You insist that I’ in a spy sent by Malcolm Quinn. Let me ask you this, Mr. Morrison: I’ve been with you for almost two months now, and if I truly am a spy, wouldn’t the Quinn Group have gotten their hands on the Morrison Group’s confidential business information already?”
Brettley snorted, “Just because they don’ t have access now doesn’t mean they won’t in the future. Maybe Malcolm Quinn is just biding his time. “
He let out a puff of cigarette smoke. The smoke obscured most of his face like a thick fog, but his piercing eyes still stared straight at Bethan.
“I don’t care who sent you or what your motives are. I’ve warned you, Bethan. You can hurt me all you want, but I draw the line at family. You used Nellie and my father as chess pieces in your game to get close to me, but I won’t let this happen a second time.”
He put out the rest of his cigarette. “Let’s go in.”
With long strides, Brettley’s tall figure disappeared into the villa.
Bethan’s brow furrowed and remained motionless for a moment, but she followed him nonetheless. No matter how much hatred she harbored for this man, she knew what she had to do. She had to restrain herself to persevere.
She had always been very good at that, and this day was no exception.
The two entered Blue Bay Villa.
“Brettley.”
Adrian, who had been sitting on the couch, stood up as soon as he saw his son entering. “
I want to talk to you about that girl, Bethan…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Adrian caught a glimpse of Bethan, and his words seemed to be stuck in his throat.
After a pause, he gave an awkward smile and said, “Ms. Bethan is here as well.”
Bethan smiled politely and nodded in response. “Hello, Mr. Morrison.”
“Lily mentioned that you’ve been waiting for over an hour now?”
Brettley took off his jacket and handed it over to a servant. He lowered himself onto the couch and planted his arm gracefully on the leather armrest. “You wanted to talk to me?”
“I do, “
Adrian replied. He glanced at Bethan and smiled. “It’s okay, we’ll talk next time.”
“I probably won’t even be interested in hearing about it next time, ” said Brettley as he crossed one slender leg over the other. “Tell me now.”
Brettley had never really been fond of his father, much less had a close relationship with him. The way he talked to his father at that moment felt no different from talking to a subordinate.
Adrian never expected that Brettley would behave like that; he did not even bother to show any respect toward him. Adrian remained silent for a moment before giving a wry smile. “Alright, I’ll just come right out and say it.”
He glanced at Bethan and cleared his throat. “It’s about Ms. Bethan. I’m sure you know that I’m a jewelry designer, and Nellie has displayed great talent in jewelry designing as well. However, I’ll be leaving in a few days to take care of some stuff, and I don’t want Nellie’s talent to go to waste. I didn’t think anyone in Banyan City would be qualified to teach her, except…”
Adrian pointed at Bethan. “Except for Ms. Bethan, “
He continued, “At the beginning, I , like everyone else , thought that Ms. Bethan was just an ordinary maid.
However, when I discovered her real profession and capabilities, I was shocked and ashamed that I hadn’t managed to see her for what she truly is: a genius.”
Adrian fixated his stare on Bethan. “Ms. Bethan’s gift and aptitude in jewelry design are just what Nellie needs. She’d be the perfect teacher for Nellie.”
Brettley chuckled upon hearing his father’s words. He raised an eyebrow and swept his gaze over Bethan’s face. “You expect me to believe that my father isn’t in on this with you?”
Brettley had not spoken more than a few sentences with Adrian ever since the latter returned to the Morrison family, yet just a mere few days before his leaving , Adrian suddenly brought up the prospect of Bethan becoming Nellie’s teacher. Brettley could not help but feel that his suspicions were correct: Adrian was part of Bethan’s scheme, and he was trying to find an excuse to let Bethan remain close to Brettley.
Bethan frowned. She had a bad feeling about this.
She had been an exceptionally skilled jewelry designer in the past, but before she returned to Banyan City, she made sure that Malcolm had altered her personal information. In her resume, she was portrayed as an amateur who did not have many achievements, and her qualifications would not allow her to teach a prodigy like Nellie. Besides, the experience listed in her resume was nothing to boast about; there were plenty of people in Banyan City who had more impressive portfolios than hers.
Saying that there was no one else more qualified than her was a blatant lie.
Bethan pursed her lips and shot Adrian a questioning look. What was this man trying to do?
