Chapter 32
Aaron got in the elevator from the basement straight to the second floor. He was heading towards his study but noticed that the door of Yolanda's room was open when he was walking past her room. He called her name casually but heard no response before he decided to walk in.
He didn't expect to see the cuff-link she put on the table as he stepped into her room without anyone in there.
He thought nothing about it at first and was about to turn around and leave. But he suddenly realized something.
Cuff-link?
What did she buy them for?
Sensing that something was awry, Aaron turned back and grabbed them for a closer look. They were made of a black gem, and the workmanship was very delicate.
While checking them, he turned them around inadvertently only to discover the letter engraved on the back.
j?
He just gifted her with that ruby ​​necklace, and the next thing she did was purchasing the black onyx cuff-link engraved with j?
Wasn't it a bit too coincidental?
Just when he was losing himself in thinking, Yolanda came back and appeared to be quite unnatural when she caught the sight of Aaron holding the cuff-link.
It seemed that she didn't want him to find them.
Aaron asked her, "Are these what you went shopping for this afternoon?"
Yolanda's lips moved. Over the course of a second, numerous explanations emerged in her mind, and sadly none of which would suffice a satisfactory one for the existence of the cuff-link right here.
For starters, they were male accessory so she couldn't say that it was for her own use.
Plus, the letter j on the back made it impossible to drag Marc Walter into this in her favor.
The worst was that she could tell from Aaron's eyes that he seemed to have misunderstood.
All of a sudden, Yolanda suddenly realized a fact.
His name Aaron Jensen had the letter j, too!
No!
It wasn't for you. Put it down!
What are the odds!
Although Yolanda screamed wildly deep inside, she was fully aware of the fact that there was no better way for her than to nod along.
She laughed dryly, stroked her hair, and lowered her head slightly. And then she faked an embarrassed look and said, "Eh, right. You found them. But I don't like the style of the cuff-link and was about to exchange."
Right after her response, she reached out trying to grab it back.
To her surprise, Aaron dodged her hand swiftly.
"No need." His expression was very unfathomable at the moment, "I think it's nice."
"......"
Yolanda went speechless for a while, staring blankly at Aaron clasping the two cuff-link in his hand and said, "Thanks."
After saying that, he left the room.
Yolanda stood there in a daze. It was obvious that the man was quite satisfied.
She was at a loss for a while and came to think of the vase that Ms. Twelve broke just now.
Sure enough.
There would always be signs of disasters.
Why the hell was she acting so warmheartedly to help downstairs?
Sitting back in front of the dressing table, Yolanda grudgingly replied to the buyer just now: [The cuff-link is now unavailable.]
The buyer texted back: [How come? They were on sale just now and I was ready to pay. ]
Yolanda had nothing to say.
It wouldn't have to be this way if you had paid just ten minutes earlier.
Although Aaron took the cuff-link accidentally which was meant for James, it took just a few minutes of a daze for Yolanda to calm down.
Yolanda thought she would be fine with his taking the cuff-link. She could just consider the 100,000 yuan as the living expenditure she owed him for the past several months.
Besides, maybe she could use this cuff-link to her advantage to increase the possibility of Aaron's forgiveness when she makes the confession in the end.
Anyway, Aaron wouldn't know that she bought it for James.
So, she got over the incident this way. At the moment, Yolanda was more concerned about what had been going on for James.
At seven o'clock in the evening, the little girl that she hired sent her a message:
[Sister, we were all released. But we were not in the same room during the interrogation. He didn't see me, and I didn't see him either. Now my elder sister came to get me, and I was fined 2,000 yuan. My job is done now, thank you, boss.]
The fine had already been included in the salary paid to her by Yolanda in advance.
But Yolanda waited until nine o'clock in the evening, and there was still no breaking news on Twitter.
There were so many onlookers taking pictures in the hotel and none of them were posted online.
Something was wrong.
The only explanation would be that James 's team had already gagged the media online in advance and pulled some strings to deal with the police through his network.
Yolanda kept waiting patiently until eleven o'clock in the evening. Still, she saw nothing she wanted. Finally, the patience was gone, and she decided to break the news on her alt account.
She posted: James was detained in the North District Police Station this afternoon for suspected prostitution. The funny part was that an actress was there to fight with her boyfriend and his mistress. The three of them were arrested by the police in the end.
Then she attached two photos of him being taken away from the hotel.
This account gained a lot of followers when Yolanda made the revelation about James before. Therefore, Yolanda was not surprised to see that the number of retweets had already exceeded 10,000 just within 30 minutes after she posted.
[No way. He was so sincere when he apologized last time for failing to manage his relationship. And I bought that.]
[Please show us some more solid evidence or you will be sued for spreading rumors with over 500 times of retweeting.]
