Chapter 60

The man stood tall and took a drag from his cigarette. Blowing out a faint haze, it blurred his mature and elegant face.

He stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, he commanded an imposing presence as he looked down at Winnie.

Bryan handed him a telescope. "Sir, with the height of this building, you can clearly see Ms. Winnie through this."

Jeremy raised an eyebrow. "Bryan deserves a raise."

Benjamin chimed in, "Bryan definitely deserves a raise."

Bryan blushed, but Mr. Rodriguez glanced at the telescope and his face darkened. "What do you take me for? A peeping Tom?"

Bryan immediately stiffened.

Surprisingly, the CEO snatched the telescope and held it up to his eyes with evident amusement.

Benjamin remarked, "This man is truly unpredictable."

Lawrence watched as Winnie struggled to climb over the fence, her face covered in sweat as she frantically searched for a vantage point to spy.

The man nonchalantly said, "Since the sun is shining brightly, fetch an umbrella for Ms. Winnie so she doesn't get sunburned," he said, his voice filled with resignation.

"Tsk!" Benjamin snickered. "Mr. Rodriguez, you really can't hide it, can you?"

The man turned around, his expression cold. "Am I not allowed to worry about the mother of my child getting sunburned?"

"Fair enough," said Benjamin.

"But Ms. Winnie is quite clever, discovering her husband's affair so quickly. However, I bet she can't outsmart this big bad wolf," said Jeremy.

"She's only going to end up being played by Mr. Rodriguez," Benjamin sighed.

"What has captivated Mr. Rodriguez's attention, bringing laughter to both young masters in his company?" A gentle, feminine voice playfully chimed as it entered with a chuckle.

Mr. Rodriguez turned around and saw a woman in professional attire. He nodded. "Darcy, are you here for the meeting?"

"The board informed me. I drove over from the branch office. "The woman walked in, smiled, and nodded toward Jeremy and Benjamin. "Mr. Benjamin, Mr. Jeremy."

"Ms. Darcy." Jeremy's expression remained calm.

Upon hearing the woman who just addressed him, Benjamin hesitated for a moment as he tried to recall who the woman was.

When it finally hit him, he adjusted his demeanor and greeted her, "Hello, Vice President."

"You're always teasing me." Darcy sighed.

Her form exuded grace, and her refined business attire bestowed upon her an air of dignity and nobility. This regal essence wasn't merely a product of her profession. With an attention-catching beauty on her face, she strolled playfully to the window, wearing a charming smile. "Upon my arrival earlier, I spotted Ms. Winnie downstairs. I'm curious about what she might be concealing from Mr. Rodriguez. It's rather intriguing."

Benjamin and Jeremy remained silent which created an awkward atmosphere.

Lawrence opened the file with a serious expression. "Let's start the meeting."

The meeting was short. Benjamin signaled Jeremy with his eyes, and the two walked to a quiet corner of the corridor.

A twitch appeared at the corner of Benjamin's mouth as he clicked his tongue. "Darcy gave me the creeps. Seeing her casually composed, if we didn't know about her past with Mr. Rodriguez, it would be fine. Do you think her gentle smile is genuine relief or just an act in front of Mr. Rodriguez?"

Jeremy struggled to unravel the mystery. "Ms. Ordelia occupies a prominent position in Imperial's office branch. Hailing from the distinguished Trento City, her illustrious background was meticulously orchestrated by both families within Mr. Rodriguez's company. Given her exceptional skills and intelligence, discerning any reservations she might have proven to be quite a challenge."

"That's my concern as well. The true Trento City debutante of the Ordelia family, with her means and status, she's much stronger than Winnie. If only she didn't have feelings for Mr. Rodriguez, but if she let go...," Benjamin trailed off.

Jeremy narrowed his eyes slightly. "That would undoubtedly alter the dynamics considerably."

Darcy possesses genuine talent. As the chief jewelry designer at Imperial, her position was even more important due to her family's relationship with the Rodriguez family. Mr. Rodriguez also wished for her to leave, but considering the pros and cons, if she didn't initiate the move, Mr. Rodriguez wouldn't push her.

