Chapter 297

Easton felt a deep sense of guilt hearing those words. His lips pressed together tightly, and he said nothing.

Easton thought, "I know I owe Natalie a lot, and I will make it up to her. Yesterday, I wanted to take her to buy a ring, but her eyes showed no affection. It seems she no longer loves me. What should I do?"

Easton ignored Declan and got into the car.

Xavier quickly drove away.

Declan was confused and thought, "Why did Easton cling to Natalie if he didn’t love her? Anyway, I’m Jennifer’s driver now, and I must bear any humiliation she might throw at me. I need to help Mom get those 60 million back and find out about Jennifer’s plans."

Declan leaned against the car, waiting for Jennifer to finish her paperwork.

Suddenly, he heard Murray’s voice.

“Natalie, have you had your IV drip done?”

“Great! I’m coming to see you now, and I have good news. What do you want for lunch? Should I bring it?”

“Okay, pulled pork, grilled chicken, fried fish… These are all heavy dishes. You’re weak, you should eat something light.”

“Alright, I will go to Blossom House to buy them. They make the best dishes. I should reach your place in about 40 minutes. Do you also want a bottle of Coke? How can someone who’s injured drink Coke?”

“Okay, you’ve got so many reasons. See you in 40 minutes.”

Declan knew Natalie was injured but couldn’t meet her or even know where she lived. He wanted to check on her but simply couldn’t.

Declan thought, "Natalie’s getting an IV drip today, so it looks like she’s pretty badly hurt!"

Watching Murray’s car drive away, Declan considered following but restrained himself as he opened the car door, thinking, "Right now, I’m Jennifer’s driver, and I’m fine with playing my part. I need to gather some useful information first."

After about 20 minutes, Jennifer finally came down with Oliver, and Declan quickly hid beside another car.

Oliver was furious. “Ms. Simpson, I think Mr. Garcia did it on purpose. Without his bid, we could’ve saved 30 million.”

Jennifer also found it strange, thinking, "Easton had promised me, yet he suddenly started to bid."

She took a deep breath and pushed down the doubts. “It’s okay. We’re still 15 million under budget, which is lucky for us. You saw today how many people were seeking our cooperation. There’s no need to worry about early investments.”

Jennifer’s words made Oliver feel much better.

“Ms. Simpson, be careful. Declan suddenly wants to be your driver. We shouldn’t talk about certain things in front of him. You need to…"

Jennifer gave a cold smile, her beautiful face showing disdain.

“He’s just a fool. What are you afraid of? He’s always spoiled me. Even if I asked him to go after Natalie, he wouldn’t hesitate. As long as he’s on our side, we don’t need to deal with him."

“But he might interfere with our plans. As for Wendy, she’s still stubborn, refusing to sell us the company.”

Oliver wondered if they should apply more pressure on Wendy to get the deal done faster.

Jennifer’s eyes filled with sarcasm, and a cold smile tugged at her lips. “No rush. Let’s wait a few more days. I’ll first cover that 60 million to reassure her, and then you can pressure her under our company’s name. We can buy her company for under 150 million and make her transfer the technology to us. That technology she’s holding is worth over 300 million.”

Jennifer thought, "In the end, we are still the ones who profit. For decades, Wendy has been laying the groundwork for me!"

“Alright, let’s wait a few more days,” Oliver agreed reluctantly, still worried the delay might cause problems.

He felt uneasy that something had changed but couldn’t find any proof.

Oliver thought, "Wendy pampers Jennifer, and that’s why everything is going so smoothly for us. But Easton’s attitude is becoming increasingly difficult to understand.”

“Ms. Simpson, should we proceed with our original plan? I think Easton’s behavior isn’t the same as before. To be safe, our master’s plan should go ahead.”

Jennifer also noticed Easton’s elusive attitude, thinking, "It seems he’s pushing away from me!"

“Arrange the hypnotist. I’ll look for an opportunity as soon as possible.” Jennifer felt she couldn’t wait any longer.

Jennifer thought, "If Easton forgets about Natalie, those two old folks in the Garcia family won’t stand a chance against me. There’s no time for me to hesitate. Easton starting to care about Natalie isn’t good news."

Oliver nodded. “Okay.”

Hidden in the shadows, Declan was stunned and thought, "Is Jennifer planning to act against Easton? Isn’t she supposed to love him? What exactly does she want? And who is the 'master' Oliver mentioned?"

Feeling nervous, Declan quickly silenced his phone and saw the two enter the car.

He rushed over, opened the driver’s door, and apologized with a smile. “Jennifer, why didn’t you wait for me?”

Jennifer was taken aback, almost forgetting that Declan was her driver if he hadn’t popped up.

“Declan, take me to the company. I have a shoot soon,” Jennifer said with a smile.

“Sure,” Declan replied and stepped on the gas.

Oliver handed the tablet to Jennifer, his gaze darkening a little. “Ms. Simpson, Natalie’s design collaboration with Maurice’s company has resulted in a significant increase in sales this quarter.”

Jennifer knew about this and mocked, “What talent could Natalie have? She’s been home for years, and I’ve never seen her draw a design sketch. Her designs might be stolen from someone else, or maybe someone is drawing them for her.”

Oliver said coldly, “The National Fashion Design Competition is coming up in a few days. Why not enroll her under the name of the Simpson family and let her expose herself when she fails?”

Jennifer gave a slight smile, satisfied with Oliver’s proposal.

Looking at Declan, Jennifer smiled and said, “Declan, Natalie’s just a country girl. The National Fashion Design Competition is next month. Why don’t we enter Natalie to prove her skills? You know, her position as a design director has always been questioned. Why not give her the chance to prove herself and clear everyone’s doubts?”

Declan gripped the steering wheel tightly and thought, "Jennifer wants to embarrass Natalie. She is spiteful. How did I never notice her nasty thoughts? But I wonder if Natalie has the talent to silence those rumors. If she could, that’d be good!"

He smiled and said, "Jennifer, since you’re into design too, will you join the competition?"

Hearing this, Jennifer sneered and thought, "Natalie has always been in my shadow. Now that she is stepping into the entertainment industry, I’ll ensure she stays my sidekick."

Jennifer chuckled and said, “Declan, if I participate, wouldn’t it be a bit unfair to Natalie?”