Reborn as Mr.CEO's Fat Wife-Chapter 856 Let’s Talk About the Price

Seamus Noah looked at his boss with careful consideration and reminded him, "Do you remember Catherine Ford? She was the client from the domestic abuse divorce case last time. Her inappropriate remarks and behavior had some minor impact on you. If you don’t want to meet her, I can let the receptionist know."

Benjamin Jones guessed that the employee from LG who was coming might be from the logistics department, and that Catherine Ford might be among them, so he proactively initiated the conversation. He hadn’t expected she would really be there. Remembering her behavior today, he found it both irritating and amusing. He frowned slightly due to the agitation in his stomach. However, this subtle gesture led Seamus Noah to misunderstand, and with a cold glance, he said, "No need, let them all come up."

Seamus Noah immediately thought that the boss probably felt it was inappropriate to have Rita Pansy come up alone, which is why he asked for everyone to come up. Without hesitation, he conveyed the decision to the receptionist.

Ever since Rita Pansy had spoken those words, Catherine Ford had been praying that Benjamin Jones wouldn’t see them, that he wouldn’t see them. She couldn’t understand why the receptionist had initially been about to turn them away but then suddenly warmed up 180 degrees. Not only did the receptionist escort them upstairs personally, but her demeanor became even more enthusiastic and respectful than before.

Catherine Ford was confused as she followed them upstairs. It wasn’t until the elevator doors opened that she panicked, realizing she was about to see Benjamin Jones. Suddenly, she clutched her abdomen, "Um... sorry, I feel a bit unwell."

Grace Clarke was startled, "Why didn’t you feel unwell earlier or later, but just happen to feel sick now? Do you realize who we are about to meet?"

Catherine Ford lied with a pale face, "I didn’t want to, but... you know."

With that, Catherine Ford pointed to her belly.

The receptionist immediately understood and said, "Go straight for a hundred meters, then turn left and around the corner, and you’ll find the restroom. I’ll take them to the lounge first."

In the receptionist’s eyes, Boss Jones wanted to see Rita Pansy; the others were just tagalongs. Whether they were there or not didn’t matter.

Catherine Ford felt like she had received a reprieve and hurriedly thanked the receptionist before darting off in the direction indicated.

Rita Pansy only realized that Catherine Ford also liked Lawyer Jones after she got into the elevator. Even though she had denied it in the office and being divorced with a child really didn’t give her much competitive edge, Catherine’s face was still thorny in her eyes. She had been thinking about how to get rid of her rival, but Catherine Ford seemed to know her place and left on her own, which slightly relaxed Rita. She then shot a concerned look at Grace Clarke beside her, "Sister Grace, I noticed that Catherine seemed really unwell. You two are usually quite close, right? Why don’t you go check on her?"

Grace Clarke was already concerned about Catherine Ford, but she was also curious about Benjamin Jones. Hesitating upon hearing Rita’s catty remark, she guessed that Rita was trying to get rid of her. Though annoyed inside, she really was worried about Catherine and decided to go find her with a quick response.

Seeing this, Rita Pansy gave the receptionist an awkward but polite smile, "Sorry for the embarrassment."

"No problem, Miss Pansy, this way please," the receptionist probably guessed Rita’s thoughts, but somehow found the words unpleasant coming from her mouth. However, she just internally tsukkomied and led Rita Pansy toward the meeting room.

When they reached the meeting room, Seamus Noah was already waiting. The receptionist was slightly surprised but respectfully greeted Seamus Noah and handed over the guest to him.

Seamus Noah had been thinking about how to get rid of Catherine Ford, only to find that only Rita Pansy had arrived. Relieved, he stepped forward and courteously said, "Miss Pansy, please come in. Lawyer Jones has been waiting for a while."

Hearing this, Rita Pansy was pleasantly surprised and hurriedly followed inside.

Benjamin Jones was leaning on the sofa with curiosity about what Catherine Ford’s expression would look like when she entered. This curiosity suppressed his stomachache. But after waiting a long time and finally hearing some activity, he looked up to see a completely unfamiliar face. He instinctively looked behind Rita Pansy, but there was no one there, and he slightly furrowed his brows looking towards Seamus Noah.

Seamus Noah, feeling inexplicably scrutinized and unsure of the current situation, cautiously introduced, "Lawyer Jones, this is Miss Rita Pansy from LG. She would like to discuss directly with you about the joint evening party between the two companies next week."

"Sure, you take care of it." Benjamin Jones was certain that woman had run off, frustration simmering in his heart, exacerbating his stomachache.

It was fury-induced.

Seamus Noah was perplexed, inwardly remarking wasn’t it you who whimsically wanted to meet the LG lady? Why do you want to leave as soon as she arrives, could it be that she’s not your girlfriend and you just wanted to see the gossip girl you’ve been curious about? That doesn’t seem right!

