The Ultimate Negosiator

Trouble and Lies

Justin sighed heavily. He didn't understand why she had said something so shocking. He knew she was knowledgeable about jewellery. Disbelief gave him the courage to look at the fake diamond bag once more.

"How can this bag be real? I know that these diamonds are fake," Justin thought to himself.

"Grandma, please recheck it. Touch each side. There are no inclusions on this thing," Justin said once again.

"Do you think my eyes are too blind to judge this? Do you think I have amnesia to distinguish between fake and real diamonds?" cut in Anne. "Hurry up and apologize to Bryan!" she continued.

"Grandmother, why do you treat my husband differently from others? If he makes a mistake. You shouldn't hit him like this either. You should be the one apologizing to my husband, Grandma!" Bailey cried angrily.

"He accused Bryan. He made a big mistake on my show. Do you want me to pay him back for his stupid actions?" Anne's temper was rising sharply.

"Look at you now, Bailey. You used to respect me so much. But now you look like an uneducated woman. It's all because of your lowly husband's bad influence!" She immediately stomped her golden cane on the floor.

Justin immediately blocked Bailey, who was about to get hit by Grandma's cane. "I was wrong. I was wrong in what I said. It was because I was too emotional about Bryan. I'm sorry for making a mess," he said weakly.

"You stupid man. You will accomplish nothing to bring me down in front of everyone here. I'm my Grandmother's favourite grandchild. There's no way Grandma would let me be humiliated by a loser like you," Bryan grumbled softly as he touched Justin's shoulder.

Justin was willing to give in and let the guilty win. He didn't want to ostracize his wife at the event. After the chaos, the banquet began. All the guests were seated according to their status and the gifts they would give to Grandma. It was customary for Justin to sit in the back row with the Launter family servants until a bodyguard hurriedly entered the room and surprised all the guests enjoying the meal.

"Madam, there's a gift in front of the building," the bodyguard whispered.

"A present? From whom?" asked Anne with a puzzled look.

"Someone from the Stuart family," the man in black continued.

Anne had never heard anything about the Stuart family. She only knew that only Justin had that name. "What gift did they give you?"

"Five limited edition helicopters, ma'am! That's not all. They also gave us three private jets and fifty kilograms of pure gold."

A man in branded clothes walked in along with a few bodyguards. He had also given Anne a list of the gifts they had given her. They looked very respectable and dignified as they walked. However, Anne's eyes were drawn to the gift list, which showed a billion-dollar wedding gift in her hand. Several chests of money and jewellery were opened right in front of her. Thus, all the guests were amazed by the luxury.

"Who is this wedding gift for? Which of my granddaughters do you want to marry?" Anne asked with conviction.

All the girls from the Launter family blushed after hearing Anne's words. After seeing the luxurious gifts, They whispered and hoped they would marry one of the Stuart family heirs. Marrying a wealthy businessman was the girl's dream to gain a high reputation in the eyes of society. Meanwhile, Bailey could only smile bitterly because she was the only one who had married into the family. However, all the men who came mysteriously soon returned without answering Anne's questions.

"All girls have the opportunity to marry into a wealthy family. However, you can only see one of them who will get it," Bryan whispered, teasing Bailey.

Bailey walked away with an annoyed look, which was also captured in Justin's gaze. Again, he could only sniff at seeing his wife belittled by others. With a stern look, he refocused on all the luxurious gifts in the room.

"Why would my family do this for me? They already dumped me. Could this be an apology gift for me to come back?" Justin thought later.

After the birthday banquet, Bailey and her parents left without Justin. Today's events had greatly embarrassed them. At home, Bailey immediately locked herself in her room. Meanwhile, his mother and father argued in the main room over today's events.

"How long are you going to stand by and watch this humiliation? You didn't even do anything when your father married Bailey to a homeless man like Justin!" Scarlet said, disappointedly.

"I was plunged into a life of simplicity after marrying you. You see all your siblings living in luxurious residences. Yet, what did you give me? You only gave me suffering. The word patience is the main thing you always say to me. How long do I want to be patient with all this?" continued the woman with emotions still surrounding her head.

Lucas could only look down at his wife's anger. "I told you to—"

"Make divorce papers for Bailey. I can't stand this kind of humiliation all the time!" Scarlette cried once again.

"I promised my father not to file for divorce in Bailey's marriage. I can't do that unilaterally," Lucas replied very gently.

"Your father is dead." Scarlett sharpened her gaze.

"Even so—"

"You're such a cowardly man, Lucas! Are you going to torture Bailey until she dies, along with Justin? You're more concerned with your family's reputation than our daughter's happiness!" Scarlette was getting more and more disappointed.

Anne doesn't care about Bailey after the town sneers at their marriage. Bailey's father has no protection without the help of Ben, Bailey's grandfather. Justin can only hear their argument from the other room. He sniffs heavily again and walks closer to his room. He can hear his wife crying in there. He doesn't dare disturb her and puts his mind at ease in the backyard.

"I'm not divorcing Justin, Mom," Bailey said from inside the house.

"You're out of your mind! You want to make your life more miserable in your marriage. As your mother, I am doing this for your happiness, Bailey!" Scarlette said with a trembling voice.

"Yes, I used to want to do that! However, Justin has been doing all the chores for two years without complaining. You also don't have to take care of everything and fight with Dad over the chores," Bailey replied with emotion.

Justin knew that his wife had some compassion for his condition. After the argument, he slowly walked into the house to see his wife in the kitchen. Their two gazes locked. However, Bailey instantly ignored his gaze in the other direction.

"Do you like eavesdropping?" Bailey grumbled.

"Sorry, I didn't mean that. Bailey, trust me. I won't make you suffer again," Justin said, walking away.

"You're not going to make a mess because you feel humiliated by my family, are you?" asked Bailey with a feeling of anxiety still surrounding his head.

"Do you think I'm that bad?" Justin was still looking at his wife's face seriously.

"Don't do anything to defend me. You're a poor man with nothing. They could overthrow you with a big problem for daring to go against them," Bailey continued as she walked away from Justin.

Justin could only sniffle at his wife's words. After that, he returned to his family's private hotel in Reedplace. Compared to two years ago, all the employees there appreciated his arrival. Justin sat on the couch, staring at the woman who had just entered the room.

"I'm glad you wanted to see me here," Selena Stuart, Justin's mother, said softly.

"I came here because of your call. But would you have seen my face when Dad wasn't in critical condition at the hospital?" Justin grumbled with a very flat look on his face.

"Why are you still blaming me for this? I'm not the one who wanted you to leave the house," Selena replied with a disappointed look.

"If dad hadn't gone to the hospital and brother had gone to prison, you'd never have come looking for me after they threw me away like trash! Did you come here to melt my heart too, Mom?" snapped Justin, who couldn't help but feel sad.

Selena took a deep breath to calm the situation down. "I'm not going to fight with you here.

Because that's not what I came here to see you for," she said softly.

Selena handed her son a black card. "There will be a big project set up in Cerberus territory. You will control the project. Inside this card is unlimited money. You can use it as my sincere apology. The entire family's assets will also belong to you."