need the wheelchair?" she asked.

"Do you like having me in the wheelchair?"

"No, I don't like it at all. Still, I'm worried for you. I worry if you get tired, you'll feel pain."

He stopped walking and ducked down to kiss her cheek. "I'll walk with you down to the car. Then, we won't need to walk again. Even at the restaurant, we only need to walk for a short while. I can handle it."

"With you by my side, I can walk for as long as you need me to," he continued.

"The doctor has also said I should walk more as it will help me recover."

As of right now, walking was just like physical therapy to him.

Everyone at the clinic said his recovery was a miracle.

In just a few months, he could already move around as he pleased.

The doctor even said that if he had been willing to go through physical therapy earlier, he would be living a normal life by now.

To that, Dylan had merely pursed his lips and kept quiet.

Without Kendall by his side, without her encouragement, and without experiencing what he had gone through, it would be hard for him to ever want to stand up again.

"Let's go."

He held her hand tightly and led his beloved wife out of the office.

 

Chapter 528

Roger drove Emma to their destination. At first, he was nervous. Slowly, over the drive, his anxiety melted.

"Where do you usually like to dine?" he asked her warmly.

She smiled. "I'm okay with anything. You don't need to think too hard about where to go, as long as I can eat a full meal."

There were many restaurants near the office anyway.

Usually, she would dine at either the company cafeteria or a nearby restaurant. She would only ever dine at fine dining restaurants for business purposes.

After all, she was just one person. Hence, meals were easy for her.

"I will decide then?"

He didn't bring her to any fine dining restaurant. With how much he earned, he could only afford to dine at such places once in a while. Frequently visiting those restaurants would be hard on his finances.

He was an honest man who felt that he shouldn't try to keep up appearances just to show off.

At the same time, Emma was Dylan's secretary. She likely knew full well what the Woodses were like. If he was frank with her, he might be able to leave her with a good impression of him.

Thus, he brought her to a moderately priced restaurant.

Once he parked the car, he turned to her and said, "I dined here once before. The food here is not bad."

He had tried out nearly every restaurant in the area for the sole purpose of inviting her out to dine with him. In the end, he found this restaurant to be the best while also being moderately priced.

Deep down, he had been set on going here from the start.

After she got out of the car, she scanned the building up and down. It was a hotel where the first two floors were a restaurant while the rest of the floors were hotel rooms.

"This way, Miss Finley."

"Kendall is a friend of mine, Roger. Just call me Emma."

Roger nervously grinned. "In that case, I'll call you Emma as well. This place can be quite packed around this time. Let's hurry in and grab a table."

She chuckled. "It's been a long time since I had to dine somewhere that required finding a table myself."

If she dined out, she would usually make an advanee reservation. In fact, she would even order in advance so that she could eat as soon as she was seated. Eliminating the need to wait had saved her quite some time.

He blushed. "I wasn't sure if you would say yes, so I didn't make a reservation."

He had mustered the courage to take the first step, but he wasn't confident enough to think he would succeed.

Kendall had told him Emma had loved Toddy for years. While Emma now said she had given up on him, she was the only person to know if that was what she truly felt.

Hence, he might not be able to win when faced with Toddy.

Because of that, Emma's acceptance of his flowers and invitation was a surprise to him.

At that thought, he was grateful for the fact that he did not cower and had the nerve to ask her out.

Emma smiled. "You're Kendall's brother. I would say yes to an invitation from you."

He looked at her as they walked. "Emma, I do hope that when you say yes in the future, it is because of me and not Kendall."

When she saw the solemn look in his eyes, she smiled. "Okay."

Kendall did tell her she would introduce her to one of her brothers. Back then, Kendall had intended to introduce Nelson to her.

That man was now Roger instead of Nelson.

Anyhow, Emma didn't mind. While Roger seemed like an honest and down-to-earth man, he also possessed a spark of intelligence in him.

Moreover, he was the brother of her best friend. She felt safer with him.

