Bethan laughed coldly. “Alright.”
Were the factory owners truly unprepared, or did Brettley want to stay in and accompany Alice?
Neither did she know, nor did she care to find out.
Bethan walked out of the hotel and wandered the streets aimlessly.
She had lived in the city for more than ten years. Back then, she left this city without turning back once because of Brettley.
She finally returned with him, but…he was holding another woman in his arms.
How ironic.
She walked around the city for a long, long time as she visited all the schools she studied in throughout the day: elementary school, junior high, high school, and her favorite restaurant, the small corner in the park.
She switched off her phone the entire time, and she only hailed a taxi and returned to the hotel after l0 p.m. at night.
After unlocking her room door with her key card, she unexpectedly discovered the lights in her room were lit. She frowned, raised her head, and saw the man who sat on the sofa in her room, immersed in his work.
“Mr. Morrison, don’t you have your own room?”
She turned and opened the door. “It’s late. You should leave to avoid any unnecessary rumors.”
At her words, the man who sat on the sofa smirked faintly.
He set down the documents in his hand with a cold smile and swept his eyes across at her. “I had something to say to you, but you never returned.
Alice is asleep. I didn’t want to disrupt her sleep, so I came to your room to wait.”
Bethan laughed coldly and continued to stand at the entrance. “The two of you are so close. Since Mrs. Morrison is asleep, you should go to sleep, too. We can discuss work tomorrow morning after Mrs. Morrison is awake.”
She seemed determined to chase him out of the room. Brettley frowned at the sight.
“Shut the door! “
“Alice knew I came to see you.”
Bethan scoffed and closed the door. “Not too long ago, Mrs. Morrison had been calling me your mistress. Since when did she become so forgiving?”
Brettley frowned but did not reply.
He indicated for her to sit down on the sofa. “Because of certain reasons, the visit has been rescheduled for tomorrow.”
He handed the documents to her. “These are the few of the main factories. You must understand the design and raw materials needed. Tomorrow, keep an eye out for the materials provided by the factories. And…”
He handed her a different document. “Take note of these few companies’ style of design and target audience.”
Seeing how invested he was to discuss business, Bethan decided not to continue bringing in their private matters. She read through the document thoroughly, then marked the parts that required special attention. “I’ve taken note.”
“We’ll leave at 9 am tomorrow. We need to visit every single one of these companies by the end of the day,”
Brettley’s voice was business-like and emotionless. “At night, we’ll be having dinner with one of our clients in Sea City, so don’t forget to prepare a medication to neutralize the alcohol.”
“Alright.”
Bethan bowed her head and continued studying the documents. “Is there anything else?” she asked carelessly.
“Yes.”
The man sitting opposite her changed into a different position, his gaze deep and heavy. “You’ve been to Sea City before, haven’t you?”
She stiffened slightly.
A moment later, she smiled. “I ‘ve been overseas the whole time. Didn’t you read my background information?”
“So, this is your first time here in Sea City?”
Bethan tidied up the documents neatly. “Of course. “
Brettley hung an arm over the back of the sofa, his posture lazy and relaxed. “You walked through the entire city in just an afternoon’s time, though. You looked confident and relaxed, and I couldn’t tell it was your first time here.”
The man’s words made her pause abruptly.
She raised her head in alarm. “You sent someone to follow me?”
He did not deny it. “From how familiar you are with Sea City, you make me think you grew up here.”
Last night after Bethan was attacked by the crowd at the banquet, he was worried and asked Lucas and two other bodyguards to shadow her. At least, he could allow her to be attacked in the market, like when they were in Banyan City.
Unexpectedly, the video recording that the two bodyguards sent to him showed…
Bethan, extremely familiar with every spot in the city.
“I was just wandering around.”
Bethan felt slightly guilty. “I was bored last night, so I looked through a map of the city. That’s why I seem familiar with the area.”
Then, she suppressed the panic in her chest, lowered her head, and flipped open the documents once again. “This is my first time here in Sea City.”
Brettley remained lying on the sofa wordlessly.
She did not dare raise her head to meet his eyes, at a loss as to whether he believed her or not.
The air between them was heavy and silent.
A moment later, he finally opened his mouth, his voice cold and deep, “Bethan, what else are you hiding?”
She pursed her lips, then finally raised her head and smiled at him. “What are you trying to say, Mr. Morrison? Are you still wondering whether this is my first time in Sea City?”
“Yes, and no.”
Brettley’s lips curved into a smile. “
Last night at the banquet, the information you produced was sent to you from Ausland, am I right?”
His eyes were burning as if he wanted to stare a hole through her. “From that little hacker in Ausland? “
Bethan stiffened sharply.
She looked at Brettley, at a loss for words.
“How did you contact him? The date indicated on the documents was from last night, and he obviously only started collecting the information after you notified him.”
He stared at her, then finally locked his eyes onto the necklace that hung around her neck. “I remember that you, Nellie, and Neil all have that necklace. Can you take it off so I can take a look at it?”
Bethan froze. She never thought that Brettley would notice her necklace. She was always careful and refrained from talking to the necklace whenever he was around.
Last night, she had switched on the necklace’s microphone so Nigel could hear everything during the cocktail party. She never thought Brettley would notice her action and harbor suspicions toward the necklace she wore.
Brettley knew his guess was right when he noticed Bethan’s surprised expression. He narrowed his eyes at her.
He observed Bethan’s every move last night; she did not touch her phone throughout the whole night. How, then, did she manage to stay in touch with the hacker?
Brettley was intrigued by this, so he checked the surveillance tapes of the cocktail party. The footage showed that apart from a small instance where Bethan touched her necklace, she displayed no other suspicious behavior. This was why he suspected her necklace was no ordinary one.
When he noticed how dazed she was, Brettley reached out to grab her necklace. However, Bethan immediately came to and pressed both of her hands against her chest. “Don’t you dare touch me! “
She leaped off the couch and stepped away from him as her hands remained on her chest. “This necklace belongs to me, Neil, and Nellie. Don’t you dare try to take it from me! “
Brettley stood up and strode over to her. The closer he got, the more menacing his gaze grew. “Since it’s just an ordinary necklace, what’s wrong with me looking at it? I’m not going to take it from you. I just want to have a look.”
Bethan backed away from him frantically. She feared that Brettley would discover the necklace’s secret function and, in turn, discover Nigel’s existence.
Suddenly, she felt the coolness of the door that pressed against her back. Brettley extended his arms and placed them on either side of her, and he effectively trapped her to the door. There was nowhere else to escape.
He gazed at her with a penetrating stare. “What are you afraid of?”
She could feel his breath that fanned her skin. She bit down on her lip and took a deep breath. “I’m not afraid…”
She lifted her head to meet his gaze. “I just… I just don’t want someone like you touching my stuff! “
Brettley narrowed his eyes. “Someone like me? “
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.