Chapter 2 Before Humiliation

That day, the driver of the old house picked me up from my father's house.

Hale was supposed to go with me, but with my current attitude towards him, he was sensible and left last night.

Grandma's house used to be the prince's mansion, which kept the old ancient buildings. In recent years, some modern buildings had been added, such as the banquet hall tonight.

I live in an antique building near the lake in the northeast. Downstairs is my garden. Sitting by the window and looking downstairs, I was surprised to see a person in the garden, my best friend Elma Brown.

"Why are you here?" I went downstairs happily to welcome her.

I didn't know my best friend Elma was invited to this party. We have known each other since childhood. She was weak since childhood, and her parents love her very much. Since childhood, we had a good relationship and shared everything with each other, so she felt at home while in my bedroom. But not long ago, I heard that her parents had sent her abroad for treatment. At that time, I was sad for a long time. Today, her sudden visit really surprised me.

With a smile, I held her hand and said, "Didn't you go abroad?"

"Well, the food there is not as nutritious as the food here. Why do you look like that?"

I touched my face and asked, "What kind of expression should I show to welcome you? Are you all right?"

"Well, I have a good appetite. I'm fine"

It was undeniable that she had a heart disease. She was still very weak in the early years, and in recent years, she had become better.

Elma suddenly held my hand, and her eyes were red. "Daisy, you know what? Aiken Cook finally agreed to be with me."

"What?" I was a little surprised.

I was familiar with Aiken. He was Elma's piano teacher and was also the person she had a crush on since thirteen years old.

"He finally doesn't mind the difference between you two?"

Elma grinned confidently and touched her left chest, "Do you know that sincerity smoothes the way to success?"

"So, you went to America just to follow someone's footsteps?"

I crossed my legs on the carpet and looked up at Elma, who was sitting on the couch with a happy face. Her cheeks were blushed as she told me how her relationship with Aiken developed rapidly in the United States.

I admired her courage from the bottom of my heart and congratulated her, but I was a little worried. "But you are still so young, and your parents..."

"My parents are easy-going. I believe they will like the people I like. Anyway, I can't enjoy life as a normal person. Do they even deprive me of the only love I fight for from the God?"

"Elma." I shook her arm.

"Well, leave me alone. I'm just worried about you. It's so lively outside today. All the sons of the plutocrat groups in the city have come. It seems that you are going to find your man soon."

Ignoring her tease, I stood up and straightened the hem of my dress.

I know Grandma's intention. She wanted me to marry a man for business.

"Well, I really envy you." I sighed and said.

"What? Do you feel uncomfortable working in your company? I just wanted to ask how you and the man from your family... Hale... "

"What are you talking about? He has nothing to do with my family!" I retorted. Whoever mentioned Hale to me now would provoked me.

Elma nodded awkwardly, looking at a loss.

I almost wanted to rub my hair, but fortunately, Elma grabbed my hand quickly and said, "What are you doing? If your hair is in a mess, you will have to redo it."

"Listen, Elma. Don't mention this thief to me."

Elma asked in surprise, "What did he steal from you?"

I told her everything in detail. After listening to me, she was not filled with indignation as I expected. Instead, she seemed to understand.

"No wonder!"

"No wonder what?" I asked her.

"Mommy and Daddy told me that..." She looked at me and swallowed back her words. She glanced at me and said, "No, it's just... Aiken... He seems to be invited tonight. I have to leave to find him." She ran away as fast as she could.

"Hey, what's the matter?"

I stayed in the room until the night fell. I didn't walk out of the room until the banquet officially began.

There were many flowers and trees in the garden, which were carefully arranged by the workers. Standing in the corridor, I saw the small lamps hidden at the end of the branches flashing, as if there were many fireflies surrounding the forest.

The cold moon was like a hook. At this moment, the scene was very similar to the scene in TV dramas where lovers were having a tryst, but... There were also some moments that were quite frightening, such as....

"Hey! You are here!"

I was startled by the sudden noise behind me. I turned around and saw Hale. It was because of this turn that I lost my balance as I forget that I was wearing a long skirt and a pair of high-heeled shoes. What a tragedy.

When I was about to fall on the floor, a pair of warm hands passed through my waist. I thought he would hold me, but as a result... He did hug her, but we two fell down together in an extremely intimate posture.

The point was... This guy is lying on me, no... I was pressed under him. It turned out that the famous gesture was like....

