Chapter 171

Chapter 171

Rita got invited in and as a courtesy from the host, Maja poured her a glass of water.

Rita had visited the place before with Ryan, but it had changed a lot after Maja did her magic. Coco,

the dog, sat quietly in the corner, wagging its tail from time to time, looking very well–behaved.

Rita was quite fond of Coco. She specially took some doggy treats from her bag and let Coco enjoy

them on the side.

“Penny, you should know Ryan’s family is very rich,” Rita started. “When I was with him, people were

saying I’d get dumped in no time because I was just a receptionist. We met when he was working at

the Raymond Corporation for a few days.”

That must’ve been the few days lan forced Ryan to intern at the Raymond Corporation.

Back then, Ryan was still making new friends,

Maja had seen Ryan’s ex before, a very sexy beauty. But Rita was more of a breath of fresh air.

Clearly, Ryan’s taste had changed.

Plus, Ryan was a social butterfly, probably had seen all kinds of beauties. It made sense that Rita was

feeling insecure.

“I heard his mom has a thing against his girlfriends. I met Ms. Raymond once, she’s quite the

presence.”

Women are always particularly sensitive about these things. Rita quickly sensed that Ryan’s mom was

a tough cookie and had a real firm hand on Ryan’s upbringing.

Rumor has it a lot of his girlfriends broke up with him because of his mom. But those girlfriends weren’t

exactly angels either.

Maja wasn’t one to gossip, but Rita treated her like a friend and spilled her guts. It wouldn’t be right to

be too blunt or cold.

“The truth is, Ms. Raymond is easy to get along with,” Maja reassured her. “She probably has a set

image of Mr. Elston’s girlfriends because of his exes. Once she sees your good side, she won’t stand in

your way.”

Rita didn’t question Maja’s formal way of addressing Ryan as “Mr. Elston“. After all, Maja was an

interior designer and Ryan had said he’d let her design his properties.

Rita had already accepted Maja as Ryan’s friend, so she trusted her even more.

Plus, Maja was Mr. Raymond’s interior designer. Mr. Raymond had just returned from abroad and if

Maja was in with him, she must be on good terms with Ryan’s circle.

But Maja was married, so she wasn’t a threat.

Even though Ryan was a playboy, he never messed with other people’s wives.

Seeing Rita deep in thought, Maja continued to comfort her, “As a woman herself, Ms. Raymond

wouldn’t be too harsh on other

women.”

Hearing this from Ryan’s friend, Rita finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She was younger than Maja, in her twenties, an age where most girls were still in college.

She started working hard at a young age, suggesting her family might not be in the best shape.

If she had a chance to be with Ryan, it would be a great thing.

After seeing Rita off, Maja heaved a sigh of relief in the room.

The little episode with Rita was over, but she was still thinking about the awkward situation before.

But at least, she got that moody photo. As a painter, she could always use beautiful references, even if

it meant a little

awkwardness.

After all, lan couldn’t care less about her.

Maja immediately started painting. Using only black and white, she recreated the scene from the photo

on her phone.

lan was born with an air of nobility. Combined with the mood in the photo, he was like a prince in the

dark.

Maja finished the painting in less than an hour and left it to dry by the French windows.

That evening, as she was about to order some late–night snacks, Rita showed up with some food she

made herself. She said it was her way of thanking Maja and insisted on sharing.

“Penny, it’s light–flavored. I know you guys work crazy hours and eat irregularly. It might cause stomach

problems. Wanna give it a try?”

Rita was a simple soul, but sometimes being too naive could cause trouble.

Like now, she went to feed Coco and spotted the painting by the window. Knowing it was Maja’s work,

she took a photo of it on her phone.

She didn’t expect the interior designer Maja to be so good at depicting people.

She and Ryan had just started dating and she was all about sharing, so she immediately sent the photo

to Ryan.