Chapter 4 Who Are You Referring To
Early the next morning, there was a knock on Callan’s office door. Adam entered, and Callan casually glanced at him.
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“If it’s about Sava Company’s tender documents, save it,” Callan said coldly, not interested in discussing it.
Adam was left speechless.
“Oh, no. I… just wanted to ask you about the advertising department’s plan for the second half of the year,” Adam quickly came up with an excuse.
“Go find the vice president,” Callan dismissed Adam without even looking up.
The image of Adam tugging at Eloise’s sleeve from yesterday was still fresh in Callan’s mind.
In the afternoon, Callan walked to the parking lot. Just as he got into his car, the passenger door opened.
Eloise had appeared out of nowhere and sat down beside him, cheekily grinning.
“M–Mr. Barone…” she stammered, holding a stack of documents
in her hand.
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The cover of the documents read: [Girado Group’s Advertising Plan for This Year].
Despite the spaciousness of the Maybach car, Eloise still felt cramped and uncomfortable.
Callan narrowed his eyes. “Did you guys discuss it today?”
“You guys?” Eloise asked, confused by the reference, unaware that Adam had pleaded with him on her behalf earlier. “Who are you talking about?”
“What do you think?” Callan’s tone held a tinge of anger. He despised women who played dumb.
Eloise inexplicably recalled that night, but quickly refocused on the matter at hand. “This is the plan I drafted. Please take a look.”
She handed the documents to Callan.
“Take them away. Those are matters to consider after you win the bid,” Callan responded indifferently.
“But we don’t even have a chance to compete now!” Eloise sounded somewhat pitiful.
“Get out!” Callan wanted to end the conversation and not waste
any more time.
“If you don’t agree, I won’t leave,” Eloise stubbornly held her
Chapter 4 Who Are You Referring To ground.
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“Leave the stuff here and get out of the car!” Callan issued his final ultimatum.
Eloise cheerfully said, “Well, don’t forget to take a look.”
With that, she exited the car with high spirits.
Callan pursed his lips.
The car sped away, leaving a trail of dust behind.
Callan had plans to have dinner at his grandparents‘ house in the evening. He lived alone and visited them once a month.
A young woman with long, curly hair was sitting on the sofa. When Callan entered, she stood up, looked at him with teary eyes, and softly said, “Callan, long time no see!”
Callan furrowed his brow. ‘Beatrice?‘
“Callan, don’t you recognize Beatrice? You were so kind to her when you were kids, and she’s always seen you as a brother,” Janice Barone said, glancing at Beatrice.
Janice had been hinting that Callan was in his thirties and still unmarried, which worried her.
And Beatrice’s first stop after returning from abroad was their house, showing her concern for Callan.
Chapter 4 Who Are You Referring To Callan greeted Beatrice, “Long time no see.”
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Beatrice smiled, her teary eyes sparkling. “Callan, I promised to come back and find you when I left. Do you remember?”
“No, I don’t. I have so much work to do,” Callan replied, and his phone rang.
It was a call from the VP, Donny Carpenter. He said, “Mr. Barone, we’ve got a problem. People are discussing on Sava Company’s and our company’s forums, claiming that you had a thing with Eloise in Kcos City and canceled their bid because she didn’t please you.”
Callan frowned, understanding what Donny meant.
It was obviously exposed by that woman.
She retaliated shortly after his rejection.
Without hesitation, he dialed Eloise’s number.
Eloise was dealing with Eliza at that moment.
Ada informed Eloise about the bad news, asking her to quickly check the company forum and Girado Group’s forum.
When Eloise saw the post, she was livid. It accused her of using her looks to sleep with Mr. Barone during his business trip to Kcos City, making her out to be a prostitute.
Eloise was furious. After thinking it through, she believed Eliza
Chapter 4 Who Are You Referring To
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was the most likely culprit. Eloise had traced the IP address of the poster, which was from an Internet cafe near Derek’s house. Eliza frequented that place.
It seemed that Eliza got jealous after seeing her with Adam’s talk that morning. She feared that Eloise would strike a deal and steal her spotlight, so she posted something to defame Eloise.
“Are you going to delete the post or set the record straight?” Eloise angrily confronted Eliza.
“I already told you it wasn’t me. You know exactly what happened between you and Mr. Barone!” Eliza argued aggressively, but deep down, she felt guilty because the post contained false accusations. As a newcomer in the company, slandering her boss was a serious offense.
However, she was hell–bent on ruining Eloise’s reputation, exposing her true colors to Adam, and sabotaging her project and dreams of climbing to the top.
“Why did you spread rumors about me? We’re family. What’s your motive?” Eloise fumed, her anger escalating.
“Family? You?” Eliza scoffed. “All these years, you’ve been freeloading in my house, eating my mom’s food. What kind of family are you? We took you in, and you show no gratitude. And now you claim to be my cousin.”
The mention of her mother, Medea Riley, who always praised Eloise for her grades, high–paying job, and wealthy boyfriend, ignited jealousy in Eliza’s eyes. She had always felt like a joke in
Chapter 4 Who Are You Referring To front of Eloise.
Eloise was taken aback, her chest heaving with anger.
In a fit of rage, she stormed back to her room to pack her belongings.
She had treated them like family, serving them diligently and even providing financial support, only to be treated this way.
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Eloise grabbed her suitcase and backpack, storming out of her
room.
Medea panicked at the sight.
“Eloise, you’re leaving without even informing the homeowner?” Medea sarcastically remarked.
She had been eavesdropping while Eloise and Eliza argued
earlier.
“Medea, I know you want money. How much do you want? Name your price!” Eloise’s face flushed with anger.
“Eloise, if it wasn’t for you, Derek would still be a manual laborer. You’ve contributed to the household and given us $5,000 a month. But now that you’re leaving, you should pay me at least ten thousand dollars a month. After all, you’ve been living here rent–free all these years,” Medea said, crossing her arms and continuing to extort Eloise. “And on top of that, you should give Derek some discretionary funds. What if he falls seriously ill and needs hospitalization? Let’s say $500,000.”
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Chapter 4 Who Are You Referring To
“$500,000?” Eloise’s jaw dropped. Medea was demanding an
outrageous sum.
