After the Affair: Falling into a Billionaire's Arms Chapter 18

"What am I supposed to do about it?" Louisa laughed, "Didn't Mr. Capulet already make it clear I'm not part of the Capulet Group when he handed over the marketing department I built from scratch to someone else?"

That "someone else" was, of course, Vivian.

George, trying to keep his cool, clenched his jaw and said, "Vivian might be someone else, but the Capulet Group isn't. We built it together from the ground up."

She thought he had forgotten. Turned out, he still remembered.

Louisa took a bite of her sandwich, swallowed, and then said slowly, "Well, I guess I should thank you for at least acknowledging my efforts."

Her nonchalant attitude pushed George over the edge.

He glared at her for a moment, then snatched her phone without saying a word.

Realizing what he was about to do, Louisa rushed around the table to grab her phone back. "George, give it back!"

George, taller by a good few inches, held the phone high with one hand and grabbed her wrist with the other.

Louisa couldn't reach her phone at all.

He quickly navigated through her phone, found the app she used to book her flight, and canceled her ticket.

Then he handed the phone back to her, saying, "The ticket's canceled. You're not leaving today."

Furious, Louisa threw the phone at him. "George, you jerk!"

George didn't dodge, letting the phone hit him, leaving a cut near his eye.

She needed to vent, and he let her.

Louisa glared at him coldly. "You want me to clean up your mess? Keep dreaming!"

She took her phone and stormed upstairs.

George turned and left the house.

He didn't necessarily need Louisa to fix the problem; he could handle it himself.

He just couldn't let her walk away; her indifferent attitude to the company annoyed him too much.

...

Back in her room, Louisa tried to book another flight.

But with the weekend coming up, there were no tickets available.

She had no choice but to message her two friends in the group chat: [I can't make it. George canceled my flight.]

She didn't say much else.

But she thought about how her friends had already packed, and Sadie had cleared her schedule to join them.

Now, because of her, the trip was off.

She apologized: [Sorry for ruining the plan. Maybe you two should go ahead, and I'll catch up with you later.]

To her surprise, her friends weren't upset at all. They immediately cursed George in the chat and canceled their tickets without hesitation.

The three of them stuck together.

That day, George didn't come home until late at night.

The next morning, he left early again.

It seemed the Capulet Group was really in trouble.

But Louisa didn't give it a damn.

She planned to stay at her apartment for a couple of days.

Unexpectedly, she ran into Hazel just as she was about to leave.

Hazel, in her fifties, was well-maintained and dressed like a wealthy socialite.

She stood in front of Louisa, looking down at her. "Heading out?"

Louisa didn't hold back, coldly asking, "What do you want, Mrs. Capulet?"

She used to call her mom, but after Hazel kept picking fights and implying Louisa wasn't good enough for the Capulet family, she switched to Mrs. Capulet.

If someone didn't like her, she wasn't about to bend over backward to please them.

Hazel sneered, "My son's busy at the company, and you're just lounging around. We need to talk."

Louisa nodded.

Hazel strutted past her into the living room, sitting upright on the couch with an air of arrogance.

Louisa sat across from her, picked up the teapot, and poured herself a cup of rose tea.

Hazel reached out to take it.

But Louisa had no intention of sharing. She leaned back into the couch, legs crossed, sipping her tea leisurely, infuriatingly calm.

Hazel awkwardly withdrew her hand, glaring at Louisa.

She knew it—daughters from small families had no manners and weren't fit to be part of the Capulet family.

She spoke coldly, "I'll get straight to the point. The Capulet Group's marketing department is in trouble. You need to fix it."

Louisa replied, "Why should I?"

The problem wasn't her doing.

Seeing Louisa's nonchalant demeanor, Hazel was also infuriated, gritting her teeth. "Because that $2 billion wasn't for nothing!"

Her words were sharp and forceful. Anyone else might have felt guilty.

But this was Louisa.

Her contributions to the Capulet Group over the years were worth more than $2 billion. She took that money with a clear conscience.

She wouldn't be easily swayed, smiling slowly, "I don't understand, Mrs. Capulet. We had a clear agreement: I divorce, $2 billion. How can you just change the terms?"

"How much do you want?" Hazel asked through clenched teeth.

Louisa didn't hesitate, naming her price, "Add another billion, making it three, and I'll fix the Capulet Group's problem."

"Are you crazy for money?" Hazel shrieked.

She couldn't believe Louisa had the nerve to ask for that.

In truth, Louisa had just thrown out a number.

She had no intention of fixing the Capulet Group's issues; she just wanted to push Hazel away with the price.

But if Hazel was willing to pay, Louisa wouldn't mind earning an extra billion.

Either way, she had nothing to lose.

Louisa lounged back on the couch, sipping her tea and checking her phone.

Hazel sat across from her, fuming.

But she had heard the marketing department's issues were tough to resolve.

The Capulet Group's resurgence relied heavily on the marketing department.

It was the backbone of the Capulet Group, and a day's shutdown could mean significant losses.

After a brief moment of consideration, she compromised, glaring at Louisa. "Fine, I agree. Go fix it now!"

At worst, she'd placate her to solve the problem and deal with the money later.

But Louisa saw through her plan, nodding, "Then let's draw up a contract. We'll sign it in black and white, and then I'll be assured."