Vanya's POV
"Enough! Cliff, bickering with a woman like this isn't like you. What do you really want by calling me back? Don't tell me it's because you're jealous that I was at Wilmot's birthday. I won't believe such a ridiculous thing coming out of your mouth," I said.
Cliff opened his mouth but couldn't find any words.
"About Melinda, I was wrong about you," Cliff suddenly said.
I thought I had misheard.
"Are you... apologizing to me?"
Cliff's expression froze.
I looked at him and asked again, "You didn't call me back just to apologize, did you?"
Cliff was silent.
"I knew it was for the apology," I couldn't help but say.
"Vanya, you..." Cliff's face turned a bit sour.
He was used to being in control and having others submit to him. Admitting he was wrong was a big step for him.
Cliff tried to stay calm and said, "I was wrong about this. I shouldn't have accused you. But Melinda didn't deserve to go to jail. She's just a girl, and she was embarrassed and panicked, which led her to falsely accuse Wilmot..."
Before he could finish, I let out a soft laugh. "So that's how it is."
Cliff pursed his lips and didn't say anything more.
I continued, "I see. So that's why you're apologizing."
"I..."
"Are you trying to get me to go to the Hammond family and plead for Melinda?"
Cliff didn't respond, but it was clear I had misunderstood.
I added, "If that's the case, I can't help. I know I don't have that much influence to make Alpha Edwin listen to me."
"I didn't mean that..."
"Then what do you mean? Or are you asking me to talk to Wilmot directly?"
"I didn't want you to plead," Cliff looked up but didn't say anything.
"Since there's nothing else to talk about, can I go now?"
"Where are you going?" Cliff asked, catching up. "Back to the Hammond family?"
"My injuries have healed, so I'm going back to my apartment. I have an internship coming up soon, and I don't have time to run around everywhere," I said, turning to leave.
Cliff suddenly asked, "What's your relationship with M Group?"
I turned back, exasperated. "Cliff, are you just making conversation? What relationship could I possibly have with M Group? I just made a bad deal and sold them some land. You've been obsessing over this. Do you really think I'm the boss behind M Group?"
Cliff pondered my words and took a step closer. "Were you at the Hammond family tonight and didn't leave?"
"I already answered that. Your people should have told you. I haven't left the Hammond family these past few days," I replied.
After hearing my answer, Cliff fell into thought.
I guessed he had hoped to meet the mysterious Kendrick at tonight's masked ball but came up empty-handed.
Cliff stared at me, trying to find some sign of deception on my face, but my expression was natural. He couldn't see anything.
"You should focus on running your Todd Group instead of suspecting me. I heard that M Group's recent IPO has had quite an impact on Todd Group. You probably don't have time to talk about feelings with me," I said.
Cliff replied coldly, "It's just a newly listed group. Even if it affects Todd Group, it's just a minor issue. It won't amount to much."
I pretended to be indifferent and shrugged. "Maybe," I said, though I knew if M Group hadn't really impacted Todd Group, Cliff wouldn't have attended tonight's masked ball.
He was just too proud to admit it.
I turned to leave when Cliff's voice came from behind.
I handed the ring box back to Cliff and said, "Give this to the girl you truly like. I'm done with being your Luna."
With that, I turned and left, leaving Cliff standing there alone.
That night, I returned to my apartment. The internet was already flooded with news about M Group and Todd Group, speculating that the two companies had a bad relationship.
In just one night, the rumors had gone from being somewhat based on facts to becoming increasingly absurd.
Some said the Todd Group was about to lose its influence and couldn't hold on to its position as the top group in Los Angeles.
Others claimed the boss behind M Group was a powerful figure that Cliff couldn't touch.
The most exaggerated rumor was that Cliff was actually a subordinate of the M Group boss. Now that M Group was back, it was going to deal with this upstart.
Grace was laughing uncontrollably at the news.
I leaned back on the sofa, exasperated. "You're laughing so hard the bed might collapse. Be careful not to disturb the neighbors downstairs."
"But... don't you think this is hilarious? I can't wait to see Cliff's face when he sees these rumors!" Grace was laughing so hard tears were streaming down her face.
Cliff was always so arrogant and self-important. The idea of him being someone's subordinate was ridiculous. If it were me, I'd be furious.