Chapter 23 I’m not a backup plan
“What do I want?”
Leila asked directly, “Or let me rephrase. Mr. Ramirez, are you interested in me? Do you want to sleep with me?”
Mason’s eyes narrowed slightly. “And if I say yes?”
The atmosphere in the car suddenly became tense.
After a moment, Leila tightened her grip on the proposal in her hand. “Mr. Ramirez, you don’t lack women.”
Mason didn’t deny it. “True.”
Leila looked straight at Mason. “Mr. Ramirez, aren’t you afraid I’ll cling to you?”
Mason didn’t show any fear. Instead, he looked more intrigued. “Try?”
Leila seemed to make a decision. “Mr. Ramirez, how about marriage?”Material © of NôvelDrama.Org.
Mason was taken aback, a noticeable reaction in his eyes. “What?”
“You must have looked into my situation. I need money. I’ve only had one boyfriend, and he cheated on me. So, whether it’s because of financial struggles or emotional setbacks, I’m not in the mood to play games with a man.”
“So, you want to get married?”
“Yes.”
Mason fell silent. After a few minutes, he said in a low voice, “I’m not a backup plan.”
Leila didn’t understand his comment. She thought he was making excuses to back out. She smiled and shifted back to business. “Do you want to look at the proposal?”
Mason ignored her question. “Do you really like him that much?”
Leila knew who Mason was referring to. “Mr. Ramirez, that’s my personal matter.”
Mason sneered, “Got it.”
He took the proposal and feasibility report from her and carefully read through them, giving a genuine assessment. “Well done. Bring it to The Ramirez Group tomorrow to sign the contract.”
Mason’s straightforwardness was beyond Leila’s expectations.
“Thank you, Mr. Ramirez.”
“Go back to work.”
“Alright, goodbye.”
Leila smiled at Mason, then opened the door and got out of the car.
Today, Leila was wearing a black business suit, a very conservative style, but on her, it had an inexplicable charm.
It wasn’t until Leila entered the company that Daniel got into the driver’s seat.
Mason glanced at the bag of wound care supplies Leila had left behind and said in a low voice, “Drive.”
Daniel looked back briefly. Seeing Mason’s not-so-good expression, he didn’t dare ask any questions. “Yes, sir.”
After driving for a while, Mason suddenly asked, “Daniel, have you ever been in a relationship?”
Daniel replied, “Yes, I have.”
Mason, knowing Daniel was currently single, scoffed. “Why did it end?”
“She thought I was a poor guy with no future and forced me to break up with her.”
“Your first love?”
Daniel nodded, “Yes, my first love.”
Mason was silent for a moment. He rubbed his temples and asked in a cold, deep voice, “Is first love hard to forget?”
Daniel was taken aback by the chill in Mason’s voice. “Generally, yes. It’s the purest form of love when you’re first experiencing those feelings, so…”
The more Daniel spoke, the darker Mason’s expression became.
Before Daniel could finish, Mason cut him off sharply. “Daniel, you’re talking a lot today… What’s going on with The Powers Family?”
Daniel tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “I heard the old Mr. Powers was furious and demanded that Miss Powers break off the engagement with you.”
“Then go ahead and break it off.”
Daniel replied quietly, “But it seems Miss Powers is unwilling.”
Mason didn’t hear him clearly. “What?”
Daniel repeated, “Miss Powers called me this morning. She questioned me about the hotel incident. I couldn’t explain it. She said if you were trying to end the engagement this way, it wouldn’t work.”
Mason sneered…
After returning to the office, Leila reported the progress of The Ramirez Group project to Mr. Lee.
Mr. Lee praised her and, right in front of her, called the finance department to allocate a special quarterly bonus for her.
After hanging up, Mr. Lee turned to Leila and said, “This bonus will be paid with next month’s salary.”
“Thank you, Mr. Lee.”
Mr. Lee smiled. “No need to thank me. You’ve earned it. Leila, you truly are a blessing to our division. Since you joined, our performance has been skyrocketing.”
“It’s because of your excellent management.”
Leaving Mr. Lee’s office, Leila took the elevator back to the project department. As she walked in, she noticed a package on her desk.
The moment she saw what was inside, Leila gasped and stumbled back, nearly screaming.
Inside the box was a dead cat, covered in blood, with a rope tightly wrapped around its neck. It was clear the cat had suffered severe abuse before it died.
Leila’s hands trembled as she looked at it.
It took Leila a long time to compose herself. She walked over, closed the box, and left the office. “Who brought the package to me?”
A male colleague stood up. “Miss Patel, it was me.”
“Did you see the person who delivered it?”
“No, it was just left at the front desk.”
“Thank you.” Leila turned back into the office and examined the box closely, hoping to find some clues, but found nothing.
As she was about to pick up the box to throw it out, her phone vibrated. Frowning, she pulled out her phone and saw a message: [Leila, do you like the cat I sent you?]