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It was a two–and–a–half–hour drive from Machodean to Nanston. It was cloudy outside, and the patter of rain really lulled people to sleep.
Pearl wasn’t in the mood to chat with Lucas, so she threw on a blanket and prepared for a nap, cautioning Lucas before dozing off, “Please, no noise.”
She added to Mason, “If he makes any noise, just throw him out!”
“Don’t worry, I’m well–behaved.”
Lucas replied, offering half of his shoulder. “Would you like to rest your head on my shoulder?”
“Thanks, but I’m afraid I’ll have a nightmare if I do so.”
Pearl yawned and closed her eyes, no longer paying attention to him.
Lucas chuckled softly as he looked at Pearl, now sleeping soundly under the blanket, appearing tiny and adorable, like a little quail one would want to hold and caress.
He discreetly took out his cell phone and snapped a picture of Pearl.
Mason watched, ready to snatch the phone, and glared at him fiercely, silently asking how he dared to take a picture secretly.
Lucas held up bi
phone and made a hushing gesture while winking, conveying that he hadn’t taken a picture secretly and did that openly.
Mason forced him to delete it. Reluctantly, Lucas deleted the photo, but he had already uploaded it elsewhere.
After all, Sleeping Beauty’s appearance should be preserved permanently.
Meanwhile, Lucas planned to send it to Marc in the future, who didn’t even have a single photo of his wife Pearl after three years of marriage. What a pity!
Pearl had a good sleep, and when she eventually woke up, they were already in Nanston.
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It was getting dark.
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Upon opening her eyes, Pearl was met with one of Lucas’s sparkling eyes and couldn’t help but furrow her brow. “Why are you still in the car?”
“I’ve been waiting for you to wake up so we can discuss business.”
Lucas appeared somewhat dejected and aggrieved after seeing Pearl’s frown at him.
Having mastered the art of attraction, Lucas, who could gain women’s hearts easily, had always been confident in his romantic endeavors. Still, he couldn’t understand why he hadn’t captivated Pearl yet.
Stretching her arms, Pearl’s voice was slightly hoarse from just waking up as she inquired,
“What kind of business?”
“Racecourse business. I’d really like to partner with you.”
Pearl accepted the water Mason handed her and drank half a cup to moisten her throat before speaking, “Cooperation should be sincere. A fifty–fifty split isn’t possible. At most, I can accept a seventy–thirty split. I’ll take seventy, and you’ll have thirty.”
Lucas narrowed his eyes, “Sixty–forty. You know the strength of the Parker family in the racecourse business, and our stallion resources are abundant. You won’t lose out if you cooperate with me.”
Pearl finished the remaining half glass of water and instructed Mason, “Prepare the
contract.”
Mason responded, “Yes.”
Lucas smiled. She appeared more decisive than he expected.
He raised an eyebrow and chuckled, “Now, are you still concerned that I might use my public office for personal gain and pursue you during our cooperation?”
“Well, go ahead,” Pearl replied lazily. “Whether you pursue me or not is your business, and whether I respond or not is mine. If you can truly make me move on and fall in love with you, that’s your skill.”
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Lucas snapped his fingers. “With your words, I now know what to do.”
After all, a persistent pursuer could soften the staunchest lady’s heart. Lucas believed that he could win Pearl’s heart with his charm!
The cooperation details for the racecourse business still needed to be finalized. Lucas got out of the car in front of Woolery Group.
Pearl went to the company to convene a meeting with the senior management to
announce the plan to transform the land in the northern suburbs from a golf course into a horse farm. This meeting was naturally kept secret from Ralph and Errol, and there was no
need to inform them.
She stayed behind for a while to work overtime, signing a few documents. As night fell, she received a call from the house.
Emily was on the other end of the line, reporting that Tina wouldn’t be able to hold on
Pearl’s eyes flickered. She had almost forgotten about Tina.
Tina was on her deathbed.
She felt like her soul was on the brink of drifting away. If she did pass away and become a ghost, she’d be a hungry one.
Growing up well–fed and well–dressed, Tina had never experienced such hunger. On the first day, she felt like it was just a diet to lose weight, but by the next morning, she woke up
famished.
Tina couldn’t bear it any longer. She yearned to pry the door open, but it was securely locked from the outside and wouldn’t budge. She considered leaping out of the window, yet it too, was tightly sealed. Even if she managed to force it open, she lacked the courage to jump through the window.
Pearl had confiscated her cell phone, and the room’s landline had been disconnected from external lines. There was no way to seek help from the outside world, only to call within the family.
Tina reached her breaking point and berated Emily, “How dare you imprison me like this? I
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am the master here, and you are mere servants or maids. You’re just my slave if we were all in ancient times! How dare you overstep your bounds and do this to me? Release me, or you’ll regret it!”
Emily patiently waited for her to finish her tirade before calmly responding, “Miss Tina, Miss Pearl left clear instructions before departing. You now have only two options. Either obediently pick up the bread, lower your head, and apologize, or go hungry.”
“Apologize? Tell Pearl to go to hell! Damn it!” Tina exclaimed in anger before slamming the phone down.
Emily simply ignored her.
Upon Pearl’s return, she didn’t bother listening to Emily and immediately checked the surveillance footage, observing Tina’s behavior over the past two days. Even the most stubborn individuals would yield to hunger.
Tina was clearly on the verge of collapse. She slumped against the edge of the bed, completely drained of strength. Her murmurs and curses persisted. She gazed at the dirty, unappetizing bread scattered on the floor. Unable to resist any longer, she reached out for
one.
As she brought the bread to her mouth and devoured it, Pearl opened the door to Tina’s
room and witnessed the scene.
Tina felt like a guilty food thief caught in the act. When she heard the door lock rattling, she made a shiver. Her throat constricted around the cold, hard, bread, causing her to
cough violently.
“Kaff, kaff, kaff…”
Noticing that Tina was on the verge of coughing her lungs out, Pearl stepped forward and raised her hand, giving her a hearty pat on the back. The piece of bread that had been lodged in her throat was immediately expelled. Simultaneously, Tina felt as though Pearl’s slap had nearly shattered her spine!
Whether it was due to the coughing fit or the pain from the slap, tears welled up in Tina’s
eyes.
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However, the next moment, Tina caught a whiff of a tantalizing aroma, her nostrils twitching like a puppy’s.
She turned her head to find the maid holding a tray laden with an assortment of freshly
baked chicken and bread…
With the ravenous appetite of a hungry spirit, Tina lunged toward the food, but the maid handed the tray to Pearl instead.
Pearl accepted the tray calmly and placed it on the coffee table. She sat on the sofa, casting a sidelong glance at Tina, who knelt on the floor. “Do you now know what it feels like to be hungry?”
Tina nodded, her eyes brimming with tears. She knew all too well.
Pearl pressed on. “Do you understand that you were in the wrong?”
Tina clenched her teeth in anger, but her hunger was too overpowering to continue resisting Pearl. She endured the humiliation and nodded again, and her eyes were fixed on the food displayed on the coffee table.
Pearl then raised her chin, looking like she was offering a sort of forgiveness to Tina. “Go
ahead and eat.”
Tina immediately pounced on the food, seizing a piece of baked chicken and savoring it as if it were the most exquisite delicacy.
Pearl looked at her, feeling glad that Tina had learned her lesson.
M tura lina
