Chapter 121
I furrowed my brow and struggled to growl, “You… you let go of me. First, listen… first listen to my explanation, okay?” He was like a madman, a gleam of ferocity and hatred in his eyes. I felt like he really wanted to kill me, but I couldn’t understand it. I hadn’t done anything terribly wicked; at most, he mistakenly thought I’d deceived him. Just because of deception, he would put someone to death? Isn’t he too cruel? My head felt increasingly heavy; several moments blurred.
My chin throbbed, the pain stabbing at my nerves, forcing me to stay awake. I pushed his chest in distress, almost crying out, “It hurts, it hurts, let me go…” Reynaldo lowered his gaze and released me. I collapsed clumsily to the ground. My chin hurt so much I couldn’t touch it; I looked at him with grievance. He only looked down, his expression cold and fierce. He took a deep drag of his cigarette, exhaled smoke, and uttered his words, filled with extreme anger, “Esmeralda, you are nothing but a fraud!”
I didn’t know if he hated deceiving everyone, only that I’d deceived him once, and he almost took my life. I looked up with difficulty, trying to explain, “I didn’t lie to you. I really didn’t know Winston was the big boss of our company at first. I only found out before coming here, really.”
Reynaldo sneered, squatting down, “You didn’t know at first? Esmeralda, who are you trying to fool?”
“I really didn’t know!” I groaned weakly, propping myself up.
Reynaldo took a puff of his cigarette and chuckled, “Well, let’s pretend you didn’t know. But before you came, you clearly knew he was the big boss. So why did you stay in his company, accompany him here, and even go all out to attract investments for him?”
“Esmeralda, you said you had nothing; how can you expect me to believe it?” He stared at me mockingly.
I knew he wouldn’t believe me. He’d always been like this, never trusting me, only feeling disgust and hatred. Anyway, things had turned out this way; I must help him secure the investment for the Winston project. I clenched my hands, looking at Reynaldo, “Let’s not talk about anything else for now, let’s just focus on today’s project…”
“Esmeralda!” Reynaldo roared, his eyes glaring with a crimson hue. “He’s right in front of me, and yet you only care about him!”
I shook my head helplessly, “What are you talking about? I didn’t care about him, I only cared about this project. You said that as long as I drank those eight glasses of wine, you would agree to invest. There are still three cups left, and I was going to finish drinking them! And Reynaldo, you, as a grand CEO, you cannot go back on your word…”
I struggled to stand, the alcohol’s aftereffects hitting me fully. I felt dizzy and lightheaded, unable to stand steady. When I was about to fall, I instinctively reached for Reynaldo’s arm.
Reynaldo stared heavily, silent, his gaze icy cold. I steadied myself, withdrew my hand, and tried to stand firm. As I walked out, I shouted, “Mr. Humphrey, come over here. I have to drink that wine in front of you, otherwise… otherwise, what if you don’t admit it?”
He grabbed my arm again and pulled me towards the elevator without a word. I was startled. What was he doing? Was he going to take me away? What about the project investment? There are still three glasses of wine; I can’t let the previous five go to waste. And I still owed Winston twenty million; the investment deal fell through, what am I going to use to pay him back?
With this in mind, I desperately struggled, “Reynaldo, what are you doing? Let go! Reynaldo, you can’t go back on your word. You clearly agreed on the investment.”