Chapter 12: Their Summer Was Over

Good for both of them? She could really say that with a straight face! Eliana was impressive about how bitchy Vanessa could be. Eliana chuckled coldly, squinting her beautiful yet mischievous eyes. "Sure, but my dress can't be cheap. It has to be custom-made by an Italian master. The jewelry I wear must be the best. And, don't forget, my bridesmaids' gifts should be in six figures. Oh, and make sure my husband gets the same treatment." Vanessa's expression instantly turned sour, almost unable to speak from anger. "Sis, aren't you going too far?" Eliana lightly hooked her finger through her long hair, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "You can't even cover my appearance fee, and now you're asking me to star in your little show? This payoff might save your rep, so count yourself lucky for my kindness." Vanessa's face grew even uglier. She wanted to provoke Eliana, but now she was the one being ridiculed. Jeremy stared at her, smiling. "Fine, you'll have what you want." Eliana's breath caught, locking eyes with him. Jeremy continued, "But you have to keep your promise." He was testing her, proving that she still cared about him, and he was certain she wouldn't want to be the bridesmaid. They had almost seen the dawn of happiness, but unfortunately, the sky darkened. Now, they couldn't see anything. Their summer was over. Eliana raised her eyebrows, smiling brightly yet sincerely. "Alright, but you have to pay me the appearance fee first, and I want it doubled." "Okay, I'll transfer it to you now." Jeremy took out his phone and quickly transferred two million. "You got the money now. Please pay your efforts to the wedding." Jeremy said, holding Vanessa's hand. "Let's go, Vi." Taking a look at the transfer record on her phone, Eliana's expression grew solemn. Colin, seeing her troubled expression, sighed softly. "You wanted to make them back off, but now you're just making trouble for yourself." Eliana shrugged. "I should have asked for more." She didn't hesitate to accept the money, then returned to her desk to go through the documents. There were loopholes in every aspect of the company, and the most annoying thing was that each department had Camille's relatives working in it. She couldn't just fire them all at once; she had to take it step by step. When it was time to go, Eliana still hadn't heard from Margaret. Was her brave move earlier all for nothing, like her uncle had warned? Whether it was in vain or not didn't matter to her. What mattered was solving the problem of the three lost contracts. Tomorrow morning, her father and that troublemaking mother-daughter pair wouldn't let her off the hook easily. Eliana went through her contacts and finally managed to arrange a meeting with Mr. Richard Pumphrey, the general manager of an overseas trading company. He was a client Randall had dealt with in the past, and they had cooperated for many years. It was probably out of old ties that he agreed to meet her. She and Colin had already prepared food and wine, hoping to secure an emergency deal. At the appointed time, Mr. Pumphrey arrived with his assistant. He was friendly and insisted that Eliana call him "Uncle Richard," citing their long-standing relationship. Mr. Pumphrey was quite talkative, and they ended up discussing everything but the contract. Every time Eliana tried to bring up the topic, he would divert the conversation elsewhere. Midway through the dinner, Pumphrey and his assistant excused themselves to the restroom. Eliana discreetly took a few sips of the wine Colin had prepared for sobering up. Colin couldn't help but feel sorry for her. "I don't think Pumphrey came here to talk business. He's clearly just here for a free meal. He talks more than the gossip ladies!" "You get used to it. These people are all up to no good, smiling on the surface but scheming like snakes inside. If he doesn't talk about the contract soon, we'll leave and make him foot the bill." She was never a doormat. Eliana took another sip of tea, her phone ringing soon after. "Where are you, and when are you coming back?" Chase's voice was icy, as if interrogating his subordinate, but that suited his head coach demeanor. "I'm out socializing, won't be back so soon. Didn't I give you the password?" "The sensor seems to be broken, no response when pressed, only fingerprint unlocking works." Chase's voice remained lazy and indifferent. "Then come over to get the keys from me." Eliana gave him the address before hanging up. In the men's restroom, after Pumphrey washed his face, he dialed a number on his phone. "Camille, the dinner party is still going on. I just made Eliana open a few expensive bottles of wine again. I guarantee she'll leave tonight with nothing accomplished." "Thank you for your efforts. I'll raise the price afterward and sign a new contract with you." Even if the profit is reduced, it doesn't matter, the most important thing is to suppress Eliana. After hanging up, Pumphrey returned to the private room. The three bottles of wine they ordered had arrived, all opened. After drinking so much, this woman showed no signs of being drunk, but he was starting to feel dizzy. He sat down, and Eliana pushed the contract toward him. "Uncle Richard, since we're having such a good time tonight, why don't we sign the contract as well, to celebrate our joy?" Pumphrey took the contract and looked at it seriously, but showed no intention of signing. "This contract looks fine to me. Eliana, you've learned a lot from your father. I'm really impressed. Here, let's have a drink." He raised his glass, and Eliana reluctantly did the same. In fact, she had already reached her drinking limit. Drinking more would make it difficult for her to even hold a pen. Pumphrey kept talking and brought out another bottle of wine. He mentioned the years of cooperation with Randall and poured Eliana another glass. Colin, noticing this, quickly signaled Eliana not to drink anymore. Seeing her hesitation, Richard asked deliberately, "Eliana, why aren't you drinking? Did I say something wrong just now?" Eliana concealed her emotions and picked up her glass. Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Chase walked in wearing sportswear. Pumphrey's slightly hazy state sobered up instantly when he saw Chase's stern face. He quickly got up and walked over. "Mr. Wilkinson, why are you here too?" Eliana's mind cleared up a bit with the change in atmosphere. She asked in confusion, "You call him Mr. Wilkinson? Do you two know each other?" Chase's eyes narrowed slightly. He recognized the man in front of him as the general manager of his foreign trade company. He had visited the company the day before yesterday and had met him then. Facing Eliana's question, he remained calm, without any hint of panic or emotion. "I used to work as a bodyguard for Pumphrey. He likes to call me Mr. Wilkinson, just like others do in the gym." After saying that, he gave Pumphrey a cold glare. Pumphrey nodded in understanding and hurriedly added, "Yes, Mr. Wilkinson once saved my life, so I have great respect for him." Eliana felt something was off, but out of consideration for Mr. Pumphrey's face, she didn't ask further. Chase was invited to sit down by Mr. Pumphrey. After sitting down, Chase casually glanced at the contract on the table. "You two spend four hours on such small case? Just sign it now." Eliana widened her eyes, holding her breath. Who did he think he was, daring to order Pumphrey around like that? If he drove Pumphrey away, would he compensate her with another contract?