Chapter 448: Chapter 448

Naomi had been with Arnaud for years, and she had rarely seen him in such an unhinged state.

Arnaud panted heavily while pacing the room. He spat viciously, “Doesn’t she like Curtis? Why is she suddenly seeing Jefferson and pregnant to boot?” His fury exploded, and he kicked several bar stools over. “Why is he so lucky? He never has to work hard for anything in his life! Father always gives the best to him and never asks if I want it! I worked so hard to get everything I have today, yet he simply picks up a wife and a child! And as if fighting with me wasn’t enough, even his kid has to join in! F*ck him!”

He continued smashing things around the room like an unrestrained beast.

He even punched an LED screen, ignoring the blood trickling down his fist.

“Cyrus, that’s enough! Stop it!” Naomi rushed forward and hugged him tightly from behind. “Please stop hurting yourself. It breaks my heart to see you like this. All of this is rightfully yours. I’ll help you get everything back. I’ll never let him inherit the Terblanc family.”

Perhaps her comforting words got through to Arnaud, for he finally calmed down.

He muttered gloomily, “Jefferson probably has no idea that Rayna is pregnant, or he would’ve rushed down to Norwal City to be with her. You’ve got to think of some way to trap Jefferson in Jetroina.”

Rayna attended to his wounds and replied, “I know exactly what’s on your mind. Focus on your work and leave the rest to me. I won’t let you down.”

Once she removed her hands from his skin, Arnaud caressed her cheek and murmured, “Thank you. Sorry for troubling you.”

She shook her head adamantly and pressed her cheek deeper into his palm. “I love you, and I’ll do anything for you. If you don’t have enough money, I can take over my dad’s company and get you more resources, Cyrus. Just say the word.”

Arnaud narrowed his eyes thoughtfully and said, “I don’t need it yet. Curtis pulled some strings and restricted my entry to Jetroina. Your father’s company can help me gather information instead.”

“Sure. Just let me know how I can help.”

The two of them moved to the couch, where Arnaud pulled Naomi onto his lap.

He stroked her hair and asked, “Is there any progress on Aoba Project?”

“No. There are too many wealthy businessmen in Chanaea. It’s impossible to investigate all of them, especially when you throw those from Horbah and Terrandya into the mix. But it’s fine if we can’t find an investor. I managed to get your men inside,”

explained Naomi.

“That’s a good girl.” Arnaud kissed her as a reward.

That drew a sweet smile from Naomi. Still, her joy was short-lived. Worry tinged her features as she uttered, “Jefferson has plenty of informants. He knows about Aoba Project too.”

Arnaud seemed unperturbed by this revelation. “Well, all he can do is wait and see. He can’t do any better than me if I can’t find the person. The only capable people he has are Ringo and Rayna.”

“I knew I should’ve upped the dosage of that drug.” Naomi pursed her lips in displeasure. “If he dies, the Terblanc family will be yours. We wouldn’t even be in this situation.”

Arnaud lay on the couch and said, “If he dies under mysterious circumstances, Father will surely suspect my involvement. Plus, the real threat is the baby in Rayna’s belly.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure the plan goes off without a hitch.” After her reassuring promise, Naomi pounced on him and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing and cuddling him. “Cyrus, spend the night with me, hmm?”

Arnaud grinned wickedly and moved his hand up her back. “I’m a busy man, but if you can convince me to stay, I won’t leave.”

Meanwhile, Rayna sprained her ankle after tripping during her shower last night.

Despite using a cold spray on the injured ankle, she still spent the better half of the night tossing and turning in pain.

Once her alarm clock rang, she packed her bags and hurried to the airport. She was, at best, half-awake as she entered the VIP waiting area.

Rayna had a flight attendant show her to a couch where she could rest.

She only managed to catch a few winks when she felt someone patting her shoulder.

“It’s time to board the plane, Rayna.” A rich baritone sounded beside her ear.

“Wait,” Rayna mumbled while swatting the hand away. “Let me sleep a bit more.”

Instead, the person replied insistently, “Wake up. You can sleep once you’re on the plane.”

“Ugh, don’t disturb me.” Rayna felt around for a blanket and tossed it over her head.

The flight attendant who had shown Rayna to the couch stared at the distinguished man.

She had noticed his failure to wake Rayna up and grew anxious on his behalf. “Your friend seems to be very tired. Should we change the flight schedule?”

“That won’t be necessary,” replied Curtis as he unbuttoned his suit coat. He bent over and tried to lift her.

She felt heavier than usual.

Curtis found himself bending more and taking more time to scoop her into his arms.

Her chubbier face peeked out from underneath the blanket. Curtis wondered, Has she been eating to her heart’s content? She has gained quite a bit of weight.

Rayna appeared to find the position uncomfortable and fidgeted around.

Her hands naturally wound around Curtis’ neck.

Her defenseless state had Curtis sighing in exasperation. He grumbled, “She has no sense of danger once she’s asleep.

Someone could probably sell her off, and she wouldn’t know anything.”

Rayna slept for a long time and eventually woke up when she heard noises around her. She opened her eyes groggily and realized she was no longer in the VIP waiting room.

It took her a while to realize she was in the first-class cabin of a plane.

She was instantly confused.

The last thing she remembered was something tapping her shoulder and asking her to get on a plane. Did I just follow the flight attendant onto the plane?

“Are you awake?”

That sounds like Curtis’ voice.

Rayna turned around and saw him lying in the seat beside hers.

Curtis was so tall that there was not enough room for his legs on the couch-style seat. Only about half his body was splayed across the couch.

When she recognized him, she was shocked. “W-Why are you here? Are you going on a business trip?”

He shot her a sidelong glance and said, “This flight is heading to Summerbank.”

“You’re going to Summerbank for a business trip?”

Curtis’ expression shifted slightly as he wondered why Rayna became so slow after she returned from overseas.

He asked, “Have you forgotten about last night’s meeting?”

“What does a meeting at Faymon Group have to do with me?” Rayna was still befuddled.

Her gaze landed on several desserts on a small table. She suddenly felt hungry and grabbed a few cake rolls off the plate.

Curtis glowered at her.

Her words came out muffled as she stuffed her mouth with cake rolls. “I’m a bit hungry. You can ask the flight attendant to get you more. Stop looking at me like that. I’m not a thief.”

“Rayna, why are you heading to Summerbank?”

Rayna answered swiftly, “To shoot a short film for Glory Corporation’s new product, of course! They couldn’t get anyone else, so I had to go...”

She suddenly trailed off as bits and pieces of her sleep-addled memory returned to her.

Last night, she had hurried to Glory Corporation for a meeting. Curtis had come along and listened to her update on the new product.

She explained that the budget was too small to find a suitable female lead for the short film. Although the best she could do was hire an up-and-coming male actor and fill the female role herself, she believed the film would be a success.

Rayna was confident in both the script and the director. They had also invested heavily in the costumes, makeup, and set designs.

Alas, Curtis disagreed with her proposal, claiming she did not respect Faymon Group and their collaboration. He even brought up the male actor’s old scandals. If netizens dug up the actor’s scandalous past just as the new product was launched, the promotional campaign would immediately go down the drain.

Rayna had been exhausted from preparing the short film proposal and annoyed that she had to fill the role of the female lead because the actress they approached had demanded an unreasonably high remuneration.

Curtis’ criticism set her off, and her temper flared.

She argued with him in front of everyone in the conference room. At the end of their heated exchange, she gave Curtis an ultimatum—he could complain less or play the male lead himself.

After a protracted moment of silence, he said, “Sure. I’ll do it.”