Chapter 428

Marvin leaned his fat body against the door.

“Miss Winnington. If you go out now, it’ll be an insult to me,” he said bluntly.

His gaze felt like repulsive leeches crawling all over Diana, and it made her deeply uncomfortable. She shifted slightly and forced a smile as she said, “Mr. Trotter, I really need to use the restroom.”

Marvin had taken the chance to touch her hand when he pressed the teacup into her hand just now, and it made Diana’s skin itch with the urge to clean it immediately. Yet, the man refused to let her leave.

“I’ll be upfront with you, Diana,” Marvin said with narrowed eyes. “I’m willing to invest in your studio, but I’ll never invest in people who don’t matter. If you want money from me, you’ll have to perform well.”

After saying that, Marvin pulled out a room card and placed it on the table.

The meaning behind his words couldn’t be any more obvious.

Diana clearly underestimated how nasty the man could get as he added, “As long as you go, I’ll always have your back. Everyone will know that you’re mine no matter where you go or when it is.”

To put it bluntly, he wanted to keep her as his mistress.

Diana was incredibly disgusted by his proposition. Unfortunately, he was the only one who was willing to invest in her studio at this moment. Although she had already decided to reject his funding, she couldn’t reveal everything right now.

“Okay,” Diana said as she picked up the room key and placed it in her pocket.

Marvin’s face instantly lit up with joy, and a creepy smile stretched on his lips.

“You’re a smart woman indeed, Miss Winnington. Let’s meet at the hotel tomorrow.”

Obviously, Diana had no intention of going. However, she was alone in this private room with him.

Thus, she had to secure her safety to leave.

As for the room card…

It was disgusting.

She would throw it away once she got out of the room.

However, she maintained the sweet smile on her face and nodded. “Of course, Mr. Trotter.”

Meanwhile, Julian was furious at the scene that unfolded before him; so much so, that he almost lost his mind. For a moment, he wanted to rush in and smash the man’s fat face in and turn it into a pig’s face!

Upon recalling how Diana hated it when he interfered in her affairs, he held himself back with great difficulty.

After Marvin left, Diana remained in the room. Instead of leaving, she sat down on the chair, opened the window, and drank some tea.

She looked quite relaxed, but her legs were in truth weak and unable to support her weight.

She had been too naive to think that making money in the business world was so simple.

It was fortunate she had met a man like Marvin, who was so arrogant and full of himself that he was sure she wouldn’t resist his temptation. Because of that, he hadn’t used any other strong–arm tactics to force her into agreeing.

But, what if…

What if the person she met today was a complete scumbag like Luke?

Diana’s heart beat faster when she recalled her previous encounters with Luke. She could do nothing but patiently wait for her emotions to settle down.

She had lost the confidence she had when she first came out of Esteem Creations, and instead had a clearer understanding of her situation.

The fact that Fanny was willing to help her so much must be largely due to Oliver.

In the end, Diana was able to open her studio not because of her own talent, but because of Oliver’s feelings for her.

Thinking of this made her uncomfortable, and she was even more determined to solve this funding problem on her own so as not to cause trouble for Fanny at the end of the day. Otherwise, it would still end up with her owning Oliver a favor.

Since she couldn’t return his feelings, she shouldn’t get involved too much with him.

Even so, how could she go about solving the financial difficulties she was facing?

Did she have no choice but to go to Julian?

No! Absolutely not.

Diana silently rejected the idea, and thought about her previous clients. When she took orders in the name of D&J, she made contact with many wealthy and powerful people, especially the mysterious Mr.

Crawford…

Perhaps she could talk to him and see if he was willing to help her through this difficult time?