Chapter 439: Chapter 439

“This is a large project that could greatly impact their country’s GDP. Why didn’t their government provide them with funding?”

Rayna was more curious about the investor. “There are many wealthy individuals in Chanaea, so it won’t be easy to find out who it is.”

“That’s true,” Jefferson said with a grin. “Capitalists will always prioritize profit. If the country won’t give them the money they need, they’ll just find another wealthy partner who will. As long as they get to make money, they don’t really care who gets the technology.”

“I understand.” Rayna pursed her lips. “Call me sentimental, but if that’s my country, I won’t let others get the technology.”

She knew that one day she would pass away, leaving behind the money she had worked so hard to acquire. Yet, she found a greater pride in seeing her country develop and flourish before her time on earth came to an end.

Rayna inquired, “What is the reason for your extended stay in Jetroina if you are not in charge of Aoba Project? Did you locate the person in charge and invest in the project?”

“Arnaud knows about Aoba Project, too. His minion is working in Mr. Tezuka’s team,” Jefferson said solemnly. “He’s doing his best to contact the big boss to invest in the project.”

Rayna fell silent for a while, then said through gritted teeth, “He may be a b*stard, but he’s smart. He certainly has a lot of experts at his disposal. Look, his minion managed to get into such a project.”

She wished she could kill Arnaud every time she remembered what happened to Kristie.

Rayna never forgot why she offered to come back to Norwal City to help Jefferson valiantly. She longed for the day three years later when the bet-on agreement between Boniel and the two brothers came to an end so that she could witness Arnaud’s downfall with her own eyes. She couldn’t wait to see the look of dismay on his face when he was stripped of his power, wealth, and social status.

The game had just started, but Arnaud already had a clear advantage. Rayna felt this was unfair.

She took a deep breath and said calmly, “We can’t wait for three years for Aoba Project to succeed. If Arnaud can contact the investor, we’ll lose right away. Don’t rush back here. You should take care of the company in Jetroina and keep an eye on Arnaud. I’ll stay here in Norwal City and look around for that investor. If I come across any high-end cocktail parties, I’ll attend them and ask around. I’ll keep you posted if I find any updates.”

“Okay.” Jefferson felt sorry for her. “Don’t work too much and get more rest.”

“I’m fine. The babies are behaving well.” Rayna caressed her belly. Her baby bump was showing, so she had to wear loose clothing to hide it. “In fact, they are growing too well.” She sighed helplessly. “I think I won’t be able to hide my belly when I’m five or six months along. I’m thinking of settling work at the company before that happens.”

That way, she wouldn’t have to worry too much when she was working remotely.

Jefferson chuckled aloud. “Do they kick you often? Are they naughty?”

“Yes, they do kick me. I always get woken up rudely by their kicks,” she grumbled. “Now that their limbs have formed, they even started fighting in my womb. Sometimes, I can’t help but grow annoyed at all the kicking.”

“I think they are vying to be the firstborn.”

Rayna didn’t know how to respond. “Why would they fight over that? It’s tiring being the firstborn.”

She was talking to Jefferson over the phone when someone knocked on the door. At once, she lowered her voice and said, “I need to get back to work.”

After the call ended, she told the person to come in.

Ella came into the office and gave her the file with a surprised look. “Ms. Garland, Kelly from Excellent Entertainment Company signed the contract with us and for three million too! She didn’t even try to bargain for more.”

“Really?” Rayna asked, her eyes widening in surprise. She took the file and flipped through it, her brow furrowing in concentration. “Well, it’s because we have a tight budget. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have offered such a low price. After Kelly caught my attention, I realized she was a popular rookie from Excellent Entertainment Company. I was thinking of sending you to some universities to pick someone else if she refuses to sign with us.”

Ella grinned and chimed in, “To everyone’s surprise, she decided to go with it despite being offered such a low price, right?”

Rayna hummed in agreement as she examined the contract. However, something tugged at the back of her mind. “I heard that Kelly’s manager was known for being difficult to negotiate with. Did they make any other demands before signing the contract?”

“No. On the contrary, they seemed delighted to sign the contract,” came Ella’s answer. “The manager couldn’t stop grinning as though he had landed a great deal.”

Rayna’s frown deepened. “Kelly gets paid way more than three million for either of her endorsement contracts. Why is she delighted to get paid a mere three million to shoot a three-minute video?”

“I heard that Kelly is riding on Mr. Faymon’s coattails.” Ella thought about it and asked hesitantly, “Ms. Garland, did we get lucky because Kelly was in a good mood?”

Rayna’s heart skipped a beat. In a daze, she asked, “What did you say?”

Kelly is riding on Curtis’ coattails?

She hastily found a photo of Kelly and scrutinized it carefully. She was certain Kelly wasn’t his type, yet she couldn’t help but ponder if she knew his preferences well.

Curtis has grown older. It’s likely that his preferences have changed. He may have grown to appreciate young women who act coy and depend on him, as is often the case with older men.

Rayna’s thoughts were in disarray, leaving her unable to stop herself from ruminating on the issue.

Rayna’s head was bowed as if she was engrossed in studying the file. Unaware of her reaction, Ella continued, “Recently, Kelly got roles in two movies that Faymon Group invested heavily in and a few international brands’ endorsement deals. She may be popular, but she’s not an A-list celebrity. It must have been Mr. Faymon who gave her these resources. Look how well he treated Kristie before. She got everything she wanted. Now, Kelly is his new favorite.”

Ella paused before asking curiously, “Speaking of which, I haven’t seen Kristie in public recently. Did she get blacklisted for offending the higher-ups of Excellent Entertainment Company? Have you heard anything about her?”

Rayna regained her composure at Ella’s question. “Excellent Entertainment Company won’t blacklist someone as talented as her. Perhaps she got bored with acting and went studying overseas.”

Ella nodded in agreement. “Yes, many celebrities would head overseas to study when they got bored with acting.”

“If that is all, you can go now. I need to get back to work.”

“Okay. I’ll take my leave now, Ms. Garland.” Ella left quickly, as she didn’t want to disturb Rayna at work.

Rayna flipped through the document in her hands, but her focus was elsewhere. Ella’s words kept echoing in her mind, and jealousy stirred within her. She couldn’t help but chide herself for her own feelings.

I made up my mind to end my relationship with Curtis, but I can’t help feeling a pang of sorrow when I hear about his scandal with another woman. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.

Rayna’s thoughts went wild for a moment. She pulled out her phone to text Gabriel: Mr. Tylinski, did Mr. Faymon have a change of taste again?

Meanwhile, Curtis was attending a meeting in Faymon Group.

It wasn’t an ordinary meeting, for the higher-ups of Daystar had learned that Excellent Entertainment Company’s celebrity had signed an endorsement contract with Glory. They had sent a few people over to demand an explanation, claiming that Curtis had caused them a loss.

Curtis was annoyed after listening to them harping about their profits and the bet-on agreement for over thirty minutes.

Right then, his phone lit up with a text from Rayna on the shared account. After logging in and reading the text from Rayna, he stiffened.

A change of taste? What is that about?