Vanessa proceeded unimpeded to the door of Henry''s office.
Henry''s assistant came forward to greet her. "Miss Shannon, you''re here. Please,e in."
Vanessa smiled faintly. However, when the assistant pushed open the door to the CEO''s office, her smile froze on her face.
Sitting in Henry''s executive chair was not Henry, but Selma Quigley.
Seeing her enter, Selma Quigley raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Miss Shannon, long time no see."
Vanessa''s expression changed slightly. She scanned the office but saw no sign of Henry. She forced herself to remainposed. "Excuse me, I''m here to see Henry."
"He''s in a meeting," Selma said, gracefully rising to her feet and walking over to her. "If you have something to say, you can tell me."
"I''m sorry, but this is between me and Henry," Vanessa said, maintaining herposure.
"Oh!" Selma let out a softugh. "But his business is now my business."
Vanessa sensed a hint of provocation from Selma. She took a deep breath, reached into her bag for her phone, intending to call Henry again.
Selma smiled. "Miss Shannon, I wouldn''t bother. The reason I asked you toe up was my idea. There are a few things I''d like to discuss with you."
Vanessa suddenly felt like she had been yed. Her face darkened. "Miss Quigley, if you wanted to see me, you could have just asked properly. There was no need for this!"
Selma''s gaze fell on Vanessa''s deliberately exposed cleavage. She raised an eyebrow. "Miss Shannon, there''s something I need to inform you of. Henry and I are engaged. He is now my fiancé."
The news hit Vanessa like a sledgehammer. They were engaged?
Selma raised her hand, and a diamond ring the size of a pigeon''s egg glittered on her finger. "We didn''t announce our engagement to the media, so you might not have known."
Vanessa looked away. "Do you want me to congratte you?"
Selma looked up at her, her voice turning colder. "No. I want to remind you to stay away from my fiancé. And stop ying these cheap tricks."
Vanessa''s face turned pale. "You—"
"Do you think it''s appropriate toe see my fiancé dressed like that?" Selma''s gaze was piercing seeing right through her. "Henry is my husband-to-be. The next time you see him, please have the decency to dress appropriately."
"Selma Quigley, don''t go too far. You''re in no position to judge my clothes," Vanessa retorted, clearly not one to be easily intimidated.
"My apologies. It was just a friendly reminder, Selma said with a faint smile, turning to pick up an invitation from the desk. "Our wedding is next month. Since you''re here in person, I might as well give this to you."
Vanessa stared at the gold-embossed invitation, her knuckles turning white as she gripped her purse. She gritted her teeth, turned, and stormed out.
As soon as Vanessa left, Henry emerged from the adjacent office, his gaze soft as he looked at Selma. "Did she upset you?"
Selma shook her head. "No."
Henry wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Don''t bother with people like her next time."
Selma nodded. She had only wanted to take the opportunity to warn Vanessa off, to make her stay away from Henry from now on.
Back in the car, Vanessa threw her bag onto the floor. Laverne jumped, startled. "Vanessa, how did it go? Did Mr. Holt agree to help?"
Vanessa gritted her teeth. "That bitch Selma Quigley, she did it on purpose to humiliate me."
"What? What about Mr. Holt?"
Vanessa looked up at The Holt Group building, her eyes filled with rage and resentment. She had invested so much effort in Henry, only to end up like this.
Now, her career had been sabotaged by Serena once, which meant it could happen again and again. Soon, it would be difficult for her to even get on a stage.
But the fate of Yeaton Holdings was still inn''s hands, and she was tied to it. If Yeaton Holdings went bankrupt, her three billion would be gone.
In the end, all the fame and fortune she had gained would have to be returned to the Goodwin family, with interest. It was infuriating.
Just then, Laverne''s phone rang. She nced at it with a headache. "Vanessa, it''s your mother calling my phone again."
"Don''t answer it."
"She borrowed twenty thousand
from mest time for food. I don''t have any more money to lend her," Laverne said. She also disliked Vanessa s mothers who did nothing but ask for money all day long.