The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep - Chapter 167: Chapter 167
You are reading The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep, Chapter 167: Chapter 167. Read more chapters of The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep.
Between friends, there was no need to be so formal. Serena said, "It's fine. Other than rambling a bit, you didn't cause any real trouble last night."
Serena didn't say exactly what Lana had babbled about, but Lana still remembered enough from last night to understand the faint worry in Serena's eyes.
"It's okay. If you don't want to talk about it, don't," Serena added. "Whenever you're ready to tell me what happened, I'll listen."
Lana immediately snuggled into Serena's arms with a whimper. "Ugh, I knew you were the best. I promise, once I sort things out, you'll be the first to know."
It surprised Serena a little that someone as lively as Lana got this upset over a relationship, but she didn't want to push.
She ruffled Lana's hair. "Get up and wash up. After breakfast, we've got other things to do."
Lana nodded. The past felt like a closed chapter. Life had to go on, and she wouldn't have come back home if she planned to keep dwelling on that jerk.
Serena trusted Lana to bounce back, so she left the room to let Lana get ready.
"Still, it makes me mad," Lana said, joining her for breakfast after getting ready. "That spoiled rich girl who messed with you is already in jail, but her friends are still trying to pick on us."
Serena bowed her head quietly. "Keith said the same thing. He already took care of it."
That morning, Keith had spread the word. Anyone trying to rent that shop would be considered an enemy of Brannon Creative Group.
Serena hadn't wanted him to make such a big fuss, but people like Winnie and her crew would never back down unless they hit a wall.
If Winnie's crew played dirty, they couldn't blame Serena and Keith for fighting back.
"For real? That's awesome!" Lana had only grumbled in passing but hadn't expected it to actually happen. Keith surely moved fast.
"But it's probably just for the short term," Serena said. "The Lyles family isn't against us anymore. As long as those people keep quiet, we won't go after them relentlessly."
Or maybe it was just that Serena wasn't the type to do that.
"Fair enough. Let it be a lesson for them," Lana said.
She finished breakfast quickly. Even though they had determined the shop location, there was still plenty of business to take care of. To get their studio up and running soon, they headed out not long after.
Meanwhile, Sarah Wiggins, who'd gotten word of the shop being blocked, sat at home in shock as if she'd been struck by lightning.
If Serena had been there, she'd have recognized Sarah as the one who'd stood with Winnie at Daniel's party, helping her come up with plans.
"Mr. Brannon's blocked our shop entirely now," said the man, who'd mocked Serena and Lana earlier, looking defeated. "And we need the money now!
"This is all your fault. Why'd you have to go against Serena again? What good did that do us?"
Sarah was already flustered, and his blame made her snap, "If we hadn't shown Mr. Banks where we stand, do you think we'd still be getting any perks? You idiot!"
But this wasn't how she'd wanted things to turn out, either.
Pacing anxiously a couple of times, Sarah finally managed to say, "I'll go to Brannon Creative Group. Maybe I can talk this through."
She thought, 'I can't just sit around, doing nothing. After all, isn't Keith only doing this to stand up for Serena?'
Sarah refused to believe a top CEO like him would be so hung up on one woman that he'd ignore his own interests. She hurried over to Brannon Creative Group.
"Mr. Brannon." Sarah burst in.
James tried to stop her at the door, but she acted like she'd throw herself on the floor and make a scene if he didn't let her pass. It was a tricky situation.
'No wonder she gets on so well with Winnie. They are two of a kind,' James thought.
"Let her in." Keith's calm voice came from the office.
At that, Sarah's face lit up with delight. She stepped into the office.
"Mr. Brannon, I knew you wouldn't be so ungentlemanly," Sarah said. She'd only seen Keith from a distance before and hadn't realized how sharp he looked up close.
She thought, 'Most big-shot CEOs are far from good-looking. Someone like Keith is truly one in a million. No wonder Winnie has been so crazy about him, even willing to give up everything for him.'
"What do you want, Ms. Wiggins?" Keith asked, his expression cold.
Sarah remembered why she'd come. She pushed aside the hint of admiration in her eyes and started sniffling, "Mr. Brannon, I know you're blocking our shop because I went against Ms. Gray.
"But I really had no choice. My family relies on Mr. Banks for all our income. If we hadn't acted tough, we would've gone bankrupt."
There was some truth to what Sarah said.
She'd never really thought of Winnie as a true friend. When she watched Winnie, that spoiled heiress, get into trouble, she'd even had a good laugh about it at home.
It was just that back then, she'd never imagined she'd get dragged into it, too.
Sarah sobbed, her face streaked with tears. "We need to rent this shop out urgently. If we don't get this business going, my family will go bankrupt. I'm willing to lower the rent. If Ms. Gray still wants it, we can sign the contract today."
For all Sarah's show of helplessness, Keith's eyes stayed completely unflinching.
He knew, of course, that most of what she said was true. But it was also true that she'd gone against Serena.
He said, "We've already found a suitable shop. We don't need you to compromise. If you want to rent it at a high price, go find a tenant elsewhere. Don't waste your time here."
Keith was completely unyielding. Sarah hadn't expected him to ignore all her flirtatious glances.
For a split second, even her look of vulnerability faltered.
"Mr. Brannon, won't you reconsider? Even if Ms. Gray doesn't want it, I'd appreciate it if you could lift the block on our shop. I'd do anything for that—anything you want."
Sarah was wearing just a slip dress today with a sheer layer over it. She stepped closer to Keith, then lowered her eyes, her breath warm against him, her gaze laced with invitation.
She refused to believe any man could turn down a woman throwing herself at him, especially when she thought she was fairly attractive.
