Chapter 57
“Oh, I’m a friend of Ms. Haynes. I came to visit her because I heard she had an accident.”
“Ms. Haynes is in Ward S.”
“All right. Thank you.”
Gavin dashed to Ward S. He found Ingrid and her husband at Ward 8 and hesitated to intrude. After lingering for over an hour, Ingrid and Shaun left; Ingrid went to the restroom, and Shaun went to get food for Roxanne and Ingrid. Gavin seized the opportunity and slipped into the ward.
He missed Roxanne terribly. Some time ago, Roxanne had told him she was getting married and wanted to end their relationship. That night, furious, he’d tried to keep her. He hadn’t seen her in days, and news of her accident had made him frantic.
“Roxy! Roxy…” Gavin ran to her bedside.
Roxanne broke into a cold sweat at the sight of him. “Why are you here?”
Gavin hugged her. “I heard something happened to you, so I came to see you.” Roxanne’s face changed drastically. “You have to go! Don’t show up here. Go now before anyone sees you!”
Seeing Roxanne upset, Gavin hastily explained, “I only wanted to see you, Roxy. I have no other intentions.”
“I don’t need you to see me. Just leave…”
Roxanne, emotional, leaped up and threw a pillow at Gavin. This was understandable; Bruce had recently proposed. If he discovered her relationship with Gavin, she’d be in serious trouble.
“Fine, fine. Calm down. I’ll leave.”
Gavin quickly left the ward. Immediately, he bumped into Ingrid.
“Who are you? What are you doing in my daughter’s ward?”
“Hello, Mrs. Haynes! I’m Roxy’s classmate. I came to visit her.”
Ingrid scrutinized Gavin’s ripped jeans and faded T-shirt. She deemed him a loser. Haughtily, she said, “Don’t disturb Roxy! If I catch you sneaking in again, I’ll kick your ass!”
Gavin didn’t reply and hurried away.
Ingrid entered the ward, frowning. “Roxy, who was that loser?”
Panicked, Roxanne stammered, “Oh! Uh… He’s just a classmate from university.”
Ingrid’s face fell. Noticing Roxanne’s discomfort, she sensed a problem.
“Roxy, don’t blame me for nagging, but now that you’re getting married, don’t keep in touch with these losers. What if Mr. Everett finds out?”
“Got it, Mom.”
“That kind of loser is hard to get rid of. Don’t let them ruin your life. I’ve been there…” Ingrid trailed off, frustrated. She’d been dealing with two unemployed cousins who constantly pestered her for money. Fearing exposure of their affair, she’d given them money to keep quiet. Her actions were far worse than her daughter’s. She’d initially been attracted to them because of their looks, and they frequently had affairs. They used playing poker as an excuse to meet. She’d used Haynes Group funds to pay them, but since Joanna cut off their access, she’d had to pay them herself. They were aging and losing stamina, so she'd found a younger, cheaper replacement. The older men then demanded $1.5 million each for their dismissal, revealing their greed. Ingrid worried her daughter might follow in her footsteps.
Meanwhile, Bruce left the hospital, feeling a pang of guilt. He drove to Joanna’s house but stayed downstairs, remembering Joanna rescuing him from the water. He should have been with Joanna, trapped by a misunderstanding for years. Now, with Roxanne’s predicament, he felt he had to marry her.
Ten days later, Joanna had recovered well. Under her leadership, the company was stabilizing. Haynes Group’s shares had also stabilized without Bruce’s interference.
At a Haynes Group meeting:
“Good news! David, CEO of CI Technologies Chanaea Division, is coming to Greyport next month to discuss collaboration. We’re organizing a banquet.”
The executives applauded. “We can finally sign the contract with CI Technologies!”
“Hopefully, it will be a success.”
James and Luca were elated. “We owe it to Miss Haynes. With her courage, we can finally see hope!”
Joanna smiled. “As long as we work together, Haynes Group will succeed.”
After the meeting, Jaydon took Joanna to lunch.
“I wish my arm would heal soon; I won’t be able to wear my gown to the banquet.” Jaydon frowned. “Is the CEO of CI Technologies that mixed-race David?”
Joanna nodded. “Do you know him?”
“Not personally, but I’ve heard of him.” Jaydon knew the background of many business figures. “Do you need PR officers at the banquet?”
“Huh? PR officers?” Joanna was surprised.
“Yes. Beautiful women would ensure smooth contract signing.”
“That’s not necessary, right?”
Jaydon smiled. “Joanna, you know the unspoken rules of business, right?”
Joanna frowned. David was mixed-race, knew the market well, and was known to be a womanizer. Joanna was a beautiful single woman. He’d previously used a vice president for signings, so his personal appearance was suspicious.
“Fine, then.”
“I have several A-list models. Voluptuous, young, and beautiful. It would be good for our image.”
“But Jay, is it really a good idea? I don’t want you to force them.”
“Don’t worry. They’re always looking for extra income. They’ll be happy to accept the job.”
“All right. I’ll pay them the market rate.”
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