Roger had been worried that there wouldn't be any available tables. Thankfully, the gods were on his side.

The two had arrived so early that there were plenty of tables to choose from.

Emma preferred sitting by the window, so the two sat down at a table near a window.

As she walked in with a bouquet of roses, the servers all knew they were a couple.

Soon, a server arrived with the menu.

"Why don't you order for us, Emma?"

Roger handed the menu over to her.

After putting down the bouquet on the chair beside her, she swiftly accepted the menu. Then, she flipped through it before asking, "Are you okay with spicy food?"

"I'm fine with food of all kinds."

"Very well. I will order a few spicy dishes."

After ordering a few spicy dishes, she handed the menu over to him. "Is there anything you'd like to add?"

"Not at all. I'll eat anything you ordered. I'm not a picky eater."

She then handed the menu back to the server.

"I like spicy food." There was a smile on Emma's face when she said that.

"I noticed you preferred the spicy dishes during Master Dylan's birthday party."

"Kendall couldn't handle the spice though. She would be stuck in the toilet every time she ate anything spicy," he continued.

That was why there were very few spicy dishes at the birthday party. It was out of consideration for Kendall.

Emma was stunned. "I've known her for years, but I never knew she would have digestion issues if she ate anything spicy."

No wonder President Coleman's preferences changed. It's all because of Kendall.

Once more, she realized just how much her boss adored his wife.

Kendall's happiness was so great that it made her envious.

"Emma, Mr. Woods, what a coincidence to find you dining here as well."

The words were spoken by a rather familiar voice.

The two turned around to find Toddy strutting over to their table. He then sat down in the chair next to her, the chair that held the bouquet of roses.

"My flowers!"

Emma cried out, but it was too late to stop him. He had sat down on the flowers.

In an instant, the flowers were crushed.

To make matters worse, he shifted in the chair before standing up. He then guiltily held up the crushed remains of the bouquet and said to her, "Oh, I didn't see this here. Why don't I throw it out? I'll buy you another bouquet."

He would have been blind to miss the huge bouquet on the chair.

It was evident he had done it intentionally.

Emma and Roger both knew that.

Emma snatched the crushed flowers from Toddy and stared at them for a few minutes before saying to Roger, "When we're done with our meal later, go with me to the florist and get me another bouquet. I'll display it on my desk so that I can admire it as I work."

Roger glanced at Toddy before happily replying to her, "Okay."

Toddy silently seethed.

"Emma," he calmly said, "if you like flowers, you should get a few pots of live flowers instead of dead flowers. Do not be fooled by their bright colors. In just a few days, they will wither away and will look disgusting then. Potted plants are much better in the long run."

"I have a few plants in my office. How about I have someone move them to your desk later?" he continued.

"Mr. Heller, you adore your plants. I will never snatch your beloved flowers away from you."

"I'll buy you flowers every day, Emma. That way, the flowers on your desk will always look beautiful."

Roger had come up with a response quite swiftly.

Toddy was speechless upon hearing that.

Roger was certainly a sharp and annoying rival.

Despite the honest air that hung around him, he was someone capable of stealing another man's girlfriend.

He was evil!

If Emma knew that, she would have shouted that she was still single and did not have a boyfriend.

If Roger knew what Toddy was thinking, he would shoot back, saying that it was a fair competition.

 

Chapter 529

That afternoon, Toddy went straight to Dylan's office as soon as he clocked back in.

"Is there something urgent?"

Dylan calmly asked as he exited the break room even though he knew exactly why Toddy was there.

Toddy waited for him to take a seat on the couch before sitting opposite him. "Master Dylan, I might work under you, but we're friends too. I know what I did before had thoroughly hurt Emma, but I now know what I truly want. I think I still stand a chance."

Dylan silently gazed at him.

"Can you ask your brother-in-law to stop interfering?"

Toddy eventually spat out.

"Roger interfering? He fell in love at first sight with Miss Finley back at my birthday celebration and even asked Kendall for her phone number. He's serious and not doing this just to interfere."