For a moment, we both forgot to talk. In the quiet garden, only the sound of crickets could be heard from time to time. His warm breath sprayed on the back of my neck, and a strange feeling overwhelmed me.

I can't stand it anymore and said, "Ahem, you... You grew up by eating stone, didn't you? Why are you so heavy?"

Upon hearing this, Hale rolled over to my side. I immediately sat up and took a look at my dress. It must have been torn just now, and my hair was in a mess.

Suddenly, he said, "The back of your head is like an awl, almost piercing my palm. Haw-haw-haw..."

Hale still had mood to smile at this time. I glared at him.

He asked again, "Do we seem to be trysting?"

"Bah, a filthy mouth can't utter decent language."

I thought this would be the last conversation between us tonight. When I went back to my room and looked into the mirror, I found that my face was also stained with mud. I looked so funny in the mirror. I didn't dare to say it out loud. Because of the word tryst Hale said, my face turned red and my heart beat fast.

The party started twenty minutes later. Grandma was wearing a green cheongsam with wide sleeves and her hair was in a bun, which matched her identity as the host. She sat in the middle of the crowd, like an arrogant Green Peacock. She was being admired by everyone.

When Grandma went to greet the others, I walked to the sofa next to the hall. As soon as I sat down, someone came over with a glass of wine.

'he is the son of a certain family again?'? Wearing a pair of low-key gold rimmed glasses, anyone who looked at a person first had to look at his sleeve. The handmade, embroidered sleeve with an implicit manner showed his meticulous attitude towards the quality of life, but he was not an arrogant person.

"Hello, Miss Daisy. I'm Jackson Green, the general manager of the Great Energy Group."

The Great Energy Group was one of the big domestic e-commerce companies that had risen in recent years. He was not a playboy, but a real doer. Good. I admired such a person.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Green." I clinked the glass in his hand.

"Uh? Why are you alone here?"

I didn't understand what he said. Is there anyone else should be with me?

Jackson pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and said, "I heard that you have a capable assistant called Hale Sharp?"

"A capable assistant?" I'm confused.

"It's really a miracle in the business circle that Hale could have such a beautiful acquisition case at such a young age."

'What? A miracle in the business circle? Acquisition case? Wait? What was he talking about?'

"Mr. Green, do you mean the acquisition? What kind of acquisition case is it?" I remember that there seems to be only one big project in the company recently. I did it. Even if Hale stole it, it shouldn't be an acquisition?

"Are you kidding me, Miss Daisy? Two days ago, Mr. Sharp had purchased Bouvier International Company. Today's banquet... Here, the representative of Bouvier is here."

'What the hell? Wasn't it a cooperation? Why did it change? What happened during the two days absent? What did Hale do behind my back?' Jackson had already gone to greet other guests.

I looked around for Hale and finally found part of the clothes at the corner of the top stairs.

My dress fluttered in the air, my shoes clattered, and my eyebrows was arched. All told everyone that I was furious.

I must find Hale and made it clear to him. In such a family, I could take the position of the heir under the pressure of internal contradictions and disputes within the family. I could accept that he had stolen my fruit of labor, but I couldn't stand others praising my defeated subordinate in front of me, a shameless person who had been praised by the world in an extremely mean way. What about me? Besides, why did a cooperation turn into an acquisition? I must find out what happened.

When I arrived at the door of Grandma's room, I didn't break in because someone stopped me behind and covered my mouth, forcing me to hide in a corner outside and listen to the conversation between Hale and Grandma.

"You did a good job. Don't worry. I will let you work in the company." Grandma said calmly.

"No, I'm just worried..."

"Are you worried that Daisy will get angry with you?" Grandma smiled and said, "She's a good girl, but with a short-sighted and doesn't know what to do in business. She just did what I told her. Unlike you, you understand my words easily and take advantage of the opportunity to take down Bouvier. Now we are free from worrying that they will make trouble with us again?"

"Old lady, I'm talking about the business proposal of Daisy..."

"It's not bad, but not suitable for our plan."

'Plan?'

All of a sudden, I understand that Hale didn't steal the business plan. As a nobody, it was impossible for him to have such a connection in the company. According to Grandma, it turned out that everything was traceable. If Grandma wanted Hale to work in the company, she had to consider that he was an outsider. Unlike me, I was her granddaughter and the selected successor. Therefore, she wanted to pave the way for Hale. The great acquisition case was just a cover. But why did Grandma help an outsider? I was puzzled.

Thinking of this, I gradually calmed down. Then I remembered that my mouth was still covered with a hand.