Chapter 11 Coercion and Temptation: A Reunion

"Don't you see I'm holding my daughter?"

Lucas King immediately turned on the speaker and held the phone out in front of him.

"Christopher Hart! I may not have a woman or children, but I'm still a person! And people need to eat and drink, poop and pee! You're overworking your staff way too much!" On the other side of the call, Benny Palmer roared in protest.

Christopher frowned, "Hope is in my arms, lower your voice; don't scare her."

The person on the other line immediately switched tactics, softening his voice to coax, "Little Hope, my sweetheart, let daddy go to work at the office, and Uncle will take you out to play, okay?"

"No way! You're not my daddy! If you like kids so much, have your own!" The little girl's childish voice was amusing in its candor.

"Ah—" Benny Palmer was nearly beside himself with anger, stuttering as he spoke, "You... you and your daughter... really are a pair; like father like daughter! Fine! Just skip work! After I mess up your company, you'll be begging on the streets to support your daughter!"

Christopher raised an eyebrow, unfazed, and Hope Hart approached the phone with a coaxing smile, "Uncle Palmer~ The best and most handsome Uncle Palmer, I got hurt today. Let Daddy stay with me for a day, thank you so much..."

"Really?" Benny's tone immediately changed, asking with concern, "Baby, how did you get hurt? Is it serious?"

Then, his tone shifted again, chiding President Hart with the mock reproach of a cad scolding his wife, "You say! You don't even work, and you can't even take care of a child properly! What kind of father are you! Poor Hope, suffering with you!"

Someone replied with a black face, "Enough, if you have the time to nag at me, get to the meeting! Hope is fine, it's just a superficial wound."

After hanging up, Christopher looked at the photo his daughter was holding and suddenly had an idea, "Let's go, Daddy is going to take you to find Mommy."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Christopher, carrying the child, glanced sideways at his assistant following beside him, "What about the contact with that designer; how is it going?"

Lucas King hesitated a bit, "She herself isn't answering calls, I got a hold of her assistant and they said they're still deliberating."

"So it means you haven't sorted it out?"

"..." Lucas King's neck shrank in fear as he immediately pulled out his phone, "I'll contact her right now, I'll make sure to bring her here."

"Can't bring her here, and you're out."

"...Yes."

Inside the living room, a housemaid saw Lily Garcia with a contorted face, looking furious, and stepped forward to comfort her in a low voice, "Miss Garcia, don't worry. The master cares about you and your affairs. I just heard, he's going to meet with that designer."

"Is that so?" Lily Garcia was startled, looking at her, "Are you sure you heard it right?"

"Sure did! The master doesn't talk to you but secretly went to meet, I think... he wants to surprise you!"

Lily Garcia, who was just fuming with anger moments ago, immediately blushed at this idea, "That's true... after so many years, there's been no other woman by his side but me. I know I'm in his heart."

As she spoke, seeing the maid's ingratiating face, she smiled proudly, then immediately put on airs, "You can rest easy. Once I become the lady of this house, I won't forget your benefits."

"Thank you, ma'am."

————

Amelia Garcia's assistant Shaw finally returned to the country.

"Sis, I paid the penalty fee yesterday, but Mr. King sent it back, saying their boss insists on seeing you personally. What should we do?" Arriving covered in dust, Shaw had barely caught her breath in the car when she turned around to speak.

Amelia Garcia frowned slightly and fell silent.

Shaw turned to face her, curious and baffled, "I don't get it... They're offering a lot of money, why turn it down?"

Amelia's expression was somber and complicated as she stated bluntly, "Because that customer, that Mr. Bigshot, is my ex-husband."

"Spit-take! Cough cough..." Shaw, who was mid-sip of water, sprayed it out in surprise and choked, "What? You mean to say, that client is... the twins' biological father?!"

"Yeah."

"Ah, I see…" Shaw was shocked and took a while to recover before asking worriedly, "So what do we do? They say they must see you today, or else they'll announce to the public that you've gone back on your word, have no credibility, and are acting like a diva! If this gets out, all the fame that we've worked so hard for over the years will be ruined!"

"What?" Amelia Garcia turned to look at her assistant, unable to hide her irritation, "Isn't this a threat?"

"Yes... but what can we do when they are so powerful and influential."

Shaw had followed Amelia for a few years and knew her past very well; she also knew who her ex-husband was—the famous President Hart of the Seal-Cloud Corporation, reputed to be handsome, dashing, yet cold, and a young, wealthy super dream guy!

When they returned to the place where they were staying, Amelia didn't take Shaw to her own home, but instead to the floor above her apartment.

"Christopher Hart suspects my identity, so we can't live together. One floor apart is convenient, and Noah and Ethan can stay with you." In this way, she maintained her single image to the outside world, making it easier to disguise herself.

Shaw nodded, "OK, I understand."

Before she had finished speaking, the phone rang again. Shaw looked at the caller ID with a frown of resignation, "Look, they're calling again, what should we do?"

Amelia had received many unfamiliar calls today too, and she had blocked them all, not expecting that the other party would start bombarding Shaw next.

It seemed that a storm was brewing, and it was unstoppable.

She took Shaw's phone directly and answered it: "Mr. King, hello."

On the other end, Lucas King heard her voice and was thrilled, "Miss Norton, you finally answered the phone. Your assistant must have briefed you? We don't want a cancellation fee; we just want you to accept this order. At two o'clock this afternoon, at the Royal Piano Store, President Hart will be escorting the young miss to her piano lesson, and he will be free to discuss with you afterward."

Amelia had prepared a whole speech to argue her case, but her heart skipped a beat when she heard her daughter would also be there in the afternoon.

She knew very well that this was likely a "trick" by Christopher Hart—deliberately using her daughter as bait.

But even though she knew this, she couldn't resist the urge to see her daughter.

After hesitating for a moment and taking a deep breath, she finally agreed, "Okay, I'll be there."

"Hopefully, Miss Norton will keep her word this time, and there won't be any no-shows."

"…"

In the afternoon, Amelia purposefully wore heavy makeup and donned a silver-grey bob wig. She dressed in Shaw's flamboyant style, transforming herself completely for the meeting.

The Royal Piano Store was a high-end piano retailer, where only children from wealthy and noble families came to take lessons.

When Amelia arrived at the piano store, Lucas King was already waiting at the entrance.

Unfortunately, her "unique" disguise was so effective that even when she approached Lucas King, he didn't recognize her.

"Hello, are you Mr. King?" Amelia stopped and greeted him proactively.

Lucas King was startled, and after focusing his gaze on her, he realized, "Are you… Miss Norton?!"

"Yes," Amelia nodded and extended her hand, "Hello."

"Hello, hello." Lucas King nodded politely and shook her hand courteously, "Please, come inside. President Hart is waiting."

Turning around, Lucas King began to wonder to himself.

Could the boss have made a mistake?

This woman didn't seem like a wife at all in terms of her demeanor, temperament, or attire!

And artists really are different, with such eccentric styles!

They walked through the grandiose hall of the piano store, accompanied by the melodious sound of piano playing, to a VIP waiting room.

Lucas King knocked on the door: "President Hart, Miss Norton is here."