Chapter 308 - Back In Metro City
The following day, Vince worried that Hailee would overwork. He accompanied her to the company for an important meeting she scheduled in the afternoon.
Inside the meeting room attended by her executives with their assistants and secretaries, everyone cannot withdraw their eyes from her.
Whenever she called a board meeting, she consistently applied heavy makeup or wore a wig at a corporate meeting. But today, she is only wearing nude makeup and lipstick. Starting today, she will never hide her face anymore.
The secretaries who rarely see her bare face don't want to leave their gaze and forget to write a note of their meeting today. They were mesmerized at how angelic face she has without heavy makeup.
Sitting in the corner two meters away from Hailee, Vincent sometimes furrowed his brows. But most of the time, he was maintaining his expressionless face. It was because the female secretaries were stealing a glance at him, and Hailee is aware of it.
However, Vincent was also upset because male executives and assistants ignored his sharp glares. Their eyes remained to stare at Hailee, and a few of them were drooling at her.
Honestly, both are unaware that their feelings are mutual. Vince hates men staring at Hailee for a longer time.
On the other hand, Hailee cursed inwardly to see those secretaries stealing glances at her husband.
"Alright. I know you all have already heard that there are a few changes in the company soon. Dad gave me the position as Chairwoman of the Board; I oversee this company and mainly the Davies Corporation. It means I'll be out of the country more often."
"As for the changes in Davies Corporation, Vince is the new CEO and handles the matter in the main office. As of the Davies Group, you have your new President, and Geoffrey will be the new CEO living his position as COO, and so," Hailee glanced at Geoffrey to nod at him.
She went on, "There will be someone who has to step in. However, this is not the only matter; we have to work for the changes in the next few years. I gave Bryan a particular task, so the vice president's office needed an acting administrator. As the VP's job often works with our international investors, I will assign two of you to divide the work until Bryan is back."
When Hailee explains this, a few of the men are frowning. Bryan did not remove from his position but was still giving a particular treatment.
Hailee knew that there were silent protests among the men. However, she could only overlook it because Bryan was very helpful to her. Besides, she doesn't feel any contempt toward him now.
Hailee discussed another agenda before she ended the meeting.
Bryan has to take care of many things, so he will stay for a few months to hand over his position after selecting an interim VP.
Inside Hailee's office, Vince was massaging her lower back. She was just pregnant for almost two months, but she started suffering from lower back pain, not to mention the fatigue on her legs.
"Wifey, tell me right away if you feel uncomfortable on the other part of your body."
Hailee stared at Vince with dazed. She saw the profound concern on his face.
Her pregnancy was indeed a little difficult. She was just on her eight weeks, a long way for them before she could get through from this. And so, Hailee always motivates herself to stay calm and not to make Vince worry a lot.
"I am fine now, hubby. It's just that our babies seem to grow too fast. Each day I could start feeling a little heavier." She smiled at Vince. But looking at his sad expression, she wanted to laugh.
Vince, on the other hand, made a quick family tree survey.
Shen has twins in their family, and his dad has twin aunts, and his dad has twin cousins. And in the Lopez family, there are male twins and female twins as well.
However, on his part, he has triplets.
"Wifey, do you have relatives that are twins or triplets?"
"Yes. But they are distant relatives. So, always possible."
Now Vince was even worried about her, and he couldn't bear watching Hailee throwing up every morning or sometimes at night. And so he prayed that subsequent pregnancy, he's asking God for one at a time.
*
GROUNDBREAKING DAY
Attended by representatives from all construction firms that Hailee hired to build Dream City and her business partners around the globe, the Shen Group hosted the groundbreaking ceremony of the La Merveille Tower.
In French, La Merveille means The Wonder. Its other meanings are dream and marvel.
Hailee chose this name as her forefather originally named this isolated place the first day he set foot a hundred years ago.
With a twenty billion dollars budget, Vincent made a huge modification of the tower. Instead of one building, Vincent added two buildings on each side that connected to the main building.
In the distance, La Merveille will look like the crown of a Queen.
Today's celebration, there are no reporters Hailee invited to witness the groundbreaking ceremony. She knew it was best to hype the tower, but her mood swings have risen each day.
She doesn't want to see many people, especially a commotion from reporters and paparazzi. And so, her PR Department filmed and recorded the entire ceremony.
Seated next to Hailee in the small stage the Shen Group has prepared, Vincent kept wiping the sweat on her forehead. There was also a fan in his hand to ensure that Hailee would not feel too hot from the scorching sun.
Across the stage are their guests. Everyone's pair of eyes didn't leave Vincent. Until now, they could not believe that someone like him could win the princess's heart.
Even until the ceremony ended, the guests went home with curiosity in their hearts about how Vincent Shen wooed Hailee Davies. In their eyes, he isn't qualified.
