The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep - Chapter 118: Chapter 118
You are reading The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep, Chapter 118: Chapter 118. Read more chapters of The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep.
Regina smiled, "Ms. Gray, you should take a closer look at the salary and benefits. Since I came here today to find you, I definitely came prepared."
Regina saw how firm Serena was, but she wasn't giving up. "I've already done my research on Brannon Creative Group. The company's been doing well these past few years, but Keith isn't planning to stick with just design work, is he?"
"Someone with your skills deserves better resources," Regina added.
Serena looked at the number on the contract. It was double what she was making now. The figure was completely unexpected, but she didn't let herself get carried away by it.
"I'll be straight with you," Regina said calmly. "My father wants me to follow his rules and live by his orders. So I'm planning to use my own resources to start a new company.
"That's the only way I can escape his control, which is why I'm taking this new company very seriously. Whatever resources you want, Ms. Gray, I can work to get them for you."
Regina's eyes were completely serious as she spoke. Serena could tell she wasn't lying, and she knew that working for Regina's company would probably mean better treatment.
But in the end, she shook her head. "Keith isn't just my boss. He's also my friend. When I desperately needed a job back home, he offered me this position. I'm grateful to him.
"People are naturally self-interested, but if you don't have a conscience, you probably can't succeed at anything."
Serena's eyes sparkled with a quiet intensity, like sunlight dancing on still water. Regina had been expecting this answer, but it still struck her as a bit naive.
'Everyone's just looking out for themselves, right?' Regina thought. But under Serena's sincere look, she couldn't find a single word to argue back.
"Of course, I really appreciate Ms. Aniston recognizing my work. If you need anything in the future, feel free to come to me for design work. We can just go through the normal contract process," Serena said, turning down the offer smoothly without leaving any room for argument.
Regina lost her momentum and leaned back in the booth, shaking her head with a laugh. "Alright, I get it. But it's really too bad. I genuinely love your designs."
Serena's expression softened. "That's okay. At least we can still talk about your wedding suite design right now. If you and your fiancé have any specific elements you want, just let me know ahead of time."
They spent some time discussing design details, and the more Regina watched Serena work with such dedication, the more disappointed she felt about losing her. 'How can I bankrupt Brannon Creative Group?' she thought dangerously.
After they finished talking business, Regina sighed with genuine regret. "If you ever change your mind and want a new job, you can always come to me." She and Serena had already exchanged contact information.
"Of course, if you need any help with anything, feel free to come to me. I can tell you're someone who appreciates kindness, so maybe you'll consider jumping ship and coming to work for me," Regina chuckled.
Serena felt helpless about the whole situation. "Alright, thank you, Ms. Aniston."
She left the coffee shop, hailed a cab back to the office, and walked into the design department. Right away, she could tell something was off from the way her coworkers were looking at her. There was something different in their expressions.
Whenever Serena felt this kind of atmosphere, she knew something had gone wrong again.
"Can't believe a homewrecker has the nerve to show her face around here," Nicole said with obvious sarcasm. This time, even the colleagues who usually got along well with Serena stayed quiet and didn't defend her.
Serena frowned, "Are you talking about me?"
Nicole crossed her arms and let out a mocking laugh. "Well, whoever feels guilty, that's who I'm talking about. If you hadn't done anything wrong, why would you be so defensive right now?"
Even an idiot could pick up on what she was implying, but Serena couldn't figure out where this new rumor had come from.
Nicole continued, "Mr. Brannon already has a family, but you keep hanging around him every day. You even moved into his house. You have no shame at all, so why are you afraid of what people say now?"
Serena did live in Keith's house, but they weren't living together. Besides, she was paying rent. She had every right to stay there.
"Spreading rumors without proof can get you in legal trouble," Serena said coldly. "And how exactly did you find out about all this? Are you sure whoever told you actually wanted to help you?"
Nicole's face changed. She'd heard all this from an old classmate by accident, but the person had sounded so convincing that Nicole believed every word. Most importantly, she could see that Keith treated Serena differently, so she was definitely just gambling that Serena wouldn't be able to prove it.
"Of course I can guarantee it! My classmate is here today, and the truth will come out soon enough. You know whether you did it or not," Nicole shot back.
Just as she finished speaking, a strange woman appeared at the design department entrance. Nicole quickly waved her over. "Tara, I'm over here!"
The woman, Tara Corwin, walked in and looked directly at Serena. Suddenly, her expression turned desperate, and she grabbed Serena's arms with both hands. "You're Serena, right? I'm begging you to leave Keith and give Alyssa a normal life. Please?" she said.
Tara dropped to her knees almost instantly. Serena was startled by her sudden movement and instinctively reached out to steady her. "Who are you? Do you know Alyssa?"
Tara was crying so hard she looked like a mess. "Of course I know her. I'm Alyssa's biological mother. As her mom, I'm begging you to stop destroying my family and let Alyssa come back to me."
Serena was completely confused by everything Tara was saying. The only thing she understood was that this stranger was supposedly Alyssa's birth mother, who had never shown up before.
"I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you mean. I've never done any of the things you're talking about," Serena said.
"I do know Alyssa, but she likes me because we get along well. I never interfered in your marriage, so why are you here trying to make me look bad?"
Serena frowned, trying to make sense of everything in front of all these people. But Tara just cried harder and got more worked up, even starting to hit herself.
"Please, I'm begging you! I'll get on my knees, you can hit me if you want. Just give me Keith and Alyssa back! Please have some mercy on me," Tara said desperately.
The looks from everyone around them became complicated, like they were already convinced Serena was exactly the kind of person Tara was describing. Just then, Keith got word of what was happening and showed up at the design department.