“Daddy! “
All of a sudden, Nellie appeared. “Can you come upstairs for a bit? Me and Neil want to talk to you! “
Brettley murmured in response and got up from his seat. “Excuse me, I’ll need to go take a look.”
“Go ahead! “
Adrian waved his hand at Brettley nonchalantly. “I wanted to have a quick talk with Ms. Bethan anyway.”
Brettley frowned upon hearing this. He gave Bethan another cold glance before heading up the stairs.
After he left, Adrian and Bethan were the only two people who remained in the living room.
“Ms. Bethan,”
Adrian began as he took a deep breath and sat down across from her. “Or should I say…
Moon?”
Adrian poured himself a cup of tea and took a sip. “
The famous Moon, who just recently announced that she’d be leaving the jewelry design industry forever. Who would’ve thought that I’d run into the legendary Moon herself, working as a maid in my son’s home?”
Alarm bells rang in Bethan’s head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, ” she immediately denied.
“You know exactly what I ‘m talking about.”
Adrian shifted his position and leaned back gracefully against the couch. “Ms. Bethan, please don’t forget. I was once a jewelry designer myself before Brettley’s mother passed away. Besides, I have a lot of connections in this industry.”
He curled his lips into a smile before he continued, “
I’ve read through your résumé. You tried to conceal your true identity, so I’m sure the last thing you want is for me to expose you here.”
Bethan frowned. After the initial wave of shock passed, she now felt strangely calm. She looked at Adrian warily and said in a low voice, “How did you know? “
Why was Adrian investigating her?
“In case you’re wondering, I wasn’t investigating you on purpose.”
Adrian let out a small laugh. “I know that Nellie is the true identity of the famous jewelry designer known as Y, and because of this, I did a lot of research about her past designs. I discovered that Moon used to be her teacher, and after asking around, I managed to get my hands on some information about Moon through one of my connections in Europe.”
Adrian glanced at Bethan and added, “Now I know the real reason why Ms. Bethan came all the way to become a maid at Blue Bay Villa. You didn’t want to see Nellie’s talent go to waste, didn’t you?”
Bethan frowned at his words, but as she contemplated for a moment, she confirmed that Adrian had yet to discover her true identity. He merely thought that she was a determined jewelry designer who had returned from abroad because she was unwilling to let go of an exceptionally gifted student.
Bethan felt a surge of relief at this realization. She let out a deep breath and said, “You’re right, Nellie’s talent is truly remarkable. I’ve never come across anyone as gifted as her, but I’ve already tendered my resignation at Blue Bay Villa. I’m not going to be teaching her anymore.”
It was true that Nellie’s talent for jewelry design was unparalleled and beyond comparison, but there was not much that Bethan could teach her. As long as Nellie continued to realize and develop her potential, she could one day become an outstanding designer.
Adrian heaved a deep sigh. “I don’t want you to give up on Nellie just like this. She’s only six years old, and she has limitless potential, so she’ll need a good teacher to guide her. However, I know that a master like you shouldn’t be holed up here as a teacher and servant. That wouldn’t be right at all, which is why
He stared right into Bethan’s eyes. “I want to offer you a job at the Morrison Group’s jewelry branch. You can work and coach Nellie at the same time.”
Bethan halted at the suggestion. “Mr. Morrison, this sounds like an excellent idea, but… “
She gave him a bitter smile. “Brettley would never agree to this.”
Brettley was wary and hostile toward her the entire afternoon. He even attributed Nellie’s sudden insistence in attending Neil’s school, as well as Adrian’s suggestion of letting Bethan become Nellie’s teacher, to her doing. Therefore, she did not think that Brettley would agree to this decision.
“Ms. Bethan, I’ll take care of Brettley. All that matters is whether or not you want to take up my offer,” insisted the smiling Adrian.
Bethan frowned and lifted her head to glance at him. After a moment’s hesitation, she let out an exhale. “
Alright, I’ll take it.”
Taking up a position at Brettley’s company had always been a part of her plan. Even though it was a little different from what she initially devised, it would suffice.
“Alright, “
Adrian said, letting out a sigh of relief. “Ms. Bethan, please wait here for a moment. I ’11 go up to talk to him.”
Immediately, he got up and disappeared up the stairs.
The living room was empty apart from Bethan. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the couch, but as she grew tired and bored, she got up and headed into the kitchen.
In the kitchen, Lily was preparing fried chicken with the other servants.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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