"Mr. Brannon, we can work something out, can't we?" she said.
Serena didn't say exactly what Lana had babbled about, but Lana still remembered enough from last night to understand the faint worry in Serena's eyes.
"It's okay. If you don't want to talk about it, don't," Serena added. "Whenever you're ready to tell me what happened, I'll listen."
Lana immediately snuggled into Serena's arms with a whimper. "Ugh, I knew you were the best. I promise, once I sort things out, you'll be the first to know."
It surprised Serena a little that someone as lively as Lana got this upset over a relationship, but she didn't want to push.
She ruffled Lana's hair. "Get up and wash up. After breakfast, we've got other things to do."
Lana nodded. The past felt like a closed chapter. Life had to go on, and she wouldn't have come back home if she planned to keep dwelling on that jerk.
Serena trusted Lana to bounce back, so she left the room to let Lana get ready.
"Still, it makes me mad," Lana said, joining her for breakfast after getting ready. "That spoiled rich girl who messed with you is already in jail, but her friends are still trying to pick on us."
Serena bowed her head quietly. "Keith said the same thing. He already took care of it."
That morning, Keith had spread the word. Anyone trying to rent that shop would be considered an enemy of Brannon Creative Group.
Serena hadn't wanted him to make such a big fuss, but people like Winnie and her crew would never back down unless they hit a wall.
If Winnie's crew played dirty, they couldn't blame Serena and Keith for fighting back.
"For real? That's awesome!" Lana had only grumbled in passing but hadn't expected it to actually happen. Keith surely moved fast.
"But it's probably just for the short term," Serena said. "The Lyles family isn't against us anymore. As long as those people keep quiet, we won't go after them relentlessly."
Or maybe it was just that Serena wasn't the type to do that.
"Fair enough. Let it be a lesson for them," Lana said.
She finished breakfast quickly. Even though they had determined the shop location, there was still plenty of business to take care of. To get their studio up and running soon, they headed out not long after.
Meanwhile, Sarah Wiggins, who'd gotten word of the shop being blocked, sat at home in shock as if she'd been struck by lightning.
If Serena had been there, she'd have recognized Sarah as the one who'd stood with Winnie at Daniel's party, helping her come up with plans.
"Mr. Brannon's blocked our shop entirely now," said the man, who'd mocked Serena and Lana earlier, looking defeated. "And we need the money now!
"This is all your fault. Why'd you have to go against Serena again? What good did that do us?"
Sarah was already flustered, and his blame made her snap, "If we hadn't shown Mr. Banks where we stand, do you think we'd still be getting any perks? You idiot!"
But this wasn't how she'd wanted things to turn out, either.
Pacing anxiously a couple of times, Sarah finally managed to say, "I'll go to Brannon Creative Group. Maybe I can talk this through."
She thought, 'I can't just sit around, doing nothing. After all, isn't Keith only doing this to stand up for Serena?'
Sarah refused to believe a top CEO like him would be so hung up on one woman that he'd ignore his own interests. She hurried over to Brannon Creative Group.
"Mr. Brannon." Sarah burst in.
James tried to stop her at the door, but she acted like she'd throw herself on the floor and make a scene if he didn't let her pass. It was a tricky situation.
'No wonder she gets on so well with Winnie. They are two of a kind,' James thought.
"Let her in." Keith's calm voice came from the office.
At that, Sarah's face lit up with delight. She stepped into the office.
"Mr. Brannon, I knew you wouldn't be so ungentlemanly," Sarah said. She'd only seen Keith from a distance before and hadn't realized how sharp he looked up close.
She thought, 'Most big-shot CEOs are far from good-looking. Someone like Keith is truly one in a million. No wonder Winnie has been so crazy about him, even willing to give up everything for him.'
"What do you want, Ms. Wiggins?" Keith asked, his expression cold.
Sarah remembered why she'd come. She pushed aside the hint of admiration in her eyes and started sniffling, "Mr. Brannon, I know you're blocking our shop because I went against Ms. Gray.
"But I really had no choice. My family relies on Mr. Banks for all our income. If we hadn't acted tough, we would've gone bankrupt."
There was some truth to what Sarah said.
She'd never really thought of Winnie as a true friend. When she watched Winnie, that spoiled heiress, get into trouble, she'd even had a good laugh about it at home.
It was just that back then, she'd never imagined she'd get dragged into it, too.
Sarah sobbed, her face streaked with tears. "We need to rent this shop out urgently. If we don't get this business going, my family will go bankrupt. I'm willing to lower the rent. If Ms. Gray still wants it, we can sign the contract today."
For all Sarah's show of helplessness, Keith's eyes stayed completely unflinching.
He knew, of course, that most of what she said was true. But it was also true that she'd gone against Serena.
He said, "We've already found a suitable shop. We don't need you to compromise. If you want to rent it at a high price, go find a tenant elsewhere. Don't waste your time here."
Keith was completely unyielding. Sarah hadn't expected him to ignore all her flirtatious glances.
For a split second, even her look of vulnerability faltered.
"Mr. Brannon, won't you reconsider? Even if Ms. Gray doesn't want it, I'd appreciate it if you could lift the block on our shop. I'd do anything for that—anything you want."
Sarah was wearing just a slip dress today with a sheer layer over it. She stepped closer to Keith, then lowered her eyes, her breath warm against him, her gaze laced with invitation.
She refused to believe any man could turn down a woman throwing herself at him, especially when she thought she was fairly attractive.
"Mr. Brannon, we can work something out, can't we?" she said.
End of The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep Chapter 167. Continue reading Chapter 168 or return to The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep book page.