Chapter 128: I’ll Pay You to Leave Paige
After handling the minor disruptions during the meeting, Paige finished discussing the remaining matters with the members and prepared to wrap up. “Finally, in the coming days, many media outlets will likely want to interview you. Be mindful of what you say and avoid sensitive topics that could be used for sensationalism.”
“Understood,” everyone nodded in agreement.
“Alright, that concludes today’s meeting. You can all return to your classes. I won’t be coming to school for the next few days, so direct all matters to Nick,” Paige said.
“Not coming again?” Nick muttered in frustration, exchanging a look with Carrie. Could it be that Paige was being bewitched by gigolo’s charm?
As the meeting ended and everyone left, Nick grew increasingly agitated. He grabbed Carrie and returned to the conference room, crouching by the door to eavesdrop.
There was no sound inside, so Nick peeked through a crack in the door.
Paige had finished organizing her documents and was now standing in front of Enrico, asking, “Why did you interrupt me earlier?”
His actions had undermined her authority as the president.
“I was just thirsty,” Enrico replied, raising an eyebrow at her.
He simply wanted the members of Peak Club to see how special he was to Paige, how she would always cater to him. He was her one and only.
“Then why didn’t you drink the water?” Paige asked, noticing that he hadn’t taken a single sip from the cup.
“I suddenly felt like eating grapes,” Enrico replied, eyeing the fruit platter on the conference table, which Nick had prepared with various fruits that no one had touched during the meeting.
Paige brought over a plate of grapes and placed it in front of him.
Enrico gazed deeply at her, then touched his shoulder-a gesture he made every day, one Paige knew well. It meant: “I have an injury on my back, and it’s all for you.”
Resigned, Paige picked up a grape and fed it to him.
From outside the door, Nick and Carrie could only see Paige’s back as she stood there, blocking their view of Enrico’s face. But judging by her actions, it was clear she was feeding him grapes.
After a while, Paige reached for a tissue to catch something.
When Nick and Carrie saw what was on the tissue, they both stiffened. She was catching the grape seeds!
Nick was so shocked he nearly burst into the room, but Carrie quickly held him back.
Nick was seething. “Damn it! Spending Paige’s money and still having the nerve to make her feed him grapes? Does he think he’s the president or some big-shot tycoon like Enrico?”
To Nick, Paige had always been an untouchable, all-powerful figure. The idea of her serving a gigolo? He wasn’t worthy!
Carrie wasn’t as emotional as Nick, but she frowned in concern. “Paige really seems to be infatuated with this man. She’s even stopped coming to school. If this continues, I’m afraid she’ll neglect Peak Club entirely.”
This thought filled her with dread.
“No way. Paige is someone with great ambitions; she can’t be ruined by a gigolo,” Nick grumbled. “We need to find a way to get rid of him and get Paige to focus again.”
If Paige had certain needs, Nick could help her find quality men. If worst came to worst, he could even do it himself. But this gigolo? No way.
“But how do we do that?” Carrie started to think seriously.
…
Inside the conference room, Paige continued feeding grapes to Enrico.
Each time, he deliberately bit her fingertips, not too hard, but just enough to leave a ring of teeth marks.
Enrico was very pleased with the marks he left, his gaze so intense that it made Paige nervous. If this kept up, she feared Enrico might get aroused right there in the conference room.
“I’m going to the restroom, and then we’ll head home,” Paige said before walking out.
Taking advantage of Paige’s absence, Carrie and Nick slipped into the conference room. Carrie quickly locked the door behind them.
The moment Enrico heard footsteps, he put on his mask, his demeanor turning cold.
Nick, full of bravado, grabbed a chair and sat down, slamming his hand on the table. “Sir, may I ask who you are?”
His words were polite, but his tone was anything but.
“…” Enrico didn’t bother to respond.
“Hey, you’re pretty arrogant…” Nick grumbled, about to stand up, but Carrie held him back. She then turned to Enrico, her tone cold yet courteous. “Sir, I understand that your line of work might require confidentiality. So, I won’t pry into personal matters, but may I ask a few questions related to Paige?”
Your line of work? Do they know who I am? Did Paige tell them?
