Chapter 118: That’s Enough to Buy Out Your Company
Adrian Grant was going to work overtime, so there was no way Caroline Whitman would stay cooped up at home. She continued:
"I’m going back home today to tell my parents about Ryan."
Adrian Grant asked, "Should you take Ryan? I can go pick him up for you."
Caroline Whitman thought for a moment. ’Having a child present would make it seem like I’m not just some lunatic spouting nonsense.’
"That works."
He stroked her hair. "Then get up. I’ll go pick up the child."
"Wait, let me ask if they’re home first."
Caroline Whitman picked up her phone and called Franklin Whitman and Yolanda Young.
There was no answer.
It was around seven in the morning. On a normal day, this was when they would be waking up.
She had to make another call:
"What’s up?" The call connected, and Franklin Whitman’s voice was full of surprise. "Why are you calling me so early? Is something wrong?"
"Are you and Mom home?"
"Oh, you’re coming back? Well, your timing couldn’t be worse. Jonathan Grant and his family invited your mother and me out for a summer excursion today."
"..."
’A "summer excursion," my ass.’
"Where are you going?"
"Just to a mountain resort. You want to come?"
Caroline Whitman glanced up at Adrian Grant. "No, thanks."
Just as she was about to hang up, Franklin Whitman suddenly asked a question:
"Did you and Adrian Grant make it official?"
The question caught Caroline Whitman completely off guard. She had been planning to break the news with the child present.
"Dad, how did you know?" she asked instinctively.
"I just felt like the Grants have been contacting us too frequently lately. I mean, your old man has his personal charm, but it’s not enough to make Gavin Grant come over every day for chess and small talk, right?"
"..."
Caroline Whitman looked down and rubbed her nose. "Yeah."
Franklin Whitman’s phone was on speaker. He was in front of the mirror combing his hair, trying to decide which big gold chain to wear, so when he heard her sudden "yeah," it didn’t register. "What do you mean, ’yeah’?"
After he chose a necklace and put it on, it was as if a lightbulb went on in his head. "Wait. You’re saying you two are together."
This time, Caroline Whitman gave another noncommittal "Mm-hmm."
Even though Adrian Grant was in the room and Franklin Whitman’s voice was booming, she wasn’t embarrassed at all. ’Really.’
"Whoa! When did that happen? Attagirl! See? Listening to your old man always works out, right?"
"..."
Caroline Whitman couldn’t be bothered to listen to Franklin Whitman sing his own praises, so she mumbled a few vague things and hung up.
"They’re not home. They went out with your parents." She paused, then raised an eyebrow curiously. "Did you tell your family we’re together, too?"
"Yeah. I told them last night."
Caroline Whitman was surprised. "When did you find the time to tell them?"
’They were together all of last night, and she hadn’t seen him glued to his phone.’
Adrian Grant smiled, affectionately caressing her face as if he couldn’t get enough of her. "You were already asleep, so of course you wouldn’t know."
At this, Caroline Whitman’s senses sharpened. "You... slept here last night, too?"
"Isn’t it perfectly normal for me to sleep here? Or did you wake up this morning, not see me, and just assume I hadn’t?"
"..."
Caroline Whitman almost instinctively checked her own body for anything amiss, an action that made him laugh.
"There’s really no need for that. I didn’t do anything last night."
"Besides, you were fast asleep, and I don’t have a fetish for molesting people in their sleep."
"..."
——
Adrian Grant went to work overtime.
Caroline Whitman didn’t stay idle, either. She booked an appointment for a body treatment at a beauty salon.
As fate would have it, she ran into Molly Lawson, who was accompanied by none other than Wanda Sutton.
"..."
’This salon was a mid-to-high-end establishment, so running into Molly Lawson was somewhat understandable.’
’But logically, she shouldn’t have run into someone of Wanda Sutton’s caliber here.’
’Don’t tell me her spending habits got downgraded after her marriage alliance?’
’And to think she’d specifically gotten a membership at this salon to avoid running into those powerful young ladies from the Capital Circle.’
Caroline Whitman had just finished her treatment and was walking out when the three of them came face to face in the hallway.
She had intended to just walk past and ignore them, but unexpectedly, it was Wanda Sutton who spoke first.
She took off her sunglasses and sized Caroline Whitman up from head to toe.
"You’re... that Caroline Whitman from the Whitman Group?"
Being called out by name, Caroline Whitman had no choice but to stop. "Ah, Miss Sutton."
After a pause, she glanced nonchalantly at Molly Lawson beside Wanda, surprised that for once, Molly wasn’t saying anything.
"You didn’t come to my birthday party. Are you looking down on me?" Wanda Sutton lifted her chin, getting straight to the point.
She had recently started getting involved in her family’s business, which was when she began to get a more concrete sense of who Caroline Whitman was.
She suddenly recalled seeing her at the engagement party.
Then there was that other time at Gavin Grant’s birthday, where they had a brief encounter because of Chase Ford.
But of all things, this woman hadn’t come to her birthday party.
Caroline Whitman found this amusing. "My apologies, the Whitman Group has been extremely busy. I believe I had my secretary send a generous gift. You didn’t receive it?"
Molly Lawson, who had been silent all this time, moved her lips, clearly about to say something, but Wanda Sutton cut her off.
"I heard from my brother that Zenith Group approached you for a partnership a few times, but you always refused?"
"..."
Caroline Whitman sometimes thought there was a good reason why the "villainess" archetype was so often preceded by the word "brainless."
’This was the first time she’d ever heard someone so arrogantly demand to know why she wouldn’t cooperate.’
Zenith Group was the Sutton family’s enterprise. Wanda’s older brother, Riley Sutton, had indeed approached her several times about a partnership between their two companies.
Molly Lawson finally found her chance to speak up, letting out a sneer. "Oh, Miss Whitman is too high and mighty for us now. She’s gotten so full of herself after snagging a few partnerships with the Grant Group."
Caroline Whitman looked at Molly Lawson and nodded. "Indeed. Your father also came to our group seeking a partnership. Unfortunately, the proposal was terribly written, and his business acumen was just as poor. I can’t imagine what will happen if your company’s ventures continue to be so unprofitable. Might you go bankrupt?"
Molly Lawson’s face immediately flushed red. She stomped her foot. "You!"
Wanda Sutton silently sized up the woman before her, her gaze falling on the red diamond on her neck. She raised an eyebrow.
"If I’m not mistaken... isn’t that ’Blazing Radiance’? One of only three in the entire world, priceless and not available on the market. How did it end up in your possession?"
Caroline Whitman thought she was talking about the pink ring Adrian Grant had put on her hand the previous night, so she lifted her hand and wiggled her fingers. "You mean this?"
But unexpectedly, Wanda Sutton’s expression changed. "The limited edition Argyle pink diamond... you have that, too?"
Molly Lawson glanced at the two blindingly large diamonds on Caroline Whitman. She silently unlocked her phone, searched for the two names Wanda had just mentioned, and her expression instantly changed.
’This wasn’t just a matter of being expensive; the results said you couldn’t buy either of them even if you had the money.’
She curled her lip and snorted. "They must be fake, right? If they’re limited edition, how could you possibly be wearing them?"
’Either one is worth enough to buy out your family’s company.’
She gave a subtle eye-roll.
Caroline Whitman gave a faint smile, not bothering to argue with her. "If you say so."
An idea sparked in Wanda Sutton’s mind. Her eyes darted slightly, her earlier arrogant tone vanished, and she broke into a smile. "We should get tea sometime. Can I get your contact info?"
Molly Lawson panicked. "Wanda, you actually believe her?"
Wanda just shot her a cold glance, and Molly immediately fell silent.