"What? Are you the only man who can fancy Miss Finley?" he continued in a mocking tone. "She's an excellent woman. If not for you, she would probably be a mother of two by now."

"She had wasted years of her life on you. Now that she has snapped out of her funk, I'm happy for her. While Roger is not as capable as you, he is a responsible man. As long as Emma likes him, I would be happy to see them get together."

"Also, don't ask me to help you with a personal matter. I will not and cannot help you. He is my brother- in-law, while you are my friend. It will be wrong for me to help either one of you. Thus, I will stay silent and help no one."

This was not Dylan's first reminder to Toddy about this matter.

Toddy had merely ignored him back then.

He was only panicking now because someone was publicly courting Emma.

"Just have a fair competition with Roger. Of course, if you're not confident in yourself, then back off now and let them be happy."

Toddy's face clouded over. "Let them be happy? Who will make me happy then? I won't back off! Emma must still love me. She's only using him to agitate me."

"Yes, that must be it. She wants me to be jealous."

Toddy continued to mutter to himself.

Dylan silently stared at him.

Emma was a good friend of Kendall's. She would never toy with Roger's emotions. If she felt nothing for him, she would admit it rather than let him fall for her.

There was no chance that she was just using Roger to make Toddy jealous.

Toddy had not thought of that because he was currently panicking.

"It's time to get back to work. Go back to your office."

Dylan urged Toddy to get out of his office.

As Toddy stood up, he paused for a few moments before saying, "Don't give Emma too much work. Leave her some time to go on dates with me."

"Scram."

Toddy swiftly rushed out of the room.

As he headed to the elevator, he bumped into Emma.

She had a bouquet of fresh flowers in her arms. Roger had bought them for her on their way back.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Heller."

Emma merely greeted him politely, but the distance between them was audible.

Her cold attitude was like a stab to his heart. He stopped and stared at her. Before this, her eyes would be filled with love whenever she looked at him.

Now, there was nothing but a distant, impassive look in her eyes.

He had hurt her too immensely.

Rome was not built in a day.

He had withered away her love for him over the past few years.

Still, it was a testament to his capabilities.

"Emma."

He softly called out to her.

"Is there something you need?" she coldly asked.

"Emma, the flowers…"

He reached out to snatch the bouquet from her, but she smacked his hand away.

"Mr. Heller, the company does not forbid employees from accepting gifted flowers. These are a gift from Roger, and I have accepted them. I will take care of them myself. You need not concern yourself with them."

Her cold words killed off any courage he might've had to try to steal her flowers again.

"That's not… Emma, I only wanted to say these flowers aren't that pretty. Why don't you throw them away? I'll get you something nicer."

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I love these flowers. If that is all, I have to get back to work."

She walked past him with her flowers in her arms.

"Emma."

He reached out and grabbed her wrist to stop her from walking away. "Roger's not a good match for you."

"I will only know that once I date him. It is not something you can decide. Also, this is my matter. Please do not stick your nose where it does not belong."

She shook his hand off and strode off.

Regret shimmered in Toddy's eyes as he watched her walk away.

He was the reason this happened.

He had personally driven away a woman who had wholeheartedly loved him.

Emma returned to her desk and placed the bouquet in a vase. Now, her workspace had some beauty injected into it.

She stood by the vase and stared at the flowers for a long time before returning to work. With a shake of her head, she flung away all thoughts of love and buried herself in her work.

A few minutes later, the phone on her desk started ringing.

When she picked up, she realized it was a call from the receptionist.

"Miss Finley, President Mendelson is here. He wishes to meet with President Coleman."

Dylan and Frank were mortal enemies. Frank's sudden visit made everyone in the company feel like a great foe had approached them.

Emma was surprised by the visit as well.

"Give me a moment," she calmly replied. "I will let President Coleman know."

She then called Dylan's office. After she received his response, she called the receptionist. "Please let President Mendelson up."

