Chapter 12

Tessa gave Randall a thumbs-up. “Impressive! You got it done in twenty minutes.” Randall smirked, a hint of pride evident. “What’s a challenge for others is a piece of cake for me.” He hadn't known Larry personally; he'd contacted him through a mutual acquaintance. His wealth had allowed him to bribe Larry with a $4,000 lighter, securing the deal.

Placing a finger to his lips, Randall whispered, “Shh, let me talk to Larry. Stay quiet.” Tessa nodded and quietly sipped her coffee. Randall answered the call, switching to speakerphone so Tessa could hear. “Hello?” Larry’s voice crackled through the phone.

“Hi, did you confirm the meeting time with Ms. Carter?” Randall asked, smiling. Larry’s voice exploded with anger. “I got fired! How am I supposed to arrange a meeting? Randall, you’ve wrecked my career!” Randall’s expression faltered. “What happened? You seemed fine when I left.”

Larry shouted, “It was all because of you! You told me to mess with that Matthew guy, and now I’ve lost my job. Do you have any idea who he is?” Randall shrugged nonchalantly. “Isn’t he just an ex-convict and a divorced loser with a kid?”

Larry’s fury intensified. “You’re full of lies! I believed you, and now I’m paying for it. Matthew is our president’s boyfriend! I got fired because of your schemes. What are you going to do about this?”

Randall and Tessa gasped. Matthew, Rachel's boyfriend? It seemed utterly preposterous. Randall coughed, regaining his composure. “Come on, Mr. Scott, you must be kidding. Matthew just got out of prison. It’s hard to imagine him dating anyone, let alone your gorgeous president.”

Tessa added, “Yeah! I divorced him; he wasn’t good enough. How could someone like Ms. Carter possibly be interested in an ex-convict?” The disparity in their social standing seemed insurmountable. Rachel, whom Tessa had met, was breathtakingly beautiful, a veritable angelic presence, and president of a multi-billion dollar company. Compared to her, Tessa felt insignificant. She couldn't believe Rachel would be with someone like Matthew.

Larry, seething, continued, “I saw it with my own eyes! Why would I lie? I didn’t do anything wrong. Why did you tell me to provoke Matthew? Now I’m out of a job. What now?”

Tessa, still incredulous, asked, “Are you absolutely sure? You saw this yourself? Could there have been a mistake?”

Larry snapped, “I got fired, along with the head of security and two guards. How could I have made a mistake?” Silence fell upon Tessa and Randall. Larry’s frustration mounted, and he demanded compensation before angrily hanging up.

Tessa’s face paled. “This is disastrous. If Matthew is really dating Ms. Carter, our deal is gone, and Evergreen Group won’t survive in Lambda City. How did this happen? How did that worthless scoundrel manage to rise so high?”

Randall’s expression darkened. If Matthew was with Rachel, marrying Tessa became risky. They couldn't afford to antagonize him; the Young family couldn't handle such an enemy.

Suddenly, Tessa’s eyes lit up. “What if Matthew is deceiving Ms. Carter? Otherwise, there’s no way he could be connected with the Carter family.”

Randall’s eyes widened. He slammed his hand on the table. “That must be it! He’s probably hiding his past, his marriage. He’s pretending to be someone else, a wealthy heir, a political elite!”

Tessa nodded eagerly. “Yes, let’s expose him to Ms. Carter. She’ll be grateful, and our deal will be back on track.”

Randall stood decisively. “Let’s go now. We can’t let that jerk get away with this.”

At lunchtime, Matthew dined at a restaurant when his phone rang. It was Rachel. “Where are you?”

After swallowing his food, Matthew asked, mindful of his role as her driver, “Do you need the car?”

Rachel hesitated. “I want to invite you to lunch. We had a misunderstanding. Let’s start over.” She wanted to get to know him better; if he was a good match, she’d follow Fred’s wishes. Matthew felt it wasn’t the right moment. “Sorry, I’m eating.”

Rachel was taken aback. What an idiot! Couldn’t he lie? “How about coffee afterward? Or tea?”

Concerned about another rejection, Rachel offered tea as an alternative. Matthew checked the time. “I’m afraid I don’t have time today. Maybe next time.”

Rachel felt humiliated. This was her first time making the first move. “Can you at least tell me why?”

Matthew scratched his head. “The century-old eldernroot arrives in an hour. I need to treat your grandfather. He didn’t want me to inform you.”

Rachel frowned, understanding Fred’s temperament. “Where are you eating? I’ll pick you up.”

Matthew had finished his meal. “I’m heading back to the office. You can pick me up there.”

Rachel hung up, grabbed her bag, and headed for the elevator.

As Matthew left the restaurant and walked toward Wealthwave Group, he spotted Tessa and Randall. He frowned, wondering why they seemed to be following him. They’d spent a long time at the gate speaking to security, but still hadn't seen Rachel. Spotting Matthew, Tessa shouted, “Matthew, I’ve finally caught you! You’re finished. I’m going to expose you to Ms. Carter. An ex-convict like you will never date her! Dream on!”

Matthew felt his anger rise. Even after their divorce, Tessa still interfered. “Tessa, I’m busy. Don’t push your luck.”

Tessa misinterpreted his words as fear. She declared triumphantly, “You’re done for! I’ll make sure Ms. Carter learns everything about you.”

A luxury car pulled up beside Matthew, the door opening automatically. Rachel called out, “Get in.”