Chapter 129 Basil Is Back
67%
+8 Pearls
Jonah, having decided to abandon the project earlier than Willard, was far calmer in the aftermath.
Suddenly, he spoke up. “Honestly, Dominic has a point. Maybe they won the bid because of Charmaine. If we’d listened to Milo’s suggestion earlier, we might have saved ourselves some trouble.”
Leah, already feeling isolated, paled even further, her hope for comfort fading.
Willard, his annoyance palpable, snapped, “If that’s the case, why didn’t she say something sooner? What a two–faced brat!”
Olympia chimed in. Her tone was equally bitter. “Exactly! The Crosses didn’t even participate in the bidding this time–they must have had inside information. If Charmaine had told us earlier, would we have wasted all this time?”
“She doesn’t care about us–just outsiders!” Valda fumed, her anger mounting.
Jonah sighed helplessly, finding their grievances unreasonable but choosing not to argue.
Amid the heated conversation, Leah’s resentment deepened, and her dark thoughts focused squarely on Charmaine.
Who does she think she is?
Her nails dug into her palms, the sharp sting barely registering as her hatred simmered.
Meanwhile, Charmaine, having convinced Celeste to let her skip the celebration banquet and head home;/ finally caught her breath.
Celeste, still riding the high of their victory, looked at Charmaine with a newfound fondness.
“Wow, it’s crazy how fate works. Not long ago, I wanted to claw your face off, but now? You’re so cute I almost want to kiss you!”
Charmaine grimaced. “You’ve clearly been brainwashed by Leah.”
At the mention of Leah, Celeste could not help but laugh harder.
“Did you see her face earlier? She was furious! It cracked me up!”
She doubled over, laughing until her stomach hurt. Then, as if something was missing, she sighed. “Seriously, why didn’t she go in with Bennett? Watching her shocked and embarrassed on the spot would’ve been even better!”
Charmaine lowered her gaze, her voice calm. “Even if she had gone in, she wouldn’t side with the Reads. She’s all about keeping her balance.”
Since Jonah had refused to work with Bennett, there was no way Leah would jeopardize her position within the Nelsons for something as small as this project.
Leah was not stupid, and Celeste suddenly pieced it together. “Oh, so that’s how it is!”
She turned to Charmaine, grinning. “Charmaine, you’re really smart. With a friend like you, I feel smarter
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12:35 Sat, Feb 22
Chapter 129 Basil Is Back
Q
67%1
+8 Pearls
Charmaine raised an eyebrow, feigning confusion. “When did we become friends? I must’ve missed that
memo.”
Celeste ignored her cool demeanor, pulling her into an exaggerated hug. “Stop pretending to be aloof! I know you need me as your amazing sidekick!”
Charmaine sighed at Celeste’s shameless enthusiasm, knowing she could not win this argument.
Suddenly, Celeste’s expression turned serious. She stared at Charmaine’s face, examining it closely. “Wait a second. You even wore makeup today. And you kept encouraging my dad not to give up. Did you already know the outcome of the bid?”
Charmaine blinked, her calm expression breaking into mild confusion. “How could I know?”
“Right, it’s official internal information! If Bennett couldn’t get anything out of Mr. Riverson, how could you…” Celeste trailed off, her eyes lighting up. “No, wait–you have Mr. Emyr!”
Her expression shifted to one of certainty, as if she were solving a great mystery. “Of course! You’re Mr. Emyr’s girlfriend, so obviously you’d know!”
Charmaine almost choked on air, pushing Celéste away “Celeste, don’t talk nonsense! I’m just his…‘
“I get it, his maid!” Celeste nodded vigorously as though she had cracked the case wide open. “Don’t worry, I totally understand. It’s all part of the act!”
Charmaine stared at her in utter disbelief.
You don’t understand at all!
When Charmaine finally returned to Eastlake Villa, she was met with the sound of lively chatter coming from inside.
“Emyr, I’m positive I can fully cure your leg this time! Did you know? Basil messaged me–he’s coming to Eragos!”
Charmaine paused briefly, her steps growing quieter as she made her way to the living room.
To her surprise, the house was unusually lively. Not only was Freya there, but Kane had also shown up.
“What? Basil is coming? Are you serious? Why haven’t I heard about this!”
Kane jumped up from the sofa, clearly more excited than Emyr himself.
Freya, exuding pride, responded with a calm demeanor She was warm and gentle toward Emyr but noticeably aloof with Kane.
“Of course, you wouldn’t know, Kane,” she said smugly. Basil is returning quietly this time, and only a handful of people in Beacon Hospital’s top management are aware. My teacher happens to have connections with Basil’s junior, Mr. Gomez, and they shared the information with me.”
