Chapter 142: Chapter 142

Dear Sweetheart Chapter 142 A Chance Rayna rode the mountain bike at breakneck speed, arriving at the hotel with five minutes to spare.

She strode briskly toward the entrance while trying to make herself look presentable, but a receptionist informed her that Owen and his entourage had already left.

“Darn it!” hissed Rayna as she dumped her bag on the front desk.

I borrowed some kid’s bike to hurry my ass over here, but they left already?

Are they toying with me?

After taking a few breaths, Rayna decided to give Owen a call.

“Ms. Garland.”

“Are you busy, Mr. Hunt?” The person on the line was not Owen himself. Rayna frowned but suppressed her temper and said, “I arrived at the hotel on time, but the receptionist said that Mr. Hunt has left the premises.”

“That’s right, Mr. Hunt had to hurry off because something came up. However, he did ask us to apologize to you when you called, Ms. Garland. Mr. Hunt said he would treat you to a meal when he has the time.”

Rayna was fuming as she heard this, but she could only contain her anger. “That’s fine. Since Mr. Hunt is busy, I guess I’ll have to reschedule this appointment.”

“Goodbye, Ms. Garland.”

“Goodbye.”

Rayna’s face was frosty after she hung up. She gritted her teeth and muttered to herself, “Jessie is right. My brain is the problem here. It’s not like I sold my soul to Faymon Group! So why the hell am I doing this?”

She swore, thinking of just calling Curtis and calling it quits.

Rayna sat in the foyer for quite some time, looking like a woman who was out for blood.

I learned quite a bit from Curtis when I became the acting CEO of Faymon Group. I only worry that if I go elsewhere, I won’t have much of a hands-on learning experience.

Rayna eventually calmed down. She fished out her phone and dialed Naomi’s number, saying, “Ms. Gardner, please head over to the information department and do a little snooping on Steven Hunt. If you find anything, contact me.”

Since Owen was busy, she decided to go after his son instead.

Five minutes later, Rayna received an update on Steven’s schedule. He was supposed to attend a friend’s birthday party, and a few people were invited to the celebration at a high-end club. She made her way to the venue.

Coincidentally, this was the same club where she had helped Curtis negotiate for the very first time.

When Rayna alighted from the car and noticed the name of the club, her thoughts immediately went back to the incident. She had had an upset stomach and excused herself to go to the bathroom but had been cornered by Curtis asking about how things were going.

If the heavens could give her another chance, she would not have shown up that day.

Rayna then sought out the manager of the club. In her friendliest voice, she asked, “I see that it’s inconvenient to drive since it’s raining. Has Mr. Hunt arrived yet?”

“He arrived early and is currently in the private room!” The manager assumed that Rayna was a friend of Steven’s. With a smile and a bow, the manager escorted her to where Steven was.

As soon as the door to the VIP lounge was opened, the strong smell of alcohol mingling with the scent of women’s perfume immediately filled Rayna’s nostrils. The room was decorated with luxurious gold trimmings, giving the space an added element of splendor.

About twenty or so guests occupied the room; there was singing, dancing, games of dice, and drinking. It was quite a lively atmosphere.

As soon as the manager brought her there, he promptly left.

The lighting in the room was dim, which made visibility low. However, Rayna’s sharp eyes soon landed on a man with a slick backcomb. His lips were curved in a smirk, and he seemed quite relaxed.

During the car ride here, Rayna had time to analyze the situation in great detail.

Prior to this, Faymon Group had used what was left of its funds to repurchase all the shares from the shareholders. If they were going to be put on sale again, they needed to have a big buyer.

Owen was a real-estate magnate abroad, going as far as to rank sixth place at his primary base of operations. In more recent years, he had since expanded his influence to other regions. On top of real-estate dealings, Owen also invested in the entertainment industry and made quite a bit of money from it.

Owen was a well-known local figure. As long as Rayna could convince him to purchase shares within Faymon Group, it would make her task of convincing other investors much easier. After all, she then had a solid reason to approach them.

Rayna smoothed her hair and sauntered over to Steven. “Hello, Mr. Hunt.”

Steven, who had been chatting with other people, raised his head to look at her. What met his gaze was a lanky, sharply dressed woman in a white suit who seemed to have a valiant and formidable aura. His eyes sparkled slightly.

Steven stood up and asked, “And who are you friends with?”

“I’m a friend of Owen’s,” replied Rayna with a small smile. She then placed a gift on the mahogany table. “I happened to be running errands in the area. I heard that a friend of yours is celebrating a birthday today, so I decided to drop in and say hello.”

“I did not know that my father had such a... charming friend,” said Steven, whose gaze swept across her figure suggestively.

The man next to Steven suddenly burst out laughing. “That’s funny. Have you not paid any attention to the news? This woman isn’t a friend of your father, but the acting CEO of Faymon Group, Rayna Garland.”

The voice sounded quite familiar to Rayna, who looked over with an arched brow.

From what little she could make out in the dark, Rayna realized that it was Jason Faymon, whom she had met but once.

He was Chester Faymon’s second son.

As soon as Jason opened his mouth, all eyes in the room were suddenly on Rayna.

Steven gave her the once over again and let out a low whistle. “I know that Faymon Group is going through a rough patch and that they have elected an acting CEO. However, I didn’t expect them to be a woman, and a stunning one at that.”

“What’s the use of good looks?” sneered another in the crowd. “Just look at how she’s driving Faymon Group toward bankruptcy.”

“Goodness. If I were Mr. Faymon, I daresay that any random person on the street could have done a better job.”

“That’s right!”

Ever since Rayna became the acting CEO of the company, such tactless remarks no longer had any effect on her. Rayna’s expression remained unchanged throughout the mockery. Instead, she smiled at Steven and said, “Is it possible for us both to have a little chat?”

“Rayna, did you seek Steven out because you couldn’t meet up with his father?” With a playful smirk, Jason leaned forward. “Are you hoping to meet Mr. Hunt through Steven, or are you trying to get Steven to invest in Faymon Group?”

Rayna frowned.

She had erroneously assumed that Jason was a good-for-nothing lout who did not take anything seriously. However, she had not anticipated his strong analytical skills.

Very quickly, Steven’s expression shifted into one of scorn. “Faymon Group is going to go bankrupt soon. On top of that, I’m sure they owe their debtors quite a large sum. Yet, you want my company to invest and buy shares from you? Do you think we’re stupid?”

Rayna smiled faintly and replied, “Mr. Hunt, I assume you’re aware that Faymon Group is still a leading company in Chanaea that drives the economies of Norwal City, Horington, and Yeringham while providing jobs for tens of thousands of people. I’m not sure if any other company is able to pull off the same feat.”

Rayna cleared her throat and continued, “We’ve merely run into a small roadblock. Going bankrupt is out of the question. Mr.

Hunt, I’m hoping that you’d help me pass on a message to your father. Do tell him that I’d like to treat him to a meal. Your company is not going to regret collaborating with us.”

“My father is never going to collaborate with you!” scoffed Steven with a wave of his hand, indicating that he no longer wished to have this conversation. “You should probably seek out people who are interested in the first place.”

As soon as Steven finished speaking, Jason leaned over and whispered something into his ear.

Immediately after that, Jason said, “What a joke. Regardless, she is still an acting CEO of Faymon Group. Since she took the trouble to make a trip to see you, I think you should at least hear her out and be civil about it.”

Rayna had a feeling that Jason’s words were actually directed at herself instead.