Reclaiming Her Heart

So, William had nothing left to say. He coughed a bit and waved his hand. "I told Selena we'd grab dinner sometime. You gotta be there."

He had said he didn't care, but there were just too many rumors flying around.

Raymond saw he wasn't gonna dig into the whole Penny thing, so no point in pissing him off now. "Got it, Grandpa."

As he bounced, Raymond stared out the car window, looking all serious.

John had no clue what was on his mind, but he was kinda shocked Raymond didn't get chewed out.

When they rolled back to Manston Manor and stepped into the hall, a servant spotted Raymond and quickly handed him a fancy-wrapped gift. "Sir, this came from Mr. Reed." Raymond took it, not even bothering to open it.

Back in his room, he hit the shower, careful not to mess with his wounds. After drying his hair, he finally opened the gift.

Boom, right there in bold letters-The Love Manual.

Raymond's face went dark, and he chucked the book away.

It landed on the nightstand.

Man, he really shouldn't have trusted Alex, Raymond thought.

He grabbed his laptop, jumped into bed, and leaned back to type out some documents before shutting it down.

But sleep? Nah, that wasn't happening. Lately, he couldn't catch a break, always feeling like Penny's scent was everywhere.

He killed the main light, leaving just the bedside lamp, and almost without thinking, picked up that so-called Love Manual and started flipping through it.

The book was basic, clearly for dating rookies.

It had a few tips: own up to your mistakes.

He read half of it, and before he knew it, the sun was coming up.

Realizing he'd spent the whole night on that boring book, he was pissed.

He got up, got dressed, and tossed the book straight into the trash.

Total waste of time!

After a quick breakfast, he headed to the Montague Group. He'd said he'd make Selena come crawling back.

So he called John in early.

"You said I gave a piece of land to Penny?" Raymond asked.

"Yeah, Ms. Cooper's already shelled out about a year's rent, ten mil a month," John replied.

"Did we sign a contract?" Raymond asked.

"Uh..." John hesitated.

Back then, they weren't beefing like last night. They had a simple contract, but it wasn't airtight.

"Nope, no real contract," John replied.

"Take the land back. We can rent it out for way more than ten mil," Raymond said.

John knew Raymond was just messing with Penny, but he wasn't about to argue.

Soon enough, Selena had just rolled out of bed when her phone rang.

"Ms. Cooper, Mr. Montague's decided to take back the land he rented to you. We'll refund your money," John said.

Selena was blindsided by Raymond's move.

She'd already paid the rent, talked to the renovation crew, and bought materials. All those small rooms were getting a makeover and would be ready in two months tops. Even Andrew had picked a room. Now Raymond was pulling the plug? She'd lose a ton.

She'd already paid half the deposit to the renovation company, and that was non-refundable.

Now, she'd have to hunt for new land, which was gonna be a hassle.

But right now, S.M Corporation was blowing up thanks to its beef with All Star Entertainment. The show's ratings were through the roof, and everyone wanted to sign with S.M. The company was swamped with resumes and interviews. She had a mountain of paperwork and no time to scout for new land.

Raymond had hit her where it hurt.

"Mr. Walker, we signed a contract," Selena said.

"That contract's not legally binding, Ms. Cooper. It was just a temp deal," John replied.

Selena took a deep breath, gritting her teeth. "Going back on your word is a big no-no in business. Does the Montague Group really need to do this?"

John kept it professional. "Sorry, I can't make that call."

In other words, this was all Raymond's doing.

Selena knew Raymond was out for revenge.

But what right did he have to come after her?

"Ms. Cooper, let us know when you can give us your bank info so we can refund the rent," John said.

But Selena hung up, fuming.