Enrico frowned but remained silent.
“How much is Paige paying you? The rates for your, um, establishment must be pretty high, right?” Carrie asked seriously.
Establishment? What are these idiots talking about?
A dark glint flashed in Enrico’s eyes as he tapped the table twice with his fingers.
Seeing that Enrico still wasn’t speaking, Nick, growing impatient, pushed Carrie aside. “Why are you being so polite? Let me handle this!”
He then forcefully slapped a bank card down in front of Enrico, glaring at him with intense eyes. “Listen, man, let’s be honest. Whatever Paige is paying you, I’ll double it! But there’s only one condition-you leave Paige!”
There was no way they could let an gigolo ruin Paige’s future.
“…”
Enrico stared at the bank card and let out a mocking laugh. “You’re offering me money to leave her?”
This was the funniest joke he’d heard all year. He had always been the one paying others to get lost, and now someone was trying to pay him off.
Carrie, hearing Enrico’s voice, studied him with a hint of suspicion. Why did his voice sound so familiar? But she couldn’t quite place it.
“That’s right. The only reason you’re sticking to Paige is for money. Name your price-be a man and just say it,” Nick said, slapping the table again, full of bluster.
Carrie noticed that even though the man was just sitting there, he exuded an aura of absolute dominance, making Nick’s aggressive posturing seem insignificant.
Enrico casually removed a blue diamond-encrusted watch from his wrist and tossed it in front of Nick, his voice lazy, “She gave me this. Pay me for it first.”
“Paige gave you a watch?” Nick couldn’t believe it. He picked up the watch to examine it. “How much?”
Enrico didn’t answer.
“If you won’t tell me, I’ll find out myself. I’m not letting you scam me,” Nick huffed.
Carrie leaned in for a closer look. When they finally found the watch’s details, they were bombarded with words like “rare diamonds,” “custom-made,” “commemorative edition,” and “limited edition.”
The final price was listed as-30 million.
“Thud.”
Nick was so shocked by the price that his hand trembled, causing the watch to drop onto the table. His heart pounded in his chest.
Carrie’s face also changed. “How could Paige spend so much money to keep a…”
Nick wanted to question the watch’s authenticity, but as someone who made a living forging items, his experience told him that the quality of this watch…was undeniably genuine.
Embarrassed, Nick quietly retrieved his bank card, which only had 25, 800 in savings, feeling a deep urge to disappear into the ground.
Seeing Nick’s actions, Enrico let out a derisive snort, “Didn’t you say you’d pay double?”
Nick was even more frustrated. Pointing at Enrico, he said, “Even if the watch is expensive, Paige bought it. What gives you, a gigolo, the right to act so arrogant in front of me?”
Paige, who was always so rational, had lost her mind over a gigolo, spending this much money on him.
Wait, where did Paige get that kind of money? Could she have spent the sponsorship funds? Wouldn’t that be embezzlement?
Nick’s thoughts raced until Carrie frantically poked his shoulder.
He looked up to see the man slowly raising his face, revealing sharp eyes beneath the brim of his hat. His gaze fell on the finger Nick had pointed at him.
Before Nick could get a clear look at the man’s eyes, he heard a chilling voice, “Who did you say is the gigolo?”
…
Paige had just come out of the restroom when she heard a blood-curdling scream from the conference room.
“Ah, it hurts! Aaahhh-”
It was Nick.
Paige’s expression turned cold as she quickly moved to open the conference room door. It was locked.
She knocked a few times, and the door finally opened. Carrie looked at her with a panicked expression, unsure how to explain the situation.
Paige stepped past her into the room and saw Enrico calmly withdrawing his hand from Nick’s.
Nick’s face was ashen, and his index finger was twisted at an unnatural angle.NôvelDrama.Org exclusive content.
“Are you crazy? Damn it, my hand…” Nick howled in pain.
“What happened?” Paige asked, her face icy as she approached them.
“Paige, he bullied me!” Nick immediately complained.
Enrico flexed his fingers, his voice cold and unyielding as it came through the mask. “The last person who dared to point at me like that… the grass over their grave is already two meters high.”