Chapter 54 I Have a Brain
“What do you want to talk about?” Alison asked calmly, unintentionally distancing herself from Brayden.
This feeling of distance made Brayden feel frustrated. He strode forward with his long legs, bringing himself closer to her, and blurted out without thinking, “Let’s talk about your plans after the divorce. Will you continue to work as Miss Lambert’s bodyguard in the Lambert Residence, or are you going to be with Charles?”
“Are you nuts?” She was no longer willing to be polite or kind to him.
When they just divorced, Alison intended on separating amicably, only mocking Brayden in secret if she saw him doing anything she didn’t like. However, as time went on, she realized that he had become even more outrageous than before, resembling a lunatic as though the gentle person from the year and a half they were together was merely a fragment of her imagination.
“If you don’t have a job, I can give you a position at Cornell Corporation for Grandpa’s sake.” He ignored
her retort.
In truth, his purpose in coming here was to see her reaction when she saw the lipstick mark on his clothes; this conversation was just an excuse. However, as he spoke, he couldn’t help but think about her life after their divorce. The thought of her being alone in that villa, gazing at the sky like an abandoned kitten, made him feel uneasy.
Suddenly, she asked in return, “What position in your company pays an annual salary of over three million?”
He was caught off guard by her audacious demand. “Our salary is proportional to one’s abilities,” he explained. “What do you have to prove that you’re worth over three million?”
“If I can’t earn over three million a year, why would I work for your company?” She logically analyzed the situation, leaving him speechless with the other half of her sentence. “I have deposited the 210 million 1 received from the divorce into the bank. With an annual interest rate of 1.5 percent, I can earn over three million in interest without doing anything for a year!
Hearing that, Brayden was speechless.
Meanwhile, she continued, “Not to mention with such a large amount of savings, they wouldn’t offer a low-interest rate. You call yourself a businessman, but you can’t even calculate this correctly.”
“What if you act impulsively and someone swindles you out of everything?” He had nothing to say in response to her remarks, so he awkwardly voiced anything that came to his mind.
“Even if you become a beggar, I won’t be swindled,” she stated firmly. “I have a brain, after all.”
Brayden gritted his teeth in frustration. “Are you saying I don’t have one?”
“You do.” Alison looked at him. “But it’s as if you don’t. Especially after considering the things you’ve done. Would a normal person do such things?
Instantly, his chest was filled with anger. I must have gone crazy to come here and do such a foolish thing. “In that case, let’s see who’ll become a beggar first.” Their conversation had somehow veered off track. Worst of all, he was filled with pent-up frustration.
“Goodbye. See yourself out,” she said.
After she saw him enter the elevator, she closed the door and returned to the couch in the living room. Her mind automatically conjured up the image of the lipstick mark on his collar, as well as the scent of the perfume she had noticed. She furrowed her eyebrows, feeling more emotionally agitated than before. It wasn’t that she still cared, but she felt an annoyance she couldn’t explain, for it felt like she had been cheated on. It was a stronger feeling than seeing him with Grace.
To pull herself out of her thoughts, she pinched her glabella and thought about bidding farewell to her friend in Riverton since she would be leaving in a few days. Realizing it was already late at night, she opened her WhatsApp and sent a text. ‘Yulia, I’ll be leaving Riverton in a few days. Do you have time to have a meal together?’
Yulia Bates was a friend she made when she first arrived in Riverton. They hit it off right away and had enjoyable conversations. Later on, Yulia often invited her to meals, shopping sprees, and outings. At that when time, she was still a relatively unknown figure in the entertainment industry. It was only a year ago she played a villainous role that she gained attention and became a B-list actress. It had already been half a year since they last met.
After waiting for a while and not receiving a reply, she a**umed Yulia had already gone to sleep, so she got
and went to bed. Unexpectedly, she was bombarded with messages from Conner.
up
I’m sorry, Miss Lambert.
‘I shouldn’t have lied to you.’
‘Can you forgive me this time?’
Alison chose to ignore his messages. After reading them all, she locked her phone and went to bed.
On the other hand, Conner was in a panic, Judging by Brayden’s expression, he knew that things must have turned sour between the two of them.
Brayden was like a ticking time bomb now. Seeing Conner constantly looking at his phone, he coldly voiced his displeasure, saying, “Why aren’t you driving? Are you planning to have breakfast here tomorrow morning?”
“I’ll start the car now.” Conner didn’t dare retort. He put down his phone and started the car before driving away. Throughout the journey, he pondered how he could make Alison stop being angry at him. This wicked boss! He made me offend my idol!
That night, Brayden couldn’t sleep well. Conner was equally restless, but Alison slept soundly. She wouldn’t let her emotions or the situation affect her sleep. Apart from occasionally having difficulty calming down after dreaming about her mother, she could quickly recover from other things.
When she woke up the next morning, she received a reply from Yulia.
‘Sure, how about today?’ The message was sent at 3.00AM.
She was initially puzzled, but then she remembered that Yulia was an actress, and she had probably just finished filming late last night. With that in mind, she replied, ‘Are you still filming today?’
Just as she sent the message, her phone rang.
The voice on the other end was pleasant and sweet. “I’m not filming anything for the time being. If you’re free today, let’s make plans. There’s a new French restaurant in the city center that I heard has good
“Sounds good,” answered Alison. She wasn’t picky when it came to food. As long as it wasn’t poisonous, she could eat it. To put it in Hannah’s words, she was easy to care for.
After arranging a time, she changed into a different outfit and headed out. Her whole outfit was on the darker spectrum, for black, white, and gray were the dominant colors in her wardrobe. Her shoulder- length hair was let down, and her thin bangs gently brushed her forehead. Despite her simple appearance, she appeared extremely attractive.
When the two of them met, it was already 10.00AM.
Yulia put on sungla**es and a hat, and she wore a warm-colored long coat. With her stature of five-foot- five, she looked cute standing next to Alison.
“Quick, let’s go inside.” She grabbed Alison’s hand and headed toward the mall in the city center. “It’s so difficult for me to go out now. I’m afraid of being recognized by the paparazzi and fans.”
Hearing that, Alison suggested, “Next time, you can just wait inside a private room. I’ll look for you.”
“No way!” Yulia responded decisively. “With your sense of direction, even if I tell you the floor and room number, you might not be able to locate it.”
Suddenly, Alison fell silent. After a moment, she explained, “I have a good sense of direction.”
Their first meeting was actually because Yulia felt that Alison had a poor sense of direction. Due to this misunderstanding, the two of them ended up contacting each other, and they hit off during their conversations, becoming friends at once.”
Alison had many friends, most of whom she had known since childhood. Yulia was considered the first friend she made after growing up.
