CHAPTER 187: CHAPTER 187: DON’T DISTURB HER AGAIN

Owen Bellamy stood up and walked to Susan Wilde, saying, "Of course, I’d hate to see you go, but your sister is young and needs your care more. I can’t exactly compete with your sister for attention, can I?"

"If I move out, will you miss me?"

"Of course, I will. I think you shouldn’t move out. Let your sister come and stay here instead. It’s closer to her school, and I can just stay at the company since I’m quite busy these days."

Susan Wilde wanted to say that the thing about taking care of her sister was a lie. In her heart, she didn’t want them to separate, but considering their current way of getting along, maybe living apart for a while was necessary. They both needed some time to adjust.

"Then I’m sorry to trouble you."

"Why are you being so polite with me? Go get some sleep. Look at the time."

"How late do you have to work?"

"I’ll just shower and sleep." Owen Bellamy lowered his head to plant a gentle kiss on Susan Wilde’s forehead. "Good night."

That night, Susan Wilde didn’t sleep well. She was worried if the temporary separation would achieve the effect she desired.

The next day.

Aidan Lockwood was waiting at the airport with his company’s staff.

Sheila Yardley coincidentally found that Ryder Griffin, Lynn Kendall, and Caleb Grant were all on the same flight.

She wasn’t very surprised to see Caleb Grant because he had asked about her schedule last night.

They were supposed to leave in the afternoon, but because of the rain, Aidan Lockwood’s planned events couldn’t proceed, so they had to fly back earlier.

Luckily, they were all in first class, which saved Sheila Yardley a lot of trouble. At least she could sleep peacefully on the plane.

As she got off the plane and turned on her phone, a message from Caleb Grant popped up: Wait for me at parking lot 2.

Sheila Yardley looked up to see Caleb Grant walking in front of the crowd. She didn’t respond to the text, but she had already decided to wait for him since she had never gone against his arrangements.

After collecting her luggage with her colleagues, her company had arranged a car to pick them up, so Sheila Yardley found Aidan Lockwood alone and said, "Professor Lockwood, my brother is picking me up, so I won’t be joining you."

"Is he here already?"

"Yeah, he just said he’s almost here."

"Alright, I’ll go ahead then. Be safe on the road and text me when you get home."

"Sure."

When did lying become part of her daily routine?

Following the airport signs, she arrived at parking lot 2.

Once the crowd scattered, the parking lot wasn’t too crowded, but it was vast and filled with tightly packed cars.

Just as she was about to text Caleb Grant to ask where his car was parked, a sharp female voice came from behind: "Oh, isn’t this Elaine?"

Ryder Griffin hadn’t even noticed Sheila Yardley while on the phone, but with Lynn Kendall’s call, his attention turned her way.

Sheila Yardley avoided his gaze, not wanting any interaction, but Ryder Griffin hung up the phone and walked straight toward her.

Lynn Kendall affectionately hooked Ryder Griffin’s arm and spoke first, "Elaine, what a coincidence! Do you need Ryder to give you a ride?"

Sheila Yardley gave a faint smile, "No need, someone’s picking me up."

"Oh, a new boyfriend?"

"Elaine." Before Sheila Yardley could answer, Caleb Grant’s voice came from not far away.

The voice was familiar, but the way he addressed her was strange, as if it were the first time she’d heard him call her by name.

Caleb Grant walked to Sheila Yardley’s side, glanced at Lynn Kendall and Ryder Griffin, and asked her softly, "Your friends?"

"Mr. Grant, I didn’t expect you here. I often hang out at your bar, not sure if you remember me."

"Sorry, there are too many guests to remember."

Lynn Kendall forced a smile, looked at Sheila Yardley, "Mr. Grant, do you know Miss Yardley?"

Caleb Grant didn’t answer but asked, "You are Elaine’s...?"

Lynn Kendall replied with a fake smile, "Former colleagues."

"Didn’t expect you’ve landed such a sugar daddy, so I guess you can pay back what you owe me by tomorrow then." Ryder Griffin sneered, seemingly eager to reveal their past relationship to Caleb Grant, hoping he’d see Sheila Yardley for what she supposedly was and leave her behind.

"Owed money?" Caleb Grant looked down at Sheila Yardley, his tone clearly scolding yet full of indulgence, "If you need money, you should ask me. Why borrow from others?"

Lynn Kendall joined in with Ryder Griffin, saying, "Mr. Grant, perhaps you didn’t know, but Elaine and our Ryder were once dating. Heard she spent quite a bit of his money. Wonder if she dumped him after meeting you."

Lynn Kendall spoke with a seemingly kind demeanor, "Mr. Grant, I’m just worried you’re being deceived. Sometimes, the more innocent a girl appears, the less straightforward she is."

"I know well enough what kind of person Elaine is. Besides, if she liked money, I have plenty of that." Caleb Grant said, taking out a business card from his pocket, "Call this number later, and my assistant will handle the payment."

Ryder Griffin looked at the card in his hand, then at Sheila Yardley standing silently beside Caleb Grant, feeling stifled inside.

What he wanted wasn’t money. He just couldn’t find a reason to approach Sheila Yardley, so he thought of the debt tactic.

He had said all this in front of Caleb Grant, hoping Caleb would think of Sheila as a gold digger and rid himself of her. Who knew, Caleb wasn’t bothered at all and even wanted to pay her debt for her.

"Mr. Grant, we don’t really need the money urgently. No need to rush to pay it back."

"I don’t want her entangled with others. Let the money be paid by today, and don’t disturb her again."

Caleb Grant handed the business card to Ryder Griffin and naturally left with his arm around Sheila Yardley.

Sheila Yardley was still in a daze. She knew Caleb Grant was just playing along, but everything that happened made her feel a rush of adrenaline.

"...Thank you for earlier." As they walked further, Sheila Yardley subtly pulled away to widen the gap between them.

Caleb Grant paused briefly, glanced at her, then continued walking, saying, "Thank me? No need for that. The money, I’m just covering it for now. As for how you’ll repay, we’ll discuss when we’re back."

"It’s three hundred thousand in total. I’ll repay you before the contract ends."

Caleb Grant considered for a moment, "What if I want to extend the contract term?"

Sheila Yardley froze, halting in her steps, and Caleb Grant also stopped, looking back at her reluctant expression, "How about this, if you fully repay during the contract term, we end our relationship as scheduled. If not, we’ll extend the term."

"Okay."

"Hope you don’t incur any more debt during this time." He spoke more to himself as he continued forward.

Sheila Yardley silently followed behind him, thinking she too hoped to owe him no more money.

However, this time, whether in terms of money or personal feelings, she deeply appreciated him helping her out of the situation.