The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep - Chapter 164: Chapter 164

Lana looked proud as she said, "I just puffed out my chest and told them, 'Siren's my best friend.' They were all so jealous."
Ever since coming back home, Serena had no plans to leave again. Maybe it was because there were people at home she cared about, and now, she had new ties, too.
After they finished eating, Keith's driver picked them up again. As Lana got out of the car, she leaned through the window and said seriously, "I hope you'll really think about what I told you today."
With that, she waved at Serena. "It's getting late. Go home."
Serena sat in the car, lost in thought the whole way. She felt the same the next day at work. She hesitated, not sure how to bring it up to Keith.
But she couldn't deny Lana was right, and as Lana's good friend, she wanted to be there to help the studio get off the ground.
"You've seemed off all day," Keith said, noticing her distant look. He decided to speak up.
He didn't know exactly what was going on, but he'd been waiting for her to say something. Seeing how torn she was, though, he figured she might keep putting it off.
"Guess you noticed," Serena said with a faint, wry smile.
Since he'd brought it up, she held nothing back, telling him about her conversation with Lana last night.
She said, "I just feel bad. I got this job at Brannon Creative Group from you. Things have finally settled down here, and if I leave now, you'll just have more on your plate."
Keith was quiet for a moment, then shook his head. "I get what Lana's saying. You should leave Brannon Creative Group and go develop at a better studio."
Keith had actually known about it when Regina tried to poach Serena earlier. Back then, he'd already started thinking about what Serena's next steps might be.
Regina had been sincere enough when she offered Serena a job, but with Regina and Edward constantly fighting over power, Serena would've inevitably ended up caught in the middle, used as a tool to balance things out.
Now, though, Lana's offer had cleared up all those worries of his.
"Keith..." Serena's eyes held a touch of helplessness. "You could be harder on me, you know. You should be. I've been involved in so many of the company's matters.
"If I leave now, Brannon Creative Group is just going to have a lot of unnecessary trouble."
Keith couldn't help but reach out and pinch her cheek. Meeting her surprised gaze, he smiled, "That's my problem to think about, not yours."
"I support you going out on your own. You can even keep the Brannon Creative Group name. You'd be a special advisor over there," Keith said, having already worked out a plan. "But you'd need to talk it over with your friend first."
Lana's new studio was short on recognition right now. If it had a connection to Brannon Creative Group, plenty of people would be willing to check it out, just out of respect for Keith.
It would definitely be a good thing for Lana.
Serena understood what Keith was doing. Not only was he willing to let her go, but he was also using his influence to smooth the way for her as much as he could.
"Kei..." She was at a loss for words, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
Keith just shook it off. "You're my love. Paving the way for you is only right. Besides, you deserve all this. If you were at another company, anyone who recognizes your talent would do the same."
He never made a big deal of his own role because he never doubted that Serena would stand out no matter where she was or which company she worked for. He believed that she deserved it, plain and simple.
After work, Serena went home and told Lana the news.
Lana was still getting over jet lag these days. She'd thought Serena would probably stress over it for days, maybe even weeks, but she hadn't expected a response so soon.
"I take back what I said about Keith yesterday. He really is a good guy." Lana had just woken up, still a little groggy. She said casually over the phone, "Now that this is all settled, you're my partner from now on."
She added, "Come check out some spaces with me tomorrow. I still haven't found a good spot for the studio. If I don't find one soon, we'll fall apart before we even get the business off the ground."
Serena couldn't help laughing, "Sure. I know the area better than you do now. Let's go take a look tomorrow."
Lana yawned. "I can't do this. I'm way too tired. Gonna sleep a little more. See you tomorrow." With that, she hung up the phone.
The next day, Serena went to meet Lana, who'd slept almost 20 hours straight and was now full of energy.
Lana said, "We're meeting the agent to check out several places today. Money-wise, I've got plenty, but I don't want to get ripped off. So, you really gotta help me look this over, okay?"
Lana's startup funds were all from what she'd earned abroad over the years. And since Serena had decided to join Lana, she didn't hold back. She took some from her savings to chip in.
Even so, rent in the downtown area, where every inch of space cost a fortune, was still too high. They checked out several places that morning. The ones they liked were too expensive, and the reasonably priced ones didn't appeal to them.
"Only one left," Lana said, drooping a little. "It's got the best location of all. I bet they're gonna ask for a fortune."
It wasn't that she was being unfairly suspicious. This was just how it had gone all morning.
Serena had actually noticed this one first from the listings. It was their top choice. Before going in, she'd thought that even if it was a bit pricey, they'd still take it.
But when the landlord spoke up, he wanted 15,000 dollars a month.
"The most expensive one we saw earlier was only 8,000 dollars. 15,000 dollars is crazy. Are you trying to rip us off?" Lana, her throat dry from running around all morning, was furious at the ridiculous price. She rolled up her sleeves, ready to argue.
Serena quickly pulled her back.
The landlord said, "This is the price for this place. If you really think it's too expensive, you don't have to rent it."