But no matter what he fantasized, Benjamin Jones was already standing up.

Rita Pansy, who was originally flattered and filled with joy, thinking that Lawyer Jones might genuinely be interested in her, was even more bewildered than Secretary Noah, "Lawyer Jones, I am..."

"I’m not interested in who you are." Perhaps because a certain woman had escaped, Benjamin Jones’s mood was very bad, so much so that his words were also quite ungentlemanly.

This left Seamus Noah even more astonished; he had never seen the BOSS display such overt emotions towards a woman before. Could the outside rumors be true, was Rita Pansy truly the BOSS’s girlfriend?

And the BOSS had been sullen since the start of the workday, even not posting on Facebook Circle during lunch. Now, one moment he had ordered Miss Zhang to be brought up, and the next, he was showing her a cold face and losing his temper. Could it be that the two had had a fight?

Upon this thought, Seamus Noah silently clicked his tongue twice, finding it unexpected that even Lawyer Jones could be so flawed in love, and couldn’t help but take a few more glances at Rita Pansy, trying to discern what made her so special.

Unfortunately, apart from a face that wasn’t particularly beautiful, Seamus Noah couldn’t see anything special. She was excessively plain, even her demeanor not much better than average, and he couldn’t help thinking, could it be that this woman won over the boss purely with her cooking skills?

"Secretary Noah?" Rita Pansy had braced herself for Benjamin Jones’s attitude but still felt awful being treated so coldly, and what was worse, Benjamin walked away while his secretary was staring at her in a daze. Frustrated yet trying to keep her composure, she called out to Secretary Noah.

Seamus Noah snapped out of it, seeing the utterly ordinary woman in front of him, he became even more courteous than before, not forgetting to save face for his boss, "Miss Zhang, I’m sorry, Lawyer Jones is always like this, don’t take it to heart. Regarding the joint annual meeting of our two companies, you’ve mentioned it before to Boss Meredith and Lawyer Jones, he has no objections. As for the details, you can discuss them with me."

The main reason Universal had such a good relationship with LG was that LG’s chairman, Boss Meredith, was the brother of Harmony Meredith, a partner at Universal Law Firm.

Rita Pansy had no expectations for today and was just grateful she had sent Grace Clarke away earlier, sparing herself an embarrassing situation, never imagining that Secretary Noah, who had been merely polite earlier, would become even more friendly after Benjamin Jones was rude to her. She breathed a sigh of relief and quickly discussed work matters with him.

As for Benjamin Jones, Rita Pansy had been so intimidated by his presence just now that she dared not harbor any further foolish thoughts.

Leaving the meeting room, Benjamin Jones’s stomachache worsened and he headed straight for his office, where he saw a familiar figure. His deep eyes slightly narrowed as he approached at a leisurely pace.

Catherine Ford was in such a hurry just now; she had started by following the receptionist’s directions but got lost after turning a corner, never expecting the top floor to be so vast and convoluted that after wandering for ages, she couldn’t find the restroom or the way back. To make matters worse, unlike LG which was always abuzz with people, she had circled several times at Universal without finding anyone to ask, hesitating whether to contact Grace Clarke when she heard familiar footsteps behind her.

A very bad feeling welled up from the bottom of Catherine’s heart, and her instinct was to run, but before she could lift her foot, a large hand landed on her shoulder. Catherine nearly jumped out of her skin, only to hear the voice she had dreaded all day echo by her ear, "Catherine Ford."

"Lawyer... Lawyer Jones..." Called out by name, Catherine had no chance to feign ignorance, slowly turning her head to meet the handsome man’s face, her expression awkwardly smiling.

Seeing this, Benjamin Jones also showed a smile to Catherine, but it was obviously forced, so fake it sent shivers down her spine. The courage she had to confront him that morning had completely vanished, and she returned his smile with an even more sincere fake smile, "Lawyer Jones, did you call me?"

"Hmm, decided to come and settle the debt?" Benjamin Jones spoke evenly, but his words were irritatingly taunting.

Catherine Ford’s complexion changed, and she resisted the urge to argue with the man right then and there, "Lawyer Jones, I came to Universal for work-related matters."

"Oh, not to repay money?" Benjamin Jones sounded very regretful as soon as he heard that.

Catherine Ford continued to smile sheepishly at him.

Benjamin Jones didn’t dwell on the matter, "If it’s not about repaying money, then let’s talk about something else."

"Work? The matter of cooperating with Universal’s annual meeting is mainly being discussed by my colleague, I’m just assisting her work. Why don’t you go find her?" Without waiting for Benjamin Jones to specify what it was, Catherine Ford immediately pushed the person over to Rita Pansy.

