Chapter 13

"Damn it! That ex-convict is in our department! Just the sight of him pisses me off! Ugh, this is so irritating!" Catherine seethed angrily. "Something's not right." Raymond lit a cigarette and took a drag out of it. "Think about it. The ex-convict went to the company a little earlier than us. Why would he and Faith enter the sales department together?" "Are you saying that he and Faith might be affiliated?" Catherine asked. Raymond nodded heavily. "The likelihood is quite big. First of all, the sales department has always been in dire need of people. Second of all, you should know Faith pretty well. She doesn't care about the employees' backgrounds; all she wants is to earn profits. "Didn't you mention that Perseus used to be extremely capable despite his status as an ex-convict? He was a valedictorian in the past as well, so it only makes sense that Faith has her eye on him." "You're right." Catherine nodded as well, though her expression became more solemn. She pushed Raymond slightly before saying, "Hurry up and drive. We need to start making sales. As long as Perseus comes in last or is unable to make any sales in the last three months, he still has to resign from the company regardless of his relationship with Faith. "This means you'd better work hard in the next three months. Stop taking credit for the sales I've made, you hear? If it wasn't for you dragging me down, my actual sales would've been on par with Pete's!" "Alright, alright. I get it." Raymond nodded half-heartedly as he started the car once again. "Oh, by the way, you should give me your bonus. We still need to save up for our house," Catherine added. … Perseus spent the entire day in Quantum Innovations. When it was almost time to get off work, he received a phone call from Nancy. She apologized for having to leave halfway through their meeting yesterday, and she invited him to dinner later. Perseus accepted her invitation. He needed to start making connections and doing actual work that could help him make up for his three-year absence from society. That way, his parents wouldn't be looked down on by anyone anymore. After Perseus got off work, he flagged down a cab and headed to Calantha Hotel. Calantha Hotel was a famous four-star hotel in Neptuna with a pristine reputation. The environment in Calantha Hotel was very green and refreshing, for it was chock full of expensive flora. The current season happened to be the blooming season for water lilies. Occasionally, a beautiful fish would leap out of the water before munching on a water lily's stalk. "Perseus? Oh, it really is you!" Perseus happened to be admiring the beautiful scenery when he heard a familiar voice coming from behind him. He turned around to see Camilla. Camilla was Perseus' old high school and university classmate. She had a long-term title named "Forever Number Two" because she was always outranked by Perseus in their academics. Both of them shared a pretty awkward relationship. But after what happened yesterday, Perseus found himself feeling grateful toward Camilla. "What a coincidence." Perseus smiled and approached Camilla. "Thank you for what you've done for my family over the past three years." "Don't sweat it. We used to be classmates, after all." Camilla shot Perseus a faint smile as she tucked her hair, which was messed up by the wind, behind her ear. Just like that, her beautiful face was revealed. Honestly speaking, Camilla was extremely beautiful. Her beauty was different from Rochelle's. Camilla was a quiet person by nature. She was as elegant as her name proposed, though her elegance came with a touch of coldness and aloofness. No one dared to approach her back then. Her smile caused her dimples to surface, making her look extremely attractive. "By the way, are you here to attend our university reunion?" Camilla wanted to change the topic at first, but she regretted the new topic she had chosen to bring up. How could that person possibly invite Perseus to the reunion? "Reunion? What reunion?" Perseus frowned deeply. No one ever told him there was a university reunion. "It's alright. Now that you've found out about it, I won't hide it from you anymore." Camilla sighed before continuing, "Rochelle's the one who organized the reunion. Maybe she wants to catch up with everyone before her wedding." "Rochelle's the organizer? Excellent. It just so happens that I want to see her as well." Perseus didn't catch any of the things Camilla said afterward. He needed to ask Rochelle for the reason behind her betrayal. "Don't be brash, Perseus. You mustn't act rashly. You have to pay the price for that." Camilla grabbed Perseus worriedly. She could understand why Perseus was enraged, but as an adult, he needed to take responsibility for the consequences. She felt that it wasn't worth it for Perseus to be thrown into jail again for beating Rochelle up. "Are you still planning on making your parents worry about you?" Camilla added. Her words had proven to be extremely effective, for the hatred in Perseus' eyes dissipated immediately. The bulging vein on his forehead disappeared as well. Perseus took a deep breath in order to recompose himself. "Don't worry. I won't do anything rash, but I still need to make some things clear to her. Take me to the venue. I promise I won't be brash." "Alright." Camilla was still worried about Perseus, but she figured that it wouldn't be much of a problem since she'd be there to mediate things as well. Hence, she led Perseus into the hotel. Rochelle had spent a large amount of money to book a medium-sized private room known as Chrysanthemum Hall. It could fit more than 20 people in one go. There was even a karaoke machine and a billiards table. "Hi there, everyone," Camilla greeted after opening the door slowly. "Oh? It's you, Camilla! Come in, come in!" "You're finally here, Camilla!" Even though Camilla kept a low profile during her school years, she was still popular because of her beauty. Once she started working, she looked even more radiant and mature. Rochelle was about to pull Camilla into a warm hug when she was interrupted by the person behind Camilla. "It's been a while, huh, Rochelle?" When Rochelle heard the voice, her smile froze on her face. She stared at Camilla in surprise, as though she was silently asking the latter why she had chosen to bring Perseus along. "It's only been three years, Rochelle. Don't you recognize me anymore?" Perseus looked at Rochelle coldly, an equally chilly smile plastered on his face. Rochelle looked even more beautiful than she was three years ago. She wore a tight-fitting yellow dress that accentuated her curvaceous figure. Her hair draped before her shoulders in golden ringlets. Some of the locks even slipped down her deep cleavage. She wasn't exactly tall, but she was definitely sexually charming. Her body was well-endowed, which brought out her feminine charms. Men loved women with that sort of body type. Rochelle quickly recomposed herself after a moment of shock. She folded her arms in front of her chest, thus squeezing her boobs together even more. "Ah. It's you, Perseus. I thought you were sentenced to five years of imprisonment. Why are you out so soon? Did you break out of prison?" "It doesn't matter. Don't you know very well the reason why I got into jail in the first place?" Perseus narrowed his eyes slightly, which harbored a cold glint. At the same time, he balled up his fists tightly. Rochelle sure was calm, huh? What a heartless bitch! "Of course," Rochelle replied with a smile. "It's true that we had dated three years ago. But we broke up right after graduation, remember? I'm way out of your league, after all. "But you kept pestering me because you couldn't handle losing me. That's why you vented your anger on my fiancé, Gilbert. Isn't that why you beat him up? What, are you trying to get back together with me?" Rochelle chuckled coldly while shrugging. "I won't take your actions to heart, seeing as we were once classmates. You can forget about getting back together with me, though. Gilbert and I are about to get married. I hope you'll come to accept this fact soon." "Accept this fact? Getting back together with you?" Perseus questioned while chortling in amusement. It had been three years since they last met. Rochelle's shamelessness had definitely grown exponentially during this time. Did she really think he was such a pushover?