Chapter 6

Early the next morning, James received a call from Thea.

“Hey honey, I’ve managed to get in touch with my classmate. She’s willing to help and has set an appointment up with the chairman, Alex Yates. Where are you? Let’s go to Celestial Group’s office now and secure the order. Grandfather will accept you then!” Thea’s excited voice sounded through the phone.

“Wait for me at home. I’ll pick you up in a bit.”

After hanging up, James rolled out of bed and got ready at top speed.

“Where are we going, James?”

Henry was already waiting with the car.

“To Thea’s.”

“Hop in.”

James complied. With Henry at the wheel, they reached Thea’s place in no time. They waited for her outside.

Thea appeared soon.

As she was going to meet the chairman of Celestial Group, Thea had put in extra effort to groom herself. Wearing a pretty, form-fitting dress and her black hair hanging loose over her shoulders, she was a vision to behold indeed.

“Honey.”

Having seen the black multi-purpose vehicle approach from a distance, Thea jogged up to the car with a joyful expression on her face, saying, “My classmate pulled out all the stops. She’s made the appointment for us, so all we have to do is show up at Celestial Group’s office.”

James smiled thinly.

It had nothing to do with her classmate at all. If he had not spoken with Alex Yates, there would not be any appointment to speak of.

However, seeing as Thea was so happy, he decided not to spoil it. Instead, he complimented her. “I knew it. You’ve got this, darling. It’s all up to you now. If we don’t get the order, I’m out.”

Thea smiled brilliantly. “Don’t worry. I won’t let that happen.”

She might still be hazy about the details of James’ background, but she had been to his villa before.

The House of Royals was the poshest villa in Cansington, and it had a hefty price tag attached to it. Any Tom, Dick, or Harry would not be able to afford it.

She felt impossibly lucky that he was hers. Now, she wanted to prove her capability to him.

She wanted to show him that she was no longer the old Thea. Even though she had been a laughing stock for years and years, she kept up with her studies at home and was an accomplished scholar.

“Let’s go, darling.”

Thea got into the car.

James said, “Henry, to Celestial Group’s office.”

Thea cuddled up to James and thought about what happened last night. She said, “Honey, did you know that old Warren Xavier was killed last night?”

The Xaviers were the leaders of The Great Four.

As the head of the Xaviers, Warren was famous. Everyone knew who he was.

At the Xaviers’ banquet last night.

There was a celebration where they celebrated the partnership of Megatron Group and Celestial Group. Now that Megatron would be getting first dibs on Celestial’s orders, their business and influence would expand even more.

It was also Warren Xavier’s eightieth birthday.

However, a mystery person crashed the party with a coffin. He beheaded Warren and took his head with him. News spread fast, and it was the hottest news in Cansington at the moment.

Now, the relevant departments were investigating the incident.

There was not much to go on with, though.

James pretended to be shocked at Thea’s question. “I went straight to bed after I got home last night. I didn’t know about this. The Xaviers are part of The Great Four in Cansington, right?”

“That’s right,” Thea said. “The Xaviers are the leaders of The Great Four, and their businesses span various industries. Megatron Group alone, belonging to them, is more powerful than all the Callahan’s businesses added up, and the Xaviers have plenty of businesses too.”

Thea looked slightly envious. “All the women in Cansington desperately want to marry the Xaviers so that they can enjoy an easy life.”

James smiled a little. “Didn’t you have a chance yesterday? Divorce me, and you’ll have your chance.”

“Ugh.”

Thea looked unimpressed. “Being in a rich family isn’t a bed of roses. Over the past ten years, I’ve witnessed too much ridicule for my liking. To them, I’m nothing but a joke. I know full well who’s treating me sincerely. I don’t care about marrying the rich. Besides, my husband is rich.”

With that, she grinned, a blissful expression on her face.

James squeezed Thea’s hand.

She was quite a logical woman.

Henry said nothing, focusing on the road. Soon, they reached Celestial Group’s office.

An international group, Celestial Group was the Yates’ family business, which hailed from the Capital.

Their headquarters was an impressive, eight-story building.

James and Thea exited the car.

Thea looked up at the imposing building, panic creeping over her.

Over the past ten years, she had stayed home as much as she could.

However, she had a strong thirst to visit and explore the world outside. The reason why she studied so hard at home was to free herself from the proverbial cage and soar higher.

She took her phone out and called her classmate.

About 20 minutes later, a woman in thick makeup and a work skirt approached them. When she saw Thea standing at the entrance, she could not hide her surprise.

She had heard that Thea recovered her looks. Thea had even sent her a picture, but she did not believe it. She was forced to accept the truth now that she saw Thea in the flesh.

She looked envious as she noticed how beautiful Thea was now.

Coming up to them, she asked hesitantly, “Thea?”

Excitedly, Thea grabbed the other woman’s hand. She said, “Jane, it’s me! You’ve really made it as the head of a department at Celestial Group!”

Jane Whitman was extremely flattered. She smiled and said, “I’m just trying to make a living. Thea, if you want to meet the chairman, you still need the general manager’s permission. Let’s go.”

Thea stood rooted to the spot.

When they spoke on the phone yesterday, Jane promised that she had made an appointment with the chairman, Alex Yates.

“Thea, you must know that it’s not easy to get an order from Celestial. If you want the order, you’ll have to…” She bent closer to Thea and whispered something in her ear.

Thea rejected Jane’s idea firmly. “Absolutely not.”

Jane lost her patience. “Thea, if you’re unwilling to make sacrifices, how will you get anything in return? I’ve sent your picture to the manager. He has agreed to let you obtain the order if you sleep with him. You don’t even have to see the chairman!”

“Jane, I thought we were friends. Is this how you treat a friend?”

Jane looked unimpressed. “You want to get an order without a sacrifice? Let me tell you right now. It’s impossible. I’ve made it clear, so think about it and let me know if you still want to go ahead.”

She turned and left after that, her heels clicking against the floor loudly.

Thea was on the verge of tears. She turned around to look at James who had remained silent all this time. “I’m useless, aren’t I?”

James comforted her. “Of course not. Why not try and see Alex Yates straightaway? I think he’ll see you. Go on, I’ll wait for you in the car.”

James gently pushed Thea in the direction of the building.

Just then, Jane returned with a middle-aged man.

The man was in a suit and tie, looking like a successful businessman.

Jane had her arm curled intimately around his, approaching Thea once again. Smiling, she said, “Thea, this is the manager of Celestial Group. He’s in charge of all the business connections. He calls the shots on who gets the orders.”

The only reason Jane was in this position today was all because she had slept with the manager, Linus Johnson. She was his mistress.

Jane had sent Linus a picture of Thea last night.

Linus was intrigued immediately. He promised Jane that he would promote her to the position of deputy department manager if she would help him get Thea into bed.

Now that Linus saw Thea in the flesh, he was even more aroused.

Thea was even more beautiful in person.

He swore that he would get her into bed by hook or by crook.

He walked up to her with his chest puffed out. “Thea, right? Jane has told me everything. It’s a hot day today. Why don’t we take this discussion to a hotel room? Don’t worry. Come with me, and you don’t have to worry about the order. I’ll even give you a deal of fifty million dollars!”