Chapter 443

The following morning.

After the group finished breakfast, Maurice and Frederick left the Winston Mansion one after the other, each heading to their respective offices.

Marguerite was unsure of how Frederick had dealt with the hacker attack on Thunderbolt Enterprises.

Despite this, he still managed to maintain a façade of friendliness with Maurice, occasionally even exchanging business strategies.

This left Marguerite somewhat puzzled. What she didn’t understand was that battles between titans were always fought behind the scenes, with neither party ever breaking rank publicly.

As a result, the war between Frederick and Maurice was likely to continue indefinitely.

Not long after the two men had left, Marguerite went upstairs to find Jocelyn.

However, the weather that day was poor, with heavy snow and fog making even the well-lit areas appear grey and hazy.

After breakfast, Powell had settled down for a nap, while Jocelyn was still sitting in her rocking chair, engrossed in paperwork.

Marguerite tiptoed into the room, adopting a playful demeanor as she began to massage Jocelyn’s shoulders.

Without lifting her head, Jocelyn said, “You’re so young, shouldn’t you be out working instead of hanging around me?”

“Is it a crime to enjoy spending time with you?”

Setting down her pen and removing her glasses, Jocelyn paused for a moment before turning to look at Marguerite and saying, “Cut the crap. You betrayed Frederick, and haven’t even started with you yet.

Don’t expect me to like you.”

Marguerite merely smirked, understanding that Jocelyn was only joking, and continued massaging her shoulder without a word.

The Jocelyn she saw now was quite different from the woman she remembered. She was graceful and wise, at peace with the passage of time, and no longer the pushover she had been three years ago.

Marguerite was happy for her.

“Why aren’t you working? Penelope gave you her business card, didn’t she?”

Marguerite was taken aback. She didn’t expect Jocelyn to bring that up.

“The day Penelope personally came to ask for you, but you didn’t say yes to her. Are you worried about something?”

With a sigh, Marguerite decided not to hide her concerns.

“Jocelyn, I do want to work. But right now, I can’t. Maurice won’t let me leave the mansion because he’s keeping tabs on the whereabouts of my lost son. I can’t go against him.”

Jocelyn looked at Marguerite, her eyes displaying a mix of frustration and disappointment.

“You’re clever. Why do you become so foolish when it matters most?”

Marguerite was taken aback. “What do you mean?”

“Has Maurice hired someone to keep an eye on you?”

Marguerite shook her head. “No.”

“Well then, that settles it. Maurice is busy dealing with Frederick, so he won’t have time to monitor you.

It’s a question of priorities. Which do you think is more important to him?”

Marguerite thought hard, but couldn’t come up with an answer.

Jocelyn was getting frustrated with Marguerite’s inability to grasp the simple logic. She remembered Marguerite as a quick-witted girl when she was with Frederick. Now, under Maurice’s torment, she had become overly cautious and jittery.

Jocelyn decided to be more explicit.

“If he was really focused on you, he would’ve handed over his company to his subordinates by now so he could monitor you. As long as you get back before he does, he’ll be none the wiser.

Moreover, you know Penelope lost her daughter and they’ve been looking for her for over 20 years.

They have more experience in this than Maurice.

You need to take control of your life and not let others manipulate you, understand?”

Jocelyn spoke earnestly, her voice filled with concern.

She could see that Maurice was very similar to Powell when he was young, exceptionally adept at manipulation. She was afraid that Marguerite would walk down the same path and be trapped by Maurice.

Marguerite, however, laughed off Jocelyn’s worries, saying, “And you said you don’t like me. Now you’re teaching me how to escape Maurice!”

This caught Jocelyn off guard. She almost burst out laughing, lovingly hit Marguerite, and gently scolded, “Stop joking around! Lisette has been slacking off ever since! came back, she’s not even looking after Powell. God knows where she is now. She won’t be back for a while, and won’t have a chance to spill the beans to Maurice. Now is the perfect time for you to go to Penelope’s office. But remember to come back early. Tonight is the New Year’s eve, we’re all having dinner together.”