Chapter 119
Marina walked up to Carter, stopped, and slipped her arm through his.
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“Dad, it feels like it’s been ages since we had a proper meal together. How about we grab dinner tonight? I can tell you about Ross Group’s plans and future, and then you can decide whether or not to buy the shares, okay?” she suggested.
Carter put on a fake smile, worried he’d fall into Marina’s trap. He didn’t even think twice before turning her down.
“I’ve got another dinner tonight. How about we do it another time? Next time, I’ll invite your stepmom, and we can have a family dinner. We can sit down and talk then,” he said.
Ever since Marina and Kathy came back to Sicester, she hadn’t been this friendly to him.
If there wasn’t something in it for her, this girl wouldn’t even give him the time of day.
Of course Carter had heard about the Finley and Zamora families teaming up again at the homecoming banquet Elnora threw for Marina.
He knew Marina was just trying to set him up to take over the trainwreck that was Ross Group.
But he wasn’t about to fall for it.
Her eyes brightened. “Just let me know when you’re free,” Marina said.
Carter nodded and pulled his arm away from Marina.
“I’m off,” he said.
He walked away.
Marina followed him out, and Carter instantly tensed up, on guard.
Seeing how wary he was, Marina’s eyes flashed with a cold smirk She walked over to the elevator and pressed the down
button for him.
Noticing Lavern lurking by the conference room door, she leaned in close to Carter, dropping her voice so only he could hear.
“Dad, if you’re really interested in buying shares in Ross Group, just come to me. I’ll sell you some, and the price will definitely be better than anything Lavern could offer you,” she said.
Her voice was so low that Lavern couldn’t hear a word.
Carter stood facing the elevator, so Lavern couldn’t see his expression.
“I’ll think about it,” he said quietly.
As soon as the elevator doors slid open, he hurried inside, almos as if he couldn’t wait to get away.
“Let me go down with you, Dad,” Marina said, moving to step in the elevator.
Carter quickly blocked her path and spoke in a low voice.
“Your meeting’s not over yet. Why don’t you go back and finish? I’ll get in touch once I’ve made up my mind,” he said.
Marina nodded, putting on her sweetest act.
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Chapter 119
“Okay, Dad,” she replied.
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Carter flashed a fake smile and frantically pressed the close butt, afraid Marina would corner him into buying shares in Ross Group.
Once the elevator doors shut, the sweetness on Marina’s face instantly faded.
She turned around and spotted Lavern lingering by the conference room door, giving him a sly smirk.
“You guys work on getting that 15% stake. I’ll take care of things on this end,” she said.
Lavern met her eyes, momentarily caught off guard. He reined in his agitation and said quietly.
“Marina, didn’t you say your dad was dead?” he asked.
Marina curled her lips into a sly smile.
“Yeah, he was as good as dead to me. But if saving Ross Group means I have to resurrect him, then so be it,” she replied.
“Talk it over with the others. Getting that 15% stake shouldn’t be too tough for you guys. As for my dad, leave him to me. He feels guilty about how he’s treated me, and honestly, Ross Group isn’t that much of a mess. All things considered, I can convince him to stay invested,” Marina added.
With that, Marina pressed the up button for the elevator.
Lavern took a deep breath, came over quickly, and grabbed Marina’s wrist.
“Didn’t you say you were all alone in this world?” he asked.
Marina frowned and jerked her wrist free from Lavern’s grip, he eyes filled with indifference.
“Choosing you cost me my family. But once we broke up, they came back,” she said.
She smirked, then stepped into the elevator.
Lavern stood there, his face grim, a hint of unease flickering in his dark eyes.
He’d been confident Marina would never leave him–after all, she was all alone in the world.
They’d been together for seven years; to her, he’d already become family.
With so many years of feelings between them, you can’t just let go that easily.
But now…
Turns out Marina’s got family after all–and they’re a big deal.
Suddenly, a sense of crisis hit him hard.
His hands clenched into fists at his sides. Just thinking about the ly smile on Marina’s face and the calculating look in her eyes when she was talking to Carter made his heart sink.
After all, they’d been together for seven years–he knew exactly ow Marin operated when it came to business.
So even though he hadn’t caught what they were saying, he coul still guess what was going on.
Marina and Carter were family. If Carter got his hands on Ross Group shares, and combined with Marina’s stake, they’d have total control over the company.
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Chapter 119
Give it enough time, and he’d probably get kicked out for good.
‘Not a chance in hell, Lavern thought. ‘I won’t let that happen, no matter what.’
Back in her office, Marina texted Daron.
Marina: [Mr. Zamora, I’m planning a move to secure 15% of Ross Group’s shares.]
Daron replied almost instantly: [?]
Marina: [Lavern’s been out hunting for investors lately. Get someone on your end to snag those shares.]
Daron: [Didn’t expect you to move this fast.] .
It was rare for him to give her a compliment, and Marina couldnt help but smile, her eyes lighting up.
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Marina: [With me handling it, nothing’s gonna go wrong. 80% of the shares? Easy money! I’ll have this done in no time.]
Daron took his sweet time replying.
Marina just kept staring at her phone, waiting for his message.
When he still didn’t respond, she didn’t bother sending another text. She quietly set her phone aside, her smile fading a bit.
Her phone buzzed again, and she grabbed it right away.
Daron had finally replied in the chat: [Not bad.]
Just two words.
‘Why can’t he ever say more when he’s actually being nice, instead of when he’s tearing me down?‘ Marina thought.
She sighed without really knowing why, exited the chat, and was just about to put her phone away when she noticed that the high school class group chat, which had been silent for ages, was suddenly buzzing with activity.
Marina tapped into the chat and scrolled all the way to the top, reading through the messages.
Turns out the class president had suggested they haven’t all gotten together in ages, so maybe it was time for a reunion.
Plenty of people jumped in, all hyped up. They were talking about when to set it up and asking everyone to count how many plus–ones they’d be bringing, so they could figure out how many seats they’d need.
Someone mentioned Marina and Lavern in the group, asking if they were free.
The chat went silent for a moment.
Most people had probably heard about the drama at Marina and Lavern’s wedding.
Marina was just about to type a reply when Lavern beat her to it and sent a message in the group.
Lavern: [Sure, I’ll bring Marina along.]
The chat was instantly flooded with people hyping Lavern up, their compliments taking over the screen. But really, everyone was just putting on a show, hiding what they actually thought.
Marina had no choice but to delete what she’d typed and start over.
Marina: [I’ll come by myself. Just save me a seat–I don’t have a lus–one.]
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Chapter 119
The chat went quiet again for a moment.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
