Along the way, Esther had come to realize that Emberwood Estate was no ordinary place. Now, Chris Shelby was telling her she could come and go as she pleased. How could that be possible? Seeing Esther’s incredulous expression, Chris Shelby couldn’t help but smile.
“Actually, Emberwood Estate was left to me by my master!” he explained.
With this revelation, Esther finally understood, though she wasn’t entirely clear on who Chris Shelby’s master was. But considering that even the prestigious Princess Juliette of Amerosia was Chris Shelby’s sister, it was evident that his master was a person of significant stature.
“There’s something I need to tell you today…” Chris Shelby began, then recounted how Blake Noire had repaid him. Esther, astonished, responded, “Dear, are you serious? Blake Noire is the young master of the Noire family, and he really paid you ten billion dollars?”
“Yes,” Chris Shelby nodded, pulling out a bank card along with deeds for a villa and company transfer contracts.
Seeing these deeds and contracts, Esther expressed her concerns, “Dear, Blake Noire is still the young master of the Noire family; please don’t be reckless!”
Esther knew Chris Shelby well. If Blake Noire had willingly repaid the ten billion, it was certain that Chris Shelby had employed some unconventional methods. Chris Shelby smiled reassuringly, “Don’t worry, Blake Noire gave me this money willingly. Take this card and the keys to the villa. These things are of no use to me anyway.”
Hearing this, Esther didn’t put on airs and accepted them. After all, they were husband and wife, and what belonged to one belonged to the other. Besides, with Chris Shelby’s wealth, he hardly cared for such possessions. His reason for making Blake Noire repay was merely to teach him a lesson.
That evening, Chris Shelby told James about Blake Noire’s repayment. James looked up to him admiringly, “Chris Shelby, you are truly incredible, to have Blake Noire voluntarily pay you back.”
“Mm,” Chris Shelby nodded, not wanting to dwell on the topic with James.
“James, could you ask your cousin if she could help manage a company?” He had acquired a live streaming company from Blake Noire. Originally, he wanted to give it to Esther, but she couldn’t stay in Middleton long-term.
Given that Jake was already busy with his work at Chester Group, adding another company would be too much. Chris Shelby thought of Candace, who had previously been the president of Nance Group, and she would be the most suitable manager.
James, puzzled, asked, “Chris Shelby, why don’t you ask my cousin directly?”
Chris Shelby coughed awkwardly, “James, you know the situation between your cousin and me; it’s a bit hard for me to ask.”
After all, it was Chris Shelby who had caused Candace to end up in her current predicament. It would indeed be somewhat embarrassing for him to bring it up. James rolled his eyes, “Alright, I’ll ask her, but I can’t promise she’ll agree.”
After all, Candace was now the head of the Nance family, and whether she wanted to help manage the company was still an open question.
Soon, it was the day of the National Economic Summit. Early in the morning, Esther woke Chris Shelby. The summit had attracted representatives from thousands of companies nationwide.
As the first conglomerate of Amerosia, the Chester Group naturally attracted countless people’s attention. Therefore, many were eager to collaborate with the Chester Group. However, for Chris Shelby, the national economic summit held no relevance to him. He merely watched as Esther conversed with various corporate executives. Through this summit, the Chester Group forged numerous partnerships, significantly aiding their expansion into the domestic market.
After the summit, Chris Shelby drove Esther to Maple District, an upscale villa neighborhood in Middleton, home to many wealthy residents. The price of real estate here exceeded two hundred thousand dollars per square meter! Maple District boasted an exceptional environment with standalone villas and luxury cars worth millions parked at each driveway.
Upon arriving at a particularly opulent villa, Esther, stepping out of the car, exclaimed in surprise, “Dear, is this the villa Blake Noire compensated you with?” It was indeed a stroke of misfortune for Blake Noire, who had never lived in the villa after purchasing it. Once the renovations were completed, it was handed over to Chris Shelby. Inside, the villa was fully furnished and even housed several luxury cars.
While Esther busied herself touring the villa, Chris stepped out into the yard. Suddenly, a Maserati roared up to the house. A strikingly attractive woman with a voluptuous figure alighted from the vehicle.
“Mr. Shelby, you’re here!” she called out. Chris’s face fell at the sight of her.
“Seraphina, I didn’t expect to run into you here,” he said awkwardly.
This woman was none other than Seraphina, daughter of Archer Wintersong. Chris had not seen her since she left the last time.
“Mr. Shelby, have you missed me?” Seraphina asked with a laugh. Chris looked visibly uncomfortable; Seraphina’s boldness in conversation hadn’t changed. Curious, she inquired, “Mr. Shelby, is this villa yours?” He nodded, “Yes, you should come by sometime.”
“Hehe,” Seraphina chuckled softly, “What a coincidence, Mr. Shelby, my villa is right next to yours.”
Chris was stunned. Recalling the disastrous times when Seraphina stayed at his place on the East Coast, he shivered. Seraphina giggled, “Mr. Shelby, I live alone now, you should come over in the evenings.”
Feeling the conversation was veering into dangerous territory, especially if Esther overheard, Chris quickly made excuses.
“Sure, I’ll come by when I get a chance!” He then promptly turned and walked away. Watching him leave, Seraphina’s smile held a mysterious edge.
“Chris Shelby, thinking you can escape my grasp is a fantasy.”
Just then, Seraphina’s phone rang.
“What? That happened? Okay, I’ll be right there!” She answered before driving off urgently, her expression grave.