I Slapped My Fiancé—Then Married His Billionaire Nemesis
Chapter 132 - 133 Clever System

Chapter 132: Chapter 133 Clever System

I studied Maxwell with a frown.

No way someone like him was from their main office.

Maybe he wasn’t LGH at all.

Maybe he was full of shit.

While they kept babbling, I slid my phone out of my clutch and secretly took a photo.

Sent it straight to Ashton Laurent.

[This guy. You know him?]

It took Ashton a few minutes to reply.

[Yeah. He’s a Senior VP at Laurent Systems & Solutions. Why?]

[He’s meeting suppliers on the sly.]

I started typing more. Stopped. Deleted.

Typed again.

[Tried to grope me under the table.]

Sent.

I flipped the phone screen down and turned on the recording app.

While Franklin tried to pitch him again, I cut in.

‘LGH’s got some tight policies, don’t they? Something about staff being banned from meeting vendors off the record. No gifts. No cash. No freebies. Not even a discount voucher.’

Maxwell paused, fork halfway to his mouth. ‘I didn’t take anything from them.’

I pointed at the lobster tail swimming in butter and the sliced abalone drowning in brown sauce. ‘You think this table set itself? That’s not free.’

He hesitated, then slowly set down his fork.

He tried to shrug, but his shoulders were too heavy.

‘If that counts as bribery, I guess I can’t eat dinner with anyone anymore.’

Franklin said hastily, ‘It’s just a meal. Nothing serious.’

Preston chimed in right behind him. ‘Yeah. We invited Mr Maxwell. He was kind enough to come. That’s all.’

‘Exactly,’ Franklin added. ‘Someone at Mr Maxwell’s level—getting the occasional gift during the holidays is normal.’

I let them flail for a moment, then gave Maxwell a lazy smile. ‘Everyone’s got bills to pay. And you look like a man who’s got expensive tastes. Bit of kickback on the side wouldn’t be the worst thing. I get it.’

I smiled wider, like I meant it.

‘You’re joking, Miss Vance. I don’t take kickbacks,’ he said stiffly.

I glanced at his watch.

‘Didn’t realise you were that noble. All those supplier contacts, project budgets, and still living off payroll? You must be scraping by.’

I clicked my tongue twice and shook my head slowly. Like I was genuinely disappointed he wasn’t loaded.

‘Shame. I thought a man who could afford a Patek Philippe might be able to take a girl someplace fancy. Guess not.’

That did it.

His eyes flicked to my mouth, then to my collarbone.

He leaned in, voice low and greasy.

‘I’ve got plenty of money. You come with me, sweetheart, and I’ll take you to all the fancy places you want.’

His jowls bunched up around his grin like rising dough.

I forced myself not to gag.

I tilted my head, let my voice go light. ‘Yeah? Where’s all that money from, then?’

He swayed a little, eyes glassy.

Definitely drunk enough to show off.

Definitely stupid enough to think I cared.

‘Doesn’t matter where it’s from. What matters is I’ll spend it on you.’ He wagged a finger. ‘I’ve got assets in the high nine figures.’

I twisted sideways when his hand reached for my waist, then widened my eyes. ‘So what’s your role at LGH, Mr Maxwell? You’ve got to be making, what, a few million a year? Let’s say three. If you’ve got a hundred mil in assets, you’d need to work thirty years straight, no breaks, no shopping, no food.’

He smirked. ‘Of course I don’t make that from LGH alone.’

‘So you’re skimming.’ I shrugged. ‘Fair enough.’

‘No, no,’ he said quickly. ‘Skimming sounds dirty. What I do is just... fair exchange.’

I kept my expression steady, eyes a little wide, like I was impressed. ‘I don’t understand.’

‘Look, these guys give me gifts because they want to. I never ask. They know how things work. I greenlight their bids, their products meet spec, nobody gets hurt. Win-win.’ He turned to my father, seated on the other side. ‘Right, Franklin?’

Franklin nodded. ‘Exactly. Win-win.’

He looked over at me, noticed I’d stopped rolling my eyes and playing with the knife, so he relaxed his shoulders and gave me this smug little nod, like we were on the same team.

He raised his glass to Maxwell. ‘Once we land the contract, we’ll make sure you’re taken care of, Mr Maxwell. Hope you’ll put in a good word during the final round.’

Maxwell grinned. ‘That won’t be a problem.’

Franklin clinked glasses with him.

I leaned in, kept my voice casual. ‘So... you’re not worried someone’ll trace the cash? Or do you just insist on paper envelopes and stash them under your mattress?’

Gary let out a short laugh, puffed up. He didn’t touch me this time, just inched closer and switched to a patronising tone.

‘My wife deals antiques. All your dad has to do is pick out a vase and pay. That’s it. It’s all legal. Clean as a whistle.’

‘Oh. That’s—’ I paused. The shock in my voice wasn’t fake. ‘That’s clever. The stuff’s worthless, isn’t it? Cracked junk no one else wants, but it still sells for ridiculous amounts. So technically, no one’s paying you. They’re just overpaying for garbage. Your wife pockets the profit, and your hands stay clean.’

Maxwell beamed. ‘You’re sharper than I thought, Miss Vance. Now you believe I’m worth nine figures?’

I exhaled slowly. ‘You’ve got nerve, I’ll give you that. But if your boss finds out, you’ll be pissing in a bucket at Rikers for the next twenty years.’

His face twitched.

Franklin saw it too and immediately snapped at me. ‘Don’t talk rubbish. Mr Maxwell is a cornerstone at LGH. There’s no way someone like him’s getting arrested.’

I smirked. ‘Oh yeah? You think he’s more untouchable than Ashton Laurent, the big boss himself?’

Preston narrowed his eyes. ‘Don’t be ridiculous. You talk as if you actually know him.’

He scoffed. ‘Last I heard, you were swanning around claiming you’d married Ashton Laurent. Still clinging to that fantasy, are you? Dropping his name like it gives you clout.’

‘You don’t believe I married him?’

Preston laughed. ‘That might’ve worked on Aunt Caroline, but not me. You never brought him home, never even showed a photo. Probably realised you couldn’t keep the lie going and dropped the act. And now you’re using his name? You sound unhinged.’

‘I do know him. And if you’re not careful, I might take all this straight to Ashton.’