After breakfast at the villa, Quentin took Amanda to the filming location.
As soon as Amanda arrived, she was met with two unkind glares. Jasper, as arrogant as ever, spared her only a brief glance before returning to his ritual of smearing something onto his face.
Celia, on the other hand, flew to her side, frowning in accusation. "Mandy! Your damn brother dared to drag me back to the main house while I was drunk. My dad punished me by making me write the family rules fifty times—by hand! And he wouldn't let the maids help me!"
Her voice was so shrill that Amanda instinctively rubbed her ears. She glared back at Celia. "You still have the nerve to blame me? If you hadn't invited me out, I wouldn't have ended up drinking and fighting in the first place! You got what you deserved."
Amanda winced inwardly, remembering how Quentin had caught her and immediately taken her home to "claim his prize."
Jasper, currently wearing a face mask, snorted at their bickering. "You two were the ones drinking and fighting, but I was the one who had to follow you to the police station!"
Amanda closed her eyes, letting Celia start on her makeup. "You chose to come along, Jasper. I didn't invite you."
Jasper choked on his words, indignant. "Fine! Next time I go out with you two, I'll write my name backward!"
Celia ignored him entirely. She was still fuming at Diego. "I'm telling you, Mandy, a man like your brother is truly..."
"Truly what?" a voice interrupted.
Celia turned to see the man she had been silently cursing for days strolling toward them. Diego looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "What? Are you scolding me behind my back?"
Celia rolled her eyes and finished her sentence. "It's true that he doesn't know how to be chivalrous. No wonder the woman he liked ran away to find someone else."
The reference to Elena Lewis hit a nerve, and Diego's face instantly darkened. "Cece!"
He barked her name, but Celia simply set down her makeup brush, planted her hands on her hips, and glared back. "What! If it's the truth, why can't I say it? You're unscrupulous! My hand still hurts from that punishment!"
Watching them, Amanda felt a headache forming. Her usually gentle brother was only ever driven to such pale-faced anger when dealing with the stubborn Celia. Knowing Celia's "combat strength," Amanda decided to stay out of it.
Diego took a deep breath, reminding himself that Celia was just a girl. When he saw the faint, plaintive look in her eyes, he sighed and raised his hands in surrender. "Fine. I shouldn't have dropped you at the main house, but you wouldn't give me your address. It was the only place I knew."
Celia snorted and turned away, effectively ending the conversation.
Accustomed to her temperament, Diego turned his attention back to Amanda. "Mom told me to tell you that even if you're busy, you should still pay a polite visit to the Harris family."
Amanda blinked, suddenly remembering the post-wedding customs. She felt a twinge of guilt and smiled at her brother. "Since you took the trouble to come all the way here to tell me, I'll arrange a time to go."
She wondered why Quentin hadn't reminded her himself.
Diego smiled and patted her head. "Now that you're married, try to be a bit more mature."
Back at the Harris Group
Quentin had just finished a grueling meeting. Exhausted, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to relax.
Knock. Knock.
"Come in," he said, sitting upright.
The door clicked open. Javier walked in wearing a faint smile, a cup of hot coffee in his hand. "I heard you just got out of a meeting. I brought you this."
Javier placed the cup on the desk, his eyes scanning Quentin's tired face. "It seems being the Deputy General Director is quite the idle job, isn't it?"
Quentin didn't touch the coffee. He met Javier's fake smile with an indifferent gaze. "Is that so? Perhaps it feels idle to you because I'm the one taking care of everything while you do nothing."
Javier's smile stiffened for a second before he regained his "spring breeze" composure. "I don't quite follow. But I did want to mention that next week's auction has some worthy items. I plan to bid on something as a wedding gift for my little aunt. Do you think she'll like it?"
Quentin remained calm, though his hand clenched into a fist beneath the desk. "You are her nephew. As your aunt, I'm sure she will accept it graciously."
"I hope so," Javier said brightly. "I'll head back to my office now. Goodbye, Uncle."
As Javier left, his mind raced. Last night, Amanda had told him Quentin chose Plot Number Three. His data suggested that land was worthless compared to the other two options. He suspected Quentin was playing a hidden card, but he was certain of one thing: Quentin still had feelings for Amanda.
Once Javier was gone, Secretary James entered. He saw Quentin lighting a cigarette—a sure sign that Javier had provoked him.
"President Harris."
Quentin took a drag of his cigarette. "What did you find?"
"Javier was originally aiming for Plot Number Two," James reported. "But for some reason, he started wavering toward Plot Number Three today."
Quentin's brow furrowed. He stood by the window, staring out at the city.
"President Harris, what is our next move?" James asked softly.
Quentin extinguished the cigarette. "Follow the original plan."
After James retreated, the room fell silent. Quentin stood like a statue, staring into the distance. Finally, he whispered to the empty room, "Mandy, what are you trying to do?"
He had intentionally left the documents out for her to find. The papers clearly stated he was choosing Plot Number Two. If Javier was now oscillating between Two and Three, there was only one explanation: Amanda had changed the information.
But why? Did she not love Javier anymore? Thousands of thoughts raced through his mind, but in the end, Quentin could only sigh.