It was only then that the receptionists let Frank into the elevator.

As usual, Frank had a few bodyguards with him and was as dramatic as usual.

The two bodyguards following him were carrying scrolls in their arms.

Frank was tense as he headed up to Dylan's office with his bodyguards.

Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but everyone who saw him thought he looked quite fatigued.

Minutes later.

Frank walked into the office of his mortal enemy.

Dylan watched Frank and his bodyguards from his seat while Ronnie and the rest warily watched the newcomers.

Frank gestured for his bodyguards to place the scrolls on the desk before telling them to leave the room with a wave of his hands.

Since Frank's bodyguards were out of the room, Ronnie and the others naturally withdrew as well.

Soon, the vast office was occupied by only two men.

Frank leisurely sat down and stared into Dylan's eyes.

After a few long moments of staring at each other, Dylan calmly asked, "Is there something you need?"

At the sight of the dark circles under Frank's eyes, he knew Frank hadn't been sleeping well.

There was also overgrown stubble on Frank's chin. He looked quite exhausted with his striking face looking thinner than usual. Overall, he looked haggard and worn down.

"I'm giving the baby back to you."

Frank's voice was hoarse.

He pushed the scrolls over to Dylan and unfurled one of them. On the painting was a portrait of his

baby. It was a painting he had spent a lot of time drawing based on his imagination.

As Frank stared at the painting of his baby girl, at her chubby cheeks, and at her bright eyes that looked so much like Kendall's, his heart ached as badly as a man who was giving his daughter away to his mortal enemy.

 

Chapter 530

He had bothered Kendall for months so that he could have that cute baby girl back by his side.

He had drawn countless paintings of her.

Every time he finished a painting of his baby, he was overwhelmed by the urge to hug the baby he had drawn. He wanted to wrap his arms around the flesh of his baby.

In the end, he realized the baby was not his.

Her sire was his mortal enemy.

Frank had done wrong by his baby girl and Kendall.

After the dream finished, he locked himself up in his room for days. Finally, he came to a decision.

He would stop bothering Kendall and let her be happy with Dylan. He would even give Dylan all of his paintings of the baby girl. After all, she was Dylan's daughter.

Dylan stared at Frank for a long while before unfurling another painting from the desk. He couldn't help but admire Frank's talent for painting, for he had drawn out every detail of the baby just based on what he imagined.

Kendall had said the baby looked like her.

In Frank's paintings, the baby certainly looked a lot like her.

He unfurled all of the paintings. Not only were there paintings of the baby, but there were also paintings of Kendall carrying the baby. Of course, there was also a so-called family portrait.

When he saw Frank's face in the family portrait, he immediately grabbed a pair of scissors and cut him out of the painting.

Frank watched his actions but did not stop him at all.

He was overwhelmed by intense pain as every snip of Dylan's scissors felt like his heart was being snipped away.

Dylan then pulled all of the baby's paintings over to him as he coldly declared, "You are not allowed to draw her from now on."

Frank bitterly smiled. "I have done wrong by her. Even if I have a pen in my hands now, I no longer have the courage to draw her face."

"Kendall is my wife. From now on, stay away from her!"

Dylan's words rang out in a threatening manner.

Frank silently picked up the snippets of his face that Dylan had cut out before slowly rolling them up.

Once he was done, he stood up. After a few long moments of silence, he said, "Please treat Kendall well, Dylan. No matter what you think, I truly wish you all the best. I hope you can grow old together

and have… a baby soon."

The usual blessing was for the couple to be blessed with a son soon, but he did not say that.

All he could think about was the baby girl he drew.

He thought if Dylan and Kendall were to have a child, it would be that baby girl.

Suddenly, he wished they could instantly become parents now so that he could see the baby girl in real life. Would she be as cute and fair as he imagined?

"Frank."

Dylan called out to him just as he turned to walk out of the office.

Frank looked back at him.

"Don't be too obsessed about this," he said with a rare sincere tone in his voice. "You will hurt yourself and the people who care about you. Cherish the ones around you."

