Chapter 326: Escape from the Love Boat
It was rather peculiar. The family owned a cruise ship, yet spent money planning a company event to lure her there. Could there be something fishy going on? Watching too much social news, Cleveland’s brain was filled with all sorts of bad conjectures. Among those confused by such puzzling customer tactics was Maxwell.
Maxwell raised an eyebrow slightly. “What’s the name of that generous customer?”
“The customer didn’t disclose it; their identity is confidential.”
Cleveland wanted to know who this mystery guest was too, but alas, the person in charge mentioned that the customer’s identity was not revealed, so he was in the dark and couldn’t clear up his superior’s doubts.
Different strokes for different folks; maybe this customer just enjoyed a quirky way of doing things. Losing interest, Maxwell shifted his focus to check on the work he had delegated to his assistant.
Meanwhile, having had enough of lying in bed, Ellis phoned the staff member coordinating with her, somewhat embarrassed to ask, “Um, I don’t want to stay at sea anymore. Can you find a dock to let me off?”
The cruise had more than her as a guest, and she knew her request was unreasonable, but she genuinely felt sick of staying there and wanted to escape, so she had to steel herself to ask.
The staff seemed stunned by her request, falling silent for a moment before replying politely, “Please hold on, I’ll ask our leader.”
“Okay, thank you!”
After hanging up, Ellis eagerly awaited news that the ship would soon dock. Little did she know, her request had made its way to Maxwell.
Cleveland couldn’t have imagined that the tycoon’s wife no longer wanted to stay on the cruise and was asking to leave. When the person in charge consulted him about whether to accommodate the guest’s request, he relayed the situation to his superior before asking, “Mr. Maxwell, should we dock?”
The cruise’s route was preset, and without special circumstances or absolute necessity, it generally wouldn’t be altered. After hearing the assistant’s inquiry, Maxwell’s brow furrowed slightly. “Whether we can dock for the guest depends on their identity.”
Cleveland immediately understood his superior’s implication; if the tycoon was influential, his wife’s requests would likely be met, but if he was just an ordinary rich person, the chances of refusal were higher.
Waiting was a lengthy ordeal; it didn’t take long, but to Ellis, it seemed forever. However, the staff’s response dashed her hopes.
The cruise would continue as planned; altering the course would cause fuel costs to skyrocket unless she was willing to pay for them.
After mentioning an approximate figure for the required fuel cost, the other end of the phone went silent, as if no one was listening. The staff finally spoke, “Ms. Harper, are you still there?”
“I am,” Ellis replied weakly.
“So, will you be paying the fuel cost to disembark?” the staff asked again.
“No. I’m not going down.”
“Alright! If you have any other requests, please feel free to contact me again.”
Feeling utterly dejected, Ellis lay motionless on her bed. A proverb about money stalling the valiant fit her situation precisely.
While the staff normally reported this situation upwards, Cleveland wasn’t surprised by the outcome. Unable to determine the tycoon’s identity, the cost of an impromptu docking was substantial, and it was normal for the tycoon’s wife to refuse to pay.
However, Cleveland thought ahead, instructing his subordinates to contact the tycoon to ask if he wanted to pay the costs for his wife to disembark from the cruise.
Just having left the cruise where Ellis was staying, upon hearing that Ellis no longer wanted to stay on the ship, Easton immediately redirected the cruise he was on to pick her up.
Thus, the staff informed Ellis, “Ms. Harper, your husband will come to pick you up shortly. Please be ready.”
Ellis was utterly speechless. She disliked the cruise because it bore the essence of Easton, and she wanted to leave it. It wasn’t about giving Easton a chance to stay with her!
“I don’t have a husband; you’ve got it wrong!”
Disgusted by Easton’s claim to others, despite their long-ago divorce that he was still her husband.
“So, Ms. Harper, you are…” Confused by the complexities of wealthy relationships, the staff member asked.
“I’m not going down. Tell that shameless man who claims to be my husband not to come here!” Ellis said, holding back her anger before hanging up.
The staff was about to say ‘okay’ when the call ended abruptly, leaving them wide-eyed in surprise.
To say or not to say, the wealthy really do play differently. Through the staff’s recounting, Easton learned that Ellis didn’t want him to come to pick her up, so he ended his effort and returned to Stonebridge, where he had important matters to handle.