Chapter 716
Garry glanced briefly at the scene, then looked away, feigning disinterest in helping. Jennie bit her lip, a blush creeping onto her pretty face. She looked timidly at Richard, softly saying, "Hi, my dear. Could you help me pick these up?" Her flirtatious tone was carefully calculated. Using "my dear" instead of "Mr. Hampton" was intended to disarm him and create intimacy. She believed her beauty and charm could win Richard over, regardless of his power and influence.
Garry rubbed his arm, goosebumps rising beneath his tailored suit. With disdain, he said, "There's no wind or rain. How did your files scatter? If you can't handle this, why expect my help? How shameless!"
Jennie was stunned. Is this man always so sharp-tongued? she thought. "I'm sorry," she replied, her face full of grievance, tugging at her skirt. "It's just that I'm wearing a skirt, which makes it difficult to pick up documents." Her fitted outfit highlighted her long legs and shapely figure, but it was impractical for bending down.
Garry wanted to leave; he didn't usually indulge such damsel-in-distress appeals. Remembering he was wearing Richard's face, however, he snapped his fingers and ordered the driver to pick up the papers, maintaining Richard's dignified image. The driver quickly obeyed.
Not far away, Tiffany, in the back of a car passing Royal Tower, saw Jennie smiling shyly at the man beside her. Her heart pounded involuntarily. Quickly averting her gaze, she pretended not to have seen anything. The car sped toward the Kelley family residence.
At the tower entrance, the driver returned the papers. Jennie accepted them, giving Richard a shy smile and a sweet blush. "Thank you," she said.
Garry looked at her in confusion. "Why are you thanking me? He's the one who helped you," he said, pointing at the driver.
Jennie was momentarily speechless, her smile faltering, but she quickly recovered and thanked the driver gracefully.
Chapter 716
Just as Garry was about to enter the executive elevator to the fifth floor, he realized he'd forgotten his phone. He returned to the tower. Pushing open the door to the CEO's office, he found someone else inside: a tall, imposing figure with a commanding presence.
Garry froze, whispering cautiously, "R-Richard?"
Richard turned. His handsome face exuded elegance and majesty, an emotionless deity or ruthless warrior. Garry's bravado vanished. "I was wrong!" he confessed.
Richard's tone was calm. "Take off the mask first." It felt strange reprimanding someone wearing his face.
"Oh…" Garry replied pitifully, heading to the restroom to remove the disguise. A few minutes later, he emerged, exhaling in relief. "Finally, I'm back to myself!" he remarked. The day's events had turned his initial excitement into exhaustion. "Richard, I was wrong…" he muttered, not daring to approach for fear of being hit.
Surprisingly, Richard showed no intention of hitting him. "Let's go," he simply said.
Garry felt a huge weight lift. He eagerly followed Richard out of Royal Tower. Jennie was still waiting in the plaza. Her face brightened upon seeing them.
Garry frowned. "What's wrong with this woman? Why is she still hanging around?" he muttered. Jennie was already running toward them—toward Richard.
"Richard…" she called timidly, a blush spreading across her cheeks. Her beauty was striking.
But hearing her address him so, Richard's emotionless face darkened. His gaze sharpened, intensely focused on Jennie. Her heart pounded. She was captivated.
The next moment, Richard's voice, frosty and menacing, cut through the air: "Are you asking me to rip out your tongue?"
Jennie's blood ran cold. Richard's words held no humor. She shivered, her face paling. Her voice trembling, she said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Hampton. I only… I just wanted to thank you for helping me earlier and thought… maybe you'd honor me with a meal…" Her voice grew softer, her eyes pleading, her face pitiful.
Richard didn't spare her a glance. "Get lost, and don't appear before me again," he said coldly, striding away. He was cold-blooded and ruthless, just as the rumors said.
Jennie clutched her chest, her face pale, breathing heavily. She took some pills for her weak heart. A few minutes later, she felt some relief. Turning, she saw the car was gone.
Fuming, she tossed the documents into the air. Papers scattered like snow. Clutching her heart, her eyes gleamed with resentment. "It was like this in the last life, and it's still like this now. Why am I always a step too late? Why does Tiffany always manage to get ahead of me? What if she disappeared? What if you could never remember her…" she muttered, a twisted smile on her face.
An elderly cleaning lady, seeing the scattered papers, sighed and approached. "Miss, are you still keeping all this paper?" she asked, patting Jennie's back.
Jennie turned, her red eyes quickly calming. "Ma'am," she addressed her softly, her tone polite, her voice sweet and clear. The elderly lady looked up. The young woman before her wore an innocent smile, but her eyes seemed hypnotic, a vortex that could blur one's mind.