Chapter 5
Raymond stormed back to the villa, not saying a word.
The hall still looked like it was set up for a party. He grabbed a bottle of wine and flopped onto the sofa, yanking at his tie with his other hand.
Margaret's coldness was still on his mind.
No matter how strong the wine was, it tasted like water to him right now.
Luke looked worried. "Mr. Seymour, your stomach isn't great; maybe you should..."
Before he could finish, Raymond's phone rang.
Luke handed the phone to Raymond.
Raymond answered, and a sharp, angry female voice came through. "Stella said that bitch is back. Is it true?"
Raymond frowned. "Mom, you should call her by her name."
On the other end, Elodie Jones, Raymond's mom, got even angrier. "You're engaged to Stella. Don't even think about that bitch! If she steps into our house, I'll tear her apart!"
Even through the phone, Elodie's hatred was clear.
Raymond's irritation grew as he thought of Margaret stubbornly standing at the gate today.
Now, even if he sincerely invited her in, Margaret might not even glance at the Seymour Villa's gate.
Elodie continued, "Did you hear me? I..."
Raymond hung up and tossed the phone to Luke. "If she calls again, tell her I'm working."
He thought for a moment and then instructed Ryan, "Find out what Margaret's been up to for the past four years and block all her return flights for the next week. Book all the private jets."
As long as he could keep Margaret in the country, he had plenty of chance to prove that Liberty was his child!
Meanwhile, Wesley had taken Margaret to the hotel.
Margaret, holding two suitcases, felt a bit embarrassed. "Thanks, Mr. Johnson, for taking up so much of your time today."
Wesley smiled warmly, "No problem. If you need anything, just call me."
Margaret thanked him again.
Holding Liberty, she returned to the suite she had booked. As she locked the door, Margaret finally relaxed completely.
At the Seymour Villa, it seemed like she had the upper hand with Raymond, but her clothes, soaked with sweat, told a different story of her stress only known to herself.
She realized they had to hurry back. Staying here any longer would lead to trouble.
Margaret called her assistant to handle the tickets, only to hear that all flights were sold out.
She asked incredulously, "All sold out? How is that possible?"
The assistant was also troubled. "Yes, there are no tickets available. The earliest private jet booking is a week from now."
Margaret replied calmly, "I understand."
This was highly unusual.
Margaret immediately thought of the one who might be behind this, Raymond.
With just a word, he could easily make this happen.
Liberty, wise beyond her years, pretended to be disappointed after hearing the assistant's words. "Mommy, it looks like we'll have to stay here a bit longer."
Margaret could see through Liberty's thoughts and tapped her forehead, dispelling her wishful thinking. "Don't worry, I'll find a way."
After a long journey and a tense confrontation with Raymond, Margaret's mental state was at its limit.
She had intended to think of a solution but ended up falling asleep.
After a while, Liberty shook her awake. "Mommy, Mommy, there's a call."
Margaret groggily answered, her voice hoarse and sticky. "Hello?"
"Did I disturb your rest?" The voice on the other end was magnetic and gentle, with a hint of a smile.
Margaret immediately sat up straight. "Mr. Murphy, no, what can I do for you?"
The person on the other end, Patrick Murphy, sighed helplessly but didn't dwell on it, "Are you in Crystaland now?"
Margaret nodded. "Yes."
Patrick asked, "Have you met with Wesley?"
She responded, "Yes."
He continued, "Wesley's got some issues over there. Stick around and help him out. With your skills, it should take about six months. You can use Wesley as your assistant. I've already sent your butler over; he should be arriving soon."
Margaret was taken aback. She had wanted to leave the country sooner, but she couldn't refuse the arrangement now.
Four years ago, when she was on the brink of death, Patrick had saved her.
He had also given her many opportunities, pulling her out of the mire, so she couldn't bring herself to say no to his request.
It seemed her plans needed to be adjusted.
Margaret lowered her voice as she replied, "Okay, I understand."
After hanging up, she was completely awake.
Leaning on the sofa, she began to think about the next steps.
Her phone rang again, this time it was Wesley. He asked, "Ms. Neville, did headquarters inform you?"
Margaret answered, "Yes."
Wesley breathed a sigh of relief and immediately said, "I started as an assistant, so you don't need to worry about my cooperation."
Margaret had never worried about that, smiling, "Mr. Johnson, you don't need to be so modest. Your ability and cooperation have always been recognized as excellent."
"Just call me Wesley," Wesley corrected her, then quickly added, "I've picked out a few houses with good locations and views. I'll send you the details shortly. If you prefer hotels, I've selected some as well."
Wesley was indeed thorough, a testament to his background as an assistant.
Margaret felt a bit more at ease. "Thank you."
She read the information Wesley sent, and indeed, the houses were all quite nice.
Liberty saw her looking at houses and cautiously asked, "Mommy, are we not leaving?"
Margaret responded, "Just not for now."
Liberty's eyes dimmed for a moment but quickly brightened again.
She thought, 'One more day means more time to spend with Daddy!'
Indeed, Liberty still firmly believed that Raymond was her father. Because when she hugged Raymond, she felt an unprecedented warmth and sense of security.
Margaret quickly decided on a villa with excellent security. On the day they went to see the house, Wesley accompanied them.
It only took a day to see the house, buy it, and move in.
Margaret's butler, Brady Reed, started busying himself with arranging the villa as soon as he arrived, gradually making it feel like Margaret's home abroad.
Margaret looked at the increasingly cozy home, feeling a bit dazed.
She hadn't expected to actually settle down here.
She had thought about returning to her homeland, Crystaland, with Liberty someday, but not this soon.
Margaret comforted herself inwardly, 'I will live here just six months, and Raymond doesn't seem like the type to cling. Besides, the ticket issue might be a coincidence. So it might not be that hard to get through.'
Meanwhile, Liberty was exceptionally happy, directing Brady with her little finger, "Put the hanging chair here!"
Margaret noticed the oversized hanging chair. "We don't need such a big hanging chair!"
Liberty stuck out her tongue, smiling mischievously, "What if I invite a friend over to play in the future?"
Her thoughts were obvious. The hanging chair was prepared for Raymond.
"You better have a friend that big," Margaret replied. She hadn't figured out how to explain the missing father to Liberty, so she pretended not to know.
Meanwhile, at the Seymour Group
Raymond had just finished an important but unsuccessful meeting, frowning with anger. He casually flipped through the photos Ryan had just brought, seeing Margaret and Wesley smiling at each other, which made him feel quite uncomfortable.
He asked, "What are they doing here?"
Ryan, seeing his expression, carefully answered, "Hunting house."
Raymond's face tightened. "Hunting house?"
Margaret had been frantically asking about private jets just the morning before, but now she was looking at houses with another man, planning to stay?