Chapter 11

Tommy looked awkward sitting in the front passenger seat. He motioned for the driver to pull over and told the driver to get down with him. He then consciously maintained a distance from her so as not to appear discourteous. Corinne sullenly held the hem of the big white T-shirt with both hands and slowly began pulling it up. Jeremy rested his forehead lazily on his knuckles. His indifferent gaze fell on her, and there was a hint of playfulness in the depths of his handsome eyes. - Back at Alpha Enterprises, Richard—the general manager—was severely reprimanded by his boss Alfred because of letting his relative in without a proper recruitment process. Alfred gave him an ultimatum, too; if he failed to figure out a way to recoup that day's losses and there was a resulting failure to reach a cooperation with the Holdens in that project, he would have to pack up and leave like his idiot of a relative, Zoe. Richard was in a state of desperation, so he drove out to get in touch with his contacts and find a solution. Just as he was worrying about whether or not he could keep his job, he spotted Jeremy's car parked on the side of the road. Jeremy was still nearby. What a wonderful stroke of luck that was! He could use that opportunity to explain to Jeremy the reasons for the mistakes in the plan so as to get some wiggle room! With that in mind, Richard parked the car nearby and jogged toward the black Mercedes-Benz MPV up ahead. There was heavy tint on the car windows, making it impossible for anyone outside to tell if there was anyone inside. Richard cautiously looked at the car window and called out, "Mister Jeremy? Are you in the car, Mister Jeremy? Mister Jeremy?" The soundproofing used in luxury cars was just as good, so Richard's voice did not travel into the car. 'Is the car empty? Did Mister Jeremy go somewhere? Where could he have gone?' Richard glanced around but did not see anyone nearby, so he put his hand on the door handle and tried to open the door. At that moment, Jeremy, still inside the car with Corinne, had an aloof expression and showed no intention to help Corinne out of the predicament. Meanwhile, Corinne did not intend to just give in to the man. After all, she had just been bullied by his sister earlier that morning, and if she did not take a stand right then, she would be treated like a pushover by the Holdens for the coming three months. Corinne gritted her teeth and took off the T-shirt. Fortunately, she had worn a small singlet underneath. There might not be much fabric, but it was not revealing either. Jeremy's eyes froze slightly, and he frowned as he thought inwardly, 'She really had the guts to take the shirt off!' All of a sudden, the car door was pulled open, letting in a ray of sunlight and cold air into the car. A strong force pulled Corinne over before she could react. Her vision went dark, and she smelled a pleasantly masculine fragrance of ambergris mixed with the tobacco; her heart began to pound rapidly. Jeremy reacted very quickly, and it took him only a split second to cover Corinne's body with the suit jacket aside that he took off earlier. He then pressed her body close to his so that her bare body would not be exposed to others. After opening the door, Richard happened to see Jeremy holding a woman in his arms. The woman's face was hidden in Mister Jeremy's chest, and she was wrapped in a man's jacket with her fair, slender legs revealed. Stunned, his jaw practically dropped to the ground. It did not take long for him to realize that he had seen something he should not have, and he immediately broke out in a cold sweat. "Ah! I'm so—sorry, Mister Jeremy! I was calling you from outside, but I didn't get a response, so I—" Jeremy hugged the woman tightly in his arms and looked up coldly before snarling, "F*ck off!" Richard closed the car door at once and wiped away the sweat from his forehead nervously. He was surely doomed after disrupting Jeremy's 'personal time'. Corinne was hugged so tightly that she had difficulty breathing. She had to wiggle a bit from his embrace to get her head out of his jacket. With a frown, she asked, "What are you doing, mister?" Jeremy looked down at the girl in his arms, and displeasure could obviously be seen in her big eyes. How could she still be angry at him? Had it not been for him, that guy would have seen her all naked! Jeremy began to wonder if she even had any sense of shame. After coming to his senses, Jeremy released her from his embrace with a straight face and said solemnly, "Put that shirt on right now. You're the Holdens' young madam now, and your every word and action represent the Holdens. Next time, don't ever do something as shameful as taking off your shirt for no good reason." 'Shameful? Wasn't he the one who wanted me to take it off?' Corinne smiled sarcastically. "I guess this means I got your permission to wear your shirt, then?" Jeremy frowned slightly, yet there was a smirk on his face. This young woman truly was a vengeful person. "Yes." Corinne snorted, moved to one side, and put on the shirt. Jeremy did not look at her again. He got up and slammed the car door shut as he got out of it. - Richard was shaking like a leaf as he explained everything to Tommy, "Mister Tommy, I didn't do it on purpose! Could you please explain to Mister Jeremy on my behalf..." Hearing the sound of the car door closing, Tommy looked up and saw Jeremy approaching them. "Sir..." Richard felt a chill down his spine and immediately turned to bow apologetically. "Mister Jeremy, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to open the door earlier..." Jeremy's black eyes were cold and stern. "What did you see?" Richard froze for a moment and shook his head violently. "Nothing! Nothing at all!" Tommy took a step forward, bowed, and pleaded for forgiveness. "Sir, your sister called earlier, and I went to one side to answer the call. It was my fault for not noticing that someone was approaching the car." Jeremy glanced at Tommy indifferently and said nothing. He lowered his head, lit a cigarette, and then turned to look at Richard, "Well, you've already followed me to my car, so tell me, why are you here?" Richard immediately said, "Mister Jeremy, my name is Richard Channing from Alpha Enterprises. We just met back at the company! I… Umm… I'm here to explain the error you saw today. The plan was manipulated by one of the company's interns for her personal interests, and that doesn’t represent our company's true ability. I hope you'll give us another chance to show you the real deal." Jeremy took a puff from his cigarette and cocked his handsome eyebrows. "Manipulated? Was it the intern who fixed your computer system?" Richard froze for a moment and then shook his head awkwardly. "Uh... no. It was another one! But not to worry, as both the interns have been fired, and we'll guarantee that there won't be any more mistakes in the future! If you have the time, perhaps you could—" Jeremy was surprised to know that Corinne had been fired. "I do not." Jeremy's expression darkened and he glanced at the back seat of the car from the corner of his eye. Jeremy signaled to Tommy with a glance. He surmised that Corinne had gotten dressed, so he turned around and walked toward the car. Richard hurriedly followed behind, "Mister Jeremy! This is a good project, and all I ask is for you to give me a bit of your time. Twenty minutes is more than enough..." Tommy did not hide his displeasure as he stopped Richard and warned, "Mr. Jeremy has made it clear that he doesn't have the time, Richard. Nothing good will come out of pestering him." Richard froze for a moment and did not dare to pester Jeremy any further. He retreated to the side of the road, saw them off with a bow, and watched the luxury Mercedes-Benz drive away before his eyes. Entertaining his request was the last thing that Jeremy wanted to do, what with a woman waiting for him inside the car. Richard had no choice but to find another chance some other day. At that moment, Corinne felt that it was too stuffy in the car, so she lowered the window slowly to let some fresh air in. Richard looked up at the car and was completely stunned. That woman in Jeremy's car bore a striking resemblance to Corinne, whom he had fired earlier that day!