Chapter 241
Rose’s gaze bored into Alarieka’s retreating back, as if trying to burn a hole through it. Frowning, she hesitated for a few seconds. “Wait.” Alarieka glanced sideways at her. “Yes?” Rose’s nails dug into her palm as she fought to keep her voice level. “Fine. Fifty million it is. I’ll wire it once I’ve gathered the funds.” Alarieka smiled and shook her head again. “No. I need to see the money in my account today. I won’t wait.” Rose narrowed her eyes. “Alarieka, don’t push your luck.” Alarieka had no time for further argument. She turned, leaving one final remark. “Ms. Whitaker, I’ve placed the choice in your hands. What is entirely up to you.” Rose’s face darkened completely. Without another word, Alarieka turned and walked away.
Back in her room, Alarieka promptly took out her phone and messaged Jaylene. Alarieka: “Who’s that person you posted about on Instagram?” Jaylene replied minutes later: “Some nutcase. Ignore him.” Jaylene: “Seriously, he’s back. Can’t chat now.” Alarieka: “What’s going on?” After that, Jaylene didn’t respond. Alarieka clicked on Jaylene’s profile to check her Instagram. Jaylene’s feed hadn’t been updated. Alarieka couldn’t glean any more information from it.
If Jaylene was truly going into business with Nie Guanyu, then Nie Guanyu’s entanglement with Rose posed a significant risk. Yet Nie Guanyu was incredibly capable. Without him, Jaylene’s company might never have progressed so swiftly or flourished so well. If we don’t hire John because of Roschelle, that would be a pity. Alarieka thought for a moment when Jaylene suddenly sent her a message. Jaylene: “He’s finally gone.” Jaylene: “You have no idea, that guy kept eating while saying my food was terrible. He scared off several groups of customers.” Jaylene: “I told him to stop eating, but he just ignored me. He mumbled to himself like a lunatic and wouldn’t leave. I couldn’t serve other customers. When I asked him to go, he sat right down.” Jaylene: “Total deadbeat! I can’t even run my business!” Alarieka watched the chat bubbles pop up one after another, shaking her head with a wry smile.
She did remember Nigel was hopeless at socializing–clueless about handling relationships or even basic conversation. Every interaction ended in awkwardness. But that flaw was also his strength. It let him obsess over tech research, which was exactly why Jaylene valued him. Suddenly, an idea struck Alarieka. The year she died in her past life was when short video platforms exploded. That year, those apps flooded every household, birthing waves of influencers. The companies raked in fortunes, becoming internet giants overnight. But right now, those platforms didn’t exist yet. Alarieka’s eyes gleamed. This was her chance. She had to move fast. Less than two years remained until that launch window.
About Nigel, she shouldn’t jump to conclusions yet. She needed to feel him out first. She replied to Jaylene: “Do you know who he is?” Jaylene: “No clue. I just want him gone.” Alarieka hesitated but kept Nigel’s background to herself, typing slowly: “I’ll come see you after the competition.” Jaylene: “Sure.”
She didn’t put her phone down. Instead, she opened her cloud storage app–filled with downloaded computer science tutorials and materials. She’d prepped these resources long ago but never found time to study. Nigel’s appearance had jolted her memory.
Meanwhile, weighed down by the fifty-million-dollar matter, Rose stood outside the room door. She forced a gentle smile, knocked, and only entered after hearing that familiar low voice inside. Rose said softly: “Kieran, I’m home.” Kieran sat on the sofa in a crisp suit, long legs crossed. Head bent over documents, his sharp profile looked even more defined under the room’s pale light. His sculpted features could make anyone’s heart skip a beat.