Sophia and I paused slightly. We hadn’t expected it, but Sophia had guessed correctly.
We took the elevator down, only to find Camille waiting at the building’s entrance. She wore a smug expression.
“How did it go? You were shut out, weren’t you?‘ she asked, crossing her arms and beaming in arrogance.
It was baffling why Centrise Group first declared they were cutting ties with Layton Group and invited us, only to abruptly change their minds.
My guess was that Benson had intervened. That was the only plausible explanation I could think of.
As for Camille, I knew that she didn’t have that kind of influence to pull this off.
“Impressive. Congratulations, Ms. Layton,” I said, forcing a smile.
“I know you’ve had it rough, Max. So, how about this? You’ll return to Layton Group.
“As I’ve offered before, you’ll be paid ten times your previous salary, and you can even take charge of the project.
“Naturally, you’ll still have to be my lapdog like before. In fact, you have to be more well- behaved!”
Camille proudly waved the contract, uttering words meant to humiliate me.
“That’s some wishful thinking. I don’t have time for your nonsense. Now, get out of the way,‘ I snapped and pulled Sophia toward the car.
IF
“Stop pretending you’re something, Max. I’m telling you–your company’s going bankrupt soon! When that happens, you’ll end up being a stray again. Don’t come crawling to me then!”
As Camille shouted from behind, I ignored her and floored the gas pedal, driving in the direction of the office.
On the way, Sophia frowned tightly before she said, “Something feels off.”
I felt the same. Instead of saying much, I mentally replayed the entire incident, trying to make sense of it.
Just then, Sophia seemed to think of something and suddenly suggested, “Max, could Camille have somehow matured in the last few days?”
I couldn’t help laughing when I heard that.
Camille? Even if everyone else on Earth dropped dead, she’d still be the same old Camille I
Chapter3
knew. I didn’t think she’d ever mature.
“Stop joking. I’d rather believe in ghosts than belleve Camille would turn over a new leaf. There’s something fishy going on here. I’ll look into it myself.”
I dropped Sophia off at the office and sped off.
It wasn’t hard for me to get the truth behind Centrise Group’s decision.
After making a call, I soon arrived at a bar.
“Max, over here!” A flashy–looking guy waved me over.
I walked over and frowned slightly at the flock of women surrounding him before saying, “I’m here to talk business, Caleb. Why is it always so sleazy with you?”
The guy was the son of a senior executive at Centrise Group. We’d met under less–than- friendly circumstances.
During one of my earlier projects with Centrise Group, a mishap involving his father had occurred. He came knocking on my door, absolutely determined to kill me.
After I taught him a lesson and cleaned up his dad’s mess, he started treating me respectfully and began to address me courteously.
“Uh… It’s a habit. If you don’t like it, I’ll send them away.
“Move. I’ve got some real business with Max.” Caleb Archer smacked one of the women on her ass before they reluctantly left.
“Alright. I’ll get straight to the point. Do you know what’s going on with Centrise Group’s bidding project?”
The moment I said it, Caleb’s expression turned grave.
“Oh… Max, I was actually planning to tell you this today, even if you hadn’t come to me. The project was never meant to go back to Layton Group, but it turns out Camille isn’t as useless as I thought.”
