Chapter 138: A Call She Didn't Want

Prosperity Group’s Mr. Cooper was Amelia’s boyfriend, but she was careful not to mention their relationship. In front of people who could benefit her, she made sure to make her presence known. If they at least recognized her face, advantages would gradually appear. And she had already looked into Morty.

Her boyfriend was just an average rich guy, but Morty? He was on an entirely different level—a true top-tier wealthy man, and on top of that, he was good-looking. Most importantly, he didn’t have a girlfriend. She wasn’t married yet. Keeping her options open could only work in her favor.

But for people who tried to get close to him while he had no memory of them, Morty never bothered with a response. Lois, however, immediately saw through Amelia’s little game. With just a glance, she silently ordered Amelia to back off and return to her desk.

Under her boss’s unspoken warning, Amelia forced a sheepish smile and quickly walked away, acting as if she had never spoken to Morty in the first place. With that distraction gone, Lois led Morty into her office.

Since this was a business partnership, their conversation revolved around work. They discussed details thoroughly, going over everything for more than an hour. By the end, Lois extended an invitation. “Mr. Morty, are you free tonight? Let me treat you to dinner.”

“Sorry, I’m busy tonight,” Morty raised an eyebrow. “How about tomorrow?”

“Great! I’d be honored.”

“No, the honor is mine. Having dinner with Madam Lois is a privilege.” Lois gave him a polite smile. After chatting for a bit longer, she personally escorted him out.

Just before leaving, Morty suddenly said, “Madam Lois, could you give me Ms. Harper’s number? I’d like to get in touch with her in advance.”

Lois was surprised. “You don’t have Ms. Harper’s number?”

“No.”

“One moment, I’ll send it to you.”

A few seconds later, Morty glanced down at his phone. His eyes lingered on the newly received number for a few moments before he opened his contacts. Among them, one number stood out with an unmistakable label.

Lois walked him downstairs, watching as Morty got into his car and drove off before she returned to the office.

Meanwhile, at Petal Estates, Ellis’s phone suddenly rang. It was a local number, unlisted in her contacts, with no spam warning. Probably not a telemarketer or some other junk call.

After a brief hesitation, she answered. “Hello?”

“Hello, it’s Morty.”

The moment she heard the name, her irritation spiked. That bastard Morty—how did he even get her number? The two-faced snake he had become.

After she married Easton, though, something in Morty’s brain must have short-circuited. Maybe it was because he was so close to Victoria that he couldn’t stand seeing her as Mrs. Hudson. Whatever the reason, he had started making sarcastic remarks every time he saw her, always finding ways to get under her skin.

So even though they had technically known each other for years, they had never exchanged contact information.

“If I’m not mistaken, you’re probably thinking about hanging up on me right now,” Morty said with a low chuckle, his tone laced with amusement. “Ms. Harper, you’re in trouble. I’m your boss’s business partner now, and I specifically requested that you be the one to coordinate with me.”

Ellis rolled her eyes, barely holding back from cursing. “Are you seriously going out of your way just to make my life difficult? What exactly do you get out of this?”

“Oh, plenty! As long as you’re still Easton’s wife, I—”

“You and Easton are childhood friends, yet your intel is hit-or-miss.”

Morty was momentarily thrown off by the interruption. Then, as if recalling the bottle of wine that had been hurled at his head not long ago, he subconsciously touched his forehead.

“So, did you go whining to Easton about me? Did he actually care?” he sneered. “You don’t actually think that just because you filed for divorce… Easton’s reaction—”

“We finalized the divorce last week.” Ellis cut him off again, her voice dripping with mockery. “Wow, for someone who claims to be Easton’s lifelong friend, your bond seems pretty flimsy. He didn’t even bother to tell you something this important.”

Morty had always been passive-aggressively hoping she’d get kicked to the curb. Last time, he didn’t even believe it when she said the divorce was her idea—he had to call Easton himself to confirm. The man was both petty and nosy.

Ellis couldn’t help but wonder just how close Morty and Victoria were. Was he putting in all this effort just to clear the way for Victoria to take her place as Mrs. Hudson?

If that was the case, Victoria was beyond useless. Even with her so-called “first love advantage,” she still hadn’t been able to push Easton into a quick divorce. In the end, Ellis had to take matters into her own hands and free herself.

The sudden revelation that Ellis was no longer Easton’s wife seemed to stun Morty into silence. It was as if his vocal cords had suddenly given out, his brain scrambling to process the information.

On the other end of the line, the silence stretched. Ellis had no patience to wait for this bastard to collect himself. Without hesitation, she ended the call.

Thinking about it, she and Morty didn’t have any deep hatred between them. The only real conflict they’d ever had was that one time when she and Maya Powell had gone out drinking and watching a show. Morty had been his usual snide, unbearable self, and she had lost her patience—so she’d dumped a glass of wine on him.

If he was holding onto that grudge and plotting revenge, well, he’d better be careful—karma had a way of coming back around.