Frank was no fool. He soon understood what Dylan meant to say.

He was silent for a few minutes before replying, "Thank you for the reminder. Do remember to invite me to your wedding."

When the baby girl was born, he wanted to be her godfather as well.

Still, he did not dare to voice that wish. He was afraid Dylan would send him flying out of the doors.

To his surprise, Dylan chuckled. "If you are willing to attend, we would surely invite you. However, you'd better not come with empty hands. Remember to give us a big congratulatory gift."

"Of course," Frank replied with a smile.

"Now, scram!"

Frank was rendered speechless by that.

The change in Dylan's attitude was instantaneous.

With his pictures in hand, Frank left.

Frank stood at the doorway for a while, deep in thought. It was a few minutes later before he finally walked away from the door to Dylan's office.

As he passed by a rubbish bin, he threw the remains of his paintings into the bin.

His family portrait... no longer contained Kendall and the baby.

On that day, Frank even went to Parker Corporation, but he did not enter the building nor disturb Kendall at all. He merely sat in his car and stared at the building for a long time before telling his driver to head back home.

Nevertheless, the security guards at Parker Corporation were terrified.

They had thought he was there for one of his evil schemes.

Fortunately, he had only stayed for a while before leaving.

While he did not disturb Kendall, she soon knew about his visit.

Adam even called her into his office to ask about what was happening between her and Frank.

The intense interrogation made her face darken with confusion.

She looked at Adam and said with a sigh, "Daddy, nothing's going on between us, so what's there to settle?"

"He's constantly bothering you. If you don't settle this issue with him, what happened last time will only repeat itself. If Master Dylan didn't apologize last time, and if he didn't go on a hunger strike for you so that Old Madam Coleman would accept you, I would never have let you return to that family."

Adam still bore a grudge over how Tilly had chased Kendall out of the family.

Months ago, he didn't love this biological daughter of his that much. He merely felt guilty about her past experiences. Back then, he still cared more about Kelly.

But their relationship had improved after Kendall's change.

Right now, he truly loved Kendall.

The daughter he had mistreated had been bullied by the Colemans. While everything was in the past now, Adam was the kind to be once bitten, twice shy.

"Daddy, Frank merely stopped by outside of the building. He didn't come in or contact me. Everything between us has been sorted out. I believe he has truly given up now."

The moment she returned from Eastfort, she had knocked on his door with Ronnie and the others. She wanted justice for Dylan.

Everything she did was a stab to Frank's heart. After all the damage she had done to him, he would surely have given up on her.

Moreover, Frank felt something more for Amelia.

One day, he would understand his feelings and give up on his obsession with her and the baby. He would focus on his love for Amelia.

"I'm just worried for you. So many people have seen him. Who knows what they might say? You know full well how possessive of a man Master Dylan is. The more rumors he hears, the more likely he'll be suspicious. There's also Kelly… Oh, children are born to punish their parents. I'm constantly worried about you two."

Yet none of them were good at saving him from worry.

Kendall was all right.

Kelly's behavior, on the other hand, angered Adam, but he couldn't do much about it.

As the man who raised her, he was partly responsible for what she'd become.

Even now, he was still afraid of talking to the Woodses. He just felt so guilty.

The Woodses had raised Kendall to be a fine woman, but he failed to raise their daughter well. Until this day, Kelly had yet to call her parents mom and dad.

"Listen to me, Daddy. Dylan has faith in me, and I have faith in him too. He has always been on my side when it comes to Frank. Stop worrying so much over nothing. Just give it some time. Eventually, you'll understand that Frank's pestering doesn't stem from his love for me."

"Then what else could it be?" he asked.

"You won't understand even if I tell you, so just wait and see. One day, you'll have your answer."

Amelia and Frank were people who were pining for each other. They would surely confess their feelings one day.

The question was who would make the first move.

Since Amelia was her dear friend, she was willing to wish them all the best in their future relationship.