Keith's face immediately turned cold when he saw what was happening. "Tara, what the hell are you doing here causing a scene?"
Regina saw how firm Serena was, but she wasn't giving up. "I've already done my research on Brannon Creative Group. The company's been doing well these past few years, but Keith isn't planning to stick with just design work, is he?"
"Someone with your skills deserves better resources," Regina added.
Serena looked at the number on the contract. It was double what she was making now. The figure was completely unexpected, but she didn't let herself get carried away by it.
"I'll be straight with you," Regina said calmly. "My father wants me to follow his rules and live by his orders. So I'm planning to use my own resources to start a new company.
"That's the only way I can escape his control, which is why I'm taking this new company very seriously. Whatever resources you want, Ms. Gray, I can work to get them for you."
Regina's eyes were completely serious as she spoke. Serena could tell she wasn't lying, and she knew that working for Regina's company would probably mean better treatment.
But in the end, she shook her head. "Keith isn't just my boss. He's also my friend. When I desperately needed a job back home, he offered me this position. I'm grateful to him.
"People are naturally self-interested, but if you don't have a conscience, you probably can't succeed at anything."
Serena's eyes sparkled with a quiet intensity, like sunlight dancing on still water. Regina had been expecting this answer, but it still struck her as a bit naive.
'Everyone's just looking out for themselves, right?' Regina thought. But under Serena's sincere look, she couldn't find a single word to argue back.
"Of course, I really appreciate Ms. Aniston recognizing my work. If you need anything in the future, feel free to come to me for design work. We can just go through the normal contract process," Serena said, turning down the offer smoothly without leaving any room for argument.
Regina lost her momentum and leaned back in the booth, shaking her head with a laugh. "Alright, I get it. But it's really too bad. I genuinely love your designs."
Serena's expression softened. "That's okay. At least we can still talk about your wedding suite design right now. If you and your fiancé have any specific elements you want, just let me know ahead of time."
They spent some time discussing design details, and the more Regina watched Serena work with such dedication, the more disappointed she felt about losing her. 'How can I bankrupt Brannon Creative Group?' she thought dangerously.
After they finished talking business, Regina sighed with genuine regret. "If you ever change your mind and want a new job, you can always come to me." She and Serena had already exchanged contact information.
"Of course, if you need any help with anything, feel free to come to me. I can tell you're someone who appreciates kindness, so maybe you'll consider jumping ship and coming to work for me," Regina chuckled.
Serena felt helpless about the whole situation. "Alright, thank you, Ms. Aniston."
She left the coffee shop, hailed a cab back to the office, and walked into the design department. Right away, she could tell something was off from the way her coworkers were looking at her. There was something different in their expressions.
Whenever Serena felt this kind of atmosphere, she knew something had gone wrong again.
"Can't believe a homewrecker has the nerve to show her face around here," Nicole said with obvious sarcasm. This time, even the colleagues who usually got along well with Serena stayed quiet and didn't defend her.
Serena frowned, "Are you talking about me?"
Nicole crossed her arms and let out a mocking laugh. "Well, whoever feels guilty, that's who I'm talking about. If you hadn't done anything wrong, why would you be so defensive right now?"
Even an idiot could pick up on what she was implying, but Serena couldn't figure out where this new rumor had come from.
Nicole continued, "Mr. Brannon already has a family, but you keep hanging around him every day. You even moved into his house. You have no shame at all, so why are you afraid of what people say now?"
Serena did live in Keith's house, but they weren't living together. Besides, she was paying rent. She had every right to stay there.
"Spreading rumors without proof can get you in legal trouble," Serena said coldly. "And how exactly did you find out about all this? Are you sure whoever told you actually wanted to help you?"
Nicole's face changed. She'd heard all this from an old classmate by accident, but the person had sounded so convincing that Nicole believed every word. Most importantly, she could see that Keith treated Serena differently, so she was definitely just gambling that Serena wouldn't be able to prove it.
"Of course I can guarantee it! My classmate is here today, and the truth will come out soon enough. You know whether you did it or not," Nicole shot back.
Just as she finished speaking, a strange woman appeared at the design department entrance. Nicole quickly waved her over. "Tara, I'm over here!"
The woman, Tara Corwin, walked in and looked directly at Serena. Suddenly, her expression turned desperate, and she grabbed Serena's arms with both hands. "You're Serena, right? I'm begging you to leave Keith and give Alyssa a normal life. Please?" she said.
Tara dropped to her knees almost instantly. Serena was startled by her sudden movement and instinctively reached out to steady her. "Who are you? Do you know Alyssa?"
Tara was crying so hard she looked like a mess. "Of course I know her. I'm Alyssa's biological mother. As her mom, I'm begging you to stop destroying my family and let Alyssa come back to me."
Serena was completely confused by everything Tara was saying. The only thing she understood was that this stranger was supposedly Alyssa's birth mother, who had never shown up before.
"I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you mean. I've never done any of the things you're talking about," Serena said.
"I do know Alyssa, but she likes me because we get along well. I never interfered in your marriage, so why are you here trying to make me look bad?"
Serena frowned, trying to make sense of everything in front of all these people. But Tara just cried harder and got more worked up, even starting to hit herself.
"Please, I'm begging you! I'll get on my knees, you can hit me if you want. Just give me Keith and Alyssa back! Please have some mercy on me," Tara said desperately.
The looks from everyone around them became complicated, like they were already convinced Serena was exactly the kind of person Tara was describing. Just then, Keith got word of what was happening and showed up at the design department.
Keith's face immediately turned cold when he saw what was happening. "Tara, what the hell are you doing here causing a scene?"
End of The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep Chapter 118. Continue reading Chapter 119 or return to The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep book page.