As the Davies Group and Davies Corporation posted several photos of the groundbreaking ceremony, all the media platforms, and entertainment TV news also gave their opinion about Vincent.
Hilda explodes in rage. They were slandering Vincent, calling him a gold digger. They said Hailee owns tons of gold and an unimaginable cubic of diamonds so that Vincent Shen would live like a king.
With the news spreading around the world, Hailee made a phone call overseas.
"Princess?"
"Shun…"
Shun need not guess why Hailee called him. Obviously, this is regarding the news about Vincent only after Hailee's money.
"I'm sorry for asking too much," said Hailee afterward.
"What are you talking about? Who else would help each other but us?" Shun made a cheerful reply from the other line. "Don't worry, Princess. Leave it to me."
"Thank you."
Shun chuckled. "What are you saying? I should be the one to thank you for the help you lend me."
Shun was still fascinated with the drama her knights performed the night Duke Alessandro Martini was apprehended.
Hailee informed him she was going to give a warning to the elders. He did not expect Hailee's plan to scare the elders by aiming long-range sniper rifles on their heads.
Also, someone aims a gun at his head to make it looks real. Remembering the incident puts a grin on his face.
Hailee's moves are too effective. The Council of Elders are well behaved now, and he knew everyone would be cautious not to offend Hailee from then on.
Since the internet mainly published all the slandering news about Vincent, a piece of cake for Shun to deal with all of them.
It was just the beginning. For a week, their site kept crashing, and they couldn't do anything to revive their system. Shun has no plan to let them off fast, so they would not recover their sites for a month.
*
Metro City, P Country
Hailee's private jet landed at the airport. Vince gently held her when they descended on the stairs. No one knows they were back in the country for Hilda's birthday celebration.
Since they arrived at midnight, there was no traffic on the road. The three limousines with two SUV escorts ran smoothly on the pavement and arrived in Shen Mansion shortly.
"Hail!!!"
At the entrance, three young girls rush toward her. Hailee did not expect that she would see these girls upon her arrival in the mansion.
"Hazel! Nadia! Liza!"
Seeing the three girls running toward Hailee, Vince frowned and panicked for a few seconds. It worried him they might slam their bodies on her, and he was glad that they stopped two feet from her.
"What are you girls doing here?"
Standing above the stairs, Janise replied to Hailee's query.
"They were helping me make your wedding dress, and I have to finish it in less than two months."
"Really? Can I see it?" she asked excitedly. However,
"No!" the girls answered at once, including her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law.
Hailee was disappointed when all the girls, including Kelly, who flew ahead of them, rejected her request.
But her eyes twinkled when she saw Alexander descending the stairs and halt next to Kelly; then, he placed his arm around her shoulder.
She thought the boys were just making fun of Alex when they were talking about him chasing a girl, the reason he was suddenly gone in a few days now.
Her cousin actually flew to P Country to be with her best friend! But how does it happen? She wanted to know the whole story!
Meanwhile, seeing that Hailee was smiling charmingly at her, Kelly shrugs Alex's hand on her shoulder and shoots a warning glare at the guy.
Alex only smiled at her, then walked toward Vincent, and the two men shook hands.
"Hope you enjoy your stay," said Vince to Alex.
Hailee blinked her eyes. It seems like her husband knew about it all! Men were too cunning! It looks like Vincent asking Alex's help is not free but a favor to return!
While talking to Alex, Tom, Carl, and Pitt, Vincent feels a burning stare throwing at him. He turned his head, and he met Hailee's eyes. He smiled faintly. The way his wife looks at him suspiciously, he has a story needed to share.
"Alright. Hailee, you should take a rest now. It's not healthy for you to stay this late." Hilda encourages everyone to retire for the night.
Although the girls wanted to chat with Hailee, they have to wake up early tomorrow to go to the university and come back to help Janise and Kelly.
Everyone is going in different directions. But before Hailee reached the last stairs of the second floor, her eyes caught two people whispering downstairs. Hailee's eyebrow raises upward, and Nadia is flustered talking to Pitt.
But since Nadia is the caretaker of Pitt's unit in Crescent Penthouse, she shrugs off the wild thoughts running in her head.
She chooses to believe that Pitt must be just asking about his unit, that's all.
However, Hailee couldn't sleep that night. She was itchy to gossip with the girls. Just in a short time, but it looks like too many things are happening! She also suppressed her curiosity to ask Vincent.
"Wifey, are you uncomfortable?" Vince, who is hugging her waist, could feel her dilemma. He was trying to fall asleep as he had to go to the company early tomorrow morning for a meeting.
Feeling guilty, Hailee lay on her side, facing Vince, then cuddled him. She whispered, "I'm fine, hubby. Let's sleep now."
The following day, she managed to wake up before Vince could go to the company. And she could not wait to talk to the girls!