Benjamin rubbed his forehead. "Well, Winnie certainly didn't back down. The Rodriguez family clearly didn't hold Winnie in high regard and was merely waiting for a year to pass.

"But what's Mr. Rodriguez's game? Why is he suddenly so concerned about Winnie? Anyway, Mr. Rodriguez doesn't like Darcy. If he did, they would have been together a long time ago. It's not Winnie's fault, in my opinion. Darcy can endure quite a bit. Look at her, she rarely shows her feelings for Mr. Rodriguez and silently stays by his side."

Jeremy glanced at him. "He can decide for himself regarding his own feelings."

In the dark corner of the corridor, Darcy overheard Benjamin's and Jeremy's conversation. Though her expression remained calm with a hint of a smile, she clenched her teeth which caused her exquisitely beautiful face to tense up slightly.

She clenched her fist tightly, then slightly relaxed her hand into a weak fist.

Then, Darcy departed gracefully.

At a quarter past ten, Mr. Rodriguez exited the Pearl Club. Benjamin cast a glance at the figure concealed amidst the flowers and smirked. "Has she decided to tail you today, Mr. Rodriguez? How do you plan to keep your wife 'entertained' after this?"

Bryan unfolded the itinerary and announced, "The CEO is heading to Hot Spring Resort today for partnership discussions. Considering the chilly weather, the lady could use some relaxation in the hot springs."

November arrived in the blink of an eye, and Winnie had been expecting for more than two months. Mr. Rodriguez looked at Jeremy and said, "You go to Imperial and pretend to be me."

"Why are you forcing me to deceive people?" Jeremy asked impatiently.

Benjamin volunteered. "Winnie's friend, Olivia, is cute. Shall I go?"

"You're not suitable," Lawrence responded mercilessly.

"That was brutally honest but all right." Benjamin was slightly disappointed that he was not allowed to go.

With a collection of documents in hand, Darcy approached Mr. Rodriguez with competence and a gentle demeanor. "Mr. Rodriguez, I've learned that Mr. Brown is also at the Hot Spring Resort. Would you like me to drive you?"

Benjamin looked at her with a meaningful gaze.

Mr. Rodriguez doesn't say anything.

Just before departure, Darcy apologized and hurried over to Mr. Rodriguez. "I'm sorry, Mr. Rodriguez, my car broke down."

Mr. Rodriguez responded in a gentlemanly manner, "I'll give you a ride."

Darcy opened the passenger side of his car and got in.

Mr. Rodriguez furrowed his brows slightly, but his attention was on the red sedan behind them.

Inside the car, Winnie struggled to put the car in reverse, and a deep smile tugged at the corner of his eye.

Darcy took a glance and playfully asked, "Was Ms. Winnie following you?"

"Mhmm," he responds without saying much.

Darcy calmly dealt with the documents.

The man intentionally drove slowly, concerned that Winnie would get lost. He reached into his shirt pocket to grab a cigarette.

As he did so, a half ring on a red string fell out.

"I'll help you pick it up, Mr. Rodriguez." Darcy leaned down and picked it up. She had seen him wearing this half-ring for several years and had inquired about the reason behind it.

Darcy noticed his deep gaze at the ring and smiled slightly, asking, "Your rescuer, have you not found her yet?"

"I only know she's a girl, I'm afraid I won't be able to find her." A tender corner of Mr. Rodriguez's heart forever belonged to the girl who saved him that night.

Darcy observed the half-ring and realized that he truly hadn't found her.

With a deep intensity in her eyes, Darcy hesitated for a moment and bit her lip, saying, "Mr. Rodriguez, you know that my family is from a medical background, and I have exceptional medical skills. In fact, I am"

Abruptly, the car came to a sudden stop, and Mr. Rodriguez saw the red sedan stopping behind them. He was momentarily distracted, but he also heard Darcy's hesitant words. He turned his head, his eyes looked at her, and asked, "What are you?"