Chapter 12

Filip was headed somewhere, and Cynthia knew exactly where. But she remained silent, opened the car door, and took a taxi back to the Yates residence alone.

When Pamela saw Cynthia return alone, she quickly pieced things together. Just as she was about to go find Filip, Cynthia stopped her.

“Let it go, Pamela. His heart isn’t here. Even if he comes back, he’ll just be a shell of himself. Just let him go,” Cynthia said, climbing the stairs.

Pamela had rarely seen Cynthia so lost and defeated. She couldn’t help but wonder what had happened that day.

Filip didn’t return for a whole week.

During that time, Cynthia’s life continued as usual, except for one thing—she stopped going to Greenfield Villa. Normally, she visited two or three times a week.

Since Susanna’s birthday party, Cynthia hadn’t seen Jonathan, and life felt calm. “Is he just letting me go?” she wondered, but the nagging feeling in her heart persisted.

On the night Filip finally returned, Pamela exploded at the dinner table. “Do you even care about this family? From now on, if you stay out late again, I’ll pretend you’re not my son!”

Filip felt uneasy. He hung his head and said, “Mom, I’ve been at the office nonstop. I just returned to the country, and I’m still adjusting. I’ve been working around the clock and even sleeping at the office. I came back today just to handle some work issues.”

Henry chimed in, “That’s right. I spoke to Jack. Filip’s been living in the office apartment.”

Pamela’s expression softened slightly, and she quickly changed the subject. “So, how’s work going?”

Filip put down his fork and glanced at Cynthia. “Thanks to someone, it’s a total mess.”

Matthew frowned. “What happened?”

“Today, Bennett Group announced their bid for a project. They invited hundreds of construction firms to BJ Building, including even smaller ones than Yates Construction. But we didn’t receive an invitation or any bidding documents. This is all because of Cynthia,” Filip said.

BJ Building was the Bennett Group’s office in Roncrity, directly across from Roncrity News Network.

Once, Cynthia had encountered her “Pretty Boy” leaving BJ. She had joked, “Hey, switching jobs?” She had always assumed the well-groomed “Pretty Boy” worked at the Dark Horse Club.

Back then, the “Pretty Boy” had said, “I own this building.”

She had laughed it off, and he had slyly gotten into her car. That night, they went to Greenfield Villa together. They had only been together for two months at that point, lost in their own world.

Looking back, Cynthia realized he had been dropping hints about his identity. A wave of regret washed over her for getting involved with him.

Hearing Filip’s words, Pamela quickly defended Cynthia. “Cynthia doesn’t even work at Yates Construction. How could it have anything to do with her?”

“Nothing to do with her? Three years ago, she crashed Jonathan’s car and threw $300 at him like it was nothing,” Filip scoffed.

The mood at the dinner table became tense and silent.

Filip shot a glance at Cynthia, a glint of satisfaction in his eyes. “Until this is resolved, there’s no way Bennett Group will even consider working with Yates Construction. Cynthia, you created this mess, so you’d better fix it.”

After a long pause, Matthew finally spoke. “If we can’t get this project, then so be it.”

Filip was agitated by Matthew’s favoritism toward Cynthia. “Grandpa, you told me this project is crucial for Yates Construction. But now, just because it’s about Cynthia, you’re saying, ‘Forget it’? All she needs to do is apologize! Even if it means humbling herself, does her pride really matter more than the future of Yates Construction?”

As Matthew was about to respond, Cynthia stood up. “Grandpa Matthew, I’ll take a gift to BJ tomorrow and apologize to Jonathan. I’ll ensure we secure bidding eligibility.”

The Paradise Resort project was officially approved and required public bidding. Hundreds of construction firms were competing, and Yates Construction’s chances were already slim. Now, without even being able to bid, their hopes seemed dashed. She wasn’t going to shirk responsibility for this mess.

“Fine. I’ll be waiting for the bid documents from Bennett Group tomorrow. Don’t let me down,” Filip smirked. He didn’t think Cynthia would succeed. After all, he’d witnessed Jonathan’s petty and vindictive nature. If apologies worked, Filip wouldn’t have made those remarks.

In fact, he had tried to see Jonathan several times in the past few days, but Jonathan refused to meet with him. The last time, the security guard had even ejected Filip. He felt humiliated and thought Cynthia should face the consequences as well.

The next morning, Cynthia drove to BJ Building. After parking on the rooftop, she looked up at the stunning skyscraper, its golden facade gleaming in the morning sun.

BJ had been around for just under three years and was already a landmark in Roncrity. Cynthia had assumed it belonged to some flashy tech mogul, but it was actually a branch of the Bennett Group—BJ must be short for Jonathan’s name.

Cynthia walked into the lobby and approached the front desk. “Hi, can you tell me what floor Jonathan’s office is on?”

The four beautiful receptionists exchanged glances. Fiona, the tallest one with a pointed chin, raised an eyebrow. “You can just drop Mr. Bennett’s name like that? What’s your connection to him?”

Cynthia almost blurted out, “He’s my sugar baby,” but instead replied with a smile, “I’m here representing Yates Construction to discuss some business with Mr. Bennett.”

Fiona looked down at her with disdain. “Yates Construction is really something, trying to use charm to get in. Sorry, but Mr. Bennett has made it clear that no one from Yates Construction is allowed in here.” With that, she gestured to a security guard.

Before being escorted out, Cynthia said to the security guard, “Sorry, I just need to make a quick call first.”

The guard, hesitant to forcibly remove such a stunning woman, stood back and let her make her call.

The receptionists whispered among themselves.

“Being pretty has its perks. She gets special treatment everywhere. Even the security guard seems enchanted.”

“How did Yates Construction find someone like her? She’s more beautiful than a movie star!”

“Beauty doesn’t mean much. Yates Construction’s CEO came here four times, and Mr. Bennett didn’t even notice. Now they send a pretty face to charm him? Mr. Bennett is too smart for that.”

Cynthia hung up her phone, and Fiona quickly snapped, “What are you all standing around for? Get her out of here.”

Just then, the desk phone rang. Fiona checked the caller ID and was shocked to see it was from the CEO’s office. In her three years at BJ, she had never received a call from there. Hesitantly, she answered the phone.

Jonathan’s deep, pleasant voice came through. “Let her come up.”