Kieran was sensible enough to know that no matter what, he couldn’t take Marilyn back to Paucaster Villa Complex. There was only one place left to go: Azure Ocean Villa.
Marilyn arrived in a sorry state, bringing nothing with her. Nelson, who had a bit of a cleanliness obsession, found her presence irksome. “Have you been sleeping at Vanco these past few days?”
“Yeah… I had a falling out with my father, and the house I bought isn’t ready yet.”
Hearing this, Nelson handed her the keys to Azure Ocean Villa without hesitation. “You can stay here until Oconnor Group plugs into Vanco.”
There were some work matters he needed to discuss with her.
There was no better place for her to go.
Marilyn rubbed the keys with her thumb, hiding her joy inside.
Luckily, there were clean clothes here. After taking a shower, she came out to find Nelson showing her his laptop, filled with dense agreements between Vanco and Oconnor Group.
She was an expert, so it wasn’t too difficult for her to understand. These agreements were practically… exploitative.
Marilyn regretted asking for his help. She sat on the floor, looking pitifully at him. “Go easy on us…”
This was worse than letting Jaquan take over.
Her appearance was both funny and genuinely pitiful, making Nelson smile for once. “You asked for it.”
At this point, there was no other option.
Marilyn tried her best to negotiate, using all her knowledge to minimize the damage to Vanco. She added softly, “Vanco has had it tough.”
Nelson stood in the courtyard, looking at the ornamental banana plants under the eaves, his face partially in shadow.
“Tough? What does tough even mean? Take Jaquan for example: his father went to prison, he survived among predators, and for your sake, he went against market trends multiple times. No one understood him, but he gritted his teeth and built Scott Group from the ground up. His struggles were rewarded.”
Marilyn was silent for a moment. “He’s someone who can achieve great things.”
“Vanco can too,” Nelson said as he casually watered the plants with a nearby watering can. “If Vanco gets through this, it’ll be a century-long trial by fire. If it fails, it’ll be a crushing defeat.”
Marilyn stood up straighter. “I want to win.”
Nelson gave her a knowing look.
He closed his laptop, and Kieran took it from him, whispering in his ear, “Madam just called me.”
His voice was low, so Marilyn didn’t hear. She just stared blankly at the laptop and suddenly asked lightly, “Nelson, how are things with Callie lately?”
Nelson’s eyes turned sharp instantly, making Marilyn shrink back. Mentioning Callie always made her extremely cautious.
She couldn’t hold back any longer. “I’m just curious. Even your… laptop password is her birthday. How could you fall for someone else?”
That day she had guessed his password, and those numbers had popped into her head first.
To her surprise, it had worked.
Nelson’s face darkened suddenly as he stood up abruptly. “Marilyn.”
This was Nelson’s private matter, and Marilyn had not only pried into it but also had the audacity to bring it up directly. No matter how, it had overstepped his boundaries.
Marilyn was startled by his reaction, trembling as she looked up at him with teary eyes. “… I’m sorry.”
So he really did love Callie-so much that it couldn’t even be mentioned.
The last thing Nelson said before leaving was: “Ungrateful.”