[It came as no shocker for me. Last time he shushed every source revealing his sexual relationship with his fan. He is just that sort of a jerk. Now I'm just waiting to hear from the official report.]
[I believe in dear James. Just wait for him to stop all the rumors with the truth.]
[We got your back, brother James.]
After Yolanda posted on Twitter, she took a shower and went to bed, waiting for the situation to run its course.
She didn't want to show the ace card yet. It would be much more interesting to keep them panicking.
Anyway, she was telling the truth and had no worries about being sued for spreading rumors at all.
Just as she expected, she woke up the next day to the photos posted online by the guests in the hotel back then, one after another.
Probably concerned about the negative impact on public stability, the police made an official report about it, sending James on trend afterward.
#James Detention#
# James & Flora Cohen#
#James has been deceived by a barber shop worker for a month#
The third hashtag about him made Yolanda burst into laughter.
She cheerily clicked it to see more.
The introduction read like this.
"James was taken away by the police for being suspected of engaging in prostitution in a hotel a few days ago. But James insisted that he was only here to comfort a friend. After interrogation, the police found out his so-called friend turned out to be a barber shop female worker from a red-light district. After adding friends on WhatsApp, the girl claimed herself as the heiress of a big company, an identity James had no doubts about. The two finally got to meet at the hotel after constant chatting.
The comments below were even more hilarious.
[Finally, an end that jerk deserves! LOL!]
[1818 Golden Eye: This is the kind of news we are interested in.]
[#The rich lady I thought I hooked up with is actually a prostitute. #]
[This is, without doubt, the funniest news of the year. LOL. Thank you, James, for being the source of my endless amusement.]
The other two hashtags revealed the relationship between James and Flora Cohen. The entertainment industry is such a place full where it would be common to kick someone when they were down. Sometimes, you don't have to do it yourself because your enemy's enemy had been waiting for this to inflict some pain on your target.
In short, currently, James was characterized as both an asshole and a moron in the eyes of the netizens.
Yolanda praised herself for never leaving any evidence for James and never sending him a photo. That was how she could stay clear of all this mess.
He had only himself to blame since he wanted more than he could digest.
Closing the Twitter app, satisfyingly, Yolanda received a new message on WhatsApp. She clicked it.
It was from James: [Who are you?]
Of course, James knew that girl from a barber shop couldn't have a video of the Azel Group office. But it was just confusing why she dressed exactly the same as "Aaron 's sister" whom he met in person.
It's just that he didn't know what had been going on, and he was too afraid of Aaron's identity to ask. So, he had to accept this passive situation for the time being.
Yolanda ignored him. She threw the phone aside and took a deep breath.
So refreshed!
Going downstairs for dinner, she greeted Aaron energetically, "Morning, brother."
Aaron looked at her curiously and ask, "Somebody is in a good mood today."
Yolanda sat down beside him and blinked at him while saying, "Because I woke up to see your face."
Aaron said nothing.
Yolanda looked down and was about to say something even nicer to suck up to him when she noticed that he was wearing the black onyx cuff-link for which he changed into a light-colored shirt for the first time so that it would highlight the cuff-link.
She was surprised, "Are you wearing it already?"
Aaron retorted, "Or do you want me to worship it as a family heirloom?"
Yolanda went speechless.
She was in a good mood. But no longer. Because the cuff-link put an end to it.
It was even worse that Aaron was the one who was wearing it. It was just torturing for her.
"You have so many accessories, why do you have to wear them?"
Aaron turned to stare at her for a moment, then suddenly remarked, "You don't want me to wear it?"
"..." Yolanda immediately shook her head, "Of course not."
After that, she breakfasted quietly without any more comments about the cuff-link anymore in case Aaron would sense something wrong.
At nine o'clock in the morning, the two arrived at the office.
Judging from the surprised looks of those employees, Yolanda was sure that it was the first time Aaron had worn a white shirt.
After entering the office, he took off his jacket and sat down before beginning to browse today's work schedule as usual.
Yolanda sat next to him and looked at him.
This man rarely wore white, and today was the first time as far as Yolanda knew.
Black signals coldness. And that had been the source of his oppression and distance.
But the white color told a different story. For the first time, Yolanda felt a rare kind of tenderness in Aaron.
That did not last long.
Before Yolanda could enjoy enough of the rare side of him, she was suddenly pushed back to reality by his indifferent voice as usual, "What are you staring at? Is there money or something to read on my face? "
Yolanda got tongue-tied.
Then she coughed lightly and sat upright, "It's just the first time I saw my brother wearing white. I'm curious."
Aaron seemed to be reminded of something else though. He smirked, "Right, I almost forgot. You like guys wearing white shirts and gold-rimmed glasses."
Yolanda was confused.
"When did I say that?"
"The last time I came back from the archery hall, didn't you say that Mr. Webster's white shirt and gold-rimmed glasses added to his handsomeness and steadiness. And the mysterious vibe got you all wondering.
