Chapter 258 Secret Scheming

One day, after finishing her class, Madelyn was getting ready to go to Sebastian’s office. As soon as Janessa noticed, she quickly grabbed her bag and chased after her, asking, “Madelyn, where are you going?”

Madelyn casually said, “I’m going to see Sebastian. What’s the matter?”

“C–Can I come with you?” Janessa suddenly asked, her face filled with anticipation as she looked at Madelyn.

“You?” With a slight furrow of her brows, Madelyn wondered what this woman was up to. Is she planning to stir up trouble again? I still haven’t settled the score about the stage light incident!

“Madelyn, don’t get the wrong idea,” Janessa said soothingly when she saw Madelyn’s hesitation. “In reality, I just want to discuss a business deal with Sebastian. This deal is crucial for both our families, which is why I want to go with you.”

Madelyn let out a cold, mocking laugh.

In her previous life, Janessa had asked her to accompany her to negotiate business with Sebastian, but it hadn’t happened this quickly. It seemed that in this life, Janessa was truly impatient as she had approached her so swiftly.

Naturally, Madelyn wouldn’t allow her to have her way. Hence, in an apologetic tone, she said, “I’m truly sorry, but I’m afraid it might not be so convenient. After all, you’re aware that Sebastian’s daily schedule is particularly packed. If you want to meet him, you’ll need to book an appointment in advance.”

“Huh?” Janessa sounded somewhat disappointed. However, after a moment, her eyes suddenly filled with hope as she looked at Madelyn. “You’re going to see him, anyway. Can’t I just tag along with you?”

“That isn’t really appropriate, is it?” Madelyn suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable. This woman really has some grand illusions.

With a troubled expression, Madelyn said, “Janessa, you know, my visit to Sebastian is already quite disruptive to his work. And the matter you want to deal with, I didn’t give him any prior notice. It might not be good to just go there abruptly, so you should make an appointment in advance. I’ll be leaving first, okay?”

After speaking, Madelyn couldn’t be bothered to continue the pointless conversation with her. She turned around and left immediately.

“Madelyn…” Janessa watched her retreating figure from behind, seething with anger to the point of gritting her teeth and stamping her foot. Madelyn is merely avoiding lending a hand and hence, came up with excuses to reject my request! This is so infuriating!

At that moment, Madelyn exhaled in relief as she walked away, thinking to herself how persistent Janessa really was. If she had to deal with her for a bit longer, she didn’t know what excuse she could use to refuse.

“Madelyn?”

Suddenly, a sweet voice echoed from the side.

Intrigued by the sound, Madelyn turned her attention toward it. She saw a girl dressed in a pink mini-skirt. Her face was not particularly delicate, but it was fair and attractive. Her skin was pale, and her eyes...

The girl looked at Madelyn and said, “I’m Cheryl. You should know me, right? Janessa must have mentioned me to you.”

The tone of her speech was truly that of youthful arrogance.

However, Madelyn had anticipated her arrival. With her stunningly beautiful face, she gave a nonchalant smile and asked, “Is there something you need from me?”

Cheryl came right out and said, “This isn’t a good place. Can we step aside to talk?”

Upon hearing this, Madelyn chuckled. This girl really has no manners. She doesn’t understand courtesy at all.

However, since the goal was to jointly deal with Janessa, Madelyn decided not to dwell on the minor details. She simply followed Cheryl’s lead to a cafe.

At that very moment, Scarlet was already waiting there with the utmost dignity.

Upon seeing Madelyn approach, Scarlet gently smiled, her face a mix of pride and charm. “Ms. Thornton, please have a seat.”

Madelyn thought to herself that this mother and daughter pair were truly cut from the same cloth. However, she didn’t make a fuss about it. Instead, she simply sat down and greeted, “Good day, Mrs. Sherritt.”

Following that, Madelyn couldn’t be bothered with formalities. She got straight to the point and asked, “What do you two need from me?”

Upon hearing those words, Scarlet was clearly a bit uncomfortable. However, she plucked up her courage and said, “Actually, I came to see you today because I wanted to discuss a potential collaboration.”

“Collaboration?” Madelyn was puzzled.

Cheryl explained from the side. “To tell you the truth, Ms. Thornton, a couple of days ago, I accidentally overheard your conversation with your friends. I found out that the despicable Janessa has been eyeing our Sherritt family’s assets. Oh, and of course, I also learned that you, too, have significant grievances against Janessa. So we thought perhaps you could assist us by introducing some projects to Mr. Lockhart, and together, we could thwart Janessa’s plans and prevent her from succeeding!”

As Cheryl spoke, her face gradually hardened, making it clear that she was not someone easy to deal with.

Naturally, Madelyn wanted to deal with Janessa, but she knew she couldn’t agree too quickly. Otherwise, she would lose her leverage.

With a feigned smile of discomfort, Madelyn said, “Mr. Sherritt, Janessa is Mr. Sherritt’s daughter, after all. By all accounts, she’s your daughter, too. Is it really all right for you two to act this way?”

Scarlet immediately shot it down. “Ms. Thornton, you’ve got it all wrong!”

“What do you mean?” Madelyn raised an eyebrow.

“Ms. Thornton, there’s something you don’t know. Janessa, that little b*tch, is far more malicious than you can imagine! Over the years, although she dared not defy my orders, she and her mother were fond of scheming behind my back!”

Scarlet was seething with anger. “In my entire life, there’s nothing I despise more than women like these, especially when this mother–daughter duo is trying to wreck my family. How could I possibly tolerate that? If I could handle her mother back then, I certainly won’t allow this little b*tch to stir up trouble now. So, I’m absolutely going to deal with her!”

A subtle curve appeared at the corner of Madelyn’s mouth. “But why seek me out?”

“That’s because you’re the lady of the Lockhart family. There’s something you’re unaware of. My sister... she’s always had feelings for Mr. Lockhart. Once, when he came home drunk, she kept calling out his name. You wouldn’t be able to accept that, would you?”

The smile on Madelyn’s lips deepened.

Cheryl said with a smug smile. “Besides, I recall you mentioning that she had plotted against you or something. I’m not sure about the truth of that, but all in all, collaborating with us would be entirely beneficial for you and carry no harm. So why not go for it?”

After Cheryl finished speaking, she looked at Madelyn, her eyes filled with anticipation.

At this point, Scarlet continued, “Moreover, if this project is successful, we’re willing to offer you ten percent of the net profit as compensation. What do you think?”

As the words fell, Cheryl had already pulled out a contract, written in black and white, from her bag.

Madelyn casually glanced over, noticing that the mother–daughter duo had already prepared the contract. They had even taken the liberty to highlight the benefits and rewards. It seems that both mother and daughter are quite clever… Given that, there’s no need for any pretense.

With that in mind, Madelyn said, “Since the two of you are so sincere, that should be fine. However…”