Chapter 6

Silvia got out of the car and headed back. The black Maybach stopped for a while before it drove in the opposite direction. Neil watched as Silvia’s figure grew smaller in the rearview mirror. He felt increasingly irritated. Silvia had always been timid, so he did not understand why she would be so stubborn this time. He had humbled himself by coming to her, yet she still insisted on a divorce. However, he needed to check on Ada anyway. He would find an opportunity to talk to Silvia later. After she walked for a while, Silvia received a call from Chris. “Silvia, where are you?” The concern in his voice warmed Silvia’s heart. “I’m halfway up the mountain. I’m on my way back.” “Where’s he?” Silvia spoke calmly without any emotion in her eyes. “He left.” “He left you alone on the mountain in the middle of the night?! I’ll be there in five minutes to pick you up. Wait for me!” Chris did not want to give Silvia a chance to refuse, so he hung up immediately. Silvia put her phone away and waited patiently for Chris. When Chris arrived, Silvia was standing by the road and kicking pebbles absentmindedly. The moment she heard the sound of an engine, she raised her head and saw Chris’ car stopping in front of her. Chris got out and visibly relaxed when he saw Silvia unharmed. He quickly walked over and opened the car door for her. “Get in, Silvia.” Seeing how caring he was, Silvia laughed and teased, “No wonder so many girls want to be your girlfriend. You’re quite the gentleman.” Chris smiled. “What about you? Do you think I’d make a good boyfriend?” Understanding his playful tone, Silvia played along and nodded with a smile of approval. “Absolutely! You’d be the perfect boyfriend.” A hint of disappointment flickered in Chris’ eyes, but he still smiled and said, “Unfortunately, the person I like doesn’t like me.” Silvia patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, “What a coincidence. The person I like doesn’t like me either.” Chris laughed and shook his head. “You’re terrible at cheering people up. You’ve made me even sadder.” “Fine. Let’s head back. I need to work tomorrow.” Chris cocked an eyebrow. “As my manager?” “Nah, I don’t plan on doing that. Besides, you already have a manager. How could I be your manager?” Chris smiled and said nothing. When they arrived at the mansion, the coffee had gotten cold, and Silvia was in no mood for coffee anymore. After she said goodnight to Chris, she went back to her room. The next morning, Silvia woke up and was about to go downstairs after she washed up. When she saw Dulcie waiting for her in the living room, she quickly descended the stairs. “Dulcie, could I take one more day off?” Dulcie sneered like a terrifying demon and threw a stack of documents in Silvia’s arms. “You’ve taken a break for three years. Isn’t that enough? Read these documents on your way to the company. We have a tough battle ahead of us today.” Silvia was stunned when she looked at the documents. “Why is there such a heavy workload on the first day?” “Don’t even get me started. Those old geezers almost turned MY Corporation upside down during the three years you were away. They’ve been hiring their relatives who are a bunch of freeloaders. They just collect their paychecks without lifting a finger! If you don’t come back soon, the company’s bound to go bankrupt!” Silvia was taken aback by this news. On the way to the company, Dulcie could not hold back her urge to gossip. “Oh, by the way, I saw Chris Rios at your place this morning. You’ve just divorced Neil, and you’re already the sugar mommy of an award-winning actor?” Silvia shifted her gaze from the document to Dulcie’s face. She spoke with a serious expression, “First of all, Chris and I are just friends. Secondly, Neil and I aren’t officially divorced, so he’s not my ex-husband.” Dulcie was shocked. “You’re acting as Chris’ sugar mommy without divorcing Neil?! That’s so exciting!” Silvia was dumbfounded. “Did you even pass English?” Dulcie raised her chin proudly. “Of course! I used to be the top student in my class.” “Were you the only student in your class?” Dulcie snapped. “Shut up, Silvia!” Silvia stopped talking and continued reading the documents. After a while, her phone rang. She was a little puzzled when she saw an unknown number. As soon as she answered the call, Neil’s angry voice came through. “Silvia, unblock my number!” Silvia immediately hung up and powered off her phone. She tossed it to Dulcie and said, “Get me a new SIM card