Yolanda was speechless.
So, you just bought whatever bullshit I came up with?
Yolanda had already forgotten it herself.
At that time, she was trying to leave Aaron a better impression than a girl full of flattery. So, she played a trick on him by complimenting other men.
Did he take it seriously?
"I was just talking nonsense," Yolanda said earnestly.
"So, it was nonsense that day." Aaron continued calmly, "Then what about today?"
Yolanda went speechless again.
That man had been your good friend. What was the point of deciding a winner between you two?
But Aaron put aside all the documents in his hand to look at her intently:
"Pick one."
"Now."
Yolanda glanced at Aaron's eyes, "Honestly?"
Her response made Aaron's heart sink a bit, he said, "Sure.
Yolanda thought for a while and silently pulled her chair away to keep a distance from Aaron. Then she covered her face with a book. After all of these, she continued, "Still Mr. Webster."
Aaron was stunned, "...?"
There was an eerie moment of silence.
Aaron suddenly hooked Yolanda's chair with his foot and pulled her in front of him after which he grabbed the book that was covering her face.
"Pick again. Who?"
Yolanda said that on purpose. She wanted to tease Aaron with a joke. But she didn't expect his reaction to being so strong.
Now that she was controlled by him while their eyes looked straight into each other's. Shortly, it was overwhelming for Yolanda that she couldn't help but avoiding seeing him with a blushed face.
Fortunately, at this time, a rush of bells came to Yolanda's rescue.
Aaron kept it ringing for a while before he released her back to her original position. Then he gave her another look of "I'll deal with it later" and picked up the phone.
It was from Danis Todd.
Aaron understood at once that it was for James.
Just as he expected.
"Mr. Jensen, there's something you need to hear about James."
Leaning back on the chair, Aaron directed his eyes on Yolanda while listening on the phone.
"James was framed this time. It is a typical way of dragging someone down in this industry. He was not engaged in prostitution. It was fabricated by his ex-girlfriend who was a crazy bitch. You see, ever since her family went bankrupt, she's been out of her mind. That's why she's always trying to destroy James. I bet she was also the one who was behind the incident last time. He..."
Aaron interrupted him, frowning, "Mr. Todd."
That man was surprised to be stopped, "Ah?"
"I showed you respect last time, I suppose. But you should know when to stop."
Danis Todd sighed, "I understand, but..."
"I don't care about the reasons behind it. I'm a businessman. All I care about is the value of goods. This person has no value to me now. Don't waste my time."
Before Danis Todd could say anything more, Aaron hung up the phone.
Then he looked at Yolanda again.
It was obvious the message his eyes were conveying: It was not over yet.
Yolanda knew for sure that the phone call just now was about James. And she was quite satisfied with Aaron's attitude towards him.
So, she chose to make him feel better and explained, "I wasn't finished. I mean admittedly Mr. Webster looks good in a white shirt. But he would never wear a black one because you are the one who's perfect in black. Just like the piece of art when you are in black. You know, my brother is so..."
"Stop it." Aaron felt confused about her change of attitude. She was such a smooth talker.
Exaggerated as it sounded, it worked for him.
He was so elevated that the irritation of the phone call just now started to fade.
Aaron continued to make another call:
"Cancel the contract signing appointment with James and find someone to replace his role in Dragon Hunt. Besides, keep Azel Group clear of all his news.
According to the original plan, Dragon Hunt should be officially announced tomorrow. Fortunately, the scandal broke out today, otherwise, Aaron would have a lot more nasty work to do.
What was Danis Todd saying there?
James's bad luck with a crazy ex who lost her mind because of bankruptcy.
He sneered and shook his head. That old saying makes a lot of sense: Never mess up with a woman. You would never know the woman beside you was benign or hostile.
Thinking of this, Aaron glanced at Yolanda again.
To his relief, although this woman was sometimes pretentious, she had been at least cute and kind.
Just as he looked at Yolanda, her heart was pounding like crazy.
What did she JUST HEARD?
She burst into laughter silently inside.
The contract was off, someone else would fit his role, and he was almost denied everything because Aaron ordered that no one should manage his business anymore.
Finally, Yolanda had James devastated.
And Aaron's firm decisions surely lent her a hand. So, was it their joint efforts that dragged the jerk down?
Yolanda secretly glanced at Aaron while she immersed herself in her own setting the story she made up.
At this moment, there was a lot going on in her mind.
Accidentally, her eyes got fixed on the cuff-link at Aaron's wrist.
No, this thing had been bothering her for a long time.
"Brother," Aaron reached out to fiddle with one of the cuff-link, and tentatively advised, "Actually, I don't think they are really suitable for you. Let me change them for something better."
Yolanda still couldn't stand seeing the cuff-link showing in front of her all the time, especially worn by Aaron.
