Chapter 4

The room fell into silence for a while. Then, Zion said with a smirk, "Mrs. Brooks, you can't just accuse us." "Exactly, we're all proper business people!" Charlie said to Maeve earnestly. "Whether you're proper business people or not, I can't say much. But I think Sergio would be interested in that," Maeve said calmly. She continued, "As for me, I'm just an ignorant rich girl, but Sergio isn't. If I were to tell him all that just now, I wonder if he would take notice." "You're too cunning!" Charlie said. He couldn't contain his frustration. Maeve looked attentively at Zion. She said, "I won't beat around the bush. I need to borrow eight billion dollars from you. I'll repay both the principal and the interest to you after three years." Charlie was shocked, and his eyes widened. He said, "You can't be serious. That's eight billion dollars! Do you know how much interest that will be after three years? "If you can't repay it, we'll be at a loss of eight billion dollars. And you're Mr. Brooks' wife! How are we going to deal with you, then?" "I know how much the interest is, and I can sign a contract with you. If I can't repay you, I'll give you the Scotts' shares and properties under my name. I'll also work for you obediently for the rest of my life." Maeve hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Besides, my marriage with Sergio probably won't last three years. Even if I'm still his wife after three years, he won't protect me." Upon hearing these words, Zion looked up and stared at Maeve for a moment. Charlie perked up his ears as he heard the gossip. But soon, Charlie collected his thoughts and said, "That won't work! I absolutely disagree!" Before he could finish speaking, a calm voice beside him cut in, "Fine, I'll lend it to you." "What?" Charlie exclaimed as he jumped up from his chair. He continued, "Have you gone mad too?" "The money will be transferred by our finance department to you. We'll draw up the contract later," Zion said. "Zion! You're crazy!" Charlie stomped his feet. "Thank you, Mr. Spencer." Maeve stood up and said, "I'll await your message. I look forward to working with you." With a smirk, she turned around and left the CEO's office. Once she was gone, Charlie gritted his teeth and said, "She just left like that? That's eight billion dollars! Are you out of your mind? She's Sergio's wife! Why would you lend her money?" Zion replied with a smirk, "Because she's pretty." "Damn it! Why do you get to chase girls while I have to foot the bill?" Zion stood up, then placed a bank card on Charlie's chest. He said, "When it comes to the woman I fancy, I will definitely pay for the wedding gift." "What? Wedding gift? She's Sergio's wife. What wedding gift are you talking about?" Zion ignored Charlie and just walked out of the CEO's office. "Something's wrong with both of them!" Meanwhile, just as Maeve entered the Brooks' residence, she saw Sergio sitting on a chair in the living room. She frowned. In her previous life, Sergio rarely set foot in their home. When had he become so fond of being at home? Maeve thought that he was just coming home to relax, so she turned around and walked upstairs. All of a sudden, Sergio coldly called out, "Maeve!" Maeve stopped in her tracks. "What is it?" Facing Maeve's indifferent attitude for the past few days made Sergio uncomfortable. He said impatiently, "The people from the auction have come here to ask for the money." "I know." Sergio sighed. He said, "If you don't have enough money, you can tell me." Maeve rejected his offer coldly, "There's no need. I've already sorted it out." "Where did you get the money from?" Ten billion dollars wasn't a small sum. With the Scott family's available assets, he knew exactly how much she could afford. It was impossible for her to come up with that much money at once. "It's my own business. You don't need to worry about it." "Maeve, don't forget that I'm your husband." Maeve wore a self-deprecating smile. Husband? Sergio had always been ashamed of this. Since when did he remember that he was her husband? "You're so anxious because you're afraid that I'll lose that ten billion dollars and affect the Brooks family." Sergio was speechless. Seeing his reaction, Maeve knew that she was right. Maeve said lightly, "Don't worry, I won't bring trouble to the Brooks family. I know clearly that our marriage is just a business alliance. We either rise together or fall together. "Besides, you don't need to come home so often." Sergio was rendered speechless. He used to think that way before. That was why he was so cold to Maeve even after they got married, not even touching her. But when he heard those words from Maeve just now, he suddenly realized his excessiveness. Just as Sergio was about to say something, Maeve suddenly received a remittance message on her phone. She didn't expect Zion to be this efficient. Eight billion dollars had been transferred into her account in just an hour. With the matter resolved, Maeve smiled. Sergio pursed his lips. He suddenly remembered that Maeve used to follow him around. She used to smile at him like this, but he had never cared. "Tonight, there will be a banquet, and you're going to accompany me." "Me?" Just as she was about to go upstairs, Maeve frowned. Sergio asked back, "You don't want to?" "Why don't you bring Clara to the banquet?" Maeve was puzzled. She remembered that in her previous life, whenever there was a banquet or dinner, Sergio would bring Clara with him. If she remembered correctly, it was an international banquet this time. In her previous life, she had insisted on attending, but Sergio had still brought Clara with him in the end. This had indirectly paved the way for Clara's future studies abroad. Why would he suddenly think of bringing her to such an important occasion? "You're Mrs. Brooks, so you should attend such occasions." Maeve didn't believe this excuse. She thought that Sergio had only remembered her because Clara was probably busy. Well, it was also a good opportunity for her to attend such events. After all, she needed to network more for her own business development. "That works too. I'll go and get ready," Maeve said. Watching Maeve agree to attend the occasion, Sergio breathed a sigh of relief. At least Maeve was still willing to play the role of Sergio's wife. Perhaps she hadn't completely lost hope in him yet. Meanwhile, Clara was tinkering with the dress sent by Larry in her dorm room. Her roommates looked at her with envy. "Clara, your boyfriend is so good to you. He's sent you such a beautiful dress." Clara blushed. "Clara, when can you introduce us to your boyfriend?" "Yeah, he's so wealthy, and he always brings you to various events. We're so curious!" Clara shook her head and said, "His company is very busy, so he doesn't have much free time. I'll introduce you guys when we have the chance." At that moment, Clara's phone rang. Seeing that it was Larry calling, she happily answered the phone. "Larry, did Mr. Brooks ask you to come and pick me up? I'll come down right away." "Ms. Stewart, Mr. Brooks has said that you don't need to come today."