and deactivate this one.” Recalling Silvia’s teasing earlier, Dulcie sarcastically said, “I’m not your secretary! Ask your own secretary to do it!” Silvia closed the document folder. Then, she cocked an eyebrow and said, “Fine. Since MY Corporation seems to be in dire straits anyway, I might as well just file for bankruptcy.” “No! Please, I’m sorry. I’ll help you with it, okay?” Silvia cocked her eyebrow again when she saw Dulcie’s change in attitude. “I was just joking. Don’t take it so seriously.” Dulcie was speechless. After she arrived at MY Corporation, the first thing Silvia did was hold a shareholders’ meeting. An hour later, the usually assertive shareholders walked out of the conference room in anger. Only Dulcie and Silvia remained in the room. Dulcie gave Silvia a thumbs up and expressed her admiration. “Silvia, you’re as sharp as ever! I was amazed watching you leave those old geezers speechless. I’ve never seen them back down like that before.” Silvia cast her an indifferent glance and said, “Give me a list of employees who joined MY Corporation through their connections with the shareholders. We’ll start the layoffs tomorrow.” Dulcie was shocked. “Tomorrow?! Isn’t that too soon? You just confronted those old geezers today. Their anger hasn’t subsided. You might trigger their dissatisfaction if you dismiss their people.” “If anyone has a problem with it, tell them to see me in my office.” With that, Silvia left the conference room. She had a rough understanding of MY Corporation’s problem. If she did not resolve it quickly, the company would go bankrupt before next year. Silvia immediately switched to work mode back in her office. She had been away for three years, but she did not have much time to reminisce about the past. In less than an hour, news of MY Corporation’s founder returning had spread throughout Ryoln City’s business circle. Since Silvia never made a public appearance, she was a mysterious figure to the outside world. People speculated that she had returned to rescue MY Corporation from the brink of bankruptcy. Over in Remus Corporation’s presidential office, Neil was still trying to reach Silvia. However, all he got was a mechanical voice informing him that her phone was off. It was testing his patience to the limit. When Curtis entered the office, he felt like he had entered an ice field. He instinctively walked with lighter steps to avoid annoying Neil. “Mr. Remus, our plans to acquire MY Corporation might have to be put on hold. It appears that MY Corporation’s founder returned today.” Neil frowned and responded absentmindedly, “Proceed with the acquisition plan and allocate an additional one hundred million to the original budget.” “MY Corporation’s founder initially rose to prominence by establishing the company out of nowhere. Unexpectedly, the founder handed control over to the shareholders later on. The founder probably returned to save the company. If we’re considering an acquisition, MY Corporation isn’t the best choice.” Neil remained uninterested and sternly said, “Proceed with the acquisition and increase the budget if it’s not enough. Don’t make me repeat myself! Also, have someone watch the entrance of Chris’s mansion. Notify me once Silvia appears.” “Understood, Mr. Remus.” Curtis was puzzled by Neil’s irritability. Neil obviously liked Ada. Why did he refuse to divorce Silvia and marry Ada? Regardless, this was personal to Neil, so Curtis could not intervene. He could only carry out Neil’s order. “By the way, Mr. Remus, the Angel’s Tears you bid on in Ceattle has arrived. Should I bring it over so that you can give it to Miss Silvia in person?” Angel’s Tears was a necklace featuring a blue teardrop-shaped gemstone that was surrounded by thousands of diamonds. It shimmered in the light and captivated anyone who saw it. The moment Neil saw it, he thought it was perfect for Silvia. He instantly decided to bid on it as a third-anniversary gift for her. However, due to their argument, he had pushed this matter to the back of his mind. Neil pursed his lips and said, “Yes, bring it to me. I’ll give it to her personally.” Curtis left Neil’s office after he delivered the Angel’s Tears. Neil picked up a document, but he could not concentrate. The determined expression Silvia had when she left last night filled his mind. He closed the folder in frustration. He was overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness. Just as he was preparing to stand and take a breather, his phone rang.