Chapter 192



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“I don’t care how much you are worth in the market, you should work for me at a lower salary since we have a good relationship.” Hayden shamelessly tugged Alayna’s arm and wouldn’t let go, “I’ll treat you to roast duck necks for a year if you help me.”

“Even if you treat me for ten years, it won’t be enough to make me a dress.” Alayna rolled her eyes, “Hayden, are you trying to extort money from me?”

“I’m too broke for now. Besides, I’ve visited Green Lemon Clothing. It’s nothing but a broken little factory with nothing in it. The company’s financial affairs are a mess, and there are not enough workers. If you don’t want to help me, no designer will come to work for me, even if I offer a big salary.”

“Wow, don’t say you’re out of anything.” Alayna flashed a look of disgust, “Show me your bank balance if you can. I’m afraid mine is much smaller than yours.”

“You want to help me?” Hayden let go of her hand, “If you don’t want to, I’ll find someone else.”

“Yes.” Alayna pouted her lips, “Did I say no? I’ll even help you for free. After all, I’m bored with high-end design now and want to study normal design like yours.”

Hayden then let out a laugh and held up two fingers.

“When my company floats, I’ll give you twenty percent of the performance shares.”

“Don’t just pay lip service.”

Hayden was speechless.

Alayna didn’t think too hard when Hayden made that request. She had her fashion studio and also signed contracts with other clothing companies for a temporary period. She had a lot of free time and could help her best friend start a business, she was in a position to do so.

First thing the next morning, Alayna followed Hayden to the Green Lemon Clothing office.

The location was strategic, surrounded by the business district. It was also a small three-story building, hidden among the tall buildings. You had to go through two alleys to get there.

The man who showed them around was a handsome young man in his thirties.

“This is the former boss of Green Lemon Clothing. His name is Anders Barlow. This is my friend, and also our future head designer, Alayna Cole.”

“Hello, Miss Cole.”

“Call me Alayna.”

After greeting each other, Hayden dismissed Anders and showed Alayna around the building. “What do you think?”

“Do you want to hear the truth?”

“Of course.”

“It sucks.” She bluntly criticized the building, showing her discerning designer eyes, “I guess this building hasn’t been renovated since your mother stopped running things. Now is the time for renovations, when I first walked in, it looked to me like a place where they produced uniforms for laborers. Just renovate this building, as it is too old. Transform it into an industrial-style building.

“I will follow what you said.”

“Also, change all the workers you can change.”

Alayna frowned and explained, “I saw the workers cutting their nails and playing. They were too lazy. Why not replace them with a new group of workers instead of spending time correcting them? The new workers will do a good job since they don’t know the previous history here.”

“Agreed.”

Lowering his head, Hayden took a pen to jot down the points Alayna was saying in a small notebook. Watching him scribble, Alayna suddenly felt puzzled.

“This isn’t right, didn’t you ask me to just be the designer, why am I meddling in your business so much?”

Hayden smiled and took Alayna by the arm.

“Capable men are always busy. You’re an excellent designer.” Alayna felt she had been conned.

On Friday Bentley’s final doctor’s report came out and the doctor informed the inpatient department that Bentley could leave the hospital to recuperate at home.

Sofia and Chelsea rushed to the hospital with a large group of their family to pick him up and take him home.

“Bentley, my sister is so worried about you these days. She doesn’t even have an appetite to eat.”

“Sofia’s eyes are swollen from crying.”

“Sofia hasn’t been out for a long time and has stayed in the hospital. Luckily, she’s doing much better now.”

Hayden was speechless.

The family members were very emotional and harmonious inside the room. Frowning, Hayden stood in the doorway like a stranger. He hesitated a moment and turned to walk out.

“Why don’t you come in?” Hayden was stunned when he heard the deep, steady voice.

When he raised his head, he saw a greenish-gray figure. Surprisingly, it was Scarlett.

“Auntie, why are you here?”

“I came to pick up a récipe.” Scarlett seemed calm, looking around the crowded room, “Since you’re here, why don’t you come in, is it because there are so many of that lady’s relatives inside and you don’t dare to come in?”

Hayden was still in a daze when her wrist was grabbed.

He could feel the warmth of Scarlett’s hand.

Scarlett pushed open the door to the room with Hayden at her back. They pushed through the crowd blocking their way and walked towards Bentley’s bed.

“Bentley, how can you let your daughter stand in the doorway, while the room is crowded with a bunch of poor relatives out of nowhere?”

The relatives in the room seemed unhappy to hear her words, and the atmosphere suddenly became unsettling.

Chelsea was not happy, “Hayden, what’s wrong with you? Don’t bring a stranger in here, you might scare Dad and…”.

“Don’t interrupt when someone is talking.” Scarlett looked at Chelsea with disdain.

“How dare you talk to me like that, you bitch…”.

Before Chelsea finished her words, she was slapped hard across the face for the second time this month. Her face was full of disbelief, and she didn’t regain consciousness for a long time.

“Scarlett, how dare you slap my daughter?”.

Sofia immediately stood in front of Chelsea, as she feared Scarlett would slap her again.

Scarlett sneered, “You still remember that my name is Scarlett, then you should also remember how twenty-five years ago, how I made you kneel in front of Florence’s grave for one night, and slapped you more than two hundred times.”

At his words, almost everyone in the room gasped.

Was her face smashed after being slapped over two hundred times?

It was also the first time Hayden had heard this story. He looked at Sofia in disbelief. Sofia was pale and looked very embarrassed. Gritting his teeth and looking to the side, he didn’t say a word.

Sitting on the bed, Bentley had changed out of his hospital gown into a casual shirt and beige slacks. At the sight of Scarlett, his face, which was pale at first, became paler.

“Scarlett, it’s been so long, you don’t have to…”.

“Don’t call me Scarlett. Call me Mrs. Zack or Mrs. Barnett.” Scarlett showed a cold expression, “The reason I came here today is to ask you if you have anything to say to Hayden before you leave the hospital with Sofia and Chelsea.”

Bentley frowned, “I already thanked him.”

“You thanked him?” Scarlett snorted.

“He’s spent day and night with you for a month and you just thank him? You sure know how to do business and that’s a good deal. How can you leave her and not want to acknowledge her as your daughter after you’ve recovered?”

Hearing his words, Chelsea got angry and hid her face in her hands, “What’s wrong with you, do you want to force my father to give you money? You’ve finally revealed your true intentions, don’t act like you’re so noble.”

“Keep your mouth shut!”. Scarlett looked at Chelsea.

Sofia was trembling and quickly pushed her daughter away and didn’t let her say anything else.

After a long moment, Bentley faintly exhaled a sigh. “This is my family’s business. Mind your own business first.”

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