Chapter 86
Calvin sat there, completely unfazed, and even let out a mocking laugh. “Don’t try to play games with me. Barnard’s given you enough lately that you and your daughter could spend half your lives living in luxury. I know you looked after him before, so think of all that as a thank-you. I’m not taking it back. Now, take your daughter and get out of Saddlebrook Estates. Don’t ever let Barnard see you again p>
Davina turned to Barnard, hope flickering in her eyes.
“Dad, kicking Davina out right now doesn’t feel right,” Barnard spoke up. “Sure, what happened today was her fault, but everybody knows she was only trying to help our family. Even if we’re a joke now, people just think our housekeeper is naive. But it’s obvious to everyone that she acted out of loyalty to the Carters. If you force her to leave over this, it makes me look ungrateful, doesn’t it? Even though the Verdant project is a lost cause, I have an idea to help repair our family’s reputation p>
Calvin paused, only barely hiding his hesitation. “What are you suggesting p>
Barnard replied, “We should get ahead of this. Let’s make a statement, offer a public apology to the Black Group, and just tell the truth. We say our housekeeper is uneducated, she cared too much and ended up causing them trouble. We also make a point of highlighting Davina’s loyalty and how understanding we are with our staff. That way, we can at least start turning around the company’s image and keep the fallout under control p>
Everything had already spiraled out of control and the Carter Group had lost an important project, yet here was Barnard, still trying to spin Davina’s loyalty into a saving grace.
Camilla smirked and raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything.
Barnard realized he couldn’t push Camilla too hard right now, so he quickly changed direction. “Of course, that’s the story for the public. Internally, Davina broke the rules and she needs to face consequences p>
Calvin looked at him. “So, what’s your idea of punishment p>
He clearly intended to let Davina stay for the time being.
Barnard hesitated. This wasn’t easy for him. Davina had raised him, and he’d always wanted to repay her somehow. There was no way he could scold or hit her. Making her kneel outside, under the blazing sun, with everyone passing by and all those staff around, would be too humiliating for her.
He couldn’t come up with anything that felt right.
“In the end, this is my fault, for not paying closer attention and not keeping Davina in line,” Barnard said. “If someone needs to be punished, it should be me. I’ll accept whatever you decide, Dad p>
Camilla almost clapped. The way he’d treat Davina compared to the way he’d spoken to her about true love made all his grand declarations sound like nothing but a joke now. Davina had made a major mistake and yet, here was Barnard, calling for punishment while putting all the blame on himself. That was what devotion looked like.
Calvin frowned. “You can’t shield her forever. You both deserve consequences. Still, she’s not family so I won’t raise a hand against her. If she likes kneeling so much, let her stay outside on her knees until sundown. As for you p>
His voice trailed off as he thought for a moment. Finally, he waved his hand dismissively. “Because of her, the Carter family’s in chaos now. I’m giving you one chance to fix everything. You’ve got three days to sort out this mess. If you don’t pull it off, you can stop calling yourself the president of the Carter Group p>
In the past, even at his angriest, Calvin had never seriously considered firing Barnard. But this time, seeing how Barnard had lost all sense, Calvin knew he had to draw the line.
Calvin got up and went upstairs, leaving only Barnard and Camilla in the living room.
Camilla didn’t waste a second. “What about the fifty million you owe me? When will you pay up p>
Barnard was still reeling from his father’s outburst. Hearing Camilla bring up money, he shot back, “When did I ever owe you anything p>
“You signed a contract with me. What, are you going to back out now p>
“The contract said the money was only due if the deal closed, right? It didn’t close p>
To him, fifty million wasn’t pocket change. Even though Camilla was his wife, Barnard wasn’t about to give her that kind of money just like that.
Camilla crossed her arms. “I almost closed that deal myself, until you and your people messed things up. The gift for Carol was something I finished at the last second. That fifty million is money I earned. If you refuse to pay me, I have no problem going to Dad and letting him know how that business fell apart yesterday, too p>
Barnard could see exactly what she was doing. Camilla was taking advantage of the situation. Calvin was already furious and if he found out Barnard had spent fifty million to have his own wife work for him… and then ruined the whole thing over another woman, things would only get worse.
Barnard clenched his jaw. “Fine. Just don’t tell Dad. I’ll have someone send you the money p>
Even as he said it, the bitterness in his voice was obvious. “You’ve really become obsessed with money, Camilla. How shallow can you get p>
Camilla’s face was unreadable. “It’s what I’m owed p>
She no longer cared about Barnard’s feelings or what he thought of her. From now on, their relationship was just about money.