Benjamin Jones looked at the woman in front of him who resembled a little hamster, "I’m not talking about work."

"If it’s not work, then goodbye Lawyer Jones." Catherine Ford was quick to respond, finding an excuse to drop the sentence and flee, but after taking only one step, she was pulled back by the man’s long arm and even bumped into his sturdy chest.

Catherine Ford’s nose hurt from the impact, and she looked up at the man annoyed, "What are you doing?"

"Are you angry already?" Benjamin Jones asked with amusement.

Catherine Ford was asked into embarrassment, feeling that her fear of the man seemed no longer useful, she thought for a moment, "Lawyer Jones, I really can’t afford to compensate for your suit."

"I know." The response from Benjamin Jones was surprisingly calm, leaving Catherine Ford stunned, her face full of bewilderment towards the man’s actions.

Benjamin Jones didn’t beat around the bush, "You don’t have to directly compensate me for the suit, you can continue to pay off the debt by preparing three meals a day, like before."

After hearing this, Catherine Ford’s eyes widened in astonishment, incredulously staring at the man in front of her; so the man’s purpose for the earlier collision this early morning was just for this? That’s just too much!

"Cough cough, isn’t that possible? Or would you rather just pay back the money?" Benjamin Jones felt a bit embarrassed and with a guilty conscience by Catherine Ford’s gaze; indeed, what he did was not very honorable, but besides this, he couldn’t think of a better way to keep her around for the moment.

After all, their debt repayment agreement ends in a week, but thinking about the villa matter, he felt restless. Without the woman cooking for him every day and without a necessary reason to see him, who knows how she might avoid him, so he could only be dishonorable this one time.

Collision done, collision it is.

When Catherine Ford heard what the man said, her shock intensified, what did he mean by ’isn’t that possible’? Or rather just pay back the money? She had never seen a more shameless man than Benjamin Jones; it was outrageous that he could come up with such an idea!

"Do you know how much a housekeeper’s salary is per month in the market?" Catherine Ford tried to remain calm after asking.

Benjamin Jones knew a bit about this; his housemaid’s monthly salary was eleven thousand, and she barely cooked. Catherine Ford, who was responsible for neither cleanliness nor hygiene, yet had to prepare three meals, would definitely not be paid less than this price. However, he felt Catherine Ford wasn’t really asking for an answer from him, so he kept silent.

As expected, the next moment, he heard Catherine Ford raising her slender finger towards him, "Eight thousand, do you understand eight thousand? Are you planning to have me work for ten months for free? Lawyer Jones, partner of Universal, by doing this, won’t you be..." Too shameless?

Catherine Ford, despite her recent audacity, dared not say the last few words, but she gave Benjamin Jones a look that conveyed her message for him to understand.

"Hmm?" Benjamin Jones raised his eyebrow.

Catherine Ford, upon seeing the man’s reaction and feeling stifled, seemed to understand the man’s intentions after repeatedly taking deep breaths, "By doing this, do you mean you want to keep me and Alice here?"

Benjamin paused for a moment, "Hmm."

He didn’t deny it.

His candidness made Catherine Ford’s annoyance feel somewhat contrived; she looked up at the man in front of her, thought for a moment, and asked seriously, "If I refuse, will you think of other ways to keep us?"

Although it might seem somewhat self-centered, Catherine Ford had rarely been so sure and thus did not bother to be polite.

Benjamin Jones looked at the small serious woman before him and once again answered honestly, "Yes."

Catherine Ford was sufficiently exasperated, increasingly feeling that the man was... heh.

But since she couldn’t escape, why should she torment and aggrieve herself? With utmost seriousness, she negotiated with the man, "I can stay in Rose Valley, and I can continue to cook for you."

"Hmm?" This time it was Benjamin Jones who was surprised.

Catherine Ford acted as if she hadn’t heard the man’s questioning tone and continued, "I can agree to your requests, but not the compensation for money. And you have to pay me salary at market rates. As for your clothes... I will get them dry-cleaned for you."

She wasn’t sure if the man’s suit could be dry-cleaned, but such expensive clothes couldn’t possibly be disposable, right? So she thought she could give it a try.

Since she couldn’t escape, then she’d strive to secure the maximum benefits for herself.

Housekeeping and such, as long as the pay is good, she’s up for it!

Benjamin Jones lowered his head and seriously looked at the small woman in front of him, seemingly wanting to read some other emotions on her face, but in vain!

She was genuinely negotiating work and salary with him, with no hint of amorous thoughts towards him due to his earlier words.

For some reason, although he felt the woman’s idea was reasonable, his mood turned even worse, and it aggravated his stomachache. He suddenly rested his chin on Catherine Ford’s shoulder, "Give me a moment to think about it."

"Thinking over it is of course allowed, but don’t..."

"Catherine!"