Chapter 291

Latisha's fingers tightened on his sleeve as she remained silent, utterly lost as to how to react to the look in his eyes.

Suddenly, Clifford stood, tossing her back onto the sofa before turning to leave. Latisha shot out a hand and grabbed his sleeve again. He glanced back, and for a fleeting moment, the plea in her eyes seemed to soften his expression. But it only lasted a second before his phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket and answered it right in front of her.

Yesenia's voice floated through the receiver. "Clifford, I haven't seen you in days. Where are you?"

"Home."

The word always ignited a spark of anger in Yesenia, but she suppressed it. "I'm back in Etherea City. Come and see me."

Clifford didn't answer, instead glancing sideways at Latisha, who was still clinging to his sleeve. When she met his cold gaze, her hand slowly fell away.

Only then did he speak into the phone. "Where are you?"

“Oh, I just landed. You can pick me up at the airport.”

"Alright."

With that, Clifford hung up, not sparing Latisha another glance as he walked out without looking back.

Latisha sat stunned on the sofa, watching his resolute figure disappear. She bit her lip and lowered her head in silence.

Clifford drove straight to the airport. It was a fair distance, so it was already late by the time he arrived.

Yesenia had been waiting in the parking garage for so long that she was starting to get annoyed. Just then, a Bentley sped toward her and stopped smoothly in front of her. The window rolled down, and as Yesenia leaned over, she saw the tall, imposing silhouette inside and her face lit up. She immediately opened the door and slid in. Her agent, who had come with her, put the luggage in the trunk and discreetly took a seat in the back.

As soon as Yesenia got in, she threw her arms around Clifford, resting her head on

his shoulder. “Clifford, I missed you so much. Did you miss me?"

"Seatbelt."

His voice was as icy as ever.

Yesenia pouted, sat back, and buckled up.

In the backseat, her agent kept sneaking glances at them. It was the first time she'd seen Yesenia's benefactor in person. She'd heard rumors that he was incredibly handsome and wealthy, and seeing him today, she knew it was true. Just a glimpse of his sharp eyes in the rearview mirror was enough to tell her this man was not to be trifled with.

Yesenia launched into her usual complaints about how tiring filming was, the long hours, wearing. makeup for over a dozen hours day, and how acting wasn't fun anymore. Then she floated her latest whim: wanting to become a singer.

Clifford ignored her completely, letting her chatter on. Eventually, Yesenia seemed to notice

something was off. She stoppernet

Are

talking and turned to him. "Clifford, why aren't you saying anything? A you in a bad mood today?

"You finally noticed," he said, his tone unreadable.

To Yesenia, it sounded almost like a joke. Then she remembered something. "Oh, right. I saw some news a few days ago. Is something going on with the Lambert family?"

"Mm."

"And you? Are you affected?"

Clifford kept his eyes on the road. "Does resigning count?"

"Re-resigning?" Yesenia was baffled. She didn't understand the corporate world very well, only that as the CEO of a major company, he should be invincible. Who could he possibly resign to?

"What do you mean? You're not the CEO of Lambert Group anymore?"

"That's exactly what I mean."

"Ah..." Yesenia's expression shifted. She instinctively glanced at the rearview mirror, checking her agent's reaction.