Aaron said lightly, "No need."
After a pause, he continued, "Whatever you sent is suitable."
Yolanda: "..."
His terse reply made her suddenly realize something.
Yolanda calmed down. She thought to herself that, in fact, maybe it was fated that the cuff-link ended up on the wrists of Aaron.
It was fated in that his name also has a letter j and the cuff-link wasn't sent to James . After all the incidents, the cuff-link seemed to have found the best owner.
After all, when Yolanda was picking up them at the counter, the service assistant asked her, "Who are you giving such beautiful cuff-link to?"
Yolanda answered, "Of course someone I adore."
But Yolanda had long removed James from her life. She didn't adore him and never had.
Since they were never sent out without anyone touching them, Yolanda was qualified with the right to redefine and choose again everything.
Aaron's name has the letter j, too. So, she was actually giving them to someone she adored.
That sounded about right.
After organizing her messed thoughts again, Yolanda suddenly found the cuff-link on his wrists quite satisfying.
"Tomorrow I'm going to Sutton on a business trip. If you don't want to come to the company, stay at home. But if you want, I will ask Uncle Happer to pick you up." Aaron said.
"Ah?" Yolanda was surprised, "You are going on a business trip? When will you be back?"
Aaron caught the eager look in her eyes as if she was looking forward to something. He paused and turned his eyes slightly.
"Don't worry, I'll be back on the 14th."
Yolanda was relieved to hear that.
She just couldn't stand lying to him for one more day.
At ten o'clock, Aaron went to the conference room for a meeting. After returning to the office, he processed a few documents and then turned off the computer.
"Get off work early today." He said, "I need to go back and prepare some materials for the meeting in Sutton."
Without thinking much of it, Yolanda packed her things and went downstairs with him. On their way in the elevator, Aaron answered a phone saying that there were several documents he missed that still need to be checked and signed.
Aaron had no choice but to return to his office and said to her, "Wait for me in the car for twenty minutes."
"OK."
Yolanda headed to the parking lot alone.
She went walked towards Aaron's exclusive president's parking space with her head low. And just a few steps later, she suddenly heard the sound of a car stopping on the left, and then someone came out of the car and called her name:
"Yolanda."
Yolanda was stunned and turned to look.
It turned out to be James.
There was also a man beside him who she didn't know of but seemed superior somehow.
"You are here for Phoebe, right?" James approached with a sneer.
Yolanda didn't expect to bump into him here, but this was by no means a suitable occasion for the two of them to meet.
She ignored him and continued to walk forward.
But James wouldn't let her leave like this. He stepped forward and grabbed her sleeve roughly, "What are you escaping for? Huh? Do you think no one knows about the nasty things you did?"
Danis Todd, who was standing next to him seemed to understand the situation. He immediately stopped him: "Forget it, don't make a scene here. The important thing for you to do now is to go up and apologize to Mr. Jensen in person."
"I l couldn't find her anywhere," James pointed at Yolanda angrily, "You colluded with Phoebe, right? You've been stalking me, haven't you? I didn't realize what you've got. You want me done, huh? I'll tell you what, no way!
James was dismissed from several endorsements overnight because of yesterday's scandal, and the variety show he was promised got canceled. His career was almost destroyed. Now he was waiting for Danis to bring him to Aaron to ask for mercy.
Although he still failed to figure out what was that about yesterday, after all, he was the only one to blame since he had already had a lot of enemies and framing like that was just typical in this industry. He should've been more careful.
But at that time, the WhatsApp number was obviously from someone near Aaron.
James guessed that the trap should have been planned by his opponent. After all, Yolanda was bankrupt. She didn't have the ability to get close to Aaron, and it was impossible for her to go into Aaron's office to make a video like that.
But it must've been Yolanda's idea for Phoebe to call Flora there.
He had to admit that Yolanda never stopped keeping an eye on him with her bestie. Everything happened to come together yesterday.
"Don't you ever think that you can do anything to me with Phoebe 's help?" James poked Yolanda with his finger and continued, "You just wait. This isn't over and you won't get what you want that easily."
Yolanda couldn't help laughing when she heard his threat, "So confident?"
James's lips twitched and he was about to continue to say something when Danis standing next to him poked him, "Shush."
His eyes led James to look somewhere not far away. And James put up a reverent face and nodded respectfully while greeting, "Mr. Jensen."
What?
Yolanda's back suddenly stiffened, and her scalp went numb.
You said you wouldn't be back in twenty minutes!
The next moment Yolanda sensed the familiar aura of him, and her feet seemed to be frozen. She wanted to escape but couldn't move at all.
She got stuck in this panicking situation like a fireball was burning near her butt.
Aaron quickly walked over to them.
He looked at Yolanda, then at James and Danis, frowning:
"You know each other?"